Yusuke

“Can I eat lunch with you?” Fukuyama-san asks shyly while standing at the end of the table with a tray of food in her hands.

Aimi, Tonkatsu, and I drop our chopsticks onto our plates at the same time, our mouths hanging open and our eyes wide. It’s the first time Fukuyama-san has asked to sit with us in the school cafeteria, even after the karaoke and shopping day episodes. Although she no longer avoids me like she used to, she remains somewhat distant whenever we pass each other in the hallways or accidentally meet at the end of the school day.

“Nami,” Aimi exclaims, standing up from her chair with a beaming smile. “You don’t need to ask, duh. Of course, you can eat with us, silly. You’ve finally decided to join us for good.” She closes her eyes, puts the palms of her hands together in a praying gesture, and mumbles, “Thank you for this miracle, gods. I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks.”

Tonkatsu laughs and points at the empty seat next to him. “You can sit here, Nami.”

Fukuyama-san nods and complies with his suggestion, a grateful smile spreading across her face. On the other hand, I’m extremely annoyed that she has chosen to sit with him rather than with me, though my train of thought is ridiculous, since I’m surrounded by my other friends. There’s no way she would find a spot near me.

At least we’re at the same table.

“What made you decide to join us for lunch today, Nami-chan?” Aimi asks, her eyes still sparkling with joy.

The angel shrugs and replies, “Nothing in particular. I think I have grown tired of eating alone in the garden or in the classroom.”

Tonkatsu shoots her a sympathetic smile. “We’re glad you’re here with us.”

“You should eat in the bathroom because turds belong together,” Emica declares sarcastically, looking down on Fukuyama-san, who remains unbothered.

“Does that mean you climbed out of the toilet bowl yourself after you were born?” Tonkatsu claps back, arching an eyebrow at her, causing most of our friends to burst out laughing as a result.

“Can we please not talk about shit when I’m eating my lunch? It’s disgusting,” Aimi complains, sticking her tongue out. “You’re going to scare Nami-chan if you continue talking like that.”

Fukuyama-san assures her, “I am fine.” She brings a spoonful of omurice into her mouth, proving that she’s, indeed, fine.

“So, how is everyone doing on the midterm exams?” Tonkatsu changes the subject, probably in an attempt to ease the dark energy emanating from Emica toward Fukuyama-san.

Aimi is the first one to respond. “I’m doing fine. I’m not worried about them at all because even if I fail them, I’ll inherit my father’s company one way or another.”

“But if you fail them, you’ll be held back, you know,” Tonkatsu points out.

Aimi throws her hair back and scoffs, “The only reason I intend to graduate senior high school is that I don’t want to work at my father’s company yet. I’m not ready to burden myself with the responsibility of being the heir of one of the biggest companies in the city.”

I frown, confused. “But you’re the heir of your father’s company whether you graduate or not, aren’t you? What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense.”

Aimi throws a pea from her plate at me, and it hits me right on the head. She hisses, “Why do the things I say need to make sense? Can’t I just blabber what I want? Where is my freedom of speech?”

“I don’t think that term applies here, but sure, you do you,” I say with a smirk, chuckling.

Fukuyama-san giggles, her eyes fixed on me, causing my heart and stomach to flutter.

Emica slams a hand against the table, shooting the angel a murderous look. “I refuse to share my precious lunchtime with you,” she snarls before rising to her feet and stomping away from the table with her friends in tow.

“Don’t let Emica’s behavior affect you, Nami-chan. She’s jealous because Yusuke likes you,” Aimi comments casually.

I choke on the water I’m drinking, mortified. I open my mouth to retort, but I can’t find it in me to do so. Meanwhile, Fukuyama-san blushes like crazy, giving away that she feels as embarrassed as I do.

“You even blush together. You’re so cute,” Aimi observes, clapping her hands together and giggling, looking back and forth between Fukuyama-san and me.

“Stop it, Aimi. Now, you’re the one who is scaring Nami,” Tonkatsu scolds her, although I can sense the playfulness in his tone.

“No one is scaring no one,” Fukuyama-san remarks, the shade of red now gone from her beautiful, angelic face. She adds, “I must confess I am enjoying having lunch with you today despite Ishii-san’s hostility and the jokes at my expense.” She chuckles.

Everyone at the table relaxes, even those who are jealous of her because of me.

“So, as we were discussing the midterm exams, I’m like super screwed because I didn’t study at all. I tried to, but I played video games instead.” Tonkatsu returns to the topic concerning the exams.

Aimi folds her arms across her chest, her eyebrows furrowed. “You always say you’re screwed because you don’t study, but you’ve never failed a single exam so far. You’re crazy smart and can memorize all the lessons in the blink of an eye.”

