Hirai Momo was never really the religious type. She never really believed in a god, nor a heaven and hell. There was respect for all existing religions, but Momo was what the kids would call, an " Atheist. " She simply was not a believer. At least, not until she accidentally summons an angel from heaven instead of a deal-making demon from hell.

Momo rarely was ever desperate. If anything, the young Japanese woman would say that she was rather untrammeled, and was fairly self sufficient on her own.  That as it may be, Hirai Momo didn't always get the things she wanted. Stating the current situation bluntly, Momo was broke, unmotivated, and unemployed— a pitiful sight indeed; especially for a girl who actually intended on going to a college after graduating from her dump of a school.( To be frank, the college she was planning on going to is a performing arts school, and Momo had heard plenty of stories of homeless artists, so she still may end up broke and hungry— but that's besides the point. ) She has her whole life planned out within her head, yet her goal of becoming a professional dancer seems so close, yet so damn far away; it almost hurt the blonde just thinking about it. Which is why she chose to write it down instead.

The female's dark eyes are intently focused upon the ( worn down ) spiral notebook placed upon the lunchroom table. Momo's penmanship was never the most gratifying of skills, and neither were her note taking abilities. Several paragraphs and last minute notes were crammed into the pages in a muddled pile. It was apparent that the Japanese girl did not know what an eraser was, as several scribble marks scattered across the page in an attempt to shield embarrassing mistakes such as spelling errors or off-topic talk. Momo found the way she wrote down these thoughts to be similar to how her mind works. It has good intentions, but is a big jumbled up mess that only Momo herself could maneuver and process. ( Very much similar to how her bedroom is arranged. ) Yet despite the messiness of the cluttered writing, there was something oddly charming to it— as if it were a welcoming presence. Momo liked that. Writing down her goals and plans, the blonde found was very convenient upon her behalf, especially when her lovely friends Chaeyoung and Mina decide to into her thoughts.

" So what do you think, Momo? "  The words rang out like a gong within the older girls' mind as she was snapped back to the disappointing world of reality.

" Uh, yeah, yeah. " She nods, closing her notebook as Mina rolls her eyes, resulting in a giggle from Chaeyoung.

" Yes? What kind of answer is that? Unnie, we asked who would you most likely see getting into Performing Arts of Seoul? " Chaeyoung chuckles as Mina nods.

" You see, I can easily visualize  Jeongyeon getting in with her vocals. Very passionate, strong, and mature. Honestly any guy or girl would fall head over heels over her. " The Japanese ravenette states, rolling her shoulders slightly as she glanced over at the short-haired Korean next to her.

" Yeah, but with Momo's amazing dancing, she could practically kick the talent right out of Jeongyeon and into her own hands! " Chaeyoung replies, locking eyes with Mina.

The two girls giggled and nodded as Momo sighs, a small smile quirking upon her lips. " Well I think all of us can make it. " The two opposing girls nodded— " But they'll like me the most. "

" Aiyahh!! " Chaeyoung exclaims as she slaps the blonde's shoulder, resulting in the girls' table erupting into a laughing fit.

Momo loved her friends, but she knew they wouldn't stay for long. It was a nice thought, but reality truly is a . Eventually they were all going to graduate— and with the blonde's current educational situation, she wasn't sure if she was going to make it into School of Performing arts. ( Or even leave high school, if things don't change soon. ) Even If Momo somehow managed to magically get through high school and into the college, she'd still be alone. Jeongyeon and her were mere acquaintances— and frankly, Momo was a bit of a third wheel when it came to the close knit trio. It was obvious the Korean and Japanese girls' had something going on, they were just too stubborn to admit it.

" Anyways, how have you been holding up Momo? You still failing your classes? " Mina asks, genuine concern hinted in the tone of her voice as she furrowed her eyebrows, gazing over at the blonde. Momo has always thought that Mina was a bit of a mom— she both appreciated and hated her for that.

