"I've lied to you for a year and if you'll ever to accept me, I think it is right to introduce myself to you"

"Lied?"

Gold light surrounded him and he transformed, revealing a lion's ears and a tail and swirling gold lights in his usual crimson eyes.

"I am also a demon like the puzzle-eater Nougami Neuro. My real name is Ace Haruse and I'm the runaway prince of demons in hell"

"Ace….? The prince of demons?"


Yako gave a small surprised face in her position.

"Why haven't you told me up until now?"

"There's never been time for me to say it. I was always held back" He said sadly.

"Held back by what?"Yako said trying to understand him.

"Yako…I can't tell that to you for now"

She gave him a face of worry that can be seen from all over her face. Haruse looks at her unable to know if it's of care or doubt she has for herself in trusting him. One, a demon can't fully understand.

He half-kneeled in front of her and held her hands.

"Yako, it's hard to understand for now but I need to say something to you that is much of importance. Please at least trust me on this."

Yako's face was blank looking at him until she nodded and her eyes shifted with determination and trust, she smiled. He smiled back.

"Thank you, Yako. It may be a bit sudden and late of a request since you've known me but please hear me." He held her hands tighter and opened his mouth to speak. "Katsuragi Yako, save me. You're the only one who can do it"

"Save you. What do you mean, Haruse?" Yako astonished.

"What are you making my slave do, Ace?"

"Neuro!" He appeared standing meters away from Haruse and Yako.

Haruse sighed and stood up from his kneeling position, turning sideways to look at Neuro.

"It's not your business, Neuro"

"Is that so? But me and sensei we're always in different businesses" he said innocently and walked up to Haruse until he was directly in front of him and grinned at him. "Aren't you bold to come to my slave and ask for her help without her master's permission?"

"Master, you say?" he smirked. "How uptight you are, Neuro. More than a master should. It's quite confusing sometimes, a slave being called a partner a few years back and from a demon that came from a high stature at that." Neuro frowned at this. "Those words are not to be taken lightly especially for a candidate like you" Haruse grinned.

"A candidate? Haruse what are you saying?" Yako asked.

"He didn't tell you, Yako?" Haruse still looking at Neuro. "He's the sole demon out of royalty that the demon king chose to be a candidate for the next king besides me. The one who inherited few of the strongest 777 demon tools of hell that is in the royalty's custody as a sign of honor from the king. That's him, puzzle-eater Nougami Neuro"

"Candidate of the king?" Yako whispered looking at the two demons in front of her.

"He's not someone you should be with Yako. He isn't the kind who can understand humans"

"Neuro…a candidate of the king" Yako felt a bad and horrified at the idea that Neuro can be the king of hell. She suddenly felt nausea in her and suddenly reached the corner of Haruse's shirt and tugged.

"Ya-ko?" he turned to her shivering so much. "What's wrong?"

"Umm, Haruse. I suddenly felt ill maybe because I'm tired. Don't worry, this is nothing. I think I'm tired and need some rest so can you leave me for a few hours?"

Neuro grinned from behind him and said in a low voice that Haruse can only hear.

"Heh, seems like Yako isn't as intelligient like an earthworm to not recognize the one he fears. I'll give her a little prize to her later as her master" he smiled evilly.

Haruse was full of distaste at the fact that Yako feared him so much that she shivered when she heard the title upon Neuro.

Haruse nodded to Yako. "Alright, I'll go." Yako stopped shivering for a second as Haruse bended to her ear. "Yako, always remember I'm here for you" Yako looked at him as he turned from her. He stood up and went for the door. He walked past Neuro with a serious face and whispered walking to the door.

"Neuro, remember that a human can be frail. Once they break, it will never be whole again. Left only on the dust, they could only be taken by another. Remember that, Nougami Neuro or you will meet your end"

Neuro didn't flinch and Haruse left the room, the sound of the door shutting. Neuro was left now with the shaking Yako.


A few minutes later after Haruse left, Neuro walked forward to Yako and held her head, his face near hers.

"Yako, you dare serve another demon at my absence? For a slave to miss her master and cling to a prince of the demon realm, you're quite bold. What kind of punishment should I give you?"

'EEK! He's serious' "I don't serve him, he just comes with me. It's not my fault, I didn't even knew he was a prince or a demon! He just walked up to me like any other people who get acquainted with others"

"OH! Sensei, I didn't know you were that naughty, taking people just from anywhere taking my place and doing whatever you want spreading mating rumors" he smiled innocently but for Yako it was a sign of incoming danger.

Her cheeks were red. "We don't mate you demon! He's not even my lover!"

"Oho! Why? Doesn't the royalty of hell doesn't fit human's silly, b-level intelligence standards?"

"He's not the one for me….." her voice lowered.

"Then, who is it you deem fit for your small brain of yours, Slave?" Neuro said digging his knuckles unto the head of Yako but she was not responding to it like she usually does.

