The bell signaling the end of class rang right on time.
Amid a chorus of students thanking the teacher for not dragging the lesson out, Ryuya left the classroom and returned to the Occult Research Club room together with the girls.
"Everyone's been busy lately, so we've fallen a bit behind on requests. Let's resume work as usual tonight, shall we?"
Rias issued her instructions with a smile, and everyone nodded in unison.
"Hehe, it's about time we took care of some of those requests. They've piled up like a mountain," Akeno said with a laugh. "We even missed a new request last time because we were too busy—what a shame."
"Everyone's worked hard lately because of my situation," Rias sighed softly.
"It's what we're supposed to do," Koneko replied, her cute little face unusually serious.
"Ryuya, I'm heading out first~"
After making her preparations, Asia lifted her small face and smiled sweetly at Ryuya.
Ryuya nodded gently. "Good luck. Do your best."
"Mm! I will!" The blonde girl smiled brightly and teleported away.
One by one, everyone teleported out. Left behind, Rias looked at Ryuya—who still hadn't left—and couldn't help stepping forward to hug him, pressing a fragrant kiss to his lips.
Only after nearly three minutes did the two reluctantly part.
"I really couldn't hold back during class," Rias said with a smile. "It felt like my whole mind was filled with thoughts of you."
"But I was sitting right next to you the whole time," Ryuya said with a helpless laugh.
"That's exactly why I couldn't focus," Rias replied, sounding exasperated. Even she felt she was getting a little too immersed—just seeing Ryuya made her heart race…
"…Then I'll head out?" Ryuya laughed wryly. "Perfect timing—I was going to see my girlfriend anyway."
"Go on, go on. It'll help me calm down too," Rias said with a smile, not the least bit jealous of the 'girlfriend' he mentioned.
After all, in Rias's mindset as a high-ranking devil, this sort of thing was perfectly normal.
Devils had always respected strength above all else. One husband with multiple wives—or one wife with multiple husbands—was common, so even if a battlefield of emotions appeared, it wouldn't be a big deal. In the end, a harem would naturally find its harmony…
Ryuya did indeed plan to meet Sakurajima Mai. Her commercial shoot had finished today, and she was returning from out of town.
He pecked Rias lightly on the lips, and as the teleportation circle lit up, Ryuya vanished—reappearing in a narrow alley.
The moment he arrived, he saw a young couple locked in each other's arms, both of them staring at him in stunned disbelief.
They were ordinary humans. Seeing Ryuya suddenly appear via teleportation, such an overtly supernatural scene, left them completely dumbfounded.
Uh… there are people here…
Caught in the act, Ryuya didn't panic at all. He calmly activated Common Sense Alteration, then walked past the couple with a composed expression.
Their eyes went vacant for a brief moment. The supernatural image they had just witnessed was wiped clean from their minds, and they immediately went back to secretly kissing each other, heavy breathing gradually filling the alley…
Ryuya left the alley as if nothing had happened. He'd chosen this spot because it was close to where he was meeting Mai and usually deserted—who would've thought he'd run into a pair of lovebirds…
After that brief interlude, Ryuya dialed Mai's number. The phone rang twice before it was quickly answered.
"Hello, Ryuya?"
"Mai, I'm here."
"Okay. Give me five minutes," Mai said without hesitation, her tone brimming with queenly authority.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ryuya replied.
On the other end of the line, Mai seemed to laugh softly before hanging up.
Only about three minutes passed before a black business van pulled up in front of Ryuya.
The driver was a young woman in her early twenties, her hair cut neatly to shoulder length. She wore glasses and had an intellectual, composed air about her.
The rear door opened, and Mai stepped out.
"Thank you for your hard work, Ryoko-san."
"You're welcome, Mai-san… though, um… who might this be…?" Hanawa Ryoko had already noticed Ryuya.
After getting out of the car, Mai walked straight over and stood beside Ryuya, shoulder to shoulder with him. It would have been impossible for Hanawa Ryoko not to notice.
"This is my boyfriend."
Mai introduced him in a completely matter-of-fact tone, then turned to Ryuya.
"This is Hanawa Ryoko, my manager—the one I mentioned to you before."
"Hello," Ryuya greeted her politely.
Hanawa Ryoko stared at the boy in front of her, completely frozen.
After a long pause, she finally let out a delayed gasp.
"E—Eh!? B-b-b-boyfriend!?"
"…Yes,"
Mai confirmed calmly.
Ryuya blinked. Seeing how shocked Ryoko was, he glanced at Mai with a questioning look—
His Common Sense Alteration was already queued up and ready to go!
Mai hurriedly stopped him. She honestly felt there was nothing wrong with telling Ryoko anyway—this was something that would eventually be made public sooner or later…
Seeing Ryuya extend his hand, Hanawa Ryoko hesitated for a moment before reacting and hurriedly shook it.
"Y-you're… hello. I'm Mai-san's manager, Hanawa Ryoko. Just call me Ryoko."
For some reason, Ryoko seemed a little stiff and reserved when facing Ryuya…
Perhaps it was because Mai's presence was usually so overwhelming that, when facing Mai's boyfriend, Ryoko subconsciously placed Ryuya on the same level as Mai.
After all, someone who could win Sakurajima Mai's affection had to be an exceptional and outstanding person, right?
Mai, of course, had no idea what her manager was thinking—otherwise, she probably would have laughed.
Ryuya wasn't just outstanding. He was so outstanding he wasn't even human anymore…
But Mai clearly didn't want to talk much with Hanawa Ryoko. After all, she hadn't seen Ryuya in several days, and she genuinely missed her boyfriend.
Under Ryoko's hesitant, conflicted gaze, the two of them sent her off just like that.
"She's definitely worried about rumors," Ryuya remarked, noticing the concern on Ryoko's face before she left.
"Honestly, even if we went public, it wouldn't really matter," Mai said lightly.
"You're still in a critical growth phase for your career, though. Going public would affect it," Ryuya replied.
He didn't really understand why celebrities had to hide relationships—how going public suddenly caused fans to leave—but that was just how the entertainment industry worked.
"I'm the one who chose my boyfriend. Why should going public matter?" Mai didn't seem particularly concerned.
Ryuya smiled. "Let's not go public for now. Don't worry—you don't need to consider my feelings."
"Hehe, I wasn't especially worried about that anyway," Mai said with a slightly mischievous smile.
"Listen to that—does that sound like something a girlfriend should say?" Ryuya said with a chuckle.
"Abandoning my boyfriend to immerse myself in work… I'm quite aware that I'm not exactly a model girlfriend," Mai said as she reflected on herself, causing the corners of Ryuya's mouth to lift.
Sakurajima Mai really was the number one girlfriend in the world.
…
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