Hozuki's Shadow--Hozuki x reader (Hoozuki no Reitetsu)

Chapter 10

Despite petty gossip being a sin that could land you in Spiritual Hell, the residents of Hell enjoyed it immensely, and before the day was done, news of the spectacular fight between Hozuki and (F/N) had spread all the way to the Offices of Enma.

Perhaps it was due to this that Karauri was surprised when he walked into the Chief of Staff's office, and found (F/N) humming to herself as she stamped documents with a smile.

Something is very wrong here...

Karauri approached her desk with appropriate caution, and set the papers he'd come to deliver down quietly. He thought that, perhaps, if he was careful enough, he could avoid a confrontation, but before he could make his escape, a too-sweet, too-cheerful voice called out.

"Good morning, Karauri-kun! It's a fine day today, isn't it?"

He winced, and turned around to see (F/N) beaming at him.

Yeah, something is definitely wrong...

"Good morning, (F/N)-san," he said, stealing a glance at the door. "Say, are you...all right?"

"Of course I am!" she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just heard about your argument with Hozuki-sama yesterday, and I was wondering..."

"Oh, that?" (F/N) laughed. "That's all in the past! Ancient history! I'm not mad, anymore! Not at all! Not even a tiny bit!"

But even as she spoke, her hand, gripping the edge of her desk, began to make cracks in the wood.

"I—I see—" Karauri stammered, taking a step back, "well, in that case—"

"Hozuki-kun may be an asshole sometimes," she continued, hurriedly signing a paper, "and he's definitely a giant dickhead, but he's my best friend! I can't stay mad at him. Not at all. Not even for a single second. Believe me."

"I believe you," Karauri said, holding up his hands, "now I really should be—"

"And he's really frustrating, too!" she continued, "and horrid. And rage-inducing. But I really don't hate him! I really don't! Not for stalking me, not for not trusting me, not for ruining my date, not for stopping my kiss, not for anything! Not for anything at all. And I'm most certainly not angry at him for lying to me."

"I believe you! I really believe you—"

"And you know another thing, Karauri-kun?" she continued. "I may be Hozuki-kun's childhood friend, but that's not the reason he made me his assistant..."

She looked up, meeting Karauri's gaze with cool, calculating eyes.

"You see...Hozuki-kun may be the scariest person in Hell, but I am a very close second."

The moment she spoke, the door slammed open. Karauri spun around, wondering who could be rushing into the office in such a huff, only to see a furious Hozuki storm inside, and slam something on the surface of (F/N)'s desk.

"Care to explain this?"

(F/N) just beamed up at him, batting her eyelashes in the most innocent way imaginable, and Karauri couldn't resist the urge to creep closer to the desk, and see what it was Hozuki was referring to.

It was a Nekomata tabloid, and the title read as follows:

Exclusive Interview with Childhood Friend of Hozuki-sama! Ten Embarrassing Stories from the Chief of Staff's Childhood Revealed!

Suddenly, (F/N)'s cheerful attitude made perfect sense.

"Oh, my," she said, sliding the tabloid over to her side of the table. "What a lovely sheet of paper."

"I'm referring to what's on the sheet of paper!"

Hozuki gritted his teeth, the veins in his neck bulging, and Karauri stumbled back.

Did she really...Hozuki...

Did sweet, gentle (F/N)-san really do something like that to Hozuki-sama?

"Ah, I see you've discovered (F/N)-chan's secret talent."

Karauri jumped, and turned around to see King Enma standing behind him, a distressingly calm smile on his face.

"King Enma?" Karauri explained. "What do you mean by '(F/N)-chan's secret talent?'"

"Well, you see," King Enma explained, "Many people see (F/N)-chan as Hozuki-kun's conscience, and this is often the case, but few know the two of them have much more in common than people think.

"You see, while Hozuki-kun is responsible for many of the physical tortures around Hell, (F/N) is responsible for most of the psychological tortures."

"Psychological torture?" Karauri exclaimed, turning to (F/N), who was still staring up at Hozuki with wide, doe-like eyes. "But (F/N)-chan is so nice, I can't imagine—"

"She leaked videos of me skipping work the last time I made a horrible screw-up," Enma continued, face falling, "and when I tried to pressure her into finding Hozuki a wife, she stole my diary and read it publicly in the dining hall."

"Really?" A shiver went down Karauri's spine. "I'm so glad she doesn't have anything on me..."

"I may not," (F/N) said, turning to him with a smile, "but I do have your sister's phone number."

Karauri flinched, and Hozuki slammed his hands on (F/N)'s desk.

"I didn't come here to discuss your work," Hozuki growled. "I came here to discuss this."

He jabbed a finger into the paper, and (F/N) smiled.

"My, my, there's no need to shout. Hasn't anyone ever told you to use your inside voice?"

"That is not the point! I'm asking you to call the Nekomata company and have them remove the article!"

"Oh, dear, are you really accusing me of doing such a horrible thing? Hozuki-kun, how could you?"

"The Nekomata company says their source was a childhood friend, and at the moment, I can't think of anyone with a better motive than you."

"Are you sure? If you ask me, Uzu's gone rogue."

"Then explain to me how half of these stories are things only you know."

(F/N) sighed. "Honestly, I don't see why it's just a big deal. I didn't even include any of the really incriminating ones."

"So you admit it was you!"

"Can you really blame me?" she asked, standing up with her hands braced on her desk. "You disrespected my ability to make my own decisions, followed me across town, and ruined my first kiss! I have every right to be mad at you! Maybe, if you can give me one good reason, I might give the Nekomata company a call—"

"I already told you, I'm in love with you!"

A hushed silence fell over the room. Karauri and Enma exchanged a glance. For a moment, Karauri thought the subtle change in phrasing might get through to her, but all she did was shake her head.

"Don't make me laugh. Like you could ever love me that way."

And with that, she left without another word.

For several minutes, the office was silent, save for the thunk of the door shutting behind her. Then Hozuki took out his phone, and began dialing. His movements were calm and collected, and Karauri couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine at the sheer wrongness of it all.

"Hozuki-sama..." he said, "what are you doing?"

"Calling the Nekomata company," he answered. "And then I'm going to order a hundred roses. Let's see how long she can go without figuring it out."

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to vote. Thank you!

-Marguerite Partello.