An anxious expression forms upon the opposing Japanese's face as she scratches the back of her neck, a sheepish smile spreading on her pink lips. " Well, im not nearly as close to getting less than 30 percents anymore.. " she avoids the younger girls' gaze. " Look, im working on it. It's just that I haven't been able to find the time to study and everything is so hard to understand— " Momo bites her tongue as soon as she makes eye contact with Mina.

" I'm trying my best. Okay? "

Mina sighs as Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, shoving a fork full of salad into . " At this point, if Momo wants to get through the school year, she's gotta make a deal with the devil! "

Huh. Momo's never thought of that.

Mina shushes the younger girl as she shifts her attention back to the blonde. " Are you sure that you don't want tutoring? I swear Momo, i can pay, and if you want I can tutor you myself. "

The older girl shakes her head, leaning back into her chair as she crosses her arms, laughing bitterly. " Mina, it's okay. I'll figure it out. I know you're crazy rich and all but don't waste your money on me, you already help pay rent— My mom would shove all of that money down your throat if you keep on doing this stuff for me. "

The ravenette sighs as she nods, getting up from her seat at the table. " Alright, Momo. But if you need any help whatsoever, please, please don't be afraid to call me or Chaeng. We're always available. "

Despite the jokes the short Korean would make, Chaeyoung gazes upon Momo, an empathetic smile curling upon her lips, " Don't hesitate to even just send a quick text one of us. We're here for you. "

There they go again. As if Mina wasn't enough of a mom to Momo; having Chaeng made the two look like her parents.

" Yeah, alright Moms. Go on and get to your next class. I'll be at the library studying. Like a good girl! " She ironically throws two thumbs up as she puts on an obviously fake smile, " fighting!! "

The two girls giggle as they wave their friend goodbye, interlocking arms as they disappear within the crowd of students lining the halls.

An aspirated sigh erupted from the blonde Japanese girl as she gets up from her seat, hauling her backpack over her shoulder and grasping her notebook within her hands. Guess she's going to the library now.

***

The library was both Momo's favorite and least favorite place in the entire school. It was Momo's favorite place because it was silent. A perfect place to think. Nobody was allowed to mess around or make noise, and if they did, they got kicked out. ( The blonde found great pleasure in watching the Librarian drag out the obnoxious prepubescent lemurs and s who came to the library to make out. It was a fine hobby. ) Even so, Momo had a strong dislike towards the room thanks to the fact that as much as she'd like to come into the book-filled latitude to spend her own leisure-time, she often found herself in here for educational purposes— which was the last thing the Japanese girl wanted to do.

There was light buzz erupting from Momo's phone, indicating a text message— it was a text from Chaeng.

Baby Beast; Unnie !!! The band and I are gonna have a get together this Saturday night ^_^ Me and Wendy are probably gonna do a marimba and flute duet and the drumline will be there as well *0* I know you like to dance with us while we play our songs and all but you have to promise me you will study hard or else I'll kick you in the shin >:( Love you~ xx

A smile quirked upon the blonde's face as she quickly texts in a reply before turning off her phone and shoving it into her jacket.

Peachyy<3; lmao I'll see u then. And don't even try to threaten me bc u couldn't even reach my shin even if u tried ;)) xx

A soft sigh left Momo's lips as she entered the library, automatically finding herself wandering through the what seemed like countless isles and into the back of the study. Momo had often heard of rumors about teenagers sneaking back here to do drugs, ( If you tried hard enough, you could smell the faint tainted scent of . ) and even hiding vulgar magazines between the thickest books they could possibly find. Momo decided to try her luck on the latter option and started to skim the vast array of writings.

The blonde initially thought she struck gold as she saw a flash of a red page, the front title stating " Girl on Girl " in bold letters. Out of mere excitement, Momo instantaneously trips over herself in attempt to grab the page— resulting in her notebook within her hands to clumsily plunge onto the floor, making an unpleasant /smack/ sound upon impact with the carpet.  Hissing in annoyance, the female squats down to retrieve the fallen notebook until something much more interesting catches her eye.

