Chapter Text
Shu and Ike spend an hour going over every little detail of the contracts that bind everyone to Mysta. They didn't realize the human had already fallen asleep as they spoke.
“Look at his manners, he doesn't even seem scared that there are four demons in his domain,” Vox remarked as he spotted Mysta sleeping soundly while the other two demons talked.
Shu only signed and spoke. “It's not like we can harm him due to the contract, so just let him be.”
“We'll just wait until the sun comes up,” Ike says as he opens his book.
Luca stood up from his seat and made himself comfortable beside the human in the bed. “Then I'm going to sleep as well.”
Loud rings echo around the small apartment, alarming the four demons who are unfamiliar with human technology.
After he turned off his alarm clock, Mysta dashed to the bathroom. “Oh shoot! I'm going to be late again,” Mysta said as he washed his face.
Outside the bathroom, except for Vox, all the demons are staring at Mysta's phone.
“Is this where the sound was coming from earlier?” Luca asked curiously as he poke the phone.
“Seems like it,” Ike said.
“How can a tiny object like this generate that type of sound; humans do strange things,” Shu says as he raises the phone into the air with his magic.
“It appears that humans have done things that are not foolish at all,” Ike walked closely to observe the device.
“Yeah, yeah,” Luca chuckles, “I thought all they did was make sins and outrageous stuff.”
“Move. I'm going to be late,” Mysta shouted, pushing the demons aside to grab his uniform near the bed.
“Ekk, you're wet; get away from me,” Luca said as a few drops of water landed on his tail.
“If you don't stand in the way, you will not get hit with the water,” Mysta replies right away, much to the amusement of Luca and Shu.
After Mysta dresses, he grabs his backpack and phone, then rushes out of the apartment, locking the four demons inside.
“That Human truly abandoned us here,” groans Vox. “I'm out here; I don't want to be stuck with any of you anymore,” he added, jumping out the window.
“That Nekomata always does whatever he wants,” Ike muttered, closing his book.
“I'll follow Mysta, he's kinda amusing,” Luca declared as he transforms into a normal-looking dog and jumps out the window as well.
“Hey! A dog just fell from the sky!” someone shouted outside.
“That Inugami,” Ike gritted his teeth.
“I'll supervise him; we can't have other humans finding out about us,” Shu stated as he vanished into thin air.
“It appears that I'm all alone here, which isn't horrible at all,” Ike murmurs.
While Mysta is running, he notices that some people are staring at him and smiling at him. “Huh? Is something wrong with my clothes?” Mysta wondered as he stopped jogging to check his uniform. As he comes to a halt, a massive golden retriever charges at him, knocking the guy to the ground.
“Ouch!” Mysta exclaimed as he rubbed his painful back, which had hit the pavement as he fell. Mysta grimaced as the dog trod on his stomach and continued barking enthusiastically. He has no idea whose dog this is.
“Hey big guy, where's your owner?” Mysta inquired as he sat up. Of course, the dog did not respond and instead encircled Mysta.
“Hey, Mysta!” says Alban from behind. “What's up with that huge dog?” he inquired. The dog appears to be offended and proceeds to ignore Alban.
“This dog. Wait, we're going to be late,” Alban said, panicked. “Let's go,” Alban said.
“But what about the dog? I can't just leave him here,” Mysta expressed concern.
“Bro, that's not even yours,” Alban pointed out. “You can just leave him there; if we find his owner, we'll be late,” he continued.
Mysta signed and stood up. “I hope you find your owner, big fellow. I'm sorry, but I don't have time anymore.”
The dog just stays there till Mysta cannot be seen, and then proceeds to flee towards a dark alley. Luca shifts back to his human form after making sure that there's no human in the surroundings.
“What was that, Luca? Do you have to make a scene like that?” Shu appeared from behind.
“It's boring to stay in that awful house, so I just want to go where he was going,” Luca said, adjusting his clothes.
“If you want to go there, you can just follow behind him. After all not everyone can see us” Shu signed.