I nod in agreement. “It’s true, Katsu. You’re a genius; you don’t need to study to do well on tests.”

“How about you, Nami? How are you doing on your exams?” Tonkatsu asks Fukuyama-san, who looks up from her plate and blinks a couple of times, appearing lost in the conversation.

“Can you repeat the question, please? My apologies, but I was not paying attention to what you were saying,” she mumbles.

Tonkatsu laughs. “I asked how you’re doing on your exams. Is Mori Senior High School’s curriculum proving to be too challenging? Do you need help with your studies?”

Fukuyama-san shrugs. “I am doing okay, I guess.”

“Do you want me to study with you? We can do it at the school library,” he offers.

I narrow my eyes at my friend and then shift my attention to Fukuyama-san. “So, Fukuyama-san, did your cat like the white collar you bought when we went shopping?”

The angel’s face lights up immediately. “Actually, no, it did not.” She chuckles, the delightful sound drawing a smile from me.

“You have a cat? Why does Yusuke know about it, and I don’t? I thought I was your best friend.” Aimi pouts.

One of the girls at the table suddenly stands up and lays her panicked gaze on me, her lips trembling as she hesitates. “Are you da-dating that gi-girl?” She points at Fukuyama-san, who looks as lost as she does when Tonkatsu questions her about the exams.

I let out a loud groan, annoyed. “My private life doesn’t concern you or anyone else.”

All the other students except Aimi, Tonkatsu, and Fukuyama-san gasp in unison. Their shocked expressions quickly turn despondent as they lament losing their chances of winning my heart and affection.

“I need to eat something sweet.” Fukuyama-san rises to her feet, oblivious to what’s happening around us.

I instinctively grab my egg pudding and place it on her tray. “Here, you can eat mine.”

“Oh, thank you,” she says, surprised. “Are you sure you do not want it? I can get one for myself.”

“It’s fine.”

She slowly sits down again and starts eating the pudding, the joy in her dark eyes working like doses of glucose flowing into my veins.

Tonkatsu snaps his fingers as though having a “eureka” moment. “That’s why you’ve been getting sweets from the cafeteria every day even though you hate them. You’ve been hoping to give them to Nami-chan in case she decides to join us at the table, haven’t you, Yusuke?”

I deliberately play dumb, even though he’s telling the truth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I drain my glass of water.

“Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my,” Aimi exclaims, fanning her face with her hands, a stupid grin plastered across her face as she winks at me. “You’re so in love with Nami.”

I hold my tray of food and leave the table, the chatter about my relationship with Fukuyama-san catching my ear wherever I walk, worrying me that my stupid actions might bring even more harm to the angel.

* * *

The student council meeting finally ends after a long, tiring afternoon. Although the midterm exams are nothing for me to worry about, those meetings with other students to discuss important matters drain me to the core.

I don’t want to imagine what will happen when I become the king of the Kingdom of Demons.

The mere thought gives me a headache. If I had a choice, I’d rather stay in the human realm and enroll in a university. However, my dad has already made it clear that he expects me to return to the demon realm permanently to start preparing to assume the throne once I graduate from high school.

I change my shoes at the shoe locker, and as always, love letters await me. Since the place is empty, I take the opportunity to rip them up and throw them in the garbage can without bothering to read them, as they don’t interest me in the slightest, no matter who wrote them.

As I approach the main gate, a desperate scream cuts through the air, catching my attention instantly. I look around me, but no one is in sight, not even the students who are part of the student council with me.

“Where is everyone?” I mutter to myself, quickening my pace.

Another scream, followed by “Help me,” echoes, but this time, I recognize the voice, prompting me to run toward it, growing more worried with every step.

“Fukuyama-san,” I whisper, fearing that demons have found her.

As I initially suspect, I find the angel surrounded by five men threatening her with knives, and the thing is, those men are half-human and half-demon, which stuns and concerns me greatly.

“Tch. Why are the hybrids attacking the angel princess?” I grumble, jumping into the middle of the circle and pushing Fukuyama-san behind me, glaring daggers at the attackers.

“Prince Yusuke?” one of them gasps, shocked. “Why are you protecting an angel?”

Damn it. If only I could use my magic here.

The fact that I can’t wield magic in the human realm angers me to no end because if I could, those attackers would be burnt to a crisp by now.

“Well, I guess I have no other choice but to fight them with my fists.” I drop my shoulder bag onto the ground and punch one of the men mercilessly.

“Yusuke-kun?” the angel breathes out, astonished that I’m actually protecting her. By the way, it’s the first time that I’ve heard her say my first name, and hell, it feels so damn good.

“I’m going to kill you all for messing with Nami-chan,” I hiss with gritted teeth once the first man’s face hits the hard ground beneath us.

* * *