Two For One Deal (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun!/SI)

Spoiler: Optional Music

I glanced up at the starry sky, eyes reflecting the countless tiny lights as if it were a mirror. What sort of mysteries were hidden up there, I wondered.

A cool breeze swooped across my face, pushing my azure locks aside and blocking my view. It was a cold night, but I barely felt it with my thick jacket.

I shut my eyes and tried to imagine it, ignoring the itch that was coming from my back. There, far away on a distant planet, was life. At least that's what I hoped. There were people just like me and the humans. Maybe I was from somewhere like that?

I opened my eyes and stood back up, studying my surroundings. The park was mostly empty today, though I could see a dim light in the distance. My stomach rumbled and I considered heading over there to see what the others might have to eat.

Hmm. They'd normally only share food if they could spare any, but I was still technically a kid. If I asked nicely enough they'd give me some. I found that humans were nice like that. Sure, not all of them were so friendly, but I didn't let the bad ones taint my interactions.

It was a case-by-case thing.

I yawned and stretched out my arms. Nah, I'd wait for him. He was the sort of guy to come even if it was pouring out.

A small, amused smile tugged at my lips. It was his greatest strength and weakness. No matter who it was, he'd help them if they only asked. He just couldn't say no.

"I guess I should head for the entrance to make sure no one else bothers him," I said to myself. I could see him giving away some of the food to the other guys if they asked enough. Hell, there was that one time he had to leave and come back because he'd given all my food away.

Again, that kindness of his was a double-edged sword. Thankfully, I'd at least gotten him to let me speak up for him if I was around. It didn't solve the problem, but it was a good start.

I slowly started making my way along the path. My thoughts inevitably drifted to how I'd gotten here.

My blue hair and crimson eyes were always a problem. Even as a kid, I always drew everyone's attention to me. That would have been fine normally, but I wasn't exactly normal. Oh, I looked like any other kid my age now, but that wasn't always the case.

The tiny itch that had been probing at my back continued to grow until I could barely hold it in anymore. Maybe it was the weather, but today had been unbearable. I took a quick look around and let out an annoyed sigh.

A small pair of black wings tore their way out of my back. The thick coat I had on kept them from spilling out for everyone to see, but the trade-off was the annoying pain. It was like pulling my fingers back a bit too far. It wasn't something I couldn't hold, but it was still pretty annoying.

But that was just how things were. If I didn't want to be locked up in some freak show of a circus, then this was what I had to do.

I furrowed my brow and shook my head. The past was the past. Things had changed and I wasn't alone anymore.

I didn't know what I was, but that didn't matter. I had a name. I was a person just like anyone else.

I was Lee and that was all that mattered.

But that hadn't always been the case, had it?

My lips trembled with a bitter smile. Humans didn't like different. They'd done horrible things to their own kind just because of different ideologies, skin colour, and opinions. Someone like me who had wings never stood a chance.

"Oh! Lee!" an excited voice cut through the night, pulling me away from my own thoughts.

"S-Sorry I was late!" the young boy standing in front of me said. He was a tad shorter than I and shared the same kind of messy hair. We even had the same shade, too!

"Don't worry about it," I said with a grin and gave him an affectionate pat on the back.

If anyone were to look at us, they'd probably think we were brothers or something. Well, I certainly thought of him as one, but we weren't actually related by blood.

"Let's head somewhere nice to eat these," I said and started leading him away from the park. If I didn't finish everything he'd brought then maybe I'd go and hand some out to the others.

My "brother" nodded and a brilliant, innocent grin appeared on his face. He was too precious.

"So why were you later?" I asked as we walked. "Some old lady didn't ask you to carry her groceries for you, did she?"

A blush crawled across his cheeks.

"Actually, yeah, but that wasn't why," he said with a quick shake of his head. "Mom and dad wanted my help with something."

My smile froze. Now, I wasn't the kind of person to hate others, but his folks were a different beast. They deserved a real beating. I'd honestly considered killing them at one point, but that was back when I wasn't very fond of people.

I knew that even if offing them would make his life better, he'd probably never forgive himself. Not me but himself. That was just the kind of guy he was.

"Just a few more years," I said with a sigh. "You really should just call the cops or something."

Those people didn't deserve to be parents. They were the kind of people that would have their son work for them just so they could take his money. The number of times he'd nearly died because of one of their stupid ideas was baffling!

And yet…

"T-They're not that bad," he said with a sheepish expression. He wasn't fooling anyone, not even himself. But again, that was just the kind of guy he was.

I sighed.

"Never mind then," I grumbled and opened his lunch box. "These look like some mighty good sandwiches."

"I worked extra hard on them!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let me know how they taste. It's a new recipe I've been working on."

I chuckled.

"Sure thing."

As long as he was here, I didn't care what craziness life threw at me.

"Thanks again, Iruma."

He closed his eyes and gave a little smile.

"Yeah!"

