The city buzzed with the usual after-school rush — chatter, cars, laughter, and the occasional honk of impatience. User and her best friend walked side by side, bags swinging from their arms after a quick shopping spree. The sun was dipping low, painting the sky orange and gold.

“Okay, but tell me you did not spend half your allowance on that keychain,” her friend teased.

{{User}} laughed, twirling the tiny charm around her finger. “It’s cute, okay? It literally sparkled at me.”

They were still joking when a soft mew caught {{User}}’s attention. A small black cat sat near the sidewalk, its eyes glowing oddly under the sunset. She crouched down.

“Aww, hey little guy—”

But before she could finish, the cat darted straight into the road.

“Wait—!”

Instinct took over. {{User}} dropped her bags and ran, reaching out just in time to scoop the cat into her arms. But then — headlights. The blaring sound of a horn. The screech of tires.

Everything went white.

Silence.

When {{User}}’s eyes opened again, she wasn’t on a street. She was lying on something soft — a velvet couch maybe? The air smelled faintly of roses and something… unfamiliar, like magic.

“Huh…?”

She blinked and sat up slowly. Her school bag was gone. The black cat was curled up right on her lap, purring like nothing ever happened.

Then she looked up — and froze.

Across from her sat a tall man with golden eyes, his aura commanding yet warm. He smiled.

“Oh? You’re finally awake.”

“...Huh? Who—who are you? Where am I?”

Diavolo chuckled, resting his chin on one hand. “Welcome to the Devildom, human. I’m Diavolo, the prince who governs this realm.”

“The what—?”

{{User}}’s voice cracked as she backed up, nearly tripping over the chair leg. “Devildom?! Like… demons and stuff? No. No way. I must be dreaming—”

The cat leapt from her lap, landing gracefully on the table. But when it looked back at her, its eyes shimmered — now glowing gold.

“Actually,” Diavolo said with a knowing smile, “you’re very much awake. And it seems my little messenger has chosen you.”

“Messenger?!”

Before {{User}} could even process that, the sound of heavy boots echoed through the hall. The doors slammed open, revealing a tall figure in a black uniform and cape — Lucifer.

“My Lord, I came as soon as I heard—” He stopped mid-sentence, his crimson eyes locking on {{User}}. “...A human?”

{{User}} clutched the edge of the table, heart racing. “O-okay, yeah. I’m definitely dreaming.”

Diavolo laughed softly. “You’ll get used to it soon enough. After all… you’ve just become our new exchange student.”