'What is happening...?'
The flow of events had somehow passed my eyes like a blur, and out of nowhere, I was now sitting in a very luxurious white sports car, with Ms. Zito driving it.
"So, Dona, you are a demon as well?"
Shifting her purplish eyes toward me, it was hard to say that she was wearing a gentle smile on her face. But at least it was a smile.
"First of all, Ms. Zito. Second of all, I told you that I would explain everything when we arrived at my apartment. Because you never know if someone could be listening."
"Alright..."
Following this, we just sat in silence. Which was, to be honest, extremely awkward as I barely knew the woman, and she barely knew me. Even Lucifer was keeping her mouth shut, most likely aware that even though I was acting meekly, I was quite pissed.
In my head, it was also justified. It shouldn't have been all too hard for Lucifer to just throw me an "Oh, by the way, the connection I was talking about earlier. She will be your teacher."
I didn't hate Lucifer, no in fact, after all these years, I could quite confidently say that I felt quite the amount of affection toward her. However, that still didn't mean that I enjoyed the way she always seemed to be kicking the ball into the crossbar.
If she had just found the motivation to think one step further, all of her plans were probably pretty good, but now it was as if she couldn't be bothered to think things through to the end.
'I guess it isn't too hard to imagine her getting kicked out of heaven...'
'-Hey!'
'Sorry, sorry.'
"We are here."
We had arrived at a giant skyscraper, and as we exited the car, it didn't take more than a second before a suited man came up to my teacher, who promptly lobbed the car keys to the man. As the man drove away with the car, I was left stunned by the sight of the overly extravagant building that looked more like a deluxe hotel than an apartment building.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up."
"Ah, yes..."
Following my teacher into the building, my astonishment wasn't exactly lessened when seeing the lobby filled with luxury products, most of which were clad in royal red and holy golden colors. Complemented by large marble pillars, I felt more out of place than I had ever felt in my life.
Still, I had no choice but to keep trailing after Ms. Zito into one of the many elevators. In the elevator, she used a key card and pressed the button on top of the rows, a button that made the lift quickly surge to the top of the building.
Walking out of it, I was once again shocked to see but one door in the hallway. After she opened the door, it suddenly made a lot of sense as to why there was just a single door there.
Because her apartment was apparently a penthouse that contained the entire top floor.
'I don't belong here...'
'-Yes you do! Because you are the one I chose!'
Met by the sights of a gigantic living room, with large glass windows acting as walls, just the mere distance to the ground was enough to bring me into a sense of inertia. Almost as if endlessly falling, while at the same time soaring...
"Aarick, please don't float around in my apartment."
Noticing the real reason as to why I had felt the inertia, with me floating into her apartment, I could feel my cheeks getting a bit red as I hovered over the huge leather couch in the middle.
"Well... I don't actually know how to stop it..."
As I hadn't gotten a chance to really practice my abilities, I had no idea how to activate them or cancel them. So, with a sigh, she pulled me down to the couch, making it so I sat in front of the small marble table between it and another couch.
"Tea or coffee?"
"Hmm?"
"Haaa... I said, would you like tea or coffee?"
"Ah, coffee please."
As my teacher took her leave and entered another of the many rooms in the apartment, I finally got the opportunity to take a look around. And it didn't take long until I got to a conclusion.
With all the luxury, marble, and even a grand piano on a small platform, there was but one thing to do.
'Yep. I'm definitely not suited to be here...'
Just as I was about to stand up and run away, Ms. Zito had somehow managed to make coffee in record time, now coming back with a tray of two cups, a small container of milk, and what I assumed to be a pot of sugar.
'... but I'll guess I'll stay for coffee at least.'
"Thank you."
Taking the cup of coffee she handed to me, she sat herself down on the couch on the other side of the table where she had placed the tray, also warming her hands with her own cup.
And then, the explanation that I was waiting for finally began, with her luscious lips being the portal for her thoughts to enter the world of the living.
"I'll try to answer all your questions to the best of my ability, but do know that I also don't know everything about Lucifer's plans. Just like you, I assume, she only sends us very convoluted messages in the form of dreams every now and then."
Raising my hand, I felt obligated to dispel her thoughts before we went further.
"Hmm?"
"Well, you see... About the sending messages through dreams thing. Lucifer is kind of... always in my head?"
"Yes, I understand that you are infatuated. It is not everyone who gets to experience the entity that is..."
"No, I mean like she is literally in my head. She is speaking to me right now."
'-Don't tell her that! You should've just lied!'
'Huh? Why?'
'-Well, that's because... I might have done some things in the past that she didn't appreciate too much...'
*Crack!*
Turning my focus back to the teacher, I could see her struggling to contain herself, something that was quite noticeable from the fact that the poor cup in her hand now had a large crack in it.
"Say, Mr. Laupier, could you explain a bit more...? Talking to you right now? As in, a direct connection?"
Before I knew it, the outline of her body blurred, and two very elegant, yet equally strong hands had taken hold of me. Staring deep into my eyes, I felt my back getting cold.
"Hey, Lucifer... Are you in there?"
'-Lie to her! I command you to lie to her, Aarick!'
"Ah, she is in there. She just told me to lie to you."
"LUCIFER!"
'-Shit! I guess there's no helping it...'
Suddenly, a stream of smoke started exhuming from my body, conglomerating and gathering on the side of the coffee table. The next second, what could only be said to be a woman carrying the seductive face of a goddess arrived.
This was the first time I got to see the figure of the fallen god inside of me and somehow, I didn't doubt for a second that she had once been a god.
Just like my eyes, hers were also a deep, ruby-red, color that was also present on her luscious lips. Sleek and clear pale skin, almost to the point where one could only think her to be a masterpiece of a master painter.
However...
"Hohoho! It is I, Lucifer! Be grateful, Dona, as I have shown myself to you once again!"
"Lucifer... what happened to your body?"
"My body? Nothing I think... Aaah! What happened to my body?!"
Yes, instead of a body complementing the masterpiece that was her face, her physical appearance was no more than that of an elementary school kid, making the seductive black dress she was wearing look more like an oversized bag, making the textiles pool up on the floor beneath her.
'What is even happening right now?!'
As Lucifer was panicking, and Ms. Zito was facepalming, I somehow couldn't react in any other way but one.
"Pfft! Ha...ahahaha!"
For the first time in a long time, I let out a burst of hearty laughter, a sign of my mind somehow accepting this new life that would now become my reality.
As both of them turned their heads to me, I was met by a very confused-looking teacher and a demon that was just showing me a warm smile. Knowing that I would spend a lot of time in the future with these women, life suddenly felt a bit easier.
Because at least I wouldn't be alone to face the tomorrows that would come. Even if the ones I had around me were a teacher that hated Lucifer and probably thought of me as a failure, and a former god that was a blockhead, it was still a lot better than nothing.
'I guess I'll just have to try my best.'