 

Characters
​

Lee

Spoiler

Iruma

Spoiler

Alice Asmodeus

Spoiler

Clara Valac

Spoiler

Shax Lied

Spoiler

 

Spoiler: Optional Music

"Huh? A-Are you lost?" a young, blue-haired boy stuttered out. The pouring rain nearly drowned out his voice. "D-Do you need help?"

He stepped closer, eyes trembling with fear. The bright yellow raincoat covering him stuck out like a sore thumb in the darkness. It was weird, I thought to myself.

The boy was obviously afraid, but he was still getting closer. Why was that?

I tried to growl and tell him to go away, but all that came out of my dried-out throat was a hoarse cough. How long had I been hiding now? A month? Two?

My stomach growled instead. Damn it all…

"A-Are you hungry?" the boy called out and stepped closer into the dingy bathroom. "I-I have some lunch I didn't eat. W-Well, it was more like I was busy helping people so I didn't have a chance to eat it…"

What was he even talking about? I glanced up and really took a good look at his face. Surprisingly, the two of us could have been mistaken for brothers.

Still… if he was offering, then I'd be a fool to turn down the offer, right? Or could this have been a trap? Did the circus master send out little kids to try and bring me back?

…

I stood up and stretched out my leathery wings and tail. I would scare the boy away and take the food by force! That was the best way!

An angry hiss left my lips and I stalked forward menacingly. The boy shook and took a step back. Great! All I had to do was-

I stumbled and fell on my face. It was my own stupid fault. Going without food for the last couple of days had been a bad idea, but it was still better than being caught.

"Ah!" the boy gasped and then hurried to my side. "I-I think I need to call an ambulance! I'll get an adult, so stay, ok?"

Adult? No!

I reached out and grabbed his arm with as much strength as I could muster. I was so embarrassed when he quickly and easily slipped out of my grip.

"D-Don't…" I managed to eke out. "Don't t-tell anyone…" Who was I kidding? He'd obviously go call someone else. He looked around my age, which meant he was probably just scared and didn't know what to do.

"Ok," the boy said with a nod. "Do you want my food, then?"

I was shocked. Was there really someone who'd listen to me? I looked like a damned freak! And yet-

I gave him a hesitant nod. It was embarrassing to have someone feed me, but I'd have been even angrier If I was caught because I didn't have any energy to run.

"M-My name is Iruma," the young boy said. "What's yours?"

"Lee…"

————————

My eyes snapped open and I let out a yawn. Another dream? I got off my "bed" and stretched out my body.

How differently would things have turned out If I never met Iruma back then? I shook my head, dispelling those thoughts. The past didn't matter. I was in the here and now.

"I guess I'll go check up and see how he's doing," I said with another yawn. Knowing him, he'd probably need help with something.

I looked up at the rich, blue sky and smiled. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it was a beautiful day.

I had a good feeling about today!

——————

"What the hell do you mean your parents sold you?!" I shouted. It felt like my head was about to explode!

No, seriously! What. The. Fuck?!

My blood boiled at the thought. Distant memories started crawling under my skin and rising to the surface.

Iruma sighed. His eyes were red and puffy.

"They apparently made a deal with some demon or something," he said with a shrug. "I thought they were joking, but he… he really looked the part."

Again. How. The. Fuck?!

I wanted to tell him that was impossible. Demons weren't real, right?

…

Except I was clearly not a normal human. Was that what I was? A demon? No. This had to be some sort of stupid human trafficking thing.

"Let's call the cops," I growled. "I know you love your folks despite everything they've done, but even you have to admit that this is too far."

A weak, almost broken whimper rolled off his lips.

"Maybe… maybe they had a good rea-"

"They didn't!" I roared. "Fuck, If I see their stupid faces again I'll knock them out!"

This wasn't the kind of shit I was expecting when I snuck through his window. He'd looked down, but this was… this was insane.

Iruma's face wilted. He turned to the door, eyes locked onto some impossibly distant scene only he could see. His parents wouldn't be back for a bit- that's what he'd told me. Apparently, they'd gone somewhere with the "demon" to finalize the contract.

"Fine," I bristled. "If you don't want to hurt them, then let's get the hell out of here," I said and held out my hand.

He tore his gaze away from the floor and looked up at my hand.

"I don't know who the hell that guy is, but you know how strong I am!" I could punch a hole through a tree if I tried hard enough. I'd kicked the asses of any bullies I ever met. I didn't know who this "demon" was, but he'd end up meeting a real demon if he came after Iruma.

Iruma gulped and reached out with a trembling hand. Anyone that could make him look so weak and scared wasn't someone I could just ignore. I'd promised not to hurt his parents, but this really was too far.

"I-"

He never got a chance to finish. The door to his room was swung open and the metal lock keeping it shut was blasted off its hinges.

"Oh, dear grandson! I'm here!" a strange man stepped into the room. He was bald and two thick, curved horns were sprouting from his head.

His suit was an eye-catching purple, but that wasn't what drew my attention. No. This man screamed of death. Every fibre of my being told me he was a monster.

We had to run. He would kill us and feast on our bones. The friendly and kind smile on his face was a deception!

At least that's what my instincts told me.

I grabbed Iruma without a second thought and jumped for the window.

