Chapter Text
"Mmm, I'm sleepy…"
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Chisa Yukizome's voice was concerned, as Chiaki Nanami yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Really, I'm grateful for it, but you're much too calm…"
"No need to stress," Chiaki denied. "You already said you meant no harm, right?"
Chisa nodded, though her worried look didn't vanish. "Honestly, does every human have such poor self preservation skills, or is that just you…?"
You might think her phrasing was odd. After all, saying it like that made it seem she wasn't human. But that was just it—Chisa Yukizome wasn't .
Instead, she was a demon; a strong one, at that. Chiaki Nanami was the unfortunate human who had gotten sold to her by her parents.
But thankfully for the girl, Chisa was much more interested in making her the demon's daughter rather than a meal.
"You're infertile, right? You saw being offered my soul as a chance to finally get a kid… I can't blame you for that. You seem much nicer than my parents, anyways."
"Well, considering they did sell you to me with the expectation I'd eat you, I suppose that's true…" Chisa Yukizome sighed, shaking her head. "How troublesome… I don't understand how a parent could act that way."
Chiaki hums. "So, what should I know to blend in? What would be our cover story if someone asks?"
"Oh, you're taking this seriously!" Chisa clapped. "That's very good. Most demons don't ask about personal stuff, so you probably won't have to worry too much—it's considered rude, you see. Hmm… The cover story should be close to the truth. I adopted you because your parents were neglectful. Nice and simple. Hmm, I guess the main things you should know are the ranking system and evil cycles…"
"Ranking system?"
"Yes, we rank demons on a scale to one to ten, one being the least powerful and ten being the most… A lot of things factor into these rankings, but magical power is a big factor, unfortunately. A lot of demons who are born with low magic are looked down upon, even though it's not their fault… You can elevate your rank at later times, though, so with enough hard work, I'm sure you'll be fine, Chiaki-chan!"
"Sounds similar to a caste system… Though, you can't really move in a caste system, so maybe it's different…"
"I'm not really familiar with what a caste system is… Is it really so similar?"
"Ehhhh," Chiaki dismissed. "Maybe not. Anyway, what is an evil cycle?"
"An evil cycle is a natural thing demons go through, brought out by high stress," Chisa explains. "It's, well, it's different for everyone, but it makes the demon much more likely to indulge in sadism, violence, aggression… It usually isn't that dangerous, but it can be in extreme cases… You can be trained to recognize the signs of someone in their evil cycle, but it's usually obvious by the change in behavior."
"I see…"
"Hmm… Oh, we also have a demon king, but he's been missing for a long time," Chisa explains, "There's a lot of hullabaloo about who will be the next demon king… I think those are the basics. If there's any gaps in your knowledge, just blame it on your birth parents neglecting your education, okay?"
"I'll do that."
"Great!" Chisa cheered. "Tomorrow, you'll start school! You might get bullied for having no magic, but don't worry, it won't immediately out you as a human. Actually, humans are seen as a myth by most people. Hmm, oh! Make sure no one sees that you don't have wings. Every demon has wings, even if they're tiny, so people would be very concerned that you have none. Oh, and you'll also have to wear this perfume to make you smell like a demon, too."
"Hmm, I haven't really been to school often… I wonder if it's fun?"
"You haven't even been to school often?! Wow, your parents really did suck. Well, your education is very important. If you have any trouble, just come to me, alright?"
"Right." Chiaki Nanami yawns, once more.
"Ah, you must be sleepy, Chiaki-chan! Why don't you head to bed?"
"Mmm, okay…"
"A bed, huh… and it's big and fluffy."
Chiaki Nanami laid down on it, going to clutch one of the many pillows adorning the bed. "I wonder… If things will be better now."
Chiaki Nanami dared to dream, as she rested her head down and her eyes drifted shut.
"A family… sounds nice, doesn't it?"
She murmured that, a quiet wish in her heart, and then closed her eyes.
The school was… surprisingly normal.
That was Chiaki's first impression, at least. The school song was scary, all about eating humans, but other than that, it seemed very similar to the school she went to in the human realm. Well, school she went to when she had the time between her jobs, at least. She had to support herself somehow, given that her parents weren't; money for food was needed to live. Even her passion, video games, were secondary to the need to eat.
