Se-ha and Da-hong stopped by the school’s administrative office.
The paperwork turned out to be simpler than expected.
A summon registration form.
The summoner’s personal information, and so on.
Species: Demon.
Name:
Contract Date:
….
*A name, huh….*
Se-ha thought it over, then wrote this:
Yu Da-hong.
With his own family name attached.
Somehow, writing just “Da-hong” on its own felt like naming a pet.
Beyond that, only basic physical information was required—height, weight, that sort of thing.
Last came the ID photo.
Da-hong stepped in front of the camera.
The photographer peered through the viewfinder and paused for a moment.
White hair.
Red eyes.
Black horns.
A blank expression that radiated quiet boredom.
Just standing there, she was overwhelming.
“Hmm….”
He stroked his beard and spoke.
“You look a little stiff. Could you try smiling, just a little?”
Da-hong looked at him.
The photographer shrank back without meaning to.
“No, I just thought it’d be a shame to waste a photo like this….”
Da-hong stared at him for a moment, then slowly lowered her gaze—
And drew the corners of her lips upward.
“….”
The administrative office went quiet.
The photographer lifted his face from the viewfinder.
Two staff members looked up from their monitors.
Thud.
A student filling out forms dropped their pen.
Se-ha stopped moving entirely.
An expression like sunlight falling softly through a window.
“….”
*Oh.*
Se-ha stared at that face, blank and unblinking.
He kept staring.
Until the woman at the desk beside him called his name.
“Hey, kid. You’re about to drool.”
“Hss——! N-no I wasn’t! That’s not what that was!”
***
Se-ha and Da-hong walked down the corridor.
The evaluation semester had ended, and a short break stretched between it and the start of the first semester proper.
Most students had gone home or were resting in the dormitories.
Da-hong asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Did you drool back there?”
“I did not.”
“The lady at the desk said you did.”
“She was mistaken!”
“So why did you drool?”
“I’m telling you, she was mistaken!?”
Just then—
“Oh, Se-ha!”
Lee Sol was walking toward them from the far end of the corridor.
A bag with a wooden sword inside hung from her shoulder, and she held a stack of documents in one hand.
“Hey, Sol.”
“Hey! It’s a day off—what are you doing at the Academy?”
“Oh, yeah. I had to register Da-hong as a summon.”
“Ah, so her name’s Da-hong? Nice to meet you!”
“Hi. We meet again.”
“I heard about what happened. They said you took down a Salamander in one shot? I really wanted to see it for myself….”
“It was nothing.”
Da-hong said it plainly, and Lee Sol let out a sigh.
“Lee Sang-jun’s personality is a mess, but his skills are the real deal. You have no idea how much he lords it over everyone because of that. Ugh, I hope this is enough to make him reflect a little.”
Lee Sol said it like a weight had been lifted off her chest.
She clearly had a lot pent up.
A bright, responsible kid.
That was Da-hong’s read of her.
Se-ha asked, a little hesitantly.
“So what brings you out here, Sol? It’s a day off.”
“Student council stuff. Even during breaks, there’s always more to do.”
Lee Sol waved the stack of documents.
“But once I finish this, I’m done for the day!”
“W-well, that’s good then.”
Lee Sol grinned back, then turned toward Da-hong.
“So what do you usually do, unnie? I heard spirits and angels have their own realms—the Spirit Realm, the Celestial Realm….”
“Hmm.”
“Do demons live in the Demon Realm, then?”
Da-hong looked at Lee Sol.
Reflected in those red eyes was a girl with an open, innocent expression.
“What I usually do.”
“Yes.”
“I stay at Se-ha’s place.”
“…Huh?”
“At Se-ha’s house. Just the two of us.”
“???”
Lee Sol looked at Se-ha.
Her face said she needed an explanation.
Se-ha scratched the back of his neck and answered.
“Well, the thing is… I still haven’t been able to dismiss the summon.”
“Excuse me?”
“…I don’t know why, but it just won’t work. So we’ve been living together for the time being….”
Lee Sol stood there for a moment, then looked at Da-hong.
Then back at Se-ha.
“So right now.”
“Yeah.”
“The two of you.”
“Yeah.”
“In the same house.”
“…Yeah.”
Lee Sol covered her mouth with her hand.
A man and a woman living under the same roof.
And Da-hong—even to another woman, her looks were something else entirely.
Lee Sol fixed Se-ha with a hard stare.
“You’re not… making unnie do anything weird, are you?”
“Wh-what are you talking about!?”
Se-ha nearly jumped out of his skin.
“I mean, come on. A man and a woman in their prime, living together. And you’re the summoner, she’s the summon. Of course I’m worried.”
“What—! If anything, I’m the one who—!”
Se-ha was shouting in disbelief when his eyes met Da-hong’s, and his face went red.
Lee Sol narrowed her eyes at the sight.
“Oh—oh! See that! That’s suspicious….”
