Trusting She Will Come Around

The Yuki family, much like the Yukinoshita family, was a prestigious and wealthy clan.

The difference lay in the fact that the Yukinoshita family was a powerhouse in Chiba Prefecture, while the Yuki family held sway in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Furthermore, the former primarily developed within political circles, whereas the latter were titans of the business world—a renowned and influential family in the realm of capital.

Asuna Yuuki was the young lady of the Yuki family. Her father was the CEO of a large-scale electronics manufacturer with a massive reputation both nationwide and abroad, and her mother was a university professor. Consequently, she had received an elite upbringing from a young age and had always attended private aristocratic schools. Just like Yukino Yukinoshita, she was a young lady who garnered much attention as an honor student.

The reason she had appeared in Chiba Prefecture this time was that her older brother needed to attend a banquet here. Driven by curiosity, she had tagged along. She had originally intended to visit other places while her brother was at the banquet, but the result was an unfortunate encounter.

Yukino Yukinoshita had assumed she was attacked on her way home from school, but in reality, Asuna Yuuki had been attacked after accidentally getting lost.

As for the uniform and school bag, she had indeed brought them with her. Since she had no intention of attending the banquet or staying here for long, she hadn't prepared any formal or casual wear, simply coming over in her uniform with her school bag in tow.

The distance between Tokyo and Chiba wasn't very far to begin with, and Asuna Yuuki had traveled in her family's private car, which was why she hadn't been so particular about her attire.

Unfortunately, she never would have dreamed that a spur-of-the-moment decision driven by curiosity would lead her to encounter an existence that shattered the worldview she had built over her seventeen years of life.

Recalling yesterday's encounter, a trace of fear appeared on Asuna Yuuki's delicate face.

Leo noticed this fear, exchanged a glance with Yukino Yukinoshita, and then spoke up.

"Do you still remember what happened yesterday?"

Leo asked this question first.

"Yesterday..." Asuna Yuuki lowered her head, her hands gripping the quilt tightly. The inner conflict was fully displayed on her face, and she spoke with great hesitation: "Yesterday, I accidentally got lost while outside. I was just about to call my family to come and pick me up when I encountered a monster."

Asuna Yuuki would likely never forget how she felt at that moment.

The feeling of her worldview shattering, her breathing stalling, and her mind going blank due to the sheer intensity of the shock—even now, the memory remained vivid.

It hadn't been dark yet; it was just the beginning of dusk, but the road Asuna Yuuki was walking on was already devoid of pedestrians.

The scene of that terrifying creature—neither shark nor beast—appearing from the shadows by the street while laughing maniacally had caused her pupils to dilate in shock on the spot. She trembled all over, forgetting even to run, and simply stood frozen in place.

And so, the monster lunged at her.

After that, Asuna Yuuki remembered nothing.

She had indeed, as that stray devil said, fainted on the spot and lost consciousness.

In a way, this was actually quite fortunate; otherwise, she would have had to watch her own abdomen being torn to shreds by the monster's bite, meeting her death in terror and despair.

"So, you don't remember anything that happened after you lost consciousness?"

Leo confirmed her condition and nodded, lost in thought.

Yukino Yukinoshita, for her part, felt a touch of envy.

She had not been so lucky when she faced death. She had watched, wide-eyed, as her body was pierced, watched herself collapse into a pool of blood, and ultimately died filled with resentment.

"What happened after that? Did you two save me?" Asuna Yuuki saw that neither of the two people before her showed any sign of surprise at her experience, and she immediately understood something. She leaned forward slightly, asking urgently, "What exactly was that monster? Why does something like that even exist?"

Just moments ago, Asuna Yuuki had been torn between the fear that others wouldn't believe her absurd encounter and the hope that it had all been a nightmare, not something that had actually happened.

But seeing the reactions of Leo and Yukino Yukinoshita, she vaguely sensed that it was all real. Furthermore, it was highly likely that these two were in the know and were well aware of the existence of such monsters.

Now, Asuna Yuuki just wanted to figure out what she had encountered and what this was all about.

Leo understood this and nodded toward Yukino Yukinoshita beside him.

"Actually..."

Yukino Yukinoshita understood. After carefully choosing her words, she began to explain to Asuna Yuuki.

She told Asuna Yuuki that the world was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. In places invisible to ordinary human society, there were actually supernatural races that had thrived since ancient times.

Devils, angels, fallen angels... Yukino Yukinoshita shared the common knowledge of the underworld society that she knew with Asuna Yuuki, and she also explained the concept of a stray devil, letting Asuna Yuuki know exactly what kind of entity had attacked her.

