"I can leave at any time, right?"

"That is an option, yes."

I am silent for another moment, before answering.

"I accept the offer."

"Wonderful." He smiles sickeningly sweet, with pointy teeth flashing at me.

Gods, I hope I don't regret this.

.

.

.

He stands suddenly, and I lean back a little as his arms extend with a flourish, purple-pink powder clouds erupting from his sleeves. My eyebrows furrow at why he needed to to that, making an unnecessary mess, that is.

"Well then Little Akira, you'll need a dorm room! Maybe a uniform for the day classes? All will be taken care of, so for now just take your key and head on down to the wonderful cram school! I need to go and see someone at the moment, so you may show yourself out!" And he disappears in a poof of smoke.

That was... Quick. In all honesty, I had expected the thing to go on for an hour, at least. It suprised me how fast working Mr. Faust is.

I slowly stand, not exactly knowing where to go. My feet carry me to the door, and I open it from its previous little crack to where I can walk out, being met with the same administration office as before. The woman who greeted me was typing away on her computer, and stops when she hears the door close behind me.

"Um. Excuse me, but how do I get to the cram school?"

The woman tilts her head back at me and smiles, standing up and walking towards me.

"Have you never used an exorcist key before? You simply put it in any door with a lock and unlock it, then you'll be where that key leads to!"

My eyes widen a little, and I looked down at the small key. It can take me to cram school from anywhere! What if my dorm key can do that? That would be so relieving, this campus is huge.

Just as I'm about to ask about the dorm keys, the woman talks.

"The dorm keys can do the same, darling. Don't be afraid to ask questions here, kiddo, all the teachers will be kind."

I nod, and thank her silently. Turning back behind me, I take the key in my hand and put it in the keyhole, turning until I hear the telltale click of the lock. Slowly pushing the door open, I'm met with a long hallway with many identical doors. A few doors down to my right is where a few people are standing, talking. I turn back and thank the lady again before going through the door, taking my key and shutting it. As soon as the large door makes a noise closing in the hallway, the people at the other door stop and look over at me. Shyly, I shuffle over.

"Hello. My name is Akira Hinobura, what's yours?" Finishing with a smile and a hand out for a handshake, I pause. My eyes look back up to see the girls from earlier, along with a boy with puckered lips and a puppet on his hand, and another person wearing a light black hoodie holding a gaming console.

"Well I'm Izumo Kamiki, but you can't talk to me. You dont even have a uniform! It's like, the cheapest thing! Even those scholarship kids can afford it," the violette snoddily answered me. I simply smiled at her and asked for the brunettes name.

"You can just call me Paku, Akira. It's nice to meet you. Sorry about Izumo."

"It's fine," I quietly reply. She shakes my hand and I turn to the boy with a puppet on his hand. I ask the question again.

"Nemu Takara. I don't like you, so just know that."

I awkwardly laugh, retracting my hand for the failed handshake.

I try to move onto the next person, but suddenly my head has a large hand on it, ruffling my hair. Peeling the hand off of my head, I look behind me and see Shima, Ryuji, and Konekomeru.

"Hi guys! What's up," Shima asks us.

"Nothing much, just introductions. Where did you guys go?"

"We went to the dorms! Were all sharing a room, it's the last one in the block, so we don't have another roommate!"

"That sounds like fun."

Konekomeru suddenly speaks up, scaring me, as at the moment I was solely focused on what Shima was saying, because he's really nice.

He says that the classroom should be unlocked if the teacher isn't out here with us, and as soon as Paku tries the door, it opens. I sigh in relief and walk in after Izumo, holding the door before Shima took the weight.

I walked over towards the middle area of seats, on the farthest side from the door. Scooting into a row, I sit down in the furthest seat. Konekomeru slides in next to me, and Shima in front while Ryuji sits next to him. Shima turns around, and we start talking, soon becoming enveloped in quiet jokes and gentle banter.

After a few minutes, the door swings open, and a boy with raven-blue hair walks in with a little dog.

"Rin Okumera, it's nice meeting you all."

"He is the son of satan, but he poses no current threat. Be careful how you act around him, he is temperamental. The dog is Samael," the voice whispers from all around me.

I internally thank the voice for the information, not exactly knowing what to do with it at this point. The boy, Rin, begins to talk with the small dog, when Shima asks me a question.

"Helloooo? Akira, you there?"

"Huh? Ah, sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you got your temptaint yet."

"What's a temptaint?"

"Its where you get a disease or injury from a demon, it allows you to see them," Ryuji quickly replied.

"Oh. Then I guess ive had one for as long as I can remember! Does everyone have it?"

"No, only people who want to become an exorcist or were unfortunate enough to have it happen," Ryuji again supplies.

"Oh, thanks Ryuji. I appreciate the info, I'm still kinda new to this whole exorcist thing."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'll have a chance to find out what happened to my family. Well, my parents, anyway. I don't know if I even had siblings," I awkwardly answer.

Ryuji is about to talk again when suddenly the door opens again, and the student representative walks in wearing a black trench coat and carrying a brown briefcase. He was beginning his introduction as our teacher when Rin started shouting at him. I look away from Rin and back to Shima, and suddenly we're being told to leave the room for a few minutes. When the door closes behind Shima, the last one out, yelling starts.

I flinch and go to stand on the opposite wall, sliding down it and digging through my sachel.

