Chapter 2
The Shape of Me (1)
(Part 1)
Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection and thought about how I should look when I go to meet him today.
Alright, decided.
Makeup should be natural—just enough to bring out my cuteness. I’ll tie my long blonde hair back and put on a cute scrunchie.
A tank top that shows off my slightly enhanced chest—just enough that you can glimpse my cleavage when I lean forward.
I’ll wear an oversized hoodie on top, but keep it zipped up… except when I’m with him.
Yep, no matter how you look at me, I’m a super cute girl today.
Excited for his reaction, I grabbed my shoulder bag and headed out of the facility.
The weather in Willsville was perfect for a date today—clear skies, not a cloud in sight.
A pleasant breeze drifted through the streets, everyone passing by with a smile.
As I walked past a nearby food truck, the smell of freshly baked bread wafted by.
I checked the time and hurried toward our meeting place.
As soon as I rounded the corner, I spotted him waiting there and quickened my pace.
“Sorry, Citrus-kun! I was doing my makeup and ended up running late~”
I waved as I called out to him—the punctual human standing at our meeting spot.
He looked the same as always: white lab coat, round black-rimmed glasses, and his natural curls.
His coat and glasses were well cared for but clearly worn with age.
His black, stiff-looking hair might sound charming if you call it a “natural perm,” but really, it was just barely maintained.
Despite the lack of cleanliness his name implies, that familiar appearance was oddly comforting to me.
It was 10:05 a.m.—five minutes late. On purpose.
I was trying to give off a slightly clumsy, endearing vibe, but as always, he just smiled kindly and said, “Don’t worry about it.”
Ugh… I love him… but my “clumsy girl” act doesn’t work on him at all.
He forgave me this time, but as a demon, my time in this world is limited—I’ll have to be more careful.
When I got close, I caught a faint whiff of citrus perfume—the one I gave him on our last date.
Delighted, I hugged his arm tightly.
He looked startled for a moment but didn’t shake me off, just stood still and supported me gently.
Then, tilting my head slightly and gazing up at him, I asked the usual question:
“Hey… do I look cute today?”
I ran my fingers nervously through my hair.
“Yeah. You look very cute,” he said, smiling in that same calm, easygoing way.
Those words made me so, so happy—but something still felt missing.
I’d never actually seen him truly happy.
I want to become his ideal girl.
I’ve been working so hard for that, but it always feels like I’m just spinning my wheels.
Still, there’s no need to rush.
If I keep trying every possible style, someday I’ll hit the perfect one—his exact type.
“So… you change your appearance with magic every time you meet that human?”
“Yup! It doesn’t always go the way I want, though~”
The next day, I was having tea with a fellow demon friend I’d recently met at a popular open-air café in town.
He had sleek black hair down to his shoulders, narrow red eyes, and a sharp, beautiful face.
Apparently, the clothes he was wearing were gifts from a human he admired—black slacks, a gray turtleneck, and a long black coat.
A silver chain bracelet on his wrist gleamed faintly in the light.
Tall and slim like a model… I was jealous of how good he looked without even using transformation magic.
As for me today, I had long straight black hair, heavy eye makeup, and a black-and-white frilly gothic lolita dress.
It was my first time wearing thick heels, and they were fine for sitting here eating and drinking—but walking in them was a nightmare.
“From what you’ve told me, I honestly don’t think that human feels any romantic affection toward you,” he said flatly.
“What!? That’s not true! He studies demons, and he said he wants to research me!
That means he wants to know everything about me = he wants to marry me!!”
“…Well, I suppose every demon has their own way of interpreting things.”
He said it with a completely disinterested tone before taking a sip of his coffee.
Even that simple motion looked like a work of art.
“Dea-cchi, you’re so cool. That look of yours totally fits the coffee vibe… honestly, I wish I could pull that off too.”
“If you want coffee, just order one. But seriously, the thing you ordered looks… overwhelming. I feel nauseous just looking at it.”
