Mika tucked the application neatly beneath her arm as they stepped out into the cold.
Yuăn's gaze kept drifting back to it.
Unbelievable, that thin stack of paper carries more weight than steel.
Someone's worth is proven through a duel.
She walked beside Mika in silence for a time, boots crunching through the snow.
The street ahead narrowed between low buildings and soft drifts of white.
"They'll read it first?" Yuăn asked at last.
Mika nodded once. "Probably."
"And then decide whether I'm useful."
Mika glanced at her. "That's one way to put it."
One way? If I had seen this, I'd kill them on the spot. Even the humans in Des Monae did the same thing.
Yuăn looked ahead again.
This system is absurd.
After another turn, a modest building came into view, its windows lit against the winter gray.
Mika shifted the papers beneath her arm and nodded toward it.
"That's the place."
Yuăn looked at the building in silence.
There are no walls worth defending. No guards. No banners.
Yet these few sheets of paper carried enough authority to decide if someone was permitted to work.
Mika noticed she'd stopped.
"Nervous?"
Yuăn frowned faintly.
"No."
A beat passed.
"…This is simply not how worth should be measured."
Mika's mouth curved, just slightly.
"Maybe not. But it's how things work here."
Yuăn looked at the door again.
Glass, light, a bell overhead.
This is no battlefield, but I still feel tense.
"Fine," she said at last. "Then I will observe their method."
The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside.
Warm air rushed over her all at once, heavy with the scent of unfamiliar foods, drinks, and something sweet she couldn't identify.
Yuăn slowed, eyes moving over the floor, the shelves, the narrow paths between them.
What is this domain?
It's cramped. Hard to defend and easy to be trapped.
Mika didn't stop. She headed straight for the counter.
"Stay close," she said lightly. "It gets busy."
Yuăn obeyed, standing just behind her shoulder.
Her gaze lifted to the strange black boxes jutting from the ceiling.
What are those?
A chill went down her spine.
Someone's eyes are on me.
Then her eyes caught the mirrors.
Mirrors? For what purpose?
She turned her head.
That human behind that slab.
Their clothing is different. Maybe a form of position.
She noticed a rectangle on them.
Does that slate indicate their rank?
The human looked up and broke into a grin.
"Oh—hey, Dr. Masaki. Didn't expect to see you today."
Mika smiled back, already reaching into her bag. "Just dropping this off, Nick."
Nick's eyes flicked to the paper, then back to her face. "Doc, you're coming here? Don't tell me you're starting a new project and need the funds?"
Mika smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Nick… don't forget. You owe me one."
Nick blinked.
"Sorry, Doc. Won't happen again." he quietly said as he pulled the papers close to him.
She's scary…
Mika turned slightly. "This is Yuăn."
Yuăn stepped out from behind her.
"Hello."
Nick cleared his throat, the grin returning—but smaller now.
"Right. Sorry about that. I'm Nick. I work the afternoon shifts here."
He glanced at Yuăn more carefully this time. Then looked down at the paper, then back up at her.
"Night shift?"
He shrugged. "It's usually quiet. Mostly stocking shelves and dealing with the occasional drunk."
Yuăn listened, then glanced around the store again.
"…Is it acceptable if I work lightly dressed? It is very hot here."
Silence.
Nick looked at Mika. She looked back at him.
"Doc… is she okay?"
"If you're asking mentally, I don't know. Physically? She's pristine."
Nick scratched the back of his neck, glancing once more at Yuăn.
"So… does she, uh—have experience with people?"
Mika exhaled through her nose. "She's quiet. Observant. Doesn't panic under pressure."
"That's not a no."
"It's a better yes than most applicants you get," Mika replied calmly.
Nick huffed a short laugh. "Fair."
He tapped the edge of the application. "Night shift's mostly muscle memory. Stocking, cleaning, watching the register. Cameras everywhere."
He glanced at Yuăn.
She glared back.