And then darkness consumed my vision.

All I knew was oblivion.

 

Spoiler: Optional Music

There were many kinds of fear. The fear of death, the fear of change, and the fear of the unknown were just a few. That last one was usually what scared people the most.

Me? There were lots of things that scared me, but only a single one really shook me to my bones. Losing the one I'd call a friend- no, a brother.

My eyes snapped open in fright. Sweat rolled down my back.

Where was I?

What was going on?

Where was Iruma?

I tossed the soft blankets covering me off my chest. This bed was cool and the blankets were refreshing. And yet, they might as well have been ice against my flesh.

I jumped out of bed, eyes drinking in my surroundings. It looked like I was in someone's bedroom. This clearly wasn't Iruma's. It was too neat and had far more things in it than it should.

That boy would have been fine living in a cardboard box so long as he had a blanket.

I slowly shifted toward the door. This wasn't a dream- I could feel it in my bones. Had the "demon" really managed to just knock me out? If so, why put me up in a nice, soft bed?

This didn't make much sense, but I wasn't about to slip up here. The door was close enough to touch. I reached out, fingers brushing against the door handle.

And then it swung open.

I stood there, frozen. The person on the other side did much the same, though their eyes quickly jumped from me to the bed.

He, or at least I thought they were a he, wore a simple butler's uniform. He had bright red hair with sharp eyes to match. His hair was tied up in a small braided ponytail.

What stood out the most were his ears. He had a pair of god-damned cat ears on his head! And then there was the tail. Was this guy cosplayer or-

"You-"

I didn't give him a chance to speak and threw my fist at his face. If he had anything to do with the one who "bought" Iruma, then I didn't have anything to say to him. I'd knock his ass out and then apologize later If I was wro-

He moved like lightning and easily caught my fist.

"That wasn't very nice," he said almost monotonously. "Be a good boy and sit down or you won't be getting any breakfast."

…

What? I stared, slack-jawed at this crazy cat-man's audacity. Who the hell was he? I tried to pull my hand away, but It was as if my fist was stuck in a vice. No matter how much I tried, it didn't budge.

I was stuck and clearly, this guy wasn't going to let me go-

"Wait, breakfast?" I asked as my stomach growled in protest. "No, forget about that. Where's Iruma?!"

I hissed, eyes narrowing. It didn't matter if this guy was stronger than me.

"If you hurt him, I swear I'll be chewing on your bones after I'm done with you…" I spoke with surprising calmness. It wasn't a threat- this was a promise.

The strange cat-man rolled his eyes and then pushed my fist. I went flying through the air and landed on the bed.

Noted. He was incredibly strong too.

"Who-"

A mighty pressure crashed into my stomach. Almost all the air in my lungs was blown out in an instant. I gasped and glared at the stranger.

"Say aaaah," he spoke with that dumb look of his. Wait, was he holding out a fork-

Something was shoved into my mouth. It was sweet and full of syrup.

"Tastes good, yes?" he said as I involuntarily bit down and swallowed. Pancakes. He'd laid a tray full of pancakes on my stomach and was now feeding me.

Was I still dreaming? What the actual fuck was going on?

"Iruma is fine," the cat-man said and shovelled another bite into my mouth. "The chairman is looking after him, so it up to me to make sure you're fine."

Chairman?

My blood froze. That demon. I tried to get up but it was as if a mountain was sitting on my chest. This wasn't something a human could be capable of.

"There's nothing to worry about," the cat-man hummed. "I can see you're afraid, but he means you no harm."

"No ha-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence as he quickly shoved another forkful of pancakes into my mouth.

"What you need to worry about is filling your stomach. The both of you are all skin and bones," he said with a sigh. "We'll just have to fix that."

…

Damn it all…

————————————-

"Oh! Lee!" Iruma exclaimed as he stepped through the door. A look of pure relief on his face.

"Ah, good to see everything went ok," the cat man said and finally pulled the tray off my chest and stared straight at me. "See? I told you he was fine," he said with a sigh.

…

I shook my head and slowly got out of bed again. Iruma looked… tired.

"You ok?" I asked hesitantly. He tried to put on a brave front, but I knew better. Some wounds weren't as easy to spot as a bloodied nose or a broken bone.

He gulped, eyes falling to the ground before they rose back up. A weak, glass-like smile wormed its way onto his face.

"Yeah," he whimpered. "I-It's not so bad, you know? Mr. Sullivan said he'll let us live here and… and-"

I shut my eyes and stepped forward.

"It's fine to be angry," I whispered and pulled him closer into a hug. He was my brother in all but blood. How could I just stand there and watch him lie to himself?

A weak cry slipped from his lips and he dug his fingers into my chest.

"H-How could they do it?" he whispered. "I-I did everything for them! Why? Why, Lee?!"

Because they were greedy bastards. They were the scum of the earth who sold their own child to a literal demon. But if that was the case, then who were really the demons here?

I sucked in a breath and answered.

