Chapter 3 - Poolside Taboo (3/6)

"It's gonna take a while still for that angel. Wait there. I'll head out to meet you❤"

He could leave at any time since he was taking part voluntarily, so he ran toward the exit for this higher priority. He passed through the disinfectant tub and the simple shower and then entered the locker room.

Mutsuki made his way to the locker room from the outside. He could not bear the looks of the people who were angry that Lucia had left.

Plus, there was something he wanted to discuss with the demon boy.

Megutono Academy's pool had surprisingly luxurious facilities. It had a normal pool and one with a shallow end of the elementary school, so that alone meant the surrounding facilities had to cost twice as much as well.

But the boys changed in the classroom for swimming classes, so one had to join the swim team to take advantage of it all.

These extra lessons were considered part of the swim team's activities, so the facilities had been opened for everyone.

Mutsuki entered the boy's locker room which was well drained and ventilated, so it barely smelled mildewy at all. No one else was there at the moment, so it was just him and Lucia.

"Pfahh~~"

Lucia happily let warm water wash over his face in the shower space.

There was an accordion curtain installed, but the boy did not bother closing it.

"…"

The boy in only swim trunks was surrounded by a thin layer of steam and Mutsuki's eyes were naturally drawn to the slight flushing of his white skin.

It may have been due to his youthful skin, but he had no real flesh from his small collarbone to his navel and yet he seemed somehow round.

He was skinny but not quite enough to see his ribs and his small butt stuck out below. His thighs had no fat on them either.

He had none of the feminine roundness of Micha or Machina, but his small body was somehow enchanting and tickled at the male psyche. The way he washed his blond hair was oddly sexual and Mutsuki's heart began to race as he watched it.

And…

"Eh heh heh❤"

"…"

The bewitching boy suddenly turned toward him with a melting look of happiness on his face.

It was a dangerously cute smile that seemed to stab into Mutsuki's heart. The expression could capture the heart of both boys and girls.

Mutsuki saw it on a daily basis, but his heart still skipped a beat and he looked away.

"I'm glad♪"

"Eh?"

"That you aren't afraid of me anymore. You used to be so on edge when I would get close, right? But now you act normal even when we're alone."

Mutsuki realized the boy was right. They had been classmates for two weeks now, but this was the first time they had been alone together. It felt like Lucia had made sure only to stick around him when Ange could see.

Was that not to scare him?

"…Um."

Mutsuki raised his head and looked the boy directly in the eye.

He had been thinking about this for a month now.

His first impression of Lucia had been too frightening. Lucia was clearly the one who had dragged Mutsuki into his current abnormal life and he had heard a lot about how frightening the demons were from Micha and Ange.

But he had held a certain thought in his heart ever since seeing the boy's smile for the first time.

"I have a question."

"Yeah?"

Was it possible this boy was the farthest of anyone from being his enemy?

"Demons…can't get along with angels, can they?"

He tried asking and Lucia must have been able to tell he was not joking.

"That's right."

The demon boy continued smiling and did not hesitate to answer.

"The relationship between angels and demons isn't simply divided between good and evil as humans like to interpret it, but our very existences are eternally at odds. There's no way we can get along."

"…Really? There isn't even a slight possibility?"

"Nope."

There was no hesitation at all in his voice.

This was unfortunate, but Mutsuki had honestly expected it. After all, Machina had told him pretty much the same thing.

"Then…what about you?"

"?"

"I'm asking your personal opinion, not your view as a demon. Can't you get along with the angels…with Ange?"

He placed his hopes on that question and took a step forward. Ibekusa Machina had said she would not oppose the angels on a personal level.

That was good enough for now, so he hoped he could get a similar promise here.

Lucia blinked his eyes from the other boy's overwhelmingly earnest plea, but he seemed to have caught on. He swept back the bangs that were hanging down from the running shower water.

"Not a chance. I hate angels."

He coldly turned the other way, so Mutsuki frowned.

"They're violent and don't have a lick of tact. They call themselves bodyguards, but that's just an excuse to drive away whoever they don't like. Isn't that Ange angel nothing but trouble for you too, Mutsuki-kun?"

"Th-that isn't-…"

"But."

Ange was nearly family to Mutsuki and he just about jumped in to say she had her good side too, but the demon sidestepped him with a mischievous smile.

He grabbed Mutsuki's blue striped tie and pulled to bring the boy's face down toward him. Some shower droplets bounced from Lucia's face and onto Mutsuki's cheeks.

The demon boy who had captured the hearts of boys and girls throughout the school looked up at him with truly bewitching eyes.

"If you tell me to, I'll stop."

He whispered from lips so lovely that Mutsuki wanted to abandon reason and suck at them.

"I'll do anything you tell me. Anything."

"———"

The demon's sweet whispering voice seemed to freeze his heart. He felt completely glued to the spot as if he had been paralyzed.

No. It was him himself that could not take his eyes off of Lucia.

The demon boy brought a finger to the boy's unguarded lips.

"Give me any command and I'll obey. It's all up to you."

He brought his face close while tracing his finger around the boy's lips.

"Ever since I was bound by Avalon, I have been your eternal slave."

His lips were two millimeters away, but he stopped and narrowed his eyes in a smile.

"Uuh…"

Mutsuki trembled as he felt the same sweet breath of another boy he had felt when his first kiss had been stolen.