I need you by my side, now and always!
Vermeil...
Shiro ka kuro kongaragatte gray
Itsudatte aimai na mama de
Tayorinaku aruku tonari de hohoenderu kimi
Akogare wa tashika da toshite
Hateshinaku tooku mabushii
Chippokena kono genjou Abracada-Boo mahou kakete yo
Kimi no hitomi no yami ni kakushita
Samishisa wa yasashii uta de dakishimeteitai no ni
Sekaijuu ga uso datte sawagihajimetatte
Kimi ga kimi naraba
Kirameku kaze o makiokoshi shinjitsu o sakebu
Sekaijuu ga tsumi datte togameta toshitatte
Tatta hitori demo
Kimi o rikai shi tsuzuketai
I'm on your side mamotte ageru
CONFESSION
It can't be.
No way...
I don't WANT to believe it...
Professor Obsidian...
Why did this happen?
The girls are deep in mourning for Professor Obsidian...
He sure was popular...
It's not just the girls.
Wh-why are the boys mourning him?!
We're not mourning him! We're mourning Vermeil!
Vermeil...
She's not here to gaze upon today...
Why haven't you been bringing her around lately?!
Really?!
Umm, Vermeil hasn't been feeling well lately...
Huh? She all right?
Y-yeah, it's no big deal, but she's resting just in case.
Could I have a little alone time?
Huh? Uh, sure...
I wonder if buying her some dessert
will help cheer her up?
So you're a demon.
Alto told me. I knew you were hiding something.
Yeah...
I'm sorry for lying to you about who I was.
Don't give me that look.
You're making me feel like a big bully.
Sorry.
What? Why are YOU apologizing?
Nothing, I just...
I don't care if you're a demon or some floozy.
You don't need to apologize for it...
It's not that big of a deal, anyway.
I-it's not?
This is, though!
In the last few days, did you do anything weird to Alto?!
I might have.
I thought so.
But whatever. Alto seems to be fine, despite it all.
So I'll give you a pass this time!
But just this time, all right?!
Are you not afraid of me?
Why would I be?
Wait, are you going to come after me?
Suck my blood or something?
N-no, nothing of the sort.
Then I've no reason to be afraid of you.
I know, but humans like you fear my-
You're an idiot.
An idiot!
Y-you didn't have to say it twice...
Are you seriously feeling bad about being a demon?
That won't make anything better.
I know, but because I'm a demon, Alto got hurt...
History repeats itself...
I swear, you're such a mess!
I can't believe I was so worried about a floozy like you.
Who cares if you're a demon?
Who cares if you're powerful?
Demon or human, all that matters
is if you're GOOD or if you're BAD.
What you are doesn't matter.
What matters is how you feel about Alto.
How I feel about Alto?
That's right. And how Alto feels about you.
I know you've got hangups about being a demon,
but give your Master some more credit.
If you ever get out of hand again,
Alto will be there to stop you.
You're his familiar. You should lean on him more.
We're all ready to risk our lives at any moment
for the sake of our familiars.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
You're actually a pretty decent person.
What did you think I was before?!
Huh? Where did Vermeil go?
She's not here. I know she said she wanted to be alone...
Vermeil! Did you go out by yourself?
Yeah.
Are you feeling better?
Ah, yeah, I'm fine.
Good. I was worried about you.
Alto.
I'm...
I'm home.
Yep! Welcome home.
Alto, uh, I...
I'm a demon, and I've done terrible things to you...
But when you said those kind words to me,
I felt so happy.
But if I stay with you, I might hurt you again...
It's happened before, and...
I just didn't know what to say to you.
But despite that, despite everything, I still...
I want to be with you, too!
I know I'm a demon, but I want to be together with you!
Th...
Thank God...
Wh-why are you relieved to hear that?!
I mean, the other night I went on that big rant,
and I felt like I kinda forced you into saying what you did.
I wasn't sure if you were really happy to have me.
But now I know.
I'm going to work really hard
to be the best Master for you!
Y-you're already the best Master.
You think so?
It's all right, Vermeil.
If you need me, lean on me. You're my familiar, after all.
If you want me to do something, anything,
just say the word. I'll do what I can!
Anything at all?
Yep, anything at all!
For example, if you wanted a crepe, or donuts!
I actually stopped by somewhere on my way back...
I...
I want to kiss you.
Huh?
Wait, Vermeil...
That was all you wanted? But we do this all the time.
I want YOU to kiss ME.
Today, I went down to the waterway.
I just wanted to be alone.
But even when I was alone...
I couldn't stop thinking about you.
Hey, Alto, is this all right?
How does it fit? I got you the biggest size.
W-w-w-w-whoa! At least button up the front!
I would, but it definitely won't.
I'm going to die of embarrassment
in front of the Professor again...
For now, I'll lend you a uniform,
so have her wear that instead.
I'm so sorry for everything.
We'll go shopping for new clothes later.
You're going to come with me
to school again starting today, yes?
Yes. You need me for some of your classes, after all.
Besides...
I'm your familiar.
And I need your mana!
That's right.
All right.
Shall we?
Mm-hmm!
I knew the Professor would fail!
I told you there was no point
letting that guy team up with us.
What a right pain they are...
Oh, nothing, just talking to myself.
I'm busy, so I gotta go.
Sheesh. You're too soft, too, Kohakumiya.
Trying to protect him was such a waste of your time.
Still, his research was quite fascinating to observe.
Had he been able to present it to the world,
he might have received our title.