Does he want to die?
"What?"
Nick put his hands up. "Just checking your reaction. I'm starting to think we've got a fighter here."
"What's wrong with that? No one here can beat me in a—"
"Fuyu."
Yuăn stopped.
He's lucky this human is here.
Mika smiled pleasantly at Nick. "She'll be fine."
Nick stared at Mika for a beat, then at Yuăn, as if reconsidering every choice that had led him here.
"…Right," he said slowly. "Okay."
He tapped the paper once. "No stealing. No fighting customers. If someone gets aggressive, you call for help. You don't engage."
Yuăn nodded once. "Understood."
Nick blinked. "…Huh."
Mika's mouth curved faintly. "See? Follows rules."
Footsteps approached from the back.
"Heads up," Nick muttered. "That'll be my manager."
The door at the back swung open.
"Nick," he called sharply. "What's going on here? Who's—"
He stopped short, eyes landing on Yuăn.
"And who is this?"
Her posture shifted before she realized it.
A threat?
Her gaze locked onto him, unblinking.
He's close. Poor stance too.
If he moves first—
Mika stepped forward, cutting into the space between them. "This is Yuăn. She's applying for the night shift."
The manager's eyes narrowed. "Applying? Here?" His gaze flicked to the application on the slab. "I don't recall you submitting paperwork ahead of time."
"She's new," Mika said evenly. "I'm vouching for her, Hajime."
Mika didn't look back, but her voice lowered just enough.
"Yuăn."
A pause.
She knew?
Yuăn's shoulders eased—slightly.
Fine. I won't provoke this one.
She inclined her head. "I am capable."
Hajime's lips twitched.
"Since it's coming from the doc, I'll bite. Night shift. Quiet work. Follow the rules. Handle customers. No stealing. No—"
He paused, eyeing her again. "Do you even understand what I'm saying?"
Yuăn's gaze met his directly, "Yes, but you're reiterating what Mr. Nick said, Mr. Hajime."
Nuisance.
Nick stifled a chuckle behind the slab. Mika's eyes flicked to him briefly.
Hajime huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But I'll be keeping an eye on you. One mistake, and that's it. Understood?"
I hate this human.
"…Understood."
"Tomorrow," Hajime muttered. "You start tomorrow."
Then he glanced at Nick and stalked back toward the office.
Nick exhaled audibly. "Wow. That was… intense."
Yuăn tilted her head, studying him. "Weak in resolve… he would falter under pressure in Mika's house."
Mika gave Nick a small nod, then rested a hand lightly against Yuăn's back.
"Come on," she said. "Before you start evaluating everyone's resolve."
Yuăn followed her out.
That fat bastard wouldn't last an hour. Koji would've eaten him alive.
The bell chimed again as the door shut behind them.
Cold air rushed by and brushed against them. Yuăn exhaled, a faint plume of mist blooming in front of her face.
This is far better than that overheated domain.
They walked side by side down the sidewalk. Mika set an easy pace, unhurried now that there was nowhere urgent to be.
"You start tomorrow night," she said casually. "I'll walk you over the first time. Just so you know the route."
Is this one from human royalty?
No—stop thinking about that. Humans are not your allies.
Yuăn nodded once.
"Understood."
Snow crunched rhythmically beneath their boots as cars passed by.
"…You handled that well," Mika added after a moment.
Yuăn glanced at her. "Talking to people other than you is hard."
Mika smiled a little. "The good thing is that you spoke without any help."
Yuăn's gaze drifted to her hands, gloved and unfamiliar. She took them off and reached toward the sky.
Tomorrow, I start my first job in this world. A job not born of command.
Interesting… Back home, looking toward tomorrow was a luxury. This feels… unreal.
"Mika."
"Yes?"
"…If I fail, will I be expelled from the house?"
Mika stopped walking.
She turned to face her. "Failing is a part of life, Fuyu, how else would you learn?"
She's… right.
