"Huh?"
The sudden change startled Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She almost reflexively threw the parchment in her hand, but instead of falling to the ground, it floated directly in mid-air. The simple Magic Circle on it also detached from the paper, rapidly expanding, and like a scanner, it slid from top to bottom, revealing a figure within it from head to toe.
It was Leo, who had been preparing to take a bath, had even taken off his clothes, but immediately put them back on after sensing the summons and jumped over through the Magic Circle.
Raising his eyes, Leo's smile, which had been about to appear, froze as he saw Kasumigaoka Utaha standing there blankly, completely frozen.
The two looked at each other, neither speaking immediately.
After a long while, Leo was the first to break the silence.
"Good evening, Senpai," Leo said with a faint tone, "While I'm happy you finally summoned me, you didn't have to give such a big benefit, did you?"
Leo's words immediately reminded Kasumigaoka Utaha, whose brain had frozen, of her current state.
That's right, she had just finished showering and was only wrapped in a bath towel… "!!!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly raised her hands, hugged her body, and at the same time grabbed a pillow beside her, throwing it towards Leo.
Unfortunately, this soft and weak attack only made Leo tilt his head and dodge it.
"Bang!"
Soon, a loud door-slamming sound echoed in the room, and Kasumigaoka Utaha had already rushed out of the room.
"See you later."
Leo watched her leave, smiling and waving.
His appearance was incredibly punchable… Half an hour later, Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to her room.
She looked unhappily at Leo, who had made himself completely at home, sitting on the bed and flipping through a light novel he had taken from the bookshelf, reading with great relish. Her eyes were so fierce they looked like she could erupt and kill at any moment.
"Aren't you going to explain?"
Suppressing the urge to rush over and punch that annoying handsome face, Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke through gritted teeth.
Only then did Leo shift his gaze from the book in his hand to Kasumigaoka Utaha, noticing her attire.
She had put on casual home clothes, a very simple style: a light shirt on top, shorts on the bottom, her two fair legs bare and dazzling, which made Leo click his tongue in wonder.
"Shouldn't you be the one explaining, Senpai?" Leo said quite seriously, "To summon me in that situation, I thought it was a reward from a kind Senpai, given how well-behaved her junior is."
Kasumigaoka Utaha really wanted to hit him.
"Who knew that thing could summon you?!" Kasumigaoka Utaha was fuming, her voice significantly louder, "Also, you're neither my junior nor well-behaved. That word will never be associated with you!"
If not for the many questions in her mind, Kasumigaoka Utaha would already be kicking him out.
"Those words are a bit hurtful, Kasumigaoka-san," Leo said with a sigh, "If I wasn't well-behaved, why would I insist on reading through your tooth-rottingly sweet drafts every night?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's fists were clenched.
"Those…are…not…drafts!"
Her words, pronounced one by one, clearly showed she had reached her limit of patience.
Leo knew that if he continued to provoke her, Kasumigaoka Utaha would really explode.
So, he knew when to stop, closed the book in his hand, and smiled at Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Anyway, Senpai, you finally used that demon flyer, so I didn't wait in vain," Leo said generously while stretching, "As you are a precious contractor, feel free to ask any questions, I will answer them one by one."
Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha instead calmed her emotions and fell silent.
After a while, the beautiful Senpai spoke softly.
"So you really are a demon? You're not kidding me?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze at Leo held a hint of surprise and doubt.
Leo didn't explain; as always, he directly unfurled his wings, allowing bat-like demon wings to appear in Kasumigaoka Utaha's room.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression stiffened instantly, and her steps unconsciously retreated.
Her first thought was… could those be props for some cosplay?
"They're not props."
As if able to read the girl's thoughts, Leo's body slightly floated, his wings flapping behind him, his feet dozens of centimeters off the ground, and he said with a grin.
"Like this, you shouldn't suspect I'm on wires, right?"
Hearing Leo's words, Kasumigaoka Utaha really wanted to say, that's exactly what I thought.
But she knew very well that it would just be self-deception.
Ultimately, ever since Leo appeared in her room in such an inconceivable way, this matter should no longer be questioned.