He pointed to my order—the Chocolate & Strawberry Deluxe Parfait.
It came in a tall, frilled glass, packed with chocolate and strawberry ice cream, cornflakes, fruit, cream, jelly—an explosion of sweetness.
“You just don’t get it, Dea-cchi~! Cute girls like me eating something like this? It makes us even cuter!”
“You don’t have to act cute in front of me.”
“You never know when I might run into him!
I start from appearances! Ugh, Dea-cchi—you may be handsome, but your sensitivity level is zero! You’re so not boyfriend material!!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“See!? Zero!”
I pouted and stuffed a chocolate-covered strawberry into my mouth.
Despite his sharp tongue, he was one of the few people I could talk to comfortably.
I couldn’t be honest with humans—and I definitely couldn’t tell other demons that I was in love with one.
Even with his snark, Dea-cchi was one of the rare demons who genuinely loved a human too.
He never mocked my feelings for Citrus-kun, and that alone made him precious.
“I just want Citrus-kun to dote on me… I’m so lonely…”
I murmured, spoon still in my mouth.
What kind of face would he make if I could finally become his perfect girlfriend?
I imagined it would be cool and adorable at the same time—but somehow, I couldn’t quite picture it clearly.
That’s when I heard an unfamiliar, sleazy voice next to me.
“Hey there, pretty lady. Why don’t you come hang out with us? We’ll treat you real nice.”
I blinked, pulled from my thoughts of Citrus-kun.
Turning my head, I saw three human men staring at me. They completely ignored Dea-cchi, who was sitting right beside me.
Hmm. I understand human standards of beauty well enough—and these guys were all below average.
Their greasy smiles and leering eyes made it obvious what they were thinking.
A beautiful man and woman chatting over coffee probably looked like the perfect couple from afar—these creeps sure had guts.
We demons care more about the soul than outward looks, but even from one glance, these three were trash inside and out.
“Ah, no, w-we just thought you looked really cute! We, uh, overheard that your boyfriend’s not giving you enough attention… we felt kinda sorry for you…”
“Hmm.”
What a pathetic excuse.
Clearly, they’d been eavesdropping—probably waiting for me to step away from Dea-cchi so they could hit on me.
When they realized we weren’t dating, and I’d said I was feeling lonely, they decided to exploit that.
Calling me “pitiful” right to my face… wow. No wonder they don’t have girlfriends.
How sad.
“Sure,” I said sweetly. “I’ve got some time to kill anyway. I’m just sooo lonely… you’d better make sure I have fun, okay?”
I glanced away shyly and rubbed my thighs together just enough to make them squeal and whistle.
Heh. Too easy.
“…Hey,” Dea-cchi said in a low, warning tone as I stood up.
I winked at him reassuringly. “It’s fine.”
He sighed heavily, clearly exasperated.
I pulled out my wallet, set a 1000G bill on the table, and said, “Keep the change.”
Then I turned to the scummy men and said in my sweetest voice,
“I’m a fragile little lady, so you’d better treat me gently, okay?”
“O-of course! I can’t believe we get to hang out with such a cute girl!”
When one of them placed his hand on my waist, goosebumps crawled up my spine.
I nearly slashed his face open with my sharpened demon nails, but causing a scene here would be troublesome.
I forced a smile and endured it.
They surrounded me, making sure I couldn’t slip away, and I let them lead me off.
Dea-cchi watched silently until I disappeared from view, suspicion in his eyes.
As his friend disappeared with the three humans, Dea remained seated at the table, staring in their direction.
“…You’re a guy, though,” he muttered.
Not that it mattered to him.
He picked up the bill his friend had left behind, then grabbed the menu hanging off the side of the table.
Flipping it open, he found the seasonal special listed on the first page:
“Chocolate & Strawberry Deluxe Parfait – 1500G.”
“Tch…!!”
He clicked his tongue in irritation—but no one around seemed to notice.