"Forget about them," I said softly. It wasn't something he'd be able to do easily. I knew that. Still, I wasn't the best at motivational speeches or the like. "Instead of focusing on all the pain they forced on you, focus on the fact that you don't have to deal with them any longer."

He was free.

"You can do whatever you want now, right?"

I eyed the mysterious cat-man carefully. Who was he, really? I'd thought him some crazy man with a cat fetish at first, but those ears and tails were real. Was he a demon too? Did that mean I was also one? It would explain my wings and tail.

"No matter what you decide, I'll be right with you, alright?" I finished.

Iruma blinked and pulled away, finally staring me in the eye.

"I… Lee. W-Will you really?"

Of course, I would.

I chuckled and ruffled his azure locks.

"Duh. Come on, we're like brothers, right?"

A massive, toothy grin spread across his lips. It was something so innocent and pure that I almost couldn't believe it.

"Ok. Thanks, Lee."

If we were going to face some sort of demon, then we'd do it together.

————————

"Sullivan," in a word, was terrifying. The man could switch from an affectionate bunny to a deadly hell-spawn in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, yes~" he cheered and nodded along dumbly as I repeated what Iruma had told me.

"Again, you seriously expect us to be your grandkids?"

"Of course!" he continued with that dumb look of his. "I always wanted a grandson, so consider me over the moon when I ended up grabbing two for the price of one!"

"We're not objects to be bought!" I hissed. "Do you really think we want to be here?"

The old man froze. His cheerful and bubbly smile was washed away with one full of despair.

"Oh… then I guess I'd just have to eat your flesh, break your bones, and leave nothing behind..."

He growled out in what I could only describe as a look of a man who'd just had his dreams shattered.

What the actual hell?

"N-No no!" Iruma quickly interrupted. "W-We'd love to be your grandkids!"

Like hell I would! At least that's what I wanted to say, but I knew that'd just get us back in hot water. Cat-man was this guy's servant, or so it seemed. Considering how easily he could fold me over his knee, the old man must have been a real monster.

"That's wonderful!" the crazy old man exclaimed and turned to look at me. "That's one of you, but what about your brother?"

My brow twitched. I didn't know why, but it sounded so patronizing when he said it.

"It's fine," I grumbled.

"Excellent!" he cheered and rushed to us. "I've always wanted grandkids! The two of you are a matching pair! I'll take good care of you! I'll feed you! I'll give you the best clothes and I'll make sure you're both as happy as can be!"

I wanted to throw up. This guy was so darned creepy!

"Oh! And as my grandkids, it's only fair that I give you the best possible education in our demon world!"

…

What.

Demon world? Education?

"Ah. I suppose now would be a good time to explain that," the cat-man said with a cough. "Welcome to the demon world. I'm afraid you two are far, far from home."

…

I turned to the nearby window. It was wide open, showing the landscape beyond. How had I not noticed it before? The skies were a dark red. Putrid, purple clouds rumbled in the distance.

I could have explained those as some sort of wild weather patterns, but not the giant dragons. They flew through the skies like birds. Was this real?

…

"Don't you two worry!" the old demon exclaimed with a sickeningly sweet laugh. "I'll teach you all about your new home! You'll both do great and make me the proudest grandfather of all! Oh, my friends won't be gloating about their kids anymore!"

Was this hell? Had we died?

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't. Iruma was practically trembling at the revelation. Maybe he already knew. Whatever the case, I'd be here to protect him.

School or not, I wouldn't let anyone mess with him.

Not now or ever again.

—————————————

The first few days under Sullivan's "care" was a harrowing experience. Oh, he was a monster through and through, but that wasn't what disturbed me. He showered us with affection, gifts, and his hopes.

"Let's go out for a walk!"

"Iruma~ You look so handsome in that uniform! Oh, I just know you'll show everyone how amazing you are!"

"Lee! Don't think I forgot about you! You'll be pushing the girls away with a broom~"

It was frankly annoying and a bit unnerving. How could someone go from ominously evil to that so fast? It was embarrassing! He made me cringe just seeing him try to "take care" of us.

Was this guy for real?

In the end, I decided that he was either crazy or some sort of eldritch being who I couldn't apply common sense to. Honestly, I wasn't sure which one was worse.

"H-He's not so bad," Iruma tried to convince me. "He's actually better than my-"

He never finished that sentence, but he didn't need to. I could almost laugh at the thought.

"Forget about that," I huffed and dragged him out to our "home's" front yard. The mansion was the kind of place neither of us had ever expected to ever end up living in. I'd never gone to school, but this building was probably big enough to count as one.

The grass was green and the trees were pregnant with some odd fruits that looked like apples. I wasn't going to eat them, that was for sure. Truthfully, I'd lived in worse.

"Do… do you think we'll be ok?" Iruma asked nervously. "This place… Mr. Sullivan says Demons eat humans, or at least they did in the past."

And that was something else. This "world" had been separated from ours for so long that humans were more of a myth than anything now.

I'd never eaten a person, in fact, the idea made me sick to my stomach. I guess Iruma did smell a bit sweet, but that probably had more to do with his hygiene than anything else. Did that mean I wasn't a Demon, but something else? Or maybe I was just desperately trying to cling to what little humanity I had left?

