Yusuke

“Thank you for allowing me to take a bath. I feel great and warm now,” I say while stepping into Fukuyama-san’s bedroom, my eyes widening at the sight of the beautiful angel wearing a white hooded sweater, light pink sweatshorts, and white socks. She seems comfortable and distracted, lying on her belly, sprawled out on the bed, reading a magazine and humming a song I don’t recognize.

“Meow.” The cat rubs its body against my leg, catching my attention.

“Huh? What is it… Yuki? Is that your name?” I slide my hands under its front legs and scoop it up, amused that it isn’t hissing or casting a water spell on me.

“You are not sneezing anymore,” Fukuyama-san observes, lifting her head, looking at me with a soft smile. “Yuki really did something for your allergy.”

“I thought the water ball was just a form of bullying.” I smirk, relieved that I’m not sneezing anymore. “Thank you for lending me your brother’s clothes, by the way. As you presumed, they fit me like a glove.”

The cat meows in my arms and opens its mouth.

“Oh, no. Are you going to cast a water spell on me again? Please, don’t,” I beg, panicking. However, much to my surprise, a strong gust of warm wind comes out of its mouth, drying my damp hair in a matter of seconds.

I blink several times, stunned. Meanwhile, Fukuyama-san jumps out of bed and approaches us, her expression mirroring mine as she gasps, “Yuki, you can use wind magic? How is that possible?”

“I might be wrong, but I feel immense power coursing through Yuki’s body, which means it can use all types of magic,” I comment, furrowing my brows. “After all, it’s a guardian.”

“Do you mean Yuki-kun can cast water, fire, earth, and wind magic? Is he really that powerful? How come you can feel his power and I cannot?” The angel grills me with questions, her eagerness to hear my responses making me proud of myself for being able to give them.

“You’re the youngest in your family, right? Typically, only the first prince or princess can sense the magic power and mana around them. This implies that your brother, the king, must possess the same abilities I do. He likely sensed Yuki’s immense power in the Kingdom of Angels, which is why he instructed you to bring him to Tokyo. Regarding the types of magic, as you know, all demons can use fire magic, while all angels can wield water magic. However, only members of the demon and angel royal families can harness the power of wind and earth magic.”

Fukuyama-san looks at the palm of her right hand. “So, it means I can cast wind and earth spells,” she murmurs, stunned.

Even though she told me she grew up sheltered from the world, practically confined within the castle’s walls, I’m flabbergasted by how little she knows about everything. I can’t help but wonder if her teachers actually taught her anything useful or if they just filled her head with stupid ideas to keep her under her parents’ absolute control.

“Princess Nami, have you ever practiced magic? Did one of the court mages teach you about magic and mana?” I ask, determined to understand why the previous king and queen raised their daughter to be oblivious and dependent.

She stares at me as though I’m speaking gibberish. “Court mages? What are those? I know that the kingdom has a Knightly Order and Royal Guards, but I have never heard about court mages.”

I sigh, trying not to tell myself that she’s a lost cause and that I should just drop the subject and discuss something less infuriating. If she keeps giving me reasons to believe she meant nothing to the previous king and queen, I might just force my way into the angel realm to confront them about being such terrible parents.

Fukuyama-san flinches. “Why do you look so mad?”

I inhale and exhale deeply to calm down. “I’m not mad.”

Unexpectedly, she pokes me on the cheek with her index finger, smiling. “Yes, you are. Your ears are red, and I can see the fire burning in your eyes, you know.”

My lips curl into a mischievous smile as I suggest, “Maybe you should put out my fire with your water magic.” The words are supposed to come out in a suggestive tone, but judging by the angel’s confusion, I can conclude that I’ve massively failed my mission to flirt with her.

“But I cannot use magic in the human realm.” She frowns, confirming that she hasn’t, in fact, caught my attempt to flirt. “Can you use your magic here? I thought only Yuki could do it.”

I shake my head to get my thoughts straight and go back to the main matter at hand. “Anyway, court mages are powerful mages who serve the castle, and they usually fight as support members to the knights.”

The angel ties her beautiful hair into a high ponytail while mumbling to herself, “Why did my teachers fail to teach me about magic? What else have I not learned that I should have? Why did Father and Mother neglect my education so badly to the point that I now feel like the most ignorant being in the human realm?”

“Are the lessons at school too difficult for you? Are you having a hard time studying? How are you doing on your midterm exams?” I place the cat on the carpet because it’s surprisingly heavy. I thought its round shape was a consequence of its fluffy fur, but I guess it’s just chonky.

“I find the lessons easy, to be honest. The only subject I have problems with is—”

“Geography,” I guess, laughing. “That I can tell.”

She rolls her eyes and heads to the kitchen, prompting me to follow her. “I am making us dinner,” she announces once she is standing in front of the stove.

“What can I do to help you?” I offer, excited and expectant to taste the angel’s food.

“You can fill the small pot with water and put it on the stove while I take the packages of instant noodles,” she replies, pointing at the small pot on the dish rack.

I run a hand through my hair nervously, forcing a smile. “I don’t know how to turn on the stove,” I confess.

Fukuyama-san frowns. “Is this your first time in a kitchen?”

“Yes,” I admit, wanting to die from embarrassment, expecting her to burst out laughing and start mocking me.

She shrugs and smiles. “There is always a first time for everything, even when you are the demon crown prince who has servants for everything. Come on; I will teach you how to turn on the stove.”

The angel explains what she’s doing as she places the pot with water from the tap onto the stove and turns it on, which turns out to be extremely easy to do. Next, she opens the cabinet under the sink and takes out two packages of instant miso noodles, grinning from ear to ear as she waves them in the air.

