Into the Netherworld || Naberius Kalego x Reader Fanfiction

### Chapter 5: Secrets and Final Days

"Morning, Hanako-san."

"Good morning, Balam-san!" Hanako greeted him warmly. She watched as Balam made his way to Dali's desk to grab a few papers.

"I heard Dali-sensei's out for the week because of his evil cycle. Will you be covering for him?"

Since Balam and Dali teach the same subject, it made sense for Balam to step in. Apparently, Evil Cycles vary for each demon: some may experience them every few months, some every few years, and some may never experience them at all.

"Yes, I just need to grab a few items from Dali's desk. I'll see you later then." Balam waved as he walked out of the staff room. Hanako waved back, feeling quite optimistic about the day ahead. Little did she know that her carefully guarded secret was no longer as secure as she believed.

"What?"

"Ahem," Sullivan cleared his throat before explaining. "It seems like Balam-sensei found out from Iruma. However, he has promised and swear not to tell anyone about it."

Hanako and Balam stared at each other in shock. Iruma between the both of them looking guilty while shifting uncomfortably. Hanako weakly pointed towards Balam while looking at her grandfather and Opera. "You mean he..."

"I've been talking to a human," Balam murmured, staring at Hanako with wide eyes. "I— I've been interacting with a human all along."

Hanako was then bombarded with questions from Balam. She felt overwhelmed by the rapid-fire inquiries, expecting him to be angry about her deception.

"You aren't angry that I lied to you?" Hanako asked hesitantly.

"No! I understand why you lied. You had to protect yourself!" Balam exclaimed, launching into a passionate speech about the importance of secrecy and the need to be cautious. Hanako smiled, relieved that Balam could be trusted with their secret.

Two weeks flew by since that revelation. Now that Balam knew about her and Iruma's existence, it felt like a burden had been lifted. She no longer needed to feel guilty when talking to Balam since she didn't need to hide things from him. Surprisingly, she found herself growing closer to the demon.

Instead of their usual conversations about school, they now talked about her life before coming to the Netherworld, how she had been adjusting, about Iruma, Sullivan, and Opera. Hanako was quite surprised to learn that Opera had been Balam's senior in school. They also talked about how Balam had become fascinated with the subject of imaginary creatures. It was nice to have a confidant in someone new instead of just Opera or Sullivan.

The next day after finding out about the secret. Balam took a seat, his large frame dwarfing the chair. "I have so many questions about the human world. Can we talk about it?"

Hanako smiled at his eagerness. "I'd be happy to share what I can."

Balam's eyes lit up, a book in hand to write all his notes. "What are humans like? What are their habits and daily lives? Do they really live without magic?"

And since then, Balam had been also helping Iruma study diligently, as Hanako had observed. Iruma mentioned he was studying hard with the Abnormal Class to avoid the summer school remedial sessions assigned by Kalego. As a teacher, Hanako shouldn't be so pleased that the summer break was coming soon, but she was. She couldn't wait for those few weeks of break from the students and teaching. If someone had told her half a year ago that she would be in the Netherworld, working as a teacher and teaching demon students, she would have told them that they were crazy—but here she was. Compared to before, her life felt peaceful, and she was grateful that Sullivan had brought her here.