The Demon Lord Arrives!

The sudden appearance of Chiba's signature MAX Coffee—something he thought he'd never drink again after high school—seemed completely out of place in front of him.

Most people would feel confused or surprised in this situation. But not Hachiman. What he felt was nothing short of pure terror and dread.

At this moment, his back was drenched in sweat, soaking through his shirt.

Has the demon lord arrived?

Has this school's master finally revealed themselves?

Hachiman stared blankly at the MAX Coffee in front of him. The packaging was spot on, the expiration date was correct, and even the temperature felt right. It was like it belonged.

"Hmm? You don't like the gift I gave you?" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled sweetly at him. Her gaze was filled with curious amusement, but there was also a faint undertone of something more probing.

"No, it's just…"

Her grip on his wrist tightened. To others, this might have looked like a scene straight out of a rom-com: Sakayanagi Arisu, undeniably cute, holding onto him. But all Hachiman could feel was a creeping sense of danger.

Damn it. His heart was racing!

He struggled to calm his anxious thoughts, keeping his voice steady. "I'm just… surprised. I didn't think you could still find MAX Coffee at this school. I thought it wasn't sold here."

"Normally, it isn't," she replied, a sly smile forming. "But…"

"But what?"

"Why don't you take a guess, Hachiman-kun?"

Her playful tone, combined with the way she spoke, made it clear she wasn't going to give him a straight answer. She was enjoying his discomfort far too much.

She's a sadist! A total sadist!

In an instant, any faint admiration he had for her due to her looks was completely trashed in his mind. He could practically hear his brain crumpling that thought up and throwing it away.

Still, he had a feeling he understood what she was playing at. While thinking of a way to escape this awkward situation, he answered slowly, "Did you spend extra points for it?"

"Oh?" Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. She leaned in slightly, locking eyes with him. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well, the school's rules say there's nothing you can't buy with enough points. Our homeroom teacher told us on the first day. So, even if MAX Coffee isn't normally sold here, you could probably buy it if you offered a few extra points, right?"

"Hmm…"

Her expression shifted into a bemused smirk. She didn't confirm or deny his answer, but one thing was clear: her grip on his wrist tightened even more.

This white-haired girl is ruthless!

Considering the coffee shop wouldn't stock canned MAX Coffee, Hachiman realized this was no coincidence. If Sakayanagi had managed to have it prepared in advance, she must've done her homework on him. She'd even figured out his favorite drink.

Has everything been part of her plan all along?

Suppressing the swirl of emotions in his mind, Hachiman cautiously glanced at her side profile.

Gah—!

What the hell? Her expression right now was the same as Komachi's when she played with their family cat. She was looking at him like he was some kind of amusing pet!

The urge to flee grew stronger by the second, but Sakayanagi continued to smile. "The coffee here is quite good, you know. You shouldn't be shy, Hachiman-kun. Go on, have a sip."

"Uh… yeah, about that."

At this point, Hachiman was sure: Sakayanagi Arisu was not the sweet, kind girl she appeared to be. He needed to avoid falling into her pace.

"I bet it cost a lot of points to get this MAX Coffee. I'll pay you back for it," he said, trying to tread carefully. The last thing he wanted was to owe her anything, because who knew what kind of trouble that could lead to.

"No need," she said with that same calm smile. "Consider it a gift from me to you. Don't worry about feeling indebted."

"But…"

"Really, it's no big deal."

She wasn't loosening her grip at all. Hachiman hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly opened the can, bringing it to his lips.

But before he could even take a proper sip, Sakayanagi's next words hit him like a freight train.

"It's just a few tens of thousands of points. Nothing to fuss over."

Cough! Cough, cough, cough!!

He nearly choked. A few tens of thousands of points?! That's the equivalent of tens of thousands of yen! Is this coffee made of gold?

Any trace of the familiar taste of MAX Coffee was now completely lost on him. His mind was swimming with disbelief at her absurd statement.

"Hehe, haha…!"

Meanwhile, Sakayanagi couldn't hold back her laughter. Clearly, Hachiman's reaction had been the highlight of her day, as she was practically in tears from laughing.

"Don't worry, don't worry." She wiped the corner of her eyes and said with a chuckle, "Even off-campus coffee isn't that expensive. Besides, I used a special channel, so this was practically free."

"…"

Despite her reassurances, Hachiman felt anything but reassured.

This was the most stressful cup of MAX Coffee he'd ever had.

All the while, Sakayanagi watched his every move, seemingly memorizing each detail of how he drank.

"Aren't you going to have some?" he asked, feeling uneasy under her intense gaze.

"I will. But I'm sure Hachiman-kun would try to escape the moment I do."

"Huh…"

Are you a mind reader or something?

He gave up. Any hope of making a quick getaway vanished before it even had a chance to form. His escape plan had failed miserably before it even started.

Sakayanagi smiled brightly and said, "By the way, Hachiman-kun, let's exchange contact information."

"…What?"

"I'd like to be friends with you, Hachiman-kun. And the first step in becoming friends is exchanging numbers, isn't it?"

"You're not using 'friends' as a code for 'slave,' are you?"

"Hehe, don't be silly. Friends are friends, and slaves are slaves. I know the difference."

"Ugh…"

This damn white-haired girl!

She's not just a little devil. She's a full-fledged demon lord!