“I’ve never tried those before,” I say, curious to find out what instant noodles taste like.

“I have been eating these for dinner every night since I moved here,” she comments, opening the packages and putting them on the counter. “They are easy to prepare and taste super good.”

I stare at her in horror. “You’ve been eating those every single night?”

“Yes, I have. Why? What is wrong with that?” She narrows her eyes defensively.

I take a step back and shake my head. “I’m just taken aback, that’s all.”

Silence fills the air as we stand side by side in the tight space, our shoulders touching whenever one of us moves, sending electric tingles down my spine.

“Can I ask you a question?” Fukuyama-san speaks first, her eyes focused on the water starting to boil.

“Of course.” I hand her one of the packages after removing the pack of miso powder.

“Thank you.” She throws the noodles into the boiling water. “How did you know that those men who attacked me earlier today were hybrids? As a demon, could you see their demon forms?”

“No, I couldn’t. However, as I mentioned before, I have particular abilities because I’m the first prince. One of those abilities allows me to identify hybrids, whether in the human or demon realm. On top of that, I can feel their mana and power even when they’re in their human forms,” I clarify, happy once again to be able to help her understand things better.

She shifts on her feet and hesitates. “Do you think they are related to the attacks in the Kingdom of Angels?”

I ponder how to respond, wanting to give her neither a positive nor a false answer, since the matter is so delicate and complex. Personally, I believe it’s somehow connected to the attacks in her kingdom, but I don’t necessarily think she’s being targeted solely because she’s the angel princess. A nagging feeling inside of me tells me that I’m the reason why people want to harm her—and by her, I mean Nami Fukuyama. Still, I choose not to say anything unless I’m one hundred percent certain.

“Hasegawa-san?” the angel calls out. “You do not need to answer me if you do not wish to.” She points to the small fridge. “Can you get me a container of boiled eggs from the refrigerator, please?”

I crouch and do what I’m told, then finally reply, “Look, I have my suspicions regarding today’s attack, but I don’t want to draw conclusions without proof and cause you unnecessary concern.” I rise to my feet with the container of boiled eggs in one hand. “What if I ask my dad and my mom about it? Maybe they know something we don’t.”

After mixing the boiled noodles with the miso powder, she carefully pours them into a ceramic bowl and drops two boiled eggs into it. “This one is yours. Feel free to eat it now before it goes cold.”

The food doesn’t look good, but I’m going to eat it regardless because the angel herself has prepared it for me. I don’t care what it tastes like, and I don’t mind if it gives me a stomachache or diarrhea, as long as I get to see her smile and be pleased that I’m fed.

“Thank you very much.” I reward her with one of my signature smiles—the one that leaves most people dazed, their knees trembling.

She blushes and averts her eyes, letting me know I’ve accomplished my goal. She then fills the pot with water and puts it on the stove again, repeating the same steps she used to prepare my instant noodles.

“My brother Sora told me that all the angels who have fallen during the attacks had their mana drained and their lives taken by drowning, which is why everyone knows that both demons and angels are involved in them,” she states out of the blue, her expression serious and her voice low and grave. “He believes that demons drain the angels’ mana, incapacitating them and preventing them from using their magic to defend themselves, and, once they are too weak or unconscious, they drown after an angel casts a water spell on them.”

“I agree with your brother.” I place a hand on the angel’s shoulder, squeezing it softly, reassuring her. “I’ll talk to my mom and dad as soon as possible to inquire about the attack on you, as well as what we can do to help solve the ones in your kingdom. The situation is getting out of hand, and if it continues this way, all the angels will end up falling before we can do anything to prevent their descent.”

Fukuyama-san sniffs, her eyes welling up with tears as she whispers, “Why do you care if the angels fall?”

I cup her face in my hands and lean in, whispering in her ear, “I care because you are an angel.” With my thumb, I wipe away the tears that begin to stream down her cheeks, hating to see her hurting this much. “Besides, I’m the demon crown prince, and as such, it’s my responsibility to do my best to assist the Kingdom of Angels. That’s what the Peace Pact was formed and signed for, right?” I wink, smiling.

She giggles, the contagious sound soothing my heart. “You are different from what I initially expected.”

I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I thought you were an arrogant student who believed he had the world at his feet because of his money, good looks, and popularity. It turns out you are just a demon living his best life in the human realm, and I do not blame you for that.” She pours her noodles into a second ceramic bowl after finishing preparing them. She also drops two boiled eggs into it, just like she did with mine. “Let us eat our dinner, shall we?” She motions for me to follow her to her bedroom, a command that I happily obey.

* * *

It’s almost eleven p.m. by the time I’m sitting in my car while my servant, Fukuo, drives me to the mansion. As I lean against the seat and stare out the window, I can’t help but smile whenever I recall the delightful moments I had with the angel. After eating dinner, we had chocolate ice cream—although I hate desserts, it’s amazing how everything tastes good when I’m in her company—and chatted more about the attacks in the Kingdom of Angels. We also played with the chonk cat—I mean, the fluffy guardian—and had lots of fun just hanging out.

My smartphone vibrates, announcing a new text message, which I open without thinking twice. I read it aloud. “Why did you have to ruin my plans? You’ve just made things worse.” I scowl, fury blinding me, and immediately call the sender, fuming.

“My, oh my, Yuu-kun. Why are you calling me so late at night?” The female voice on the other end of the line makes me see red.

I hiss, “Stay away from Nami. I’m warning you for the last time.” I end the call abruptly and glare at my phone’s screen, where the name Emica Ishii is blinking. 

I decide to visit the palace tomorrow after school to talk to Dad and Mom and come up with a plan to save the angels.

* * *