“No—it’s really not!”
“Hmm….”
Lee Sol crossed her arms and looked Se-ha up and down.
“Fine. I’ll believe you. For now.”
“…Thanks.”
“But!”
Lee Sol turned toward Da-hong.
“Unnie, if anything feels uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll help.”
“Thanks.”
“Se-ha has zero awareness about these things.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Ha ha ha!”
Da-hong nodded, and Lee Sol burst out laughing.
“Da-hong, whose side are you on?”
Se-ha muttered, sulking.
Lee Sol stopped laughing and asked Da-hong:
“But unnie, is there anything inconvenient about living there? You came from a completely different world, after all.”
Da-hong thought back over everything that had happened since.
Unlike when she’d been in the underworld, she felt alive.
“It’s not bad.”
“Do you have everything you need? On the, you know… women’s side of things.”
“Women’s side of things?”
Se-ha was the one who answered.
Like he was hearing the phrase for the first time in his life.
Lee Sol looked at him.
Her voice dropped slightly.
“Yu Se-ha.”
“Yeah…?”
“Did you take care of it? The things unnie needs. As a woman.”
“…Well.”
Se-ha scratched the back of his neck.
“I wasn’t really sure what she’d need….”
Lee Sol’s eyes narrowed.
“Toiletries?”
“I have some spares, so….”
“Pajamas? Clothes?”
“Not yet….”
“Underwear?”
“….”
Lee Sol exhaled.
“Haah….”
“….”
Se-ha thought back to that morning.
Da-hong, who’d had to borrow his shirt to sleep in because she had no pajamas.
…He had to admit, he’d been pretty thoughtless.
“S-sorry…. I just didn’t know what to get….”
“If you didn’t know, you should have asked unnie. Or at least asked someone.”
Lee Sol sighed and tucked the stack of documents into her bag.
“Alright.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll help.”
She said it, then flashed a bright, cheerful smile.
***
Following Lee Sol’s lead, the three of them headed to a nearby department store.
Being a weekday afternoon, the place was fairly quiet.
“They have a student discount for Academy students here, so it’s a good spot. Doesn’t apply to luxury brands or anything like that, but….”
“Mm.”
Da-hong looked around the interior.
It was spacious.
Shops packed every floor from the ground level up.
But what caught her eye most was a small donut stand tucked off to one side.
Rows of colorful donuts lined the display case.
Strawberry.
Chocolate.
Cream cheese.
Blueberry.
The bright, cheerful donuts seemed to wave at her.
“….”
“Unnie, this way.”
Lee Sol tugged at Da-hong’s sleeve.
“Mm.”
Da-hong let herself be pulled along, her gaze still fixed on the donuts.
Women’s clothing section.
Lee Sol’s eyes lit up as she flicked through the racks.
“Unnie, what about this? I think the color would suit you.”
“Not bad.”
“What about this one? Too flashy, maybe.”
“I’d prefer pants, actually.”
“Pants… hmm. For tops, with the horns, a button-down might work better than a T-shirt….”
Lee Sol muttered to herself as she rummaged through the racks.
Then quickly pulled out a few options and held them out to Da-hong.
“I wonder if the sizes will fit? Excuse me!”
A staff member hurried over.
“Yes, is there something I can help you with?”
“I’d like to get her measurements, if possible.”
“Her measurements… oh.”
The staff member looked Da-hong over and paused.
White hair.
Red eyes.
Sharp, striking features.
Even as a woman herself, her heart sank a little.
And then there was the figure.
A full head taller than her.
A chest that looked ready to burst through her shirt.
Full, rounded hips.
*There are people like this in the world….*
She swallowed and unrolled her measuring tape.
“Could you lift your arms slightly?”
She started with the underbust—the narrowest point, just below the ribcage.
When she checked the number, she was stunned.
*Good lord, her ribcage is this narrow?
From behind, wouldn’t you see everything?*
Next came the bust.
“Could you lean forward slightly? I need to get the maximum circumference accurately.”
When Da-hong leaned forward, the two full curves of her chest made their presence known with quiet authority.
“Just a little more…. Perfect.”
The tape went around.
The staff member checked the number.
“Good heavens….”
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no…. I was just startled by how lovely your figure is.”
“Ah, well. It is.”
Lee Sol nodded along with the staff member’s words.
It really was a figure that drew admiration even from another woman.
Through all of it, Da-hong’s gaze kept drifting back toward the donut stand.
The staff member took the trouser measurements as well.
“There might not be many pants that fit, honestly. Setting aside the hips—your legs are just so long….”
“Is that right? Let’s start with skirts for now, then. Thank you.”
“Of course. Just call me if you need anything else.”
The staff member bowed and stepped away.
“Alright, now that we have the measurements, let’s get to the real fitting!”
Lee Sol planted her hands on her hips and declared it with energy.
Da-hong’s gaze, which had drifted back toward the donut stand, slowly returned.