Demonic, But Not Evil

"Mmm, she's pretty big, huh? What a cheeky little figure…."

Out of nowhere, a girl in a hoodie had locked Cecilia in a tight hug and was now groping her body, murmuring in a voice thick with mischief.

She was a full head shorter than Cecilia, with a tiny frame and a bright, ringing voice. Gloves covered the hands that were currently kneading Cecilia this way and that, but through the gaps in her clothes, flashes of red skin peeked out here and there.

"And she's so soft~. Squishy, springy… and her skin's so pale. What kind of beastkin are you? Wolf? Bunny~?"

"Uh, uhh…."

The small hooded girl wriggled and pressed herself even closer against Cecilia. I watched the scene for a brief moment before snapping back to my senses. I couldn't just leave things like that.

Cecilia had gone completely rigid. Even under the hood, I could tell her ears and tail had shrunk in on themselves.

First things first — I had to pull those two apart. The moment I recovered from the confusion and started to step toward them —

"I told you to behave…!"

"Hiek?!"

A massive man approached from behind the hooded girl and clamped down hard on something near her forehead. Instantly, as if she'd been electrocuted, the girl began to tremble all over. The strength drained from her body, and before long Cecilia was free of her grip as well.

"Haa…."

"You okay, Cecilia?"

I hurried over and checked on her. Thankfully, aside from a slightly stiff expression, she didn't seem to have any real problems.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. I was just a little startled…."

"Good…. That's a relief."

I gently patted Cecilia's shoulder and looked over at the hooded girl and the man.

"Ow! W-wait a second…! A little gentler… guek!"

"I clearly told you not to do anything weird before I came out, didn't I? Seriously, the second you step outside…!"

"My h-horn's gonna break! It's gonna break! Wait, Donggeon… ow!"

…And so I took in the sight of the man scolding the hooded girl. I could tell he was gripping something on her forehead through the hood with those muscular hands… but a horn?

"Are you two all right? You must have been pretty startled."

The man suddenly turned his head and asked with a worried expression.

Looking at him properly, this guy was enormous. He had to be a solid 190 centimeters, and every inch of him was pure muscle. The contrast with the hooded girl squirming beside him was almost comical.

"I'm sorry. She's a bit of a wild child…."

"Save the talk for after you let go of this…! Ow!"

Every time he squeezed that powerful grip, the hooded girl twisted her body — it felt like watching a comedy sketch.

"Yeah, well…. We're fine, really. Right, Cecilia?"

"Y-yeah."

Watching the two of them, we both nodded. Cecilia and I had been a little startled, but neither of us had taken any real harm. And honestly, the way he was already chewing her out was so striking that I had zero desire to press the issue.

"Well, that's good…."

"Yeah…."

An awkward atmosphere settled over us. I scratched my head, not knowing what to say, while Cecilia clung tightly to my side. The man fidgeted, equally at a loss for words, while the hooded girl clung to his hand and whined, "I said let go of this…!"

I had no idea what was going on or who these people even were.

…No, actually, I had a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rough idea. Breaking through the awkward silence, I carefully opened my mouth.

"…Are you otherworlders?"

"Ah… yes. Are you… as well?"

Hearing his answer, I was certain.

This man was just like me. Someone who had met an otherworlder and was now looking after them.

The moment that conviction settled, I naturally understood why he was here, too.

"…Sherry."

"Whoa, finally let go. Huh?"

"Can you take off the hood? Show them."

At the man's words, the hooded girl seemed to hesitate for a moment. But the hesitation truly lasted only a moment — she casually grabbed the hood and flipped it back with a flick.

"…Heheh♪"

The first thing that hit me was that alien, vivid red skin.

Not flushed, not ruddy — just straight-up bright red. It looked like her skin had been dyed. It wasn't that she was particularly flushed with blood; her skin itself was simply, completely red.

Next, my eyes landed on the horns on her forehead. They were small and looked soft to the touch. The same red as her skin, but a shade deeper — a dark crimson. That must have been what the man had been gripping earlier.

Displaying those features for us, she grinned as if this were all great fun. The expression — half wicked, half playful — left quite an impression.

"…An oni?"

I tilted my head and muttered, and Cecilia suddenly tugged on my sleeve, shaking her head.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Demonkin…."

"Demonkin?"

