— — — — — —
"…Good thing I'm not human."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Whoosh!
A pair of black, bat-like wings suddenly spread wide from Lynn's back.
Senjougahara Hitagi's eyes widened slightly, filled with disbelief.
Leaning casually against a desk, Lynn gave his wings a light flap and smirked. "Wanna make a deal with a Devil?"
The bizarre sight made Hitagi's heart pound faster.
She bit her lip and stared at Lynn's wings in silence.
Asuna clutched her head, looking a little dazed. "Wait… what's even happening right now?"
"President Lynn… he… has wings now?!"
A devil. Why does that feel… strangely familiar?
Her brain did a quick rewind—and then a realization hit her like a truck.
The Supernatural Research Club!
That price list they had outside campus! With requests ranging from low-class devils to mid-class ones… even a Satan, Devil King.
Hissss—Asuna's heart started racing, her eyes filled with shock.
Wait a sec…That wasn't just some chuunibyou nonsense?! Are Devils… actually real?!
Her expression turned complicated. "President Lynn… you're not… joking, are you?"
"Of course not," Lynn replied confidently. "Didn't I already tell you back in the club?"
"Huh?" Asuna blinked. "When?!"
"That price list, remember?"
Her eyelid twitched. "Who the hell would take something like that seriously?!"
Just dealing with the existence of supernatural powers had already shattered her worldview.
And now what—Devils too?! Is this even the same world she thought she lived in?
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
Wait… could it be…
She was actually inside some kind of ultra-realistic VR game world all along? And only by uncovering the truth could she return to reality?!
...
Meanwhile, Hitagi just stared at Lynn with a complex look.
She always thought she was weird enough.
But today? She just met someone even weirder.
"A Devil, huh…" she muttered softly.
Then she looked up, locking eyes with Lynn's crimson gaze. After a pause, she spoke.
"Compared to humans, maybe Devils are actually more trustworthy."
Coming from someone with her past, it wasn't hard for her to accept Lynn's true nature.
"...What?" Asuna stared at her, baffled. "Hitagi-san, are you…?"
'…Broken?'
She didn't say it out loud, but her eyes said it all.
Trusting a Devil more than a human? You've got to be kidding.
Devils—whether in myths or books—are never portrayed as trustworthy.
"If you went through what I did, you'd understand," Hitagi said calmly.
But that simple line revealed a lot.
Asuna opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
Had Hitagi been hurt that badly… by people? Was that why she'd rather trust a Devil?
If so… then maybe she didn't have the right to push the whole "believe in humanity" speech.
Still, trusting a Devil… was problematic on so many levels.
But…
Lynn does seem trustworthy, right?
She hadn't known him that long, but he always gave off a decent vibe.
At that moment, Hitagi's eyes were quietly studying Lynn.
"Didn't expect the legendary President of the Supernatural Research Club… to be a real Devil."
She let out a soft sigh, then pulled up a chair and sat across from him. Her legs crossed instinctively—clearly still wary after that gust of wind earlier.
Only after making sure she was fully "secure," did she finally speak again.
"If it's you, Devil-san, maybe you really can solve the problem I've got."
Asuna's expression turned even more conflicted. "That's all it takes for you to trust him?"
Just earlier, she was completely in the "mind your own business" mode…
Now Lynn shows a pair of wings, and boom—total change of heart?
Hitagi just shrugged. "Weren't you the one who said you'd help me?"
"…Okay, fair," Asuna sighed.
As student council president, she couldn't just ignore a student clearly dealing with… something.
But seriously, why did it have to be a Devil?
Asuna started feeling uneasy again.
"Besides," Hitagi continued, "with a Devil like him around… even if I wanted to leave, I doubt I'd be able to."
Then her blue eyes glimmered a bit. "I've noticed something since earlier…"
"Devil-san… are you interested in me?"
Lynn smiled. "You're pretty sharp."
"Sharp?" Hitagi replied coolly. "Or maybe you're just not hiding it well."
"Is it because of my abnormality?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Or… is it because of how I look?"
The term "Harem Club" popped into her head. Was she finally seeing the truth?
A Devil obsessed with building his harem?
Lynn didn't deny it—instead, he answered confidently: "Both, actually."
"But…"
His gaze deepened.
"The most important reason—"
"—is because you've got what it takes to stand by my side."
Hitagi froze.
The qualifications to stand beside a Devil?
What did that even mean?
She couldn't quite figure it out.
Aside from the curse of the Crab of Weight, she didn't think there was anything particularly special about herself.
(Crab of Weight (Heavy Stone Crab) can deprive a person of their weight and may even erase the victim's presence entirely. It took Hitagi's weight.)
Hitagi pondered it over for a moment.
But then again…
If she couldn't figure it out, why bother?
Without hesitation, Hitagi gave up on thinking and locked her gaze on Lynn, her eyes glinting.
This… was a chance.
Because of the fear that someone might discover what was wrong with her body, she had locked herself away for two whole years.
Two years…She'd cut herself off from everything—no friends, no activities, living like some cloistered heiress from a shut-in mansion.
She'd basically turned into a hedgehog, full of thorns.
Somehow, somewhere along the way… That became her "normal."