It didn't take a genius to know that Rin wasnt told about Yukio. I just hoped no one got hurt.

But, my fingers come across the cool curving spirals of metal, and I pull out my sketchbook, distracting myself. The pencil in the spiral is soon in my hand, and I'm drawing a bloody pair of antlers adorned with roses. I'm just beginning to sketch a skull when there's a crash inside the classroom and gunshots.

My eyes widen and I stand up, leaving my stuff on the floor, and I go over to everyone who are standing in the middle of the hallway.

"What's happening," I ask, "Why are there gunshots?"

Shima shrugs and suddenly there's a much louder, quicker succession of gunshots, and I jump and grab onto someone's sleeve with my hand, instinctually trying to ground myself.

When they stop, I retract my hand and quietly apologize to Ryuji, who I grabbed. He waves it off, and I slowly walked back to the wall where my stuff is, Shima skidding over from behind me and sliding down on the opposite side of my bag.

I sit back down and put my sketchbook in my lap, offering Shima a look.

"Woah! Your art is really good! If I ever get a tattoo I'd totally want that."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah, obviously! You're super good man." Shima gives me a thumbs up and I smile at him, looking down at my work and continuing with the skull as best I can with the gunshots ringing out. Suddenly I feel a heat from the classroom, and look up at the door, which shakes a little with whatever is happening.

"The boy has revealed his Demon form from Gehenna. It poses no threat but to the goblins who he is removing from Assiah."

"Well are they okay," I whisper under my breath, trying to talk with the disembodied voice.

"The demons will be fine, he simply destroys their Assiah forms and sends them back," The voice says. But it pauses for a second, "Why would you ask for them?"

"Because they're nice when you aren't mean to them."

The voice hums, and suddenly the door of the classroom is opened, revealing smoke and the teacher.

"Sorry class, you can come inside now."

Everyone walks in and I hang back to talk to Mr. Okumera.

"Is everything all right? Between you and your brother? There was a lot of shouting and gunshots, I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm completely fine, Akira. Please go inside and take a seat."

I nod and go inside the classroom, looking at the kids moving the chairs and tables to where they're supposed to be, and I look over at Rin, who in all honestly looks a little disheveled but otherwise alright. Its always best to check with them, though.

"Hey Rin, all you alright? There were gunshots and yelling and I assumed things weren't going great in here."

"Nah, I'm all good. Anyway, you already know my name, but what's yours?"

"My name is Akira Hinobura. It's nice to meet you Rin," I nod at him and walk back to where Shima and Konekomeru are sitting while Ryuji helps put the desks back. Shima pats the seat next to him, and I slide in behind him and sit down, finding that he brought in my sketchbook and satchel.

"Thank you so much! I would've totally forgotten."

"It's okay, I just saw you left them, so I brought them in!"

I thank him again and turn to Mr. Okumera, who has tried again with introducing himself and beginning the lesson. Rin is quiet this time around, and we breeze through, completing a little work and getting three people their temptaints. The assigned homework from Mr. Okumera was really easy, and I completed it in class, letting Shima copy it as fast as he could. The bell rang, and it honestly surprised me because I didn't know if this one period a day class would have bells, but apparently so, and we all packed up and left. The little dog stayed inside of the classroom, but I waited for a second. Soon, out came Mr. Faust, who was holding a key.

"Hello, Akira! Thank you for waiting. Here is your dorm key! I had to quickly discuss to your teacher where you'll be staying, you are, after all, in the same dorm. Have a nice day!"

He hands me the key, counts to three in German, and disappears in a poof of smoke. I hold the key and turn it in my hand, going to a random door and putting the key in, turning the lock, and opening it. Inside is a small room with a window, two desks, two beds, and two doors. A little dusty, but cozy.

I walk in, slinging my satchel onto a bed, and close the door behind me, unlocking it and closing it. Opening it again, there's a new hallway, with many bland doors and blank name tags. Walking out, I see a few doors down there is a communal skunk, empty and bare with little cracks of vines coming through the windowsill.

That would be a great place to photograph and edit into an aesthetic, I won't lie.

Past the sink is a pair of doors marked female and male. Presumably the bathrooms. Instead of taking a look, I walk down to my dorm and walk inside, grabbing up my phone from inside my satchel. The time is seven.

I could go to my house and move some stuff into my dorm room. I should ask if I can have a key made so I can get to my house from anywhere, now that would be handy. Sighing, I pick up my house keys and wallet, getting ready to go to the train and go to my house.

0+-_-_-+0

I unlock the door, and demons fly at me, chittering and making noises. I laugh and close it behind me, sticking my dorm key in the lock and twisting, opening it to my dorm where my satchel still lays on my bed. That's going to trip me out.

"Well guys, who wants to help me move stuff into this little dorm?"

They all chirp and chitter more, excited to help. Suddenly they stop, and I tilt my head. I look behind me, and right there is a very large deer-like shadow demon. My eyes widen because oh my gosh it's huge and it'll stay with me for weeks. What the hell will happen when I go to cram school?!

"Uh- hi. I'm really sorry but could you like dissipate or something because im going to a school full of exorcists and I don't think it'd be great if they saw you-"

The giant thing simply leans down to me and sneezes in my face. I sigh and shake my head.

"Then you might as well help. Come on, we have work to do."