Why is the Demon King like this?

After successfully submitting the forms, the two were led into an observation room by a nurse.

At Arisugawa Asuka's persistent recommendation, Ao Keisuke chose the same attending physician as her.

"Please have a moment, the doctor will be here shortly."

The nurse brought two glasses of water and politely left.

"Last night, I saw your Line post and I was thinking that if I went out to walk the dog this morning, I might run into you."

The two sat on the sofa. Keisuke could vaguely smell the girl's fragrance. Bomei nestled in his arms, initially staring at him fiercely, but soon sticking out her tongue, wanting him to hold her.

Lord Demon King, ♡suki♡!

Arisugawa Asuka smiled, her eyes narrowing, her arched eyebrows transforming into a beautiful curve: "After all, I knocked on your door after the department activity yesterday but no one showed up."

"Feel sorry."

Keisuke Ao never expected that his ominous premonition would come true, and twice at that!

"I was having dinner out when I picked this up."

Meow~

"I don't mean to blame you." Arisugawa Asuka shook her head. "I'm just reflecting on it. After all, even if I had guessed you would bring Yuki to see the doctor, it wouldn't necessarily be at this time in the morning."

I didn't expect that either!

Through Arisugawa Asuka's words, Keisuke Ao's memories resurfaced, recalling an event from about a month ago—

The class monitor had visited the original owner more than a month ago, and it seemed that he had asked for something, but was ultimately coldly rejected by the original owner.

What did the girl say back then? I've almost forgotten...

But the most important information about this matter is not those words, but a fact that gives Keisuke Ao a real headache: the Arisugawa family lives right below his apartment!

The two households live in the same building, no wonder they can even choose the same pet hospital!

How could such an outrageous thing happen?

But then I thought about it again, and it seems that the reason why this happened is because I am keen on sharing updates.

How arrogant I am!

"What's wrong?" Asuka Arisugawa asked.

"No, it's nothing." Qing Keisuke was reflecting on himself as he placed the cat on the table. "It's just that Xue seems to want to come out and exercise a bit."

The cat, who was yawning, paused for a moment, then poked its head out of the cardboard box in a fit of indignation.

"Hey—how do you know what Xiaoxue wants to do?"

"Sir Hertberg's 'Beasts... well, simple communication, the key is to observe movements and expressions.'"

"You just said something that sounds terrible!"

Arisugawa Asuka covered her mouth, of course, she was just playing along with Ao Keisuke's joke, and then gently picked up the Pomeranian: "So, do you know what Nono-chan is thinking right now?"

"It... probably wants to lick me."

"Woof!" The Pomeranian immediately started wriggling wildly, becoming extremely hot to the touch, its tail swishing wildly at its owner's face.

"This child, it's rare to see someone like him so much!" Arisugawa Asuka struggled to lift the Pomeranian a little further away: "Do you want to hold him?"

"Maybe next time," Aoki Keisuke waved his hand.

"Woof?!" The Pomeranian was incredulous, never expecting anyone to reject it; its dog life seemed to have lost its purpose.

"Squeak—" The door to the observation room opened a moment later.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Arisugawa and Mr. Seikai."

A female doctor who looked to be in her early thirties walked in and chatted with the two men while glancing at the stray cat on the table.

"Huh? This cat is very well-behaved; it doesn't seem wild at all."

"We brought it back because it wasn't wild," Qing Guijie said. "Please give it a thorough check-up, including its hind legs..."

"Don't worry, the little guy seems to be doing well."

The examination went smoothly. With Keisuke Ao's guidance, even when pricked with needles or poked in the back, the kitten only meowed pitifully twice.

While Xiaoxue was halfway through her checkup, the Pomeranian had already finished and taken a shower.

"Qinggui, what are we going to do next?" Arisugawa Asuka asked, holding the Pomeranian.

"Um?"

Aokiji glanced at the time subconsciously; it was 10:08 AM.

"The test results won't be available for a while, so I'm planning to go buy some pet supplies nearby."

Xiaoxue stayed in the hospital's terrarium to sleep.

Asuka Arisugawa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled, saying, "I happen to know a shop; I'll take you there."

Without dwelling too much on Arisugawa Asuka's motives—after all, it wasn't a big deal—Ao no Keisuke nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."

"Not at all, I was just about to buy some canned food for Nono-chan."

Keisuke Ao paid the fee in advance before leaving with Asuka Arisugawa.

The two walked side by side on the road, where the sun had already spread across the street, releasing its accumulated heat.

The girl's glossy black hair swayed slightly as she walked, exuding a friendly aura. Although it was their first meeting, Aokiji felt no awkwardness whatsoever.

Lord Demon King may try to comprehend and learn this skill, and may not use it, but the desire to learn from others must not cease.

"Speaking of raising a cat, there must be quite a few things to be aware of, right?"

"Well, I've read some related articles online."

"Yuki-chan is so lucky to meet someone like Qinggui. I can tell it really likes you."

"It's only natural that pets like their owners."

"Huh? Qinggui, you're surprisingly assertive."

Arisugawa Asuka covered her mouth with her fingers and smiled subtly: "But if you treat them sincerely, they'll definitely like you, right, Nono-chan?"

"Woof~"

Just a few hundred meters away, actually diagonally opposite the hospital, at one corner of the intersection, is a fairly large pet supply store with three screens in the window playing videos of celebrity animals.

As he stepped inside, the cool air from the air conditioner, along with the mixed smells of goods and food, made Aokiji subconsciously move a little closer to the girl, before quietly pulling away again.

The store plays soothing background music, which even the Pomeranians enjoy. They seem to be dressed in evening gowns, and the dogs become elegant.

Asuka Arisugawa declined the shop assistant's guidance and led Keisuke Ao towards the shelf.

"What does Yuki-chan need?"

"Buy everything you can, price doesn't matter, comfort is the priority."

Asuka Arisugawa glanced at Keisuke Ao a few times; this classmate always seemed to say something surprising.

"Why does Qinggui keep wearing a mask?"

Upon hearing this, Aoki Keisuke stopped in his tracks and casually picked up a small toy from the shelf.

He had many answers to this question, and because he got along well with Arisugawa Asuka, he decided to reveal some of his true thoughts.

"Because I don't want to be in the spotlight right now."

"Ah... I'm sorry."

Asuka Arisugawa immediately misunderstood. She was one of the few people in the school who knew about Keisuke Ao's situation. Hearing the boy say this, her ordinary tone seemed to carry an unspeakable sadness.

Everything is understood without words; the literary girl understands very well.

But everything is moving in a positive direction. From tasting delicious food to discovering the pitifulness of stray cats and the cuteness of pets, will Qinggui be willing to take off this mask one day?

The girl's mood brightened again, and she said with a slightly teasing tone, "This doesn't seem like a high school student from Tokyo."

Upon hearing this, Qing Guijie's body trembled.

Had my disguise been exposed?!