She had tried. Tried to chase down the Crab of Weight again. Tried to take her weight back. Tried to reclaim her old self.
But every time, she failed.
And after that, she never saw the crab again.
She had honestly thought this weird, empty life was just going to go on like this forever.
But then—
Hitagi's thoughts swirled.
She hadn't expected to run into someone even stranger than herself.
A Devil.
"The price for this deal… is probably me, isn't it?"
Her voice was calm as she said it.
After all, Lynn hadn't even been subtle about it. He wasn't hinting anymore—he was blatantly laying it out.
Lynn looked at her and smiled. "Exactly. I'll fix your problem, and you'll join my Familia."
"Familia…?" Hitagi tasted the word, turning it over in her mind. Then she gave a translation that made more sense to her.
"A harem?"
Lynn shrugged. "That's one way to put it."
"Eh?!" Asuna blinked in shock and stammered, "H-H-Harem?!"
Suddenly, it all clicked.
So the rumors about the "Harem Club"… weren't just rumors after all?
Hitagi narrowed her eyes at Lynn and muttered under her breath, "At least you're honest about it…"
She shut her eyes, clearly torn inside.
On one side—years of loneliness and pain, trapped by the crab's curse, cut off from a normal life.
On the other…
She thought of the members of the Supernatural Research Club.
Would she become one of them?
If she couldn't get rid of this curse, she'd probably end up dying alone, wouldn't she?
Hitagi quietly weighed the pros and cons.
Then she opened her eyes and studied Lynn carefully.
Finally, she let out a quiet chuckle. "Lynn…"
"No wonder every guy at Shuchiin's jealous of you. Not only do you have amazing luck with women, but you also look like you walked out of a manga as the MC…"
As she said it, Hitagi had already convinced herself.
At the very least—Lynn's looks were totally her type.
And besides—Crab of Weight or Devil?
It wasn't like she had a third option.
Once the decision was made, she felt much calmer.
She looked at Lynn and asked directly, "Can you actually see where my weirdness comes from, Devil-san?"
Lynn glanced over her and nodded. "It's the Crab of Weight's curse, right?"
Bingo.
Hitagi felt it in her gut—he really could see through it.
He spotted the problem immediately…And judging by his tone, he didn't seem the least bit intimidated by it?
That was all she needed.
She stood up and gave Lynn a deep bow. "Please… help me get back what's mine."
Lynn leaned against the desk and didn't move—just gave a faint smile.
"Getting your weight back isn't hard."
A simple purification would be enough to handle the crab's curse.
"But…"
"What you lost wasn't just weight, was it?"
He looked into her eyes. "Are you ready to take back everything that came with it?"
Hitagi's eyes widened.
Then her heart grew heavy.
She hadn't just lost her physical weight.
She'd lost her feelings, her burdens… her emotional "gravity."
A long silence followed.
Was she ready to carry all that again?
The classroom felt still—almost frozen.
Outside, the breeze rustled through the leaves, as if nature itself was waiting for her answer.
At last—
Hitagi lifted her head, her gaze steady and full of resolve. "I'm ready!"
She'd made up her mind.
No more running away.
No more hiding.
"I see." Lynn stood up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Then your request… is accepted."
Asuna opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
She'd heard everything about that deal just now.
After this, Hitagi was handing herself over to Lynn!
This was seriously… sketchy! A deal like that was illegal in Shuchiin Academy.
Especially right under the student council president's nose!
Asuna clenched her fists.
And yet…
Lynn hadn't pressured anyone. Hitagi had made the choice on her own, trying to solve her own problem.
And as a mere human, what right did she have to interfere with a Devil's actions?
Asuna let out a frustrated breath.
On the other side—
Lynn placed his hand on Hitagi's shoulder. A flash of pure, radiant light burst forth.
BZZZZT—!
Hitagi's eyes widened, her long purple hair lifting into the air like it was caught in a windstorm.
Something was… leaving her body.
Her weight—was coming back.
"ROAAARRR—!"
Suddenly, a guttural roar tore from deep inside her!
The next moment—
A massive phantom of a crab began to emerge.
Its sheer size looked like it could fill the whole classroom. Every time its massive claws twitched, they kicked up howling gusts of wind.
Asuna clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. "T-That's the Crab of Weight?!"
Hitagi narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. That's it."
She'd only seen it once, but she'd never forget the creature that had turned her life upside down.
"ROAAARRR—!"
The crab let out another bellow, its eyes locked on Lynn with murderous intent.
Lynn let out a short laugh. "Wow… this crab's more possessive than I expected."
"…?"
Hitagi blinked.
Possessive?
Before she could think more about it, the phantom crab lashed out with both claws, launching an attack straight at Lynn!
CRACK—!Its pincers collided with Lynn's raised hand.
"Watch out!"Asuna shouted.
But Lynn didn't budge.
He simply raised one hand—
BOOM!
Suddenly, a web of cracks spread across the crab's massive shell.
KA-CRASH!
In the blink of an eye, the giant phantom shattered into light and vanished without a trace.
Hitagi and Asuna stood there, mouths open, completely stunned.
"…Is it over?"
.
.
.