At that moment, Iruma collapses.
"Whoah!"
I catch him and lay him down as Asmodeus takes off his jacket to fold and use as a pillow.
Wait.
Kiriwo recognized me...?
I take a strand of my hair and look at it. Brown, as it should be right now.
Which means…
How didn't I realize earlier!?
"...Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit." I mutter repeatedly.
What am I going to do!?
I quickly run to pick up and reaffix my veil, which flew off earlier.
"Okami, what's wrong?" Asmodeus asks quietly, but I'm too busy panicking, muttering to myself and pacing.
"I'm screwed. I'm screwed. At this point, my transformation is almost completely useless. It just avoids some attention but other than that it does nothing. My name change, too, it's useless. They've got him on their side now, and he knows pretty much anything about me. I'm so screwed. Everything's been for nothing and I'm risking losing everyone if- no, when they find out. Sure, I could fight Baal, but he's a goddamn hero now. He probably has more political power than Sullivan at this point. If any word were to get out, I'd be absolutely-"
Suddenly, Asmodeus grabs my shoulders tightly, snapping me out of my panic rant.
"Okami. I don't know what you're so worried about, but take a deep breath. Nothing can be solved in a panic."
"You're the one who was ready to cremate Kiriwo alive right then and there…" I point out before taking a deep breath.
Inhale…
And exhale.
Right. What matters most right now is keeping these guys safe. Any extra safety precautions for myself I can deal with later.
I smile.
"You're right. Thank you."
Asmodeus nods and turns back to Iruma, his expression softening.
He really cares about Iru- AH.
My hand flies to my head. The feeling subsides a moment later, though.
What was that…?
Mana?
I guess, but it was different.
Not different like Behemolt and Atori, but something completely different… but also kinda familiar…?
“Asmodeus!” A familiar voice shouts.
Asmodeus and I turn around.
Kalego!
"Sir Kalego!"
“What happened!? Is Iruma-”
“Shh!” I interrupt.
“Master Iruma is resting.” Asmodeus adds.
“...Is he sleeping?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story, but I believe he was exhausted by the stress of the night.”
"And who might you be?" Kalego asks me.
I lift my veil up just enough before dropping it again.
"What are you doing here? How in the nether did you get an invitation!?" He asks incredulously.
I sigh.
"I'm not answering that question again tonight. It doesn't really matter anyway, plus it's quite the story."
Kalego turns back to the sleeping Iruma.
“Speaking of stress, you don't look too good yourself.” I point out. “You seem like you’re on the brink of a wicked phase or something, what happened?”
“...You should worry more about yourselves.”
"Oh my~ Did he fall asleep?" Amaryllis asks, popping up along with Bachiko and Amelie.
Oh goodness.
"M-Mother…"
"Is he injured!?"
"Nope. Just sleeping."
"Man, he's out cold… Did he use too much mana on that arrow?"
"He looks so cute when he's sleeping~"
Should we cast a healing spell…? His clothes are dirty too…"
"Oh my. Do you want to take them off?"
"HUH-"
Things are getting noisy quickly…
"Where are you going?" Kalego asks me as I get up.
"Home. I've had enough of a night already."
I exit the group of chattering people and head through the hallway.
I just need a good place to open a portal…
I notice Sullivan a few feet ahead of me, and I head over to him.
"Iruma's back there, if you're looking for him," I say. "He fell asleep, and everyone's there taking care of him right now."
I can talk to him about the Heartbreaker later.
"Ah, I see. Thank you!" He says with a smile.
Before he even has the chance to speak further, I speed walk away until I find a secluded area.
No one's around…
I open a portal home and step through, flopping onto my bed for a minute before getting up and changing out of my Deviculum clothes.
I really don't know what to do.
I'm scared.
I'm really scared.
I really thought that I could live normally.
I'd forget about my lineage, stay out of the messed up politics, and I'd finally have the life I've wanted.
I hoped so hard that I could really become and live as Okami, rather than whoever the hell I should be because at this point I'm not even sure.
But…
I'm facing the possibility of running away again.
And I don't want to.
I adore the life I have, the friends I've made, all the people I've met and things I've done. I don't want to give this up, but I also don't want them to get dragged into my mess.
I don't know what to do...
Sitting back onto my bed, I open my phone, and the first thing I see is a text message from Soi from earlier today, wishing me good luck.
I can't help but smile as I scroll through the long conversations we've had, then move onto others.
I can't give this up.
I won't.
Somehow, I'll figure this out.
Maybe I'll have to tell one or two people the truth along the way, but I'm going to figure this out.
Things will change, but I'm willing to make sacrifices for this to work.
For now…
I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
(A/N: Not me publishing this in an Ikea-)
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The Demon Princess: An Iruma-kun OC Fanfic
Fanfiction"Okami", as she calls herself, is Derkila's daughter who was abandoned in the human world by her mother at a young age. She's found her way into the Netherworld, determined to keep the identity of her parents a secret. Enrolling into Babyls Demon Sc...
