The castle was silent, a rare occurrence in Hell. The dark red skies had dimmed to an almost black shade as the stars of the underworld glittered faintly above. Inside Kikidori and Ere'ana's room, the couple lay asleep, their breaths slow and even. Cerberus, the tiny black Chihuahua, was nestled at the foot of their bed, snoring softly in his usual loaf-of-bread-sized curl.
Yumi, however, was wide awake. She lay in her own room, staring at the ceiling, her headphones forgotten on her nightstand. The events of the day replayed in her head like a broken record.
"Stryker called me a virgin," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. She clenched her fists, her pride still stinging from the insult. "Stupid motherfucker."
She turned over on her side, her black hair spilling across her pillow as she scowled at nothing in particular. She hated that he'd gotten under her skin, hated that his words kept echoing in her mind.
"I'll show him I'm not a virgin," she muttered again, her tone laced with defiance.
As soon as the words left her lips, Yumi froze. Her crimson eyes widened slightly as she realized how that sounded. She sat up quickly, shaking her head.
"Wait, no. I don't mean it like *that.* What the fuck is wrong with me?" she said to herself, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment despite being alone.
But the anger lingered, and as the minutes ticked by, her frustration only grew. Finally, she threw off her blanket and got out of bed.
"Fuck this," she muttered, pulling on her black boots and grabbing her jacket. She glanced at the clock—it was well past midnight, but she didn't care.
Cerberus, still asleep in Kikidori and Ere'ana's room, didn't stir as Yumi crept past their door and out of the castle. The cold night air bit at her skin, but she ignored it, her thoughts laser-focused on one thing: Stryker.
Walking through Hell at night wasn't exactly safe, but Yumi wasn't worried. She knew the streets well, and most demons knew better than to mess with the daughter of the Prince of Hell. Her boots clicked against the cracked, charred pavement as she made her way to Stryker's house.
When she arrived, the house was dark and quiet. Typical for a demon family—uninviting and unkempt. She smirked slightly as she climbed through an open window, her movements stealthy.
Stryker's room was on the second floor, and it didn't take long for Yumi to find it. She pushed the door open just enough to slip inside, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.
Stryker was sprawled out on his bed, snoring loudly. His messy room was filled with clutter—random weapons, posters of Hell's rock bands, and what appeared to be a half-eaten demon rat on his nightstand.
Yumi rolled her eyes in disgust before stepping closer. She stood over him for a moment, her anger simmering as she remembered his smug face from earlier that day.
Without warning, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Stryker woke up with a startled yelp, clutching his cheek as he bolted upright. His red eyes darted around wildly until they landed on Yumi.
"What the fuck?!" he yelled, his voice rough from sleep.
Yumi crossed her arms over her chest, glaring down at him. "Don't *ever* call me a virgin again, you stupid son of a bitch," she snapped.
Stryker blinked, still disoriented. "Are you fucking serious right now? You came to my house in the middle of the night to slap me over that?!"
"Damn right I did," Yumi shot back. "You wanna talk shit about me? Fine. But don't expect me to just sit there and take it. Next time, I won't stop at a slap."
Stryker groaned, rubbing his face. "You're fucking insane, Yumi."
"Yeah, and you're fucking annoying," she retorted. "Guess we're even."
For a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension thick in the air. Finally, Stryker rolled his eyes and flopped back onto his bed.
"Whatever," he muttered. "Just get the fuck out of my room, weirdo."
Yumi smirked, satisfied. "Gladly. Oh, and by the way? You still suck."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door behind her for good measure.
As she made her way back to the castle, Yumi couldn't help but feel a small sense of victory. Sure, it was a petty move, but it felt damn good to put Stryker in his place.
When she finally climbed back through her own window and collapsed onto her bed, Cerberus was there waiting for her, wagging his tiny tail. She scratched his head with a smirk.
"Guess I'm not such a pushover after all, huh, Cerberus?" she said.
The little Chihuahua barked softly before curling up beside her, and Yumi drifted off to sleep with a rare feeling of satisfaction.
The End of Chapter 23