The Jealousy Devil

Nobody in the entire Devil Research Club-or even the entire school-except Gotō Iwen knew there was a basement beneath the clubroom.

The basement had not been there from the start. An injured devil had fled Tokyo and hidden in the school to recover, carving out the basement as a place to heal.

When Gotō Iwen first discovered the basement, he had not found it through the Devil Research Club's clubroom. Only later had the devil opened an entrance there.

He had stumbled upon the basement a few days ago and even seen the devil hiding inside, recovering from its injuries.

But the devil had not harmed him. Instead, they had made a contract: in exchange for sparing his life, he could not reveal the devil's existence.

That was also his first taste of what it felt like to get along normally with a devil. The novelty had made him even more enthusiastic about studying devils, almost to the point of obsession.

Even during class, his mind had been full of thoughts about devils. During club activities and after going home, he devoted all his attention to researching them.

Since Gotō Iwen spent every day scouring the news for anything about devils and Devil Hunters, he was naturally well acquainted with Asaba Kotone's recent exploits.

Studying devils every day had also taught him quite a bit about the Gun Devil. Any devil that ate a piece of the Gun Devil's flesh would gain a terrifying boost in strength.

Almost no private Devil Hunter could defeat a devil that had eaten the Gun Devil's flesh. Yet Asaba Kotone, despite his young age, possessed strength beyond anything ordinary people could comprehend. He must have made a contract with an exceptionally powerful devil.

Until then, he had only been able to study Asaba Kotone through reports from various media outlets. But today, Asaba Kotone had actually transferred into his class, leaving him both stunned and delighted.

What he had not expected was that Asaba Kotone, a Devil Hunter, would refuse to join the Devil Research Club and instead establish some so-called Reading Club.

Now, Gotō Iwen ventured deeper into the basement, using a small flashlight to light his way. Without it, he would not have been able to see the path ahead.

At last, Gotō Iwen reached its deepest point. He switched off the flashlight, but even in the pitch-black darkness, he could still see the eerie green glow of the eye before him, larger than his entire body.

Despite facing a devil at such close range, he showed not the slightest fear.

"I want your power. What price do you want me to pay?"

Gotō Iwen got straight to the point.

Although he had already made a contract with the devil at the beginning, he had received no power from it. It was not the kind of contract he wanted.

Now, he wanted to obtain a devil's power.

"Very well... no price is necessary, as long as you don't reveal my location."

The enormous eye immediately moved closer to Gotō Iwen.

"There really isn't a price...?"

Gotō Iwen was deeply surprised.

As far as he knew, obtaining power from a devil almost always required paying some sort of price, large or small. The exact price depended on the devil's mood.

For example, the Fox Devil, who was fairly well known among Devil Hunters, placed great importance on looks. If a handsome man put the Fox Devil in a good mood, not only would he be allowed to use the powerful fox head, but the price demanded would also be relatively easy to pay.

Someone with average looks could only use the fox's hand and would have to pay a steeper price.

This was the first he had ever heard of a devil demanding no payment at all.

While Gotō Iwen was still thinking about this, the devil spoke again. "It's done. You now possess my devil power. I am the Jealousy Devil. The stronger your jealousy, the greater the power you can wield."

"The Jealousy Devil?"

This was the first time Gotō Iwen had learned the devil's name. For some reason, the devil had always refused to give it before, and he had not dared press the issue.

And what the hell did jealousy have to do with anything?

Gotō Iwen did not quite understand, but he could indeed feel an unprecedented power within him now, so he stopped worrying about those little details.

By then, Asaba Kotone and Kobeni Higashiyama had long since returned to their respective homes.

On his way home, Asaba Kotone had even made a special stop to buy Pochita more tasty food. If Pochita had behaved and stayed home today, he naturally deserved a proper reward.

Without realizing it, he had truly begun raising Pochita like a pet dog.

Pochita enjoyed it too. He was quite fond of those tasty treats.

"By the way, starting tomorrow, could you stay inside my eye while I'm at school?"

Asaba Kotone asked Pochita what he thought.

He still felt a little uneasy about leaving Pochita home alone.

He did not know when Makima would come to the Human World. Once she arrived, her main objective would surely be to track down Pochita.

Pochita would be safest inside his Kamui Dimension. Nobody but him could enter it.

"Woof, woof~"

Pochita did not seem at all unhappy about the idea.

"Great. I'll get you everything you need to eat, play, and read."

Asaba Kotone said.

Although the Kamui Dimension was a very monotonous alternate space, he could furnish it himself. He just had to move books, snacks, a sofa, a game console, and things like that inside, and Pochita would not get too bored.

Besides, during lunch breaks and the like, he could let Pochita out in the clubroom for some fresh air.

That way, he could keep Pochita safe without disturbing the other students.

After that, Asaba Kotone went to make dinner.

Although he usually ate out, he actually knew how to cook, and he had more free time now.

After dinner, he even played video games with Pochita.

Late that night, as Asaba Kotone slept with Pochita in his arms, he was too deeply asleep to notice the text notifications appearing.

[Pochita's affection +5%]

[Pochita's affection progress has reached 50%. Achievement reward obtained: constitution +1]

That should have meant the fourth page of the compendium had also been unlocked.

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