"It doesn't matter where we go," I told him with a confident nod. "I'll kick the hell out of anyone that tries to hurt you."

It was a promise. These weren't people and that meant I wouldn't have any problem tearing them limb from limb.

As long as I saw them as the demons they were, then it would be easy to kill them, right?

Right?

That was what brothers did.

"Thanks," Iruma whispered and sucked in a breath. "I don't know what I'd do If I was here alone."

I smiled softly.

"You'd be fine," I said confidently. "You're the kind of guy who could make even a demon his friend."

I was living proof of that, wasn't I?

 

Spoiler: Optional Music

My eyes snapped open and I could practically feel the exhaustion clinging to me like some sort of anchor. With as much determination as I could, I rolled out of bed and fumbled my way to the window.

The bright, rising sun blinded me for my efforts.

What time was it? Ugh… I did not like soft beds. They were like a swamp that wanted to swallow me. Sure, they were comfortable, but I couldn't catch any damned sleep on them! I guess that was just one consequence of sleeping on crappy beds for a good portion of my life.

"I still can't believe this is all real," I whispered and stared out at the horizon. My new "home" was like something out of one of Iruma's fairy tales. The mansion was massive and that was just the house. There was a sea of green not far from my new home. The forest stretched out as far as I could see.

A distant howl echoed from within it, washing over me. Yeah… what the hell was in that forest?

I shook my head and took a look in the mirror. The "pyjamas" I was wearing made me cringe. They weren't the worst things I'd ever worn but they definitely were not my style. The blue penguin-like monsters printed onto the blue hoody and pants were "cute" but cute just wasn't something I liked to show off. At the very least they were comfortable and warm.

I really could have done without the "ears" on the hoody. God, it made me look like a damned toddler! It sucked, but what could I really do about it? That demon had looked so excited when he gave it to me.

…

I wasn't about to piss him off and have him go ballistic. There were no two ways about it. He could kill me and Iruma with a flick of his wrist. I didn't have much pride, but the bit I did would have to be buried deep within me so Iruma would be safe. If that meant wearing ridiculous clothes, then so be it. That was just one of the many sacrifices I'd have to make.

There was a knock at the door.

"Lee? Breakfast is ready," A familiar voice said from the other side. Great, it was the cat-boy suck-up. To be honest, he hadn't done anything to make me personally hate him, but he worked for the old, perverted demon. That was more than enough reason to be annoyed.

"Alright," I said with a sigh. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be down there. Also, Is Iruma up yet?"

"Not yet," he replied. "I'll be checking up on him in an hour or so."

This was one of the things I didn't mind. I woke up early and got to eat breakfast twice. Once right now and then again when Iruma woke up.

It was a shame that all this "delicious" food didn't taste all that good. Iruma's home cooking was way better!

I rolled my shoulder and opened up the nearby dresser. There were a bunch of different clothes inside, but all of them were "carefully" handpicked by the damned old man. Thankfully, there was one piece that didn't make me want to sigh.

It was a simple pair of red shorts and a plain white t-shirt. This was nothing fancy, but that was how I liked it.

My stomach let out a growl.

Time to go grab some grub.

——————————————

"Good morning Lee-ke~" the old bastard greeted me with a sugary grin as I made my way to the dinner table. A huge plater of varying kinds of food and deserts had already been laid out.

I sighed.

"I told you not to call me that," I growled out and took a seat on the opposite end of the table.

"But why?!" he exclaimed with a hurt look. "Iruma-kun loves his nickname so much!"

Love? I tried not to laugh. He'd only accepted that stupid thing to keep this old demon from killing us.

"I guess I'm not like Iruma then," I said with a shrug and picked up my fork.

The old demon snorted, though it was this creep kind of thing that almost sounded cute.

He was all sorts of wrong.

"I know, you're the kind that wants to look cool in front of his brother, right? Don't worry, it's just you and I, Lee-ke! You can go ahead and pour out your heart to your grandfather!"

Why did he have to keep this act up? There was no way he was actually this deranged, right? I sure hoped that was true because as much as he scared the shit out of me, it would be way scarier if he was actually like this.

A cunning, deceptive monster with a kind facade was easy to understand. This? This was a wild card that could literally do anything at any time. That was something truly scary.

"Why are you sitting all the way over there?" the old man said with a pout. He stood up and pulled out the chair next to him, giving the cushion a few pats. "Come and sit next to your grandfather!"

Yep. I really hoped this was just some elaborate plan of his. A plan for what? Now that was the golden question.

I hesitantly stood up and grabbed my plate, moving next to him.

"So, Lee-ke! How have you liked your stay at my home so far?"

…

To be honest, it hadn't been so bad aside from the constant fear of death.

I glared at the demon, letting that be my answer.

"You're so adorable when you try to look angry~" he mused and gave my cheek a gentle pinch. "The girls always like a bad boy! Tell me all about any friends you make in school, ok?"

School huh? We were supposed to be starting that tomorrow. Maybe I could try and get some answers out of him now?

