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The moment the pack of reporters—cameras and mics raised like weapons—came charging toward them, Jack quietly stepped forward, placing himself between Mai Sakurajima and the chaos.
They looked like starving wolves who'd just spotted a fresh carcass, eyes gleaming with hunger as they jostled each other for position, desperate not to fall behind.
Seeing them like that, Mai instinctively tightened her grip on Jack's hand.
He noticed, turned slightly, and gave her a calm smile."Don't worry. You've dealt with these guys way more than I have, right?"
"…Yeah," she admitted, taking a slow breath. "So let me handle this."
Mai was regaining her composure—she wanted to protect him.She knew what kind of people those reporters were. They could twist black into white without blinking. One careless word and things could spiral completely out of control.
If she didn't step up, Jack would be torn apart by these vultures in no time.
But Jack shook his head."Doesn't matter what we say now. They won't let us off either way."
He knew better than to try reasoning with reporters—especially the entertainment kind. For a juicy headline, they'd sell their souls twice over.And even if they did clarify things, what would happen?They'd still twist his words, chop them up, slap on some clickbait title, and sell it as scandal.
Mai blinked, watching him.He sounded casual, but there was confidence in his tone—like he already knew exactly how this would play out.
That steady calm of his helped her settle down too.He wasn't the reckless type; if he was this relaxed, he had a plan.
By then, the reporters had finished their mad dash and finally surrounded them, mics thrust forward like a firing squad.
"Miss Mai! Hello, I'm from Xinle Entertainment!""Evening News, Miss Mai, just a few questions—!"
A dozen voices overlapped, shouting over each other. The chaos made Jack frown. Then he took a single step forward.
A faint surge of energy pulsed from within him. In that instant, his presence changed—sharp, commanding, almost suffocating.
To the reporters, it felt like the temperature dropped ten degrees.His eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light, and even a single glance from him sent a shiver through their bodies.
They didn't know why, but suddenly, none of them dared to move.
"Is there something you want?" Jack asked mildly, though his voice carried an edge that made it sound more like a threat.
"Uh—ah, hello," a woman stammered, hand half-raised like a nervous student. "We—we just wanted to ask, what's your relationship with Miss Sakurajima?"
"I'm her boyfriend," Jack said without hesitation.
A stunned silence followed—then eyes turned immediately to Mai, silently asking for confirmation.
She stood quietly behind him, neither nodding nor denying.Which, of course, was as good as a yes.
A bold reporter seized the moment."There are rumors your boyfriend's seeing multiple women at once. Miss Mai, are you aware of that?"
The air tightened. The reporter's tone was sharp, cutting straight to the heart of the gossip.
Mai stepped forward calmly."That's just a rumor."
"And what does the man himself have to say?" The reporter's mic swung toward Jack like a challenge.
He smiled faintly."So what if it's true? Is that a problem?"
Mai froze. What?!Was he trying to hand them ammunition on purpose?Had he just misspoken?
Her mind raced, trying to think of a way to cover for him—but the reporters were already on it.
"So you admit it? You think dating multiple women is fine?""Why not?" Jack shot back with an almost teasing tone. "Yeah, I'm dating multiple girls. Got a problem with that?"
No one noticed the faint blue glow flickering in his eyes.
For a second, the reporters all hesitated—then their expressions went slack, dazed.
"Right… it's not really a big deal, huh?""Yeah, just a private matter, who even cares…"
Mai blinked. "...Huh?"
She stared at the group of reporters, who were suddenly mumbling to themselves like they'd all lost their minds."What… what's going on?"
Jack chuckled softly.Looks like it worked perfectly.
The reporters stood there muttering nonsense, as if hypnotized. Mai's confusion deepened—until realization slowly dawned.
"You did something to them, didn't you?" she whispered.
"Just a little trick," he said with an easy smile. "In short, I tweaked their sense of common sense."
"…You what?"
He scratched his head, thinking how to explain."Let's say… normally, people think it's embarrassing to run naked in public, right? Well, if I altered their sense of normal, they'd think streaking through the street is totally fine."
Her eyes widened in horror."Y-you can do that? That's insane!"
He grinned. "Want me to make them give you a live demonstration?"
"No!" she yelped, instantly backing up. "Absolutely not!"
What kind of monster had that sort of power?!
"This is straight-up demonic…" she muttered under her breath.
"…I am a demon," he reminded her with a shrug.
He'd learned this spell from Rias and the others.
Even though angels and demons had signed a coexistence pact with humanity, battles between them still broke out now and then. And yet, no matter how chaotic those fights got—no matter how much magic or destruction filled the sky—humans never seemed to notice.
That's because of this kind of spell.
With it, they could twist perception itself. Even if angels and demons were fighting naked in the streets, ordinary people would just walk by without caring.
That was the terrifying power of altered common sense. A simple spell, but one used constantly by devils, fallen angels, and angels alike.
And now that Jack had mastered it himself, it was no wonder he wasn't afraid of a few nosy reporters.
Honestly, dealing with them was the easiest part of his day.
"..."
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