Yako flicked his hands away from her head and stood from her seat on the bed facing Neuro, smiling with an expression of acceptance. "It doesn't matter. It wouldn't happen anyway besides I enjoy being with the people I have now. I'll always be in this world for the purpose of unraveling the mysteries of people Neuro, making this a better world for all of us. That would be enough" She smiled with resolution written in her eyes.

Neuro looked at her with a calm surprise and felt somehow his blood race in his body. Making him wince a little, to the unfamiliar feeling.

"Where did you meet him anyway in this case? You haven't told me. I'm your partner aren't I?" She said turning her head to the right.

"Didn't you hear what the spoiled child demon said earlier or you're brain stopped working because of how complicated it is?" He said putting her fingers to her nose pulling it up.

"Ouch! No, neuro! I heard Haruse loud and clear. I mean in this case, when did you meet?" She said pulling her nose from his fingers and touching it to see if it's still attached to her.

"It doesn't concern you anymore, Louse."

"That's not fair, Neuro!"

"I don't understand human conventions. As a slave, you have the gall to tell me what to do. I'll tell you but in exchange I'll feed you to my new demon pets that I've acquired in the demon world on my last stay. They're very hungry since I went here."

"No, Thanks. I don't want to know about it." She said looking at him in anxious defeat. She now stares at him blankly.

"What are you staring at, Louse?"

"Neuro, does demons have affections?"

Neuro looked at her curious and Yako recognized it to continue.

"Because Haruse….wasn't like you who I knew. So I thought, maybe demons do have affections but varies differently with every demon"

"Trying to understand demons, are we?" Neuro went in front of her and a claw squeezed her head making their eyes see each other directly. "Maybe I should've taught you more about demons so nothing will come out from that funny little brain of yours about us. I'm just waiting for an opportunity to ask you but now it's come to this. I'm curious about your current relationship with the prince of demons as to why you seem to have been influenced in the wrong way. Don't think just because I called you partner, you'll get away with this Yako" He grinned.

"Neuro that's not-" Yako was seriously anxious about this side of Neuro. She never seen Neuro so curious about something directly and not only that but he's curious about her love life!?

"Now Yako, you were talking about a demon's affection. What kind of so-called affection that he gave you that makes that small brain of yours to question the actions of demons?" His eyes glowing more curious.

"Ehehe…Neuro what are you talking about? I was just curious. There's nothing going on with us. He's just have a different personality that's all"

'I lied to him! I'm so screwed! What I'm going to do? That won't go through him!' Yako was smiling in panic at Neuro who looked all the more curious with her very word.

"Trying to lie are we Yako?" He smiled evilly. "Should I use one of the demon tools to pry the truth from you?"

A knock from the door can be heard and it was opened. A person came in and went inside looking around but didn't see anyone. After a few minutes of walking in the room, the person went out and everything was still.

"Ha…That's-"

"The mastermind has shown itself"

"Couldn't be…." There was an initial shock about what Neuro revealed to her but then her expression changed into an annoyed one. "Neuro, tell me again. WHY ARE WE IN POSITION LIKE THIS!? You covered also my mouth. It's not like she knew where I am when I whisper, you already used one of the demon tools to make us invisible" She shouted at him and answered with dead-fish eyes. Yako was laid on the bed, Neuro kneeling on top of her.

"That wouldn't be fun" He grinned at her below. "That person isn't normal. She'll hear you"

"Hear me?"

Neuro got off and stood, Yako stood following behind him and she could hear her stomach growl.

She heard it and smiled."Ne, Neuro. Maybe I don't really need rest, must be I'm hungry. I'm going out. It will be for a while so I'll be leaving first from here. See you when you need me" She said happily.

She walked past Neuro and his eyes moved to follow her to see the unexpected strain on her face and the unmistakable shiver that ran from her body through her reaction. Another step can be heard from Yako when her legs finally gave up and fainted. Before her body was to meet the floor, a hand caught her. The hand lifted her to rest on the demon's chest and was laid into the bed. With the last of her strength, she opened her eyes slightly and spoke.

"Neuro, You've noticed, huh? I've weakened somehow to this extent in this case even I didn't do much anything. Eating didn't in my stay here. "

"Sleep now, Yako" He said sitting beside her, his green circle orbs illuminates.

"Yeah, Maybe that's just what I really need" she smiled as she lost consciousness.

It was quiet now in the room as one demon left the second she closed her eyes.


In one of the rooms in the mansion, there was one that was dark-lit. A certain someone rejoices.

"HAHAHAHA! YES! It was delicious! I never knew that I could find such fine quality of food in the human world. All thanks to that detective. It was the ultimate flavor of despair. I'm very thankful for the opportunity, King-sama "

"It's fine. As long as you do your job, everything will fall into place" A man smiled behind her and disappeared into the night. "It's time to reap the harvest"


A/N: A new name has been spoken. Who is King-sama? Why did Haruse said he want to be saved? Neuro's curiosity deepens for the human girl, Katsuragi Yako. Does this spell of danger or an opportunity for REAL affections to surface? For the readers, thank you for reading this.