"What should we expect there?" I asked and started spearing some of my food with a fork.

"Right! Iruma said you never went to school, huh? Well, he didn't have much experience with school either!"

Damn it, Iruma! The first rule when dealing with kidnappers is to not tell them about our lives! Don't let him stockholm you! The last thing we needed was to look at this guy like an actual grandfather!

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Are the other students going to be as strong as you?"

"Sullivan" let out a laugh.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise," he said cheerfully and started slicing his pie. "But it's a place full of children just like you! Just be yourself and I'm sure everything will be fine."

…

Like me, huh?

"Something wrong, Lee-ke?"

Jesus. If I ever needed a reminder that this guy was supernaturally perceptive, then that was it. I considered just brushing him off, but he was the only real source of answers I could get.

"It's about what I am," I said with a sigh. "Demon, right?"

His face perked up instantly.

"Why, yes!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Color me surprised! To think there was a demon just living in the human world. I doubt anyone just dropped you over there, so It makes me wonder…"

I shrugged.

"Not much to it. Obviously, my mom screwed some guy and then I popped out of her." Even I knew how babies were made.

"Well that's obvious," Sullivan answered with a huff. "But then that begs the question of who your mother was. Perhaps she was a demon that somehow found herself in the human world? Maybe she's from a line of demons that have always lived with humans? I frankly don't have any clue."

Huh. That was a surprising amount of normal talk from this guy.

"But that doesn't really matter~" he said and gave me a big, affectionate huh. "I have a human and a demon grandchild! I must be the luckiest demon in the whole realm!"

Son of a bitch!

I shook my head and ground my teeth.

He wasn't going to make this easy, was he? Fine. It wasn't like I really cared.

Looking after Iruma was my priority, after all.

I'd get stronger- strong enough to get us out of this place.

That was a promise.

————————

"H-Hey… d-do you really think we'll be fine?" Iruma stuttered out. He nervously peered out of the nearby window, eyes glued to the road.

"Yeah," I answered with a nod. "It's just school, right? If anyone tries to bother you I'll kick their ass."

I said that, but even I was a bit nervous. It wouldn't be long before we arrived at the school. The path was treacherous, yet our driver navigated the steep cliffs as if he were just going for a casual walk.

Seriously! One wrong step and we'd all fall to our deaths! Well, not me. I could fly, but It had been a long time since I actually tried. There were just too many cameras and the like back home.

…

Actually, what was stopping me from doing it now? No one cared If I had wings, right? That bastard old man also had wings! It was something to look into later.

"I-I hope so," Iruma whispered and then busied himself looking down at the floor. There was only so much I could say to cheer him up. This was something he'd have to overcome himself, but I'd be right next to him.

I reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the back. My smile didn't do much, but I hoped it at least made him feel a bit better.

School, huh? How hard could it be?

—————

Demons came in all shapes and sizes. There was a girl who only had a single, giant eye. She had a few horns sticking out of her head too.

There was a big lizard guy with green, scaly skin. His fingers were sharp claws that could probably easily shred metal.

Hell, there was even a big furry guy who was some sort of sheep demon. Iruma and I were probably some of the least "demonic' look people here! That did make a bit of sense, I guess.

So there we sat inside some sort of gymnasium. All the students were packed together and stared up at a podium.

When one of the idiots tried to sniff Iruma, I grabbed the bastard's furry beard and told him to keep away. Did he smell delicious? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

…

Ah. Iruma did say Sullivan doused him in some sort of perfume to trick the noses of the other Demons. I didn't really smell anything different, but Iruma wasn't exactly "delicious" to me. Maybe it was a cultural thing?

Iruma was shaking in his boots. Being surrounded by such demonic people probably wasn't helping. Thankfully, I was sitting right next to him.

Eventually, the "principle" came up and declared that humans were just something to be eaten. Seriously? Trust that old man to make things worse.

"Oh! And I want you all to know that both of my lovely grandsons will be attending school starting today!"

Wait, what?

"Here's a picture of them both! They're right over there, so please be nice to them! Iruma! Lee! Hey! I hope you're both having a great day!"

Oh. My. God.

Thankfully there were too many students to really point us out in the crowd, but still!

Iruma paled and I tried my hardest not to palm my face. There were very few things that could embarrass me, but this had just jumped up to the top.

The people around us started whispering about this and that.

"Iruma and Lee?"

"Who the hell are they?

"I bet I could take 'em..."
Just when I thought things couldn't get even worse, some prim and proper-looking guy walked onto the stage. He looked like one of those k-pop actors or something with all that white he was wearing.

"Oh, don't worry about that Asmodeus-kun. You can leave-" the old bastard stopped. His eyes jumped from me to Iruma. He looked like he was about to have a stroke! Eventually, he pulled a coin from his pocket and flipped it.

"Let Iruma-kun do the speech!"

Ha… and here I thought school couldn't be that bad.

I had completely underestimated Sullivan's meddling.

This was going to be a long school year.

