No trace of Satan the next morning. Only mangas scattered everywhere in the living room. Perfect! Happy about this situation, Lisa prepared herself with a big smile. When she arrived at the school, she realized her mistake.

The three dimwits had spoken.

Everyone turned around and whispered, a clear sign that the rumor had spread like wildfire. Lonely Lisa had a hottie for a boyfriend! During the morning and the ten o'clock break, she heard whispers that she would pay him to pretend to be her boyfriend, as it happened in some shojos. Bunch of pests... If only they knew! She would have done well without this lout! To think that he had not only kissed her, but also groped her...

-You really don't want to tell me what this is all about?

Miriam looked at her with her big blue eyes. She was small and friendly, and was her one and only friend. The bright daughter of a large family, she fought every day for the right to study in peace. She didn't care about the worries of her age. So she could hardly see herself explaining her problem to her. A man's problem. Well, a male problem.

-Are you really dating anyone? asked Miriam, her eyes sparkling. Do you have a picture? Is he handsome?

Red. He was red, mostly.

-We... We can say that.

-I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! she shouted, her eyes rounding. And you didn't tell me about it!? Who is he!? What does he look like!? What does he do for a living!?

This last question made her stare. What did he do for a living, anyway? Wait, in her dream... Lisa almost swallowed the straw of her fruit juice. She had just realized.

He was the King of the Underworld!

Coughing her lungs out, she couldn't understand how she could have missed something like this. Miriam was patting her on the back when the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Immediately, everyone returned to the classroom, including the boy she secretly liked. This made her stop coughing more surely than the vigorous slap her friend administered between her shoulder blades.

Handsome, tall, with tousled brown hair and an air of not giving a damn. Florian was his pet name. He was the best member of the basketball team. All the girls swooned over him, except Lisa who was trying to catch her breath, and Miriam who hated him. The conquest collectors weren't her thing.

As always, Florian passed by her without even looking at her.

In this case, given her flushed complexion, the vein ready to burst on her forehead and the fruit juice spilled on her desk, she preferred it. The three dimwits, on the other hand, did not refrain from making a sharp remark, which she half heard.

-Good! Please sit down! the teacher said as she entered the room with authority.

Her specialty was math. She was a good teacher, and didn't need to shout to command respect. Tall, light brown, she looked at her students from behind her rectangular glasses.

-We have a new student, so please give him a warm welcome. Stan, please come in.

Lisa watched the teenager walk into the room... And would have swallowed her juice straw for good, if Miriam, seated at the desk in front of her, hadn't taken it out of her mouth on the spot.

-Stan Daemon is new in town, so please be nice to him and...

Exclamations rang out from all sides, as the three bitches screamed their heads off... And Stan Daemon charged towards Lisa, his red eyes nailing her to the spot.

-I missed you! he exclaimed as he literally lifted her from her chair to give her a hug. Didn't you feel too lonely last night?

-Sa... Stan! What the hell are you doing here?!

-I wanted to surprise you. I follow the seduction guide to the letter, you know?

What? What!? What do you mean what!?

-Mrs. Quech, I sit next to her, he said.

-Whatever you say, big guy, the teacher said, watching them curiously. But you better keep it down if you don't want to get kicked out of your first class in this one. You, quiet! Gossip is for recess!

The silence gradually fell in the room. And for the first time, while sitting down again, Lisa met Florian's eyes... Suddenly very curious about her. Red peony, she turned away quickly, to settle down at the small two-seater desk, where Satan joined her with a big smile. He seemed to have a great time.

-You didn't bother with the name, she said in a low voice.

-Saying my name is Satan wouldn't go over very well, would it? Besides, my last name is really Daemon.

He was right. Fortunately, he had come in his human form. He had rejuvenated himself too, to pass as a particularly well-built and virile high school student. Sitting next to him, she felt tiny. He took all the space, the devil!

-I warn you, if you disturb my studies, you will regret it.

-I'll hold that against you.

His attitude was exemplary throughout Ms. Quech 's class. In fact, he was mostly observing what was going on in the classroom, since they were in the last seat in the back, against the windows. Lisa hated being exposed to the public eye and preferred to hide in a corner. In this case, she was the main attraction of the day, which bothered her greatly. Nevertheless, she tried to concentrate on the class.

The lunch break, however, was quite different.

-I thought it would never end, Satan said, stretching in his chair with a yawn. How do you put up with it, sweetheart?

