"It's almost like a devil."
What happened in the morning didn't cause much commotion. Tsuyoshi was carried out by people Makoto had called, but the girls around Mu Xiaoxiao all knew about his abilities now.
The power to control time and lifespan.
Chisato and Kisaragi Anna hadn't witnessed the shocking scene of a man being drained of life, slowly becoming an old man. But hearing about it from Makoto was enough to make them click their tongues.
Imagining that scene was horrifying.
"I am a devil." Mu Xiaoxiao leaned back in his chair, opened his lunch box, and flashed an evil devilish smile at the girls before him. "You all knew that already."
The girls sitting beside him—Chisato, Kisaragi Anna, Himemiya Makoto, even Obata Yui—were all there. All of them had experienced Mu Xiaoxiao's terror. All had been bullied by him.
Even the hypnotized Yui-senpai, if she ever woke from it, would think of him as a devil.
On this point, Mu Xiaoxiao never concealed or shied away.
He knew better than anyone that he wasn't a good person. He had no intention of being one.
"No way. Xiaoxiao isn't a devil." Chisato immediately pouted. She used to think of him as a devil countless times, but now she couldn't stand hearing such words. She retorted, "At least not to us."
Even if he could be bad sometimes.
"Yeah. Mu-kun is a very good person. He helped me and my mother a lot." Senior Yui nodded repeatedly, agreeing. "How could he be a devil?"
Mu Xiaoxiao glanced at the red-haired girl with a strange expression. He suddenly felt the urge to lift her hypnosis right now and see her reaction.
But he held back.
"Honestly, there's nothing wrong with being a devil. It's cool." The white-haired gyaru was in high spirits. Kisaragi Anna wasn't exactly a model citizen herself.
As she spoke, she glanced at Himemiya Makoto, who had been silent, and closed her mouth.
'Almost forgot—that guy was her brother? Not that I have any friendship with her. Come to think of it, she doesn't seem that angry that her brother was turned into such a wreck?'
'Strange. What's her relationship with Xiaoxiao?'
"Makoto." Chisato's relationship with Makoto was much closer than Anna's. She noticed something and looked at her friend with concern. "Makoto, are you okay?"
"I know. I don't blame him." Himemiya Makoto glanced at the boy eating with a complex expression. "That man brought it on himself. He deserved it."
He'd even had evil intentions toward his own sister. Thinking of that scene, Makoto felt sick. Disgusted.
Himemiya Makoto just didn't know how to face Mu Xiaoxiao now. She hadn't said anything this morning. Just that kiss... but it felt like she'd said everything.
Because of that, she'd completely severed ties with her childhood sweetheart, Yoshida Kaoru.
Now she was here with them for lunch in the library... She still felt a little awkward. Especially with Chisato. Chisato was a good friend, but her connection to Mu Xiaoxiao had started because of Chisato.
Now she liked the same person as her. It was really...
She couldn't help but sigh. Things were unpredictable.
Chisato noticed. Not just her—Kisaragi Anna and Obata Yui did too. It seemed like a lot had happened between Makoto and Xiaoxiao. They didn't know the specifics, but it felt like a good thing.
Her friend's relationship with her lover had eased. She'd even developed feelings... Chisato wasn't jealous. She was happy. She fully supported Makoto joining them.
"My ability isn't just about taking lifespan..."
Mu Xiaoxiao didn't notice the girls' thoughts. While eating the rice balls Chisato had made, he continued, "I can also give it."
"Huh?"
The four girls froze.
"Give life? What does that mean?" Kisaragi Anna didn't understand.
Mu Xiaoxiao looked helplessly at the white-haired gyaru's red pupils. "It means with this ability, we can achieve immortality. Live forever."
They were all teenagers. Young. They hadn't thought about immortality or long life. But after Mu Xiaoxiao's reminder, they all gasped.
'Long life...'
Yes. That was the real horror of stealing someone's lifespan. Taking from others to extend your own—no different from a devil.
But the power of [Time] went even further. Mu Xiaoxiao had discovered that using [Time] abilities—acceleration, deceleration, even stopping time—
Could be powered not just by mental energy, but by consuming lifespan too.
His current [Wisdom] attribute wasn't high enough to sustain it indefinitely. But [Life] could be used as fuel. Dangerous, of course, if you consumed too much.
Still, [Time] was limited in some ways but massive in impact.
A common skill costing 20 hearts—well worth it.
"That's amazing." Kisaragi Anna's eyes lit up after recovering from the shock. The gyaru marveled. "We knew you had powers, Xiaoxiao, but this is too crazy."
She shot him a look.
"Yeah. Exaggerated. Increasing lifespan or something..." Chisato thought about how he could control her. That was terrifying, but eternal life was even more shocking.
Himemiya Makoto was also shaken by Mu Xiaoxiao's abilities. But power aside, she cared more about his attitude toward her.
That morning kiss had been so passionate, so lewd. Now he wouldn't even look at her. What did that mean? Didn't he like her? Was the kiss just for fun?
Had she already been dumped?
The girl lowered her head, almost burying it in her chest—which overshadowed the other girls. She listened absently to their conversation.
They were in the library, so no one spoke loudly. Few people came here. The quiet atmosphere was perfect for private conversations.
Still, it was rare to have lunch here. Didn't they see the black-haired librarian girl glancing their way?
"Mu-kun... this ability—lifespan and such—could you use it for my mother..."
Obata Yui hesitated, but Mu Xiaoxiao understood. He smiled. "Well, that depends on Mrs. Natsumi. I've never been stingy with my women. But Mrs. Natsumi and I just have a normal arrangement."
"I'm just taking care of her, like Mr. Obata asked."
He'd done everything he should and shouldn't. He'd even left his Incubus Pattern on her—a mark of ownership. Didn't that make her his woman?
Senior Yui didn't question it. She whispered, "I understand. Mu-kun, could you come to my house after school today?"
"Of course. I'll go to Yui-senpai's house tonight. I'll have a good talk with Mrs. Natsumi about this."
Mu Xiaoxiao flashed a mischievous grin. Obata Yui squeaked and blushed.
The other girls watched with expressionless faces. They didn't ask about whatever was going on between Mu Xiaoxiao and this senior Yui they'd just met.