Chapter 3

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"You met Sir Pheles?" Hana asked excitedly as you finished telling her what had happened. "So, what did you think?"

You blushed and muttered a response about how he was unusual and not what you'd expected a director of an academy to look like. Hana noticed your blush. Your voice trailed off as you both reached Hana's apartment. "Wow, you live so close to the academy!" You exclaimed excitedly as you took in the view of a picturesque, old building.

"Yeah, most students of the cram school stay close to the academy, it makes life a bit easier," she shrugged, "So, what do you mean that Sir Pheles was unusual? What did you expect?"

You removed your shoes and followed Hana's lead into her apartment, "Haven't you met him?" You asked her, intentionally avoiding the topic, you hadn't quite decided what you thought of Mephisto. He wasn't like anyone you'd ever met before and thinking about him sent all of your senses into overdrive. It was difficult to summarise someone like him, but one thing you did know was that you found it hard to take your eyes off him.

Hana shook her head, "Not really, he did greet all of the students in the cram school when we started and explained who he was, but he didn't stick around. The teachers stay in regular contact with him and give him updates on our progress, but that's about it. I've seen him occasionally in classes and he's given some of the teachers assignments outside of school, but he generally stays at a distance." She opened her front door and gave you a tour of the apartment.

The decor was a little outdated and could have done with some tender love and care, but it was a large space, especially for a student abode. The living area contained two large, black sofas against the walls, a very comfortable looking armchair in the window and a cute coffee table in the centre of the room. A large TV was set up on one of the walls opposite one of the sofas.

Hana noticed you looking at the TV, "Oh, that's from home. They don't generally put TVs in students' rooms, but they don't care if you put one in yourself, same goes for that." She said as she pointed at her games console. You nodded your head and looked forward to kicking back and playing something with Hana.

Next, she led you into the kitchen, "We've got all the things we need in here, but we need to get food for ourselves. I'm a bit short on food at the moment, though. I've been lazy with shopping." She laughed.

She led you into a spare bedroom and told you that it's where you'd be staying. There was a large, four poster double bed in the centre of the room, with beautifully soft, white bed sheets on it. At the side of the bed was a dark wood bedside cabinet, with a cute white lamp on top. Against one of the walls was a built in wardrobe with two full length mirrors on the doors. The carpet below your feet felt softer than you would have expected. You wiggled your toes and smiled; you could have done much worse.

Sitting on the bed, you suddenly realised that you'd left your bag on the train after the attack and clapped your hand to your forehead, "Oh no, my spare clothes and pyjamas were in that bag!" You sighed unhappily.

"No problem, you can wear some of my things if you want?" Hana offered. You thanked her as she left your room. Moments later she came back with a pile of clothes, "If you need anything else, feel free to ask!" You thanked her again for her hospitality. 

Hana gave you the last of the tour of the apartment, and you'd decided that the bathroom was your favourite place in the building. It housed a large bathtub against one wall, a walk-in shower against the other, many soft towels and everything else you would need. Hana had clearly taken good care of the room as it smelled and looked incredibly clean.

After the tour, you went into the living area and sat on the sofa with Hana, you both talked extensively about the events on the train and she explained more about demons, temptaints and the academy itself.

"So, let me get this straight," You stated, "Temptaints are marks given by demons that allow you to see them, they're attracted to things like human blood and that's why the Hobgoblin attacked me, right?"

"I believe so." She nodded.

You continued, "And now that I can see demons, they will be drawn to me more?"

"Yes, that's why most people that suffer a temptaint will go to a school that will train them how to fight demons. Not all demons are bad, though. We've been learning about lower class demons in school, so I can't tell you about all of the different classes just yet, I just know that some are not to be messed with." Hana continued explaining more about Gehenna and Assiah.

Your head was spinning, it was too much to take in one go. "Ugh, I don't know how to take any of this! Oh yeah, Mephisto mentioned my 'future at True Cross Academy', what does he mean by that?" You asked.

Hana shrugged her shoulders, "Did you say that you wanted to enrol at the school?"

You bit your lip and furrowed your brow in deep thought, "No, I'm certain I didn't... but now I'm not so sure, maybe I did, and I don't remember because I was nervous? Or because I banged my head?" Stroking your chin in thought, you sighed, "No, I know I didn't tell him that I wanted to enrol".

"Hmm, interesting. Maybe he has a different plan in mind for you?" She jokingly nudged you and winked as your face went red again.

"Cut it out! All I said was that he was unusual!" You exclaimed helplessly, plonking far back on the sofa so that a bunch of pillows fell on top of you. You mumbled something incoherent beneath the pillows.

"Mhmm," Hana replied sarcastically, not at all convinced. Pulling some of the pillows off you and laughing, she changed the subject, "Shall we get something to eat and take it easy tonight? Since tomorrow is Saturday, I can show you round the place when you feel up to it, how does that sound?"

For a moment, you worried about how your head would feel in the morning, but you chose to ignore it, "I'd actually really like that. I've heard a lot about this place from some of my old work friends, they said that there's an amusement park here, is that true?"

Hana grinned, "Yes! Maybe we should go see it tomorrow, if you feel up to it?"

Hana ordered a takeaway and you both had a relaxing night, catching up with one another and generally having a good time. You briefly forgot about all the crazy things you'd seen that day and felt very happy and comfortable. You felt excited about going to an amusement park and for the first time in a long time, you stopped worrying about what the future would hold in store for you.

Yawning, you thanked Hana for being such an amazing cousin and headed off to your bedroom. You felt exhausted but your mind began to wander. You changed into some of the pyjamas Hana lent you and climbed onto the bed. You opted for a blanket instead of the duvet as the nights were getting very warm and you knew you'd struggle to sleep under something heavy. You lay on your back, and ran your fingertips over the temptaint on your arm. 'It all started with you, huh?' you thought to yourself. You closed your eyes and within minutes, you drifted off to sleep.

Sir Pheles' Plaything (Mephisto Pheles x Reader)Where stories live. Discover now