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1
2Hata-Maou Vol 14 
3 
4Illustration Short Story: After the Business Networking Event 
5 
6“So? Why are you here?” 
7 
8“Oh my, do you want to chase me out then suspend business so that you can reflect on that? It’s hard to work in a company with so little annual leave.” 
9 
10Sunday morning, only one minute after opening time. For unknown reasons, the store was covered in cold air. 
11 
12“L-Let me check the condition of the air-conditioning……” 
13 
14Seized with fear, Maou planned to sneak away from the scene, but the source of the snowstorm did not allow him to do so. 
15 
16“A superior who uses an old friend as an excuse to slack off is irritating, isn’t that right, Maou?” 
17 
18“Maa-kun, I was the one who set the temperature of the air-conditioning today. So there are no problems.” 
19 
20Having been named, Maou had no choice but to freeze on the spot in a strange position to retract his stretched out foot. 
21 
22In the place where he returned to, the area manager of the Sentucky Fried Chicken West Shibuya Region, Tanaka Himeko, was showing a sharp smile resembling that of an ancient dragon which was looking forward to conquering the land, while the shop manager of the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station, Kisaki Mayumi, had a stern expression on her face, just like the Great Spirit born from the snowstorms, according to the legends told by the people from the polar regions. 
23 
24One week had passed since the night when Maou was thrown in between the meeting of the two people who could not get along at all because of their history and a lady who controlled the two of them from the shadows. 
25 
26Just as Kisaki returned to the frontlines after her reflection period and everyone thought that this period of memory could be relegated to the past, the disaster descended once more. 
27 
28“Maou, didn’t the conversation from earlier end when we were just having fun? In truth, how is it like working under Mayumi?” 
29 
30“H-How is it like, erhm……” 
31 
32“Maa-kun, if there is something you’re unhappy about, just say it directly. This is also for the sake of the store.” 
33 
34“Ah, uh, erhm……” 
35 
36Just as Maou was troubled on how to answer such a vague question, Kisaki said this with a smile. 
37 
38Maou felt that he finally knew what a forced interview meant. 
39 
40“Actually, I am looking for subordinates who have a strong strength of character. I heard that there is someone in this store who wants to become a permanent employee?” 
41 
42Feeling the existence of an absolute god controlling the ancient dragon and the Great Spirit from the polar region with lines of destiny on some far side of the morning light, Maou was starting to get a headache. 
43 
44“Hey, Mayumi. Do you know anyone who is still actively trying to become a permanent employee in the food and beverage industry in this day and age, and also has a strong strength of character?” 
45 
46“Uh, do you know this kind of person, Maa-kun? It seems like I have no one I can use in my circle of friends.” 
47 
48“Sigh~ if I am able to find such talent right now, I would definitely train him well so he would become a permanent employee immediately.” 
49 
50“Oh my, your responsibilities have become really heavy after becoming area manager. I only have people I trust around me, so I unfortunately cannot empathise with you at all.” 
51 
52Someone come quickly, it doesn’t matter if it’s other customers, anyone will do! Within his rapidly weakening heart, Maou prayed to the absolute god. 
53 
54However, perhaps they were intimidated by the fighting spirits of the ancient deities which could be felt even from outside the store, there were no signs of customers entering the store. 
55 
56Discovering that fate was not on his side, Maou could only rely on his pride as the Demon King. 
57 
58“Erhm, Manager Tanaka. If the two of you do not mind, can I be allowed to attend the networking event?” 
59 
60““Hmm?”” 
61 
62The two of them frowned at the frail voice which the King of Demons had squeezed out with all his might. 
63 
64“As someone who wishes to become a permanent employee in this world, I have learned many things from Manager Tanaka in the earlier gathering. If I can receive guidance from the two of you, please allow me to attend!” 
65 
66While emphasizing the term ‘two of you’, he finished this sentence with gusto. 
67 
68After that, Himeko intentionally hummed in approval, and Kisaki showed a rather calm smile. 
69 
70“Hmm, that is true, we have a duty to guide the lagging people in this industry.” 
71 
72“Yeah, probably. Sigh, we shouldn’t say such unnecessary things.” 
73 
74Between Kisaki and Himeko, there were child-like feelings of resistance because of their absolute incompatibility with each other. 
75 
76Therefore, as long as the two of them attended together, Kisaki would have no scruples about taking action as Maou’s superior, and Himeko would be unable to use overly forceful methods as well. 
77 
78“Mayumi, you have to cherish this guy well. Sigh, such a waste. This kind of person is actually staying under Mayumi!” 
79 
80“You don’t have to remind me. I consider myself very lucky that Sentucky opened in this area only after Maa-kun came to this store.” 
81 
82This should be considered a draw. 
83 
84After Maou made this judgement, the automatic door opened. The long awaited second group of customers for today finally arrived. 
85 
86Maou took the chance to step forward to serve the customer, Kisaki and Himeko also watched him leave without saying anything. 
87 
88After that, the two of them seemed to have spoken a bit and Kisaki left Himeko’s table in a peaceful manner to return to work. 
89 
90An hour passed by. 
91 
92“Morning everyone!” 
93 
94Chiho, who came to work at eight am–– 
95 
96“My heart which had turned chaotic because of my deep longing for you, after the purification of dawn, my love for you has deepened ehhhh?” 
97 
98And Sariel, who came to find Kisaki to buy breakfast while reciting a poem, froze after seeing Himeko sitting at a table near the entrance. 
99 
100“Hello, sorry for disturbing.” 
101 
102Himeko, who seemed to remember Chiho, waved at her with a smile, then immediately looked at Sariel. 
103 
104“Sarue, it seems like you really love MgRonalds huh.” 
105 
106“Eh, Ma-Manager Tanaka…… why……” 
107 
108“Am I not allowed to eat breakfast here?” 
109 
110Himeko stood up while smiling, and after returning the tray properly, she grabbed the neck of the frozen Sariel. 
111 
112“This is irritating. Why is Mayumi like this, and I only have this kind of guy?” 
113 
114After Himeko turned towards the frozen Sariel and Maou behind the counter in turn, she sighed deeply. 
115 
116“Sorry for the disturbance. Help me tell the shop manager that I will reeducate this guy properly.” 
117 
118“A-Alright……” 
119 
120“Ah, how can this be!? At least allow me to lay my eyes on the new figure of my goddess today…… ugh!” 
121 
122As both Kisaki and Maou were not nearby, after Himeko asked Chiho to pass the message, she dragged Sariel, who was crying manly tears, out of the store, and as the two of them left the store, Chiho could only stare after them, feeling stunned. 
123 
124 
125 	  
126Short Story 1: The Hero and the High School Girl, Becoming Friends 
127 
128Inside the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station, which did not have many customers, Sasaki Chiho had a gloomy expression on her face. 
129 
130Even so, shop manager Kisaki Mayumi did not chide her, because not knowing why business had become so poor, Kisaki’s expression was equally gloomy. 
131 
132Yes. Kisaki did not know what had just happened in the place just a few minutes walk from this store. 
133 
134“Hey, Chi-chan.” 
135 
136At this moment, Maou Sadao, Chiho’s senior at work, spoke to her, and the latter jumped a little, instantly worrying if her thoughts were seen through. 
137 
138She looked towards Maou’s face nervously, but Maou did not seem to notice this, and displaying more anxiety than Chiho, he asked, 
139 
140“If I use my power, erhm, I can erase those unhappy memo…..” 
141 
142When she heard this, Chiho suddenly felt a flare of anger. 
143 
144She felt her face and ears burn, and her feelings boiled. 
145 
146These seemed to show on her face, and because Maou also felt this dangerous aura–– 
147 
148“...ries……?” 
149 
150His tone weakened gradually. 
151 
152The corners of Chiho’s mouth were shaking. 
153 
154Having experienced a very special day, Chiho’s heart was in chaos too. 
155 
156What did Maou-san mean by unhappy memories? 
157 
158Is it my misunderstanding of the relationship between Maou-san and that older girl? 
159 
160Maou-san and Ashiya-san are actually monsters? 
161 
162Or is it…… 
163 
164“I don’t want that!” 
165 
166“Eh?” 
167 
168When she came to her senses, she had answered thus. 
169 
170Thinking about it rationally, the amount of unhappy memories was too numerous to count. 
171 
172Encountering scary things. Experiencing bitter things. 
173 
174Many irrational things happened one after another, causing the number of things she wanted to ask and wanted to know to pile up like a mountain. 
175 
176Even so. 
177 
178“Maou-san, you idiot!” 
179 
180Chiho shouted angrily, something which she did very rarely in her life. 
181 
182“Ehhhhh?” 
183 
184Maou looked truly confused, but this only frustrated Chiho even more. 
185 
186The calm portion of Chiho’s mind knew it very well. 
187 
188Maou was worried about Chiho’s mental state being negatively affected because she had been dragged into a supernatural incident. 
189 
190Because he was concerned about Chiho – who had witnessed demonic magic, intense battles to the death, and demons – Maou suggested erasing her memory. 
191 
192However, only one thought occupied Chiho’s mind. 
193 
194And with regards to this, Maou had not showed any reaction to it at all. 
195 
196After that, until Chiho got off work, Maou and Chiho did not talk at all. 
197 
198“Thanks for your work today, then, see you next shift.” 
199 
200When Chiho left, she intentionally said this in a business-like manner, and left before Maou could reply. 
201 
202Maou had looked confused until the end. 
203 
204He probably did not know why Chiho was angry. 
205 
206“Maou-san…… that idiot.” 
207 
208Walking on Koshu Kaido illuminated by the street lights, Chiho mumbled softly to herself, 
209 
210“I…… had wanted to say it myself.” 
211 
212Covering her face which had turned red because of anger and her feelings that had leaked out, Chiho walked forward with huge steps. 
213 
214Perhaps it was unreasonable to scold Maou only. 
215 
216In fact, he had not said anything to Chiho, the ones who had let it slip were those two people from the foreign world. 
217 
218However, he should have shown some reaction to it. 
219 
220“The criteria we used was ‘people who thought about the Demon King 24 hours a day’.” 
221 
222“Oh~~ You can’t make light of the Demon King after all~~” 
223 
224The words said by the two people from the foreign world echoed in her mind. 
225 
226What Chiho wanted erased was not the memories, amongst those unreal incidents which had occurred since morning, Chiho only wanted to erase one fact. 
227 
228“I…… had wanted to express it personally, no matter what……” 
229 
230※ 
231 
232People flying in the air, battling with swords and magic, she had thought such a world only existed in storybooks. 
233 
234Going to school, working, harbouring faint feelings of love for her senior at work, the normal daily life of high school student Sasaki Chiho which could be found anywhere broke down in an instant. 
235 
236The senior at work who Chiho liked the most had said that he was living in a six tatami wooden apartment room in Tokyo, Sasazuka with a friend, however, her senior and that friend were demons from a foreign world. 
237 
238The older salarywoman whom she knew was a Hero from a foreign world. Not only could she pull a sword out of thin air, but she could also fly in the air. 
239It would be fine if it was a battle between demons and the Hero – however – not only did these two work together to fight against other scary people, after the battle ended, they returned to being a MgRonalds employee and a salarywoman like it was a natural thing to do. 
240 
241And they interacted with her in the same way as they did in the past. 
242 
243Chiho did not dislike it. She honestly felt a little afraid when they were fighting, but after the battle ended, she also felt excited about encountering a truth she had not known about before. 
244 
245Even if she did not know why everyone else besides her had no impression of what had happened at that time, after knowing the truth about these people, Chiho was unable to act like it had never happened. 
246 
247She had no idea how to get along with them, and was unable to freely interact with them like how she did before this. 
248 
249Because she was unable to do this, the distance between them grew. She started to grow distant from the other party. 
250 
251But–– 
252 
253 
254 
255––As the distance grew, it still felt painful after all. 
256 
257※ 
258 
259“……I can’t do it after all.” 
260 
261Turning around before reaching the destination, how many times has it been today? 
262 
263A five minutes’ walk away from the Keio line, Sasazuka Station, Chiho turned back when she was in front of the wooden apartment Villa Rosa Sasazuka and planned to walk on the path she had come from. 
264 
265The young girl stopped before taking a step, and sighed deeply. 
266 
267No matter what, she could not muster up her courage to go up the stairs of the apartment. 
268 
269“Maou-san is resting today, suddenly coming over and disturbing him, I’ll really feel bad about it.” 
270 
271Since the day of the battle, the number of times she met up with Maou had decreased greatly. 
272 
273According to the original work shift schedule, the two of them would not meet each other much within a single week, but this unavoidable reason was only half of the issue. 
274 
275The remaining half was because Chiho was avoiding Maou. 
276 
277It was not as if she really had no time at all, but Chiho still used guiding the new members of her club and midterms as reasons to take one whole week of leave during the preferential work shift selection stage which happened twice a month. 
278 
279For the remaining shifts, to decrease the chances of meeting up with Maou as much as possible, she chose Saturday, which Maou rarely chose. In addition, on the days Maou started work at opening time and ended at eight pm, she had chosen the seven pm to ten pm shift. 
280 
281Once she heard that it had something to do with school, shop manager Kisaki approved of the leave without any fuss, but she was a perceptive person. 
282 
283Many signs had given her the impression that Chiho was avoiding Maou. 
284 
285Kisaki even–– 
286 
287“I don’t know what has happened, but if you feel that you cannot solve it on your own, you can discuss it with me as much as you like.” 
288 
289––told Chiho this before. 
290This matter was beyond Chiho’s ability to handle. 
291 
292However, different from before, this was definitely not a trouble which could be solved just by discussing it with someone. 
293 
294“Uuuu……” 
295 
296After Chiho groaned, she prepared to return. 
297 
298However, when she walked to the place where she could see the apartment roof from afar, Chiho’s steps slowed down again. 
299 
300“What am I doing?” 
301 
302Chiho asked herself this. 
303 
304At the start, she had wanted to apologise for her bad attitude. 
305 
306But more importantly, she wanted to express her feelings to Maou properly. 
307 
308“I…… like Maou-san……” 
309 
310However, when she reached the public stairs of the apartment, Chiho discovered a problem. 
311 
312That would be the true identity of ‘Maou Sadao’. 
313 
314If everything she had seen earlier was real, then the huge abnormal appearance which did not appear human at all was the true identity of ‘Maou Sadao’. 
315 
316Did that mean that the kind and dependable senior at work whom she likes was actually fake? 
317 
318If the figure who was supporting Shuto Expressway as it came close to collapsing was the true form of Maou, then how should she act around ‘Maou Sadao’, who was currently staying in that apartment room? 
319 
320As she thought to this point, Chiho wanted to run away to the road which she had walked back and forth on many times so far. 
321 
322After the foreign dimension battle which took place at the Shuto Expressway ended, her heart had become numb and she was able to accept everything. 
323 
324Even so, as time passed, Chiho became more and more clueless about how she was supposed to face Maou. 
325 
326She wanted to believe in the person she liked. 
327 
328She wanted to be the person to say that she liked the other party. 
329 
330But what if the person she liked was different from what she imagined? 
331 
332Was the one living in that apartment really the person I liked before? 
333 
334As Chiho sprinted through the streets and arrived at the scene of that battle, which no longer bore any traces of it, the area below the viaduct bridge at Sasazuka Station–– 
335 
336“Ah, s-sorry……” 
337 
338“S-Sorry.” 
339 
340She bumped into someone again. 
341 
342Thinking about it carefully, on that day, because she was running away with all her might from a misunderstanding, she had bumped into that scary person, then was involved in that battle. 
343 
344That memory instantaneously surfaced in Chiho’s mind, but she had bumped into a lady this time, and it was someone she had become acquainted with recently…… 
345“Ah.” 
346 
347“Eh? You’re……” 
348 
349The other party recognised Chiho immediately as well. 
350 
351Chiho hesitated, thinking how she should address that lady with beautiful long hair, eyes which showed a determined will, and left her with a deep impression. 
352 
353“Yusa…… san.” 
354 
355“Chiho-chan. It’s been a long time…… but it doesn’t seem to be that long either.” 
356 
357Yusa Emi. 
358 
359Just like Maou, she was not from any part of this Earth, but came from a foreign world, a lady known as the Hero. 
360 
361In addition–– 
362 
363“Alberto-san, Emerada-san……” 
364 
365––standing behind Yusa Emi, the man whose build resembled that of a foreign athlete was Alberto. The lady whose stature was smaller than Chiho was Emerada. 
366 
367The two of them seemed to be Emi’s ‘travel companions’. 
368 
369Alberto’s appearance was not that different compared to the last time they had met. However, Emerada, who had been originally dressed like a sorceress from a fantasy world, was currently dressed in an attire which did not stand out too much in the streets of Japan. 
370 
371Not considering Emerada, with Alberto’s hammer-thrower-like stature, it would be rather difficult to find clothes for him. 
372 
373“Are you going to look for Maou-san?” 
374 
375Chiho asked this immediately. 
376 
377In their world, Emi and the two people behind her were companions who travelled together for the sake of fighting Maou. 
378 
379Did they come this time so that the Hero and Demon King could have a showdown? 
380 
381She had run here because she was still troubled about how to face Maou, but once Chiho saw these people who were Maou’s enemies, she grew wary. 
382 
383Next, for unknown reasons, the two people behind Emi looked at each other as if they felt surprised about something. 
384 
385“Miss, do you still remember us?” 
386 
387“Eh?” 
388 
389The large man––Alberto’s question, caused Chiho to feel surprised as well as unhappy. 
390 
391Even if she wanted to, she could not forget. 
392 
393After all, Chiho was only this troubled now because of Alberto’s careless words. 
394 
395“This is~~ really unexpected~~” 
396 
397For unknown reasons, Emerada seemed to have gotten a shock too. 
398 
399It had been less than two weeks since that battle which caused the explosion of Sasazuka Station and the collapse of the Shuto Expressway. 
400 
401And that incident should be considered something which could not be forgotten for the rest of one’s life. 
402Compared to the surprised Alberto and Emerada, Emi nodded as if she had understood. 
403 
404“See, I was correct, wasn’t I? She would definitely remember us.” 
405 
406“Even Yusa-san is like this…… what are all of you talking about?” 
407 
408Wasn’t it Emi who had told Chiho about the true identities of Maou and the others in the first place? 
409 
410As if to answer Chiho’s question, Emi looked at Chiho in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry for saying strange things. We had planned to look for Maou…… no, in front of Chiho-chan, please allow me to use ‘Demon King’ when referring to that guy, we did plan to check out the Demon King’s situation today. However, we also plan to go the MgRonalds at Hatagaya after that. Chiho-chan, this is to check on your situation.” 
411 
412“Eh?” 
413 
414“It is to confirm whether you still remember us or not…… remember what happened that day, and if the Demon King did anything strange to you.” 
415 
416“Em and I both thought that you would have definitely forgotten about us. Or more like––” 
417 
418“––Was already forced to forget about us~~” 
419 
420Alberto’s and Emerada’s words touched the uneasiness in Chiho’s heart. 
421 
422“Erhm…… are you referring to becoming like the people in town…… unable to remember what had happened at that time at all?” 
423 
424After Chiho said this quietly––   
425 
426“……You noticed after all?” 
427 
428Emi nodded with a heavy expression. 
429 
430“How can I not notice? Other than Maou-san, no one had mentioned anything about it at all, even the television, newspapers, and internet did not mention anything about what happened that time. I vaguely sensed that Maou-san and Yusa-san used something like magic. And……” 
431 
432“Chi, Chiho-chan?” 
433 
434“H-Hey, Miss?” 
435 
436“E-Erhm~~?” 
437 
438Emi, Alberto and Emerada, who had been listening to Chiho, started to panic in their own ways. 
439 
440“Ma, Maou-san, did ask me, if I wanted, my memories erased. I don’t even have, any memories, which I hated……” 
441 
442Her lips were shaking, her temples were heating up as if she was having a fever. 
443 
444Tears were pouring out from her eyes. 
445 
446“That idiot……” 
447 
448Seeing Chiho like this, Emi mumbled in irritation. 
449 
450“I don’t understand what demons are…… or about different worlds at all…… but towards Maou-san, I still…… but, I really don’t know…… what to do…… uwah!” 
451 
452Emi hugged Chiho lightly, who was crying so much that even the people walking by could not help but look back. 
453 
454“Sorry, for causing you so much chaos.” 
455“……” 
456 
457“If you don’t mind, we can tell you everything you want to know, so, we’re sorry.” 
458 
459“……Yusa…… san…… uwahhhh!” 
460 
461As if she was releasing all the chaos and anxiety which had been bottled up in her heart so far, Chiho collapsed into Emi’s arms while crying. 
462 
463Alberto, who had been observing the two of them from behind––   
464 
465“……Erhm…… how should I interpret this? Maou, refers to the Demon King, right? In other words, she……” 
466 
467Alberto scratched his head and turned towards Emerada to ask this, but the latter glared at him with a cold sideways gaze. 
468 
469“Saying such things in front of the person herself~~ not knowing the meaning of being considerate~~ you probably won’t understand it~~” 
470 
471What Emerada was referring to were the careless words spoken by Alberto in the six tatami Demon Fortress. 
472 
473Alberto and Emerada had come to Japan to search for the missing Emi. 
474 
475To pinpoint Emi’s location, they used the telekinesis spell ‘Idea Link’ to try and obtain communication using the conditions ‘people who thought about the Demon King all day’. 
476 
477However, Chiho, being the one who thought about ‘Demon King=Maou’ more intensely, she was more receptive to their Idea Link than Emi, and Alberto had said this in Maou’s presence. 
478 
479From Chiho’s point of view, this was a huge incident where her hidden feelings were suddenly exposed by a stranger. 
480 
481“Hey, don’t make it sound so bad…… then again, weren’t you very enthusiastic at that time too?” 
482 
483Alberto seemed to be aware of this. 
484 
485However, his explanation of thinking that he was not the only one at fault only caused Emerada to roll her eyes in response. 
486 
487“I’m a girl~~ so it’s fine~~” 
488 
489“Does the definition of being considerate differ between male and female? And you’re already past the age to be called a ‘girl’, aughh!” 
490 
491The impact of Emerada’s kick penetrated through Alberto’s thick leather trousers to his shin, causing the latter to writhe in pain. 
492 
493Immediately after that, from an angle unseen by the people around her, Emerada placed the edge of her hand against Alberto’s throat, then her palm started to glow because of a strange power. 
494 
495Contrary to her calm tone, her eyes, illuminated by the light from below, did not contain any traces of a smile. 
496 
497“Die~~” 
498 
499“W-Wait, it, it’s my bad! Sorry!” 
500 
501“What are they doing……” 
502 
503Emi, who was hugging Chiho, turned back to the commotion happening behind her, feeling stunned by the scene. 
504 
505“We were planning to eat lunch anyway, so why don’t we bring Chiho-chan along and find a place where we can chat properly?” 
506 
507“……What are we talking about~~?” 
508 
509Watching Chiho, who was still crying, Emerada asked this in surprise. 
510 
511As for Alberto, he was rubbing his shin with tears in his eyes. 
512With a serious expression on her face, Emi said, “Everything, all of it. Things about us, about the Demon King, and Ente Isla.” 
513 
514※ 
515 
516“Yusa-san, the things you were saying about being people from a foreign world, were those lies?” 
517 
518“Why are you saying this so suddenly?” 
519 
520Chiho’s sudden question caused Emi to ask this in confusion. 
521 
522“Because……” 
523 
524Chiho had followed Emi while harbouring a sense of anticipation and unease. 
525 
526Things about the foreign world. About Emi, about Alberto and Emerada, about the two people who kidnapped her, about Ashiya, and about Maou. 
527 
528Because she heard that she could know about the truth behind these things, she went with Emi and the others with a tense expression on her face, but in the end, she was brought into––   
529 
530“Why did you choose a revolving sushi store!?” 
531 
532Within the seating compartment filled with the smell of vinegar rice and seafood, Chiho asked this while rubbing her eyes which were swollen from the crying. 
533 
534“You don’t like to eat sushi?” 
535 
536“It’s not like that……” 
537 
538This should not be an issue of liking sushi or not. 
539 
540“Table 5, two bowls of clam soup!” 
541 
542“The customer at Table 17 wants the bill!” 
543 
544“Thank you for your patronage! Uh, 19 coloured plates, 3 gold plates……” 
545 
546The business within the store was flourishing and most of the seats were filled. The empty tables were filled up quickly with new customers too. 
547 
548The shouts of the employees were very lively as well, whether it was the atmosphere or environment, it did not feel suitable as a place to talk quietly. 
549 
550Especially for a ‘Hero from another world’, actually choosing a revolving sushi store as the place to discuss secret things, how was one supposed to react? 
551 
552“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for this meal.” 
553 
554“I’m not worried about that! And, I’ll pay for whatever I eat!” 
555 
556“Eh~~!” 
557 
558For unknown reasons, after Chiho said this, Emerada shouted in surprise. 
559 
560“R-Really~~?” 
561 
562“W-What’s wrong?” 
563 
564Seeing that the other party was not looking down on her, but feeling truly surprised, Chiho could not help but feel insecure. 
565 
566“Sushi is a dish made from raw fish, right~~?” 
567“T-That is correct……” 
568 
569Never viewing sushi from this angle before, Chiho replied, feeling astonished. 
570 
571“That’s high class cuisine~~ I know you are wary of us~~ but it’s still better to allow Emilia to pay for it~~” 
572 
573“Eh, but, this is a 100 yen……” 
574 
575Chiho could not help but point towards the menu set up next to the seats. 
576 
577‘Revolving Sushi Gyogyoen’ was considered a low priced revolving sushi chain store. Basically, most of their sushi dishes only cost 100 yen per plate (tax not included). 
578 
579This price did not apply to seasonal or premium ingredients, as well as miso soup and other ala carte items, however, no matter how Chiho forced herself, she would only be able to eat up to 1000 yen at most. 
580 
581“Em, calm down. In this place, the four of us will be thoroughly fed at the cost of one silver Airean coin at most.” 
582 
583“Oh! Really?” 
584 
585Emi’s words caused Alberto to let out a cheer. 
586 
587“Ehh~~? That impossible~~! Something like raw fish~~ even I who live in the palace~~ have only seen it a few times during my travels~~” 
588 
589“Relax, anyway Chiho-chan, Em, Alber, just sit down first and drink some tea.” 
590 
591With practiced movements, Emi poured the green tea powder into the plastic cups, poured in the hot water from the tap and passed the cups to the trio. 
592 
593“The drinking water and tea is free here, that’s amazing, isn’t it?” 
594 
595Alberto drank the tea cautiously. 
596 
597Seeing the three of them like this, Chiho felt that this situation was getting stranger and stranger. 
598 
599She did not know why they had come to a revolving sushi store to discuss the mysterious topic of a foreign world, but it felt that she had already witnessed a filming location for a show showing foreigners feeling surprised about Japanese culture. 
600 
601“Then, about why I choose a revolving sushi store––” 
602 
603After confirming that everyone had received their tea, wet tissues, disposable chopsticks, and plates containing soy sauce, Emi finally answered Chiho, “Not only are the surroundings noisy, the compartments here are spacious and there is a certain distance between the neighbouring seats. As the customers are focused on what to eat next, they will not focus on the conversations of the other customers next to or opposite them, so it’s still rather suitable for confidential conversations. More unexpectedly, the field of view here is wide, so eavesdroppers can be detected immediately.” 
604 
605“……Is that so?” 
606 
607Chiho could not help but look around her. 
608 
609She had not taken notice before, but unless she was sitting at the counter, she could not hear what the customers at the neighbouring table were saying even if she strained her ears to listen. 
610 
611The gazes of all the customers were either focused on the belt transporting the sushi or the touchscreen tablets used for ordering, no one was paying attention to what was happening at the other tables. 
612 
613In addition, she also noticed that this was a shopping district close to the city, so there were a few foreign customers. This meant that Alberto and Emerada would not stand out that much. 
614 
615“Everyone, let’s eat something first. The difficult questions can wait until the brain has replenished its energy.” 
616 
617Noticing that Chiho was gradually accepting the situation although she still found it difficult to comprehend, Emi clapped her hands and acted first, taking a plate of sushi from the belt. 
618 
619Taking the Japanese Halfbeak fish at the start, their tastes were really unique. 
620 
621“You take the dishes you want from the turning conveyer belt and stack the plates on the table once you’re done eating. Finally, the bill is tallied by the type and number of plates.” 
622 
623Of course, this was an explanation targeted at Emerada and Alberto. 
624 
625By the way, with regards to the seating arrangement, Emi and Emerada were sitting on the side closer the belt, facing each other, while Chiho and Alberto were sitting closer to the outside, also facing each other. 
626 
627“I’m still not really used to this taste~~ but is this really fish~~?” 
628 
629Emerada looked at the various types of sushi moving on the belt in curiosity. 
630 
631“That’s right. Slicing raw fish into this shape, then placing them on top the vinegar rice which is shaped like rice sacks.” 
632 
633“What are those things which look like sliced black logs?” 
634 
635Alberto pointed towards the cucumber sushi rolls which happened to pass by. 
636 
637“That’s a nori roll. The black thing outside is called nori…… it’s a food item which is processed from seaweed. It’s fine to eat it together with the rice.” 
638 
639“Wow, wow, wow~~! Is that a boat? It’s transporting fish eggs on top~~!” 
640 
641“Ah, that’s called Gunkan sushi. Fish roe known as Ikura are placed on top. It’s delicious.” 
642(TL Note: Gunkan means military ship. Ikura refers to salmon roe.) 
643 
644“Gunkan?” 
645 
646“That’s right. From the side, the shape looks like a military ship, right? That’s why it was named this way.” 
647 
648“Oh~~! How exquisite~~! Now that you mentioned it~~ that green gourd type slice~~ does look a little bit like a sail~~” 
649 
650With sparkling eyes, Emerada stared at the cucumber slice on top of the Gunkan fish roe sushi. 
651 
652How were they supposed to discuss serious topics after this? With a cold gaze, Chiho stared at the three people who got excited on their own and left her behind. 
653 
654And were Alberto and Emerada able to use chopsticks? Not considering raw fish slices, did they dare to eat wasabi? 
655 
656Ignoring these questions from a Japanese person observing foreigners eat sushi for the first time––   
657 
658“Sigh, some things have to be tried to know what they’re like. Emilia, just choose something for us.” 
659 
660Alberto gestured towards the conveyer belt. 
661 
662“No matter how much I look at them, I don’t think these things are fish. That red thing looked like raw meat.” 
663 
664“Ah, you’re talking about belly meat? Do you want to try?” 
665 
666In the direction Alberto gestured towards with his chin, a plate of tuna belly happened to turn towards them. 
667 
668Premium ingredients such as belly meat and snow crab could be eaten at low prices here, but unlike other plates which had two pieces of sushi, the plates for this type of sushi only contained one each. 
669 
670The white strands of fat which appeared to be delicious spread out beautifully on the red meat, this outer appearance did look very similar to raw meat. 
671 
672Emi took the plate of belly meat and placed it in front of Alberto. 
673Emerada observed Emi’s every movement seriously. 
674 
675“Hm…… it does look like raw meat after all…… can this really be eaten directly?” 
676 
677The large sized Alberto was staring at the small belly meat sushi in front of him with a stern expression, this scene was rather amusing. 
678 
679“Don’t worry. Here, this is soy sauce…… a special sauce from Japan…… dip the sushi in it and give it a try. You can eat sushi using your hands.” 
680 
681“O-Okay……” 
682 
683Within the corner of Chiho’s mind, a random thought ‘so they don’t know how to use chopsticks after all’ surfaced. 
684 
685With a stern expression, Alberto picked up the belly meat sushi and dipped it in the sauce in a manner which could only be described as ‘nervous’. 
686 
687It was the ingredient and not the rice which should be dipped in the soy sauce. Chiho remembered this knowledge which she had heard somewhere before, but if she mentioned it now, it would only cause them more chaos. 
688 
689Alberto slowly raised the belly meat sushi, and making up his mind, he stuffed it into his mouth in one go. 
690 
691He frowned in confusion because of the foreign texture, but he still chewed slowly. 
692 
693Then he reacted strongly. 
694 
695He widened his eyes with force as if he had realised something very important. 
696 
697At this instant, Chiho noticed that Emerada, who was leaning forward beside her, jump up with fright. 
698 
699It was only one piece of sushi, these two were really too tense. 
700 
701After a while, Alberto’s chewing speed suddenly increased, and his gaze started to wander––   
702 
703“Ugh!” 
704 
705––after that, he pinched his nose and showed a stony face for unknown reasons. 
706 
707Chiho and Emi immediately knew what had happened, but Emerada, unfamiliar with sushi––   
708 
709“D-Did he eat something bad~~?” 
710 
711Looked completely worried. 
712 
713However, Alberto only frowned for a short moment. 
714 
715He immediately regained his calm and continued to chew, swallowing the food in his mouth. 
716 
717“…………Fu.” 
718 
719Maintaining his tense expression of widened eyes, Alberto pressed his hand against his face. 
720 
721Because he was too nervous, there was even sweat on his brows. 
722 
723“A-Are you alright~~?” 
724 
725Emerada asked with worry, but for unknown reasons, Alberto did not reply. Instead, with a serious expression, he asked Chiho, who was sitting in front of him, a question. 
726 
727“Miss……” 
728 
729“Y-Yes?” 
730“……This….. is really fish?” 
731 
732“Eh?” 
733 
734Alberto was truly trembling. 
735 
736“It’s raw, yet there’s no fishy taste at all…… no, it even tastes sweet.” 
737 
738“It, it’s sweet~~?” 
739 
740“Y-Yeah, but it’s not like the sweetness of sugar, how should I say this, I don’t know if it’s the sweetness of the meat…… or the sweetness of the fat, but after combining with this sauce and grain, it feels as if all the tastes have concentrated in the mouth…… yeah, this is delicious.” 
741 
742The terms used did not seem to be appropriate for sushi, and it seemed like he was talking to himself near the end, but Chiho still understood that Alberto wanted to emphasise that the belly meat was very delicious. 
743 
744“W-What is going on~~?” 
745 
746“Uh, erhm, no, Em, you have a try too, you won’t understand it without trying it first. Until now, I still find it difficult to believe that this is fish. This is a totally different kind of food when compared to the grilled or salted things which we have ate thus far……” 
747 
748As Alberto was in the middle of speaking, he naturally grabbed his head and slumped on the table. 
749 
750“Al, Alberto-san?” 
751 
752“How nostalgic. When I ate sushi for the first time, that was my reaction too.” 
753 
754Chiho was flustered because of Alberto’s exaggerated reaction while Emi showed a nostalgic gaze filled with understanding. 
755 
756“Uuuu…… but~~ didn’t you groan in the middle~~? There’s a fishy taste after all, right……” 
757 
758Alberto advised Emerada to eat as well, but she seemed to be unable to overcome her worries because of Alberto’s vague descriptions. 
759 
760The ‘groan’ Emerada mentioned was probably the action of Alberto pinching his nose. 
761 
762Any Japanese would know that that was the rush brought about by fresh ‘wasabi’, and Chiho troubled over whether she should reveal this fact. 
763 
764But…… what is wasabi? 
765 
766Grinding the roots of a crude looking green plant into paste, making it into a green mash which includes a special blend of spiciness, sweetness, and a smell pungent to the nose, this is wasabi sauce. However, if the other party does not know of its existence or concept, how can its meaning, taste, and significance of its existence be explained? 
767 
768If they explained directly without thinking it through, it felt like they would just mention terms which made others think of a poison, this troubled Chiho greatly. 
769 
770Emi had picked up a small packet of wasabi which was placed there as a refill, but she seemed to be thinking of the same things as Chiho, so she ended up putting it down quietly. 
771 
772Then––   
773 
774“Since it’s like that, why don’t you try the fish roe one just now? It’s coming over now, and it doesn’t have that ‘thing’ which caused Alber to groan, so it will be easier to eat.” 
775 
776As Alberto was expressing his impactful monologue, the conveyer belt had gone almost one full round and the Gunkan fish roe sushi Emerada had noticed first was turning towards them once more. 
777 
778“If it’s fish roe, you should have eaten it before, right?” 
779“Y-Yeah…… but~~I have only eaten fish roes which have been simmered in fish sauce and salt~~” 
780 
781“If you do not dare to eat it, I will help you to finish.” 
782 
783“Uu, uuuu~~” 
784 
785With a lifeless expression, Emerada stared at the approaching red Ikura Gunkan sushi. 
786 
787“Didn’t Alber say that some things have to be tried to know what they’re like?” 
788 
789“I-I understand~~ okay!” 
790 
791For taking a plate of Ikura, it was really too energetic. 
792 
793Even if it was placed in front of her, Emerada still hesitated for a long time before she held the Gunkan sushi with a force which would not break the nori and stuffed the whole Ikura Gunkan sushi into her small mouth. Then after one bite, her eyes widened. 
794 
795Afterwards––   
796 
797The serious conversation from the humans from a foreign world, it did not start even after two hours. 
798 
799“……Sixty five.” 
800 
801Chiho mumbled to herself after counting the plates on the table. 
802 
803Of course, this was the total amount of sushi plates eaten by four people. 
804 
805“Em, I want to live in this country.” 
806 
807“Hm~~ I don’t want to go back as well……” 
808 
809It could be understandable for the burly sized Alberto, but Emerada, who was even more petite compared to Chiho, was eating the sushi with so much vigour that it made people wonder how such a small body was able to contain so much volume. 
810 
811Amongst the sixty five plates, Chiho had only eaten six plates because someone else was paying for it and she also had other concerns. For Emi, who had eaten ten plates, she was considered to have a sizable appetite for a lady, but when considering the remaining plates which were split equally between Emerada and Alberto, this was still within the margin of error. 
812 
813“It doesn’t seem appropriate to ask this after finishing, but after eating so many delicious things, does it really only cost one silver Airean coin?” 
814 
815Alberto asked this while drinking tea. 
816 
817“It’s probably, two coins.” 
818 
819Emi, who had not expected them to eat this much, replied with a wry smile. 
820 
821“‘100 yen sushi’ is amazing~~” 
822 
823Next to Chiho, Emerada was showing a blissful expression and leaning back against the chair. 
824 
825“This is the first time I have eaten delicious cakes which are so smooth~~ yet aren’t too sweet~~ I can no longer accept those cakes in the castle that have a sugary taste~~” 
826 
827Other than sushi, Emerada also ate á la carte items like french fries and karaage, as well as chawamushi and miso soup – even adding on dessert at the end. 
828 
829She seemed to especially like the chocolate cake a lot and ate three by herself. 
830 
831“The price of that cake is actually equivalent to five bronze Weiss coins~~ I still find that a little difficult to believe~~ if I were to eat this kind of cake in Saint Aire~~ I wonder how much it would cost~~ I would say that whether it can even be found is an uncertainty……” 
832Emerada may have high praise for it, but to Chiho, the 100 yen cakes in a revolving sushi store were just 100 yen cakes. 
833 
834Remembering that there was a cheap and delicious cake store near her house, Chiho tried to imagine what would happen if she brought Emerada there. 
835 
836Next, Emi asked, “Chiho-chan, have you had your fill?” 
837 
838“……I feel full just watching them eat.” 
839 
840Chiho’s normal appetite was not considered small, but even when not considering this, she still could not match up to Emerada and Alberto. 
841 
842“That’s true.” 
843 
844Emi nodded in agreement while looking at those two, drank a mouthful of tea, then straightened her posture to speak, “Then again, Chiho-chan, this question is a little sudden, but do you think that there are any differences between you and us…… not considering the capacity of the stomach.” 
845 
846“……Eh?” 
847 
848[Image of Chiho with a full Emerada and Alberto] 
849 
850Because this question was really too sudden, Chiho blinked in surprise. 
851 
852“I do remember that we came here to discuss serious topics. Sigh, although we might have eaten a bit too much.” 
853 
854“Haha, sorry about that.” 
855 
856“Because it was too delicious~~” 
857 
858Alberto and Emerada did not show any signs of guilt at all. 
859 
860At this moment, Chiho finally remembered about the things that happened before they started eating sushi. 
861 
862“Em, Alberto, and I are humans, just like you. Sigh, I am half angel, but at least in terms of stomach capacity, these two people are more monstrous.” 
863 
864“O-Oh……” 
865 
866Noticing that Emi seemed to want to talk about serious topics, after Chiho cleansed her mouth with a mouthful of tea, she straightened her sitting posture as well. 
867 
868As for Alberto and Emerada, they maintained their postures of being fully stuffed. 
869 
870“The reason why they were so suspicious of raw fish is mainly because in our world, there are no chances for raw fish to appear on the dinner tables of the common folk. Their logistics and freezing technology are not as developed as Japan, so they normally eat grilled fish which has been smoked or salted. Even so, that is already considered a premium item. It can only be eaten around once a year.” 
871 
872After Chiho finished listening to this, she remembered her father’s childhood home. 
873 
874The childhood home of Chiho’s father was a farmer’s house located in the mountains. During New Year, there would definitely be a dish cooked from a whole Japanese amberjack. 
875 
876It was said that this was a custom passed down from the times when sea fish was still a premium item. 
877 
878“However, we were born in that kind of country. So you would probably understand better if I phrased it this way. We’re from a technologically backward country which Chiho-chan has never heard of and has nothing to do with Japan.” 
879 
880The trio’s Japanese was too fluent for people who have no connections to Japan, but this was not the time for rebukes. 
881 
882“The name of that country, that world……” 
883“‘Continents of the Holy Cross, Ente Isla’. We came to this country by chasing after the Demon King, who committed brutal acts in Ente Isla. And that Demon King is the ‘Maou Sadao’ you know.” 
884 
885At this instant, Chiho felt her stomach become heavy. 
886 
887This was probably not because she was affected by the eating mannerisms of Alberto sitting opposite her, who ate a plate of seafood salad followed by a plate of Gunkan sushi. 
888 
889For unknown reasons, it felt as if Maou’s name had become very distant to her. 
890 
891“Yusa-san…… er, erhm, then again, the name ‘Yusa Emi’……” 
892 
893After she said it, Chiho recalled that this name was not the actual name of the lady in front of her. 
894 
895She had started to stammer––   
896 
897“You can just continue to address me the same way. I still intend to stay in Japan for the time being, so I would feel troubled if someone addressed me as ‘Emilia’ when I meet them outside.” 
898 
899But Emi shrugged after replying this––   
900 
901“Chiho-chan. To a certain extent……. I know what you’re troubling over right now. However, from my standpoint, I am unable to decide if I should solve your troubles for you.” 