“Oh, right! I forgot about that” Luca replied happily and abruptly sprinted away.
Shu asked, “Where are you going now?”
Luca said, “I'm going to follow the small human,” and he started running again. Shu simply sighs and wanders alongside the inugami.
Meanwhile, Vox, who is currently lounging on the school's rooftop, is gazing up at the clear sky. He gritted his teeth and muttered, “I can't believe that a lowly creature like him will be able to summon and form a contract with me.”
Vox Akuma, a Nekomata who dwelled in this world for 400 years. He was an isolated mountain dweller who hated humans with all of his heart. Not after they massacred his entire clan, he finds it disgusting that a human was able to get him to sign a contract.
Vox attempted to break the contract for hours the previous evening, but it was futile since their link is too powerful and impenetrable. Vox was currently experiencing body aches as a result of his attempts to break the contract.
As Vox gazes into the clear sky, 3 familiar presences enter the school vicinity. Vox's presence was also detected by the other two demons, but since they are not close, they chose to ignore him. Vox, however, decided to sleep through the anguish he is experiencing.
Luca and Shu wander throughout the school, leaving Mysta alone.
“What are they doing here, and why are they gathered here?” Luca inquired of Shu.
Shu cocked an eyebrow in response to the question, “Hmm… I don't have knowledge about that since I lived in the midst of a forest. Shouldn't you be the one who knows the answer? After all, you're an Inugami.” The change in Luca's expression is immediately noticed by the Uwabami demon.
“Simply disregard what I just said,” Shu continued, and climb the tree close to Mysta's room. Then Luca sat next to Shu on the tree branch and watched Mysta converse with other people.
“What's up, with those eye bags, Mysta?” Yugo questioned.
“Dude, you look like a panda, " Alban said.
“Nothing, I just couldn't sleep properly last night” Mysta answered, not saying too much information because Mysta is afraid that his friends will be involved in his misfortune.
Fulgur whispered worriedly, “You should get some rest tonight, or you'll get sick.”
“I know, thanks for being concerned about me,” Mysta responded, smiling.
Mysta no longer seemed interested in discussing the subject, so Sonny made the decision to speak. “What should we do later?”
“How about we go to the mall or the arcade?” Uki proposed.
“I'm in!” Yugo exclaimed enthusiastically.”
“You guys know I'm always game, so yeah, me too!” exclaimed Alban.
Fulgur sighed, “Sure, I'm free later anyway.”
“I'm sorry, guys,” Mysta says as he clasps his hand. “I can't go. I have to do something later.” Mysta looks devastated that he can't go, but he can't ignore the other thing.
“Don't worry, Mysta, it's alright,” Sonny assures his friend.
Yugo said, patting Mysta on the shoulder, “We're not pressuring you to join us.”
Fulgur smiles and says, “Let's just hang out again when you're free.”
As the day goes on, Mysta basically forgets about the four demons who showed up at his residence the previous evening. He was currently heading alone toward the train station, unaware that the two demons were trailing behind him.'
“This isn't his way home, so where is he going now?” Luca asked.
Shu responded, “Perhaps this is what he stated earlier.”
They are currently following Mysta in their spirit form, so no one can see them, including Mysta. While they are talking, Mysta suddenly stops in front of a small building.
While they are talking, Mysta suddenly stops for a moment in front of a little building filled with people.
As Mysta entered the business, a man in an apron and cap stated, “Mysta, You're just in time. We need more people, there's a huge number of customers today.”
Mysta answered, “I get it. I'll just change into my uniform,” and he hurried behind the store.
“What's going on here? There are too many humans,” Shu stated outside the building. “Are you going inside?” he inquired of Luca. Luca can tell from the look on Shu's face that he doesn't want to go, but the inugami is interested in what is going on inside.
“I'll just have a peek,” Luca stated as he entered the establishment.