It was a rather sinister-sounding name. But contrary to the word's implications, Cecilia's voice held not a trace of hatred or fear. She simply sounded pure and curious.

"Corr~ect!"

The hooded girl clapped her hands once and answered in a playful voice. Her yellow eyes sparkled with interest. She was looking at Cecilia as if to say, Your turn to show us.

"As you can see, I'm demonkin — Red Demon subspecies! Sooo? What kind of beastkin is that young lady over there?"

Beside the demonkin girl, the massive man let out a small sigh and shook his head. His gaze was on me, as if to say we didn't have to show anything if we didn't want to.

I glanced at Cecilia.

"Uuu…."

She shrank into herself shyly. Apparently she still felt resistant about revealing her ears and tail outside.

"…Taking the hood all the way off is a bit much. Let's leave it here for both of us."

I spoke up on behalf of the shrinking Cecilia, and the demonkin girl let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out a disappointed, childlike "Ehh~?" The man ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠standing by promptly flicked her horn with a sharp tok!

"Ow!"

"That works. Sherry, put your hood back on."

So the girl's name was Sherry.

Sherry pulled her hood back on with a look of regret, while the man adjusted her clothes beside her. Watching the two of them, I got the sense of a relationship that was similar to ours, yet a little different. As I watched, my eyes met the man's.

"Ah. I'm Baek Donggeon. Just a moment, my card…."

Before I could get a word in, he fished something out of his pocket and held it out to me. I took it and read it.

"…A gym trainer?"

"I'm on temporary leave, though."

No wonder he was in such good shape. It made perfect sense at once.

On top of that, I recognized the gym listed on the card. Among the gyms near my place, it was one of the best — spacious, well-equipped, and staffed with excellent trainers, a triple threat. I'd heard it was expensive and hard to get hired as a trainer there, too. This guy was the real deal.

"…Ah, I'm Lee Eunhyuk."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Eunhyuk. If you ever have the time, please stop by our gym. I'll throw in a free session as thanks for today's trouble."

Baek Donggeon, the gym trainer, grinned as he said it. In that unguarded smile, I caught a glimpse of a true professional.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting so long—!"

A voice shouted from the entrance. Glancing over, I saw a police officer rushing toward us, out of breath. It was Officer Park Wunho — the same one I'd met just yesterday.

"Huff—, huff…. S-sorry. Something came up all of a sudden…."

"Yeah! We've already been waiting a whole hour, mmph, mmph, mmph!"

"It's fine if you're a little late. No problem at all."

With one hand firmly squishing Sherry's cheeks as she tried to complain, Donggeon politely bowed first to Wunho, then to us. Guiding the two of them into the building, Wunho said:

"Please wait just a moment, sorry!"

He looked so thoroughly exhausted that Cecilia and I could only nod in a daze.

With a clunk, the door closed, leaving Cecilia and me standing alone outside the building. Somehow I felt completely drained — and we hadn't even done anything yet.

"…What a whirlwind of a person."

Cecilia murmured quietly, apparently feeling much the same way.

I gently ruffled the hair of her dazed-looking head.

"Mm…."

Watching her gently swaying tail and twitching ears, we settled in to wait a while.

"A new system?"

"Yes. It's called the… Otherworlder Protection System. The details are as you can see."

Listening to Wunho's concise explanation, I skimmed the paper he'd set in front of me. At the top, in large letters, it read Otherworlder Protection System — Details, and below that….

"Pretty simple."

"It was only just put together. 'Gather and protect them,' 'Treat them humanely.' Short, sparse, and still full of gaps that need filling."

Even to an amateur like me, that much was obvious. I nodded and kept reading. As I scanned down the page, one particular item suddenly caught my eye.

"This is…."

Almost the same moment I spoke, Cecilia leaned in from beside me. In a careful voice, she read the item I'd been looking at out loud.

"…'Under the otherworlder's own wishes and the judgment and authorization of the assigned officer, the protection of a given otherworlder individual may be entrusted to a specific private person.'"

Cecilia's eyes went round as she looked at me in surprise. Then she turned to look at Wunho. I did the same, staring at him with equal astonishment.

"It wasn't easy, but I managed it."

The system I'd passionately argued for — prepared in a matter of mere hours. The thoroughly capable officer said so with a tired smile.