902 
903––and spoke with a stern tone. 
904 
905“I came to Sasazuka today partly to check on the Demon King and the others, but most importantly, I want to confirm one thing with Chiho-chan.” 
906 
907“Confirm one thing?” 
908 
909“Yes. You know ours and Maou Sadao’s true identities. And in this Japan, you’re the only one who has not gotten your memories erased by the Demon King.” 
910 
911Chiho sucked in a breath. 
912 
913This fact was one of the cases which had been lingering in Chiho’s heart. 
914 
915Why did Maou treat her, treat her memories differently from others? 
916 
917“After pondering the meaning behind this, I want to explain the reasons why the Demon King and I came to Japan. This will definitely be a painful topic for you. I understand if you do not wish to listen to this.” 
918 
919In an instant, Emi signalled to Emerada and Alberto with her gaze. 
920 
921The two of them were still holding their full stomachs, but their stares were so serious that it was intimidating. 
922 
923“What do you think? Are you willing to listen to our battle with Maou…… with the Demon King, and the reasons behind that guy appearing in our world as the Demon King, me rising up as the Hero, and why we have continued this up to today? I need to emphasise once again that this topic is definitely not easy to absorb. If you don’t want to listen……” 
924 
925Chiho interrupted Emi. 
926 
927“Please tell me.” 
928 
929“……Is that alright?” 
930 
931“I want to know. If the person I know called Maou Sadao…… is real or fake.” 
932 
933Hearing Chiho reply this way, Emerada and Alberto glanced at one another. 
934 
935“What has he done so far, where is he from…… and what kind of person he actually is.” 
936“Sigh, from our standpoint, just seeing that Demon King Satan working in a restaurant and being commanded by humans, we don’t want to admit that this guy is the same person.” 
937 
938“Alber, don’t interrupt so carelessly.” 
939 
940As Alberto frivolously said what Emi intentionally left out and did not mention, Chiho’s expression turned stiff. 
941 
942“Then let me explain in sequence. I have said so many times already, but if you do not want to listen, you can ask me to stop anytime. The topic I am going to talk about next is that heavy.” 
943 
944“I understand.” 
945 
946Chiho nodded determinedly. 
947 
948“……Then, I’m going to start.” 
949 
950Having seemed to have sensed Chiho’s determination, Emi started to speak in a clear tone. 
951 
952“The Demon King led huge numbers of demons and came to Ente Isla, that was seven years ago…… when I was still ten years old.” 
953 
954“Eh? Yusa-san and I are only one year apart?” 
955 
956The truth which was revealed from the contents of what Emi said shocked Chiho, and she interrupted in the beginning. 
957 
958Emi, who had planned to continue speaking, froze with her mouth still open, and she pressed her hand against her forehead. 
959 
960“……I’m not going to inquire which part you feel shocked about for now. With regards to the relation between my current age and job, I will explain in detail later, so please listen to me properly first.” 
961 
962“Ah, s-sorry.” 
963 
964After discovering that her words and the fact she was shocked was equivalent to her thinking that Emi’s appearance was a lot older than her actual age, Chiho immediately reflected on it. 
965 
966“A-Anyway.” 
967 
968Emi cleared her throat and continued. 
969 
970“The whole world had fought against the Demon King Army and lost, and the various countries were conquered one after another, in the end, the day Lucifer’s…… that shorty who kidnapped you…… army came to the village I lived in, I bore the mission to become the Hero to defeat the Demon King. At that time, I was just a girl from a farming family who did not know anything.” 
971 
972Surprisingly to Chiho, her mental state did not change that much after listening to the whole truth. 
973 
974Emi intentionally carried out her explanations without including any emotions. 
975 
976Other than the fact that her father died under the hands of the Demon King, following a chronological order, she tried her best to explain what she had seen and heard during her journey in a simple and concise manner. 
977 
978The war between the humans of the foreign world Ente Isla and the demons. 
979 
980About the Four Kings of the Demon King Army, which included Alsiel, the things about the Demon Generals invading the human world. 
981 
982The Demon King Satan who commanded these demons. 
983 
984The tragic events which she had witnessed during her journey. 
985 
986The counterattack of the human world. 
987 
988The confrontation between the Hero’s party and Demon King Satan and Alsiel in the Demon Fortress, that last battle. 
989 
990As well Emi’s experience of drifting to Japan because of an accident (what she had originally assumed it was). 
991 
992The re-encounter of the Hero and Demon King at Sasazuka…… 
993 
994“Thinking about it calmly~~” Emerada, at the side, said this guiltily, “Perhaps this might not be suitable for an after meal topic~~” 
995 
996Emerada and Alberto were carefully observing Chiho’s expressions from the beginning until the end. 
997 
998They were probably worried that such an intense topic would affect Chiho’s feelings. 
999 
1000However, she had surprisingly accepted all these facts in a more composed manner than they had imagined, and did not receive any huge shocks at all. 
1001 
1002“Are you alright? Did you become depressed because of this?” 
1003 
1004Alberto’s tone was kind, but Chiho shook her head naturally. 
1005 
1006“I’m alright. Thank you for the concern.” 
1007 
1008Chiho took a deep breath with force. 
1009 
1010“Can I ask questions now?” 
1011 
1012“Please go ahead.” 
1013 
1014“Was it only during the final battle at the Demon Fortress that Yusa-san and the others saw Demon King Satan for the first time?” 
1015 
1016“““……?””” 
1017 
1018Emi, Alberto, and Emerada momentarily looked at each other. 
1019 
1020It seemed like this question was not what they had expected. 
1021 
1022Representing the three of them, Emi answered, “No. The earliest we have seen him was when we were liberating the Eastern 
1023Continent of Ente Isla. He appeared at that time to allow Alsiel to retreat, that was when we met for the first time.” 
1024 
1025“Then, the final battle at the Demon Fortress was the second time?” 
1026 
1027“……That’s right.” 
1028 
1029Chiho nodded in understanding. 
1030 
1031The trio were confused by her expression. 
1032 
1033They probably could not guess what Chiho had understood. 
1034 
1035Chiho ignored the three of them, and continued to speak, “Thank you for telling me so many things. Honestly speaking, it doesn’t feel real to me yet, but thinking back on what happened back then, I know Yusa-san and the rest of you are not telling lies.” 
1036 
1037Courage was needed to say things out loud. 
1038 
1039However, with things as they are now, feeling conscious in front of these people was meaningless. 
1040 
1041Chiho suppressed her excited heart, opened her mouth, and spoke, “Lastly, can I ask another question?” 
1042 
1043After looking at the trio in the eyes one after another, Chiho breathed in. 
1044 
1045“Can I…… continue to like Maou-san?” 
1046※ 
1047 
1048“Wowwww~~!” 
1049 
1050Emerada’s eyes shone like a child’s, and she let out a rather embarrassing sound while plastering her face against the display counter. 
1051 
1052Various cakes were displayed within the counter, and when cakes were mentioned in Chiho’s home, this ‘Patissier Tyronn’ store would be the first one they thought of. 
1053 
1054“This––is––so––cute~~!” 
1055 
1056Other than the fixed selection of sliced cakes, chocolate cakes, and Mont-Blanc, many cakes would be changed out every day, offering so many types that it was difficult to believe that this was a privately owned business. 
1057 
1058The store was not large, so it could not display that many types per day, for today, however, it seemed to mostly consist of fruit tarts and chocolate cakes. 
1059 
1060“E-E-Emilia~~ how many of these can I buy~~?” 
1061 
1062“You’re not a child.” 
1063 
1064Alberto criticised Emerada who was being overexcited, but the latter was not bothered by this kind of thing at all. 
1065 
1066“Since the uncle said that he didn’t need any~~ then I can buy his portion too~~” 
1067 
1068“Uncle……” 
1069 
1070“Em, calm down a little. It’s impossible to buy everything, Chiho-chan, are there any flavours you would recommend?” 
1071 
1072Emi asked this, acting like a mother with common sense, but before Chiho could reply, Emerada had already shouted unhappily, 
1073 
1074“Ehhhhhhh~~! Let’s buy everything~~?” 
1075 
1076“My wallet has a limit!” 
1077 
1078“So~~ when I return, I will send many things over~~” 
1079 
1080“If you send me money which cannot be used in Japan or jewels which do not match my identity as a salarywoman, I will only feel troubled.” 
1081 
1082She had heard that contrary to their appearances, Emerada was older than Emi, but after observing the interactions between them, Emi was definitely acting like the older sister. 
1083 
1084Using the opening sentence, ‘This is based on my personal tastes’, Chiho spoke––   
1085 
1086“……Uh, the swiss rolls are definitely not a problem, but there are many kinds of cream filling. In addition, the more interesting one would be the raccoon cakes……” 
1087 
1088And pointed at a few cakes in order. 
1089 
1090“Raccoon~~? Was raccoon meat added in~~?” 
1091 
1092“No. It’s just using chocolate and almond paste to create a raccoon’s appearance. It’s the one placed in that corner……” 
1093 
1094“Ahhh~~! How cuteeeee~~! Emilia~~!” 
1095 
1096“……Alright, alright, then let’s buy that one. There’s still one left. Alber really doesn’t want one?” 
1097 
1098“Yeah. I’ll just give my share to that brat.” 
1099 
1100Alberto had called Emerada a brat in revenge for being called an uncle, but the latter was not bothered at all––   
1101“Uh~~ one more…… hm……” 
1102 
1103––and only stared at the display counter with a serious expression on her face. 
1104 
1105This was the shopping street at Sasazuka 100th Street, and it was evening time. 
1106 
1107The four of them left the revolving sushi store, and under Chiho’s lead, they came to buy cakes as souvenirs. 
1108 
1109It might be rude to the sushi store, but if Emerada thought that Japan’s cakes were only of that standard, it would be troubling as well. 
1110 
1111Because of this, Emerada’s attention had been totally occupied by the different types of cakes. 
1112 
1113“But, I’m very surprised.” 
1114 
1115“You’re referring to?” 
1116 
1117Emi spoke as she watched Emerada’s back. 
1118 
1119“I did not expect you to ask that kind of question, I had thought that once I spoke about the truth, you would no longer want to have anything to do with us. You even brought us to a cake store for Em’s benefit.” 
1120 
1121“If Yusa-san and the others did not give that kind of answer, I would probably not do this.” 
1122 
1123Emi’s eyes widened momentarily in surprise. 
1124 
1125“But, we are unable to give you any other answers?” 
1126 
1127“Because Yusa-san and the rest are like this, I thought that I must introduce delicious cake stores to all of you,” Chiho said enthusiastically. 
1128 
1129※ 
1130 
1131“Can I…… continue liking Maou-san?” 
1132 
1133Faced with Chiho’s question, after hesitating for a while, she replied, “We are unable to sever these feelings from you.” 
1134 
1135Alberto also spoke after Emi, “When Emilia said that she wasn’t going to return and did not plan to kill the Demon King, I was shocked. However, dragging you into our affairs in a one-sided manner, this is also very unfair to you, we also have the leeway to think about this matter. Honestly speaking, if you can forget everything, we would be able to defeat the Demon King without saddening anyone, thus ending everything.” 
1136 
1137“Alber is saying too much again~~” 
1138 
1139Emerada chided Alberto who was too direct in various ways. 
1140 
1141“Of course~~ we are unable to cheer you on~~ if the Demon King does something dangerous~~ rather than Chiho-chan’s feelings~~ we will prioritise the lives and safety of the surrounding people~~” 
1142 
1143“Whether it’s me, Em, or Alber…… we do not like to make our friends cry. Allowing the Demon King to escape to this world is our responsibility, this has nothing to do with you. Therefore, after you have heard us out, heard about everything in Ente Isla, and still like that guy,” In an organised manner, Emi stacked the sushi plates into groups of ten, “then there is no need to be concerned about us. In the future, your feelings will always be decided by you.” 
1144 
1145※ 
1146 
1147“Then~~ we’ll be returning to Ente Isla tomorrow~~” 
1148 
1149“We’ll leave Emilia in your care.” 
1150 
1151The ticketing gate at Sasazuka. 
1152Emerada, who was hugging a huge box with a blissful expression after finally buying lots of cake through pleading with Emi, and Alberto, who was watching this scene with a wry smile, said goodbye to Chiho. 
1153 
1154“This is a good country. Not only is there good food here, there is a lot of money and resources. There are also good people like you, Miss. It would be better for Emilia to leisurely stay here for a while.” 
1155 
1156Emerada turned back to look towards Emi who was staring at the ticketing price chart as she helped Emerada and Alberto buy tickets. 
1157 
1158“This is her first time making ‘friends’ other than us, I feel very happy about this.” 
1159 
1160“Eh?” 
1161 
1162Emerada’s way of speaking suddenly turned normal, giving Chiho a shock. 
1163 
1164“Ignoring the Demon King makes us uneasy, but for unknown reasons, I am strangely able to agree with why the Demon King would decide to preserve your memories.” 
1165 
1166“The reason why Emilia’s expressions have become so cheerful~~ must be because she met Chiho-chan and the Demon King in this country known as Japan~~ we might have said many stern words to you~~ but please continue being good friends with Emilia~~” 
1167 
1168Emerada reverted to her usual self immediately. 
1169 
1170Chiho was unable to perceive the hidden meaning behind these emotional words. 
1171 
1172She may have lied about her age, saying that she was twenty years old for the sake of working in Japan, but Emi’s actual age was seventeen, one year apart from Chiho. 
1173 
1174A seventeen year old girl being forced to carry the fate of the whole world on her shoulders, fighting across different worlds. With nothing but these facts, Chiho could sense the weakness of the human world of Ente Isla, who had no choice but to make a young girl carry this destiny alone. 
1175 
1176Emerada, noticing that Chiho did not react much, did not say any more. She smiled thinly and, after getting rid of her stern expression, she moved her face closer to Chiho. 
1177 
1178“And~~ it seems like even if you do not worry so much~~ there won’t be much problems~~?” 
1179 
1180“Emerada-san?” 
1181 
1182“The Demon King definitely~~ is hoping that Chiho-chan can remember him as well~~ so~~ there’s no need to be so troubled~~ you just need to understand each other little by little~~” 
1183 
1184“Is, is that so?” 
1185 
1186“Uh, you shouldn’t view what Em says so seriously. This person basically doesn’t take responsibility for what she says, ugh!” 
1187 
1188Without speaking, Emerada used the tip of her foot to kick Alberto, just as the latter was writhing in pain, and Chiho was trembling from the power behind that kick––   
1189 
1190“Sorry for the wait, I wanted to pay with my card, then realised that there weren’t enough funds, so it took some effort to settle it.” 
1191 
1192Emi returned with the train tickets. 
1193 
1194“What were all of you talking about?” 
1195 
1196“Uh, nothing…… owowow.” 
1197 
1198“We were only asking her to help look out for Emilia~~” 
1199 
1200“Is that so? Then it’s about time for us to return. Chiho-chan, sorry for taking up your time today.” 
1201“Don’t say that,” Chiho replied, shaking her head. Then for reasons unknown, her line of sight met with Emerada’s, who had been walking to the ticketing gate with Emi. 
1202 
1203“Ah, t-that’s right, Yusa-san!” 
1204 
1205“Hm? What is it?” 
1206 
1207Chiho still did not know what Emerada’s earlier words meant. 
1208 
1209However, based on her own life experience which was vastly different from Emi’s, Chiho suggested conducting a ceremony which was natural between ‘friends’. 
1210 
1211“Mobile phone……” 
1212 
1213Chiho took out her own flip phone––   
1214 
1215“Ah, that’s DoCoDeMo’s PN-04iS pink model, right?” 
1216 
1217As expected of someone working in a company related to mobile phones, by just seeing the shape of the back, Emi was able to accurately point out Chiho’s phone model and colour. 
1218 
1219It was difficult to believe that this person was a Hero from another world after all. 
1220 
1221Chiho, who was mentally giving a troubled smile, breathed in lightly while gripping her phone. Then she looked straight at Emi in the eyes and spoke,  “Are you willing to exchange numbers and mail addresses?” 
1222 
1223“……Eh?” 
1224 
1225“……I am still unable to judge, and am unable to make decisions. I will probably continue feeling lost and continuously trouble you. Even so, I still want to know more, listen to you speak about various things, and talk to you even more. With regards to Ente Isla, things about Maou-san, and things about Yusa-san, about Emilia Justina……” 
1226 
1227“Chiho-chan……” 
1228 
1229Chiho’s unexpected suggestion stunned Emi and caused her to stop where she stood. 
1230 
1231Emerada and Alberto, who were behind her, looked at each other with smiles which were a mix of relief and puzzlement. 
1232 
1233“If you do not mind……” 
1234 
1235Fearing demons at night and craving revenge in the day, Emilia Justina, who hid her true self for the sake of preparing for battle and obtaining food–– 
1236 
1237 
1238“Can you be friends with me?” 
1239 
1240 
1241And Sasaki Chiho, who lived in a world where she was naturally protected, taking one step towards an unknown world which no one on Earth knew about–– 
1242 
1243 
1244“I should be learning from you instead.” 
1245 
1246 
1247The hands of two girls from different worlds clasped together tightly. 
1248 
1249 	 
1250Short Story 2: The Demon King, Thinking Back on a Thrifty Life 
1251The 100th Shopping Street in the evening instantly became lively due to the crowds coming from Sasazuka station. All of them had come here to buy things, and some of them were going home from work or school. 
1252 
1253Kamazuki Suzuno, nimbly avoiding the flow of the crowd, browsing the stores, and thinking about ingredients for dinner today, suddenly spotted someone familiar in the crowd. A person who was a head taller than anyone else in the crowd such that even someone as petite as her could see that person easily. 
1254 
1255They did coincidentally meet each other on the streets, but their relationship was not so close to warrant an exchange of greetings. The other party was a neighbour living in the same apartment. And his ability to pick up a good bargain should not be underestimated. 
1256 
1257“I should just go and greet him.” 
1258 
1259Staring at the back of the head of a resident from Sasazuka Villa Rosa Room 201, Ashiya Shiro, Suzuno slowly approached him, then noticed something strange. 
1260 
1261“Hm? I remember that that store stopped operating some time ago…… what is he doing?” 
1262 
1263Ashiya was standing in front of the shuttered store in a daze. 
1264 
1265Because he was standing at the side of the road, he did not block anyone’s way, however the usual Ashiya would never stand at the side of the road and blank out. 
1266 
1267“Hey, Shiro-dono, is there something wrong?” 
1268Suzuno approached Ashiya and, while initiating the conversation, observed the other party. 
1269 
1270In Ashiya’s hands were two shopping bags which seemed to contain some products. One was the reusable bag that he frequently used, while the other was an unusually large paper bag which seemed to contain something very heavy. 
1271 
1272“……Hey, Shiro-dono, Shiro…… Alsiel!” 
1273 
1274It was unknown if he had heard Suzuno’s voice or not, but Ashiya did not turn back at all. 
1275 
1276As Suzuno was usually the only one who would address him with his Japanese name ‘Shiro’, worrying that he had not noticed Suzuno because of this reason, Suzuno tried shouting his real name within the crowd. 
1277 
1278“…………Oh, it’s Crestia Bell.” 
1279 
1280Ashiya finally turned around. But his appearance was strange. 
1281 
1282His eyes were dazed, and he even used Suzuno’s real name while in the streets. Ashiya, who was a cautious person, would never act this way. 
1283 
1284“What, what happened? Are you feeling unwell?” 
1285 
1286Recently, the two of them had forgotten their respective positions and purely interacted with each other as neighbours. Seeing Ashiya’s abnormal behaviour, Suzuno simply felt worried. 
1287 
1288“This…..” 
1289 
1290With a trembling voice, Ashiya lifted the heavy bag which was in his right hand. 
1291 
1292“Hm? What is inside this……” 
1293 
1294Suzuno looked into the opened paper bag. 
1295 
1296And inside, there was…… 
1297 
1298“I won.” 
1299 
1300“Huh?” 
1301 
1302Ashiya’s dazed voice was heard from above, and Suzuno looked up before she could understand what was written on the box within the paper bag. 
1303 
1304“I had thought that this kind of thing would not happen in reality…… just a fool’s fantasy……” 
1305 
1306Ashiya, whose existence was considered close to fantasy to the Japanese, no, to the humans of Earth, slowly shifted his gaze to a certain direction. 
1307 
1308After looking in that direction as well, Suzuno saw the words ‘100th Shopping Street Lucky Draw’ on a white tent. 
1309 
1310“……Hey, Alsiel, the reason why you’re standing here in a daze, could it be because of……” 
1311 
1312Suzuno, who had been worrying about Ashiya, suddenly had a feeling that she was wasting her time. 
1313 
1314Then she looked within the paper bag once more. 
1315 
1316There were the large words ‘Defal Pressure Cooker 4L’ written on the study looking cardboard box. 
1317 
1318Suzuno sighed deeply. 
1319 
1320Seeing how Ashiya acted as if he wanted to rub his face against that hard and sturdy silver outer surface, everyone who gathered in Room 201 of Villa Rosa Sasazuka felt a sense of pity. 
1321 
1322The Demon General Alsiel, who had conquered a huge continent in the foreign world Ente Isla, was elated because he had won a pressure cooker in a lucky draw. 
1323Even Hero Emilia––Yusa Emi––who had come to Japan in order to fight them, felt a sense of pity towards that figure. 
1324 
1325“Demon King, Lucifer. Seeing him become like this, don’t you feel embarrassed about this?” 
1326 
1327“Uh, erhm……” 
1328 
1329In front of Emi’s stern gaze, the Demon King Satan, Maou Sadao, bit his lip and lowered his head. 
1330“In order to support your livelihoods, he has exerted himself so much that he lost himself completely just because he won a pressure cooker in a lucky draw, shouldn’t all of you reward him a little?” “Feh~uh…… hm.” 
1331 
1332The Demon General Lucifer, Urushihara Hanzo, who was being lectured by Suzuno, let out a sound of irritation. 
1333 
1334“Ashiya-san is really happy.” 
1335 
1336“Pot, very happy?” 
1337 
1338“Yeah, that pressure cooker, it’s costly if it’s bought from the store.” 
1339 
1340As for the only human on Earth who knew about Maou’s and Emi’s true identities, Sasaki Chiho, she attempted to explain to the Demon King’s and Hero’s ‘daughter’, Alas=Ramus, why Ashiya was so happy. 
1341 
1342Pressured by Emi’s and Suzuno’s reproachful gazes, Maou forced out a smile and said to Ashiya, “E-Erhm, how should I say this, I’m sorry, putting you through such hardships all this time.” 
1343 
1344“What are you saying, Demon King-sama!? As long as I think about what happened today, the hardships up to now are nothing!” 
1345 
1346Perhaps he had accepted Maou’s consolation, Ashiya showed an even brighter smile and took the sparkling new pressure cooker to the sink, and then started washing it with flowing water. 
1347 
1348It seemed like he planned to use it immediately to cook dinner. 
1349 
1350“I don’t know what kind of hardship he has experienced, but it appears that the hard times experienced by a Demon General can be negated by a pressure cooker.” 
1351 
1352Seeing Ashiya’s back, it was not strange for Emi to rebuke in this manner. 
1353 
1354To people who knew about Ashiya’s situation in daily life, they would understand the huge impact one pressure cooker would bring to his househusband life. 
1355 
1356However, to the people who knew about Ashiya’s true identity, if a pressure cooker could negate all the hardships experienced so far, it was difficult to judge if the amount of hardship experienced was considered significant or not. 
1357 
1358“It’s said to be expensive, but in fact, how much is that pot worth?” 
1359 
1360Also watching Ashiya’s back like what Emi was doing and showing a doubtful expression, Urushihara pulled the empty pressure cooker box next to him to study it. 
1361 
1362Just as Maou looked in the same direction, Chiho answered Urushihara’s question nonchalantly. 
1363 
1364“Even a small one can cost more than 10,000 yen.” 
1365 
1366““10,000 yen?”” 
1367 
1368The box instantly dropped from Urushihara’s hands, and Maou was so shocked that it seemed like his chin will hit the floor. 
1369 
1370“One, one pot costs 10,000 yen? What is this?” 
1371 
1372“T-This thing is that expensive?” 
1373 
1374Emi picked up the box from the shocked Fallen Angel and Demon King and said, 
1375 
1376“10,000 yen is considered a cheap one already. The capacity 4L is written on top, so it’s probably more than 20,000 yen?” 
1377 
1378“20,000 yen?” 
1379 
1380Maou shouted again, and was so shocked that he got up from the tatami. 
1381 
1382“If, if so, we might as well sell it for money……” 
1383 
1384“No!” 
1385 
1386Perhaps because he had been paying attention to what everyone was saying, Ashiya sensitively reacted to what Maou said on a whim. 
1387 
1388“Home appliances are not worth much even if they have not been used before! I will definitely not give up on this!” 
1389 
1390“I know that! I was just joking……” 
1391 
1392Faced with an agitated Ashiya, Maou hastily retracted his comment. 
1393 
1394“I have wanted to make Chashu since a long time ago! And with this size, there will be no problems making stewed meat or stewed vegetables……. ahh! This is getting more and more exciting!” 
1395 
1396The dreams Ashiya harboured for this pot keep increasing, and in contrast–– 
1397 
1398“I wonder if he could just restrict his dreams to the pot and give up on conquering the world.” 
1399 
1400“Ashiya-san is shining so brightly!” 
1401 
1402“Alsiel…… you have really been through a lot.” 
1403 
1404––Emi, Chiho and Suzuno expressed their feelings of pity and other emotions one after another. 
1405 
1406“Hey, Urushihara, you’d better not touch that pot. If you spoil it by accident, we’ll be killed.” 
1407 
1408“How can I touch that pot? Ashiya is scary today.” 
1409 
1410On the other hand, Maou and Urushihara did not dare to comment positively on this side of Ashiya which they had never seen before. 
1411 
1412“However, Ashiya-san is able to cook using a pressure cooker immediately even though he just got it huh.” 
1413 
1414“Yeah, he seems to have done quite some research on it through recipe books some time back. Then again, there is a pot which actually costs 20,000 yen.” 
1415 
1416Maou looked at the kitchen which was filled with cooking equipment from afar. 
1417 
1418“I remember that a pan only costs 700 yen at the supermarket?” 
1419 
1420“That’s right. A kitchen knife only costs around 1500 yen. And because it has been sharpened too many times, it’s already a lot thinner than before. I had thought that a pressure cooker was a distant dream.” 
1421 
1422After washing the pressure cooker, Ashiya used a dry cloth to remove any water which was left inside. 
1423 
1424“A place to put it has to be found, but when I first bought the oil filtering machine, I had thought that it would be impossible to increase the amount of culinary equipment. Today is a really good day.” 
1425(TL Note: An oil filter is a device that some Japanese households get to allow them to reuse cooking oil. Environmentally friendly.) 
1426 
1427[Image of happy Ashiya holding the pressure cooker with Suzuno in the background] 
1428 
1429Everything Ashiya spoke clearly showed his happiness towards the pressure cooker. 
1430 
1431“When we first arrived in Japan and were restricted by the cooking equipment, we weren’t even able to make economic dishes.” 
1432 
1433“Unable to make economic dishes? What does that mean?” 
1434 
1435Feeling perplexed, Suzuno asked this, and Emi raised her head as well. 
1436 
1437“Simply put, economic food is taking the sprouts or similar ingredients which are normally thrown away after eating and replanting or reusing them, right? Alas=Ramus likes drinking onion tea, so I have been keeping the onion skins recently.” 
1438 
1439“Onion tea?” 
1440 
1441Maou frowned after hearing Emi join two terms which did not have much relation to each other, but either unexpectedly or naturally, the one who continued the topic was Ashiya. 
1442 
1443“You’re referring to cooking the brown outer skin? I heard that you can add sugar or honey to it.” 
1444 
1445“Is it really alright for young children to drink this kind of thing? I remember that honey isn’t good for young children.” 
1446 
1447“Ahm, I don’t like Papa scratchy scratchy.” 
1448 
1449Once Maou stroked Alas=Ramus’s hair, the latter smiled as if she felt that it tickled. 
1450 
1451“You don’t have to point it out to me. I do pay attention and not give her too much, also botulinum poisoning only occurs in children younger than one year old, when their intestines are not fully developed.” 
1452 
1453“Sigh, sprouts and onion tea are considered easy things to do. However, proper economic cooking would mostly require complete cooking facilities. For example…… fried Edamame pods are a classic example.” 
1454 
1455“Edamame pods can be eaten?” 
1456 
1457The example Ashiya raised caused Chiho’s eyes to widen in surprise–– 
1458 
1459“You’re not questioning the fact that demons eat Edamane?” 
1460 
1461––while Emi was surprised about other things. 
1462 
1463“Usually, they cannot be eaten. However, most of the economic dishes teach people how to cook things which would normally be thrown away into something which is edible.” 
1464 
1465As Ashiya explained this, he quickly peeled the onion skins which he had mentioned earlier using his hands. 
1466 
1467“I heard that the method is simple, just remove the stem and seam from the top and bottom of the pod, split the pod into half, coat it with flour, and fry it. However……” 
1468 
1469Ashiya then cut the potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables into chunks. 
1470 
1471“To us in the past, since large amounts of flour and oil need to be used, this could not be considered economic cooking.” 
1472 
1473When they had just drifted to Japan, to the penniless Maou and Ashiya, to perform economic cooking, other than cheap ingredients, other conditions of not requiring additional seasoning and not needing to spend money on buying cooking equipment had to be fulfilled. 
1474 
1475Large amount of cooking oil was needed to deep fry food. In addition, used oil would oxidise quickly due to the presence of the impurities such as flour and other factors, so it could not be reusable if it was not stored properly. 
1476 
1477Considering the living conditions of the Demon Fortress, it was unacceptable to throw away frying oil after one use. If they wanted to fry something, they had to first prepare an environment which could reuse large amounts of frying oil. 
1478 
1479However, for this purpose, other than preparing heat resistant oil filtering equipment and kitchen towels for the filtering, they had to prepare dishes which would make use of the oil which was saved after filtering before it went bad, a complete strategy was needed for this. 
1480 
1481Cooking Edamame pods, making something which would be thrown away edible fit the definition of economic cooking on the surface. 
1482 
1483However, if they were already financially tight, it would be impossible to create an environment which could use this method to save money. 
1484 
1485“In addition, the pots used for deep frying have to be separate from the pots used for pan frying, else not only will it shorten the lifespan of the pots, more dish washing liquid will be needed when washing them. If you buy new seasonings for the sake of making economic dishes, then it will be truly foolish. Making the best use of the leftover ingredients and recipes which does not require a large amount of money in the long term is what is known as home cooking…….” 
1486 
1487“Enough! I know all that! I was wrong!” 
1488 
1489Emi did not do anything wrong, but to prevent Ashiya from going on and on about economic cooking, she apologised immediately. 
1490 
1491“Seriously, it’s rare for me to want to teach you about making economic dishes with just a pan and a knife.” 
1492 
1493“Thank you, I don’t need it! See, Alas=Ramus knows you’re making something new and is looking forward to it, hurry up and cook something for her.” 
1494 
1495“Hm, I see. Please wait for a while. Because it is my first time challenging this, I need to be more cautious. As for the stock powder…… it will be a better idea to add a little for a start.” 
1496 
1497Noticing Alas=Ramus’s gaze, Ashiya nodded and started to focus on his cooking. 
1498 
1499“Sigh……” 
1500 
1501Before Ashiya’s excitement completely cooled down, Maou smiled wryly, “During that time, we spent all our effort just to make it through every day. Ashiya probably started to research cooking seriously only after I obtained the job at MgRonalds.” 
1502 
1503When Maou and Ashiya were defeated by Emi and fled to Japan, they truly had nothing. 
1504 
1505If not for the kind aid of Sasazuka Villa Rosa’s landlady Shiba Miki, it would not have been strange for them to die from malnutrition. 
1506 
1507“At that time, we would eat broccoli cores and ask supermarkets for cabbage leaves which they did not want. In addition, we would always, always be eating bean sprouts!” 
1508 
1509As long as the hard skin of the broccoli cores were cut away and diced and the spoiled parts of the outer cabbage leaves were carefully removed, they would become versatile ingredients for stir frying, making soups or salad. 
1510 
1511By going to the supermarket on the right days, bean sprouts could be bought for around 10 yen. Not only was there a significant amount, it was packed with nutrition. 
1512 
1513Of course they have also eaten many replanted vegetables which Emi had mentioned and tried to buy bread ends from the bread store or tofu curdles from the tofu store, using various methods to obtain cheap ingredients. 
1514 
1515All this effort paid off and they went hungry less and less frequently. 
1516 
1517“……I don’t want to lead this kind of life.” 
1518 
1519Maou lightly kicked Urushihara who had complained. 
1520 
1521“Thank him properly, you rice weevil. You can live such a leisurely life now thanks to Ashiya’s thrifty lifestyle.” 
1522 
1523Maou said this, as if to remind Urushihara who only knew of the current life of the Demon Fortress. 
1524 
1525“……Ashiya-san, can I help you in any way?” 
1526 
1527After that, Chiho, who had been listening to the demon’s conversation, got up slowly and spoke to Ashiya. 
1528 
1529Ashiya turned back with a smile–– 
1530 
1531“Is it okay? Then there are two tomatoes at the bottom of the fridge, please help me blanch them in hot water and peel them. 
1532You can use that pot.” 
1533 
1534––and used to gaze to point out the location of the pot. 
1535 
1536“……I’ll go and slice some pickles. It’s something I bought from the supermarket, but I recently found a delicious brand which I like a lot.” 
1537 
1538Suzuno also got up quickly and notified that she was returning to her room to add a dish to the dinner table. 
1539 
1540“W-What is it, Alas=Ramus?” 
1541 
1542Seeing how everyone was acting, Alas=Ramus also looked up at Emi. 
1543 
1544“How about Mama?” 
1545 
1546“Eh?” 
1547 
1548“You’re not helping?” 
1549 
1550“Ugh……” 
1551 
1552Emi was silenced by her daughter’s innocent eyes. 
1553 
1554Because Chiho and Suzuno started to help Ashiya, the girl thought that Emi would do something as well. 
1555 
1556Unfortunately, Emi had not made any preparations which could add anything to today’s dinner table. 
1557 
1558“……What’s wrong?” 
1559 
1560“Uh? Nothing.” 
1561 
1562Maou showed an expression as if he felt that Emi being unable to respond to Alas=Ramus’s innocent gaze was interesting. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Emi pushed down the anger which was rushing up––   
1563 
1564“……Next time, I will cook something and bring it over.” 
1565 
1566––and said something which was more like an announcement to everyone present rather than just saying it to Alas=Ramus. “Sigh, there’s no need to force yourself. You normally come here after work after all.” 
1567 
1568Emi normally came after work to join the Demon Fortress’s dinner gathering made up of a mix of humans and demons. This had naturally become a routine. 
1569 
1570Even if she were to prepare something at home beforehand, whether it was bringing it to her company or going home to get it first, a lot of effort was needed to do this. 
1571 
1572“Hey, Alas=Ramus, Mama is actually unexpectedly hardworking, you know?” 
1573 
1574“What do you mean by unexpectedly!?” 
1575 
1576Maou picked up Alas=Ramus and put in a word for Emi. 
1577 
1578“Rather than that, Alas=Ramus. You should say something to Lucifer. Ask him why he isn’t helping.” 
1579 
1580“Don’t drag me into this.” 
1581 
1582After Alas=Ramus stared at the irritated Urushihara with wide eyes for a while, she shook her small head. 
1583 
1584Then she looked up at Maou with a perplexed expression and said, “Papa, Lucifer won’t help!” 
1585 
1586““““……Uh.”””” 
1587 
1588“What?” 
1589 
1590Besides Maou and Emi, even Ashiya and Chiho who had heard this sucked in a breath. As for Urushihara, he quickly turned towards Alas=Ramus. 
1591 
1592Then––   
1593 
1594“What is it, what happened?” 
1595 
1596When Suzuno returned after placing the cut pickles on a small plate, she noticed that everyone in Room 201, with the exception of Urushihara, was doubled over in laughter. 
1597 
1598She saw that Urushihara was shaking while blushing madly, the other four were holding their stomachs and laughing, and only Alas=Ramus had a confused expression on her face. 
1599 
1600She did not know the details, but Suzuno knew that she had missed out on something interesting. 
1601 
1602“Hey, hey, Lucifer, are you okay with Alas=Ramus saying that about you? Kukuku.” 
1603 
1604“~~!” 
1605 
1606Urushihara, whose face turned even redder because of what Emi said, first glared at Suzuno who entered the room––   
1607 
1608“Don’t ask about unnecessary things!” 
1609 
1610After giving a warning––   
1611 
1612“………………………Alright, I’ll wash the dishes, okay? Anything other than the pressure cooker……” 
1613 
1614He said this in a very small voice. 
1615 
1616“It seems like I have really missed out on something interesting. I regret missing it, but please fill me in on the details.” 
1617 
1618Urushihara actually said that he would help out, causing Suzuno to show an expression of curiosity––   
1619 
1620“I already told you not to ask about unnecessary things!” 
1621 
1622As for Urushihara, he was acting as if he would lose his temper on anyone if he was triggered again. 
1623“A child’s eyes are amazing.” 
1624 
1625“They really are.” 
1626 
1627Maou and Emi nodded at Alas=Ramus’s keen eyes in admiration. 
1628 
1629“Ashiya-san, I have peeled the skins. Ahaha……” 
1630 
1631Chiho was smiling as she confirmed that she has finished her task, but still could not resist letting out a laugh. 
1632 
1633“Thank you, Sasaki-san. Oh yes, Urushihara, you don’t have to wash the dishes, but help me press the power button on the rice cooker. You should know how to do that.” 
1634 
1635“Don’t underestimate me! I’m going to get angry!” 
1636 
1637Urushihara may have lost his temper at Ashiya’s instructions, but he still obediently walked over and pressed the power button for the rice cooker. 
1638 
1639The rice cooker made a noise, and then started to cook rice for all the humans and demons gathered in this room. 
1640 
1641After a while, the room was filled with the heat and fragrance coming from the pressure cooker and rice cooker, and after the noisy dinner preparations were completed, a day in Sasazuka passed by normally. 
1642 
1643 
1644 	  
1645Short Story 3: The Demon King, Buying a New Mobile Phone with the Hero’s Money “Welcome! How can I be of……” 
1646 
1647“Erhm, can this be fixed?” 
1648 
1649“Ser… eh?” 
1650 
1651Emi noticed that the store employee’s smile and professional tone instantly froze after the sentence ended in a strange way. 
1652 
1653However, this could not be helped. After all, what Maou took out was a battered piece of metal which barely looked like it had been a mobile phone. 
1654 
1655Even so, because of her sense of responsibility to the brand and her strong will, the frontline employee, who was in charge of serving the customers at the ae direct retail store in the city centre, still managed to recover her smile. 
1656 
1657Emi mentally praised the professionalism of the other party. 
1658 
1659“Uh, erhm, I’m sorry, may I know if you wish to repair this?” 
1660 
1661“Yeah, if it can be fixed. Because it can still be turned on, I thought there might still be some hope.” 
1662 
1663“……How is that possible?” 
1664 
1665Emi grumbled in a volume no one else could hear, as for the employee–– 
1666 
1667“E-Erhm, it’s very dangerous to turn on the power in this state, it’s best to avoid doing so!” 
1668 
1669––she frantically advised Maou not to do so. 
1670 
1671“A-Anyway, since you want to conduct repairs, please take this number tag here and wait in the waiting area for a while.” 
1672 
1673“Ah, alright. So it can’t be done after all.” 
1674 
1675“Didn’t I tell you that it’s too ridiculous already?” 
1676 
1677“Eh? Y-Yeah……” 
1678 
1679Having his clothes tugged by Emi, Maou seemed to have given up making things difficult for the employee in front of them for the time being. 
1680 
1681Holding the number tag, Maou did not even look at the display cases in the direct retail store showing the newest models of the mobile phone company ae and sat on the sofa at the waiting area. 
1682 
1683“Mama, there, that’s Mama’s job!” 
1684 
1685After that, the personification of the ‘Yesod’ Sephirah, Emi and Maou’s ‘daughter’, Alas=Ramus, who was in Emi’s arms, patted Emi’s shoulder and pointed in the direction of the counter. 
1686 
1687Looking in that direction, wearing the uniform of the ae direct retail store which had a large ribbon across the chest area, the employees were serving the customers in separated counters. 
1688 
1689“……That’s right.” 
1690 
1691Her heart felt a little bitter, but Emi still nodded with a smile. 
1692 
1693The company and type of service provided were different, but some time back, she was the same as those people working behind the counter, providing mobile phone related services in another company within the same industry. 
1694 
1695Thinking back on her job like this, she noticed that having worked as a call centre customer service officer at DoCoDeMo although she was a Hero was just as strange as Maou working at MgRonalds even though he was the Demon King. Therefore, she had no right to criticise his job. 
1696 
1697“Mama? Going to work tomorrow?” 
1698Alas=Ramus’s nonchalant question hurt Emi’s mental wound slightly. 
1699 
1700Emi’s ‘daughter’ Alas=Ramus could not be separated from the Emi’s holy sword, so when Emi was working at DoCoDeMo, Alas=Ramus was merged within Emi. 
1701 
1702Therefore, Alas=Ramus knew about Emi’s work situation. 
1703 
1704“……There’s no need, the work at DoCoDeMo, I’m taking a break for the time being.” 
1705 
1706As a ‘mother’, Emi lied in response to Alas=Ramus’s innocent question. 
1707 
1708Emi had been fired by her previous workplace. 
1709 
1710This was a result caused by her own actions and was something which could not be helped, but losing a place of belonging in Japan still left a scar within her heart. 
1711 
1712Thinking about it, since the day she crossed worlds to kill the Demon King, in terms of time and situation, she had arrived at a faraway point. 
1713 
1714“Hey, Emi, you didn’t have to come with me.” 
1715 
1716Perhaps he had noticed Emi’s gaze, sitting on the sofa, Maou said this without looking in her direction. 
1717 
1718“……Eh?” 
1719 
1720“What I mean is, I will get a receipt from the store then pass it to you, so, you just have to give me money later……” 
1721 
1722Maou said this while intentionally showing an unhappy expression, but Emi knew he was worrying about her thinking of being fired from her previous job. 