“Welcome to WCDO**** What can I do for you today?” Mysta greets new customers as they walk in. Luca observed Mysta conversing with different individuals while starting to make notes on some paper and pacing around the area. “Are they some type of higher being? Why are they receiving offerings?” he asks as he observes various foods being delivered to customers on a tray. Luca then made the decision to venture farther inside the store, where the kitchen is located. After taking a few moments to look around, he decided to walk outdoors because he can smell various foods, and it is making his stomach growl.
Shu questioned, “How's inside?”
"There's a lot going on there, but there's also a lot of food," Luca responded.
Shu stared at the entrance and stated, "Yeah, some of those people that walk out have something in their hands which seems appetizing."
"Why don't you go inside instead of standing there staring at the door?" Luca suggested.
"I'm not fond of crowded places, and I'm not interested in what's inside; I'm simply supervising you because you might do something that puts us in danger," Shu replied as he continued to stare at the door.
Ike, who stayed in the apartment, spent the entire day reading books from Mysta's tiny shelf. "These are interesting books, and they also include figures to show the movements," he muffles to himself.
From his seat, he gets up and leaves the apartment. “It's now dark, and they haven't returned,” he said as he leaped to the roof and stretched his wings. He then flew toward the sky in search of the human and the other demons. He first headed in the direction of the school where they first encountered Mysta and discovered the sleeping Nekomata there.
“Hey,” Ike said.
Vox looks at the Tengu after opening his eyes. “ What do you want?”, he questioned.
“Where's the human?” Ike inquired.
“I don't know, shouldn't you know it? Mr. Know Everything” Vox smirks.
“Tch, I just squandered my time here,” Ike remarked as he took off.
Vox commented, “You truly are no fun, Tengu. You ought to be a little more mad than that.” He also gets to his feet and follows the tengu.
Due to their powerful presence, Ike discovered the two demons right away. They are now standing in front of the well-lit building. “ Where is the human?”, he inquired again as he landed next to the two demons. Shu pointed inside the store, and Ike noticed Mysta sprinting around with platters in his hands.
“He's been doing that for over 5 hours now,” Shu continued.
“If we're humans, our bodies will ache from standing here waiting for him,” Luca stated.
“So why didn't you just go home?” Ike inquired.
“I'm going to ask Mysta for some of that stuff,” Luca replied instantly.
“Don't you think that's a little shameless?” Ike asked.
“You think so?” Luca asked and sighed. “Okay, I won't ask him,”
Vox watches the three other demons talking to one another from the roof of the train station. When Mysta walked out of the institution, he simply flew down, but not too close. Mysta initially ignored the four demons, since he was preoccupied with fixing the contents of his bag.
“MYSTA!!” Luca yelled, jumping on the frail guy once more.
“Luca, stop doing that,” Shu urged. “You could accidentally endanger his life.”
Mysta merely groans when he recalls the demons from last night. “What brings you here?” he sighed.
“I followed you,” the inugami murmured, still clutching Mysta.
The human just stood there and looked at them indifferently before deciding to separate himself from the blond demon and leave.
"Wait!!" Luca exclaimed, standing in front of Mysta as if blocking the path.
"What do you want right now?" Mysta asked.
"You know, I'm not a human, but I still get hungry," he simply replied.
"I thought you weren't going to request anything from him anymore, Inugami?" Ike interjects.
"But it's been two days since I last ate," Luca replied, before elaborating why he was hungry. Mysta's ears are already ringing from exhaustion, and now a huge demon is complaining beside him.
"This is only for one time," he stated, drawing the attention of the demons. Luca's eyes brighten as he drags Mysta toward the establishment's door.
"Let me go! I can walk on my own," Mysta said as he walked into the fast food chain. Luca quickly gestures to the burger on the menu as they enter and says, "I want that! I noticed a lot of humans eating that."
Mysta hummed but said nothing, instead walked to the counter to place his order.
"Hello, Mysta, did you forget something?" the guy inquired.
"Oh, no, I'm just going to buy something," Mysta said, smiling.