 

Spoiler: Optional Music

Words that made absolutely no sense spilled from Iruma's mouth. They were that. Just words. And yet, my skin started to crawl as the first one left his tongue. It was as if the very air had turned slimy.

I shuddered and looked around. The other students were acting odd. They were trembling and doing their best to hold something back. Was it so much of a surprise that I started to panic a bit? What had happened? What was going on?

I prepared to rise from my seat. This wasn't normal. The air was thick as molasses. My muscles tensed.

The students shot to their feet.

"Hell yeah!!!"

"Holy shit!"

"That was amazing!"

The students roared. Primal shouts of joy and excitement echoed through the gymnasium. I didn't know what to say.

"This guy's badass!"

"Doesn't he know what that spell does?!"

"Of course he does! It's why he did it!"

"He's got some balls!"

Spell?

Someone rushed up to the stage. Panic and fear were clearly on the boy's face.

…

I stood there, shocked at what he said. A forbidden spell? Iruma had just chanted one of the most dangerous forbidden spells? Why? HOW?!

"Your arms and legs would have been blown away if you'd made a mistake!"

The boy quickly turned, changing his worried look into one of admiration.

"Not bad, though! Good job!" he said and gave Iruma a thumbs up. "that was kind of cool!"

I was going to kill Sullivan.

————————————

"A fucking anti-trip charm?" I balked. "That's what the 'great' forbidden spell does?"

I wanted to scream. Magic was real, but apparently, it sucked. Either that or maybe someone was drunk when they made that spell.

"H-Ha… yeah," Iruma grumbled, eyes falling down to the ground as we walked through the halls. "It was kind of scary…"

No shit. I'm more pissed than scared, though.

"Just don't read any of the crazy stuff that demon gives you," I said with a sigh. Did we have to start treating everything as if it were a bomb? I guess this was a good reminder of how crazy that old bastard was.

"Forget about that," Iruma said with a sigh. "What's our first class? I kind of didn't pay attention."

Class?

…

"Hell, I wasn't really paying attention either," I said with a shrug. "I'm not really all that interested in school."

Iruma's lip rose into a tiny smile.

"It does kind of suck, but we should at least try to fit in." He shivered and took a quick look around. "We've already gotten a lot of attention, after all."

Silent eyes bore into Iruma's back. Just about everyone we passed took a moment to stare at him. Was this part of Sullivan's plan? What even was his plan?

"I guess standing around would make a bigger scene," I said with a grumble and nodded. "We should probably ask someone or something."

Iruma nodded.

"We can split up and-"

"Nope," I said and cut him off right there. "Not letting you go off alone in this place."

There were literal demons just walking around. That girl over there had snakes for hair! Heck, there was an eight-foot-tall guy that looked like some sort of dragon!

"I-"

Something crashed into me. It didn't hurt and was actually a bit soft.

"S-Sorry," a sensual voice called out from behind me. I turned and found a thing looking at me. It was wearing a girl's uniform, but it didn't look like a girl. It was like some sort of starfish crossed with a cone or something. Her body was a mix of pink and purple.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shrug.

This "girl" had a single eye and no nose. She also had incredibly long eyelashes. What was she?

She paused for a moment.

"You're cute," the girl eventually said.

…

What? Huh? Cute? Who?

"Are you talking to me?" I asked incredulously. Was this some sort of prank? Iruma had told me about this sort of stuff. Girls were cruel creatures that tricked and made fun of boys by pretending to confess to them. Was this it?

"Of course," the strange "girl" said and winked her three eyelashes seductively. Ha! As if that would work on me.

"Not interested," I answered and turned around. This wasn't the time for stupid pranks. "Iru-"

"…"

What. The. Hell! Where was he?! I looked away for a minute! Why was he always so damned good at disappearing like that?!

"I-I'm sorry," the strange creature asked, surprised at my blunt answer.

I didn't give her a second thought and walked away. God damn it, Iruma!

———————

Iruma was many things, but easy to find was not one of them. I'd never once beaten him in a game of hide and seek when he was actually trying. That probably wasn't what was going on now, but it didn't help my mood. That was the thing with Iruma. He was kind, and generous, but also caused all sorts of grief for those that cared about him. He'd often get into trouble "helping" others.

It was usually my job to get him out of those messes because his parents sure as hell didn't care.

"Oh! Do you mean the guy who did the speech?" the short, green-haired girl asked with a toothy grin.

"Yes," I grumbled. "Have you seen him?"

"Nope!" she replied with a smile. "But I'm sure you'll find him!"

She was no help either. I shook my head and asked the next person to walk by. The blond guy was playing some sort of game, so I almost gave up after asking him once. He clearly wasn't paying attention.

"Huh? Oh! I think I saw him leading that honor student off to a duel or something."

"A what?" I hissed.

"Oh man, you must really be sheltered if you don't know what those are," he said with a laugh. "You know? The thing where you fight another person? They're fun to see!"

"…"

"I think the honor student might have been a bit pissed about having his speech stolen from him. Want to go place bets?"

"Where?" I asked, my voice low.

"Huh? Oh, the courtyard on the east side of the school."