But failure always resulted in something or someone dying.
Mika rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Yulisha LOVES you. And that kid has a strange sense for people. Even when she was a baby, she knew who she could trust. "
Yuăn tilted her head.
I thought only demons and demi-humans had that ability.
"She trusts you," Mika said. "So we don't have a reason not to. Job or no job, you'll always have a place to sleep at home."
Yuăn stared at her.
They only met me for a day and yet, they trust me?
That made no sense.
"…That is inefficient," Yuăn said.
Mika laughed softly, breath fogging the air. "You keep saying that."
"Because it is true."
Mika only smiled and started walking again.
Yuăn followed, the cold air settling against her face.
The cold is far easier to understand thanthis feeling in my chest.
Yuăn looked toward the white streets stretching ahead of them .
Tomorrow, I work.
Not as a lord.
Not as a Lesser Demon Lord.
Not as the Angel of Ruin.
Just… the human named Fujisaki Yuăn.
The house came into view soon after—warm light spilling through the windows, the promise of extreme heat and a small human who would undoubtedly ask too many questions.
Yuăn looked at it for longer than she meant to.
A day ago, this had been a temporary shelter. A domain I could not claim. A place I had no rights to.
Now, there was a futon promised to me inside. A child who called me 'big sister', and the matriarch, who spoke of failure as if it were survivable.
The thought irritated her.
I hope that child won't start rambling about this… mochi.
Mika opened the door, and warmth rolled out to meet them. From somewhere inside, Yulisha's voice carried down the hall, loud with complaint.
"I finished it! Mostly!"
Haruto answered something too low to hear. Mika sighed before even stepping inside.
It's still inefficient.
Loud. Overheated. Poorly defended.
Yuăn looked at the light in the windows.
And yet, I don't mind it.
She stepped over the threshold, snow clinging to her boots as the heat wrapped around her again.
"Fuyu!"
Yuăn barely had time to lift her head before Yulisha appeared at the end of the hall, homework papers clutched in both hands.
"Did you get the job?"
Yuăn froze.
Why does she sound as if my success concerns her?
Wait… that nickname is for the matriarch to use.
Mika slipped off her shoes beside her. "She did."
Yulisha's face lit up. "Really?"
Haruto's voice carried from the living room. "Congratulations."
Congratulations?
Yuăn stood in the entryway, heat pressing against her back, snow melting from her boots.
This was not a victory. No territory had been seized. No enemies had been broken. No titles had been earned.
Yet, they sounded pleased.
For me.
Yulisha rushed closer, waving the homework papers as if they were banners. "So you're working at the store now?"
"I begin tomorrow night," Yuăn said carefully.
"Night?" Yulisha's smile faltered. "But that's when people sleep."
"Not everyone," Haruto said from the living room. "Some people work at night."
Yulisha looked scandalized. "That's unfair."
Yuăn tilted her head.
Unfair?
"It is work," she said. "Fairness is irrelevant."
Yulisha frowned at her as if she had said something deeply wrong. "But you'll come back, right?"
Yuăn's thoughts stopped.
Come back?
Of course I would return to this domain. That is where my belongings are.
A question like that is simple.
But—that was not what the child was asking.
Yulisha clutched the homework papers closer to her chest. "After work. You'll come back here, right?"
Mika had gone quiet beside her.
Haruto said nothing.
Yuăn looked from one human to the next.
What are they waiting for?
My answer? That shouldn't matter. I am a freeloader in this domain. But their eyes…
Like my answer mattered more than anything else…
"…Yes, I will return."
Yulisha relaxed immediately, as if the matter had been settled by law.
"Okay." She held out the papers. "Then you can help me with this before you become a night worker."
Yuăn stared at the pages.
"I did not agree to—"
"Big sisters help."
Yuăn looked toward Mika.
Mika's mouth curved faintly. "Don't look at me. You accepted the title."
The matriarch betrayed me.
Unforgivable.