Asuna Yuuki was very reluctant to believe all of this. She kept biting her lip, and her pupils trembled slightly, but she could not come up with any reason to refute it.

After all, her encounter last night had already told her that the world she lived in was indeed not as simple as it looked on the surface.

"In other words, I was attacked by a legendary devil, and I had already died. You two hunted down that devil and brought me back to life?"

Asuna Yuuki finally managed to temporarily accept all of this, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Leo and Yukino Yukinoshita no longer held any wariness.

"Are you devil hunters?"

Hearing this, let alone Leo, even Yukino Yukinoshita's expression became strange.

Then, Asuna Yuuki heard Leo's laughter.

"First of all, you were attacked by a stray devil. Those are dangerous individuals who have broken away from their kin and can no longer be considered members of the devil race." Leo looked straight at Asuna Yuuki's pretty face, saying with a playful tone, "Secondly, we are not devil hunters. We are actual, legendary devils."

Asuna Yuuki's expression stiffened.

"You are... devils?"

She seemed very unwilling to believe it.

Seeing this, Leo stood up and very straightforwardly revealed the proof of his status as a devil.

"Whoosh!"

The wind whistled as six devil wings suddenly unfurled behind Leo, causing Asuna Yuuki to widen her eyes.

Beside him, Yukino Yukinoshita saw her own reflection in Asuna Yuuki at that moment. As if playing a prank, she also spread her wings, letting a pair of pinions unfold.

"Y-you guys...?!"

A look of terror appeared on Asuna Yuuki's face, but immediately after, she felt an itch on her back.

The next moment, a pair of devil wings sprouted from behind her—jet-black and profound. The young girl's mind went "boom," turning completely blank, just as it had when she encountered the stray devil last night.

What is going on?

What on earth is happening?

Why... do I have wings like these too?

While Asuna Yuuki stood there stunned, her mind a complete blank, Leo's voice sounded slowly.

"Not only are we devils, but you have also become a devil."

"I know this is sudden for you, but there was no other way. At the time, your heartbeat and breathing had stopped completely. From a medical perspective, you were undoubtedly dead; you had even lost your body heat."

"Fortunately, you possess the aptitude, so I chose to save you, turn you into my peerage servant, and reincarnate you as a devil."

What followed was naturally an explanation, clarifying Leo's identity as well as the existence and effects of the evil pieces.

"I... am already a devil?"

Asuna Yuuki felt her heart in chaos, so jumbled that she couldn't organize her thoughts at all.

Having been stripped of her humanity upon waking up, Yukino Yukinoshita felt the same way. Her gaze toward Asuna Yuuki became much warmer, mixed with a hint of sympathy.

Being turned into a devil was one thing, but becoming someone else's peerage, a servant—how could a pampered young lady from a wealthy family ever accept that?

Never mind a young lady; even an ordinary person couldn't accept the fact of becoming someone else's servant. After all, this isn't ancient times anymore; where would one even hear of slaves and servants?

To be honest, Yukino Yukinoshita herself didn't know how she had convinced herself to accept it when she first heard the news. One had to know, she didn't have a good temper, and her self-esteem was even higher than others. Because of her family background, she was also sensitive. That she could accept this fact without storming off on the spot was truly a miracle.

Asuna Yuuki also found it hard to accept this on the spot, but her personality wasn't as aloof and solitary as Yukino Yukinoshita's. Therefore, she eventually took a deep breath and suppressed the chaotic emotions in her heart.

"I'm sorry, I still can't accept this," Asuna Yuuki said, her face somewhat pale as she spoke in a low voice. "Could you give me some time to be alone for a while?"

Hearing this, Leo smiled and, along with Yukino Yukinoshita, retracted the wings from his back.

"Of course. Rest well, and come find us when you feel you're ready," Leo said composedly. "I will leave a familiar outside the door—a maid. If you need anything, just call for her."

With that, Leo took Yukino Yukinoshita and left the room.

Asuna Yuuki remained in the now-quiet room. After a long while, she looked at the wings on her back and began to struggle.

"How... do I put these away?"

Meanwhile, Leo and Yukino Yukinoshita were talking as they walked out of the room.

"Do you think she'll be able to accept it?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked inexplicably. "Could she end up leaving and becoming a stray because she can't handle it?"

"Who knows?" Leo walked in front, looking ahead with a smile. "However, I believe she will come to terms with it."

After all, she is someone who can be called a heroine...