1723 
1724It’s irritating, I wished he did not worry about unnecessary things. 
1725 
1726After all, she was aware that she owed him a favour. 
1727 
1728“……I can’t do that.” 
1729 
1730Emi smiled slightly, and sat on the same sofa, keeping a short distance away from Maou. 
1731 
1732“I haven’t decided on my next job yet. I might be a call customer service officer or an employee at ae or SoftTank in the future. I have to observe the situation in the other stores.” 
1733(TL Note: SoftTank is a parody of SoftBank.) 
1734 
1735“I-I see. Yeah.” 
1736 
1737Maou nodded and replied vaguely, then did not say anything more. 
1738 
1739He looked a little awkward, but as two of them felt the same way, they were in similar positions. 
1740 
1741“So which mobile phone do you plan to buy next?” 
1742 
1743“Eh? Uh~ erhm……” 
1744 
1745Maou looked at the battered piece of metal in his hand on reflex. Seeing through the meaning of his gaze, Emi took the initiative and spoke first, “I said that definitely cannot be fixed. It’s already an old model. Actually charging it when the outer shell is broken and not intact, unbelievable.” 
1746 
1747“Eh……” 
1748 
1749Maou looked sadly at his mobile phone which had become a battered piece of metal. 
1750 
1751The ae mobile phone Maou was using was a model released by a company called Thu-ka. However, that company was merged under ae afterwards. 
1752Thu-ka had merged under ae when Maou and the others arrived in Japan. Being able to buy a new model from Thu-ka Telecommunications before the brand disappeared was considered a miracle, however, it was not so great a model that it was worth creating a miracle to buy it. 
1753 
1754Then, this mobile phone Maou bought in a miraculous manner and used lovingly became battered during the journey to Ente 
1755Isla. 
1756 
1757In order to rescue Ashiya, Alas=Ramus, and Emi who had been imprisoned because they were dragged into the plans of Heaven, the Demon World, and Ente Isla, Maou journeyed to Ente Isla. 
1758 
1759During this time, whether it was falling into the water, being caught in an explosion and motor accident, or battling with the angels, this mobile phone had been in Maou’s pocket the whole time. 
1760 
1761The left half of the LCD screen had completely malfunctioned, and the surface of the keypad had disappeared completely, revealing the base plate below. Originally, the phone could be folded, but because the joint area had completely shattered and exposed the underlying circuitry, it could no longer be folded. 
1762 
1763According to Maou, the phone could still be charged and phone calls could still be made. However, allowing electricity to pass through a mobile phone which has been dunked in water and has its underlying circuitry exposed was an extremely dangerous act which could result in electrocution or explosions causing injury or death. 
1764 
1765Amongst the items Maou proposed to Emi in the ‘Fees and Compensations for the Journey to Ente Isla’, the highest priority item to settle was this mobile phone. 
1766 
1767Unlike in the past, Emi was no longer able to fight Maou, the Demon King, while harbouring simple feelings, but if he met with a huge accident because of inappropriate mobile phone usage, it would be very perplexing. 
1768 
1769Demon King Satan, died in a fire caused by an electricity leakage incident because he continued to use a damaged phone, even if such a thing happened, this incident would not even appear in the Society section of the newspapers. 
1770 
1771“H-Hey……” 
1772 
1773Maou had asked for a large amount of money, but Emi seemed to agree without any protest. 
1774 
1775Maou, who had initially asked Emi for compensation with an arrogant attitude, might have felt surprised about this, and his attitude towards Emi after that was strangely unnatural. 
1776 
1777Emi sighed deeply. 
1778 
1779“What?” 
1780 
1781“Let, let me say this first, I’m going to buy the model I want.” 
1782 
1783“Do whatever you want.” 
1784 
1785“Is, is that alright? Even if you say no, I’m not going to listen. Because we already agreed, the request document also……” 
1786 
1787“I know that. Didn’t I say do whatever you want? I won’t complain even if you buy the newest Slimphone, so please give up on fixing it.” 
1788 
1789“O-Oh…… uh, erhm……” 
1790 
1791Emi was composed from beginning to end, causing Maou to become more flustered. He intentionally picked up the small booklet introducing the newest ae models from the magazine rack beside him and started to read it. 
1792 
1793“……Mama?” 
1794 
1795Alas=Ramus, in Emi’s arms, asked in curiosity after looking up at Emi’s expression as Emi watched the side of Maou’s face. 
1796 
1797“Mama, looks a little happy?” 
1798 
1799“Hm~ I wonder how that is?” 
1800Emi answered Alas=Ramus without looking at her, then spoke to Maou who was sweating strangely within a store with strong air-conditioning. 
1801 
1802“Hey.” 
1803 
1804“Hmm?” 
1805 
1806If Maou, who was so spooked that he almost jumped up, reacted in a troublesome way, it would also be bothersome, so Emi pointed in a certain direction before Maou could open his mouth. 
1807 
1808“Is it alright for you to not stop her?” 
1809 
1810“Huh? What do you mean?” 
1811 
1812“Acies-chan.” 
1813 
1814“Hmm?” 
1815 
1816Maou got up with widened eyes. 
1817 
1818In the direction Emi pointed at, Alas=Ramus’s ‘younger sister’, Acies=Ara, was bugging a store employee and asking endless questions. 
1819 
1820“Hey, Acies!” 
1821 
1822Maou frantically ran towards Acies, who was standing in front of the display counter filled with the newest models of jaw dropping price, her eyes sparkling. 
1823 
1824“Ah, Maou! Hey, which one do you think is better?” 
1825 
1826“What are you referring to?!” 
1827 
1828“Mobile phone! Maou, didn’t you say that you would buy me one as well?” 
1829 
1830“I have never said anything like that! Ah, s-sorry, there’s no need to pay attention to this person!” 
1831 
1832Maou apologised to the store employee Acies was bothering and pulled Acies to the sofa. 
1833 
1834“You said so before! When meeting Alberto in Ente Isla!” 
1835 
1836What Acies was talking about seemed to have happened during the journey in Ente Isla. 
1837 
1838Acies and Alas=Ramus were the same kind of existence, personifications of the ‘Yesod’ Sephirah, and just like how Alas=Ramus and Emi were merged together, Acies and Maou were also merged together. 
1839 
1840When Emi and Alas=Ramus were imprisoned in their foreign hometown Ente Isla, Acies and Maou went to rescue them together. At that time, not only did Emi reunite with her father, Nord, whom she thought had died, Acies also successfully met her older sister, Alas=Ramus, once again. 
1841 
1842Because he felt that such a thing would happen, Maou believed that it would be troublesome if he went with Acies. 
1843 
1844“I never said that I would buy one for you! I just said that even if you wanted to use one, you could only use a child’s model!” 
1845 
1846“I object! Doesn’t that equate to you saying that you would buy one for me!” 
1847 
1848“Objection overruled!” 
1849 
1850Maou rejected Acies’s opinions, forced her to sit next to Emi, and watched her closely so that she would not cause any trouble. 
1851 
1852“Acies, cannot be stubborn.” 
1853 
1854“Nee-sama, I’m not being stubborn! Don’t you want a mobile phone?” 
1855“Mobile phone?” 
1856 
1857“Please do not feed strange information to Alas=Ramus……” 
1858 
1859With a troubled look on her face, Emi changed her posture to gently separate Alas=Ramus and Acies. 
1860 
1861“It’s fine! I don’t plan to rip off Emi! I’m only asking Maou to fulfill his promise……” 
1862 
1863“Whether that promise exists or not is questionable! Take this as a request from me, please behave yourself! I only let you out because you said that you wouldn’t be noisy!” 
1864 
1865“S-She really can’t quiet down……” 
1866 
1867“Hey, Maou! You caused Emi’s evaluation of me to decrease!” 
1868 
1869“You caused that yourself!” 
1870 
1871Maou’s shoulder’s sagged in frustration. 
1872 
1873Because Acies would definitely cause trouble if she was let out, Maou did not want to bring her along in the first place. 
1874 
1875However, the rule that Emi and Alas=Ramus could not be separated beyond a certain distance seemed to apply to Maou and Acies too. 
1876 
1877And that distance limit was the same as Emi and Alas=Ramus, just going from Sasazuka to Shinjuku would exceed the limit. 
1878 
1879So when Maou travelled to the city centre, he would be forced to bring Acies with him. 
1880 
1881However, Acies was different from Alas=Ramus, her physical and mental states were similar to a middle schooler in Japan and she was more disobedient than Alas=Ramus. 
1882 
1883When going out, she definitely would not merge with Maou obediently, however, as long as she was let out, Maou would end up being led around in circles by her. He was already used to it now, but it was still equally tiring. 
1884 
1885On the other hand, Emi had only met Acies recently, but since Acies had been living with Nord Justina, the father Emi had lost contact with for many years, Emi was unable to judge the distance between them. 
1886 
1887However, the only one who seemed to be unable to grasp the distance was Emi. Since the beginning, Acies did not avoid Emi and her attitude towards Emi was similar to the way she treated others. 
1888 
1889“……” 
1890 
1891Harbouring complex feelings, Emi watched the girl who kept bothering Maou to buy a mobile phone for her. 
1892 
1893This emotion was slightly different from jealousy. 
1894 
1895Since the girl was the same kind of existence as Alas=Ramus, she must have protected Emi’s father many times. 
1896 
1897Emi had never heard the details, but she knew that her father had thought of ways to reunite with her after they were separated. 
1898 
1899Even so, for unknown reasons, Emi strangely felt that she could not raise her head in front of Acies. 
1900 
1901“Hm? Emi, what’s wrong?” 
1902 
1903Noticing Emi’s gaze, Acies suddenly turned over. 
1904 
1905Huge purple eyes, a streak of purple hair in the midst of silver hair, and that face which resembled Alas=Ramus. 
1906 
1907“Uh……” 
1908 
1909Emi, who did not have a special reason to look at the other party, did not know what to say, and at this moment–– 
1910“The customer with number fifty five!” 
1911 
1912“Ah, coming! Hey, Acies! I’m not going to buy one for you today! Sorry, Emi! Please help me watch this idiot!” 
1913 
1914“Eh? Ah, wait a moment……” 
1915 
1916––it was Maou’s turn, and without waiting for Emi to reply, he left Acies behind and headed for the counter. 
1917 
1918“Maou, who are you calling an idiot!?” 
1919 
1920After Acies protested towards Maou’s back, she immediately turned back towards Emi. 
1921 
1922“Ah, so what is the matter?” 
1923 
1924“Eh? Uh, erhm……” 
1925 
1926“Then again, Emi……” 
1927 
1928“H-Hmm?” 
1929 
1930“You are Father’s daughter, right?” 
1931 
1932“……That is, correct……” 
1933 
1934What is this girl saying all of a sudden? Ignoring the surprised Emi, Acies continued to speak with the same tone of voice. 
1935 
1936What she said next dealt a heavy blow to a place deep within Emi’s heart. 
1937 
1938“Sorry. I have always been acting as Father’s daughter.” 
1939 
1940“……Eh?” 
1941 
1942“Next to the father whom you were separated from for many years, a person who called herself his daughter and acted very close to him suddenly appeared, you probably dislike that.” 
1943 
1944Acies spoke no differently from before, using a cheerful tone and saying this directly, causing Emi to become speechless momentarily because she could not sense any underlying motive. 
1945 
1946[Image of Acies] 
1947 
1948“However, there is one thing I hope you can understand. Ever since I became aware of my surroundings, Father…… Nord had always been by my side. When we were living in Japan, acting as family was more convenient in various ways, so……” 
1949 
1950As if she was trying to reassure Emi, Acies patted Emi’s shoulder while smiling widely. 
1951 
1952“Nord has never forgotten Emi, please forgive the fact that he called me his daughter.” 
1953 
1954“Acies-chan……” 
1955 
1956Emi finally understood. The reason behind the strange feeling she had felt from Acies. 
1957 
1958“I don’t like being treated too formally, just address me by my name directly. Maou called me by name since the beginning!” 
1959 
1960“……Yeah.” 
1961 
1962Emi nodded. 
1963 
1964“Does Acies…… like Father?” 
1965 
1966“Yeah.” 
1967 
1968Acies replied directly. 
1969“Your older sister…… is Alas=Ramus.” 
1970 
1971“Uh?” 
1972 
1973“Hmm?” 
1974 
1975Suddenly having her name called, Alas=Ramus looked up at Emi. 
1976 
1977“……This child, is not related to the Demon King or me by blood, but I treasure her a lot. To be called Mama by his child, I feel very proud of it. The Demon King must feel the same.” 
1978 
1979“Yeah.” 
1980 
1981“Father, must also feel that being called ‘Father’ by you is something to feel proud of. He is my father after all. Regardless of the circumstances which led to this, he must treasure you the same way he treasures me.” 
1982 
1983“Hm? Is that so? Doesn’t Emi feel that it’s strange?” 
1984 
1985Acies said this in a relaxed manner. Her heart was filled with honesty and frankness, no melancholic feelings could be sensed. 
1986 
1987There was only one answer to the distance Emi felt between the girl and her, that was worry. 
1988 
1989“If you lose your place of belonging because you’re too considerate towards me, then it will be really ‘strange’. Acies, you seem to be living in the Demon Fortress now, there is supposed to be another resident living there. What will you do after that guy returns? That place can’t fit four people, right?” 
1990 
1991“You’re referring to Urushihara, Lucifer. Hmm~ that is currently a problem.” 
1992 
1993Acies crossed her arms with a serious expression on her face, while watching her, Emi thought back on what happened the past few days. 
1994 
1995Since returning from the journey to Ente Isla, Acies rarely approached Villa Rosa Room 101 where Emi was watching over Nord. 
1996 
1997If she was truly being considerate to Emi who was Nord’s daughter just like what she said earlier, then Emi felt bad for Acies. 
1998 
1999Just like how Alas=Ramus looked up to Emi and Maou as ‘Papa’ and ‘Mama’, Acies was addressing Nord as Father from the bottom of her heart, the one who created this situation must have been Emi’s mother. 
2000 
2001“Do you want to live with me?” 
2002 
2003When she had come to her senses, Emi said this naturally. 
2004 
2005“Eh?” 
2006 
2007Acies looked towards Emi in surprise. 
2008 
2009“……Many things have happened, but considering your ‘parents’, you’re like my ‘younger sister’. We have the same father after all, let’s just live together.” 
2010 
2011“Ooh……” 
2012 
2013Acies mumbled, feeling very touched. 
2014 
2015“Such a magnanimous heart……” 
2016 
2017“Is, is that so? Thank you……” 
2018 
2019“But, this suggestion isn’t realistic right now. Since I am unable to leave Maou.” 
2020 
2021“Ah, that’s true.” 
2022 
2023Emi looked towards the back of Maou who was at the counter on reflex. 
2024He seemed to be debating with the store employee while holding the battered phone, but he should be close to giving up. 
2025 
2026“It’s impossible for Emi and Maou to live together, and Suzuno said that you don’t plan to move to Sasazuka, right?” 
2027 
2028“……Yeah.” 
2029 
2030Emi and Alas=Ramus lived in an apartment located in Eifuku, three train stations away from Sasazuka, completely exceeding the distance which Maou and Acies could stay apart. 
2031 
2032“I cannot go to Emi’s place like this, and……” 
2033 
2034Acies looked at Maou’s back, Alas=Ramus in Emi’s arms, and Emi in turn. 
2035 
2036“I am happy that Emi is willing to see me as a younger sister, but the family relationships will become very complex like this, don’t you think?” 
2037 
2038“……Y-You do have a point.” 
2039 
2040Emi understood what Acies wanted to express and showed a wry smile. 
2041 
2042Assuming that Acies, who had an older sister Alas=Ramus who was Emi’s daughter, became Emi’s younger sister, although Emi and Acies were both Nord’s daughters, Acies’s older sister was Emi and Maou’s daughter, in addition, Alas=Ramus’s and Acies’s true ‘Mama’ should be Nord’s wife Lailah. 
2043 
2044“Just thinking about it is dizzying. Depending on the situation, perhaps even the descendants will continue to sink into this swamp of family conflict.” 
2045 
2046“That’s true.” 
2047 
2048In the sky at Azure Sky Canopy, Maou mentioned a ‘grand family meeting’, but how would it turn out in reality? Unable to imagine this, Emi and Acies started to feel that it was amusing. 
2049 
2050“But how should I say this, everyone’s relations are truly complicated, but to me and Nee-sama, what we feel happy about the most is that everyone cherishes each other, so it probably will not be a problem even if quarrels occur. This includes Maou.” 
2051 
2052“……Is that so?” 
2053 
2054Without noticing it, Maou’s original standpoint of not wanting to back down changed to being lectured by the store employee. 
2055 
2056Perhaps allowing electricity to pass through a mobile phone in that state made the store employee angry. 
2057 
2058Seeing that figure, Emi’s pursed her lips. 
2059 
2060“Yeah. Because Maou loves to lie and isn’t straightforward, it’s hard to tell.” 
2061 
2062Acies said with a cheerful smile. 
2063 
2064“However, when riding on the Moped and charging towards Azure Sky Canopy, Maou did shout Emilia’s name. I’m not sure if you and Maou were enemies in the past, but Maou cherishes everyone a lot. I am very sure of that.” 
2065 
2066If it was Emi in the past, she would definitely deny it on the spot. 
2067 
2068However, Emi could no longer find a trace of ‘Hero Emilia’ in her heart. 
2069 
2070“Acies, Papa doesn’t lie!” 
2071 
2072“Eh~ Nee-sama should be a little more suspicious of other people. Maou is actually very bad, you know?” 
2073 
2074“Cannot say Papa is bad!” 
2075 
2076Emilia Justina, who did not show any signs that she was listening to the two ‘Yesod’ sisters bickering–– 
2077“……I know.” 
2078 
2079––absorbed Acies’s words after a subtle show of hesitation. 
2080 
2081“Hm? What? Are you referring to Maou being bad?” 
2082 
2083Emi shook her head while showing an indecipherable expression, then opened her mouth to reply, “Not just about that, the things you said before are also correct…… but, I cannot accept this.” 
2084 
2085“Hmph~” 
2086 
2087Acies did not continue to ask about Emi’s intentions behind her words, Emi did not know if this was due to being considerate or simply being disinterested, but she felt that it would probably a bit of both. 
2088 
2089At this moment, both of them saw Maou get up from his seat, so they also stopped chatting. 
2090 
2091“Seeing this, it looks like he hasn’t bought it.” 
2092 
2093“Perhaps.” 
2094 
2095Emi showed a wry smile, Maou appeared to be obviously depressed. 
2096 
2097It was probably because the other party was unwilling to repair it. 
2098 
2099“……They said I can only buy a new one.” 
2100 
2101“Is that so, then you had better choose one.” 
2102 
2103“……Sigh.” 
2104 
2105He could change to a new phone with another person’s money, yet Maou’s face was still dark. 
2106 
2107“What’s wrong with him? Isn’t Emi buying a new mobile phone for him?” 
2108 
2109Acies asked Emi this, and the latter answered nonchalantly, “He’s probably grown attached to the one before, so he doesn’t want to let it go.” 
2110 
2111“Is that so?” 
2112 
2113“It is his first mobile phone after all, it probably went through many hard times with him.” 
2114 
2115This deduction was accurate. 
2116 
2117The time Emi and Maou had spent together was long enough for her to easily guess Maou’s thoughts. 
2118 
2119And the reason for not wanting to change to a new mobile phone although he was the one who suggested it, Emi had roughly guessed the reason too. 
2120 
2121“Papa, not happy.” 
2122 
2123“Eh, Emi?” 
2124 
2125Emi got up and walked towards the counter Maou just sat at. 
2126 
2127“The data inside cannot be backed up too?” 
2128 
2129She asked this. 
2130 
2131“It may be a little dangerous, but since it can be powered, then the data probably can be extracted. It is currently turned on after all.” 
2132 
2133Perhaps he did not know the relationship between Emi and Maou, the store employee showed a surprised expression. 
2134Since a child was with them, they were probably a family, but like this, Acies’s presence would be strange. 
2135 
2136However, Emi was not bothered by this. 
2137 
2138“His mobile phone might be an old model which does not support an external connection to its storage, but ae probably provides a service to help backup the messages, photos, and contacts of these old models, right? I will have him sign the indemnity form for missing data, so can I ask you to help with this?” 
2139 
2140“……Please wait a moment.” 
2141 
2142A store employee who looked very troubled left his seat, probably to consult his supervisor. 
2143 
2144Plugging in a data connection line to a heavily damaged phone was a dangerous thing to do, considering this, Emi’s request was pushier. 
2145 
2146However, Emi knew clearly that in this situation the customer was allowed to make more unreasonable requests. 
2147 
2148Current mobile phones usually were equipped with features and memories exceeding that of telecommunication equipment. 
2149 
2150Especially the photos and videos taken via the camera and video functions, they frequently contain more of the user’s memories than a normal camera. 
2151 
2152“Emi…...?” 
2153 
2154Maou watched Emi’s actions with surprise, but Emi did not look back. 
2155 
2156Because once she looked back, she would definitely say something strange. 
2157 
2158Fortunately, before Maou asked why Emi did such a thing, the store employee returned. 
2159 
2160“Sorry for the wait. We cannot guarantee that all data will be transferred, but we can help you to carry out the extraction of the data. If this is alright……” 
2161 
2162“I understand. This is fine. Hey, Maou.” 
2163 
2164“Eh, uh……” 
2165 
2166“They are willing to help you extract the data from your battered old phone. If everything goes well, the new mobile phone can accept the data from the old mobile phone directly. However, that means that you had better not choose a Slimphone as your new mobile phone.” 
2167 
2168Recently, many companies have provided the same brand and same model of Slimphone, but Maou’s old phone was probably using the operating system of an independent telecommunications company, so the extracted data might not be able to transfer because it was not compatible with Slimphones. 
2169 
2170Therefore, it would be better to change to a mobile phone which is a similar model and has the same operating system as the independent telecommunications company. 
2171 
2172“Hey, come over here. You need to sign the indemnity form for missing data before they can help you handle this.” 
2173 
2174“O-Oh.” 
2175 
2176Emi waved her hand to summon Maou to the counter. 
2177 
2178After Maou followed the instructions and filled in the form the other party took out, the store employee bowed and took Maou’s mobile phone to the back to the store. 
2179 
2180Seeing the store employee leave, Maou looked up at Emi with a dazed expression, as if he could not keep up with the situation. 
2181 
2182“What kind of expression is that?” 
2183 
2184“Uh, erhm…… why……” 
2185Maou’s gaze seemed to say ‘Why are you willing to help me do this kind of thing even if I did not say anything?’ 
2186 
2187“The bike you are using right now has a reflector light installed in a strange place.” 
2188 
2189“Eh?” 
2190 
2191That was referring to Maou’s treasured bicycle, Dullahan II. 
2192 
2193Maou did use glue to stick the reflector of the previous generation of Dullahan which Suzuno had broken onto the front basket, but he naturally did not tell Emi about this. 
2194 
2195Just as Maou wanted to ask how Emi knew about this, Emi answered first, 
2196 
2197“Do you think I will not properly investigate what Alas=Ramus will sit on?” 
2198 
2199“Uh, erhm……” 
2200 
2201Emi had not noticed it yet, but she did not dislike herself who could clearly understand Maou’s thoughts all that much. 
2202 
2203Therefore, she interpreted Maou’s feelings and continued to speak, 
2204 
2205“The phone book and messages are like the mobile phone’s soul. If these things can be transferred, it will feel much better, right? In reality, many customers are like this……” 
2206 
2207Emi, who suddenly felt that she had spoken too much, increased the distance between her and Maou slightly, and intentionally showed an unhappy expression. 
2208 
2209“……It’s rare for me to buy you a mobile phone, if you’re unhappy about it and the requested amount increases, it would be irritating, wouldn’t it?” 
2210 
2211Of course, Emi knew that Maou would definitely not do such a thing. 
2212 
2213However, she did not say this for Maou’s sake only, it was for her own sake as well. 
2214 
2215“So, what do you plan to do? It’s almost time for Alas=Ramus’s afternoon nap, if you want to make a decision, and do so quickly.” 
2216 
2217“O-Oh.” 
2218 
2219As if being controlled by Emi’s forceful tone, Maou ran to the display and took a silver mobile phone which was closest to him. 
2220 
2221Acies, sitting on the sofa and watching the two of them, leaned back with a smile–– 
2222 
2223“……These two are troublesome.” 
2224 
2225––and said this bluntly, even so–– 
2226 
2227“It seems like the family meeting later on will be fraught with troubles.” 
2228 
2229That mumbling voice appeared to sound a little happy. 
2230 
2231 	 
2232Short Story 4: The Hero, Admiring the Ability of the Enemy Officials 
2233 
2234Suzuno sensed something amiss from the back of the figure she had gotten used to seeing recently, and it was truly just a coincidence. 
2235 
2236Perhaps it was because the morning sun just happened to shine into the public corridor, or because she accidentally dropped her keys when she planned to lock the porch door and moved her eyesight downwards in order to pick it up…… 
2237 
2238“D-Demon King……” 
2239 
2240“Hm? Oh, you’re going out so early?” 
2241 
2242Living in the room next door, the King of Demons who had almost successfully conquered the world and was now staying in his human form, Maou Sadao, replied in his usual tone of voice. 
2243 
2244“Why did you freeze in such a strange position?” 
2245 
2246“Uh, no, erhm……” 
2247 
2248Suzuno, who maintained her position of bending at the waist to pick up the keys, accidentally had her gaze drift to a certain area, causing her to blush. 
2249 
2250“It, it’s nothing……” 
2251 
2252Of course it was impossible for it to be nothing. 
2253 
2254Although it was not nothing, what could the current Suzuno do after pointing it out? 
2255 
2256Considering her relationship with Maou, it was not so good that she would actively tell him what was wrong. 
2257 
2258As neighbours, their relationship did become closer, and he even appointed her as one of his army’s officials, so it could not be denied that their relationship had recently deviated from what it had originally been. 
2259 
2260However, according to their original relationship, if there was really a problem with him, Suzuno’s role should be to point it out and laugh at him. 
2261 
2262However, even then, the problem Suzuno saw just now was truly at a scale so small that doing so would only be embarrassing. 
2263 
2264Even if he was the enemy, no, because he was the enemy, she did not want to hurt the other party because of the problems caused by this abnormality. 
2265 
2266Therefore, after weighing Maou’s reputation and her own sense of shame on a scale, Suzuno chose not to point it out directly. 
2267 
2268“D-Demon King, erhm, where is Alsiel?” 
2269 
2270Her second plan was to ask if Maou’s loyal servant, capable of all housework and self-proclaimed professional househusband, Demon General Alsiel, a.k.a Ashiya Shiro, was at home. 
2271 
2272“Oh, he accepted a rare job which needs him to stay outside, so he will only return very late tonight.” 
2273 
2274“W-What?” 
2275 
2276As Suzuno felt a sense of despair, she fully understood why that thing would be shown outside in this state. 
2277 
2278Ashiya, who always worried about his master’s life in society, would definitely not miss that kind of thing. 
2279 
2280“Are you looking for Ashiya for something?” 
2281 
2282“No, uh, erhm, I planned to go to the morning market at the supermarket today, and only planned to tell him as well, but––“ 
2283 
2284Suzuno was not lying. 
2285 
2286Her original plan was to mention if they had met by coincidence, so it was not considered a lie. 
2287However, it still became a lie to be used as a means of ‘escape’. 
2288 
2289“D-Demon King, are you going to work now?” 
2290 
2291“Yeah, it’s only half day today…… oh my, it’s this time already. See you.” 
2292 
2293“Ah……” 
2294 
2295Maou looked at his watch and turned to leave without waiting for Suzuno to reply. 
2296 
2297While still maintaining her position of bending at the waist, in a dazed manner, she listened as the sound of Maou’s beloved steed Dullahan II faded into the distance and disappeared. 
2298 
2299※ 
2300 
2301“Chi-chan…… that, I think it’s better for you to tell him after all?” 
2302 
2303“No way! I can’t do that……!” 
2304 
2305This was probably the first time the high school girl, Sasaki Chiho, who had good morals, was polite, and wore a veil of justice, resisted the orders from the shop manager. 
2306 
2307Maou, who wore a refreshing cheerful smile while working behind the counter as usual, did not appear to be acting strange. 
2308 
2309However, from the standpoint of Kisaki Mayumi, the shop manager of the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station, and Sasaki Chiho, who knew about Maou’s true identity, private life and various parts which could not be spoken of, they had something which they must tell Maou today. 
2310 
2311However, the topic which they originally discussed was to tell the person about it directly, but is that really a considerate way to go about it?? 
2312 
2313“No, I feel that it should be said by you, it would cause him the least harm……” 
2314 
2315“No, no way, I can’t say it…… b-because I would have to explain why I saw it……” 
2316 
2317“You might put it that way, but even someone at my height noticed it, so there shouldn’t be anything suspicious about it……” 
2318 
2319“B-But Maou-san is a guy, he would probably feel hurt if a girl said this…… at this time Kisaki-san should tell him using authority as shop manager, minimising the harm to him……!” 
2320 
2321“That’s what you think. There will be no issue ‘right now’. I do not have the right to lecture him about private matters which have nothing to do with the store’s business…… it should be better for someone with a personal friendship with him to tell him secretly.” 
2322 
2323“Er, erhm, b-but……” 
2324 
2325The two kept shirking their responsibility––a meaningless conversation which did not match Chiho’s and Kisaki’s personality at all. 
2326 
2327They may have interacted in private, but to point out a sensitive problem so directly, it would make anyone feel hesitant. 
2328 
2329However, amongst these ‘private interactions’, Chiho was recently appointed to an important position by Maou, this caused her to think of a ‘senior’ who was related to this position. 
2330 
2331“This is too strange. If such a thing happened, Ashiya-san…… ah, that would be the friend living together with Maou-san……” 
2332 
2333“I know. He came to the store a few times. It’s that tall guy who came together before, right?” 
2334 
2335Chiho mentioned the name of Maou’s close top loyal subordinate, Ashiya Shiro. 
2336 
2337Chiho was unable to understand, Maou had someone around him who took care of all household matters to the last detail and called himself the model househusband, how did such a thing happen? 
2338“Ah, yes, that person should have noticed it. All housework, including the laundry, is done by Ashiya-san, so it is impossible for him to miss this.” 
2339 
2340“No, that’s hard to say. This is the first time I’ve seen that place become like this. If you don’t know, you won’t look at that place in particular.” 
2341 
2342“But when folding it and placing it into the cupboard, you would see it no matter how much you don’t want to see it, right?” 
2343 
2344“It might not become like this until you wear it? If only the white part is sticking out, it can be missed out……” 
2345 
2346It seemed as if the two of them were discussing Maou’s clothes. 
2347 
2348Like usual, Maou was wearing the MgRonalds’ red shirt, black straight cut trousers, red visor cap, and cheap black shoes. 
2349 
2350For a MgRonalds male employee found in Japan and all over the world, there was nothing to criticise about this attire. 
2351 
2352“A-Anyway, I will not express my opinion about any things unrelated to the store. Please, Chi-chan. If you value Maa-kun, then tell him directly, or tell his friend Ashiya-san, solve it while trying your best not to hurt Maa-kun’s feelings.” 
2353 
2354“Ki, Kisaki-san! How can you say this…… ugh!” 
2355 
2356“I have things I can do and things I cannot do!” 
2357 
2358“Uuuu, I can’t do it…… how should I say it……” 
2359 
2360Chiho looked like she was going to cry while Kisaki prepared to leave with a complex expression on her face. 
2361 
2362Seeing these two, Maou––   
2363 
2364“How rare, did Chi-chan make Kisaki-san angry?” 
2365 
2366––thought about this in a leisurely manner. 
2367 
2368※ 
2369 
2370At Sasazuka bathed in the evening light, Emi planned to call out because she discovered that figure, but her voice stopped at her throat. 
2371 
2372“It’s Pa-uphmm!” 
2373 
2374On reflex, she covered the mouth of her ‘daughter’ who had also recognised that figure. 
2375 
2376“……Mama?” 
2377 
2378Alas=Ramus, in Emi’s arms, expressed her confusion at Emi’s unnatural actions, but Emi did not have the leisure to reply. 
2379 
2380The person who was pushing a bicycle and walking in front of her was definitely Maou, and the one walking next to him was Chiho. 
2381 
2382Emi had heard from Chiho beforehand that two of them were working from morning until evening today, so it was not strange to see them walking together on the streets. 
2383 
2384Chiho was wearing casual clothes and was carrying something like an insulating bag in her arms. 
2385 
2386That must be the dish which Chiho planned to bring to the Demon Fortress today. 
2387 
2388However, no matter what, that is too difficult to comprehend. 
2389 
2390Emi knew that Maou’s finances were tight, but did he not feel embarrassed going out like that? 
2391 
2392Even if it was him, he should have the self-respect of a Demon King. With his personality, he would probably still make the minimum effort to dress up properly. 
2393Perhaps he had not noticed it. 
2394 
2395It was impossible for someone to notice that kind of place on their own. Unless it was folded beautifully, that area would probably not be noticed at all. 
2396 
2397As she thought to this point, a question surfaced in Emi’s mind. 
2398 
2399What was Ashiya, his loyal subordinate Demon General Alsiel, doing? 
2400 
2401Having his master dressed like this, didn’t that guy feel ashamed? 
2402 
2403Of course, Emi was not bothered about how embarrassed he would be. 
2404 
2405In Emi’s position as the Hero who saved the world which was almost conquered by him, she should be mocking him from behind and stabbing the holy sword into his back while she was at it. 
2406 
2407Of course, having stayed in Japan for some time, she did not plan to do that kind of thing in a place with human traffic, Maou did not think that he would experience such a thing as well. 
2408 
2409However, as a human, as a Hero, she did not wish for the Demon King to lose society’s trust because of the accumulation of these small faults. 
2410 
2411Logically, it should be like this. 
2412 
2413However, that fault was truly too insignificant and tragic, causing feelings of pity to rise within Emi. 
2414 
2415She could not help but harbour feelings of sympathy which were close to pity. 
2416 
2417“Chi, Chiho-chan!” 
2418 
2419However, the first one to save should still be Chiho. 
2420 
2421She could not allow Chiho to be hurt by walking next to Maou when he was in this state. 
2422 
2423Anyone who knew Chiho well would know that Chiho had a crush on Maou. 
2424 
2425Before her identity as a Hero, as a woman, as Chiho’s friend, Emi could not allow the girl’s pure feelings to be hurt because of the idiotic actions of the Demon King. 
2426 
2427Thinking these thoughts, Emi quickly caught up to the two of them. 
2428 
2429“Ah, Yusa-san, Alas=Ramus-chan.” 
2430 
2431“Papa, Chi nee-chan, ‘allo!” 
2432 
2433Emi, who was unable to act like Alas=Ramus and look at the two of them directly, could not help but shift her gaze away. 
2434 
2435“Oh, Alas=Ramus, you came…… what’s wrong, Emi.” 
2436 
2437Even so, Emi had decided that no matter how unnatural it was, she needed to preserve the dignity of Chiho who was walking together with this man. 
2438 
2439Until they reached the apartment, she must block Maou’s back. 
2440 
2441For a Hero to continue staying behind him, Maou would definitely feel uneasy. 
2442 
2443With things as they were, Maou understood that Emi would not suddenly stab him in the back, but the position Emi chose was really too unnatural. 
2444 
2445However, Emi had exerted all her effort. 
2446 
2447In fact, she did not wish to walk using this method. 
2448But if Chiho had not noticed ‘this state’, Emi decided that she was to protect this friend with her body. 
2449 
2450The idea that she should push the bike and have Maou carry Alas=Ramus flashed through her mind, but she realised that not only would she be unable to cover that place, it would be more difficult to circle behind Maou, so she could only give up on that. 
2451 
2452“Yusa…… san.” 
2453 
2454At this moment, Chiho turned back and smiled sadly at Emi. 
2455 
2456“Chiho-chan…… you……” 
2457 
2458Seeing that expression, Emi was convinced. 
2459 
2460Chiho knew the truth. 
2461 
2462She knew, yet she chose to walk next to Maou. 
2463 
2464That was expected. After all, it would be too unnatural if Chiho walked behind Maou when the two of them were together. 
2465 
2466This fact caused Emi to understand that Maou did not know about his current state. 
2467 
2468A wave of anger surged up within Emi. 
2469 
2470She knew that Maou cherished Chiho, but it was meaningless if he was unable to manage this small detail. 
2471 
2472And Chiho’s behaviour which provoked feelings of fondness also caused Emi to feel upset. 
2473 
2474It was impossible to obtain happiness from liking this dense and shameless Demon King…… 
2475 
2476“We’re almost there…..” 
2477 
2478“Y-Yeah.” 
2479 
2480“Wha, what’s wrong with the both of you?” 
2481 
2482Maou, who looked like he did not understand what these two females were thinking, felt that the way Chiho and Emi spoke was strange. 
2483 
2484In Chiho’s and Emi’s position, they hoped he could hurry up and notice the other places which were strange. 
2485 
2486However, the area around Villa Rosa Sasazuka was a residential area without much human traffic, so the probability of being seen by a stranger was not high. 
2487 
2488“Eh? Isn’t that Suzuno-san?” 
2489 
2490After noticing Suzuno standing at the staircase landing of the apartment’s external staircase, Chiho pointed in that direction. 
2491 
2492Suzuno seemed to have noticed Chiho as well, and the moment she noticed Chiho’s and Emi’s positions, she sucked in a breath. 
2493 
2494From that expression, Chiho and Emi were convinced. 
2495 
2496Suzuno knew as well. 
2497 
2498“Suzu nee-chan, ‘allo!” 
2499 
2500Only Alas=Ramus showed an innocent smile which seemed like it could get rid of all the troubles in the world and waved at Suzuno. 
2501 
2502 
2503 
2504 
2505 
2506 
2507 
2508“Why didn’t you say anything when you saw it in the morning……!? Such an unsightly……!” 
2509 
2510“See, seeing such a thing so suddenly, I could not think of any considerate words……!” 
2511 
2512“I-I didn’t say anything in the end…… I, didn’t know how to say it……” 
2513 
2514Such a thing had not happened before, it was only today that Suzuno came downstairs to welcome the trio (or more accurately, to welcome Chiho and Emi). 
2515 
2516At a location some distance away from Maou, the three of them huddled together and started to whisper to each other. 
2517 
2518“I don’t know what all of you are doing, but I’m going in first.” 
2519 
2520Feeling perplexed, Maou climbed up the stairs. 
2521 
2522Chiho, Emi, and Suzuno could not help but look towards his back. 
2523 
2524When Maou’s figure disappeared within the door of the public corridor, the trio huddled together once more. 
2525 
2526“What is Alsiel doing!? That guy should notice something of that standard!” 
2527 
2528“T-That’s right. It’s impossible for Ashiya-san to miss this out……” 
2529 
2530“According to the Demon King, Alsiel seemed to have accepted a dispatching job which required him to stay outside……” 
2531 
2532““……”” 
2533 
2534The information Suzuno revealed caused Chiho and Emi to press their hands against their foreheads. 
2535 
2536“It was like that with the door to door merchant too, what is this? Is that guy unable to live normally if he doesn’t have Alsiel with him?” 
2537 
2538“Ashiya-san has been supporting everyone from behind all this time……” 
2539 
2540“A-Anyway, Chiho-dono, is ‘that’ very obvious?” 
2541 
2542“Kisaki-san and I noticed it just by walking past him in the employee room……” 
2543 
2544“When I saw that figure on the streets, my line of sight drifted there in an instant…… it looked so unsightly that I wanted to cry.” 
2545 
2546“Is, is it that bad? But he did not notice it, right?” 
2547 
2548“Kisaki-san said that the cloth might have torn after wearing it……” 
2549 
2550“Ah, I see……” 
2551 
2552“No, no matter what, since he has not noticed it, then we should try our best to point it out naturally without hurting his feelings, that would be the most sensible thing to do.” 
2553 
2554“T-That’s right. We have to be gentle, like sugar coating……” 
2555 
2556“……Who’s going to do it? I’m not doing it.” 
2557 
2558“……Like I said, we just have to phrase it like it was not that obvious and we only noticed it just now……” 
2559 
2560Just as Suzuno was saying this–– 
2561 
2562“Uwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?” 
2563Maou’s tragic shout was heard from the second floor of the apartment, causing the three of them to finch. 
2564 
2565Then at the same time, the three of them knew what had happened. 
2566 
2567He finally found out. 
2568 
2569In addition, the trio had forgotten something. 
2570 
2571Around Maou, there was a guy who basically did not know the concept of being considerate. 
2572 
2573“Hey~ sorry about this.” 
2574 
2575At this moment, the window of Room 201 opened, and the sleepy looking Urushihara Hanzo leaned out and shouted. 
2576 
2577The three of them looked up, showing expressions of understanding. 
2578 
2579“Can all of you wait for a while? Because Maou is digging through the closet now and making a mess of the room.” 
2580 
2581After Urushihara pulled his head back indoors, the three of them looked at each other with empty gazes. 
2582 
2583“He said it.” 
2584 
2585“He probably said it.” 
2586 
2587“Urushihara-san……” 
2588 
2589“Uh?” 
2590 
2591Their sighs dissipated into the darkening skies. 
2592 
2593Suzuno, Kisaki, Chiho, and Emi had noticed it in an instant. 
2594 
2595Urushihara, who must have been sleeping in the morning and finally woken up also noticed it just like Suzuno, Chiho, and Emi. 
2596 
2597Then, he must have naturally said this directly. 
2598 
2599The fact that Maou’s pants had two holes at the thigh area underneath the butt. 
2600 
2601※ 
2602 
2603“T-This, this kind of place……” 
2604 
2605Maou looked at his pants which were spread out on the tatami, trembling as he did so. 
2606 
2607“Why would it tear in such a place?” 
2608 
2609The cloth of the trouser legs, the joining point of both the trouser legs and the bottom of the butt area of the jeans Maou normally wore as casual clothing had turned white, and examining them carefully, the vertical seams have already been worn down and come off, only the horizontal stitches were barely holding them together. When someone wears them, the skin below would be seen through those holes. 
2610 
2611“And all three of them are like this!” 
2612 
2613The three pairs of jeans spread out on the tatami had similar holes in them. 
2614 
2615“You only have three sets of casual clothes huh……” 
2616 
2617From Emi’s perspective, even if she had known that Maou lived a life of poverty, this greatly insufficient quantity of clothes still gave her a shock. 