"…Very well," Yuăn said. "Show me the task."
Yulisha brightened instantly and grabbed her sleeve again, pulling her toward the low table in the living room.
"Here! It's math."
Yuăn allowed herself to be dragged.
A battlefield would have been simpler…
Yulisha spread the papers across the table with great ceremony. Several numbers filled the page, accompanied by small drawings of apples, pencils, and round-faced animals Yuăn did not recognize.
Yuǎn lowered herself beside her, studying the sheet.
"This is your trial?"
"Homework," Yulisha corrected.
"A written trial."
Yulisha considered that, then nodded. "Kind of."
Yuăn picked up the pencil. "Then why is it unfinished?"
Yulisha's face twisted with immediate betrayal. "Because it's hard."
Yuăn looked at the first problem.
Three apples. Two apples. A blank space.
She stared.
"…This is counting."
Yulisha nodded solemnly. "Hard counting."
Yuăn slowly turned her head toward the child.
Hard?
I had calculated food stores through siege winters. Measured troop losses. Balanced supply routes across hostile territory. Counted bodies after battle when no one else had the stomach to do it.
And this child had been… defeated by apples?
Unbelievable.
I will teach this human the correct way to do it.
Yuăn placed the pencil back into Yulisha's hand.
"Then we begin."
Yulisha groaned. "You sound like Mom."
"Good. She is competent."
From the kitchen, Mika made a small sound that might have been a laugh.
Yulisha leaned over the page, cheeks puffed in concentration. "Three plus two is…"
Yuăn waited.
The child glanced up at her.
Yuăn stared back.
"…Are you going to tell me?"
"No."
Yulisha wilted. "Why?"
"If I answer for you, the trial is meaningless."
"It's not a trial."
"It is now."
She tapped the apples on the page. "Count them."
Yulisha muttered under her breath, touching each drawing with the pencil tip. "One… two… three… four… five?"
She looked up, uncertain.
Yuăn nodded once. "Five."
Yulisha's expression brightened as though she had won a duel. "Five!"
"Do not celebrate before completing the page."
The brightness vanished. "You really do sound like Mom."
"Then your mother is often correct."
Mika coughed lightly from the kitchen. Haruto did not bother hiding his laugh.
Yuăn ignored them and looked back at the paper.
"Next."
Yulisha bent over the next problem, tongue poking slightly from the corner of her mouth.
Yuăn watched in silence.
Six pencils. Three crossed out. A blank space. Easy enough.
"Subtract."
Yulisha groaned. "I hate subtraction."
"It is the removal of units. You have done worse."
"I have not."
Yuăn tapped the paper once. "Begin."
Yulisha counted slowly, pencil moving from drawing to drawing.
As she did, Yuăn's gaze drifted to her own hand.
A faint rim of frost had gathered along the edge of her fingertip.
Yuăn went still.
That shouldn't be there.
She curled her hand into a fist before Yulisha could notice.
The frost blade this morning. The chill in my fingertips. Neither had taken as much from me as it should have.
Her eyes narrowed.
There's no ambient mana here. No leyline. Nothing to draw from. So why?
"Fuyu?"
Yuăn looked up.
Yulisha stared at her, pencil hovering over the page. "Is three right?"
Yuăn blinked once, then looked at the problem.
"…Yes."
Yulisha grinned and wrote it down.
Yuăn lowered her gaze to her closed fist.
This world is hiding something.
Yulisha finished the next problem with a dramatic sigh and dropped her pencil onto the table.
"Done."
Yuăn looked over the page.
Three correct answers. One number written backward and two places where the child had pressed the pencil so hard the paper nearly tore.
"Acceptable," Yuăn said.
Yulisha beamed. "So big sisters check homework too?"
Yuăn's attention snapped back to her.
"That title has not been formally—"
"Mooom!" Yulisha called, ignoring her. "Fuyu helped me finish!"