I nodded and bolted past him. There was no time to wast-

"Hey! You're going west!" the blond kid called out.

West?

"What's the difference?" I grumbled. "East means right, right?"

"Like, what? No? East is east and west is west!"

Yeah. Ok. I'd officially run out of patience.

I walked on over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take me there."

East? West? It didn't matter. I had a guide now.

The kid blinked and then let out a laugh.

"You're a funny guy, you know? Alright! Come on, it's this way!"

That was usually enough to scare people into doing what I wanted. I mean, he was still doing it, but he wasn't scared.

This whole place was full of weirdos

"Name's Shax, by the way. Who are you?"

"Lee."

—————————————-

Iruma and I were alike, but also a bit different. I had no gripes saying he was smarter than me when it came to most things. I sucked at math, telling directions, and a whole much of other things. But I knew a lot more about the world than him. I knew how people would lie, steal, cheat, and abuse their power whenever possible.

Iruma knew a bit about this too, but he clearly wasn't smart enough to keep it in mind all the time.

Why the hell would he follow someone to a fight?! Obviously, he wasn't the one to start it! Here I was, worrying so much about him and trying to keep him out of trouble and he was doing stuff like this! Couldn't he have just talked to me about it? I'd have kicked the shit out of anyone that messed with him!

"You look pissed," the blond guy leading me said with a frown. "What? You wanted to go and see how tough the honor student was?"

I bit my lip and held my tongue. There wasn't a point fighting with this guy. He was the one taking me to Iruma, after all.

"I-"

A deafening explosion struck the nearby window. The glass cracked but was otherwise ok. I ran up, pushing it open. What I saw made my blood boil.

That pampered flop was throwing fireballs at my little brother! Iruma was shaking like a leaf, but he jumped away from each of the guy's attacks. Like a ballerina, he weaved in and out with expert precision.

My little brother was good at dodging- almost supernaturally so, but he couldn't keep it up forever. I jumped out of the window, ready to charge at the idiot who'd tried to hurt Iruma.

I didn't need to. By some quirk of fate, Iruma managed to get his legs around the idiot's neck. The two fell to the ground and there was a crack.

Did he just…

Iruma's eyes shot open and he jumped away. His opponent was on the ground, clearly unconscious and he probably had a messed up neck too.

I didn't know what to say at first. What the hell just happened?

———————

The first day was far from over, but Iruma had already made a name for himself. First, he was bold enough to chant a forbidden spell during orientation. Secondly, he "effortlessly" handled an honor student. Apparently, that guy was from a famous family or something.

It didn't matter to me all that much. Point was, just about everyone knew who "Iruma" was. Our idea to "lay low" had crumbled before the first day was even out.

This was definitely the sort of "bad luck" that cursed the both of us.

…

At least neither of us had been hurt.

"I'm sorry," Iruma whispered. "Someone needed help with directions, and before I knew it I wound up there…"

I wanted to scream.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a sigh. "Look, just try not to leave my sight."

He blinked and furrowed his brow.

"Lee, I know this place is dangerous, but I'm not a little kid."

Seriously? He chose now of all times to start growing a spine? It was the sort of thing I always wanted for him, but now wasn't the time!

I sucked in a breath and turned my attention back to our "class." It wasn't really a class. I'd say it was more of a tour. They were showing everyone around and then we'd have more free time to explore the campus.

This place was more of a castle than a damned school…

"I need to take a shit," I told him flat out. The girls behind us gasped and then started whispering amongst themselves.

As If I cared.

"Try to stay out of trouble, ok?"

Iruma smiled sweetly. It was that kind of smile he did that sparkled sometimes.

"Will do," he said nervously and gave me a thumbs up.

We didn't have arguments very often, but they still happened. I just needed a bit of time to de-stress while I took a crap.

Unfortunately, the world wasn't so kind as to let me have that. Finding a bathroom was easy enough, though i did get lost a bit.

"Hey, this is my spot. Get lost, freshman."

A tall, muscular demon stopped me when I tried to enter one of the stalls. He looked like that green guy from that one movie that loved his swamp. Shiek or something?

"Look, I'm just here to take a dump. I've had a very stressful day, so can you just let me have this?"

He must have been twice my height. The demon jiggled as he laughed.

"Get out before I kick your ass, kid. Find the bathrooms on the other side of the school."

…

Ok.

I calmly walked up to the bathroom's sinks and turned them on one at a time.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled and stood over me menacingly.

"Just making it a bit easier to clean up." And with that, I punched him in the face. Once. Twice. Thrice. He was like one of those stress balls I tried to get Iruma to hit once. Yeah. Very pliable and fun to hit!

"S..w..y…"

He gurgled out.

Oh, right. I didn't want to hurt him too badly.

"I'll call a teacher or something," I said and stepped over him, opening one of the stalls. "Let me just take a crap real quick."

Just in case, I left the door open so I could see him. Didn't want him dying on me, after all.

"Ah… that feels great," I said with a satisfied smile.

There really wasn't anything like a good shit to work out some stress.

I guess beating up some demon's ass helped too.