That wasn't gonna happen, and you know why, Helio.
Shams like that aren't gonna master the art of magic.
Die!
Hup!
Meh, we've found us a place, so no need for us to rush.
We'll be able to handle it on our own.
PLATINUM SQUARE
HELIODOR, "THE CONVEYOR"
PLATINUM SQUARE (REVOKED)
IOLITE, "HEAVEN'S WILL"
Even though it's only been a few days,
it feels like forever since I've been here.
Why do I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb?
I'm wearing the same uniform now.
Alto!
Thank you!
You're a real genius!
Wait, what?! For what?!
For EVERYTHING!
I never thought my eyes would be blessed
with the sight of Vermeil in our uniform.
Bless you.
I can die happy.
What...?
We were all quite worried, you see.
Now our hearts are at ease.
We're glad to see the two of you together again.
Thanks, I guess...
So who are those guys grumbling over there?
That's the group who can't decide whether
her old outfit was better. Just leave them be.
Wow...
In any case, the Bronze exam is swiftly approaching.
Making sure our familiars are in tip-top shape
is part of being a good mage.
R-right, I'd forgotten about it
with all the craziness that happened,
but the Bronze exam's coming up...
A-all right, Vermeil!
Let's hit the ground running!
Right!
Wait...
Vermeil, we can't do this here...
Why not? You said we should hit the ground running.
Yeah, but this isn't that!
I'd say it is.
I'll need more mana than ever
if we're to hit the ground running.
Or are you saying...
You don't LIKE kissing me?
F-fine!
Just one more, all right?
Mwwaaaaah~!
I'm such a push-over...
Hey, where've you been? Class is about to start!
Uh, I forgot something?
Get your act together! And don't think
you can use that as an excuse to slack off!
Why's it so noisy over there?
I don't know.
Wh-why are they here?
That's the second-years' classroom!
Alto, isn't that...?
Class 2-A... If I'm not mistaken.
We don't mean to interfere with your class.
We'll take care of our business quickly.
Oh, good, you're together.
Alto Goldfield, under the rights and permissions
granted to me as a student council executive,
I hereby take you into our custody.
Would you... accompany us?
Calm down.
We don't know if they've found out Vermeil is a demon.
If they have, though...
I'm going to protect her!
So... what is it you need?
Right. First, an apology.
Huh?
During the incident, you suffered an injury
that required you to be hospitalized.
This injury was a direct result of our inability to prevent it.
Huh? No, it wasn't...
That, and we still lack information on why this happened.
We don't know who it was I engaged in combat.
And we are now unable to ask Professor Obsidian
for details of the incident.
Huh?
Yesterday, Obsidian escaped
from the Ortigia Arcane Jail.
Professor Obsidian escaped?!
You fought against him in his transformed form.
If there is anything you can tell us about him,
however small, we would be grateful for the information.
Wow. I thought this was going to go differently...
Maybe I don't need to worry right now.
Yes, of course! I'll tell you everything I can!
Thank you.
Shifting to a slightly different topic...
...is there anything you're hiding from us?
Choose your next words very carefully, Alto Goldfield.
I let my guard down.
That bastard!
You really think something like this
will be able to stop me?
I don't.
I only need to slow you down for a few brief seconds.
That will be enough time to incapacitate your master.
I will ask you one last time.
Is there anything you're hiding from us?
No, there-
Alto.
Vermeil...
...is a demon.
Is that so?
You have a demon's heart?
Unbelievable. You made a contract with a DEMON?
Yes, and I kept quiet about it. I'm sorry.
But you've got it all wrong!
Hey!
Vermeil might be a demon, but she's not a BAD demon!
And what happened with her before wasn't her fault!
So please, I don't care what happens to me!
If I can't be a student anymore, then fine, expel me!
Alto, but then-
I don't care.
You're right. At first, I only summoned you
to advance a grade.
But right now, you're more important than school.
I can make my dream come true another way.
And if that doesn't work, then it means
I never deserved it in the first place.
I am Vermeil's master.
And if someone wants to harm my familiar, I'll oppose
them with all I have, even if that someone is all of you.
You seem to be misunderstanding me.
I've no intention of interfering with either of you.
Huh?
You won't be expelled.
We won't even inform the professors.
Madam President, you cannot-
You may do as you please.
A demon... This may work in our favor.
After all, one of our school's principles
is "All Familiars are Equal."
I agree with the President.
Shinouji!
One perpetrator of this incident
was a member of our faculty.
Until we ascertain the identity
of the other perpetrators, we cannot trust our faculty.
Still, she's a demon! She's far too dangerous!
No need to worry, Jessica.
You heard their story just now. Their lives are intertwined.
If necessary, I merely need to behead him.
All right, Madam President.
What are you plotting?
Nothing. I just believe you two to be trustworthy.
I did tell you that you may do as you please, yes?
If you say she's not a danger, then I believe you.
Right then, Alto Goldfield.
Would you like to join the Executive Committee
of the Student Council?
Does it get easier with time for the immortal?
If I was born normal, if I become normal, can I stay close?
With the children, we link our arms
Make a circle and sing a song
Knowing there was no chair for me all along
You locked me into the dark, I'm your preserved flower
The world is too slow to understand
Not all blossoms spark, And spikes may be sharp
They only want to see the beautiful parts
Sitting in a shower of scarlet rain
It all used to be ours, I'm counting the hours
Hours that stood between us like a river
Once I crawled through the water
All I ever knew have become distant past