From the kitchen, Mika's voice answered easily. "Then thank your big sister."
Yuăn went still.
Betrayal. Again.
Haruto coughed from the living room. "You walked into that one."
"I did not walk anywhere," Yuăn said sharply.
Yulisha turned to her with both hands pressed together. "Thank you, big sister."
The words hit worse the second time.
Yuăn stared at her.
It is only a title. Nothing binding. Nothing enforceable.
So why did refusing it feel like striking an unarmed child?
"…You completed the trial adequately."
Yulisha tilted her head. "Is that good?"
"It is not failure."
Yulisha smiled as if that were praise.
From the kitchen, Mika laughed softly. "That's probably the best you're getting for now, Yui."
Yulisha leaned against her shoulder without warning.
Yuăn did not move.
For several breaths, neither of them said anything.
Then Mika called from the kitchen, "Yui, come help me put the groceries away."
Yulisha lifted her head. "Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"But Big Sister is warm."
Yuăn stiffened.
Haruto made a strangled sound into his cup.
Mika's voice stayed calm. "Groceries. Now."
Yulisha sighed with the full weight of betrayal and slid away from Yuǎn's side. "Okay…"
The warmth at Yuăn's shoulder disappeared.
She looked down at the empty space beside her.
This feeling is unnecessary. The empty space should not matter.
Haruto set his tea down quietly.
"She likes you," he said.
Yuăn did not look at him. "She is reckless."
"Yeah," Haruto said. "Kids are like that."
"She gives trust too freely."
"She does," he agreed. "But she's usually right about people."
Yuăn's fingers curled against her knee.
Him too? Why do they let this child judge people freely? I'm a demon.
"That is inefficient."
"You keep saying that too."
Yuăn glanced at him.
He knows what the matriarch said to me?
Haruto leaned back, expression easy. "Mika said it earlier, right?"
Yuăn blinked.
"She is correct often."
"That she is."
Interesting. Men in Des Monae rarely admitted such things so easily.
Haruto looked toward the kitchen, where Yulisha was loudly asking whether snacks counted as groceries.
Yet that answer came too easily from him. No resistance. No pride wounded by admitting it.
Strange.
"You don't have to understand everything today," he said. "The job. The house. Yui calling you big sister. Any of it."
What?
Yuăn's gaze sharpened. "Understanding prevents failure."
"Sometimes," he said. "Sometimes you understand after you stay."
After you stay?
What does he mean by that?
Yuăn looked toward the kitchen.
Mika was correcting Yulisha's attempt to put canned food in the refrigerator. Yulisha protested as if accused of treason.
Haruto smiled faintly. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you got the job."
Yuăn looked back at him. "Why?"
"Because you looked like you needed something to call yours."
She went still.
You? Telling me what I need?
She quickly glanced at Mika.
He is fortunate the matriarch favors him.
Haruto stood, taking his cup with him. "Anyway. Don't let Yui bully you too much."
Yuăn glared at him.
Impossible. A child bullying me?
"She cannot bully me."
"She absolutely can."
He walked toward the kitchen before she could answer.
Yuăn stared after him, then down at the homework papers.
A job.
A title.
A place to return.
A child who expected me to sit close.
The matriarch who wrote her name beside "emergency contact."
Her favored, who spoke as if staying could come before understanding.
This did not feel like chains.
From the kitchen came Yulisha's laughter, Mika's calm correction and Haruto's quiet reply.
For half a breath, Yuăn was somewhere else.
This isn't Hokkaidō. Not this overheated house.
A pair of hands in hers.
Laughter, high and bright.
White falling from the sky.
Snow?
No.
Ash.
Impossible—
She closed her eyes.
Forget it. It's not worth remembering anyway.
She remained where she was, one hand resting near the finished homework.
This domain was loud. Overheated. Poorly defended and highly inefficient.
Her fingers brushed the edge of the paper Yulisha had left behind.
Yet it still works…
Yuăn stayed where she was.