The Contract

Chapter Four

The school looms before me. I'd expected just a regular high school, a public one with little delinquents running around. Nope. No regular high school of Daisuke Uchida. This demon has to go to some fancy-shmancy private school with a uniform that nearly dampens my dark aura. Akaho's parents must be loaded. "Say, Akaho... why are all these girls staring at us?" Akaho turns beet red for a moment. 

"You're the only new student this semester." She says after a few seconds. "The girls here always like to admire new faces." The girl's uniform is basically a dress. Not a regular dress. A pretty one. Of course. I'm fed up with mine -a suit and tie-. 

"I don't see what's so great about this school." I say after a few minutes, inspecting the interior of the hallways. It's high class, that's for sure. 

"It's a school for young leaders and wealthy families. Its education is second to none." Akaho sounds like she's literally just reading some sort of brochure to me. For a moment, I feel a twitch coming on. Then the urge fades away. 

"I see." My vision is turning a little red around the edges. "That means I have to be polite." I let out a groan of heavy displeasure. "Great." Akaho giggles quietly beside me. 

"Don't worry. I doubt anyone will come near you at this point. You look pretty intimidating." My pride swells slightly, and I glance down at her with amusement. 

"Why thanks, little human." I respond with a toothy smirk. "I do my best as a demon to look my utmost intimidating at all times." She giggles again. 

"Aho-chan~! Ready for another year of hell?" That weird bimbo is here again. "Eh? Uchida-san!" She looks at me with wide eyes. I bend forward so I can stare her directly in the eyes. 

"Bother Akaho-chan again, and I'll guarantee you leave less pretty than you came~!" I say with a wide, fang-filled smile. "Girls like you disgust me." The bimbo shakes in her glossy black boots. 

"I-I see! Have a great year, Nakagawa-san!" She scurries away, leaving Akaho and I behind. I watch her trot away, as if bouncing slightly will make her escape any more dignified. 

"Would you prefer I use your first name, or your last?" I ask, turning my gaze to Akaho. She smiles brilliantly at me. 

"My first name is fine." She says. I nod and we continue walking straight ahead. "And for you?" 

"Whatever you prefer." I reply. "This is just a name, after all." Akaho smiles at me, this time more genuinely than before. 

"Is Daisuke alright with you?" I nod my head. 

"Then I'll call you Akaho." Akaho smiles yet again and shoulders her backpack a bit higher. I take it from her, earning me a wide-eyed glance. "I'll carry it for you." Akaho protests instantly, but once she realizes that it's useless and I won't let go of her bag, she sighs in defeat and directs us through the halls. My eyes scan everything. These people will likely be bullies, but not the physical kind. The mental kind, for sure. They'll weild their family's prestige like a sword to cut others down with. A scowl of displeasure makes itself known. 

"Ready for class?" Akaho then introduces me to the teacher. She's a small thing, middle aged, with wide brown eyes and pin-straight black hair. She squints at me behind thick glasses. I bow to the teacher, introduce myself, and go to my assigned seat. I sit two seats behind Akaho, and a row to the left so I'm right next to the window. 

The classroom reeks of perfume from the girls that whisper eagerly to each other. I narrow my eyes and snap open my textbook, flipping aimlessly through the passages. I know all these events. I've lived through all this history. A girl stands before me, but she doesn't seem to be quite like the rest of the airheads here. "My name is Suzuki Mikoto. It's nice to meet you." She dips her head in a shallow bow. I bow in turn.