2618 
2619“I still have three pairs of pants for work!” 
2620“Are those pants alright?” 
2621 
2622Chiho answered Suzuno’s question. 
2623 
2624“The pair I saw at work was not that bad.” 
2625 
2626When she glanced at Maou’s long pants at work because she was concerned, it had not turned out like this. 
2627 
2628Nothing seemed unusual with the other pair of work pants which was folded nicely and kept too. 
2629 
2630Maou had changed into a pair of work pants due to this emergency. 
2631 
2632“E-Erhm, Chi-chan.” 
2633 
2634“Y-Yes?” 
2635 
2636Maou looked down at the damaged pairs of jeans with a sad expression and asked Chiho, using a tone as if it was the end of the world. 
2637 
2638“Erhm, since Chi-chan noticed, that means……” 
2639 
2640With an honest personality, Chiho was unable to lie to Maou, so she bitterly admitted it. 
2641 
2642“Kisaki-san, was worried about you as well……” 
2643 
2644“Uwahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” 
2645 
2646Maou grabbed his head and slumped on the floor. 
2647 
2648“So exaggerated.” 
2649 
2650Urushihara mumbled this as he glanced sideways at how Maou was acting, and having been badly traumatised, Maou rebuked immediately in an agitated manner. 
2651 
2652“Idiot! Don’t compare me with you who doesn’t go outside! Clothes are a direct reflection of someone’s personality! Are you alright with other people thinking that you’re a person who nonchalantly walks around wearing pants with holes in them?” 
2653 
2654“I live a life where I do not care about the opinions of others.” 
2655 
2656“M-Maou-san, it’s alright! All of us know that it was an accident!” 
2657 
2658Chiho tried to put in a good word–– 
2659 
2660“But from the viewpoint of the humans of Ente Isla, the fact that the Demon King who tried to take over the world walked around wearing pants which had holes in the rear end area would be an interesting story worthy of being recorded in the history of the world.” 
2661 
2662“Uwahhhhhhhhhhh! Having Emi see this is making me regret it so much, damn itttttt!” 
2663 
2664“A new page has been added to the bible……” 
2665 
2666“Suzunooooo! Don’t joke about it, I’m really depressed right nowww!” 
2667 
2668“Maou-san…… I’m sorry. If only Kisaki-san and I gathered up the courage and said it……” 
2669 
2670“Chiho-chan is not at fault. Tracing it back to the source of the problem, the greatest sinner in some sense should be Alsiel who had not noticed this, right?” 
2671 
2672“That’s right, I was the most surprised about that.” 
2673 
2674Urushihara responded to Emi’s words. 
2675 
2676“When I first saw it, I thought bugs had caused those holes.” 
2677 
2678When Emi and the rest were waiting outside, Maou and Urushihara did an overall inspection on all their clothes in the room, other than being worn out, only Maou’s pants had such interesting holes. 
2679 
2680“However, there shouldn’t be clothes which are this old amongst all the clothes, right? Why have so many pairs of pants become like this?” 
2681 
2682Without showing any signs of anger, Maou nodded to acknowledge Chiho’s question. 
2683 
2684It had been less than two years since Maou and Ashiya arrived in Japan. 
2685 
2686That meant no matter how old the clothes were, the clothes Maou and Ashiya bought after they arrived in Japan could not have been older than two years. 
2687 
2688There were some second-hand clothes, but according to Maou’s explanation, two of his jeans were bought from the UNIxLO at Sasazuka Station and one pair was bought at a clothes store at the shopping street during a sale. 
2689 
2690“The reason doesn’t matter anymore…… hey, all of you can eat first if you want. UNIxLO should still be open now, I’m going to buy some pants.” 
2691 
2692As if he was a spirit, Maou got up listlessly, picked up his wallet, and prepared to go out. 
2693 
2694“Maou, wouldn’t it be better to check with Ashiya first?” 
2695 
2696Urushihara shouted to Maou from behind. 
2697 
2698Urushihara must have pointed out the holes in Maou’s pants in the same direct manner earlier. 
2699 
2700With regards to this, the three females were thinking the same thing, but they avoided mentioning it because Maou was really too pitiful. 
2701 
2702Maou turned around with an angry gaze and said with a low tone, “This is an emergency. Ashiya is not so merciless that he would nag about one or two pairs of pants.” 
2703 
2704“But Ashiya would say ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, right?” 
2705 
2706“How would there be any inner good to talk about for adults wearing pants with holes when they live a normal social life in modern Japan!?” 
2707 
2708After Maou spat this out, he opened the door with a bang. 
2709 
2710“M-Maou-san!” 
2711 
2712Chiho, feeling restless, chased behind Maou who was feeling sad. 
2713 
2714Suzuno, Emi, and Urushihara silently watched both of them leave. 
2715 
2716“However…… why did it tear this way, this is so strange.” 
2717 
2718After a short while, Suzuno spoke and picked up Maou’s torn pants. 
2719 
2720“You normally wear kimonos so you probably don’t have to worry about this. I should inspect my own clothes later. I have not paid attention to such areas before, but if our clothes become like this, the damage would be something the Demon King cannot even compare to.” 
2721 
2722“I don’t think Maou’s heart is so fragile that he would be hurt by such a thing.” 
2723 
2724“For the Demon King’s pants to tear at the rear end area, it should be us (humans) who are hurt more by this.” 
2725 
2726“Where did Papa and Chi nee-chan go?” 
2727 
2728Alas=Ramus looked at the door where Maou and Chiho left through in curiosity and asked Emi this. 
2729“Hmm…… they went to buy clothes together.” 
2730 
2731“Not eating?” 
2732 
2733“About that.” 
2734 
2735Emi and Suzuno looked at each other, and spoke as if to placate her. 
2736 
2737Alas=Ramus would not understand even if they told her the truth, and if she did understand, Maou would feel even more embarrassed. 
2738 
2739“We’ll eat together when everyone is here, can you wait a while longer?” 
2740 
2741Since Chiho had left, it would feel awkward to eat the food Chiho brought over on their own, and because Maou was too pitiful, 
2742Emi could only reply this way–– 
2743 
2744“Okay.” 
2745 
2746––Alas=Ramus nodded without complaint–– 
2747 
2748“Ehhh.” 
2749 
2750––but another overgrown child protested instead. 
2751 
2752“Didn’t Maou say that we can eat first?” 
2753 
2754“Seriously, you……” 
2755 
2756“Lucifer…… you……” 
2757 
2758Emi and Suzuno glared at Urushihara disdainfully. 
2759 
2760“Something like that happened to the master of the house who takes care of you, don’t you sympathise with him at all?” 
2761 
2762“Even Alas=Ramus is this obedient, don’t you feel embarrassed about it?” 
2763 
2764“W-Why are both of you so biased towards Maou? This feels a little strange to me. No matter how much Maou embarrasses himself, it shouldn’t matter to the both of you?” 
2765 
2766Urushihara’s unexpected comeback shocked Emi and Suzuno, but the two of them shouted at the same time, ““There should be a limit to everything!”” 
2767 
2768Getting traumatised just by holes appearing at the rear area of the pants, to the citizens of the world who were conquered by this kind of Demon King, that was almost as much as they could take. 
2769 
2770※ 
2771 
2772“Maou-san, erhm, please do not be too depressed…… we are at fault too, we noticed it yet we did not know how to tell you about this, erhm……” 
2773 
2774“……No, I’m the one who feels sorry, I was a little too agitated.” 
2775 
2776On the way to the UNIxLO at Sasazuka Station, Chiho tried her best to cheer up the depressed Maou. 
2777 
2778“Yeah, from a perspective of a female, they would have no idea how to go about saying it. If the positions were reversed, I wouldn’t know what to do either. I was the only male amongst the employees today too.” 
2779 
2780Of course, if someone did tell Maou, he could at least wear his work pants when going home. 
2781 
2782However, this is just consequentialism, since he had already worn pants with holes to work, Maou knew that everyone was unable to say it because they were concerned about his feelings. 
2783 
2784“Sigh, having holes is embarrassing, but it’s not as if the whole butt or underwear was showing. I just have to buy a pair of pants and change, so I am depending on you to help choose one.” 
2785 
2786It seemed like he had forced himself to cheer up, but since Maou had already cheered up, Chiho no longer mentioned that hole. 
2787 
2788The two of them arrived at Sasazuka Station like this. 
2789 
2790Luckily, every store in the shopping centre at Sasazuka Station was still open, and UNIxLO was filled up with customers who were commuting or going home. 
2791 
2792“The budget…… I can squeeze out 5000 yen……” 
2793 
2794Maou opened his wallet in front of the store and groaned. 
2795 
2796Chiho felt that the budget being only 5000 yen after losing three pairs of jeans was too tight––   
2797 
2798“Summer is almost over, it should be cheaper after they start selling autumn and winter clothes.” 
2799 
2800“I see, that’s true.” 
2801 
2802As the scale of the UNIxLO store at Sasazuka Station was not large, they would frequently change their products every season. 
2803 
2804At this time when summer was almost over, Maou predicted that the leftover summer clothes would be sold at stock clearance or bundle promotions. 
2805 
2806“But can jeans be sold at such a cheap price?” 
2807 
2808“It’s not a must to buy jeans, so it‘s fine to get cheap pants where the design isn’t too strange.” 
2809 
2810After Chiho understood this, the two of them entered the store. 
2811 
2812“Ah, Maou-san, look over there.” 
2813 
2814Within the store which was not that spacious. 
2815 
2816Chiho pointed at a clothes shelf filled with summer clothing. Such as a T-shirt being sold at 590 yen, or a short-sleeved shirt at 790 yen, as long as they could be properly stored and cared of until next year, these clothes were being sold at worthwhile prices. 
2817 
2818In the same corner, many pairs of pants with thinner materials with their selling points as being sweat absorbent and quick drying were placed there. 
2819 
2820Chiho picked up the product next to her and confirmed the price tag. 
2821 
2822“It’s really cheap.” 
2823 
2824The double pleated cotton pants were considered cheap when decreased to 1500 yen. 
2825 
2826“But…… since they are summer pants, won’t they be too thin?” 
2827 
2828“It would be better than not wearing one, right?” 
2829 
2830“Uh, that’s true, but not what I meant……” 
2831 
2832Maou’s extreme conclusion caused Chiho to show a troubled smile. 
2833 
2834Thinking about it carefully, Maou was the type of person who would wear a hoodie outdoors if he did not have any thick clothes even if winter had not ended yet. 
2835 
2836“Let me see…… ah, no good, the waist is too large.” 
2837 
2838“I’m not too sure about men’s sizes, but what size does Maou-san wear?” 
2839The tag on the pants which Chiho picked up at the start had ‘87’ written on it. 
2840 
2841“The ones I am wearing right now had ‘76’ written on them when I looked just now. Sigh, if I use a belt, I can still accept it if it’s a little bigger.” 
2842 
2843Maou patted the knee portion of his work pants as he said this. 
2844 
2845To the Demon Army where cheap prices are first priority, the clothes and shoes did not have to fit. 
2846 
2847As long as the measurements were within an acceptable range, the body would have to go along with the clothes and shoes. 
2848 
2849Maou took a few pants from the shelf and put it back, repeating this action…… 
2850 
2851“……There’s none.” 
2852 
2853“……Yeah.” 
2854 
2855Maou’s expression gradually turned stern. 
2856 
2857There were many summer pants here, but could it be the fate of promotional products, it was difficult to find normal sizes which were close to Maou’s size. 
2858 
2859The smallest size was ‘73’, then it jumped to ‘81’ at one go, the remaining were pants around size ‘85’. 
2860 
2861“Ah, Maou-san, this is ‘79’………… let’s just forget about this one.” 
2862 
2863“Yeah, that’s a bit, you know.” 
2864 
2865What Chiho picked up by only looking at the label was a pair of pants covered in a pattern of the flags of various countries as if it was sewn from the cloth of flags of many countries, giving others the impression that it had mistaken the concept of internationalism. 
2866 
2867“Hm~ if I wear a belt, ‘81’ should still be okay. Chi-chan, please pass the one just now to me, that one as well. I will go try them on first, help me take a look later.” 
2868 
2869“Ah, al, alright.” 
2870 
2871Chiho handed the double pleated long pants from just now to Maou, and Maou picked up another pair of cotton pants, then he entered the fitting room after greeting the store employee. 
2872 
2873“Then, if there are any problems, please let me know.” 
2874 
2875After the store employee said this, he brought Maou to the fitting room and helped him close the door. 
2876 
2877In front of that door, Chiho leaned against the wall–– 
2878 
2879“……Heh heh.” 
2880 
2881––she could not help but show a smile despite it being this kind of situation. 
2882 
2883She had nothing to do during this time, but didn’t this feel a little like a date? 
2884 
2885“I wonder if there will be a day in the future where our positions will be reversed.” 
2886 
2887Daydreaming, Chiho imagined this. 
2888 
2889She was the one entering the fitting room while Maou commented on whether it was cute or not. 
2890 
2891Just this felt like a dream. 
2892 
2893Of course, since Maou received a serious blow to his mental state, she could not just feel happy on her own. In addition, Emi and the rest were still waiting at the apartment. 
2894 
2895Even so, just as Chiho was hoping that this would last a little longer–– 
2896 
2897“Chi-chan, what do you think?” 
2898 
2899“Y-Yes?” 
2900 
2901Chiho, blushing a little, looking at Maou in the fitting room, then…… 
2902 
2903“Uh……” 
2904 
2905…...she became speechless. 
2906 
2907Simply put, it was unfashionable. 
2908 
2909This pair of double pleated pants is a no go. Chiho was convinced of this. 
2910 
2911Maou’s rather firm upper body could still be vaguely seen from the T-shirt, but the bottom half ended up resembling a wide kite, and there was so much extra cloth at the waist that it could not be explained away by calling it loose and comfortable. 
2912 
2913The pair of pants he had originally worn was thin as well, but since it had a narrow cutting, this pair appeared to be thicker and heavier in contrast, so Chiho shook her head immediately. 
2914 
2915“It’s best not to wear that one, try on the other one and see.” 
2916 
2917“It’s strange after all?” 
2918 
2919“It’s very strange. It doesn’t suit your body shape at all, and it feels like it won’t match any of Maou-san’s current clothes.” 
2920 
2921She was not at the level where she knew Maou’s closet inside out, but the few pieces of clothing Chiho had seen Maou wear so far felt like it would not match this pair of pants in front of her. 
2922 
2923“I understand. Please wait a while.” 
2924 
2925Maou nodded without protest and closed the door once more. 
2926 
2927However, this time, what was immediately heard from the fitting room––   
2928 
2929“No good.” 
2930 
2931––was this voice. 
2932 
2933Then a series of sounds of clothes rubbing against each other were heard and Maou walked out wearing the pair of pants he was wearing originally. 
2934 
2935“It’s too large at the waist, even if I use a belt, the hook at the front protrudes out and makes it look ugly. ‘81’ is too large after all.” 
2936 
2937“I see…… then……” 
2938 
2939Chiho looked to a different shelf than before, Maou also shifted his gaze. 
2940 
2941“We can only buy those over there. But my budget.” 
2942 
2943Chiho knew what Maou wanted to say. 
2944 
2945The two of them were looking at the shelf containing gentleman pants. 
2946 
2947There were various colours and sizes, but there was already a switch to autumn and winter styles, so the price would be comparatively more expensive than the summer clothes. 
2948 
2949“3990 yen, my eyes hurt just seeing this number……” 
2950 
2951Maou squeezed this out. 
2952 
2953The budget was only 5000 yen, if the pants to be bought cost close to 4000 yen, then they could only buy one pair. 
2954 
2955To Maou, this budget of 5000 yen was something he squeezed out while harbouring a determination strong enough to cause the Kiyomizu Stage to collapse. 
2956(TL Note: This is derived from the phrase ‘jumping off the Kiyomizu Stage’ which describes a person’s determination. Relevant link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera#Present) 
2957 
2958Of course, Ashiya was not an evil Oni, he would not make it such that his master had no pants to wear. 
2959 
2960It was still possible to buy one pair now and then buy the other two pairs after negotiations. 
2961 
2962However, to use up more than half of the budget before the negotiations because they assumed that the negotiations would end well was a very poor strategy in negotiation technique. 
2963 
2964“Now what……?” 
2965 
2966“Y-Yeah……” 
2967 
2968Chiho could understand the dilemma Maou was facing even without asking, so she could not rush Maou irresponsibly. 
2969 
2970※ 
2971 
2972“I’m home…… what are all of you doing?” 
2973 
2974Eight o’clock at night. 
2975 
2976After Ashiya returned home, he realised that his master was not in the room. In place of that, Emi, Alas=Ramus, Suzuno, and Urushihara welcomed him with strange expressions on their faces, causing him to think that the Demon Fortress had been overrun by the Hero’s forces and that Urushihara had surrendered to the enemy. 
2977 
2978This could not be helped. 
2979 
2980After all, a few containers of food wrapped in cling film which could be eaten after being heated in the microwave were placed on the kotatsu. 
2981 
2982Emi and Suzuno were sitting next to the kotatsu as if they were the owners of the dinner table. As for Urushihara, he had allowed Alas=Ramus to sit on his back as if he was a horse. 
2983 
2984“Urushihara, what kind of situation is this? Where did Demon King-sama go?” 
2985 
2986After placing his large backpack on the tatami, Ashiya sighed. 
2987 
2988“Before that, Alsiel! We have something we want to ask you! Where did you go during this emergency?” 
2989 
2990“W-What, Emilia? You said emergency?” 
2991 
2992Hearing this sentence once he returned, Ashiya received a huge shock. 
2993 
2994“I did not go anywhere specific, I just accepted a job which required me to stay somewhere else. I only left home for a day because someone introduced me to a job with rather good welfare, why do I have to be lectured by you for that.” 
2995 
2996“I knew you weren’t at home yesterday, but you should at least explain what kind of job it was. Where did you go?” 
2997 
2998After hearing the horse say this, Ashiya nodded. 
2999 
3000“Thinking about it, I did not tell Lucifer about this. It was a drug trial.” 
3001 
3002“Drug……? Hey, Alsiel?” 
3003 
3004After hearing this answer, Emi was the one who felt shocked. 
3005 
3006“Drug trial refers to becoming a tester in the research for new drugs and allowing people to take data, right? Is that a wise thing to do?” 
3007 
3008“Oh my, you worry about my health as well?” 
3009 
3010“Impossible. I was thinking that if there are wrong results from having you demons take human drugs, how are you going to plan to take responsibility for that!?” 
3011 
3012“We have taken human medicines in the past and no negative side effects have appeared so far.” 
3013 
3014“That’s not what I meant!” 
3015 
3016Emi shouted agitatedly. Shaking his head, Ashiya opened the backpack which was on the tatami floor and threw the information contained inside at Emi. 
3017 
3018“What is this?” 
3019 
3020“The drug used in the drug trial I participated in.” 
3021 
3022Frowning, Emi looked at the title of the first document filed inside the information folder. 
3023 
3024“……Transdermal Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Patch?” 
3025 
3026“It’s a drug production test for a topical drug. The idea of the product was an easy to use transdermal anti-inflammatory analgesic for eliminating the soreness from housework. Simply put, it’s a pain relief patch.” 
3027 
3028“Is it that thing used to sooth stiff shoulders and sore waists that occasionally appears in television commercials?” Suzuno asked as she looked at the folder. 
3029 
3030“You just have to think of it as a weaker version of that. This is not used to get rid of serious pains, but to sooth minor soreness and pains, a medicine which needs to be used continuously.” 
3031 
3032Ashiya started to explain with the information he obtained from the description of the product. 
3033 
3034The products which would appear on the television commercials Suzuno had described would normally claim that the product was fast acting and effective, and would give people the impression of being too strong when used to treat minor ailments. 
3035 
3036Therefore, there were people who proposed this plan of selling medicines with weaker effects used to sooth more minor symptoms, and Ashiya was one of the people taking part in the final test of this medicine. 
3037 
3038“Oh, if it’s just applying medicine, then I can do……” 
3039 
3040“Impossible.” 
3041 
3042Urushihara mumbled this softly after hearing it, but Ashiya rejected this. 
3043 
3044“A strict examination must be passed to take part in this drug trial. This may sound rude, but not just Urushihara, even Demon King-sama will find it difficult to pass this examination.” 
3045 
3046“Huh? What is this?” 
3047 
3048“I said this earlier. This weaker drug is used for minor symptoms. In other words, this target of this drug are not the athletes who normally go through vigorous training, but housewives.” 
3049 
3050Ashiya said the term ‘housewives’ with a stern expression on his face, causing Urushihara and Emi to feel perplexed, but Suzuno nodded as if she agreed. 
3051 
3052“Oh, I see. That would be taking a strong acting drug perceived to be for males and developing a version suitable for females to use.” 
3053 
3054“That’s right. As the testing period was short, only people who could complete the household chores with high standards could take part in this drug trial. There were many testing segments. Just the cooking department alone can be split into five segments. In my situation, I was hired because I could obtain a high score for caring for young children in the childcare segment although I was a guy.” 
3055 
3056““Childcare……”” 
3057 
3058Emi and Suzuno looked at Alas=Ramus at the same time. 
3059 
3060The one who took care of Alas=Ramus the most when she stayed at the Demon Fortress was definitely Ashiya. 
3061 
3062Excluding the fact that he had accepted Chiho’s guidance and would occasionally trouble Suzuno for help, since he was this good at taking care of young children, that meant that other than Emi, Ashiya was currently the one most capable of taking care of Alas=Ramus. 
3063 
3064As everyone recently started to gather frequently for dinner, Ashiya also learned the skills of cooking dishes while considering the needs of young children. 
3065 
3066“Other than cooking and childcare, there was still cleaning, laundry, and other chores which require the moving of the body. The drug tests can only be conducted after finishing six hours of doing these tasks. Because that place was spacious and had the newest tools, regardless of cooking or cleaning, I found it easier to do than normal. The sixty year old madam who remained in the test even praised me saying that my skills were so good that it was difficult to believe that I was a young man.” 
3067 
3068Seeing Ashiya say it rather proudly, Emi and Suzuno felt bored for the first time in a long while. 
3069 
3070“Alsiel…… isn’t it about time you question yourself on your identity as a demon?” 
3071 
3072“Honestly, being this capable, I feel a little jealous as a female.” 
3073 
3074“People must really have one speciality huh.” 
3075 
3076Even Urushihara heaved a sigh from either surprise or amazement. 
3077 
3078“That’s how it is. This should be enough explanation on the reason I was not at home. Let me say this first, this information cannot be spread. If it’s leaked, I will not let you off.” 
3079 
3080From Emi and Suzuno’s standpoint, rather than this information, they wanted to tell the world about other things. 
3081 
3082“So, what are all of you doing here? Where did Demon King-sama go? Emilia, did you take the chance to occupy the Demon Fortress while Demon King-sama is not around?” 
3083 
3084“Who wants to conquer this room? Compared to this, I would rather stay in Bell’s room.” 
3085 
3086After going through this meaningless argument, Emi pointed to the three pairs of pants on the tatami. 
3087 
3088“Hm? Aren’t those the pants Demon King-sama wears when he’s resting? Why were all three pairs taken out.” 
3089 
3090“You’ll know when you see them. Thanks to that pair of pants, not just us, even Chiho-dono and Shop Manager Kisaki felt very awkward today.” 
3091 
3092“What?” 
3093 
3094Ashiya frowned and finally took off his shoes, entering the room. 
3095 
3096“Alsiel, welcome back! You wowked hawd!” 
3097 
3098“……Yeah. I’m back, Alas=Ramus.” 
3099 
3100Alas=Ramus greeted him and showed her appreciation in a refreshing manner, causing Ashiya to show a small smile. 
3101 
3102Ashiya, who would normally show a hostile attitude towards Emi and Suzuno, seemed to be bad at resisting the mannerisms of the innocent Alas=Ramus. 
3103 
3104“Sit quietly on top of that for a while.” 
3105 
3106“Oh!” 
3107 
3108“Ashiya…… what do you mean by ‘on top of that’, hey!” 
3109 
3110Urushihara, who was strangely close to Alas=Ramus, would normally play with her like this. It was not that uncommon of an occurrence, but his efforts would normally go unrecognised. 
3111 
3112Ashiya knelt on the tatami and picked up one of the jeans. 
3113 
3114“Hm, this is……” 
3115 
3116Ashiya immediately noticed the holes from before. 
3117 
3118“All three of them are torn.” 
3119 
3120“That’s right. The Demon King wore that pair of pants today and walked around in it.” 
3121 
3122“What?” 
3123 
3124Emi’s words caused Ashiya to show a serious expression. 
3125 
3126“I don’t want to say things like this, and I am not obligated to do so, but I really feel that this is disgraceful. My enemy, or more like the enemy of the humans was actually walking around outside wearing pants with holes in the rear end area, then felt very embarrassed because this was pointed out by Alas=Ramus’s horse. Aren’t you a Demon General serving under the Demon King? I know that your finances are tight, but allowing your master to wear something this old and worn out, don’t you feel ashamed?” 
3127 
3128“U-Ugh……” 
3129 
3130Ashiya was unable to retort Emi at all––   
3131 
3132“Since when have I been demoted to Alas=Ramus’s steed?!” 
3133 
3134––and Urushihara protested. 
3135 
3136“B-But for these pairs of jeans, two of them were bought at UNIxLO. I also bought my own pants at that time, but none of those pants had this kind of problem.” 
3137 
3138“That’s true. Only Maou’s pants turned out like this.” 
3139 
3140Alas=Ramus’s horse said this, and Ashiya became lost in thought. 
3141 
3142“Then, where did Demon King-sama go?” 
3143 
3144“After seeing such a disastrous situation, he ran to the UNIxLO at the station, crying as he did so.” 
3145 
3146“Ugh……” 
3147 
3148Ashiya showed a gloomy expression. 
3149 
3150“Alsiel, forgive him this time. The Demon King is really too pitiful. Chiho-dono went with the Demon King too, so they won’t buy anything too expensive.” 
3151 
3152“No, it can’t be helped since such a thing happened…… hm. Hey, that horse over there.” 
3153 
3154“I should be getting mad around now, right?” 
3155 
3156“Call Demon King-sama. I will mend this pair of pants. Tell him to please consider this when he is buying the new pair of pants.” 
3157 
3158“Why do I……. hm?” 
3159 
3160“Eh?” 
3161“Huh?” 
3162 
3163Urushihara crawled reluctantly towards the computer, then widened his eyes because he noticed that Ashiya had said something strange just now. 
3164 
3165Emi and Suzuno appeared to have noticed it as well, and expressed their confusion at the same time. 
3166 
3167“You just said…… mend? That……” 
3168 
3169“Yeah, for this kind of hole, it can probably be mended without looking unnatural.” 
3170 
3171Ashiya said this nonchalantly, stunning the trio. 
3172 
3173Ashiya opened the closet and took out a cupboard box. 
3174 
3175“Is, is that?” 
3176 
3177Suzuno shouted in surprise. 
3178 
3179Many needles and string were contained within, making it obvious that it was Ashiya’s sewing kit. 
3180 
3181Maou mentioned in the past that Ashiya had mended torn socks using a spoilt light bulb, but actually seeing the sewing kit caused Suzuno to feel dizzy. 
3182 
3183“For patching...... I’ll use this piece of cloth.” 
3184 
3185Next, Ashiya took out a few pieces of blue cloth which were of similar colours to the pair of jeans. 
3186 
3187“W-Wait a moment, Alsiel, that is made of different material, right?” 
3188 
3189Emi, who had not recovered from the shock of Ashiya’s actions, asked this. 
3190 
3191The cloth Ashiya was holding may have been blue in colour, but the shade was completely different and it wasn’t denim material as well. 
3192 
3193If that was used for the patching, it would only make that place look more obvious. 
3194 
3195“What are you saying? It’s being used in a place which cannot be seen, so it’s fine.” 
3196 
3197“Cannot be seen…… even if it’s under the rear end area, the difference in material should still be obvious.” 
3198 
3199“What did you say?” 
3200 
3201Ashiya was the one who sounded surprised at what Emi said instead, looked at her and the pair of jeans repeatedly––   
3202 
3203“That’s stupid. It’s impossible to use this to patch the hole directly.” 
3204 
3205And after saying this, Ashiya turned the pair of jeans inside out, and started to cut out the area above the hole––the inner cloth of the back pocket. 
3206 
3207“H-Hey?” 
3208 
3209“When mending clothes which have been worn for a long time, finding a patch at an unseen area of the same piece of clothing is the basic thing to do. Because the degradation over time such as the fading of colour happens at a similar rate, the external appearance will not be that unnatural. To avoid the cut-out area causing discomfort when worn, it has to be patched with cloth of similar thickness…… only this much blue string is left huh. It seems like I can’t cut out too large of a piece.” 
3210 
3211While Ashiya was answering, other than nimbly threading the string with his large hands, he was also adjusting the size of the cloth. 
3212 
3213There was a tool called a needle threader, but it seemed like this sewing kit did not have any. 
3214 
3215“A cloth with similar thickness…… is it that one?” 
3216 
3217“This piece of cloth? Could it be that you have an impression of this…… that’s impossible. It did happen a long time ago.” 
3218 
3219“Eh?” 
3220 
3221“This is the pair of pants which Demon King-sama tore when he reverted back to his demon form for the first time. You were present at that time, right?” 
3222 
3223“Eh? It, it’s from that time?” 
3224 
3225Emi shouted. 
3226 
3227This happened before Suzuno started to live in Japan. 
3228 
3229At that time, only a few days had passed since Emi and Maou met again, and Chiho still did not know about the true identities of Maou and the others. 
3230 
3231Urushihara, who was still Maou’s enemy at that time, caused the Shinjuku underpass where Maou, Emi, Chiho, and Ashiya were to collapse. 
3232 
3233When that happened, Maou turned back into his demon form for the first time. However, the statures of human Maou Sadao and Demon King Satan were significantly different. 
3234 
3235Thanks to that, the clothes Ashiya bought on a rare occasion, which were of higher quality than normal, were so torn up that they could not be worn again. 
3236 
3237“T-The clothes the Demon King wore at that time? That piece of clothing which was slightly better than the clothes he normally wore……” 
3238 
3239“It was of significantly better quality. Seriously, since before Urushihara came to the Demon Fortress, he has been the enemy of our household finances.” 
3240 
3241“Sigh, I was seriously being your enemy at that time, you know?” 
3242 
3243Urushihara was totally unrepentant, and because Alas=Ramus refused to get off his back, he could only remain on all fours while opening the computer and activating Skyphone. 
3244 
3245“Because the material was good, I was reluctant to throw it away. When I was thinking about its uses, I discovered a type of craft called ‘embroidery’ described in books I found in the library, so I kept these pieces of cloth as material.” 
3246 
3247In an era in the past where clothes were not as cheap and plentiful compared to modern times, embroidery was developed as a craft where cotton cloth was sewn together with cotton string for warmth and patching. 
3248 
3249“The description mentioned that it was a technique which can be used on cherished cloths and clothes to make them last longer. At that time, my pants were torn as well. After using it as practice, the process was unexpectedly smooth. After that I used socks or other things to train my skills.” 
3250 
3251“Ah……” 
3252 
3253Ashiya’s demon form had tails. 
3254 
3255If he wore human clothes when transforming, his tails would pierce through his pants to go outside, Ashiya had also used his tails to tear his pants once in Emi’s presence. 
3256 
3257Emi and Suzuno could only stare in a stunned manner while watching the jeans in front of them gradually being patched, one stitch at a time. 
3258 
3259“Ah, hello, Maou? Ashiya just returned, he said he will mend your pants and asked you to keep this in mind while buying a new one…… eh? Yeah, that’s right, it can be mended, and it seems like it can be patched up very nicely too. Yeah, bye. Ah, hey, Alas=Ramus, return those earphones!” 
3260 
3261Urushihara spoke while trying to get his earphones from Alas=Ramus, who still refused to get off his back. 
3262“He felt surprised, but he seemed to understand. He even said that he’s coming back.” 
3263 
3264“I-I see, then it’s about time to prepare dinner.” 
3265 
3266Suzuno abruptly came back to her senses after hearing this, pulled up the hem of her clothing to get up, then returned to Room 202 to use the microwave to heat up the plates wrapped in clingwrap. 
3267 
3268“Alsiel…… do you really not question the fact that you’re a demon?” 
3269 
3270Emi, who had nothing to do, could only ask this. 
3271 
3272“I don’t.” 
3273 
3274Ashiya answered immediately. 
3275 
3276“The demons in the Demon World do not depend on machinery or others, we are beings who are independent even while having demonic magic as a medium. If not, we will not be able to survive in the Demon World. When I arrived in Japan, I learned cooking, laundry, cleaning, and sewing on my own because I felt that there was a need to do so for daily living. That is all. The skills I know are basic things which can be learned by normal people as long as they practice diligently for a week.” 
3277 
3278“I feel that phrasing it that way is a little too extreme……” 
3279 
3280Even so, Emi could not deny it completely. 
3281 
3282When other people were asked to do something a person could not do themselves, there would be a price. The human world was gradually built up like this, but it was an undeniable fact that some skills would be lost in the end because everyone kept pushing the things which they could do as long as they put effort into it onto other people. 
3283 
3284“Then again, how did these holes come about in the first place?” 
3285 
3286“T-That’s true.” 
3287 
3288The first question Urushihara asked caused Emi to remember that this question had not been answered yet. 
3289 
3290“You still don’t understand even after becoming a horse?” 
3291 
3292Ashiya answered nonchalantly while looking at the needle and string in his hands. 
3293 
3294“Amongst all of us, only Demon King-sama rides a bicycle.” 
3295 
3296““Ah.”” 
3297 
3298Emi and Urushihara exclaimed as if they finally understood. 
3299 
3300“It’s like that when commuting as well, but Demon King-sama frequently uses his bicycle no matter where he goes. He seems to normally cycle very fast too. Because he applies more force on the pedals, this area which rubs against the seat will tear.” 
3301 
3302““Oh……”” 
3303 
3304“If Alas=Ramus gets too agitated while playing on your back, her diapers would shift. Be careful, okay.” 
3305 
3306“Eh? Hey, A-Alas=Ramus, you haven’t done anything yet, right? C-Come down for a bit……” 
3307 
3308“Uhm, no, I still want to play! More!” 
3309 
3310“Uh, if there’s nothing, I will play with you for a little longer, please come down first……” 
3311 
3312Freezing in place, Urushihara tried to coax Alas=Ramus off his back. 
3313 
3314“Alas=Ramus, it’s about time to eat, get off Horse Lucifer now. Be obedient.” 
3315 
3316“Emilia! You just said ‘Horse Lucifer’ right, actually calling me a horse!” 
3317“If he could work as hard as the horses which pull horse carriages, he might be a little cuter.” 
3318 
3319“What is Ashiya saying without even looking up?” 
3320 
3321“Hey, that useless horse over there, Chiho-dono and the Demon King are coming home soon. Help out a little.” 
3322 
3323“I’m definitely not helping!” 
3324 
3325With Suzuno saying this as she returned with new plates, Urushihara determinedly refused to help. 
3326 
3327After that, just like what Suzuno said, the sounds of someone climbing the stairs were heard from the public staircase outside. 
3328 
3329“I’m back.” 
3330 
3331“I heard Ashiya-san has returned? Can the pants really be mended?” 
3332 
3333Chiho returned with Maou, who had happily bought the new pair of 3990 yen pants once he heard that Ashiya could mend his pants. 
3334 
3335“Ashiya-san…… is amazing…… it’s really patched up.” 
3336 
3337After Chiho saw the pants which Ashiya mended with needle and thread, she seemed to have received a huge blow. 
3338 
3339Even when she was sitting down at the table, Chiho kept staring at Ashiya’s hands. 
3340 
3341“I just practiced some clumsy techniques before. It’s nothing much.” 
3342 
3343Ashiya answered Chiho in a humble manner, and to Emi who witnessed the whole process, she was unable to believe that mending torn pants in just twenty minutes was considered a clumsy technique. 
3344 
3345After that, though Ashiya temporarily stopped his mending operations because he had to eat, when it was time for Chiho to return, he had already mended all three pants to the point that it was difficult to immediately tell that they had been torn before. 
3346 
3347※ 
3348 
3349Because of the rule which was unknowingly established over time that at least two people had to accompany Chiho home if she stayed until a later time, Emi and Suzuno were Chiho’s companions on the return trip today. 
3350 
3351“Chiho-chan, you seem rather listless, is something wrong?” 
3352 
3353Chiho kept looking down and not speaking, and Emi asked this in concern. 
3354 
3355“……Sorry, I just lost some of my self-confidence.” 
3356 
3357Chiho replied with a rather distracted gaze. 
3358 
3359“Eh?” 
3360 
3361“Because the wall I have to surpass is a little too high, I don’t know what to do……” 
3362 
3363“I don’t really want to confirm this, but is this referring to Alsiel?” 
3364 
3365Suzuno asked in a cautious manner, and Chiho nodded immediately. 
3366 
3367“I have never felt that I ‘could not win’ against a certain person as much as today.” 
3368 
3369“……” 
3370 
3371Emi and Suzuno were speechless. 
3372 
3373Wanting to stay around the guy she liked was a natural feeling of a girl in love. 
3374“I had thought that I would be barely meeting standards for cleaning, laundry, and cooking…… but sewing, was a blind spot……” 
3375 
3376“Uh, but…… yeah, that’s true.” 
3377 
3378Emi had wanted to say that people who still thought that way were in the minority, but she swallowed her words before she said it. 
3379 
3380Even if Chiho’s feelings overcame all barriers and were transmitted to Maou successfully, if her skills in daily living were not at least good enough to replace Ashiya, it could inconvenience Maou instead. 
3381 
3382“……But Chiho-dono. No matter what, Alsiel is the Demon King’s ‘subordinate’, their relationship isn’t equal……” 
3383 
3384“I, am still not confident that I can be a human who is an equal to the ‘Demon King’……” 
3385 
3386“………Yeah.” 
3387 
3388Chiho’s skills in daily living were definitely not as poor as she described. 
3389 
3390It was just that the person she was comparing against was too strong. 
3391 
3392But even if they said this, Chiho would not accept it. 
3393 
3394If so, there was only one method left which could cheer her up. 
3395 
3396“I can teach you a little bit about sewing, do you want to try?” 
3397 
3398Chiho immediately showed a strong interest in Suzuno’s suggestion. 
3399 
3400“Please teach me! I have only used needle and thread in home economics classes in the past and my mum rarely does any sewing work, there’s no one else I can depend on!” 
3401 
3402“Y-Yeah, Chiho-dono, I understand, please step back a bit. E-Even so, I can only teach you Ente Isla styles, which simply put, would be the style of the priests of the Church. The terms and techniques are completely different from here, and you will still have to practice on your own after that.” 
3403 
3404“Of course!” 
3405 
3406“I-I am not too sure about that, but that’s great…… thinking about it, Bell has quite a number of skills.” 
3407 
3408“Due to the nature of my occupation, I will learn it even if I don’t wish to.” 
3409 
3410Suzuno was an Inquisitor in the past, and she was an Inquisitor responsible for handling underground jobs. If she was not familiar with spying and disguising techniques, she would probably be unable to complete many jobs. 
3411 
3412These skills would be very convenient techniques when used in daily life, but after seeing Chiho burn with a strange competitive spirit towards Ashiya, Emi suddenly thought of something. 
3413 
3414“……If it was in Japan, other people would think that this is outdated……” 
3415 
3416Recently, most people did not see cooking, laundry, and cleaning as female only tasks. 
3417 
3418However, compared to not being good at it, people who are good at housework would be viewed more highly and their lives would definitely become more fruitful. 
3419 
3420For Emi, since she had been doing it since she was young, she was confident that she could perform various household chores. However, it was undeniable that she had recently become sloppier at it since Japan was truly too convenient. 
3421 
3422“……Hey, Alas=Ramus.” 
3423 
3424As Suzuno and Chiho were speaking enthusiastically with one another, Emi called out to Alas=Ramus in a volume which both of them could not hear. 
3425 
3426Because she could not bring out Alas=Ramus in front of Chiho’s mother, they would normally be in a merged state when they walked Chiho home. At this moment, Alas=Ramus seemed to be a little sleepy because she played too much with Urushihara. 
3427 
3428“Hm…… what is it, Mama?” 
3429 
3430Hearing the slightly dazed voice, Emi smiled. 
3431 
3432“Sorry to disturb you from your sleep. Alas=Ramus, what do you want to eat tomorrow?” 
3433 
3434“……Corn soup…… fwah.” 
3435 
3436“Cream of corn soup huh, I understand.” 
3437 
3438Emi nodded, took out her Slimphone, and started to search for ways to make cream of corn which did not use the canned versions. 
3439 
3440Then she confirmed that the ingredients she needed could be bought from the convenience stores and supermarkets on the way home. 
3441 
3442Emi thought to herself as she watched Suzuno and Chiho who were walking in front of her. 
3443 
3444As long as it was for Maou’s sake, Chiho was willing to put in all her effort. 
3445 
3446This was the same for Ashiya as well. 
3447 
3448Suzuno learned these skills based off of her religious beliefs because she wanted to contribute something to the world. 
3449 
3450“Luckily I still have Alas=Ramus.” 
3451 
3452If Emi wanted to work hard for someone other than herself, the first one she would think of would be her ‘daughter’ Alas=Ramus. 
3453 
3454To Emi, who had always charged forward for the sake of the things she had lost early on, this was the first time she wanted to work hard for someone. 
3455 
3456This was what she thought. 
3457 
3458 	 
3459Short Story 5: Demon King, Learning about his Superior’s Past 
3460 
3461The highest temperature shown on the weather reports should have been decreasing, but it was still the period when people missed air-conditioning. 
3462 
3463Maou, who had arrived at the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station for work, discovered Kisaki behind the counter, flipping through a pile of documents with a frown. 
3464 
3465“Good morning, Kisaki-san. Is something wrong?” 
3466 
3467“Hm? Oh, good morning, Maa-kun. Uh, there is a slight problem.” 
3468 
3469Kisaki only glanced at Maou before immediately returning to the documents. 
3470 
3471As Maou peered from the side, he realised that it was mostly a stack of handwritten receipts. 
3472 
3473“What’s wrong with these receipts?” 
3474 
3475“No, it’s nothing much…… Maa-kun, have you seen Sarue recently?” 
