"Work for me. You should, just so." Three Pupils paused for a moment, and added. "Both of you. I have no right to command Tetsu-san on her own—she has many more Verses than I do, even if she can't reach most of them. But since she's with a human now, her current state is the same as the position she should have… Yes, just so."
The entire offer was said in a paper-dry monotone that put anyone who listened to it to sleep. On the couch opposite of the visiting demon, Shin blinked awake, digesting this tirade. Next to him, Tetsu pressed her lips together.
"Don't tell me that you respect my former power. No one does, Three-Pupils-sama," she said bitterly.
"I respect only the natural order of things. Demons with more Verses rule those with fewer Verses, and those, in turn, hunt humans like the wordless animals they are."
