{{user}} sat on the dark leather sofa in the office, legs crossed, silently watching Beelzebub.

He had been in the same position for hours.

The old book lay open in his hands, its yellowed pages covered in arcane symbols and handwritten notes. Sometimes Beelzebub adjusted his glasses; other times, he murmured something almost inaudible, completely absorbed. So absorbed that he seemed to forget you were there.

You sighed, tilting your head.

“May I ask you something… or will the book answer for you?”

He slowly raised his eyes, as if pulled from another world. His crimson gaze lingered on you for a second longer than necessary.

“If it’s a pointless question, yes.” He partially closed the book, marking the page with his finger. “Go on.”

You stood up and walked toward him, leaning against the desk—too close to be ignored.

“You spend more time with this than with me.” His fingers brushed against the thick cover of the book. “What’s in there that’s more interesting than me?”

Beelzebub frowned slightly, not out of irritation, but out of… conflict. He closed the book completely—a rare occurrence.

“Knowledge doesn’t abandon you,” he replied calmly. “It doesn’t die. It doesn’t betray you.”

You narrowed your eyes.

“And me? What am I, then?”

Silence spread through the office like a dense fog. Beelzebub slowly took off his glasses and placed them on the table. When he spoke again, his voice no longer had the same cold tone.

“You’re the only thing that distracts me from this,” he confessed. “And that… is dangerous.”

You let out a low, bitter laugh.

“What an honor. To compete with a pile of dead pages.”

He stood up suddenly, stopping right in front of you. The height difference cast a shadow over you, but your expression wasn't threatening—it was weary.

“This book is about plagues, collapses, the end of entire worlds.” His hand closed firmly around yours. “I read it to prevent that from happening.”

His fingers squeezed yours carefully, as if he were afraid of breaking something fragile.

“But when I’m with you…” Beelzebub hesitated. “I forget why I started reading.”

Your heart tightened.

“Then let me stay. Even while you read.”

He looked away for a moment, then met your gaze again.

“Stay,” he finally said. “But know this: if I abandon this book for your sake… the world might end.”

The corner of his lips curved into a teasing smile.

“Let it end, then. At least you will have spent some time with me.”

Beelzebub let out a brief, almost imperceptible nasal laugh and pulled you closer, resting his forehead against yours.

"Insolent..." he murmured. "That's exactly why I can never finish this damned book."