3476 
3477“Eh?” 
3478 
3479This unexpected question surprised Maou. 
3480 
3481The competitor of the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station––the Hatagaya Sentucky Fried Chicken store––its manager Sarue Mitsuki was actually not an inhabitant of Earth. 
3482 
3483Archangel Sariel, who was from Ente Isla's heaven, was an enemy of and had fought against both Maou, and the one targeting Maou, Hero Emilia a.k.a Yusa Emi. 
3484 
3485At the end of the fierce battle, after Sariel met Kisaki Mayumi, the MgRonalds Shop Manager, by chance, he fell in love with her at first sight. 
3486 
3487From that day on, having completely turned into Kisaki’s slave, he threw his duty as an archangel to the other end of the universe and began to carry out outrageous methods of courting Kisaki to capture her heart. 
3488 
3489“Shop Manager Sarue huh…… no, thinking about it, I have not seen him for a long time.” 
3490 
3491Maou would normally address him as ‘Sariel’ directly, but in front of Kisaki who did not know about the situation of Maou and the others, he still had to treat him as the shop manager of a competitor store. 
3492 
3493According to Maou’s memory, Sariel a.k.a Sarue Mitsuki had not come to the store recently. 
3494 
3495“Yeah. I had thought that he had come to the store while I was not around, but that does not seem to be the case. If I’m not in the store, he will always ask for handwritten receipts, right?” 
3496 
3497So that was why Kisaki was flipping through that stack of receipts. 
3498 
3499Considering the inappropriate advances on Emi and Chiho in the past, the way Sariel courted Kisaki was truly unbelievably shameless. 
3500 
3501Of course, it was not as if he could do anything he wanted as long as he did not break the law, but if the other party was magnanimous enough, they would just laugh it off, his actions were within that limit. 
3502 
3503Sarue would only carry out his courting actions within the business hours of the two stores and would not interfere with Kisaki’s private life. 
3504 
3505He would normally bring extravagant gifts when coming to the store, recite mysterious love poems loudly, order abnormal amounts of food, and would leave after thirty minutes at most. 
3506 
3507The problem would be that he would come a maximum of three times per day, which would be eating all three meals there per day. However, if he did not cause trouble for the other customers, he was then only a customer with a more unique personality. 
3508He had been banned from the store in the past because of various misunderstandings, but that restriction had now been lifted. 
3509 
3510After that he would occasionally visit the store noisily, then return after ordering a normal amount of food…… 
3511 
3512“But that’s unexpected. Kisaki-san is actually concerned about whether Shop Manager Sarue came or not.” 
3513 
3514“Of course I’m concerned. Aren’t you?” 
3515 
3516“Eh, erhm……” 
3517 
3518Maou was surprised by what Kisaki said instead. 
3519 
3520Sarue liked Kisaki a lot, this fact was known by Kisaki, all the MgRonalds employees, their regular customers, and even the employees from the nearby stores. 
3521 
3522Maou felt it was impossible, but could it be that Sarue not visiting the store had some special meaning in Kisaki’s heart…… 
3523 
3524“That guy has been passionate so far, yet he disappeared suddenly, it would be concerning if he found a new target. Isn’t that guy very lecherous?” 
3525 
3526“Y-Yeah, probably…… b-but it’s a concern?” 
3527 
3528“I’m not being egoistic, but other than myself, not many people are able to handle that guy’s irritating and strange way of courting. If that guy is allowed to do this an unspecified number of females, depending on the situation, he might be arrested immediately by the police. 
3529 
3530Maou could only look at Kisaki in surprise as she said this with a serious look on her face. 
3531 
3532“He is a comrade of this shopping street after all, if a criminal appeared in this shopping street, it would be a huge loss to the shopping street and us.” 
3533 
3534“Oh…… so it was that kind of concern……” 
3535 
3536Maou finally understood. 
3537 
3538Maou was momentarily worried that Kisaki had felt moved by Sariel’s courting actions, but it seemed like what Kisaki was worried about what more realistic than what Maou had thought. 
3539 
3540“But he really didn’t come after all.” 
3541 
3542Kisaki sighed lightly and kept the receipts into the drawer under the cashier machine. 
3543 
3544“I should go over occasionally and check out the situation of the enemy. Then get information from the employees over there, if that person’s actions are strange, I will discuss this with the chairman of the shopping street……” 
3545 
3546“Uh, I feel that it’s too early to be considering these things?” 
3547 
3548It seemed like that in Kisaki’s mind, Sarue was either breaking the law somewhere,= or was going to commit a crime. 
3549 
3550“E-Erhm, perhaps he suddenly became busy because of something like a business profit strengthening month. Manager Sarue has been slowly understanding Kisaki-san’s methods recently and starting to work hard, right?” 
3551 
3552Maou was thinking why he even bothered to defend his enemy so seriously, but it would be troubling if the situation blew up and caused Sariel to become depressed again, so Maou continued to advise Kisaki against it. 
3553 
3554“Hm, that’s true.” 
3555 
3556Perhaps she had accepted Maou’s explanation, Kisaki nodded lightly. 
3557 
3558“We’ll handle it when something really happens then. For starters, let’s distribute the phone number of the nearby police stations to all the employees.” 
3559 
3560It appears that the presumption that Sarue would cause trouble had not changed. 
3561 
3562“Ah, oh yeah, Maa-kun, I have something I need to make clear to you first.” 
3563 
3564“Yes?” 
3565 
3566“If you misunderstand that I am looking forward to that guy’s visits, I will feel troubled. From the business point of view, Sarue may be a good customer, but whether he can be considered a good customer to the shops cannot be judged by profit.” 
3567 
3568“I know that.” 
3569 
3570Kisaki was probably the only one who would not feel moved at all by Sarue’s courting. 
3571 
3572In the first place, Kisaki rarely expressed feelings of like and dislike towards others. 
3573 
3574Of course, Kisaki was human and it would be impossible for her to treat everyone equally, but at least Maou had never seen Kisaki comment on other people if it was not related to work…… 
3575 
3576“No, I wonder if that counts.” 
3577 
3578Only once in the past did Kisaki mention someone Maou did not know, calling that person ‘an eternal nemesis’ and showing a terrifying competitive will. 
3579 
3580By coincidence, that person seemed to be working for Sentucky Fried Chicken. 
3581 
3582The reason for Kisaki’s bad mood when Sentucky Fried Chicken opened and wanting to compete with Sentucky’s business profits for no reason might have been mainly because of that person. 
3583 
3584To be seen as ‘an eternal nemesis’ by Kisaki, what kind of person was that? 
3585 
3586That person should have been appointed as the shop manager for the Hatagaya store, but it had ended up as this current situation. 
3587 
3588“Eh?” 
3589 
3590Then, Maou suddenly realised something strange. 
3591 
3592How did Kisaki know that this ‘nemesis’ would be appointed as the shop manager of the store opposite them? 
3593 
3594They may be situated in the same shopping street, but before the Sentucky Hatagaya branch opened, no one had come over to greet them. In addition, as an MgRonalds employee, how did Kisaki know about Sentucky’s staffing information? 
3595 
3596At this moment. 
3597 
3598“Erhm, Kisaki-san.” 
3599 
3600“Hm, what is it, Chi-chan?” 
3601 
3602Chiho, who had been cleaning tables in the main dining area, came to the counter while showing a troubled expression. 
3603 
3604“There’s a customer, erhm, it’s Manager Sarue from the store opposite and……” 
3605 
3606Kisaki momentarily showed Maou a wry smile. 
3607 
3608“Speak of the devil.” 
3609 
3610“Yeah.” 
3611 
3612“Is something wrong? Just bring him to the counter……” 
3613 
3614“No, erhm, the customer who came with Manager Sarue, erhm……” 
3615 
3616Chiho looked back at the store entrance with a perplexed expression on her face. 
3617“Said ‘Ask Manager Kisaki Mayumi to come out’……” 
3618 
3619““Hmm?”” 
3620 
3621Kisaki and Maou showed a confused expression at the same time. 
3622 
3623Chiho’s message contained an air of danger. 
3624 
3625Firstly, if Sarue had really come, the store would not be this quiet. 
3626 
3627He would proclaim his love to Kisaki almost every day, and amongst the regular customers at the store in front of Hatagaya station, they had even given him the nickname of ‘one person flash mob’. 
3628 
3629“Who did Sarue come with?” 
3630 
3631Kisaki showed a doubtful expression, but since a customer had come to find her, it was not as if she could refuse to go. 
3632 
3633Maou followed Kisaki out of the service area on reflex and Chiho walked in front to lead the way. 
3634 
3635Archangel Sariel––Manager Sarue Mitsuki of Sentucky Hatagaya––was standing at the entrance. 
3636 
3637However, different from normal, he was standing at that spot in a strangely quiet manner. 
3638 
3639It seemed that this was because of the petite lady who had come with Sarue. 
3640 
3641Because of the glare from the sunlight shining into the store, Maou could not see the face of that person clearly––   
3642 
3643“……Hmm?” 
3644 
3645––but Kisaki suddenly stopped walking, giving Maou a shock. 
3646 
3647“Ki, Kisaki-san?” 
3648 
3649Not just that, Kisaki’s back actually started to emit a unique air of anger. 
3650 
3651Because he was a demon who could convert negative feelings to demonic magic, Maou shuddered when he sensed this change in atmosphere. 
3652 
3653Maou had seen the various ways Kisaki shown her anger so far, but this never seen before extremely abrasive feeling, was called hatred towards the enemy. 
3654 
3655It was something which would never be seen in the usual Kisaki, but she was showing an obvious animosity towards the visitor. 
3656 
3657Seeing this now, it was difficult to believe that this was the same Kisaki who had said ‘Unless Sarue comes to the store completely naked, I won’t call the police’ in a half joking manner. 
3658 
3659Kisaki would even serve demanding customers in a sincere manner, why did she become like this? 
3660 
3661Chiho, who was leading the way in front, must have felt that aura more strongly than Maou did. 
3662 
3663Maou did not miss seeing Chiho looking back at Kisaki because she felt the dangerous aura, her expression twisted in fear. 
3664 
3665“……Why are you here?” 
3666 
3667Maou thought, could it be that the Earth would end tomorrow? 
3668 
3669That Kisaki actually spoke to a customer in this manner. 
3670 
3671Maou and Chiho froze because of the unexpected situation and could only silently observe the developing situation. They only noticed it now, but for Sarue to say nothing was also very strange. 
3672 
3673Sarue, who would start dancing once he saw Kisaki, was curled up in the corner as if he was helping someone take care of a cat. 
3674This suffocating atmosphere only lasted a moment. 
3675 
3676“We have not seen each other for a long time, and you’re acting so cold?” 
3677 
3678This voice did not come from Kisaki, Chiho or, Sarue, and of course, it did not come from Maou. 
3679 
3680That was the voice of the ‘visitor’. 
3681 
3682“I didn’t come here for any special reason. This is only a greeting.” 
3683 
3684It was only now that Maou clearly saw the face of the woman who had a sarcastic way of speaking. 
3685 
3686Her medium length hair was tied back, she had a work bag slung over the shoulder, and she was wearing a shirt and long pants which could also be worn as casual wear. 
3687 
3688Her age appeared to be about the same as Kisaki. 
3689 
3690Phrased in a nicer way, she had a strong desire to excel, but this lady who appeared to be showing a friendly smile was also directing a strong aura of animosity towards Kisaki. 
3691 
3692“Greeting?” 
3693 
3694Kisaki shot the first heavy bullet, causing Maou and Chiho to flinch in fright. 
3695 
3696“Yeah, since there are other industry players near the area I am in charge of, I thought it would be better to come and greet them first.” 
3697 
3698The sentence from this mystery lady caused Kisaki’s orcish expression to turn into something more sinister. 
3699 
3700“The area you’re in charge of?” 
3701 
3702“That’s right! When I was preparing to become a shop manager, the order was rescinded, I am currently the area manager of the 
3703West Shibuya area.” 
3704 
3705“You’re an area manager? This joke isn’t funny.” 
3706 
3707“This isn’t a joke. My principle is not to do drawn outand troublesome things like how you do it, so I get promoted faster.” 
3708 
3709“…………….!” 
3710 
3711“”“Eeep!””” 
3712 
3713Maou, Chiho and Sarue screamed at the same time. 
3714 
3715Kisaki had a model like lean figure, and good looks to attract many fixed supporters which included Sarue, but when all these factors were used to express the emotion known as anger, it caused an indescribable terror to the surroundings. 
3716 
3717“Since this Sarue……” 
3718 
3719The mystery woman used her work bag to bump Sarue who was standing beside her–– 
3720 
3721“Ugoh!” 
3722 
3723––and having seemed to have hit a strange place, Sarue cried out in a strange way. 
3724 
3725“......kept talking about how capable and beautiful you were, being as irritatingly noisy as a cicada, I thought to look for you since it had been a long time. I really miss the days when I was competing with you. Thinking about it carefully, the last time I competed seriously with you was during that event in university.” 
3726 
3727“Oh, I never thought that you would still be so hung up on that boring event.” 
3728 
3729I don’t want to know anything about that mysterious activity which the two of them experienced together. 
3730Maou and Chiho’s thoughts were the same. 
3731 
3732I hope this hell will end soon. 
3733 
3734For the first time, Maou understood the feelings of the humans who suffered when they were exposed to demonic magic. 
3735 
3736As long as he stayed next to Kisaki who did not hide her anger, Maou sweated cold sweat, and it was difficult to breathe. 
3737 
3738“I am different from you, I’m not so twisted that I am unable to honestly accept praise from other people, so to me, this was one of my cherished memories from my school days.” 
3739 
3740“……Ughhh!” 
3741 
3742“Ma, Maou-san!” 
3743 
3744Finally, while being close to tears, Chiho ran to Maou for refuge. 
3745 
3746Chiho was different from Maou and Sarue, she was a normal human. 
3747 
3748Even the King of the Demon World and an Archangel from Heaven felt uncomfortable staying here. 
3749 
3750To Chiho, who was just a normal highschool girl, keeping herself together under this atmosphere was very difficult. 
3751 
3752They could not allow the two of them to continue chatting while staying here. Or else something bad might happen. 
3753 
3754Maou spoke out to encourage himself, “E-Erhm…… other customers will be obstructed like this, if you don’t mind, please move to the employee’s room……” 
3755 
3756The voice Maou managed to squeeze out, unlike his determination, was so weak that he thought it was pathetic, but this was still a sentence Maou said after gathering his courage and intelligence. 
3757 
3758However, the mystery woman rejected Maou’s suggestion without even looking at him. 
3759 
3760“It’s fine standing here. It won’t take much time and you don’t look like you have that many customers.” 
3761 
3762““Eh?”” 
3763 
3764“Uwahh!” 
3765 
3766Maou and Sarue groaned at the same time and Chiho finally ran off while crying. 
3767 
3768This lady, whose identity was unknown, just said something which definitely should not  have been said in front of Kisaki. 
3769 
3770No, it could be deduced from the conversation just now that the woman was actually a Sentucky employee, and she was also Sarue’s superior, but why did that person keep saying things which would provoke Kisaki? 
3771 
3772Kisaki’s back appeared to swell up from anger, just like a balloon which was about to burst. 
3773 
3774“Then again, according to the rumours, you guys seemed to have pushed out new business models one after another? Doing that although your average visitor numbers are lower than ours.” 
3775 
3776“Wahhhhhhh?” 
3777 
3778“M-Manager! D-Don’t say anymore! Ugopuh?” 
3779 
3780Maou, who understood Kisaki’s personality very well, started to panic, and with things as they are now, even Sarue frantically tried to stop that lady, but the lady pushed Sarue back, not planning to stop at all. 
3781 
3782“Rather than that, how long do you plan to keep that recruitment notice there? You’re just going to exhibit your meaningless sense of perfection and pick the employees based on your own preferences in the end anyway.” 
3783 
3784““Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”” 
3785“Considering the scale of the store, your profits appear to be on the good side, but with this, you’re just going to continue working under someone forever. The dreams you spoke of during your student days were very great, but are you going to be buried in a large corporation forever…….” 
3786 
3787The idiotic inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, the ancient cities recorded in the Bible, must have seen this before. 
3788 
3789That light of despair and the shockwave of the explosion. 
3790 
3791“Scram!” 
3792 
3793Kisaki shouted with such anger that it felt like all the glass in the store was going to shatter, causing Maou and Sarue escaped the scene as quickly as possible. 
3794 
3795 
3796 
3797 
3798That night at Room 201 of Villa Rosa Sasazuka. 
3799 
3800The mixed human and demon dinner gathering at the Demon Fortress which recently had been held more frequently was covered in a tragically sad atmosphere. 
3801 
3802“Uu…… uu……” 
3803 
3804“Are you alright? Chiho-chan.” 
3805 
3806“Y-Yeah…… uuuuuuuuu.” 
3807 
3808Emi kindly comforted Chiho who was lying on her lap and crying, and glared at Maou at the same time. 
3809 
3810“You really didn’t do anything to her?” 
3811 
3812“It’s more like I was unable to do anything at all……” 
3813 
3814Chiho, whose tears continued to fall into the tatami, shook her head and said, “Maou-san didn’t go anything wrong…… but thinking back on what happened in that instant, it was so scary…… so scary…… uwahhhhh…….” 
3815 
3816Chiho, who had shown her brave side even when dragged into a battle fierce enough to cause the collapse of the Shuto Expressway, or challenging an archangel directly, or being kidnapped by a demon, was this afraid. 
3817 
3818Seeing Chiho like this, Maou felt pained as well. 
3819 
3820“Chiho-chan is crying this much…… it seems like she encountered something very terrifying.” 
3821 
3822“Chi nee-chan, pain, fly away!” 
3823 
3824Alas=Ramus also tried her best to comfort Chiho from the side. 
3825 
3826“However, the more I hear, the harder it is to believe, Shop Manager Kisaki actually……” 
3827 
3828After Suzuno heard the reason Chiho had come crying here from beginning to end, she crossed her arms and mumbled to herself. 
3829 
3830To Suzuno and Emi who knew Kisaki Mayumi’s personality, this fact was too surprising. 
3831 
3832In an inappropriate manner, Kisaki actually shouted at a customer and forcefully chased the other party away. 
3833 
3834That was the summary of the situation from an outsider’s point of view. 
3835 
3836Then without omitting any details, Kisaki reported what had happened to her superior––the manager in charge of the area where the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya Station was situated. 
3837 
3838The manager, who understood Kisaki very well, did not believe it at first, even Maou and the others who had been present at the scene with Kisaki still did not believe what they had seen. 
3839 
3840However, Kisaki apologised to the superior for her own blunder and asked the superior for an internal penalty. 
3841 
3842“Honestly speaking, I don’t know the details either.” 
3843 
3844“Making that report herself, did Manager Kisaki get penalised?” 
3845 
3846“Erhm……” 
3847 
3848Faced with Ashiya’s question as he efficiently prepared dinner, Maou shook his head, speaking in a heavy tone. 
3849 
3850Ten percent deduction in salary for one month. 
3851 
3852Suspended for three days to reflect. 
3853 
3854That was the penalty given to Kisaki for the incident she had caused. 
3855 
3856To be frank, it was a very harsh penalty. 
3857 
3858Over the phone, Maou heard from the manager that he had planned to just scold her verbally, but Kisaki insisted that she would be unable to accept it. 
3859 
3860“So, who was that Sentucky manager in the end?” 
3861 
3862In response to Suzuno’s question, Maou could only shake his head. 
3863 
3864“If that idiot Sariel had not come, that lady would have been the shop manager opposite, I only know that much.” 
3865 
3866“Wait a moment. Why would you know about the staffing situation of the Sentucky shop manager?” 
3867 
3868As expected, Emi felt suspicious about the fact that Kisaki knew about the Sentucky’s staffing situation beforehand. 
3869 
3870“Uh, Kisaki-san told me this before.” 
3871 
3872“That’s not what I meant.” 
3873 
3874“You want to say that it’s strange that Kisaki-san would know about this, right? I’m the one who wants to know what’s going on with that.” 
3875 
3876However, the information they had right now was too scarce. 
3877 
3878What’s wrong with Kisaki? 
3879 
3880After the suspension ended, could they ask her for the details? 
3881 
3882When he thought about these things, Maou could only confirm one thing. 
3883 
3884That Sentucky manager must be Kisaki’s ‘eternal nemesis’. 
3885 
3886“Hey, is it this person?” 
3887 
3888At this moment, Urushihara called out to Maou from behind. 
3889 
3890“Eh?” 
3891 
3892“This is Sentucky’s staff list. I mentioned this to you before.” 
3893 
3894“Yeah, that did happen before.” 
3895 
3896When Sarue’s true identity was still unclear, Urushihara had illegally connected to Sentucky’s human resources database and pointed out the strange part about Sarue’s identity. 
3897At that point of time, the name of the ‘shop manager who should have come over’ which Urushihara mentioned was…… 
3898 
3899“Uwahhhh!” 
3900 
3901“Sa, Sasaki-san? Please get a hold of yourself!” 
3902 
3903Urushihara showed a photo on the screen and Chiho descended into panic once more. Ashiya, who was not used to seeing Chiho like this, became flustered. 
3904 
3905“T-That’s her! That’s the lady!” 
3906 
3907Standing behind Urushihara, Maou stared at the screen. 
3908 
3909“‘Tanaka Himeko’ huh……” 
3910 
3911This lady, who gave the impression that she had a strong desire to excel just from her photo, was definitely the one who quarrelled with Kisaki directly. 
3912 
3913“Hey, I just remembered from seeing this, but there should be another ‘Sarue Mitsuki’ right? Where is that guy now, can it be seen from here?” 
3914 
3915“Yeah, there is such a person. Uh, give me a moment.” 
3916 
3917Urushihara operated the computer once more––   
3918 
3919“Ah~ he’s still at Sentucky. It appears that he has not been fired because of Sariel. However, he is at a department unrelated to the store operations.” 
3920 
3921“I see……” 
3922 
3923He was someone they did not know at all, but they were still worried if Sariel had harmed the original Sarue Mitsuki and stolen his experience. 
3924 
3925“But from this, Sariel clearly used abnormal methods to become a Sentucky employee, after Maou regains his demonic magic, he should be able to do the same thing, right?” 
3926 
3927“Hey, what I want to obtain isn’t just money and power. What I want to learn is the process of working, not just the title of full time employee.” 
3928 
3929“Even if you tell me about these things, do you think I can understand?” 
3930 
3931“What do you see my trust in my subordinates as?” 
3932 
3933“Futile effort.” 
3934 
3935“Urushiharaaaa! You actually treated Demon King-sama’s good intentions in this way!” 
3936 
3937Ashiya, standing at the side, reacted strongly to Urushihara’s completely self-centred comment. 
3938 
3939“That’s why I said it was futile effort!” 
3940 
3941“You rice bucket! Using the money earned by Demon King-sama to support a guy like you is what I call futile effort!” 
3942 
3943Ignoring Urushihara and Ashiya who started a meaningless argument, Maou sat in front of the computer. 
3944 
3945“Tanaka Himeko…… she doesn’t have any work experience which stands out. Hey, Chi-chan.” 
3946 
3947“Y-Yes……” 
3948 
3949“Do you know how old Kisaki-san is?” 
3950 
3951“Eh? I remember that she had vaguely mentioned it before…… that she’s ten years older than me……” 
3952“If it’s twenty six or twenty seven, then that person is about Kisaki-san’s age. They seem to know each other from before, but we don’t know what happened in the past. And their relationship is so bad that it feels like this nemesis topic isn’t a joke at all.” 
3953 
3954“What do you mean by nemesis?” 
3955 
3956“Yeah, when I chatted with Kisaki-san before, she had used the exaggerated term ‘my eternal nemesis’ to describe that person called Tanaka.” 
3957 
3958“Uuuu…… this might be rude to Tanaka-san, but I keep thinking back to that scene just from seeing her picture……” 
3959 
3960Chiho’s position as she tried her best not to look at the computer screen as if she was a vampire afraid of the sunlight was a little funny, but from Maou’s standpoint, he could not laugh at all. 
3961 
3962“What if that person is going to stay at the Sentucky opposite for the time being?” 
3963 
3964In the end, Maou did not have a proper conversation with Tanaka Himeko at all. 
3965 
3966Because Kisaki had chased Tanaka out before Maou had the chance to take any action, and Sarue had left together with her, he never found out why she had come to the store. 
3967 
3968Not being around at all when they do not come, then appearing a lot when they come, that was the existence known as a store manager. Therefore, there was a high chance Maou would encounter Tanaka when Kisaki was not around. 
3969 
3970“If she comes again, we can only nonchalantly respond to her in a normal manner.” 
3971 
3972Maou supported his cheek with his hand and sighed. 
3973 
3974“So passive. Since Chiho-chan is this afraid, you should actively think of some defensive measures such as investigating more about the opposing party.” 
3975 
3976“Investigating the enemy? Investigating Sentucky?” 
3977 
3978Maou carefully thought about the suggestion Emi gave while she consoled Chiho…… 
3979 
3980 
3981 
3982 
3983The next day, during the lunch break, Maou stood in front of Sentucky. 
3984 
3985He peeked into the store from outside and did not see any sign of that manager. 
3986 
3987“Sariel seems to be around.” 
3988 
3989Making up his mind, Maou opened the Sentucky’s door, then noticed one thing. 
3990 
3991“Thinking about it, this seems to be the first time I am entering this store.” 
3992 
3993This was a store in the same industry and an archangel from Heaven was its store manager. In both ways, this place was Maou’s business competitor, so he was surprised that he had not come to this store before. 
3994 
3995The trendy interior design created a comfortable atmosphere in the store, giving others the impression that it was more high class when compared to MgRonalds, so that was why their prices were so expensive. 
3996 
3997Because he had chosen a time when there was less people, it was Maou’s turn very quickly, and as planned, Maou successfully stood in front of the counter where Sarue was standing. 
3998 
3999“Welcome…… what, it’s the Demon King?” 
4000 
4001Once Sarue recognised Maou’s face, he dropped his business smile and his gazed lowered as if he was tired. 
4002 
4003“Do you need anything? I don’t have the energy to chat with you right now.” 
4004“Because your superior made Kisaki-san angry?” 
4005 
4006“Ugh……” 
4007 
4008Sarue groaned as if he was poked in a painful place, then asked Maou in an uneasy tone. 
4009 
4010“……After that, was Shop Manager Kisaki alright?” 
4011 
4012“Hm. Because she crudely chased all of you away, the company gave her a severe punishment.” 
4013 
4014“Pun, punishment? Ahh, how can this be! Although I was there……” 
4015 
4016Sarue started to shake as if he was going to fall to his knees any moment. 
4017 
4018“You were there at that time, but you were totally useless.” 
4019 
4020“I-I don’t want to be said that by you! Weren’t you also unable to intervene between Manager Tanaka and Shop Manager Kisaki!” 
4021 
4022An archangel and the Demon King had gathered, yet they were unable to intervene in a quarrel between two fast food store employees, it was truly embarrassing. 
4023 
4024“Then, you can’t handle that manager at all?” 
4025 
4026“I basically cannot resist all beautiful ladies.” 
4027 
4028“I’m not asking you about that kind of thing, you idiot!” 
4029 
4030Maou could not help but punch the counter with his fist. 
4031 
4032Sarue’s preferences were unknown, but if Kisaki’s beauty could be compared with the moon, ice, or night, then what Tanaka Himeko had was the opposite, a beauty like the sun or the summer fields. 
4033 
4034Without considering if Tanaka Himeko could be considered someone of the opposite gender who people would want to approach, she was a beauty Sarue would praise even if his heart firmly belonged to Kisaki. 
4035 
4036“Uh~ simply put…… Manager Tanaka…… seemed to be Shop Manager Kisaki’s classmate during their student days.” 
4037 
4038“So that’s how it is. I knew that they had known each other in the past.” 
4039 
4040Of course, Maou did not mention that they had illegally obtained the employee list. 
4041 
4042“Then, after I mentioned that I have interacted with Shop Manager Kisaki, she became strangely interested, and because I thought that I would hear some things about Shop Manager Kisaki, I exchanged various bits of information with her. After that, she suddenly came here yesterday and said that she wanted to greet Shop Manager Kisaki……” 
4043 
4044“Hmm……?” 
4045 
4046Tanaka Himeko was the one who wanted to see Kisaki, what he heard could be interpreted this way. 
4047 
4048“But what does this have to do with you being bad at handling that manager?” 
4049 
4050“Didn’t I say that I am unable to resist beautiful ladies?” 
4051 
4052“Are you being serious or not?” 
4053 
4054“Demon King, I’m the one who wants to ask what you’re planning. If you’re not here to buy food, hurry up and return. Once I think about the feelings of Shop Manager Kisaki who was punished by her company, my heart feels like it’s going to tear apart!” 
4055 
4056Maou wished that Sariel would just explode and end everything, but it was not as if it would truly happen. 
4057 
4058“Uh, I want to have three pieces of chicken, original, takeaway.” 
4059“……I understand.” 
4060 
4061As long as they pay money, that person was a customer. 
4062 
4063Currently, the situation and position was different from usual, and Sarue helped Maou take his order in a serious manner. 
4064 
4065“Then, what kind of information did the two of you exchange?” 
4066 
4067“You’re still talking about that, huh.” 
4068 
4069Sarue showed an obviously unhappy expression but still continued to speak honestly. 
4070 
4071“It’s nothing much. Only things like Manager Tanaka and Shop Manager Kisaki knowing each other for a very long time and that I am very infatuated with Shop Manager Kisaki.” 
4072 
4073“You deserve respect when it’s about this kind of thing.” 
4074 
4075“Also, about what happened some time back.” 
4076 
4077“What happened some time back?” 
4078 
4079“When I helped Sasaki Chiho with her Idea Link training, didn’t we meet Shop Manager Kisaki on the way back?” 
4080 
4081“……Yeah.” 
4082 
4083To be able to get help from Maou and the others during emergency situations, Chiho had undergone training to learn the spell ‘Idea Link’. 
4084 
4085During this process, Chiho also asked Sariel for help, but on the way back after one of the training sessions, they met Kisaki by coincidence. 
4086 
4087Thinking back to the conversation at that time, Maou had a realisation. 
4088 
4089“Did you tell her? Kisaki-san’s……” 
4090 
4091“Don’t look down on me. I won’t reveal the dreams of others so easily. However, I did mention vaguely that Shop Manager Kisaki was thinking of being independent in the future.” 
4092 
4093Maou felt that just saying this was already saying a lot, but this was still within acceptable levels when chatting about common acquaintances. 
4094 
4095“Alright, it’s done.” 
4096 
4097At this time, the fried chicken Maou ordered had been packed and sent to the counter, Sarue politely handed the bag containing the fried chicken to Maou. 
4098 
4099“Anyway, I have not seen Manager Tanaka for some time. Therefore, nothing which you need to worry about happened. Rather than that, once I think about Shop Manager Kisaki staying at home and worrying about the store…… ahhhhh!” 
4100 
4101Maou was convinced that if they continued speaking, Sarue’s abnormal behaviour would only cause trouble to the other 
4102Sentucky employees––   
4103 
4104“Excuse me.” 
4105 
4106––and since he had obtained a lot of information, Maou decided it would be better to leave early. 
4107 
4108 
4109 
4110 
4111“S-So how was it?” 
4112 
4113Once he returned to the store, Chiho ran over to ask about the situation, and Maou shook his head with a serious expression. 
4114 
4115“I seemed to have learned quite a few things, but at the same time, it was nothing much at all.” 
4116 
4117Maou briefly explained what he had heard from Sariel. 
4118 
4119Tanaka Himeko and Kisaki have known each other for a long time, the other party was also very concerned about Kisaki. 
4120 
4121In addition, Sariel had told Tanaka Himeko about Kisaki’s recent developments. 
4122 
4123However, all this information did not explain why Kisaki would act that way. 
4124 
4125“Sigh, they knew each other for a long time, but it didn’t mean that their relationship is good, perhaps they are just incompatible existences.” 
4126 
4127“Incompatible…… existences?” 
4128 
4129Maou’s analysis may have been correct, but hearing this sentence, Chiho thought about two completely different people instead. 
4130 
4131“Hm? Chi-chan, what are you smiling about?” 
4132 
4133“It’s nothing, I was just thinking that there are such people around me too.” 
4134 
4135“?” 
4136 
4137“It’s really nothing. Then, that Manager Tanaka……” 
4138 
4139“Yeah, according to that idiot Sariel, she has not appeared for some time.” 
4140 
4141“I-I see.” 
4142 
4143Chiho showed an obviously relieved expression, placing her hand against her chest. 
4144 
4145“If that person comes to the store again after Kisaki-san returns, I might be scared to death.” 
4146 
4147“Being able to face Kisaki-san head on at that time, I don’t think I would be able to win that Manager Tanaka.” 
4148 
4149These were the true thoughts from the King of Demons. 
4150 
4151However, the incident occurred that evening. 
4152 
4153※ 
4154 
4155“That Sariel……” 
4156 
4157“Hm? Did you say anything?” 
4158 
4159“No, nothing at all.” 
4160 
4161Maou silently swore to take revenge against Archangel Sariel. 
4162 
4163In the day, Maou had said that they would not meet Tanaka Himeko for the time being, but currently, she was in the store. 
4164 
4165With Chiho taking the lead, all the employees who knew what happened that day nervously observed the conversation between Maou and Tanaka. 
4166 
4167“Uh, I want a teriyaki burger meal with fries and orange juice. In addition, I want to order an ala-carte burger. I don’t want ice in my drink but give me the normal amount.” 
4168 
4169Tanaka Himeko came to the store in the same attire she had worn during the commotion a few days ago, and stopped Maou, who was acting frantically and about to walk to the other side of the counter. Then she started ordering as a normal customer. “I understand. That would be 650 yen in total.” 
4170 
4171“Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s all coins.” 
4172 
4173Tanaka Himeko placed the coins into the tray and Maou checked the amount. 
4174 
4175“Excuse me, miss. This…….” 
4176 
4177Four 100 yen coins, four 50 yen coins. Maou almost missed it, but he still picked out a strange coin from the remaining five bronze coins. 
4178 
4179“Oh my, I’m sorry.” 
4180 
4181In an unapologetic manner, Tanaka took out another 10 yen coin to replace that coin. 
4182 
4183“I forgot to remove that when I returned from Britain earlier.” 
4184 
4185A two pence coin. Its colour was very close to the old 10 yen coin, but the size was totally different. 
4186 
4187However, when a lot of coins were taken out at once, it could be missed out. 
4188 
4189“……You were on a holiday?” 
4190 
4191“Yeah.” 
4192 
4193When Maou asked this, Tanaka Himeko nodded naturally. 
4194 
4195During this time, the food she had ordered arrived, Maou placed those orders on the tray and handed them to her. 
4196 
4197“Thank you for waiting. Enjoy.” 
4198 
4199“Alright, thanks.” 
4200 
4201Then Tanaka walked towards a seat next to the window which could not be easily seen from the counter. 
4202 
4203Maou confirmed her position from the corner of his eye––   
4204 
4205“Maa-kun, you’re amazing.” 
4206 
4207––then his colleague, Kawada Takefumi, known as ‘Kawa-cchi’ by Kisaki and the other employees, talked to him from behind. 
4208 
4209“Chi-chan and I were shivering in fright……………… hm?” 
4210 
4211Kawada noticed that Maou had shown a signal with his right hand, positioning it such that it could not be seen from the customer seating area. 
4212 
4213That was the signal to stop. 
4214 
4215After confirming that Kawada had stopped talking, Maou approached Kawada with natural movements and spoke as he walked past Kawada, “Wait until she leaves.” 
4216 
4217With just this, Kawada nonchalantly returned to his workstation. 
4218 
4219Maou said the same thing to Chiho later, then continued working as normal. 
4220 
4221After around one hour had passed, Tanaka Himeko got up from her seat and, after throwing away the rubbish on her tray, waved to Maou lightly and left the store. 
4222 
4223Maou did not let down his guard even after being unable to see her from where he was in the store. 
4224 
4225Only when thirty minutes had passed since Tanaka Himeko’s departure did Maou finally relax. 
4226 
4227“Maou-san, what was that just now?” 
4228 
4229Chiho and Kawada, who noticed that Maou had stopped being tense, quickly went to Maou’s side. 
4230 
4231“That was probably a test.” 
4232 
4233“Eh?” 
4234 
4235“What do you mean?” 
4236 
4237“She ordered a teriyaki burger which is troublesome to make and also easily affected by the condition of the grill.” 
4238 
4239The grill mentioned here was the covered grill used to grill the burger patties. 
4240 
4241To make the teriyaki burger, a special sauce needs to be brushed on the burger patty when it is being grilled, so it was difficult to make it together with the other burger patties. 
4242 
4243If the condition of the grill was poor, not only the burger patty, even the taste of the sauce would degrade, easily decreasing the completeness level of the burger. 
4244 
4245Not only that, when assembling the teriyaki burger, if the patty sauce and mayonnaise were not added properly, it was easily to dirty the burger bun or paper during the wrapping, making it inconvenient for the customers to eat. Therefore, it was considered a product which needed to be prepared with a lot of care. 
4246 
4247And Tanaka Himeko added on their signature product which could not be prepared one the same grill, the normal burger. 
4248 
4249Luckily, they had undergone a renovation when introducing the MdCafe, and in the current situation where there was an increase in the number of grills, Maou and the others were able to prepare the teriyaki burger and the other burgers at the same time, but from this, the other party might have deduced the state of their facilities. 
4250 
4251“In addition, it’s concerning that she ordered orange juice as the drink. And she also chose that seat specifically.” 
4252 
4253For the drinks in MgRonalds, other than coffee and red tea, the rest were dispensed from specialised drink machines. 
4254 
4255This drink dispensing machine was designed to mix the concentrated syrup, water, or carbonated water beforehand, but the ways to process concentrated carbonated drink syrup and concentrated orange juice or oolong tea were very different. 
4256 
4257“Was she trying to check the condition of the machines?” 
4258 
4259“Yeah, and she even asked for no ice.” 
4260 
4261The syrup and carbonated water for the carbonated drinks flowed into the machine from a dedicated sink outside the machine, but the syrup for orange juice and oolong tea were contained in a specialised concentrated syrup bag contained within the sink. In addition, the orange juice concentrated syrup bag had a high concentration of fructose, so the amount dispensed was less compared to the carbonated drinks, if maintenance was not done regularly, it would be more prone to solidifying in the pipe or the dispensing outlet. 
4262 
4263“Specifically sitting at the seat at the back of the store, it was probably because she would be able to assess the cleanliness of the store from there. Sigh…… I don’t have any evidence to support it though.” 
4264 
4265Maou continued to speak with a stern expression. 
4266 
4267“I heard Shop Manager Sarue say that this Manager Tanaka seemed to have known Kisaki-san in the past. I don’t know what has happened between them, but we are Kisaki-san’s employees. If so, we should not show any openings in front of the other party.” 
4268 
4269“Kawacchi-san made the hamburgers, so it should be fine.” 
4270 
4271“Only in this, I am confident that I will not lose to anyone.” 
4272 
4273“I cleaned the floor thoroughly after lunch time, so there’s no need to worry!” 
4274 
4275Full of confidence, Kawada and Chiho thumped their chest, and believing in them, Maou nodded. 
4276 
4277“I think so too. I also checked the drink dispensing machine yesterday. Since it was handled by us, then this store shouldn’t have any problems.” 
4278 
4279As Maou said this, he was still unable to put aside his feelings of worry because he did not know Tanaka Himeko was thinking. 
4280 
4281Even so, whether it was Kisaki or Tanaka Himeko, the two of them were considered young for someone working in society. 
4282 
4283Because they oversaw on-site activities, they would have many opportunities for conflict; the other party was only in the lead at this time. 
4284 
4285“Sigh, no matter what.” 
4286 
4287Maou spoke as he looked towards the shift timetable hung on the wall. 
4288 
4289“Before Kisaki-san returns, we have to work hard to protect this store.” 
4290 
4291 
4292 
4293 
4294That night, thirty minutes before closing time. 
4295 
4296Maou called the area manager (using MgRonalds’ phone, of course) to report that the store closing activities were going smoothly. 
4297 
4298This happened rarely, but Maou was responsible for locking the store doors today, and the next morning, the area manager would be responsible for opening the store for business. 
4299 
4300Maou surveyed the store and confirmed that the work which had to be performed at store closing was mostly done. 
4301 
4302Eleven thirty at night. 
4303 
4304Considering the location, it was not strange for customers to come in when it was almost midnight, but this did not happen today, the customers in the store decreased gradually, and just as Maou thought that the store could be closed without any problems today. 
4305 
4306The bell of the automatic door rang, and Maou shouted, “Welcome…… eh?” 
4307 
4308Maou, who greeted the customer in a more cheerful voice because they were about to close, saw a visitor who gave him an equal amount of shock like when he saw Tanaka Himeko, though in a different kind of way. 
4309 
4310“You are?” 
4311 
4312After recognising the visitor, Maou could not help but gasp. 
4313 
4314“It’s been a while, you seem to be working hard.” 
4315 
4316It was a lady around Maou’s height, with a refreshing bob cut hairstyle and appearance of a dependable person. 
4317 
4318In contrast to her kind voice and elegant appearance, the woman was very nimble at work, but this was the first time Maou saw her in casual clothing. 
4319 
4320“Are you…… Mizushima-san?” 
4321 
4322“Hello, sorry for disturbing you this late.” 
4323 
4324The lady walked up to the counter with a calm smile. 
4325 
4326Mizushima Yuki was an employee in the same batch as Kisaki and was the shop manager of the MgRonalds in Fushima Park, an amusement park in the city. 
4327 
4328The store belonged in a different area from the store in front of Hatagaya Station, which was part of the West Shibuya area, but Kisaki and Mizushima would frequently support each other when they were shorthanded, and Maou had gone over to Fushima Park to help out many times. 
4329 
4330However, this was the first time Mizushima appeared at the store in front of Hatagaya station. 
4331 
4332“Erhm, I’m sorry, Mizushima-san. Actually, today, Kisaki-san is……” 
4333 
4334From her attire, Mizushima appeared to have just finished work and was on the way home. If so, the reason why she came to the store in front of Hatagaya station must have been to visit Kisaki. 
4335 
4336However, Mizushima stopped Maou and spoke. 
4337 
4338“I know. She is on a self-inflicted suspension, right?” 
