Renny exhaled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Morrin," he began, "I already have a lot on my plate... being a repeat demon and juggling other personal affairs. I can't be here dealing with petty matters that shouldn't even exist in the first place."

Morrin blinked, clearly taken aback by Renny's bluntness.

"But," Renny continued, standing from the bed, "as a matter of fact, let's go right now and confront this Bryokun of a demon. By the time you're done dealing with him, he'll steer clear of Eryoma for good."

Morrin's eyes widened. "Wouldn't that make her hate me?" he asked, voice uncertain.

Renny's tone sharpened. "Once again, Morrin... you're a demon. So is she. We're not good people. Demons, Morrin. Which means that on Earth, we did things badly enough to earn our place here. So how ridiculous would it be to grow morals suddenly?"

Morrin fell silent for a moment, letting the words sink in. Slowly, he began to see reason, realizing how foolish he had been to fear offending Eryoma.

"Exactly," Renny said, catching the shift in his expression. "In fact, she might even like that... seeing you take charge for once. Even though you're the strongest in your grade, they don't treat you that way because you keep letting others walk all over you."

Renny straightened his jacket and added firmly, "But that ends now. You'll confront him."

Morrin's eyes widened. "Confront him? You mean... now?"

Renny nodded. "Yeah. I'll stay out of it, of course. I'm Grade One, can't afford to get tangled in your grade mess. But I'll be nearby... watching. Making sure it all goes smoothly."

For a second, Morrin just stared at him. Then his eyes lit up, and a crooked grin spread across his face. "Renayo, you're a real one, you know that?"

Renny chuckled under his breath. "Come on, it's the least I can do. You helped me once, too, remember? With that demon seed."

Morrin tilted his head. "But… you didn't even get promoted after using it."

Renny shrugged lightly, gaze slipping to the floor. "Doesn't matter." He didn't mention that the seed hadn't gone into any contract at all... that he'd used it for Leila instead. That moment had been worth more to him than any grade could measure.

"The effort counts," Renny said simply. "You helped when it mattered. So yeah, I owe you... regardless of how it turned out."

Morrin's eyes softened, his usual manic energy tempered for once. "Thanks, Ren."

Renny gave a small nod. "Let's go. Freshen up first... look like a demon again. I'll wait for you outside."

Morrin stood, straightening his shirt, his grin already returning. "Right. Let's do this."

***

Renny and Morrin searched for Bryokun and soon learned he was in the Third World. Renny frowned, wondering where that was. Morrin explained, "It's an old district... think of it like the Las Vegas of Hell, but rougher. Demons go there to do all sorts of things. Inside the Third World, there's a place called Road 3, where they bet and race each other."

When they arrived at the Third World, Renny immediately understood why it had earned its name: the infrastructure was chaotic, the buildings poorly maintained, and the entire district felt half-abandoned.

But Road 3 was even more surprising. Demons crowded the area, standing by their cars, placing bets, and preparing to hit the track. Morrin explained, "Road 3 wasn't built for actual races."

Renny glanced around, taking it all in. Considering it was in the Third World, he wasn't expecting much, but the track was worse than he imagined. It looked like an old service road in a forgotten industrial zone, lined with derelict warehouses and crumbling concrete buildings. The asphalt stretched unevenly, scarred with potholes, jagged tar patches, and half-flooded ditches.

Morrin added, "Racing here is about surviving the terrain."

Crowds perched atop warehouses, some even leaning out of window frames, watching the races from above. The roar of engines, the screech of tires, and the tension in the air made it clear that this was no ordinary race; it was chaos incarnate.

Renny found the entire scene fascinating. He couldn't understand how he had never heard of such a place before.

Morrin chuckled. "Well, only Grade Two demons usually use this place. Grade Ones wouldn't have enough to participate in these events."

That made sense to Renny. If demons were placing bets, what could a Grade One possibly wager?

He turned to Morrin. "Alright, where's the one we came for?"

As Renny scanned the crowd, Morrin spotted Bryokun, busy warming and preparing his car, with Eryoma standing nearby. He nudged Renny. "There. That's him. And… she's here too."

Renny's eyes gleamed slightly. "Even better."

As they moved closer, Renny couldn't help but note how tall and imposing Bryokun looked. Terrifying, even. And honestly, he understood why Eryoma might choose him over Morrin, who wouldn't?

Bryokun noticed them and smirked. "If it isn't the spitting champion," he said, casting a look at Renny, "and the repeat demon. What a cute pair."

Eryoma's gaze flicked toward their direction. Morrin stiffened, a mixture of anxiety and shyness crossing his features, but he tried to maintain composure.

Renny leaned close, whispering to him. "Go. Confront him. Right in front of her."

Morrin strode up to Bryokun, chest heaving, voice steady at first. "I don't like that. Stop calling me the spitting champion."

Bryokun raised an eyebrow, smirking. "How can I? You're literally spitting all over the place as you speak."

Morrin's fists clenched, his voice rising. "I said stop it!"

Bryokun tilted his head, smirking. "Oh? Did you suddenly remember that you're at the top of the leaderboard? That's why you're feeling so confident today? Sure… you might be number one, but I'm still in the top ten, number seven. To me, you're strong only on paper. Nothing more."

Morrin's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping low but steady, and as he spoke, more spit sprayed across the space between them. "Is that so, huh? Is that so? Then… challenge me. We race."

Renny froze behind them, stunned. He had only planned for a fight, but a race? That was a completely unexpected development. Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he stayed back to watch.

Bryokun blinked, disbelief flashing across his face. "What?"

Morrin's gaze didn't waver. "You heard me. I want to race you."

Bryokun laughed, shaking his head. "You must be joking."

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