I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse. A severe, critical one at that.

I should have noticed when Orca fell asleep in front of Anastasia. But everything seemed fine at the time, so I let my guard down.

…I knew better than anyone that Anastasia would never just overlook a demon, especially one that wasn’t causing any harm.

"Sensei, I’ve heard that you’re close to Orca. Please, I’m asking you… Where is she?"

"…"

"I’m not trying to do anything harmful. I may be affiliated with the church, but I believe that even demons, if corrected, can integrate into society."

Yes, she’s the type of person who would consider befriending a demon if she thought it could be reformed.

I knew that well.

Unlike others who despise demons for their very existence and persecute those possessed by them, she would persistently stay close to Orca.

…Which is why I couldn’t let her meet Orca.

She might have already started to harbor hope, but…

I can’t let it go any further.

I can’t allow her to cling to a hope that’s doomed to fail.

"I’m sorry, but she doesn’t want to see you."

"…Why not?"

"She said it’s a hassle and doesn’t want to deal with you."

It was a lie.

There had never been any conversation about Anastasia between Orca and me.

But knowing Orca’s temperament, I could lie smoothly, pretending those were her exact words.

"You’ve been clinging to her, haven’t you? She said it’s annoying. If you come looking for her, she asked me not to tell you."

"…"

"I’m sorry, Overseer, but I can’t tell you where she is. It seems you’re not exactly friends."

Anastasia looked like she wanted to say something, but I cut her off, making it clear I didn’t want to continue the conversation.

If I didn’t shut her down decisively, she would just keep pressing the issue.

It was unfortunate, but there was no other choice.

"…Is there really no way, Sensei?"

…

I knew exactly why she was so desperate to meet Orca—no, Heize.

That’s why I couldn’t let them meet.

No matter what, I couldn’t allow her to chase after an impossible dream.

I didn’t want to see her get caught up in a hopeless fantasy.

"I’m sorry."

"…I see. I apologize for the intrusion."

That should do it.

I stood up to see her out.

"I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help."

"No, it’s fine. I apologize for bothering you so late."

"If you ever have any worries, don’t hesitate to visit the counseling room. You never know, it might help."

"…Thank you."

Even after she left, I sat in my chair for a long time.

How much time had passed since she’d left?

Only when Heize, realizing Anastasia was gone, started crawling out from under the bed did I finally let out a deep sigh.

"Phew…"

"Damn it… Ugh, cough, cough. So much dust under there!"

"Good job, Heize. But seriously, why did you hide under the bed?"

"It was sudden! What else was I supposed to do? If I’d had a better spot, I’d have hidden there!"

It felt like a storm had passed.

Exhausted, both Heize and I sat on the edge of the bed, sighing in unison.

"Damn it, why is she after me? I haven’t even done anything yet. Why would someone that high up come after me…?"

"You didn’t do anything wrong. The problem isn’t you… It’s your kind."

"…What? Why are you blaming me?"

"I wouldn’t call it blame… She just wants to see if there really is a demon out there who’s friendly toward humans."

"Why’s she testing that on me… Oh."

Heize glared at me.

…Okay, fine. It’s partly my fault.

I was the one who inadvertently made Orca relax, causing her to briefly fall asleep during the match.

"…So? Why’s she trying to confirm something so stupid? There’s no such thing as a demon friendly to humans. It’s a waste of time."

"Exactly. It’s a waste of time, meaningless even. But she doesn’t see it that way."

"Why?"

"Because she’s trapped in the past."

Anastasia’s high status might make it seem strange, but she had a deeply tragic childhood.

Most of the playable characters had unfortunate childhoods, but she was different from the others in one crucial way…

She never gave up.

While other children who lost their families or had to compete against their loved ones eventually accepted their misfortune, she never did.

She couldn’t let go of her happy past and lived her life believing that if she just tried hard enough, she could return to it.

Even though there’s no way to turn back time, she still clings to her childhood.

"Her father was possessed by a demon."

"…Wow. The Overseer’s family, a demon vessel? That’s something."

"Yes, it’s true."

"Then why doesn’t anyone know about it? Did someone secretly behead him because they couldn’t stand the disgrace?"

"No. He’s still alive. Sort of."

"…Sort of?"

She believes her father is still alive.

But is that really a life worth calling living?

I don’t think so.

When a demon completely takes over a vessel, it’s hard to say that person is still truly alive.

It’s not like Orca and Heize, who struggle for control of the body.

No, he’s been fully taken over.

Her father no longer has any consciousness.

She knows that deep down, but she hasn’t fully accepted it.

"She’s probably hoping to ask a demon to return her father. That’s why she came looking for you."

"…Hmph."

It’s something beyond the realm of possibility.

Demons despise humans.

…But she saw it.

She saw a demon who had taken over a body do nothing and then give it back to the original owner.

"So, why don’t you just give her what she wants, like how you controlled me?"

"No. That’s impossible."

Controlling a demon isn’t easy.

Their mental fortitude is incredibly strong.

Orca and Heize share a body, so when I hypnotized Orca, Heize was also somewhat affected, even if not entirely.

That’s why I could easily hypnotize her. I had prepared in advance by hypnotizing Orca first.

But it’s a different story when a human is fully taken over.

Prepping in advance won’t work.

…And even if I did manage to hypnotize her, there’s another problem.

Is the consciousness of someone who’s been under a demon’s control for so long even still intact?

Given how it was depicted in the game, it’s safe to assume they’re effectively dead.

There’s another reason it’s impossible.

Physical proximity is out of the question.

Because her father…

"…Hey, I just thought of something."

"Yes?"

"How do you even know all this? Were you with the church or something?"

…Oops.

I must have gotten carried away because she was willing to listen.

I ended up sharing way too much.

Hmm, what to do?

…Well, since she’s under contract with me not to commit any evil, there’s no need to erase her memory.

Given her personality, she’s not likely to discuss this with anyone else.

"It’s a secret."

"You…! You can’t just leave me hanging like that!"

"Haha. If you’re so curious, why not force me to talk? Not that you could."

"Ugh…!"

"…It was definitely there."

Anastasia, the Overseer, was certain.

She had smelled a demon. No matter how well it had masked its presence, it couldn’t deceive her senses.

Orca’s demon and the counselor were definitely talking.

But what were they discussing?

She didn’t know. She hadn’t been there.

But considering the counselor had hidden the demon, it couldn’t have been an antagonistic relationship.

Demons are filled with animosity toward humans.

No demon with even an ounce of restraint would sit calmly with a living human in front of them.

If it were anyone else, a counselor with no history of combat should have been torn to shreds.

…The fact that this didn’t happen meant the two of them were at least friendly enough not to fight each other.

"What’s their relationship?"

Orca started attending classes regularly after her sessions with the counselor, and the counselor seemed to know the demon.

And the counselor was close enough to the demon to hide it.

Could it all just be a coincidence?

Who knows. There wasn’t enough information.

But one thing was certain: the counselor had hidden the demon.

"She said to come to the counseling room if I had any worries."

What kind of worry should she invent to get back into that counseling room?

…Should she cut off an arm?

She pondered this for a long time, until her guards finally found her and shouted in alarm.

"Overseer! What were you doing?! We were worried sick!"

"…Would cutting off my arm count as a worry?"

"Have you lost your mind?!"