4339 
4340“Self-inflicted…… uh, erhm, this is still considered a formal punishment ordered by the company’s internal department……” 
4341 
4342“Don’t you think she’s really stubborn? The management did not plan to punish her in the first place.” 
4343 
4344“I did hear about that. However, I can understand Kisaki-san’s feelings, since she chased away a customer in front of us……” 
4345 
4346Kisaki touted the principle of treating every customer equally no matter who they were, and expected the employees to do the same. 
4347 
4348However, she went against this principle herself, standing in Kisaki’s position, she probably felt like digging a hole and burying herself. 
4349 
4350As Maou thought this, and for unknown reasons, Mizushima showed a meaningful smile and leaned against the counter. 
4351 
4352“Thinking about it……” 
4353 
4354“Yes?” 
4355 
4356“Is Maou free after work?” 
4357 
4358“……Eh?” 
4359 
4360Mizushima spoke in an unusually charming manner, giving Maou a shock. 
4361 
4362“Do you want to eat dinner with Onee-san?” 
4363 
4364“Huh?” 
4365 
4366 
4367 
4368 
4369“E-Erhm, may I know where we are going……” 
4370 
4371“There’s no need to be concerned about that. Just follow me.” 
4372 
4373At the carpark behind the store, Maou asked Mizushima this in an uneasy voice, but the latter ignored him and started to walk. 
4374 
4375Without any choice, Maou pushed his bicycle after her, but Mizushima stopped quickly. 
4376 
4377“Here.” 
4378 
4379“Eh? Ah, o-oh. Eh?” 
4380 
4381It was normal for Maou to feel shocked. 
4382 
4383Mizushima stopped in front of a mixed residential and commercial building where an Izakaya store chain was located, but this place was located less than fifty meters from the store in front of Hatagaya Station, and was a store located in the same street. 
4384 
4385Mizushima immediately walked up the steps of the building and opened the door of the store. 
4386 
4387Because it was late at night on a Sunday, there were a lot of empty seats, Mizushima did not speak with any of the employees and walked into an area deep within the store. 
4388 
4389Perplexed, Maou followed behind her––   
4390 
4391“Sorry for the wait.” 
4392 
4393After seeing who was sitting in the seat which Mizushima stopped in front of, Maou could not help but jump in fright. 
4394 
4395“Ki, Kisaki-san……?” 
4396 
4397Sitting at a four person seat with an emotionless expression and arms crossed was Kisaki wearing casual clothes. 
4398 
4399“Hi…… Maa-kun. Thank you for the hard work. Apologies for calling you here when you just got off work.” 
4400 
4401“I watched him close the store in Kii-chan’s place, there aren’t any problems.” 
4402 
4403“Ki, Kii-chan?” 
4404 
4405From this situation, the ‘Kii-chan’ Mizushima spoke of must be Kisaki’s nickname. 
4406 
4407However, to address Kisaki Mayumi who could make the Demon King and an Archangel submit to her as ‘Kii-chan’, Maou did not know how to react at all. 
4408 
4409Acutely sensing that Maou was wavering, Kisaki spoke to Mizushima in an unhappier tone, 
4410 
4411“Yuki, don’t call me that in front of other people. I’m not a child anymore.” 
4412 
4413“Just like in the past, Kii-chan will get angry from just seeing Hime’s face, so you don’t sound convincing at all, right, Maou!” 
4414 
4415“Eh? Uh? Huh? No, e-erhm? It’s been like that since a long time ago?” 
4416 
4417Mizushima suddenly swung her arm over Maou’s shoulders from the side, causing the latter’s heart to almost jump out of his throat in fright. 
4418 
4419Whether it was Kisaki or Mizushima, it was difficult to understand them. 
4420 
4421Their behaviour was completely different from when they were working. 
4422 
4423“Hey, Yuki, you’re troubling Maa-kun acting like this. Let go of him…… sigh, anyway, sit down first, Maa-kun.” 
4424 
4425“Sure.” 
4426 
4427“Alright, erhm, ex, excuse me.” 
4428 
4429Mizushima sat next to Kisaki who was sitting at the window seat from the start while Maou sat opposite Mizushima, in a chair next to the walkway. 
4430 
4431Mizushima placed the menu in front of Maou, whose mind was in chaos because he did not know what would happen next. 
4432 
4433“We’re treating today, there’s no need to worry. Maou, do you drink?” 
4434 
4435Whether it was based on the law, his actual age or Japan’s position on this, Maou would not cause problems if he drank alcohol. 
4436 
4437However, the conditioned reflex from living a thrifty lifestyle for a long time and the mysterious situation with Kisaki and 
4438Mizushima in front of him––   
4439 
4440“No, erhm, I still have to wake up early tomorrow, so I’ll just drink oolong tea.” 
4441 
4442––caused Maou to reply this way. 
4443“Is it because you have a serious personality? Nervousness? Or you’re just being polite.” 
4444 
4445Maou started to suspect that Mizushima had drunk alcohol before she came to this store. 
4446 
4447“Considering Maa-kun’s situation, it should be a little of everything.” 
4448 
4449“Kisaki-san.” 
4450 
4451Maou could not help but protest, but after Kisaki ignored this, she suddenly bowed her head towards Maou in apology. 
4452 
4453“Sorry. Because of my negligence, I caused trouble for you.” 
4454 
4455“Uh, not, not at all.” 
4456 
4457“Kii-chan is still under probation, so she won’t drink alcohol, there’s no need to worry. So, what about it? You just got off work, so you should be hungry. I already ordered a lot of main dishes.” 
4458 
4459“……Mizushima-san, are you drinking?” 
4460 
4461“I don’t need to reflect on things, so it’s not a problem.” 
4462 
4463In the cup placed in front of Mizushima who said this openly, there was diluted Taro Soju. 
4464 
4465“Then, the reason why we called you here was to talk about the past.” 
4466 
4467“Talk about the past?” 
4468 
4469Once Maou showed a perplexed expression, Kisaki said unhappily, “The lady Sarue brought is called Tanaka Himeko.” 
4470 
4471“Actually, I got some information from Shop Manager Sarue. I heard that she is Kisaki-san’s old acquaintance.” 
4472 
4473“That’s right, and we have known each other for a long time.” 
4474 
4475Mizushima chewed on the ice cube in the Taro Soju and smiled happily. 
4476 
4477“They have known each other since kindergarten after all.” 
4478 
4479“Eh?” 
4480 
4481Mizushima’s shocking statement caused Maou to suck in a breath. 
4482 
4483With this kind of level, rather than saying that they were old acquaintances, it would be more accurate to say that they were childhood friends. 
4484 
4485“Eh, could it be that Mizushima-san is the same?” 
4486 
4487Since she knew about this, that meant that Mizushima has probably known Kisaki and Tanaka Himeko for a very long time. 
4488 
4489“No, I knew them starting from elementary school. We did go to the same kindergarten, but we were in different classes.” 
4490 
4491“That makes no difference at all.” 
4492 
4493In response to Maou’s rebuke, Mizushima smiled quietly. 
4494 
4495“Then, the extent in which the two of them did not get along had become a legend since elementary school.” 
4496 
4497“Oh……” 
4498 
4499“According to the friends around them, they have been quarrelling frequently since kindergarten.” 
4500 
4501It seemed like their incompatibility was very extreme. 
4502 
4503“If so, then why are they still keeping in contact with each other?” 
4504 
4505“We’re not keeping in contact at all. The reason why I can’t cut off contact with her completely is due to Yuki’s interference.” 
4506 
4507“Oh my, you really said it.” 
4508 
4509As if to tease the angry Kisaki, Mizushima poked Kisaki’s upper arm a few times. 
4510 
4511“Anyway, one of the reasons why the competitive spirit between Kii-chan and Hime is so strong is because they were put in the same class for all six years of elementary school and all three years of middle school.” 
4512 
4513“T-That’s rare.” 
4514 
4515Maou had never attended a Japanese school, but he knew about the class shuffling policy. 
4516 
4517Being in the same class for a total of nine years in elementary and middle school was something close to the miracle. 
4518 
4519“From what I remember, Kii-chan was good in drawing and calligraphy and would always get awards in the school. Then Hime would always turn red and hate it so much. Using modern terms to describe it, Hime is a ‘Master Artist’.” 
4520(TL Note: ‘Master Artist’: Originally used to refer to someone who is skilled at drawing, but on the internet, it is normally used to taunt those people with such a unique drawing style that the drawings are extremely bad.) 
4521 
4522“Master Artist?” 
4523 
4524“She doesn’t have any artistic talent at all. Not only was her handwriting very ugly, even if Himeko was asked to draw a dog, bird, and fish, I could not tell the difference between them.” 
4525 
4526“T-That’s really extreme……” 
4527 
4528“On the other hand, the pictures I drew in art class have been submitted in district competition.” 
4529 
4530Kisaki spoke about the past in a slightly proud manner, but Mizushima quickly burst her glorious memories. 
4531 
4532“However, Kii-chan has never won in sports.” 
4533 
4534“Eh?” 
4535 
4536“Ugh……!” 
4537 
4538From the difference in statures of Kisaki and Tanaka Himeko right now, it was really difficult to believe, but seeing Kisaki’s reaction, this must have been true. 
4539 
4540“Kii-chan’s sporting talents aren’t bad at all, it’s just that Hime is too good at sports, and she would always get first place in marathons and physical tests. So every time Kii-chan lost to Hime in marathons, she would always cry in regret and say that she would definitely win next year while crying.” 
4541 
4542“I was really frustrated! I’m obviously taller and stronger than her! But Maa-kun, I don’t lose every single time! I won against her once in a long distance run competition in second year of middle school!” 
4543 
4544“O-Oh……” 
4545 
4546It was something which happened when they were young, but Maou was unable to imagine Kisaki crying in regret. In addition, Kisaki actually displayed a competitive spirit towards someone outside the work environment, and not knowing how to respond, Maou could only reply while feeling stunned. 
4547 
4548“That was because Hime had a flu and a fever. Did you forget that she forced herself to participate while saying ‘I don’t want to forfeit. I don’t want to turn my back on a competition with Kii-chan’ and ended up being in bed for one week?” 
4549 
4550“Taking care of one’s physical condition is part of the competition too!” 
4551 
4552“……” 
4553 
4554What caused Maou to become speechless was not the contents of the conversation. 
4555But the unexpected personality shown by Kisaki and Mizushima when they were not working. 
4556 
4557Noticing Maou’s perplexed mood, Kisaki cleared her throat and said to him, “It’s not like I sold my soul to work. When I am with friends, I will still say random things like a normal person or show emotions.” 
4558 
4559“T-That’s true.” 
4560 
4561Kisaki made sense, but the disparity when compared with the usual aloof Kisaki was too huge, so it was difficult not to feel perplexed about the situation. 
4562 
4563“B-But, why did your relationship become so bad……? And it even started from kindergarten.” 
4564 
4565“I don’t really remember it, but according to my parents……” 
4566 
4567“Even your parents recognise that the relationship between both of you are bad?” 
4568 
4569Maou was speechless. 
4570 
4571“During kindergarten, there was a male teacher who was very popular with the girls. The opposition between us seemed to have started from deciding who that male teacher will play house with.” 
4572 
4573“Just because of that?” 
4574 
4575If only this part was heard, it would only be seen as an amusing child’s quarrel. However, this small ember developed into a long, draggy, swampish war. 
4576 
4577“Uh, then, how does Mizushima fit into this situation……” 
4578 
4579“I am the buffer between Kii-chan and Hime. When Kii-chan lost to Hime, I would console Kii-chan when she’s crying; when Hime lost to Kii-chan, I would accompany Hime when she’s relieving her stress due to her feelings of regret.” 
4580 
4581Maou, who almost said ‘Why do you have to do such troublesome and unappreciated things’, swallowed his words frantically. 
4582 
4583However, he was unable to conceal his expression. 
4584 
4585“Ignoring my personal feelings, it won’t be boring when two of them are together. It might be trouble if they are left alone, but with expert guidance, a lot of class related matters can proceed smoothly. I became the class monitor very frequently.” 
4586 
4587“O-Oh……” 
4588 
4589That meant Mizushima was responsible for pulling the strings behind Kisaki and Tanaka Himeko. 
4590 
4591He sensed it vaguely but Mizushima was an amazing person after all. 
4592 
4593“With regards to exam results, because they are the hardworking type, they always ranked highly. When the top twenty ranks were announced, my stomach would hurt. Because no matter who won, Kii-chan and Hime would quarrel.” 
4594 
4595“Hearing Yuki talk about results is really ironic. Whether it was me or Hime, none of us have beaten Yuki before graduation.” 
4596 
4597“If I want to continue being around both of you, of course I have to work harder.” 
4598 
4599Kisaki showed an unhappy expression while Mizushima had a calm expression. 
4600 
4601“But no matter what, I feel that the three of us are considered very good friends? Although we don’t feel very close and we don’t do things other normal girls do, like going to the washroom together.” 
4602 
4603“That’s such a bad joke. I have never thought of that person as a friend. I worked with her occasionally only because of Yuki.” 
4604 
4605This sentence convinced Maou that Mizushima, who could pull Kisaki and Tanaka Himeko together by herself despite their stubborn personalities, was a terrifying person. 
4606 
4607After the three of them graduated from middle school, they went to different high schools. 
4608It was believed that the long battle between the two had finally ended, but unexpectedly, the three of them reunited at the same university three years later. 
4609 
4610“This is already past the level of karma.” 
4611 
4612Maou, gradually getting used to the atmosphere, started to respond to what was said. 
4613 
4614“Because our homes were nearby. Then, thinking about it normally, you would think that a person would become more mature after becoming a university student and learn how to compromise, right? However, it was not like that at all.” 
4615 
4616Kisaki and Himeko, who studied Business Management in Meiji university, started to compete against each other in battles which were on an entirely different level in comparison to their childhood. 
4617 
4618“When we were studying in university, the employment rate was so low that even calling it an Employment Ice Age seemed stupid, and because we understood that, the three of us worked hard. However, at this time, things happened.” 
4619 
4620“To today, I still suspect that something is wrong with the professor who gave Himeko an ‘Excellent’ on her Educational Management Thesis. Systematically discussing about education without considering the unpredictable factor of the employees’ personality, what is the meaning in doing such a thing?” 
4621 
4622“……They started to be at odds with each other on this kind of level.” 
4623 
4624“I see.” 
4625 
4626At this point, Maou could only show an awkward smile. 
4627 
4628At this stage, Kisaki and Himeko no longer fought with each other based on the results alone, but also on the process and discussions, the amount of complexity increased day by day. 
4629 
4630“The most fatal one should be that event. The beauty contest.” 
4631 
4632“Beauty contest…… is it that thing which is occasionally shown on television?” 
4633 
4634“The scale of our university’s cultural festival is not that big, so that beauty contest is just like playing house, no celebrity-like impact will occur even if you win. Anyway, they happened to organise a beauty contest that year. A friend from the same research society registered all three of us.” 
4635 
4636“Ah……” 
4637 
4638At this moment, Maou remembered the conversation between Kisaki and Himeko. 
4639 
4640“Oh, I never thought that you would still be so hung up on that boring event.” 
4641 
4642“Because I am different from you, I’m not so twisted that I am unable to honestly accept praise from other people, so to me, this was one of my cherished memories from my school days.” 
4643 
4644“Could it be, that Manager Tanaka, in that beauty contest……” 
4645 
4646“So what if she won in that kind of frivolous event!” 
4647 
4648Kisaki’s easy to understand reaction helped Maou understand everything. Not considering the scale, Kisaki had lost to Himeko in a competition where females competed with each other in terms of beauty. 
4649 
4650It seemed like that loss had left a scar in Kisaki’s heart, and it was more serious than what she had described. If he said something to console her without proper consideration, an endless hell was in store for Maou. 
4651 
4652“And she’s acting so arrogant although she only got second place, that’s so immature! Without getting first place, there’s not much difference between the second and third place!” 
4653 
4654In a depressed manner, Kisaki gulped down the oolong tea as if it was alcohol, and slammed the empty cup on the table. 
4655 
4656Simply put, Himeko must have been second place, and Kisaki was third place. 
4657“By the way, I’m the champion.” 
4658 
4659“Please don’t supply me with any more unnecessary information.” 
4660 
4661Maou had a feeling that Mizushima would be in first place, but just knowing his superior’s complicated relationships in the past was shocking enough, he would be incapable of reacting even if he was given a chance to be a Tsukkomi. 
4662 
4663“Anyway, with this, you should know what the relationship between Kii-chan and Hime is like now.” 
4664 
4665“Yeah, I already know too much.” 
4666 
4667Starting from the third year of university, not just in terms of capability and the validity of their theses, the contrast between their principles in their careers and future was really striking. 
4668 
4669In a half-joking manner, their classmates termed their behaviour as ‘War of the In-Laws: Hime and Kisaki edition’. 
4670 
4671“Using career as an example, Kisaki believes in the principle ‘Better to be the head of a chicken than a tail of an ox’. As for Hime, she thinks that it would be alright to hide on the ox’s back as long as she is in the lead at the finish line.” 
4672(TL Note: ‘Better to be the head of a chicken than a tail of an ox’: It’s better to run a small business then be a part of someone else’s larger business. ‘Hiding on the ox’s back’ is a reference to the Japanese/Chinese zodiac race where the mouse hid on the ox’s back the whole race and jumped off just before the finish line to end up in first place.) 
4673 
4674Even so, with Mizushima as the shield, the two of them maintained a certain level of friendship. However, after getting employed, a definitive split appeared on both their paths in life. 
4675 
4676After entering MgRonalds and Sentucky respectively, these two very similar large companies, the actions they took were completely opposite of each other. 
4677 
4678Because she treasured every single employee too much, Kisaki would frequently get into conflicts with the people around her, so although she produced excellent results and was highly popular, she also gave others the impression that she would not be able to scale the corporate ladder quickly. 
4679 
4680On the other hand, Himeko’s personality was not well liked by the employees, but she completed her store manager activities efficiently and walked down the path of accomplishment with steady results. 
4681 
4682Of course, it was impossible for Kisaki and Himeko to tell each other this. 
4683 
4684All this information was conveyed through Mizushima. 
4685 
4686After meeting with Kisaki, Mizushima would tell Himeko what had happened in a tactful manner, leaving out anything which may cause problems. 
4687 
4688After meeting with Himeko, Mizushima would tell Kisaki about the process in a casual chat, not leaving any trace. 
4689 
4690This was the strange triangle relationship they had cultivated since they were children. 
4691 
4692Himeko probably told Mizushima that she was getting transferred and that news was conveyed to Kisaki. 
4693 
4694Either way, Maou finally understood the sour relationship between Kisaki and Himeko and the reason behind Kisaki’s actions. 
4695 
4696“In the end, this relationship did not change at all, but because things kept accumulating, after seeing Himeko’s face after such a long time, I became agitated…… I really caused you a lot of trouble. I’m sorry.” 
4697 
4698Kisaki bowed her head deeply towards Maou once again. 
4699 
4700“No, erhm…… but, why are you telling me these things? We don’t think that Kisaki-san would do that kind of thing without a reason, so there should be some reason which you can’t tell others……” 
4701 
4702“Honestly, I didn’t not expect that Yuki would reveal so much to you. My initial intention was just to explain the circumstances and apologise to Maa-kun, whom I caused the most trouble to. As for Chi-chan and the rest, I plan to apologise to them properly later.” 
4703“Kii-chan couldn’t stop talking either.” 
4704 
4705Shaking the glass with only ice cubes left, Mizushima supported her chin with her hand. 
4706 
4707“But from this, it does seem like we have said too much. However, I do have a reason to believe that I can tell Maou all of this.” 
4708 
4709Mizushima showed a smile with mixed emotions and looked at Maou. 
4710 
4711“Because Kii-chan seems to really trust Maou, this is a rare thing.” 
4712 
4713“Trust?” 
4714 
4715From Maou’s viewpoint, he felt that Kisaki trusted every employee, but that was not what Mizushima was trying to convey. 
4716 
4717“Until now, only Hime and I knew about Kii-chan’s dream. So when I heard that she spoke about it to you, I got a shock.” 
4718 
4719Kisaki’s dream was to become a professional in the food and beverage industry––a barman. 
4720 
4721She wanted to know how far she could fight on in Japan’s food and beverage industry with just her own power. 
4722 
4723Kisaki had mentioned this in front of Maou and Chiho. 
4724 
4725“……It’s not like I am giving special treatment to Maa-kun. It’s just that there was an opportunity to talk about it.” 
4726 
4727Kisaki retorted this way, but it could not be denied that her tone was evasive. 
4728 
4729Kisaki was not saying what she truly thought. 
4730 
4731And Mizushima sensed this. 
4732 
4733“Is that so?” 
4734 
4735Mizushima looked towards Kisaki’s face as if she was probing, then spoke while raising her head slowly. 
4736 
4737“I have never heard Kii-chan mention this thing to anyone else besides us. Isn’t that right, Hime!?” 
4738 
4739““Eh?”” 
4740 
4741Maou and Kisaki expressed surprise at the same time. 
4742 
4743“……That’s right, this is the first time I have heard of this.” 
4744 
4745With a partition between them, a lady got up slowly from the seat behind Maou. 
4746 
4747There was no need to confirm this. That person was Tanaka Himeko, wearing the same attire from when she came to the store in the afternoon. 
4748 
4749“Yuki…… you tricked me?” 
4750 
4751Strong flames of animosity burned within Kisaki. 
4752 
4753“When you made a rare move of acting serious and proposing that I apologise to Maa-kun, it was to allow Himeko hear everything just now?” 
4754 
4755“Because if I did not do that, the both of you would definitely not meet.” 
4756 
4757“That’s true, if I sat in front of Mayumi and drank alcohol, that alcohol would not taste nice.” 
4758 
4759Himeko said this and naturally sat down in the empty seat next to Maou. 
4760 
4761“I won’t drink Taro Soju which only old men would drink. I want to order Kahlua.” 
4762 
4763“Hmph, you like to drink sweet alcohol as usual. Your taste is like a child.” 
4764“I don’t want to be said this by you, Mayumi, who would turn so red just from one cup of beer.” 
4765 
4766“It’s only my face turning red! I won’t become drunk just from that!” 
4767 
4768“Stop it, both of you. Can’t you see that Maou is going to get scared off? The food is here, hurry up and eat.” 
4769 
4770“Uh…… s-sorry.” 
4771 
4772“Hmph.” 
4773 
4774Kisaki and Himeko looked towards Maou’s face as if they had suddenly noticed Maou’s presence and slowly leaned back against their chairs. 
4775 
4776During this time, the store had served up Izakaya style dishes which were strong in flavour and high in carbohydrates such as Teppanyaki and fried rice. Mizushima efficiently served the food to everyone. 
4777 
4778“I went to your store in the evening.” 
4779 
4780“What did you say?” 
4781 
4782Sipping the Kahlua which was just served to her, Himeko suddenly said this. 
4783 
4784“It was amazing. In the area I am in charge of, none of the branches are at such a high standard. All the employees are very energetic and despite not talking to each other more than what was minimally required, their communication was still perfect. Not only were the products presented well, the store was spotless.” 
4785 
4786“I don’t feel happy being praised by Himeko, but those are my employees. Being able to do such a thing is expected.” 
4787 
4788“My, employees huh.” 
4789 
4790She had just praised Kisaki, but Himeko immediately expressed her unhappiness at Kisaki’s words. 
4791 
4792“Mayumi, do you plan to continue staying in MgRonalds and immerse yourself in such cheap self-satisfaction?” 
4793 
4794After showing a mocking smile, Himeko continued to speak. 
4795 
4796“When I heard that you joined the huge company MgRonalds, I already thought it was strange. In such a big company, you won’t be able to learn any skills or ideals needed for a bar. Why haven’t you become independent?” 
4797 
4798“What did you say?” 
4799 
4800“The thing you want to do now isn’t just opening a bar, right? If you only wanted to open a bar, you can resign immediately, rent an empty store, and open your own store. If it’s you, you will succeed as long as you work hard. Why aren’t you doing this immediately? Are you lacking money or a guarantor? A branch store is the lowest tier of a huge corporation. Being a ruler in such a small society, how will it benefit the current you? Even if you do perform well, if you get promoted at a slower rate than me, what is the meaning in doing so?” 
4801 
4802“Himeko, are you looking down at the work done at MgRonalds?” 
4803 
4804Kisaki’s tone was dangerous––   
4805 
4806“No. I am looking down on you who does not use your talents on accomplishing great things, shutting yourself up in a small store, and dragging your feet.” 
4807 
4808––but Himeko shook her glass impatiently. 
4809 
4810“It would have been acceptable if you climbed up the corporate ladder to be in charge of one or two districts and made revolutionary changes, but is your current job so worthwhile that you can stay in the same branch and invest your passion in it? Or is there any opportunity for you to change your path?” 
4811 
4812“……” 
4813Faced with Himeko’s consecutive questions, Kisaki had nothing to say in response. 
4814 
4815This proved that Kisaki mostly agreed with what Himeko said. 
4816 
4817“Chase after two rabbits and you will end up with none. As long as you stay in a large corporation, no matter how much you struggle, you will always encounter moments where you have to abandon something, you aren’t so naïve to not understand this, right?” 
4818 
4819“I……” 
4820 
4821“What, if you have any thoughts, then hurry up and say it.” 
4822 
4823Kisaki almost followed Himeko’s lead in the conversation, but immediately glared at the latter. 
4824 
4825“What I want to do is my choice. You have no right to interfere.” 
4826 
4827Maou was afraid that the two of them would quarrel again, but Himeko smiled unexpectedly. 
4828 
4829“That’s great. I don’t want to hear about your future plans in the first place. If you plan to continue hesitating and play a game of ‘Get along, everyone’ in the store, I’m fine with that, you know? I will quickly achieve great things then laugh at you from high up in the industry.” 
4830 
4831“You’re just the same, not respecting those comrades who are working with you.” 
4832 
4833“Because they are mostly people who aren’t worthy of respect. If so, I might as well treat everyone equally from the beginning. This is also a rule cultivated by Japan’s industries over a long period of time.” 
4834 
4835Himeko looked towards Maou. 
4836 
4837“Sigh, I don’t know if this inconspicuous guy is worth respecting, but I just want to clearly let you know this. If you want to surpass me in the future, it will be impossible based on your current situation.” 
4838 
4839“Inconspicuous guy……” 
4840 
4841Maou felt unhappy at being pointed out suddenly, but since they were from different companies, he could not act too aggressively. 
4842 
4843Himeko was from another company in the same industry, but her standing in society was still much higher than Maou. 
4844 
4845“If you could retort or do something other than backing down in this situation, you’ll definitely benefit in the future.” 
4846 
4847“……Oh.” 
4848 
4849“Remember this. There are many enemies within and outside an organisation. Other companies in the industry who want to make you fail once they see an opening. Or superiors, colleagues and juniors who are black hearted, incapable and would only be a hindrance. There are many people in the world who are like this. If you stay under Mayumi who cares about a harmonious atmosphere within and outside, you will never learn the skills needed to handle these people.” 
4850 
4851Maou glanced at Kisaki out of the corner of his eye. 
4852 
4853However, Kisaki, who would reach her tipping point just by seeing Himeko, had fallen silent with a serious expression on her face after hearing those words from just now. 
4854 
4855“If you plan to be a soldier forever, you probably feel very comfortable working under Mayumi, but if you plan to climb upwards, then I can only say that you’re really unfortunate. Because you can’t accumulate any experience with regards to fighting enemies.” 
4856 
4857“But, by working under Kii-chan, you can work with colleagues who are much better when compared to those from other places, you can improve yourself this way too?” 
4858 
4859“That’s the difference in viewpoints. I think comrades who you find while getting hurt in a battlefield full of enemies are the comrades who can truly help each other improve.” 
4860Himeko’s words were correct. And Mizushima’s interpretation was not wrong. And of course, Kisaki’s way which Maou had always believed to be correct was also not wrong. 
4861 
4862However, these things cannot happen at the same time. 
4863 
4864“I think……” 
4865 
4866Without troubling over this for long, Maou expressed his thoughts directly. 
4867 
4868“Since there are still things which cannot be done in the current framework, then just think of ways to change oneself such that it would be possible to build a larger framework from the beginning, wouldn’t that be enough?” 
4869 
4870“!” 
4871 
4872“Oh~” 
4873 
4874“Hmph.” 
4875 
4876Kisaki raised her head quickly, Mizushima clapped her hands together in awe, Himeko hmphed once, but it did not seem like she was looking down on Maou. 
4877 
4878“It’s not as if it’s just Mayumi’s dream, are you planning to start a business? Compared to people who cannot even reach normal working standards and will only feel uneasiness, grievance and dissatisfaction, I like foolhardy people better, but it’s easier said than done, it’s not that easy in reality, you know.” 
4879 
4880“I know that. Money, educational qualifications, and talent, the more of these things, the better. However, what I have right now, is only this mouth and body.” 
4881 
4882After Maou said this, Himeko blinked once in surprise, then nodded with force for unknown reasons. 
4883 
4884“……I see. Mayumi.” 
4885 
4886“……What is it?” 
4887 
4888“I kind of know why you have high expectations for this guy.” 
4889 
4890“Right? I did say he was good.” 
4891 
4892Strangely, it was Mizushima who agreed with Himeko. 
4893 
4894“Eh? Eh?” 
4895 
4896Maou looked at each of them in turn, feeling perplexed. 
4897 
4898“……Maa-kun.” 
4899 
4900Kisaki spoke, interrupting Maou who felt perplexed. 
4901 
4902“Y.Yes.” 
4903 
4904“Is the time alright for you? If you don’t go back soon, your friend will worry, right?” 
4905 
4906“Eh? Ah! It, it’s already 1:30am?” 
4907 
4908Maou jumped up after seeing the clock. Thinking about it, he did not tell the people at home that he was returning later than usual. 
4909 
4910“What, you have to go already? Things were becoming interesting too.” 
4911 
4912“Ah~ Maou, we can’t finish so much by ourselves, can you help to eat some?” 
4913 
4914“Ah, al, alright, then……” 
4915Following Mizushima’s instructions, Maou quickly ate the sumptuous food in front of him. 
4916 
4917“You’re living together with your girlfriend? Acting like this at such a young age.” 
4918 
4919“Himeko, Maa-kun is just renting a room with someone else. He’s staying with a male friend.” 
4920 
4921“What? He has such interests?” 
4922 
4923“Eh? Maou is someone from that world?” 
4924 
4925“I didn’t ask because I felt that it would be better not to probe too much into it. However, it’s not what both of you think it is.” 
4926 
4927Since Mizushima and Himeko had been drinking alcohol, it felt that he would just be teased no matter how he explained it, so after that, Maou focused fully on eating. 
4928 
4929 
4930 
4931 
4932Mizushima and Himeko bade Kisaki and Maou farewell in front of the store. 
4933 
4934“The more the better?” 
4935 
4936“Hime?” 
4937 
4938“For money, educational qualifications, and talent, the more a person has the better, but these are not absolutely needed. Someone who knows this is very strong at heart. Because they are strong at heart, they will challenge many things, and will cause more harm to the people around them when they fail or self-destruct.” 
4939 
4940“That’s right. However……” 
4941 
4942Mizushima could not see Maou and Kisaki anymore, but she still smiled in the direction which they had left in. 
4943 
4944“It looks dangerous when it is one person, but it gives off an impression of being very strong when there are two people.” 
4945 
4946“What is that supposed to mean?” 
4947 
4948“Hmm~” 
4949 
4950Himeko asked in curiosity, and Mizushima smiled lightly in reply. 
4951 
4952“We’re talking about that Kii-chan, you know? So I meant that literally of course.” 
4953 
4954※ 
4955 
4956“Sorry about that. Because of Yuki, you were dragged into a strange situation again.” 
4957 
4958Walking on Koshu Kaido after leaving the Izakaya, Kisaki apologised to Maou again. 
4959 
4960“No, it’s fine. I’ll just treat it as a business networking event made up of my seniors.” 
4961 
4962“A business networking event? That’s true, thinking about it carefully, the three of us have not gathered like this since we graduated from university.” 
4963 
4964Kisaki sighed as if she was feeling nostalgic. 
4965 
4966“Kisaki-san?” 
4967 
4968“……Maa-kun, please don’t form any strange misunderstandings and just listen to me. Just treat it as joking remarks said after drinking alcohol.” 
4969 
4970The two of them did not drink any alcohol, but Maou still nodded seriously. 
4971“When working in a company, what Himeko said is a lot more correct than my stance. However, even so, I cannot abandon my ideals now. Because someone like you appeared.” 
4972 
4973“……Eh?” 
4974 
4975“If you had not appeared, I would have taken action much earlier for the sake of opening my own store just like what Himeko said. However, one year ago, you appeared in my store and started working, causing my thoughts to change.” 
4976 
4977“E-Erhm?” 
4978 
4979“You had said that you wanted to be a permanent employee. This wish of yours still hasn’t changed at all?” 
4980 
4981“About that…… let me think.” 
4982 
4983Compared to one year ago, huge changes had occurred in Maou’s surrounding environment. 
4984 
4985Not only was there progress in his goal of returning to the Demon World, troubling things had been occurring continuously. 
4986 
4987Even so, Maou still strongly wished to continue staying in the human world to learn. 
4988 
4989“It has not changed. For the sake of my goal, becoming a permanent employee is a path which cannot be avoided.” 
4990 
4991“Yeah. I have never doubted your sincerity and philosophy towards work. I have never met anyone else like you who can mix their work and private lives so perfectly. Which was why I felt so troubled. Should I……” 
4992 
4993“Eh?” 
4994 
4995Maou got a huge shock because this sounded a little like a confession between a man and a woman, but what Kisaki said next was even more unexpected. 
4996 
4997“Treat you as a trusted subordinate and climb to the top of MgRonalds to change this industry, or treat you as my right-hand man and bring you to a new world, I have seriously debated with myself over this.” 
4998 
4999“……………Huh?” 
5000 
5001“To change or create a world, other than power, it is more important to have comrades whom you can trust from your heart.” 
5002 
5003Without Kisaki saying this, Maou knew this better than anyone. 
5004 
5005Because when Maou took the first step towards unifying the Demon World, all he had was the knowledge passed down to him by that angel. 
5006 
5007“Then amongst the employees in my store, you have the biggest chance of working with me for a long time in the future.” 
5008 
5009After saying this in one go, Kisaki paused. 
5010 
5011“……Sigh, just like what I said earlier, these are just joking remarks said after drinking alcohol. You have no obligation to go along with my dreams, I don’t plan to restrict your future either. Just treat it like you were hounded by a young person who had gotten drunk because she was trying to capture her bright future early and is currently facing the prospects of a bubble industry. You can forget about this for now.” 
5012 
5013In a dazed manner, Maou stared at the back of this female who only lived for work, wearing only casual clothes and not arming herself by wearing work clothes. 
5014 
5015“However……” 
5016 
5017Kisaki turned back and smiled at Maou with her usual refreshing expression. 
5018 
5019“I have a principle of not telling jokes which are not funny. You should know that already. Then, I’ll take my leave here. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of the store for a while.” 
5020 
5021At the intersection where their paths to go home deviated, Kisaki waved at Maou, and walked towards the streets at night in a cool manner. 
5022 
5023After watching that figure leave until Maou could not see her anymore, Maou scratched his head and looked up towards the sky. 
5024 
5025“What a headache……” 
5026 
5027※ 
5028 
5029“D-D-D-D-Demon Kingggggg, youuuuuuuuuuuuu?” 
5030 
5031The next day, the usual dinner gathering at the Demon Fortress was invaded by an archangel. 
5032 
5033“Demon King, damn you! You, you actually walked with my Goddess on the streets at night, just the two of you? W-What exactly happenedddd? Depending on the circumstances, I might just kill you on the spot––!” 
5034 
5035“Pufft!” 
5036 
5037Hearing Sariel’s words, Chiho spit out the wheat tea in her mouth. 
5038 
5039It was not known how Sariel obtained this information, but Maou and Kisaki were probably seen by someone when they were going home from the Izakaya. 
5040 
5041“Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma, Maou-san? Being alone with Kisaki-san at night…… w-w-what, is going on?” 
5042 
5043“Uh, no, it’s nothing…… I just had drinks for an hour at an Izakaya……” 
5044 
5045“D-Drinking? Maou-san and Kisaki-san, drinking together at night? An, an adult’s world?” 
5046 
5047No one knew what Chiho was imagining, but her face had turned red despite not drinking any alcohol. 
5048 
5049“Demon King-sama, you said Izakaya just now?” 
5050 
5051“A-Ashiya? You ignored the atmosphere and reacted to a specific term again?” 
5052 
5053“How much money did you spend? I was thinking why you had returned so late, and unexpectedly, you spent unnecessarily……” 
5054 
5055In order to run away from his trusted general who approached with a low voice, Maou backed up to the wall. 
5056 
5057“N-None, someone else was treating! Because someone else treated, I didn’t spend any money, and when I said drinking, I meant a drinking party, I didn’t drink any alcohol……” 
5058 
5059“My Goddess paid for it…… and she drank while f-f-face to face with you? I’m going to kill you! I’ll definitely kill you today!” 
5060 
5061This time, it was Sariel who grabbed the front of Maou’s shirt to interrogate him, and the latter roughly pushed the archangel’s hand away. 
5062 
5063“I didn’t sit opposite Kisaki-san! I was with your manager and the shop manager of Fushima Park, the four of us……” 
5064 
5065“The shop manager of Fushima Park is that well-known beauty…… Ma, Maou-san let himself get treated by three beautiful ladies, drinking at night…… fuwahh.” 
5066 
5067Maou continued explaining, but this time, it was Chiho who collapsed lifelessly–– 
5068 
5069“Chi, Chiho-chan, get a hold of yourself!” 
5070 
5071––Emi hurriedly supported Chiho from the side. 
5072 
5073“There were other ladies besides Manager Tanaka and my Goddess? Demon King, damn you! What evil tactics did you use to end up in such a great, envious situation!? Hurry up and tell me! What should I do to encounter that kind of situation!? Tell me quicky! Tell me alreadyyy!” 
5074 
5075Crying while grabbing the front of Maou’s shirt, Sariel shouted things which sounded like threats and pleas at the same time. 
5076 
5077“Like I said, I didn’t do anything…… we were only talking about work…….” 
5078 
5079This was not a lie. 
5080 
5081But while they were talking about work that day, they did interact at a more meaningful level compared to the usual working day. 
5082 
5083Of course, Maou knew that if he said this, it would only worsen the hell in front of him, so he could not say it, but everyone seemed to have acutely sensed the deeper meaning hidden in Maou’s words, so they did not stop interrogating him. 
5084 
5085“Demon King, can you not do something like drinking until late at night, you’ll affect Alas=Ramus’s education.” 
5086 
5087“I believe you, Maou-san! You were really just talking about work related things, right?” 
5088 
5089“It’s not alright just because someone treated you! If your superior treated you, then you have to return the favour properly! Demon King-sama, have you considered this?” 
5090 
5091“Demon Kinggggggg! Admit ittttttt! What happenedddddddd!?” 
5092 
5093“Didn’t I say nothing happened!?” 
5094 
5095Unable to tolerate the hellish summons echoing within the small room–– 
5096 
5097“Can’t all you be quieter when eating!?” 
5098 
5099––Suzuno finally shouted angrily–– 
5100 
5101“Suzu nee-chan is scary wahhhh!” 
5102 
5103––Alas=Ramus, who got scared, started to cry––   
5104 
5105“……So noisy.” 
5106 
5107––and Urushihara, some distance away from the hellish noise, was the only one who focused on eating. 
5108 
5109 	 
5110Short Story 6: The Hero Before She Found a Job! –a few days ago– 
5111 
5112Just after three pm in the afternoon, Alas=Ramus was snoring steadily in bed. 
5113 
5114Normally it would just be ‘Mama’ Yusa Emi in Room 501 of Urban Heights Eifuku, but there were two visitors today. 
5115 
5116Perhaps the young girl was exhausted because she had interacted with people she was not familiar with. 
5117 
5118Some distance away from the bed, someone watched Emi enviously. 
5119 
5120“That’s so nice~~ I want to coax her to sleep too~~” 
5121 
5122“Alas=Ramus probably needs a little more time before she is familiar with Em.” 
5123 
5124“Uuuu~~” 
5125 
5126Emi’s good friend, one of the visitors, Emerada Etuva, grit her teeth in regret. 
5127 
5128“This might sound strange, but you have completely turned into a mother.” 
5129 
5130Suzuki Rika, another good friend of Emi, smiled evilly. 
5131 
5132“Yeah, because this child and I have spent a long time together.” 
5133 
5134Emi intentionally responded with a composed attitude. 
5135 
5136“Oh, not affected at all.” 
5137 
5138Rika appeared to be a little happy. 
5139 
5140“Then again, you haven’t been officially hired yet, but Emi is actually going to work at that MgRonalds huh. I am not teasing you, but is it because you want Alas=Ramus to be together with ‘Papa’?” 
5141 
5142“That’s not possible. It’s not like I can bring a toddler to work. It’s either we stay in a merged state during working hours, or asking Suzuno to help take care of her if it does not cause Suzuno too much trouble.” 
5143 
5144Emi replied with a shrug. 
5145 
5146“If so~~ it feels like you should just move house~~” 
5147 
5148“Emi seemed to have developed some attachment to this apartment, so she can’t do such a thing. Considering the quality of this room and the rent, I can sort of understand this feeling. Sigh, I am more curious about how Emi managed to find this house and settled down here.” 
5149 
5150Room 501 of Urban Heights Eifuku was a suite targeted at tenants who were single, but not only did this two room eight tatami apartment have a fully electric powered kitchen, it had a separate bathroom. 
5151 
5152Considering that Emi’s and Emerada’s enemy, the Demon King a.k.a. Maou Sadao, was living in a space where three guys were squeezed into a six tatami sized room, this environment was truly much better. 
5153 
5154There was even a penthouse on the highest floor, so its appearance truly matched the term condominium. 
5155 
5156However, the rent here was only 50,000 yen, this was difficult to comprehend. Anyone, not just Rika, would be bothered by this. 
5157 
5158“That’s true~~ I have not heard the story behind how you chose to stay in this apartment~~” 
5159 
5160Because Rika and Emerada expressed their interest, Emi turned towards the two of them after arranging the blankets around Alas=Ramus. 