(It was a bit of an oddity to have slept so well, too. Usually, Chiaki worked late into the night, on both work related things and school work she tried very hard to catch up on. Her chronic sleepiness was something she had gotten used to, in the end, so to feel well rested was definitely unusual.)
Having Chisa take a photo of her in front of the school as she dropped her off—that was also a new experience. Her parents had never shown up for any event, and Chiaki had to get to school by herself. It was a new experience, but it wasn't unpleasant.
It wasn't unpleasant.
What is, decidedly, is hearing her name during orientation.
It's only then she realizes she's drifted off into space. She snaps back into reality and sees Chisa on stage.
"Please welcome my daughter, the honor student Chiaki Nanami, for a speech!" Chisa enthused. "As your headmaster, I hope everyone treats her with kindness!"
What are you doing?!
For the first time since this has started, Chiaki feels alarmed instead of hopeful. For one thing, why didn't Chisa mention she was headmaster last night?! Or that she was planning on having Chiaki give a speech?! For another thing, Chiaki has hardly interacted with peers her age, much less give a speech—what is she even supposed to say?!
With trembling footsteps, Chiaki walks to the podium.
Chisa gives her a thumbs up and a paper with words written on it, and Chiaki gives her a confused, baffled look of panic. She just continues her thumbs up.
Am I supposed to read this…?
Chiaki felt anxiety form around her heart, but decided to trust Chisa.
For some reason, the demons look shocked as she starts to speak. Though, there's definitely excitement in the crowd, too. Chiaki feels sweat drip down her face, but her words miraculously do not falter.
And then, that's it. She's said whatever on the paper Chisa handed her, and if it was something horrible, she is now stuck with the consequences.
The crowd of demons goes wild with cheers.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, spouting a spell like that?!" One of the teachers approached her. "You must be insane! If you pronounced any of that wrong, you would have blown up!"
"Ah."
Chiaki went pale.
"Still," they gave her a thumbs up, "That was totally awesome, too!"
"Umm… just hypothetically, what does this spell do?" She asked.
"It makes sure you don't trip or fall all day," the teacher responds.
"I-I see…"
That's all?
Chisa is insane, Chiaki concludes. Good to know.
Wait, huh? How did I get in this situation?
Chiaki blinked, her face pale as she was faced with a white, curly haired demon, staring at her with assessing eyes.
"Hm, so you're the honors student, and Yukizome-sensei's daughter?" He asks. "I wonder if you're really talented, or if you're only being given special treatment. I should test you, shouldn't I?"
"Uhm…"
"It's not my bloodline ability, but I'm pretty proficient with fire… how long can you dodge, Nanami-san?" He finished sweetly, and then the white haired boy started throwing fire at her.
" Ah !" It was only due to the skills Chiaki had accumulated as her parents daughter that allowed her to dodge. Her attack stat was low, but her defense was infinite. She didn't even know this boy's name, and yet it really seemed like he was trying to kill her. "S-Seriously, why are you mad?!"
"I'm not mad at all," the boy denied. "I'm only testing you, Nanami-san. If you can't defeat someone like me, then you really are lower than low, don't you think?"
The insane boy paused in his attacks as she panted, thoughtful. "Hmm, you're quite good at dodging… But can you dodge this?" He wondered, putting his hand out dramatically as a sword made of fire bloomed from his fingertips.
A sword of fire?!
Was this really allowed?
But Chiaki didn't despair. Instead, she focused, and dodged the strike heading towards her with a frantic kind of grace.
The boy's eyes widened, as his momentum continued, and he started to fall; right on the path to his sword, was a boy with blonde hair and bags under his eyes.
"Eh… Eh ?!"
"Watch out!" Chiaki cried, grabbing the boy in a panic.
It all happened in an instant.
After all, Chiaki Nanami couldn't trip or fall. It was all thanks to that spell, in the end, that she managed to stop him.
Stop him…
With a perfect German suplex.
Seriously… How did I get into this situation?!
"You totally beat me…"
Chiaki held her breath as the strange boy approached, flinching at the serious look on his face.
But defying her expectations, the boy dropped into a bow.
"Nanami-sama, my name is Nagito Komaeda! You just might be the hope that will overcome any despair that I've longed for! From now on, I pledge myself to you!"
Chiaki blinked. "...Eh?"