"Well, what's your order?" he said instantly.
"I'll just buy 5 pieces of burger," Mysta replied.
"That's a lot, do you have a visitor tonight?" the guy asked once again.
"Yes, they said they were hungry, so I'll just buy some food hahaha" Mysta laughed awkwardly.
"Then just sit there for a few minutes," the guy stated as he handed the slip of paper to the person inside the kitchen. While Mysta walked to the corner to sit, Luca walked beside him.
"You should smile more," the inugami suddenly said, which made Mysta raise an eyebrow.
“I don’t think that’s necessary at all” The shorter guy replied as he stared at the people walking around the establishment.
“You look good while smiling, It’s a waste if you don’t do that,” Luca said as he sat at the table in front of Mysta.
“There must be something wrong with your eyes” Mysta simply replied and stood up to claim his order at the counter. Luca frowns at that answer but didn’t say anything and just followed the human.
When they exit the establishment, the 3 demons are already waiting at the entrance. Ike looks confused about what Mysta is holding, Shu actually looks a little excited to taste the burgers, while Vox stands there looking at them uninterested. Mysta ignores them and walks straight home.
“Hey, can I eat that now??” Luca said excitedly as he ran around Mysta.
“No, wait until we get home.” Mysta sternly said doesn’t seem scared at all even though he’s surrounded by 4 demons.
“Ehh!! I want to eat now!!” Luca makes a fuss while still circling Mysta, while the latter continues to turn a blind eye to his actions. Luca remained silent for a while and then suddenly he lifted Mysta in his arms.
“What the heck?! Let me down in this instant!” Mysta shouted.
“No, this will be much faster. I want to eat immediately” Luca said and dashed towards Mysta’s apartment.
After almost 5 minutes, they immediately arrived at the apartment and Mysta instantly jumped down on the latter’s embrace. “I thought I’m gonna die there” He murmured as he clutched his heart. Shu just looked at Mysta’s suffering in silence, and Vox snickered, while Ike flicked Luca’s forehead.
“Do you want to kill him?” Ike scolds the inugami, and Shu helps the human stand up and enter the apartment.
After changing his clothes into night attire he distributes the burger to the living beings in his room. “Only one for each. Don’t complain” He declared and sat down in his bed.
Luca immediately wolfs down the burger. “This is good!!” He exclaimed and continued to munch the food. After seeing the inugami eat, the other 3 demons proceed to eat their share. The 3 demon’s eyes lit up with glee as they also liked the taste of the burger.
“I didn’t expect this to taste good,” Vox stated.
“For the first time I agree with you” Ike acknowledged the latter’s comment.
Shu just silently enjoys the burger in the corner of the room, while Luca’s food is already gone and starts to pester Mysta once again. Mysta, who was already stressed, just gave his remaining food to Luca and stood up to get something to drink in his mini fridge. He took out an energy drink which caught the attention of the tengu.
“What’s that?” Ike asked as he stood beside Mysta.
“A drink, you want some?” The human offered the unopened can of energy drink to the latter, which he immediately accepted and drank. Tengu's eyes brightened at the taste of the drink and straight up drank the remaining liquid in the can.
Mysta sighs and lays down on his bed after he turns off the lights to get ready to sleep. As he lay down, he suddenly felt someone’s arm wrap around his waist. He looked down under the blanket and found the sleeping Inugami wrap around his waist. Mysta just let the guy sleep and look up to the ceiling to make himself sleepy.
As Mysta continued staring at the ceiling he didn’t realize that it was already an hour since he started snoozing out. He suddenly felt something wet in his waist area, he immediately flipped his blanket and spotted the inugami crying in his sleep.
“Don’t ….. Please don’t … Leave ... Stay please…..” The inugami whimpered in his sleep and tightened his grip around Mysta’s waist. Mysta looks at the guy worriedly and gently caresses his cheeks to calm the crying inugami.
“Shhh, don’t cry. Everything's alright” He gently whispered in Luca’s ears.