5161 
5162“These may be memories, but they aren’t really good memories. It’s just that this room was the first place in Japan which gave me a safe and secure environment. By the way, I was able to continue chasing after the Demon King because this room existed.” 
5163 
5164“Did you become more lively and energetic because the living environment was good?” 
5165 
5166“No, it was a more direct reason. This was something which happened when I first arrived in Japan, when I knew nothing about what I saw and understood nothing.” 
5167 
5168Speaking softly, Emi described the events which happened recently, even though it seemed like years ago. 
5169 
5170This was something which happened in recent history, when she had arrived in Japan, a country in a ‘foreign world’ after going through a ‘Gate’ to chase after Maou Sadao, no, to chase after Demon King Satan. 
5171 
5172※ 
5173 
5174That tall building was erected there, resembling a huge gravestone. 
5175 
5176Standing in a city filled with lights, only that place had a black exterior. 
5177 
5178The dim lights which could be seen everywhere only served to make that place look darker, resembling the candles flickering weakly in the wind after being lit by people attending a funeral to pay respects to the dead. 
5179 
5180“……If it’s that place…… I probably will not get discovered by anyone......” 
5181 
5182Her mental and physical states had reached their limits. 
5183 
5184In this world filled with light, she was the only one constantly looking for darkness, finding caves which no one would take notice of. 
5185 
5186“The door…… is locked after all.” 
5187 
5188The front door illuminated by yellow lights was naturally locked and could not be opened. 
5189 
5190However, at this point in time, she could confirm one thing. 
5191 
5192Within this building in front of her, there were no signs of humans. 
5193 
5194During these past few days, she had already encountered countless huge buildings which she had never seen before. 
5195 
5196Inorganic in appearance, all these buildings had an impressive height which easily surpassed those of the royal cities in her home country, with every single window reflecting dazzling light. 
5197 
5198Many people were living within them. 
5199 
5200Living lives she had never seen before. 
5201 
5202The building in front of her may have looked similar to the buildings she had seen so far, but no signs of people could be felt. 
5203 
5204Just like how torches will be lit at the city forts to guard against intruders, there were also rows of dim lights here. However, it could be felt that there was no one patrolling these illuminated areas. 
5205 
5206For a full five minutes, she stood there in a dazed manner. 
5207 
5208“Please allow me to borrow this place for a bit.” 
5209 
5210She did not know who she was asking for permission, and allowed herself to lightly float into the air. 
5211 
5212After flying over the gate, she landed in a place which looked like courtyard. She still did not feel any other presences. 
5213 
5214The unmaintained grass patch which surrounded that building had already grown until it was level with her line of sight, so it appeared that she would not have to worry about being seen by the people outside. 
5215 
5216“These don’t look like ruins……” 
5217 
5218Looking closely, this building was made from material she did not know about. 
5219 
5220It looked like stone or brick, but the feeling when she touched it was significantly different from the feeling she knew about. 
5221 
5222Smooth, glossy, hard, and also felt very light. 
5223 
5224“It would be better to go higher.” 
5225 
5226She looked up at the higher levels which blended into the darkness, made her body float again, and slowly rose, following the walls of the building. 
5227 
5228When she was rising, she turned her head lightly, and in front of her was a huge area of lights dispelling the darkness. 
5229 
5230As if the stars in the sky had fallen, colourful lights covered the ground. 
5231 
5232The shock she had received when she understood that they were people living under all these lights would never be forgotten regardless of what may happen in the future. 
5233 
5234“Demon King Satan…… where did he go?” 
5235 
5236She mumbled weakly. 
5237 
5238He should be here. The existence she was chasing was somewhere in this land of light. 
5239 
5240Perhaps, at this moment, he was even plotting how to bring darkness to the land of light in front of him, using his demonic wings to cause the night sky to descend on the land. 
5241 
5242She had to find that evil existence quickly, and eliminate him before this brilliance gets harmed in any way. 
5243 
5244“I can’t, find him anywhere. I can’t even feel his presence……” 
5245 
5246Such a thing should not be possible. 
5247 
5248No matter how injured she was, no matter how much power she had lost, she would not misidentify that evil aura, however, as if he had been sucked into this light tornado, the existence she had been chasing had disappeared. 
5249 
5250“……This place, should be fine.” 
5251 
5252She stepped onto the balcony which was built at the windows on every floor. 
5253 
5254Standing on the balcony, she then peeked into the room through the extremely transparent window made of glass. 
5255 
5256Inside was a room with paved floors, but she could not sense any people. 
5257 
5258The floor of the level above was the roof of the balcony, so it seemed like she could take shelter from the rain here. 
5259 
5260“Sigh……” 
5261 
5262Once she thought that she was in a space where no one could see her, her fatigue suddenly rose within her body, causing her to sit down on the spot. 
5263 
5264A balcony built on ruins which were brand new. 
5265 
5266She was so tired that such a narrow space could provide her with a sense of safety. 
5267 
5268“If I had killed the Demon King there…… things would not have turned out like this.” 
5269 
5270She clenched her fist and said this in regret. 
5271 
5272As if responding to her will, light appeared in her palm and something which was originally not there appeared. 
5273 
5274An intricately decorated sword which emitted holy light. 
5275 
5276“……Holy sword…… why aren’t you emitting the guiding light and telling me the location of the Demon King. Could it be that you have lost that power because of the fierce fighting?” 
5277 
5278Even the voice she squeezed out with all her might sounded weak. 
5279 
5280“Or is it…… because I was unable to successfully kill the Demon King…… you don’t recognise me as the Hero anymore?” 
5281 
5282The sword did not reply. 
5283 
5284In a night where the moon and stars could not be seen, the lights from afar shone slightly on the purple gem on the hilt. 
5285 
5286“……Em……” 
5287 
5288She hugged her legs and groaned. 
5289 
5290“Alber…… Olba……” 
5291 
5292Then she buried her face in her legs, speaking weakly. 
5293 
5294“……Save me.” 
5295 
5296Five days had passed since Hero Emilia Justina took part in the final battle with the fate of the whole of Ente Isla on the line and failed to kill the Demon King after coming close to doing so. 
5297 
5298Emilia chased after the Demon King and one of the Four Kings Alsiel who had escaped through the ‘Gate’ and arrived at this mysterious world which had an advanced civilisation. 
5299 
5300It felt as if she was one blow away from defeating the Demon King. Even so, the Demon King’s power was still so strong that she could not be careless. 
5301 
5302Therefore, Emilia believed that the true final battle would take place in the world on the other side of the ‘Gate’. 
5303 
5304However, after arriving in this world, she could no longer sense the ominous energy of the Demon King. 
5305 
5306Since she went through the same ‘Gate’ as the Demon King and Alsiel, she should not have arrived in a different world. 
5307 
5308The Demon King and Alsiel must be somewhere in this world. 
5309 
5310However, the aura of the Demon King which Emilia was familiar with had disappeared. This increased Emilia’s anxiety. 
5311 
5312She could not imagine the size of this world, and it was not impossible for herself and the Demon King to be separated by a continent. 
5313 
5314If that was the situation, she would have to spend a lot of time to find the Demon King again. 
5315 
5316And even if he was injured, the Demon King, who could turn the Central Continent into Hell in one night, could easily destroy one or two countries in this amount of time. 
5317 
5318The Demon King could not be allowed to increase his victims. 
5319 
5320Emilia was also injured from the battle and lost her power, but she still ignited her fighting spirit and started to look for traces of the Demon King, however through today, there were no results. 
5321 
5322Because she had not eaten or slept properly, and only let time pass in vain, she finally decided to stop her search for the time being yesterday. 
5323 
5324However, in this land filled with light, there was no place where Emilia could rest properly. 
5325 
5326“I am really…… very tired……” 
5327 
5328From Emilia’s point of view, the things which had happened in these five days could only be described as a bolt out of the blue. 
5329 
5330Honestly speaking, she did not want to recall those things ever again. 
5331 
5332Emilia leaned her armoured body against the glass window. 
5333 
5334“Sigh…… ehhhhhhhhhhh?” 
5335 
5336With the glass window sliding sideways, her body, losing its support, fell. 
5337 
5338“Eh? Strange? Ehh?” 
5339 
5340Without being bothered by her sword disappearing the instant she fell, Emilia got up immediately and looked at the window she was just leaning against with a surprised gaze. 
5341 
5342It opened. 
5343 
5344As if it was inviting Emilia inside, the window opened. 
5345 
5346Just like before, there was no one inside, and it was quiet. 
5347 
5348However, when she came to her senses, Emilia had already walked into the room as if she was attracted by this empty space. 
5349 
5350Emilia felt that she had not let her guard down at all, but she was unsure of how calm she was feeling. 
5351 
5352This may have been an abandoned area, but it did not mean that she could just enter without permission, and from how the floor was spotless, there must have been people entering and leaving regularly. 
5353 
5354Even so, with Emilia’s mental state reaching its limits due to loneliness and fatigue, she could not resist the temptation of this isolated space which could not be seen by anyone from the outside. 
5355 
5356After jumping indoors and closing the window, this became a completely quiet room. 
5357 
5358“Ah……” 
5359 
5360Emilia lay down, spread-eagled on the hard floor. 
5361 
5362She was still calm enough to keep her armour on, but this inorganic sealed space still provided Emilia with a sense of liberation which she had not felt in days. 
5363 
5364At the same time, a strong sense of drowsiness welled up within her. 
5365 
5366That was natural. Because during these few days, she could not find a place where she could close her eyes and sleep soundly. 
5367 
5368Whether it was her body or brain, she had reached her limits. 
5369 
5370The moment she closed her eyes, Emilia’s consciousness fell into darkness. 
5371 
5372 
5373 
5374 
5375The young girl dreamed. 
5376 
5377She dreamed that she was still living in her hometown, Sloan Village. 
5378 
5379She ‘had never seen it before’, but Emilia knew that this was what the village looked like after she was taken to the Theocracy as the ‘Hero’. 
5380 
5381Since it was Sloan Village, her father should be around. With steps which were not really taken, Emilia ran around the village with all her might. 
5382 
5383However, no matter how much she searched, forget about her father, she could not find anyone. 
5384 
5385She had searched inside her dream for more than one day, but she could not even find any signs of habitation. 
5386 
5387At a certain point of time, the appearance of the village changed drastically. 
5388 
5389A huge explosion occurred behind Emilia, looking back, she discovered a huge demon standing in front of the flames. 
5390 
5391In the demon’s arms was the body of a person Emilia recognised. 
5392 
5393Emilia immediately summoned the holy sword, intending to cut down the demon, but the holy sword did not appear in her hands, not only that, the demon turned around as if it had not seen Emilia. 
5394 
5395She wanted to shout, “Stop!” but her mouth did not obey. 
5396 
5397During this point, fires started to appear around the village and screams echoed within the village which was supposed to be empty. 
5398 
5399The winged demons danced in the air. 
5400 
5401The demons with abnormal appearances started to destroy the homes. 
5402 
5403She had to stop them, and she had the power to stop them, but the holy sword did not appear, and no matter how she struggled, her feet would not advance and she could not make any sound. 
5404 
5405At this moment, a familiar figure descended in front of Emilia. 
5406 
5407The size of the one who came was small for a demon, but it possessed demonic magic which exceeded the levels of normal demons. 
5408 
5409“Lucifer!” 
5410 
5411One of the Four Kings of the Demon King Army, Demon General Lucifer, showed a cruel smile, and on reflex, Emilia planned to fight him barehanded. 
5412 
5413Emilia’s fists had hit Lucifer’s face, but as if everything was an illusion, they just went through. 
5414 
5415No, based on this situation, Emilia might be the one who was the illusion. 
5416 
5417Why, why was she unable to fight? 
5418 
5419Despite the fact that she had to stop this tragedy. 
5420 
5421“Kyahhhhh?” 
5422 
5423At this moment, a shrill scream was heard. 
5424 
5425Was it from the village, from behind Lucifer, from the sky, or from the land, none of them sounded right…… 
5426 
5427 
5428 
5429 
5430“Huh?” 
5431 
5432The strangely vivid scream caused Emilia to get up abruptly. 
5433 
5434What she saw after opening her eyes was not Sloan Village being attacked by demons, but an unfamiliar and deserted square room. 
5435 
5436The interior was not lit by flames or demonic magic, but sunlight, after Emilia got up, she only took a second to remember that she had sneaked into a mysterious abandoned ruin. 
5437 
5438“Ugh!” 
5439 
5440She immediately realised that she had encountered an emergency. 
5441 
5442Someone was around. It was a lady. And from how the other party was wearing well-tailored grey clothes commonly seen in this country, it could be confirmed that she was a human from this world. 
5443 
5444Opposite the window Emilia sneaked in from was the door of this room, and with her back facing the sun, Emilia could clearly see the face of the lady who was standing by the door. 
5445 
5446That face was filled with surprise and fear. 
5447 
5448In this current situation, she was definitely an intruder, and the lady who entered was likely someone who was connected to this building. 
5449 
5450Emilia instantaneously analysed these things, and immediately regretted her failure from last night. 
5451 
5452She had closed the window and locked it. 
5453 
5454The structure of the lock was very similar to the one Emilia knew, so the fact that she was able to lock it had come back to bite her in the end. 
5455 
5456If she broke the window and escaped, traces would be left behind. 
5457 
5458If so……! 
5459 
5460“Light Mirror Coat!” 
5461 
5462A spell of invisibility. 
5463 
5464She did not have many opportunities to use it, but when sneaking into a fort overtaken by demons, this spell would help them avoid unnecessary battles. 
5465 
5466Because holy magic had to be used, it would be easily detected by high level demons, Emilia was not very good with the spell too, but if her comrade Emerada Etuva used it, the level of concealment was good enough to fool human sorcerers. 
5467 
5468If they had already encountered the enemy, using it would be meaningless because the other party had already discovered their existence, but they could still run away while the enemy was still confused. 
5469 
5470The way out was not the window, but the door behind the lady. 
5471 
5472However, the situation developed in a way which Emilia did not expect. 
5473 
5474“Eek?” 
5475 
5476The surprise in the lady’s expression and tone gradually disappeared and it was her fear which increased instead, her legs also started shaking. 
5477 
5478“It…… it……it disa……ppeared…… disappeared…… kyahhhhhh!” 
5479 
5480“Eh? Wait……?” 
5481 
5482“There really is oneeeeeeeeeeeeee!” 
5483 
5484Looking pale, the lady gave a strange scream and slamming the door open, she ran out. 
5485 
5486Emilia had planned to slam into the lady to push her back, but she did not expect that the other party would just run off after seeing her invisibility spell. 
5487 
5488In fact, the invisibility spell used by Emilia was not that perfect, so if the person focused, it could be seen through even if the person was not a sorcerer. 
5489 
5490Or could it be that the other party was worried about a sneak attack and chose to fight her in a more spacious area? 
5491 
5492Emilia could not help but run towards the door, chasing after the lady–– 
5493 
5494“Uwah!” 
5495 
5496––then a sound which sounded very painful was heard from outside. 
5497 
5498Emilia looked outside and realised that the lady from before was crouching in the middle of the long corridor. 
5499 
5500A stick-like object had fallen at the end of the corridor, and upon closer inspection, the shape of the heel area of the left and right shoes worn by the lady was different. 
5501 
5502She knew that there was a type of shoes known as high heels, but Emilia, who had only worn it a few times, realised that the lady in front of her probably fell after the heel on her shoe broke. 
5503 
5504She should have been able to get up immediately even if she had fallen down, but for unknown reasons, the lady was shivering all over and was unable to get up successfully. 
5505 
5506“Eek, ah, no!” 
5507 
5508It was only after seeing the lady was still moving her hand forward and trying to escape the room from just now did Emilia realise that the lady was trying to run away from her. 
5509 
5510The other party did not look like a warrior or sorcerer, and Emilia, who had wandered around the city in this world for five days, had also seen many similarly dressed ladies. 
5511 
5512The lady was probably in charge of managing this building, or a normal person living in one of the rooms which Emi had overlooked. 
5513 
5514Sneaking in just because the window was unlocked, and even wearing armour to scare others, she was the bad person in this situation. 
5515 
5516Emilia opened the door slowly. 
5517 
5518The door looked like it was made of gold or stone, but contrary to its heavy looking appearance, the door was much lighter than she had thought. 
5519 
5520The hinge area of the door let out a ‘creak’. 
5521 
5522“Eh…… eh, eh, no, no way, eh?” 
5523 
5524Hearing that sound, the lady who fell on the ground looked back, and even started crying. 
5525 
5526She had to apologise for scaring the lady and entering the room without permission. 
5527 
5528Emilia, wearing her armour, slowly approached the lady. 
5529 
5530The armour’s metal boots gave off a ‘ka ka ka’ sound on the scarily long corridor which was only made with one piece of stone. 
5531 
5532“N-No, what? What is that? Is someone there? D-Don’t, don’t come over!” 
5533 
5534The lady, who ruined her makeup from crying, seemed to be looking for something and did not look at Emilia at all. 
5535 
5536Emilia did not understand the language of this country, so she did not know what the lady was saying, but at least she knew that those were not tears of welcome. 
5537 
5538Then the lady crouched and nervously said something which Emi had heard many times in this country and deduced as a form of greeting. 
5539 
5540“T……th……thanks……” 
5541 
5542“Eek!” 
5543 
5544“Th, thanks, thanks for the hard work.” 
5545 
5546This time, the lady produced a scream from deep within her throat which did not sound human. 
5547 
5548“Nooooooooooooo, a sound was heard from a place with no one presennntttttttt!” 
5549 
5550“Eh? Ah, wait, wait a moment!” 
5551 
5552When Emi called out, it was already too late. 
5553 
5554The lady took off her shoes and escaped frantically. 
5555 
5556“W-Wait a moment! It, it’s dangerous like this……” 
5557 
5558“Nooooooo……!” 
5559 
5560There seemed to be a flight of stairs in the place Emi could not see. 
5561 
5562The lady appeared to be weak at the knees from fright, yet once she took off her shoes, she emitted an exaggerated scream and ran further and further away until her voice could not be heard. 
5563 
5564“T-There’s no need to be that afraid.” 
5565 
5566She was a trespasser, but she should have properly shown that she had wanted to talk. 
5567 
5568Feeling slightly hurt, Emi pouted, but she suddenly realised that a large object had fallen at her feet. 
5569 
5570It looked like a bag. The lady must have left it behind. 
5571 
5572The material seemed to be high grade leather, and the gold frame opening gave off a golden sheen of a new product. 
5573 
5574“……Uh, eh?” 
5575 
5576Emilia looked at that smooth metal surface, then noticed one thing. 
5577 
5578She quickly raised her hand to her eye level, and her shoulders drooped as she sighed heavily. 
5579 
5580“No wonder she was afraid. She heard the sound of the door opening and footsteps, but could not see anything.” 
5581 
5582Emilia used the invisibility spell beforehand but forgot to dispel it when approaching the lady. 
5583 
5584Upon closer examination, a person would have noticed Emilia’s swaying silhouette, resembling that of a mirage, but the panicked lady probably did not notice it at all. 
5585 
5586Regardless, with this, this building was neither an abandoned place or a place where Emi could settle down. 
5587 
5588She felt bad about the lady, but it was not a good idea to continue staying here. 
5589 
5590The other party might call the police or the soldiers, and if that happened, Emi would have to employ forceful methods against the humans. 
5591 
5592This was not what Emilia wanted. 
5593 
5594“If I leave that here, the person will probably come back for it…… but……” 
5595 
5596Emilia frowned and looked up at the sky. 
5597 
5598She did not notice this when she had woken up, but the light shining in through the windows seemed to come from a setting sun. 
5599 
5600Looking up from where she was in the corridor, she realised that the sky had turned into a faint purple colour, and night was approaching once more. 
5601 
5602After noticing how tired she had been, Emilia realised deeply that she had committed many mistakes. 
5603 
5604“I don’t know who that person is, if there are other people in this building, it might be stolen if I just carelessly leave it here……” 
5605 
5606Emilia picked up the bag while talking to herself, planning to place it at the end of the corridor–– 
5607 
5608“…………” 
5609 
5610––but after seeing many pieces of paper through the opening in the bag, she stopped. 
5611 
5612From how it felt in her hands, there were probably many things inside. 
5613 
5614“………………………….” 
5615 
5616After Emilia hesitated a little––   
5617 
5618“……Ugh!” 
5619 
5620––she surveyed the surroundings, took the bag and returned to the room she had originally came from. 
5621 
5622Locking the door with much effort, she sat in the middle of the empty room and stared at the bag, and after looking at her face reflected in the gold frame for a while, Emilia sighed forcefully. 
5623 
5624“I swear to the Gods, Evolving Holy Sword, One Wing (Better Half), and on my father’s name. I will definitely not steal your things. I will not tell anyone else about the information I have obtained and will not use it to commit evil deeds. So please lend it to me…… to learn more about this world.” 
5625 
5626She started to search through the other person’s belongings. 
5627 
5628Even if she was not a Hero, this was still a shameful action. 
5629 
5630However, at the same time, these things were also a necessary source of information to help Emilia find the Demon King and survive in this country. 
5631 
5632Armed with the conviction that she would have to accept any scolding and punishment if she was questioned by anyone about her guilt, Emilia made up her mind and reached towards the bag. 
5633 
5634 
5635 
5636 
5637She probably sat in that room for half a day. 
5638 
5639It was already late at night, and the room was covered in darkness. 
5640 
5641However, Emilia made an illumination spell float in the middle of the room and focused on checking that lady’s bag. Before that, she never had a chance to make direct contact with the items owned by the normal people of this country. 
5642 
5643That lady probably wanted to have the bag back as soon as possible. She had to return the bag and all its contents after the lady returned, then leave this room. 
5644 
5645The time limit was almost up. 
5646 
5647“This is money after all. A coin having a hole is really rare.” 
5648 
5649Emilia took out coins and pieces of paper from a small leather bag, and after carefully placing each piece of paper on the floor, she nodded and said this. 
5650 
5651Diagrams of what looked like temples, flowers, trees, and an ear of rice were engraved on the coins, and although the contents of gold, silver, and bronze did not seem to be that high, it was not difficult to deduce that these coins were currency. 
5652 
5653There were beautiful background patterns and exquisite human portraits and landscape drawings on the pieces of paper. In addition, there was also a system of characters recorded on them, similar to that used on the coins. 
5654 
5655[Image of confused Emi and the Yusa Keiko namecard] 
5656 
5657For these characters, there was ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0’, these ten types. 
5658 
5659If these are numbers, these pieces of paper should be ‘banknotes’. 
5660 
5661She could understand the concept of banknotes, but this was the second time Emilia had seen a country where banknotes were in circulation. 
5662 
5663The first time was at the harbour city in the Central Continent, but because of the Demon King Army, the currency value circulating in the Central Continent at that time had fallen greatly, she even remembered one of her comrades saying that there was no need to force herself to exchange money. 
5664 
5665Anyway, when banknotes are used as currency, to the countries who distributes them, these banknotes need to be absolutely trustworthy, and because they are so light, these banknotes have a very high currency value. 
5666 
5667The lady who was the owner of this bag seemed to be close to Emi’s age, was this country so prosperous and strong that such a young person could carry so many banknotes? 
5668 
5669“Either way, it seems like the gold and silver coins I have with me cannot be used that easily here.” 
5670 
5671Emilia did not have any banknotes on her, and although the coins in this country were silver coloured, they did not look like they were crafted from silver. 
5672 
5673She could understand that these characters were numbers, but she did not know the numeric sequence, so it was meaningless to continue thinking about money matters. 
5674 
5675The next thing Emilia noticed was the large map. 
5676 
5677Spreading it open, she realised that this was a large map made from western style paper. 
5678 
5679It looked like a white map, but after examining it carefully, there were many small characters which appeared to be numbers written on it. 
5680 
5681Before coming to this building, Emilia roughly knew that this country’s printing technology was very advanced, but this technique which could write wheat grain sized words on maps still surprised her greatly. 
5682 
5683“These series of numbers might not necessarily refer to amounts of money. It might refer to distance, or assign numbers to roads…… but, there is a fixed pattern. Roads are arrow symbols with four characters. Blocks would be two characters written within a circle symbol. This…… this is four characters, but it can’t be determined if this is a very wide road or a river…… as for the other characters, they’re not written within circle symbols. Hm…… the red characters were probably written by hand.” 
5684 
5685On the map where only roads, blocks and numbers, there were also some red characters written on it. 
5686 
5687“The red mark in the middle, is it this building?” 
5688 
5689Her consciousness was fuzzy because of fatigue, but Emilia roughly remembered the geographical situation of her surroundings. 
5690 
5691Emilia discovered that this white map was a map with very limited range, expanding out with this building as the centre. 
5692 
5693“Even so, the numbers between these arrows should be a distance. These units represented by four digit numbers, should be the distance from the beginning to the end of the arrow! These ten characters are numbers after all!” 
5694 
5695If these ten characters ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0’ were numbers, it meant that the numbers used by this country were in base 10, just knowing this was already considered significant progress. 
5696 
5697Other than that, if she could arrange these numbers in order, she would roughly know the values of money and distance. 
5698 
5699“But, the distance here and here look the same, so why are the numbers different……?” 
5700 
5701Because the characters printed on the map were very small, Emilia brightened the light of the spell slightly and stared at the map. 
5702 
5703“The places around the areas where many red characters were written have similar groupings. There are also numbers written around this building which are different from the other places. If I do not confirm this properly…… eh? This is……” 
5704 
5705At this moment, Emilia discovered that there was another map inside the bag. 
5706 
5707“Hm? This is a map showing a similar location?” 
5708 
5709This map was printed in blue and red, and the characters printed on it were much more than the white map from before. 
5710 
5711The white map only roughly drew out where the blocks were located, but on this map, it was divided in a more detailed manner and various types of characters were densely written. 
5712 
5713In addition, there was a frame of diagrams and large words around the layout, this design reminded Emi of a shop sign. 
5714 
5715“This…… this map looks more like the maps I am familiar with.” 
5716 
5717As the Merchant Association would often publish advertisements about the stores and other important facilities on the area guide maps in the large cities, Emilia deduced that this was something similar. 
5718 
5719At the same time, Emilia noticed a certain problem. 
5720 
5721“This…… looks rather bad.” 
5722 
5723She looked towards the blue map, and noticed that not only were there many different varieties of characters, the shape of each character was complex. 
5724 
5725After coming to this world, she immediately noticed that there were many types of characters in this country. 
5726 
5727Skimming through the blue map, three to five systems of characters could be identified, if all of them were phonograms, then it would be bad, and even if they were ideographs, she would not understand all of them in one or two days. 
5728 
5729“It seems like if I do not use Idea Link, it might be very troublesome……” 
5730 
5731When they did not know the language of the land which they were travelling to for the first time, Idea Link was a very important spell, but it did not mean that everything would be translated completely. 
5732 
5733For example, when both sides did not have a common concept or when they interpreted things differently, they would not be able to communicate at all, this was something which happened often. 
5734 
5735When travelling in Ente Isla, there would definitely be someone among Emilia’s comrades who would be able to speak the language of the country they were travelling to next. Of course, they could hire a translator, but she could not do so in the country. 
5736 
5737“If I could have the opportunity to slowly chat with someone……” 
5738 
5739Since she came to this country, Emilia had not talked to anyone. 
5740 
5741The people walking past would clearly avoid Emilia once they saw her attire, and being chased by the police was not counted as talking. 
5742 
5743What Emilia understood about this country’s language was what she had heard from the streets. 
5744 
5745When people met each other, they would use ‘Thank you for the hard work’ to greet each other. 
5746 
5747When store employees called out to the people walking by, they would use ‘Welcome’. 
5748 
5749For the parents walking on the streets, they would use ‘Come over here’ and ‘Be good’ when trying to calm down a child who would not settle down. 
5750 
5751When the police were chasing after a suspicious person, they would shout ‘Stop’, ‘Wait’, ‘Stop right there’. 
5752 
5753“……This is.” 
5754 
5755Emilia suddenly realised that a series of characters with the same shapes were written on both sides of the white and blue maps using the same handwriting. 
5756 
5757About this series of characters, Emilia had the impression that she had seen it on something else inside the bag. 
5758 
5759“Found it, it’s this.” 
5760That was the small leather pouch which held the currency, inside the wallet. 
5761 
5762There were various cards made from different materials inside, but similarly shaped characters were written or engraved on them. 
5763 
5764“Here too.” 
5765 
5766In addition, inside the small leather card box, she found a stack of cards which had the same design and characters. 
5767 
5768A refined portrait more detailed and brightly coloured than the drawings on the banknotes was drawn on the stack of cards, and after seeing the face drawn on it, Emilia confirmed one thing. 
5769 
5770“It’s that lady…… the owner of this bag. So…… this is her name.” 
5771 
5772Writing her own name on the maps was probably to signify that she was the owner. 
5773 
5774She did not know the purpose of these cards which came in many varieties, but a shield symbol was drawn on one of the cards, it was a type of shield known as the kite shield, and a red cross was drawn in the middle of that shield. 
5775 
5776Perhaps it meant that the owner of the card belonged to a certain knight group. 
5777 
5778“If only I knew how to read this person’s name…… are there any clues?” 
5779 
5780In the room which had turned dark, Emilia continued to search the bag, hoping to find more clues about that lady or this country. 
5781 
5782“Hm~ this stack of paper should be some work documents. This should be a handkerchief, the colours are so pretty…… there are numbers and a name on this card as well. This is a glass bottle containing water…… no. What is this light and transparent bottle? There is a drawing of a mountain and words written on it, but I can’t understand it…… the rest of the things are almost the same…… this is?” 
5783 
5784Emilia discovered a strange object in the side pocket. 
5785 
5786It was a palm-sized hard rectangular object, a board painted in a magnificent colour. It was heavy for its size and there was a cloth strap hanging from the corner. 
5787 
5788There were many small bumps around the board and there was a hole which looked like something could be stuck inside. 
5789 
5790“What is this…… is it a button…… kya?” 
5791 
5792After Emilia accidentally pressed on one of the bumps, the surface of the board lit up, causing her to drop the board onto the floor in surprise. 
5793 
5794Not knowing if it was going to explode next, or give off a blinding light, Emilia would rather treat it as a trap set to guard against people stealing the bag and backed up quickly. 
5795 
5796However, other than emitting a light, the board did nothing else. 
5797 
5798She nervously looked towards the glowing surface––   
5799 
5800“Ah, how cute……” 
5801 
5802––and noticed that there was a super simplified diagram of a bear on the surface. 
5803 
5804Other than showing a diagram of a bear hugging a pillow and lying down sideways, a four digit number was also shown. 
5805 
5806“T-The numbers are moving?” 
5807 
5808The moment Emilia looked towards the screen, the right most digit of the four digits changed from ‘1’ to ‘2’. 
5809 
5810Just as Emilia reached for the glowing board because she had discovered a new mystery. 
5811 
5812“Eeek?” 
5813 
5814“Eh?” 
5815 
5816The door facing the corridor had been opened without Emilia noticing. 
5817 
5818The door which had been locked was opened, Emilia looked up and discovered a person standing there. 
5819 
5820It was impossible for Emilia to forget that fear filled face under the glow of the magic light. It was that lady who dropped her bag and ran. 
5821 
5822Emilia did not plan to run away this time. 
5823 
5824She had to apologise for entering without permission and going through the other party’s belongings. The moment she reached out to do this––   
5825 
5826“Uwahh!” 
5827 
5828––the lady shouted strangely and ran into the corridor once more. 
5829 
5830“Ah, please wait, uh, no, let me think!” 
5831 
5832Emilia tried to recall what happened when she was being chased by the police and shouted loudly, “Wait! Stop!” 
5833 
5834However, despite Emilia not turning invisible this time, the lady did not stop. 
5835 
5836“Kyaaahhhhhhhhhhh! There are spirit lights and an armoured Samurai!” 
5837 
5838“……Spirit lights and armoured Samurai?” 
5839 
5840Emilia frowned because she heard a few terms which made no sense to her, but she still had to return the bag to the other party, if the lady escaped again, Emilia did not know when they would meet again. 
5841 
5842Emilia chased after the lady to make her stop. 
5843 
5844“Wait! Be good!” 
5845 
5846“Kyahhhhhh!” 
5847 
5848“Welcome, welcome.” 
5849 
5850“Don’t come overrrrr!” 
5851 
5852“Come here! Come here!” 
5853 
5854“I don’t want to dieeee! This apartment is cursed after allll!” 
5855 
5856Emilia’s shouts echoed lowly in the building and the screams the lady made when running away were so high pitched that it overwhelmed Emilia’s voice. 
5857 
5858Emilia chased after the lady with all her might, but the lady still disappeared somewhere further up the corridor, Emilia had lost her again. 
5859 
5860She heard the sounds of someone going down the stairs, but Emilia did not know where the stairs were. 
5861 
5862The other party got away again. And she had scared the lady again. 
5863 
5864Emilia knew that wearing a suit full of armour was considered something very strange in this country, but she felt that the lady’s scared behaviour was too abnormal. 
5865 
5866And the term ‘spirit light and armoured Samurai’ gave off an ominous feeling. 
5867 
5868Had she been mistaken as a vicious criminal? 
5869“Hm~ seems like I shouldn’t wear armour.” 
5870 
5871Thinking about it carefully, she did possess some characteristics of a suspicious person. 
5872 
5873And because she had come here immediately after the final battle with the Demon King, the armour was damaged in various places. 
5874 
5875Since she had come to this country, Emilia had not seen any knights wearing armour. 
5876 
5877“The armour is the issue after all……” 
5878 
5879If she had the Evil Repelling Armour, a proof that she was the Hero, she would not need this full body armour, but it might be an issue with her total holy magic capacity, Emilia was unable to use the full potential of the holy sword and the Evil Repelling Armour at the same time. 
5880 
5881If she could guard against the Demon King’s attacks but was unable to cut him, it would be meaningless. 
5882 
5883With these thoughts in mind, Emilia decided not to use the Evil Repelling Armour during the final battle and chose to pour all her power into the holy sword. 
5884 
5885“……There shouldn’t be any strange odor.” 
5886 
5887Feeling bothered all of a sudden, Emilia sniffed her long hair. 
5888 
5889After fighting the final battle with the Demon King, she was immediately thrown into this foreign world and wandered around for a few days. 
5890 
5891After experiencing a fierce battle and not bathing for a few days, this was really a scenario which a girl would not want to face, but Emilia actually had a trick for this. 
5892 
5893“I transformed yesterday…… so there shouldn’t be any smell.” 
5894 
5895Angel blood lay dormant in Emilia’s body. 
5896 
5897When she awakened the bloodline from her mother who she did not remember at all and only knew about on that faithful day, Emilia’s whole body would ‘completely’ refresh. 
5898 
5899For example, if she got hurt after a vigorous battle, she just had to ‘transform’ once using her angel blood, and the wounds would heal immediately. 
5900 
5901The injuries she had received in her transformed state would gradually recover over time, and if she was unable to recover fully, the injuries would not suddenly worsen when she dispelled her transformation. 
5902 
5903Therefore, Emilia only needed to transform once to obtain the same effect as having a thorough bath. 
5904 
5905When travelling in the Eastern Continent where the average temperature and humidity were high and clear streams were scarce, even after encountering many battles, Emilia was the only one amongst her comrades who could stay clean. 
5906 
5907The difference between her and her three comrades was actually just this. 
5908 
5909Because of the benefits of this power, Emilia could avoid some things which normally could not be avoided during war, causing Emerada Etuva, a female like her, to feel very envious. 
5910 
5911However, transforming required a lot of holy magic, so the efficiency was not very high, and the effect of the transformation would not extend to what she wore. 
5912 
5913“The smell should be coming from here.” 
5914 
5915No one was watching, but Emilia still blushed. 
5916 
5917Based on previous experience, if she did not take care of her appearance in peaceful and flourishing countries, it would be embarrassing and lead to many inconveniences. 
5918“I wonder if there is a place to wash clothes…… it’s not like drinking water where I can use the water machine at the plaza. In addition, in this country, there are also many pedestrians at night, so even if I use the Light Mirror Coat, it will still be suspicious. Moreover, even if people cannot see me, I cannot bring myself to do this kind of thing……” 
5919 
5920Emilia, who suddenly became bothered about many things, started thinking about this, but of course, she had no solution. 
5921 
5922Perhaps the lady’s maps contained this information, but if she could not understand the words on it, she could not do anything in the end. 
5923 
5924She had to use the last resort after all. Just as Emilia was thinking this. 
5925 
5926“…..What is that sound?” 
5927 
5928A faint low pitched rhythmic sound was heard from a certain place. 
5929 
5930It sounded like a large insect was flapping its wings, but that sound seemed to be coming from somewhere within the room. 
5931 
5932Emilia looked around the interior of the room which was still unlocked––   
5933 
5934“It’s that board again……” 
5935 
5936––and noticed the glowing board just now was now vibrating lightly on the floor while flashing. 
5937 
5938“W-What’s happening?” 
5939 
5940Emilia approached nervously, keeping up her guard. 
5941 
5942Just as she peeked at the glowing surface while being worried that the board would suddenly fly over, the place which had the bear diagram earlier now had a red rectangle diagram and a green rectangle diagram, there was nothing like that before. 
5943 
5944Confused by the situation, Emilia stared at the glowing board, it stopped vibrating a short while later and the picture changed back to the bear which was there originally. 
5945 
5946“W-W-What was that…… kyah?” 
5947 
5948Then the board started to produce the same vibration and glow again. 
5949 
5950This time, it showed no signs of stopping at all. After one minute had passed, Emilia finally decided to pick up the board. 
5951 
5952The board vibrated gently in her hand, but it did not appear to be harmful. 
5953 
5954The red rectangle and green rectangle from before appeared again, and upon closer examination, a new diagram had appeared in the rectangle. 
5955 
5956“W-What is this circle…… eek!” 
5957 
5958Emilia touched the green rectangle jitterly, the vibration stopped immediately and the surface of the board changed diagrams again. 
5959 
5960Next, the board produced a blunt sound like when it was dropped on the floor, then silence. 
5961 
5962“W-W-What?” 
5963 
5964However, the next change occurred immediately. 
5965 
5966“H-Hello…… is anyone there?” 
5967 
5968“?” 
5969 
5970It was a voice. 
5971 
5972A voice came out from the board. 
5973Background noise which Emilia had not heard before was mixed within, but could it be that lady’s voice? 
5974 
5975Emilia could not help but search her surroundings, but she did not feel any other presences nearby. 
5976 
5977Could this board be the same as the Idea Link magical tools in Ente Isla used for long distance communication? 
5978 
5979“Did, did anyone pick up? Hello…… hello.” 
5980 
5981“Voices can be transmitted…… this means……” 
5982 
5983Idea Link for long distance communication, Emilia used it frequently during her journey. 
5984 
5985Since there was a person on the other side of the board, there might be a chance! 
5986 
5987“Perhaps I can use…… Idea Link.” 
5988 
5989After coming to this country, this was Emilia’s first chance to quietly talk with someone. 
5990 
5991This could not scare the other party this time. For this purpose, she could only use this technique. 
5992 
5993“……” 
5994 
5995Emilia focused on the board in front of her. 
5996 
5997Then she connected more easily than expected. The other party was that lady after all. 
5998 
5999Emilia sat down in front of the glowing board, slowly reading the other party’s consciousness using Idea Link and spoke. 
6000 
6001“H……hello?” 
6002 
6003This seemed to be a term for greeting during long distance communication. 
6004 
6005“Hello? It, it connected? This means that my phone and bag were dropped in different places! Hello?” 
6006 
6007Phone? 
6008 
6009Because they did not have a common concept, Emilia was unable to understand the meaning of this term. 
6010 
6011“Phone……” 
6012 
6013“Y-Yes. Erhm…… I am the owner of that phone, I’m currently at the police station at Eifuku station.” 
6014 
6015Based on her impression, Eifuku was the name of this area. 
6016 
6017Police station must have been referring to the building the policemen use when they were on standby. Emilia quickly unfolded the blue map, and confirmed the location of the concept that could have in common. 
6018 
6019Station referred to the stopping place of the transport vehicles, so Emilia roughly knew the current location of the lady. 
6020 
6021It did not seem that far away. 
6022 
6023“Erhm, then……” 
6024 
6025“T-Thanks, for the hard work.” 
6026 
6027“Eh? Uh, yes, erhm……” 
6028 
6029“What’s your name?” 
6030 
6031It seemed like she was still unable to receive everything about the language and its concepts. 
6032 
6033Basically, if they did not share common concepts, they were unable to carry out ‘Idea Link’. 
6034Even so, to continue talking with the other party, Emilia judged that it would be better to communicate in the language of this country. 
6035 
6036She did not realise that it was a fatal mistake. 
6037 
6038“Eh? Name, erhm, I’m YUSAKEIKO.” 
6039 
6040“YUSA?” 
6041 
6042“Ah, yes, the ‘Yu’ from ‘Oyu’, and the ‘Sa’ from ‘Satou’, Yusa Keiko……” 
6043(TL Note: Oyu means hot water.) 
6044 
6045“YUSA…… KEIKO……” 
6046 
6047She finally knew the lady’s name. 
6048 
6049The ‘Yu’ and ‘Sa’ written on the objects in the bag must be read as ‘YUSA’. 
6050 
6051She did not know if the two characters ‘惠’ and ‘子’ were read as ‘KEIKO’, but with this, Emilia finally knew how to read the other party’s name. 
6052 
6053Emilia replied excitedly, “Your, things…… are, with me.” 
6054 
6055“Eh?” 
6056 
6057The other party’s voice transmitted by Idea Link became stiff after Emilia replied. 
6058 
6059Emilia, realising that she had become too hasty after understanding the other party’s name, said frantically, “Come…… to…… the room.” 
6060 
6061“………………Kyah!” 
6062 
6063“Eh? Strange?” 
6064 
6065The call and the Idea Link was suddenly cut off. 
6066 
6067Emilia had some impression of this feeling, this was a disconnection which frequently happened when the other party fell asleep or lost consciousness. 
6068 
6069The glowing board seemed to have sensed that the connection was cut off and the surface turned back to the bear diagram again. 
6070 
6071Did she do something to scare the other party again. 
6072 
6073However, picking up the other party’s words while using long distance Idea Link was a very mentally draining task. 
6074 
6075If she could return the things to the other party face to face, she could use Idea Link easily, and more importantly, she could return the bag to its owner and apologise to the lady. 
6076 
6077However, during the series of questions and answers just now, she had used the language of this country, so there should not be any problems. 