An extremely thick, ancient appearing book stuck out like a sore thumb in the rack of books lined within the bottom shelf, tempting her to open it up and completely engross herself within its contents. So ultimately, Momo found much interest in it. As her long, pale fingers graze along the front of the dark hardcover, the blonde takes a seat comfortably against the bookshelf, finally getting a good look at its title.

" Supernatural beings and How to Find Them "

A snort erupted from the girl as she read the title. This was probably one of the most ill-advised books the Japanese girl has ever seen. Momo didn't believe in supernatural beings or any religion that was associated with said creatures. Yet, despite her predigest opinion, she still found herself reading the book. Momo figured that she may as well start reading it, as she didn't really find a " connection " with any other book aside from this one— and partially because she knew there was no use in getting any entertainment from a o magazine while she was still on school grounds.

It was astonishing to read about how much fantasy foolishness could all fit into one book. If Momo was being forthright, it was a rather large piece of literature, and the Japanese girl found herself spending what seemed like an innumerable amount of hours reading the book- Though it seemed to have only been roughly about 30 minutes. She struggled to find the significance of these pages. The stories told about vampires, werewolves, nymphs, and the section that intrigued her the most; angelic and demonic beings. 

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were the only religions Momo could come up with from the top of her head that contained angels and demons. It was actually quite an interesting topic ( though Momo refused to believe one bit of it. ) There were an abundance of pages full of very informative descriptions about the different variations of demons and angels, along with their hierarchy and ranking systems. Even ways on how to summon these so-called " Mysterious beings. " Momo wondered who had the time to come up with all of this yellow journalism?

The blonde had spent so much time absorbed within the enthralling passages that Momo had hardly noticed when the librarian shut off the lights, indicating that the library had closed, and School had ended. Scrambling to her feet, Momo silently slips the book within her backpack as she withdrawals from the study, eventually blending into the crowd whilst whipping out her phone, opening the two unread text messages from a few moments before.

Baby Beast; You're such a bully :,(

This text deemed unworthy of a reply.

Penguin; Don't forget to study! It's not too late to bring your grades up and make it into Performing Arts. I'm rooting for you.

Simple, yet motivating words from the opposing Japanese girl engulfed the blonde as she was swept with a wave of both happiness and guilt.

Though the end of the school year was far from over— it was only late November— but Momo had a feeling she probably still wasn't going to get through the school year without a struggle.

Momoring; ill try my best eomma Mina x.x

Teenagers drained out of the school like the ocean waves, the crisp cold air of late fall washing in to take their place. Winter was coming, the trees were stripped from their leaves and children began to wear thicker coats to block out the cold. Momo hated this weather. Not that the experience of snow and winter cheer was a bad thing, but getting sick, snow in your boots, and freezing to death in a cold house wasn't exactly appealing to the blonde.

Bitter winds rushed viciously against Momo's face as she hisses uncomfortably, slowly trekking away from the school and towards her own house. As the Japanese girl made her way through the cold, her mind wandered off, thinking about her grades, future, and careers. What is she doing? Why can't she just focus in class and actually try? Why are said classes so difficult? Will the blonde get held back? Momo shivers. The thought always haunted her. If anything, Momo wanted to be done with highschool as soon as she could. She didn't need to use this stuff in real life, she's already chosen her path for the future. Momo is a dancer.

Countless random thoughts fogged up the blondes mind to the point where she hadn't even processed the fact that she was home— and her dog was on top of her.

" Aiyah!! " The blonde screeches as the medium Shiba Inu quite literally tackles her to the ground.

" Lucky, you little o! " she tried to scold the golden dog currently her face— but to no avail, burst into laughter. Shiba Inus were as Momo liked to call them, " stubborn little sunshine s. " Even so, if there was one good thing left in the world, it was probably her dog. Only downside? She's allergic to her.