-Sweetheart?

Miriam had turned around in the chair as soon as the doorbell rang, to analyze the behemoth sitting next to her friend.

-Are you Lisa's boyfriend?

-Better! I am...

The heel that crushed his toe made him swear, but he understood.

-I'm his companion, he finished with a big, satisfied smile.

Miriam's eyes sparkled. She was going to bombard her with questions, it smelled bad! Grabbing Satan by his shirt, Lisa dragged him outside under the eyes of the whole class, who had stayed to admire the show. In the courtyard, she took him behind the toilets, just to have a little more privacy.

-Can you tell me what the hell you're doing here!? Damn it, Satan, you're the king of hell, you don't belong in a classroom for human teenagers!

-And why not?

-You have other things to do! Go govern your rotten hole!

This time he frowned.

-It's not rotten. Besides, we had a beautiful wedding ceremony, I'll have you know.

-The priest was a zombie!

-Ah! You see that you remember! You said yes by yourself!

A groan escaped Lisa as she let go.

-You are impossible!

-I just follow the guide. Unbearable, but endearing.

She looked at him again. He was holding a new shojo manga in his hand.

-It's not a seduction guide! she exploded. God, you're such a drag! I don't want to be known in this school, I want to be ignored and left alone! But with you around I'm the main attraction! Do you think it's not hard enough to be emancipated, with no family except a father who just sold you to the king of the underworld? And why are we married, eh? I didn't ask for anything! So leave me alone and let me live my life in peace!

On what followed a swearing row that he applauded with an appreciative whistle. He was laughing at her, too!

-I don't complicate your life, I brighten it, it's not the same.

Interdict, she stared at him. He was really making fun of her!

-I brought the meal! he added, snapping his fingers, making a huge basket appear... In which sushi instantly caught his eye.

-How do you...

-There's a home delivery paper on your fridge.

Snatching the basket from him with a wary look, she was assaulted by the delicious smell.

-Okay, you win.

A big smile lit up his manly teenage face. He was pretty good, but...

-Get your hands off my ass, you freak.

They ate with Miriam under the trees in the courtyard. Uncomfortable because of all the stares detailing both Satan and their sushi, Lisa waddled from one buttock to the other. Nevertheless, she didn't sulk about her meal.

As expected, Miriam bombarded her new husband with questions. Against all odds, he answered everything in a nutshell. He was from the north of France, had met Lisa a week earlier and it was love at first sight. His parents were wealthy people, his interests were multiple and he had a sister.

Another one like him, Lisa thought, horrified by the prospect.

Yes, he had already had relationships, no he was not a virgin, yes he knew the kamasutra and...

- Miriam! Lisa exclaimed, understanding what he was saying.

-What? That's good for you to know, right?

-She just wants to know if I can make you come, Lisa, there's no shame in that.

Miriam nodded vigorously, before realizing her words. Stunned, she stared at the demon, who was looking at his wife with a mischievous look.

-Sa... Stan, we don't discuss this kind of thing in public!

-In my house it's common.

-Not in a high school! It's a shot at looking like a bed hog.

-What does that mean?

-Being a slut, Miriam explained.

-The first one who says that about you, I throw him to Cerberus.

At his tone, he really would.

The conversation returned to more familiar territory and the day passed without any real hindrance, apart from the presence of Satan. He held on until the evening, although he expressed his disappointment at not having had a sports class.

-Frankly, I hate sports, she said on the way home. I'd rather not have had one.

-You don't need it, you're perfect like that, he said with a voice full of lust.

For a little, she thought he was going to grope her again. Nevertheless, he refrained. Going back to her grandparents' house, Lisa thought that this day rich in strong emotions had exhausted her both physically and morally. Apparently, Satan had decided to live with her for a while, because he rushed after her.

Tossing her backpack onto the couch, Lisa paused for a moment. The books were gone. Had he put everything away before he left this morning? No, wait... the floor had been done. What... suddenly, her gaze fell on a tiny creature, the size of a stuffed animal. With a coat mottled with black, gray, white and a touch of brown, the Chihuahua stared at her with its bulging blue eyes, flicking its tail. Long-haired, tongue hanging out, he seemed to be waiting for something.

-Well... Where are you from? asked Lisa, squatting down in front of the animal.

The little dog barked, much louder than she thought possible for a Chihuahua.

-Ah, Cerberus, it's about time you came along, my dog!

I beg your pardon? Was that it, Cerberus!?