At least, Kasumigaoka Utaha had never heard of human technology advancing to the point where someone could appear out of thin air in another person's room, unless that person was a chameleon.
Leo might be a pervert, but he definitely wouldn't change color.
Even if he did change color, it would probably only be to yellow… Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha unable to calm down for a long time, Leo, who had retracted his wings, spoke impatiently.
"Alright, this isn't something to be shocked about for so long. For others, maybe, but Senpai, you're a light novel author. You must have often fantasized about such supernatural phenomena appearing before you, turning from fantasy into reality, right? Is it necessary to be surprised for so long?"
"…How many times do I have to tell you? I write romance novels! Not fantasy novels!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha retorted to Leo with a exasperated expression, and that one sentence helped her calm down somewhat.
"You said I'm your contractor, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, frowning, "What does that mean?"
"Literally," Leo said, hands on his hips, his posture very casual, not at all detracting from his demeanor, "Being summoned by someone, signing a contract with a human, and collecting the corresponding price as remuneration by fulfilling their wishes—that's a demon's job. It's mentioned in books and on TV, isn't it?"
"Senpai is the kind of person who is usually seen as a villain, who sells their soul to achieve their wishes, summoning evil demons into the real world."
"People like you, in the past, would have been caught and burned at the stake. But modern times are very tolerant of these kinds of things, so be grateful, Senpai, you won't be caught and burned to death, probably…"
Leo's rambling, just like when he chatted idly in the classroom, made Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips twitch slightly, her heart, which had just grown a little serious, feeling somewhat exasperated.
"I can't talk to you seriously, or you'll absolutely infuriate me to death."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's sharp tongue acted up again; she really wanted to verbally lash Leo a few times, making him show a look of questioning his existence, just like those boys who tried to pursue her.
"I'm looking forward to it," Leo said with a brilliant smile, completely unlike a demon, "If Senpai really gets infuriated to death, I will gladly accept your soul and keep you by my side forever, the kind that can't run away."
"Then I must find a way to live to a ripe old age," Kasumigaoka Utaha gradually found her rhythm, saying, "Is there a way to do that, Mr. Demon who can grant wishes?"
"Of course!" Leo's eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, saying, "As long as Senpai chooses to integrate this into her body, not only will her lifespan extend to at least tens of thousands of years, but it can also delay aging, even granting eternal youth!"
Saying this, Leo, as if presenting a treasure, pulled out a crimson chess piece and handed it to Kasumigaoka Utaha with a beaming smile.
The chess piece was even flickering, glowing.
"Lifespan will extend to at least tens of thousands of years, and it can also delay aging, even granting eternal youth…!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't notice this, only feeling her heart pound fiercely.
Extending lifespan was secondary, but delaying aging and even eternal youth… Which decent young girl could resist that?
Kasumigaoka Utaha found it somewhat irresistible.
But looking at Leo's smile, as bright as a thief's, a sense of caution rose in Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart.
"Granting wishes requires a price, doesn't it?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked cautiously, "What price do I need to pay?"
"It's very simple," Leo didn't hide anything and said straightforwardly, "Reincarnate as a demon like me, become my Retainer servant, and serve me for life."
"Goodbye." Kasumigaoka Utaha unhesitatingly opened the door, made a gesture for Leo to leave, and said, "Please don't appear again in the future, thank you."
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Leo toyed with the chess piece in his hand, his lips curving slightly upwards, saying, "Although the price is high, this is a rare and precious opportunity for an ordinary person like Senpai to come into contact with the mysterious world, isn't it?"
"Extending lifespan, delaying aging, eternal youth… these are just bonuses."
"Accept this chess piece, reincarnate as a demon, and you will gain supernatural powers. The world that used to be only imaginary for light novel authors like you will completely become reality."
"Don't you want to see it?"
These words left Kasumigaoka Utaha in a daze.
Once again, her heart was stirred.
And this time, the stirring of her heart was completely different from the pure temptation she felt just now.
This was the kind of excitement that arises when something longed for and yearned for is right before you, within reach.
She, Kasumigaoka Utaha, truly wanted to experience another world, different from reality.