The tear-soaked atmosphere of the dessert cafe gradually settled as time passed.

    Once Anser had regained her composure, she fidgeted with her bangs, looking embarrassed.

    “Um... Thank you, Yuria, and Sabrina. I feel like I’ve just been showing you an embarrassing side of myself, even though I’m supposed to be an adult....”

    “Haha, it’s totally fine! Even adults feel like crying sometimes. Our teacher always says that!”

    “...!”

    I nodded vigorously in agreement with Sabrina’s words.

    After all, even if she called herself an “adult,” Anser was barely in her early 20s.

    Sure, the standards of this world might be different, but from my perspective, that wasn’t an age where you had to act all dignified.

    Of course, crying in front of kids who looked about ten years old would probably haunt her for years as a “cringe memory,” but...

    If I looked at it from a different angle, it just meant she had been cornered that badly.

    I hoped our small gesture had been enough to bring her some comfort.

    And maybe it had.

    With her eyes still red from crying, Anser looked at us as if she’d made a firm decision. Her expression was more serious now.

    “I don’t have the money to repay you right now, but... I can at least give you this as thanks.”

    She glanced around the cafe, then grabbed two napkins from a nearby stand.

    With a flick of her fingers, she pressed her index finger and thumb together and began to trace quick, elegant strokes on the napkins as if she were writing something.

    What’s she doing?

    I tilted my head, puzzled by the strange gesture.

    But as soon as her fingers touched the napkin, letters began to appear as if engraved onto the surface.

    My eyes widened in surprise at the mysterious phenomenon.

    “W-What’s that?” Sabrina asked.

    “It’s not much, but... it might be helpful someday,” Anser muttered, scratching her neck in embarrassment as she handed over the napkins.

    I accepted one of them and carefully read the contents.

    It only took a few seconds for me to realize what it was.

    [Contract Terms]

    By the Oath of the Soul, the contractor, Anser, will grant the contract recipient, Yuria, temporary access to the “Eye of Contracts” at no cost.

    This contract will activate when the contract document is damaged and may be rejected at the recipient’s discretion.

    ...She wrote all of that on a napkin?!

    I couldn’t help but feel a bit awestruck by the intricate magic required to fit such a long contract onto such a small surface.

    But my admiration was quickly overtaken by shock.

    Wait a second... the “Eye of Contracts”?

    I knew that term. It wasn’t something you just casually handed out.

    Anser was offering to lend me a demon’s Eye of Contracts for free.

    I stared at the contents of the contract, blinking repeatedly as I tilted my head, trying to process it.

    But before I could ask, Sabrina—ever the blunt one—spoke up without hesitation.

    “What’s this thing about the ‘Eye of Contracts’?” she asked.

    “Oh, um... it’s a gift for you two. I didn’t have anything else to give, so... I thought I’d give you something I can offer.”

    “And this ‘Eye of Contracts’ thing?”

    “Ah, that’s... it’s a special eye that demons are born with,” Anser explained. “It lets you see hidden clauses in contracts—like the sneaky fine print that’s hidden in magical contracts.” ?a?O??E?S@@@@

    ...Huh.

    Hearing that, Sabrina’s eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine.

    To be honest, the mere concept of hiding terms inside a contract sounded like it should be illegal. But demons were infamous for it.

    They’d use spells, symbols, or layered enchantments to obscure contract details so that the “victim” wouldn’t realize they’d signed away their soul until it was too late.

    “Oh, but most demons don’t really need to hide contract terms, right?” Sabrina muttered.

    If only that were true.

    I glanced at Anser, and sure enough, she scratched her cheek awkwardly, looking like she wanted to disappear.

    Her face was filled with discomfort, probably because she hated being associated with the dirty tricks her fellow demons used.

    Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

    Many people had been tricked into ruin by demons hiding “fine print” in their contracts.

    “Still, with this, you’ll be able to read hidden contract terms,” Anser said, lowering her gaze. “It’s not much, but... I thought it might be useful.”

    Not much?

    You’d have an easier time convincing me you turned salt into sugar.

    ‘So... what was it, then?’

    Her brow furrowed as she thought about it, her mind racing through the possibilities.

    ‘What, is she a psychic or something?’

    The moment she thought it, she let out a short, incredulous laugh.

    A psychic?

    That was the kind of thing you’d hear in urban legends or conspiracy theories, not real life.

    If psychics really existed, they’d probably be snatched up by secret labs and subjected to endless experiments.

    In fact, in this world, the term “psychic” carried an even more ominous weight.

    A person with uncontrollable supernatural powers was seen as a potential world-ending threat.

    People whispered stories about entire cities vanishing overnight due to an “uncontrolled psychic.”

    ‘...No way. It has to be a mistake. I hope it’s just my imagination.’

    Sabrina shook her head, trying to push the thought aside.

    She desperately hoped that Yuria wasn’t a psychic.

    If she really was... then Yuria’s future would be a tragic one, filled with nothing but pain and suffering.

    That was the fate of all those born with power too great for the world to accept.

    “....”

    “Uwah! Y-Yuria?! What’s up?”

    Sabrina jolted as Yuria suddenly closed the distance between them.

    She hadn’t even realized Yuria had moved, and before she knew it, Yuria was right next to her.

    If she took one more step, their shoulders would have been touching.

    Sabrina’s eyes went wide, and her heart jumped in surprise.

    But Yuria, as usual, remained silent and unreadable, her face obscured behind her mask.

    Her intentions were a complete mystery.

    “...!”

    Suddenly, Yuria reached out and grabbed Sabrina’s hand, her small fingers locking around it.

    Her hand was warm and soft.

    The unexpected warmth of her grip flustered Sabrina.

    “W-Wait, huh?! Wh-what are you...?!”

    But Yuria didn’t seem to care.

    With a firm tug, she pulled Sabrina’s hand into the pocket of her coat.

    Then, as if pushing her forward, she gently but insistently nudged Sabrina with her shoulder.

    The message was clear.

    “Let’s go. Move.”

    Sabrina blinked in surprise but soon realized what was going on.

    Yuria was just excited to go somewhere next.

    She’s like a kid trying to drag me to a new adventure...

    Sabrina smiled softly.

    All those complicated thoughts she’d been having just a moment ago vanished like smoke.

    She squeezed Yuria’s hand and began walking forward.

    “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

    As their footsteps echoed along the street, Sabrina glanced at Yuria’s masked face.

    If she really were a psychic...

    If she really had that kind of power...

    She didn’t know what kind of destiny awaited her.

    But at that moment, that thought didn’t matter.

    “I’ll make sure today is a fun day.”

    The anxious doubts and fears she’d had earlier melted away.

    The only thing that remained was the realization that...

    The date had only just begun.