Momo could start to feel her eyes watering up and burn with pain as she pushes the dog away, " Christ, Lucky. Calm your tail. "

Continuous tail wagging seemed to be the only response the small canine could produce as she followed alongside her masters heels, not intent on leaving her side anytime soon.

Making her way through the hall and into her own mess of a bedroom, she glanced over to the room across from her own.

Her mom still wasn't home. Typical.

Not like the absence of the older woman was a problem for Momo, she understood her mother had to work overtime to support the family— and frankly, the blonde started to feel guilty for not getting off her lazy and getting a job already. Her older sister, Hana occasionally helps by contributing money to the struggling pair, but its apparent she can't do that every day of her life. Hana has a home and a job now, she has a purpose. When will Momo become like that?

The blonde slams her bookbag upon her bed- not caring that literally all of its contents spilt out in disarray- as she immediately faceplants onto the not-so-soft cushion, the dread and fatigue from the school day suddenly crashing into the Japanese girl as soon as she felt the soft warmth of a blanket upon her face.

***

Momo woke to a cold, wet nose to the face. She immediately knew what this meant; Lucky wanted out. An unpleasant groan erupted from the girl as she rolled out of bed, phone in hand as she checks the time. 12:48 AM. Another (  slightly more agitated ) groan came out from the blondes mouth as she drags herself into the kitchen, opening up the back door as the Shibe darts out of the house.

Cold chills shoot throughout Momo's body as she sits own upon the back porch, completely numb and immune to the freezing outdoors.

Dark eyes shift upwards, gazing intently at the 1 AM sky. There are barely any stars out tonight. Momo's eyes glaze over as she frowns. It was such a shame that the city lights drowned out the natural illumination of the night sky. A warm rolls silently down the blonde's cheeks. She didn't notice them. The female shakily exhales, the warm breath leaving her lips like fog.

God, her life was such a mess. Not even the stars shone with hope for her.

Momo sat up, giving a weak whistle to her dog as she groggily made her way into the house. Everything felt cold and bitter as the female found herself back inside her room. She wanted sleep- craved it, even. Yet, despite this need, it never came. Instead, Momo found herself staring off into space, drowning within her own dread and self-hate. However, when Momo was finally brought back to reality, she was staring straight at a large, dark, hard leather cover poking out from the edge of her bed. It was that damn book again.

Despite the weight of Momo's regrets holding her back, the Japanese girl got up from her place collapsed upon her bed to reach out and haul the writing into her lap. What was that thing about dealmaking and devils again? The memory of Chaeyoung jokingly commenting on the blonde's poor education flashed into mind as Momo rapidly flips throughout the pages of the book until she came to a page she presumed was about summoning demons- or something. It was hard to read in the dark after crying your eyes out on a cold night.

***

Hirai Momo was never really the religious type. 

If that was really true, then she wouldn't be doing this right now. The not-religious Hirai Momo wouldn't be sitting in front of a messily drawn sigil on the ( quite cold ) floor, surrounded by slowly melting wax candles she found somewhere in her closet at 2 AM on a school night. Not-religious Momo wouldn't be staring at a bowl containing unknown ingredients with a lighter in her hand, ready to set the bowl aflame at any given moment.

Honestly, Momo had no idea what she was doing. Something about this didn't feel right- but the girl was at a state of desperation. The girl prayed to god ( or in this case, Satan?? ) that this would work, and the demon she summons won't try to kill her. Tired eyes shift over to the illuminated phone placed upon the floor. She reread the text message that appeared on the screen.

I'm rooting for you.

Those words repeated themselves within her mind as she bit her lip, pressing down upon the lighter as a small flame burst out of its tip. It was so warm. The blonde closed her eyes as she brings her arm forward, setting the bowl on fire.

And that's when she saw her.