6078 
6079“……It should be, fine like this……” 
6080 
6081Since she did not know the exact location of the other party, she could only ask the lady to come over. Because she did not know the correct way of operating the board, it was difficult for her to take the initiative to contact the other party using Idea Link. 
6082 
6083“I can only wait.” 
6084 
6085Wait for the lady to come back here. 
6086 
6087There were many rooms in this building, so someone who had no connections to this building was unlikely to keep coming to the same place. 
6088 
6089She had to properly welcome the other party next time, and apologise to the lady for many things. 
6090 
6091Although it could lead to her being arrested by the police, she could only react to the situation when the time comes. 
6092 
6093From the short conversation with the lady who called herself Yusa Keiko, Emilia obtained significant results. The things she learned this time would probably enable her to converse much better with the police if she met them again. 
6094 
6095“Thinking about it…… this armour is not a good idea after all.” 
6096 
6097Emilia now knew the meaning of ‘armoured samurai’. 
6098 
6099Armoured Samurai. It was true that she was a warrior wearing armour. 
6100 
6101The lady, who could see through this at once, was amazing, but to show that she was not hostile, it would be better to take off the armour when they next met. 
6102 
6103However, with this…… 
6104 
6105“Ugh.” 
6106 
6107Once Emilia took off her shoulder armour, she noticed the smell of rotting food underneath. 
6108 
6109“I-I have to wash it…… it’ll be impossible the other party to listen to me like this…… ah! Talking about that!” 
6110 
6111During the Idea Link earlier, Emilia realised that the white and blue map were highly important in Yusa Keiko’s life. 
6112 
6113The ‘Yu’ in Yusa Keiko’s name seemed to refer to the concept of hot springs and bathing pools. 
6114 
6115“Found it!” 
6116 
6117Carefully examining the map filled with unfamiliar words, Emilia let out her first cheer since she came to this country. 
6118 
6119 
6120 
6121 
6122“……I’m alive again.” 
6123 
6124Five days after her departure, Emilia walked down the streets of the foreign world, feeling physically and mentally refreshed. 
6125 
6126Her clothes and undergarments under the armour, which had absorbed the sweat from the fierce battles, were currently clean and smelled like soap. 
6127 
6128There was a facility known as a ‘paid public bath’ near the building. 
6129 
6130Emilia did not know what ‘paid’ was until she reached the location, but after eavesdropping on the conversations of the people there, she realised that it meant a small amount of money. 
6131 
6132The usage of public bathing facilities would not differ as much across different worlds. 
6133 
6134However, as she had to conform with the unique culture of this country, Emilia mustered up her courage and spoke to the middle-aged woman who appeared to be a staff. 
6135 
6136If she could have a quiet conversation face to face, the concentration of the information gathered over Idea Link will increase greatly. 
6137 
6138The middle-aged woman seemed to have assumed that Emilia was a foreigner who could not speak the language, so she spoke to Emilia kindly with carefully chosen words. 
6139 
6140There were still many things she did not know, but Emilia had learned many words. 
6141 
6142The problem was with the money Emilia had. 
6143 
6144She had sworn not to use Yusa Keiko’s money. 
6145 
6146Before the final battle with the Demon King, with the hope of ‘wanting to return to a peaceful world’, she had placed one gold coin, one silver coin, and one bronze coin into a cloth bag and hid it under her armour. At this time, she tore open that amulet and took out the highest value coin from it. 
6147 
6148Just as the female staff showed a surprised and perplexed expression, an unexpected source of help appeared. 
6149 
6150“Oh…… such a rare coin.” 
6151 
6152The one who spoke to Emilia from behind was an old lady wearing spectacles. 
6153 
6154“Rare?” 
6155 
6156“Pass it over, let me have a look.” 
6157 
6158“Sure, please have a look.” 
6159 
6160The old lady took out a monocle used by watchmakers and closely examined the surface of the gold coin. 
6161 
6162“Hm…… at the very least, this is not currency being used in modern Japan or the world, I have also never seen the engraving on the surface before…… but it seems like the gold portion is real.” 
6163 
6164“But Madam Kimura, though she did take out a real gold coin, we’ll still be troubled as well.” 
6165 
6166The female staff shrugged and said this to the old lady known as Kimura, but the latter did not answer her. 
6167 
6168“If you wish, I can buy this. Let me help you pay for this first. Come with me to my store after the bath. I’ll pay you money after I have carefully appraised it.” 
6169 
6170She did not understand it completely, but Emilia understood that this old lady she met by coincidence was willing to exchange the gold coin for this country’s currency. 
6171 
6172After that, thanks to the old lady Kimura, Emilia entered the paid public bath successfully. Including how to use the facilities in the paid public bath, Kimura taught many things to Emilia, who did not know the method. 
6173 
6174Unexpectedly, without wearing any armour, she could talk with other people so easily. 
6175 
6176This was a huge shock for Emilia. 
6177 
6178With this, she painfully realised that her unwillingness to put down her weapon and take off her defensive equipment because she did not know when she would encounter the Demon King had caused such a negative effect. 
6179 
6180Emilia used a liquid which would produce a lot of bubbles to wash her hair, experienced a tap which could freely dispense cold water and hot water, a round cylinder which could blow hot air, and a smooth, shiny mirror. After obtaining many new experiences, she finally finished her bath after many days of not doing so. 
6181 
6182Kimura also taught her how to use the equipment for washing clothes which was installed within the paid public bath. 
6183 
6184“A foreigner not bringing a change of clothes, I admire your courage, but I don’t commend it. The money used for buying things here, I will deduct it from the amount after I buy the coin from you.” 
6185 
6186After knowing that Emilia did not bring a change of clothes, though she felt a little exasperated, Kimura still helped Emilia buy underwear made from a material Emilia had never touched before from the vending machine in the changing room. 
6187 
6188After putting on the underwear, Emilia waited in front of the equipment for washing clothes for twenty minutes. 
6189 
6190Smelling of soap, her long sleeved shirt and pants made from hemp restored their dry state. 
6191 
6192“Do you come from…… a country without any washing machines?” 
6193 
6194Seeing that Emilia was so touched that she became speechless, Kimura showed a troubled smile. 
6195 
6196Emilia, worried that the other party would become suspicious, quickly put on her clothes which had become clean, and was taken to Kimura’s store. 
6197 
6198Inside the store, a sign with the words ‘Watches, Antiques, Precious Metals’ was hung. 
6199 
6200Kimura fixed the coin on top of a strange looking box and examined the coin with two cylinders. 
6201 
6202“Hmm…… it looks similar to the ancient coins in Spain, but the purity of the gold is much higher…… five…… no, I’m willing to pay 
620370,000 yen. What do you think?” 
6204 
6205She did not know if 70,000 was considered large or not, but she knew that Kimura had ‘increased’ from five to seven. 
6206 
6207Once Emilia nodded, the old lady showed a rather strange smile and passed seven of the bank notes Emilia saw earlier to her. 
6208 
6209“Thank you for the business. If you’re facing any more troubles, you can come and find me.” 
6210 
6211Emilia, who continued using Idea Link during this time, understood in this instant that Kimura was a capable merchant. 
6212 
6213“Thank you for the business.” 
6214 
6215This sentence contained the meaning of ‘I made a good deal’. 
6216 
6217To Kimura, being able to buy this coin with 70,000 was a very profitable transaction. This old lady would definitely sell the coin at a much higher price. 
6218 
6219Other than that, Emilia obviously did not know this, but this transaction must be recorded regardless of how valuable the items were, but she had never seen such a document before. 
6220 
6221However, this was fine. 
6222 
6223Emilia never planned to stay in this country for that long in the first place, and talking with Kimura helped her accumulate many words and terms. 
6224 
6225Most importantly, she understood that this amount of 70,000 yen would allow her to live in this country for some time. 
6226 
6227After learning this much, she would have the ability to apologise to Yusa Keiko. 
6228 
6229In addition, she had obtained money which could be used in this country. 
6230 
6231After this, she could eat, bathe and wash her clothes whenever she wanted. 
6232 
6233She needed to thank Kimura based on this fact alone. 
6234 
6235Of course, this did not mean that everything had been solved. 
6236 
6237Emilia still needed to return the bag to Yusa Keiko, apologise for entering without permission, and with regards to her original purpose of killing the Demon King, she had no clues at all. 
6238 
6239The fact that she could not sense any demonic magic after this long was worrying. 
6240 
6241Where were Demon King Satan and Demon General Alsiel hiding, and what were they planning? 
6242 
6243“It should be impossible…… but perhaps a human is sheltering them.” 
6244 
6245Even if the Demon King was injured, not many people could come into contact with his demonic magic and be completely unaffected. Although they had drifted to the same world, it was possible that the two of them were sent to locations far away from each other. 
6246 
6247“I should find a method to obtain extensive information about this world.” 
6248 
6249I might be staying here longer than I expected. Just as Emilia felt melancholic when she had this feeling. 
6250 
6251“W-What is this smell?” 
6252 
6253As Emilia, in a shameless manner, prepared to return to the room which she had entered illegally from Kimura’s store, a smell drifted from an unknown location which strongly activated her feeling of hunger. 
6254 
6255It smelled like chilli spices, but the instant her nose picked up this smell, her stomach, which only received water in the past few days, started to rumble loudly. 
6256 
6257“What is…… this smell……where is it coming from……?” 
6258 
6259Emilia walked forward, following the smell and, in the end, stood in front of a particular building. 
6260 
6261It looked like a restaurant. 
6262 
6263There was a ventilator opening outside the store, allowing the smells to drift out and whet the appetite, and there were products which looked like food shown within the store’s display case. 
6264 
6265There were many varieties on display, some were scenes of chopsticks picking up some noodles out of the bowl, and some scenes of spoons scooping up grains which had been stir fried or pan fried. 
6266 
6267Emilia deduced that the numbers on top probably referred to the price, and compared it to the amount she had on her. 
6268 
6269“I-I don’t think I will be able to afford it!” 
6270 
6271She could not keep it in anymore. 
6272 
6273Emilia’s body was craving ‘cuisine’. 
6274 
6275Not just any casually prepared cuisine which could fill the stomach, but cuisine seriously prepared by chefs which would bring happiness to her stomach. 
6276 
6277“Chinese…… cuisine…… let’s go!” 
6278 
6279Emilia opened the glass door bravely. 
6280 
6281“Welcome!” 
6282 
6283A sound which she had heard many times was heard from within the store, and after close to two hours, Emilia had not left the store. 
6284 
6285 
6286 
6287 
6288After filling her stomach with a lot of food she had never eaten before at the place known as a Chinese cuisine store, Emilia naturally returned to that room in the apartment. 
6289 
6290That’s right, during this journey outdoors, Emilia learned the term ‘apartment’. 
6291 
6292Normally, after obtaining money which could be used in this country, she would find an inn, but Emilia’s feet walked towards that apartment naturally. 
6293 
6294Room 501 of ‘Urban Heights Eifuku’, that was the room Emilia had entered illegally. 
6295 
6296Just like before, the window was not locked, Yusa Keiko’s bag and belongings were also intact. 
6297 
6298Emilia, who felt like she had come home although she was an intruder, felt a tinge of guilt, but she still decided that she was going to sleep here today as well. 
6299 
6300“Thinking about it……” 
6301Emilia casually surveyed the room. 
6302 
6303For a building, this apartment was obviously newer than the paid public bath, Kimura’s precious metal store, and the Chinese cuisine store from before. 
6304 
6305This was brand new amalgamated dwelling on such a large scale, why was no one living here? 
6306 
6307Before returning to the room, she walked around the surrounding area once, but there were no signs of it being incomplete or damaged. 
6308 
6309Thanks to that, Emilia obtained a place to stay for two days and temporary funds for her activities, so she had no right to complain, but she was still bothered by this all the same. 
6310 
6311Yusa Keiko’s actual identity was still a mystery. 
6312 
6313With regards to this, perhaps she should have chatted more with the old lady known as Kimura. 
6314 
6315However, that old lady was an opponent who could not be underestimated. 
6316 
6317Emilia still felt grateful to Kimura for the events at the paid public bath and the exchanging of money, but that old lady had seen through her, knowing that she was a suspicious person with an unclear identity. 
6318 
6319Emilia had come to defeat the Demon King, she had no plans to, and no need to actively build a relationship with the people of this country, and if this country was a peaceful country, it was more important that she did not do so. 
6320 
6321Based on this, Emilia should not build too close of a relationship with Yusa Keiko, either way, on moral principle, she had to apologise for scaring the other party and return the things which she had shamelessly borrowed. 
6322 
6323“If only I could learn more about this country. Hmm~” 
6324 
6325Sufficient sleep, a clean bath, and delicious cuisine. 
6326 
6327A mind and body fully satisfied after such a long time, Emilia lay spread eagled on the floor and closed her eyes. 
6328 
6329She may be ambushed in the morning, but currently, Emilia would be able to sense if anyone was approaching no matter how deeply she slept. 
6330 
6331After she had closed her eyes, various memories of what happened after she had arrived in this country surfaced in the dark. 
6332 
6333The shock she felt when she first arrived in this land filled with light with many stone towers concentrated together. 
6334 
6335The first time she was approached by the police when walking on the street and running away when she was close to getting arrested. 
6336 
6337Unable to enter any buildings, spending a few hours flying around the roofs of the stone towers (also known as skyscrapers) to look for shelter from the cold rain. 
6338 
6339Spending three days outside, only drinking water from the public fountains. 
6340 
6341She was discovered by the police again on the third day, and could not go to the same park anymore. 
6342 
6343Because she could not hold in her hunger, she wanted to enter a store and use her gold and silver coins to buy something, but because she could not speak the language, the police were called again. 
6344 
6345Talking about the food she had eaten the past few days, it was only the bread ends distributed by the bread stores (even so, it was at a level of deliciousness which was difficult to find in Ente Isla), and the mash distributed by the stores selling soft white cubes which seemed to be mashed cooked beans and did not have much taste (but could fill her stomach). 
6346 
6347And where she arrived in the end was this apartment which she was staying illegally. 
6348 
6349“It feels like I have not encountered anything good……” 
6350 
6351They were all memories which were more tragic than expected. 
6352 
6353Emilia could not help but crouch over to hold back her tears. 
6354 
6355When she first arrived here, she only had the thought that she had got something good by being able to lie down and rest in the balcony, but because the window happened to be unlocked, she was able to enter the room. 
6356 
6357She was able to learn some things about this country in the end, but it was really just a coincidence. 
6358 
6359She had strayed from her comrades in the new lands during the journey around Ente Isla, but she had never encountered a situation where she was completely unable to communicate with anyone when arriving at a land for the first time. 
6360 
6361Basically, no matter where they went, they were welcomed as the Hero and company who defeated Demon General Lucifer, Emilia only knew now, even if that part was not considered, the reason why she was able to avoid the many troubles during travelling was because of her comrades’ experience and rank. 
6362 
6363In the Western Continent protected by the Theocracy, there was no one who did not know Olba Meyer, one of the six Archbishops, the highest decision-making body in the Theocracy, and in countries on bad relations with the Theocracy, the reputation of the Court Sorceress of Saint Aire Empire, Emerada Etuva, was also a strong influence. 
6364 
6365After leaving the Western Continent, having many mysterious connections all over the world, as long as Alberto was around, there was no problem they could not solve. 
6366 
6367“Olba…… Em…… Alber……” 
6368 
6369Emilia called out her comrades’ names softly. 
6370 
6371Strong, kind, dependable, important comrades whom she could entrust her life and heart to. 
6372 
6373None of them were around now. 
6374 
6375“I want to see all of you……” 
6376 
6377Emilia sighed lightly and one tear flowed down her cheek, and without being aware of it, she fell asleep like this. 
6378 
6379 
6380 
6381 
6382“……Hmm?” 
6383 
6384Emilia woke up because she felt a strange aura approaching. 
6385 
6386Many humans were approaching. Emilia got up quickly, opened the door at the porch, and looked down from the corridor. 
6387 
6388Close to ten men wearing blue and gray were gathered at the entrance of the apartment, and a vehicle carrying a large metal box was parked on the road in front of the apartment. 
6389 
6390“That is?” 
6391 
6392There was a lady mixed within the group of men. Yusa Keiko. 
6393 
6394Feeling a dangerous aura, Emilia returned to the room. It seemed like this encounter would be different from before. 
6395 
6396The men around her did not look like policemen, but these could be reinforcements Yusa Keiko found to chase her away. 
6397 
6398“……No matter what, I cannot stay here anymore.” 
6399 
6400She wanted to apologise to the other party directly, but this was not the time to say these things. 
6401 
6402Emilia placed Yusa Keiko’s bag which she had packed last night in front of the porch, put on her armour again, and after turning around and glancing at the room once more as if she could not bear to leave it behind, Emi opened the window and flipped over the balcony. 
6403â—‡ 
6404 
6405“There really is one! There’s a spirit! It would be better to exorcise every single room!” 
6406 
6407“Idiot! Didn’t I tell you not to say such unnecessary things in front of the renovators!?” 
6408 
6409“But, there really is……” 
6410 
6411“Stop this already! You should clearly know the situation of Urban Heights Eifuku! Alarming the police because of a strange reason of spirit haunting during the time we need to increase the occupancy rate. What are we supposed to do if strange rumours spread!?” 
6412 
6413“B-But…… before I came here, the surrounding neighbours have been making enquiries at the company because they saw strange things……” 
6414 
6415“That’s enough! Just open the first rooms from the first to fifth floor!” 
6416 
6417“U-Until the fifth floor? Won’t we be entering room 501 then! The spirit appeared there!” 
6418 
6419“Just go already! What spirit will appear during the daytime!?” 
6420 
6421“H-How can this be……” 
6422 
6423At the entry hall of Urban Heights Eifuku, a man and woman were having a heated discussion in low voices. 
6424 
6425The woman was Yusa Keiko whom Emilia had met before, the man seemed to be her superior. 
6426 
6427In front of the two people, a few employees who were wearing uniforms from the decorating company were looking at a large pile of documents to confirm the tasks they had to carry out later. 
6428 
6429“I’m sorry! Can we start now?” 
6430 
6431“You see!? They’re asking about it! Hurry and unlock the doors! We’re coming! I’m asking her to open the doors! Hey! Hurry up and go!” 
6432 
6433The superior showed a huge smile at the manager from the other side, and ordered Keiko with an ogre-like expression. 
6434 
6435“I’m returning to the agency at three o’clock in the afternoon, if you continue to delay this, I’m going to make you settle everything on your own.” 
6436 
6437“I-I understand, I’ll, I’ll do it.” 
6438 
6439Keiko, who looked like she was close to crying, ran up the stairs while holding a uniquely shaped key. 
6440 
6441“Uuuu, why am I in charge of this kind of project……” 
6442 
6443Because the elevator was reserved for the renovators, wearing flat shoes which had no heels, Keiko ran up the stairs while complaining. 
6444 
6445Urban Heights Eifuku was the worst performing apartment project in the history of the company ‘Omura City Area Real Estate Pte Ltd’, which Keiko worked for. 
6446 
6447During the economic slump in the recent five years, the condominium sales within the city centre were still rising steadily. 
6448 
6449The unorganised building of high rise condominiums at Tokyo Bay was representative of this trend, however, the competition of the condominium industry to attract customers in the city centre outskirts was getting more and more intense. 
6450 
6451The unit value within Tokyo District 23 was on an increasing trend because of the transportation convenience with Ikebukuro Station, Shinjuku Station, Shibuya Station, Meguro Station, Osaki Station, Shinagawa Station, Tokyo Station and Ueno Station. 
6452 
6453The key was not because of the area surrounding these various stations but the lands which were within the range of several stations leading to the JR, private, and underground trains. 
6454From the Showa Era to the early years of the Heisei Era, people have avoided the city centre where the land was expensive, and the population in the suburbs and satellite cities such as Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa kept increasing, causing an obvious doughnut phenomenon. However, people were slowly returning to the city centre, creating a small doughnut phenomenon to form around the terminal stations. 
6455(TL Note: Doughnut phenomenon is where there are less people in the city centre and more people in the suburbs. Drawing the concentration will cause the diagram to look like a doughnut.) 
6456 
6457Amongst this, built at this perfect location, Urban Heights Eifuku was a large project with the fate of the company on the line, and everyone believed that it would be successful. 
6458 
6459There was a Rapid Train station on the Keio Inokashira line, and it was also easy to go to Shibuya, Kichijoji and Shijuku, three areas within the city where people liked to gather. 
6460 
6461The bus stop for the Keio bus in the Eifuku subdivision was also the bus stop for the first and last bus, it was easy to go anywhere in the city. 
6462 
6463There were medium scale commercial facilities and a large-scale shopping street nearby, and the surroundings were made up of many old and quiet residual residential areas, so not only was it an area with many amenities nearby, the scenery from the high floors was amazing. 
6464 
6465However, in reality, although Urban Heights Eifuku was only three years old, the occupancy rate was still a shocking zero percent, a ghost apartment. 
6466 
6467Honestly speaking, there were no factors for failure in this project. 
6468 
6469However, rather than walking on the path towards success, Urban Heights Eifuku had failed before standing on the starting point. 
6470 
6471“In fact, this isn’t our fault. Sigh……” 
6472 
6473After opening room 401, Keiko looked up at the ceiling melancholically. 
6474 
6475‘Eifuku’s futuristic living environment, beginning soon’, was the slogan for Urban Heights Eifuku. 
6476 
6477The parent company of Omura City Area Real Estate Pte Ltd, Omura Group General Trading Company, had been pushing this project strongly since the construction began, so only half a year after the advertising began, including the penthouses on the top floors, the sales for the high floors had reached eighty percent. 
6478 
6479The rental portions of the middle and low floors have also received many enquiries. 
6480 
6481When everyone was sure that this project was going to succeed, Urban Heights Eifuku suddenly stepped off the red carpet to success. 
6482 
6483The reason was because of some minor errors in the documents. 
6484 
6485Because one part of the land which was bought was a land containing buried cultural property, there was a need to conduct development surveys before building a high rise building at that location. 
6486 
6487This was a very normal procedure, but after that, the district agency pointed out that according to the records, the application should be filed sixty days before the construction start date. The filing was submitted fifty nine days before the construction start date. 
6488 
6489It had been a few months after the application was filed, and saying this when the construction was almost completed would only trouble others, but rules are rules. 
6490 
6491To eliminate any problems before the completion, the city district company followed the law and conducted an investigation within the company. 
6492 
6493This was when Hell began. 
6494 
6495After conducting a large-scale investigation, many truths were discovered one after another which could not be explained away as an error in paperwork. 
6496Close to completion, Urban Heights Eifuku was, simply put, an estate where many shortcuts were taken. 
6497 
6498The constructions materials differed from the original plans and the structural calculations were watered down, leading to less materials than required being ordered. Both were huge problems enough to overturn the company, but after that they discovered scandals such as the insulation and earthquake resistance grades being tampered with, and that some employees had tampered with and falsified receipts, pocketing the excess budget. The problems had grown to such a large scale that it could not be solved by the company’s internal department. 
6499 
6500Since the successful sales had already reached eighty percent, the company had to accept criticism from various parties and face the prospects of damage compensations and legal proceedings. It was not just Omura City Area Real Estate Pte Ltd, their parent company Omura Group also suffered a rare huge drop in stock market. 
6501 
6502The board members of Omura City Area Real Estate Pte Ltd were all changed. A board member on the Omura Merchant Association, the highest level of the Omura Group was also forced to resign. Having just entered the working society, Yusa Keiko could not imagine the number of people who had lost their jobs during this period. 
6503 
6504Keiko experienced a stormy year after entering the working society, and two years after this nightmarish completion, she was assigned to the ‘Urban Heights Eifuku Restoration Project’. 
6505 
6506They wanted to resume the promotion of Urban Heights Eifuku which had fallen into Hell. 
6507 
6508As long as they did not sell the land and the building, and restored the building back to the state it should have been in by their own efforts, they would regain the trust they had lost, this was the direction pushed down by the group. 
6509 
6510The group picked out all the falsehoods which caused issues at that time and spent three years to renovate one apartment building. 
6511 
6512The project and company had failed, but there should still be value in the location. 
6513 
6514They were probably unable to reach the commercial scale of the original plan, but if they could recover some of the trust they had lost, that would be the best result. 
6515 
6516“So I know that it will be really bad if rumours of spirits get out…… but there really is one……” 
6517 
6518In the corridor illuminated by the morning sun, Keiko gulped as she stood in front of Room 501. 
6519 
6520Keiko saw it. 
6521 
6522A human disappeared before her eyes. A stench she had never smelled before. A door which opened by itself. A faint and terrifying voice although there was not one around. A voice calling out to her, chasing her. A spirit light floating in the air, and a figure of an armoured Samurai behind that spirit fire. 
6523 
6524“Uuuu, I hate this, I don’t want to go in.” 
6525 
6526Nothing had happened yet, but Keiko looked like she was going to cry. However, she did not want to get scolded by her superior. 
6527 
6528A spirit in front of her and her supervisor behind her. How did she end up in such an unreasonable situation? 
6529 
6530Even so, her superior and company were working very hard. 
6531 
6532In a slightly different way from before, Urban Heights Eifuku would affect the fate of their company. For the sake of carrying out the promotion plans to the customers today, Keiko also survived a harsh journey. 
6533 
6534She could not stop here. 
6535 
6536“Spirits do not exist spirits do not exist spirits do not exist spirits do not exist!” 
6537 
6538Remembering all the hard times she had experienced until now, and the fact that it was still morning, Keiko made up her mind and opened the door to Room 501. 
6539 
6540“…………Ugh.” 
6541 
6542There was nothing. 
6543No unusual stench. 
6544 
6545Of course there was no spirit fire or armoured Samurai. 
6546 
6547“Fuuuu.” 
6548 
6549Keiko exhaled the breath she had been holding. 
6550 
6551She must have been too tense and saw an illusion. She tried to convince herself with this, but Keiko still walked into the room nervously. 
6552 
6553“Ah! My bag!” 
6554 
6555She noticed that her bag was in the middle of the room. 
6556 
6557Last night, when she ran out of the police station in fright after hearing a spirit’s voice, it was only then did she realise that she had dropped her bag. 
6558 
6559Keiko definitely knew that her bag, filled with the important tools for her job, had dropped here, but she did not dare to go back last night to get it. 
6560 
6561“Ah~ thank god! It’s here after all. Yeah, seems like the things inside are fine.” 
6562 
6563Keiko rushed into the room and roughly confirmed the contents of the bag. 
6564 
6565“…………Eh?” 
6566 
6567Then immediately realised that something was strange. 
6568 
6569“……Eh?” 
6570 
6571She turned back to look at the porch door which she had just opened. 
6572 
6573Last night, once she entered the porch, she immediately ran away from the spirit fire and armoured Samurai. 
6574 
6575Why was her bag in a room which had been locked? 
6576 
6577“S-S-Strange? Eh, this is, what is going on?” 
6578 
6579Could it be that she did not see a spirit, but a suspicious person who had sneaked into the room? 
6580 
6581However, if the other party was a human, then it would be more difficult to understand. How did the intruder enter this room, and how did the person escape after the porch door was locked? 
6582 
6583This was the fifth floor. 
6584 
6585To guard against burglars, there were no emergency stairs or pipes on the external wall, the emergency ladder was designed in such a way that it would not be controlled from the lower floors. 
6586 
6587“……Ugh!” 
6588 
6589Keiko rushed to the balcony and discovered that the windows were not locked. 
6590 
6591However, the emergency ladder in Room 501 was still folded neatly. 
6592 
6593“W-Who put my bag into the room?” 
6594 
6595If this was done by a human, how did that person enter, and how did the person leave the room? 
6596 
6597“Could it be, that the person’s still around?” 
6598 
6599Considering that her superior and the renovators were downstairs, Keiko surveyed the room resolutely. 
6600The toilet, bathroom, and closet did not show any signs of anyone entering them. 
6601 
6602If so, only the balcony next door was left. 
6603 
6604“There’s no one.” 
6605 
6606Even if normal people ignored the rules, the structure of Urban Heights Eifuku was such that people could only use the external balcony to move around. Between the two balconies, there was a few meters of wall with no place which could be grabbed, but this distance could be crossed via jumping. 
6607 
6608“How, how was it……” 
6609 
6610Keiko, who decided to tell Kazumura downstairs that all the rooms have been opened, subconsciously reached into her bag––   
6611 
6612“……Strange?” 
6613 
6614After realising she was missing something which should normally be there, she sucked in a breath. 
6615 
6616 
6617 
6618 
6619“~~Ugh!” 
6620 
6621Some distance away from the apartment, Emilia was troubled. 
6622 
6623She was holding a strange board with a glowing surface. 
6624 
6625“I took it out accidentally……” 
6626 
6627â—‡ 
6628 
6629The evening sun caused Urban Heights Eifuku to cast a long shadow in the city. 
6630 
6631Pale faced and holding a DSLR camera, Keiko watched evening sun. 
6632 
6633Currently, she was the only person in the apartment. 
6634 
6635Her supervisor and the renovators who moved the furniture in have already left, but Keiko’s work was just beginning. 
6636 
6637After the sun had set, she had to film and take photos of the appearance of the first rooms from the first and fifth floor at night. 
6638 
6639Photos which could be used for the promotional materials would then be chosen from the recorded material. 
6640 
6641Normally, advertising agencies or professional photographers would be hired to take the photos used in advertisements, but in the Urban Heights Restoration Project, other than things which could only be obtained by outsourcing, all sales related tasks had to be done by an employee of the company. 
6642 
6643The upper management had said that this was something which had to be done to regain their reputation, comply with business standards, and reduce costs, but to the people doing it, this was only a method for one person to take on more tasks, decreasing the overall efficiency. 
6644 
6645Keiko, who had just gotten used to her job and was considered a newbie in her department, happened to be the most suitable person for this kind of job. 
6646 
6647Keiko would normally convince herself that it could not be helped in this situation, but it was completely different this time. 
6648 
6649There was an unexplainable existence in this apartment. 
6650 
6651She did not know if it was a spirit or an intruder, but Keiko experienced many strange things. 
6652 
6653For example, the strange incident where her bag was placed in an impossible location. 
6654She did not hear any sounds from unidentified origins, but her newly bought Slimphone had disappeared from her bag, causing her to feel uneasy. 
6655 
6656Her mobile phone and bag had disappeared for two days, but she had been so busy that she had been unable to go to the mobile phone store to report the loss. 
6657 
6658Work related calls could be handled with the phones distributed by the company, but as Keiko frequently used her own phone during work, this was very inconvenient. 
6659 
6660Therefore, she called her own Slimphone last night, and an unknown person picked up the call. 
6661 
6662It felt as if the voice from the phone and the voice which called out to her at the apartment were very similar, but because the voice sounded very far away, she could not confirm it. In the first place, her memories were vague because she had been scared out of her mind. 
6663 
6664“When it’s night, I’m going to quickly take some pictures and go home!” 
6665 
6666Keiko shouted as if to get rid of her terrifying memories, and took the chance to revise the shooting locations which had been picked beforehand in the various rooms, changing her camera mode to night time indoor shooting. 
6667 
6668“Hm~ this lighting is an issue after all. It would be better to move it a little.” 
6669 
6670The renovators which Keiko and her supervisor found placed the various furniture in each room in a magnificent manner. 
6671 
6672It was not just for one night, Room 201, catering to families and Room 501, catering to people living alone, would be used as display rooms and would be opened to the public for some time. 
6673 
6674“The water usage area is a focal point too. Since we used the newest model this year for the taps, it would be a waste not to take a photo of it.” 
6675 
6676She was seen as a newbie in her department, but having worked for three years, she still accumulated three years of pride and knowledge. 
6677 
6678As long as she switched her attitude, she would focus on her work and forget about everything else. 
6679 
6680During this time, the night scenery outside the window darkened. 
6681 
6682Keiko turned on the interior lighting one after another and started to prepare for the photo shooting. 
6683 
6684At this moment, someone knocked on the door of Room 501 from outside. 
6685 
6686“Uh?” 
6687 
6688Keiko almost dropped the camera in her hands. 
6689 
6690Who was that? 
6691 
6692It was probably her superior or someone from the company. It might also be the renovators who forgot something. 
6693 
6694However, no matter who it was, why were they not using master key to enter? 
6695 
6696Just as Keiko froze, the knocking was heard again. 
6697 
6698At this moment, she remembered that the porch door was not locked. 
6699 
6700So this was no longer an issue of not having a master key. If it was someone from the company, they would just open the door and enter. 
6701 
6702“Who, is that……” 
6703 
6704Being careful not to make any sound while walking, Keiko activated the intercom in the living room which had a screen. 
6705 
6706“……?” 
6707 
6708The image captured by the high definition wide angle camera was shown on the screen, and a long-haired lady who she had never seen before was standing there. 
6709 
6710The casually dressed lady was wearing a simple white shirt and long pants, and a huge cloth bag was placed at her feet. 
6711 
6712At least that figure who was looking left and right with a troubled expression did not look like a spirit. 
6713 
6714Keiko touched her chest and breathed out in relief. 
6715 
6716Her attire was concerning, but it felt like the rental furniture vendor had bought over something she forgot. 
6717 
6718If they knew that it was an apartment which was going to be sold, it would be reasonable not to use the intercom. 
6719 
6720“Sorry, I’m opening the door now.” 
6721 
6722Keiko pressed down on her pounding chest and shouted towards the intercom. 
6723 
6724After that, for unknown reasons, the lady in the video suddenly started to survey the surroundings in a bewildered manner. 
6725 
6726She probably shocked the other party because she replied too late. Keiko opened the porch door while thinking this––   
6727 
6728“Eh?” 
6729 
6730––then froze on the spot, speechless. 
6731 
6732The lady had disappeared. And only the cloth bag was left. 
6733 
6734“………………Ehh?” 
6735 
6736Keiko looked left and right, but there was no one on the long corridor. 
6737 
6738It was less than ten seconds from the time she answered the intercom to the time she opened the door. 
6739 
6740Were humans able to suddenly disappear in less than ten seconds without any sound of footsteps being heard? 
6741 
6742“What is this?” 
6743 
6744Keiko, who could not comprehend the situation, mumbled this, and as she took one step out of the room, she kicked the cloth bag at her feet. 
6745 
6746“Clank?” 
6747 
6748The sound of hard objects hitting each other was heard. 
6749 
6750Keiko opened the cloth bag, and inside, she discovered––   
6751 
6752“A-Armour? Eh, ah?” 
6753 
6754Keiko could not help but jump backwards, falling to the ground. 
6755 
6756This looked like western style armour. 
6757 
6758This differed slightly from the description of an armoured Samurai, but it was still enough to make Keiko remember the spirit from that night. 
6759 
6760“What, what is going on?” 
6761 
6762No matter how much she rubbed her eyes, or how much time passed, the armour in the cloth bag did not disappear. 
6763 
6764Keiko sat down on the floor in fright, unable to move. 
6765 
6766 
6767 
6768 
6769On the other hand, Emilia kept watch on that apartment so she could return the glowing board to Yusa Keiko. 
6770 
6771As Yusa Keiko had not shown signs of coming out after the men had returned, Emilia had thought that she could grasp Yusa Keiko’s movements if she continued waiting. 
6772 
6773Coincidentally, the lights of that room lit up, Emilia ran over quickly and knocked on the door to return the glowing board. 
6774 
6775However, as the voice which responded did not seem to come from within the room but a completely unrelated direction, Emilia thought that Yusa Keiko had prepared troops to ambush her, so she could not help but hide herself. 
6776 
6777By the way, Emilia was hiding outside the corridor. 
6778 
6779In other words, she had stuck herself on the exterior wall of the apartment. 
6780 
6781However, after hiding herself, she realised that not only were there no reinforcements, Yusa Keiko was the only person in the room. 
6782 
6783What is going on? 
6784 
6785After a short period of suffocating silence. 
6786 
6787“……Uwahhhhh.” 
6788 
6789“Eh?” 
6790 
6791Suddenly hearing Yusa Keiko’s crying, Emilia got a shock. 
6792 
6793“I hate this, I had enough…… what is going on…… did I do something wrong…… uawhhhh!” 
6794 
6795“Eh? Eh?” 
6796 
6797“I didn’t do anything wrong…… it’s all the fault of those people who took shortcuts in the first place! Why do I have to encounter such things!?” 
6798 
6799Emilia, who was stuck on the wall, could not understand this. 
6800 
6801“I had no responsibility in this, why do I have to be scolded, spend so much time and experience such terrifying things for something which happened a few years ago…… I’ve had enough!” 
6802 
6803Emilia felt a surge of guilt which she had never felt before. 
6804 
6805She came to apologise and she made the other party cry instead. 
6806 
6807She did not understand half of what Yusa Keiko said, but she could confirm that her actions had scared the other party again. 
6808 
6809Emilia, who decided that she must apologise directly this time, peeked out and said, “Er, erhm, I’m sorry, for scaring you……” 
6810 
6811“Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” 
6812 
6813Naturally, Yusa Keiko let out a scream and, abandoning the company camera, she ran into the room. 
6814 
6815â—‡ 
6816 
6817“Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” 
6818 
6819While screaming, Keiko fell over in the room. 
6820 
6821There was no place to stand on the exterior side of the corridor, yet a lady’s face appeared there. 
6822 
6823Only spirits could show their face in that kind of place, for Yusa Keiko who had experienced strange things the past few days, it was impossible to tell her not to be afraid. 
6824 
6825“Stay away stay awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” 
6826 
6827“Er, erhm, please wait a moment! I’m not a suspicious person.” 
6828 
6829If this was known as not suspicious, then the world would be peaceful forever. 
6830 
6831“Evil spirts begone evil spirits begone!” 
6832 
6833“E-Evil spirit? No…… I’m just……” 
6834 
6835“Noooooo, someone save meeeeeee!” 
6836 
6837“…………….◊◊◊◊◊! ◊◊◊◊!” 
6838 
6839“Eep!” 
6840 
6841At this instant, Keiko’s was surrounded by a warm air bubble. 
6842 
6843â—‡ 
6844 
6845“Evil spirts begone evil spirits begone!” 
6846 
6847“E-Evil spirit? No…… I’m just……” 
6848 
6849“Noooooo, someone save meeeeeee!” 
6850 
6851“…………Oh seriously! Take it as a plea from me, just listen to me already!” 
6852 
6853Emilia walked towards Yusa Keiko who was hugging her head and crouching over, placing her fingers on Keiko’s forehead––   
6854 
6855“Connect!” 
6856 
6857“Eep!” 
6858 
6859––and transmitted the telekinetic wave for Idea Link. 
6860 
6861At this moment, Emilia’s and Keiko’s ideas connected. 
6862 
6863“……Do you understand, what I’m saying?” 
6864 
6865“Y-Yeah?” 
6866 
6867Yusa Keiko replied in a dazed manner. 
6868 
6869The instant Keiko’s focus began to return after swept away by fear and met Emilia’s eyes––   
6870 
6871“Who…… are you?” 
6872 
6873“……Long story short, I……” 
6874 
6875“The spirit of an employee who had to take responsibility and was forced to resign because the apartment failed?” 
6876 
6877“......am from a place different from this world…… eh?” 
6878 
6879It was too late to find out now, but Emilia confirmed that she had been misunderstood to be a spirit and the expression on her face changed subtly. 
6880 
6881The concept of ‘spirits’ in Ente Isla was different from Japan, but both refer to the dead wandering in the world of the living. 
6882 
6883“A different world…… refers to which world?” 
6884 
6885That world was probably referred to Heaven mentioned by the Theocracy. 
6886 
6887It felt a place where spirits would be guided to after death of their living body. 
6888 
6889“Uh, it’s not like that…… anyway, I wanted to meet you and apologise to you directly.” 
6890 
6891“Apologise……” 
6892 
6893“I entered this place without permission and scared you, I’m really sorry. I don’t have any bad intentions. I was just unclear about the rules of this world.” 
6894 
6895“Are…… you human?” 
6896 
6897“Y-Yes, so I’m not some spirit……” 
6898 
6899“Even if you can suddenly disappear, or float on the exterior wall of the corridor?” 
6900 
6901“Uh, to someone who can use spells, this is something very normal…… this country doesn’t have these kinds of techniques?” 
6902 
6903After Emilia thought about it for a while, and used a spell which would not be that shocking. 
6904 
6905“Floating in the air like this……” 
6906 
6907“This is a dream this is a dream that’s right this must be a dream there are many spirits with legs in this world in the first place it’s a dream dream dream……” 
6908 
6909“Sorry. I won’t ask strange things anymore.” 
6910 
6911Emilia did not expect that just having her body float above the floor a little was enough to frighten Keiko that much. 
6912 
6913From this, even if Yusa Keiko died from shock and fright the day Emilia produced the illumination or flame, Emilia could not complain. 
6914 
6915“Then, I came today to return this.” 
6916 
6917“Dream dream dream dream dream……” 
6918 
6919“Please accept this.” 
6920 
6921“Ah, yes, eh? Ahhh! My mobile phone!” 
6922 
6923Emilia held out the Slimphone and after seeing it, Keiko got a huge shock. 
6924 
6925“Is this…… known as a mobile phone?” 
6926 
6927Emilia handed the glowing board which was known as a mobile phone back to Keiko. 
6928 
6929“What tool is this?” 
6930 
6931Emilia scrutinised it carefully in surprise, and asked this to Keiko who was mumbling softly ‘it feels like things have turned a little strange’, the latter responded in a dumbfounded manner. 
6932 
6933“Mobile phones did not exist in your era?” 
6934 
6935“Hmm?” 
6936 
6937Emilia was troubled for a while, then immediately understood what Keiko meant. 
6938 
6939“Seriously, I’m not an ancient spirit, so stop misunderstanding already.” 
6940 
6941“I heard that some spirits are not aware that they have died.” 
6942 
6943“I already said I’m not a spirit! Just treat me as a foreigner who is in this country for the first time!” 
6944 
6945“But your Japanese is so good?” 
6946 
6947“That is also because of spells…… seriously! This is so troublesome!” 
6948 
6949Emilia was very troubled, but at this time, she knew clearly that Keiko knew nothing about spells. However, if spells did not exist here, this meant that the cultural background which Emilia had grew up in could not be used in this country at all. 
6950 
6951“Anyway! I always wanted to apologise to you! I’m sorry for scaring you so many times, and entering this room without permission!” 
6952 
6953“T-That’s it! Since you admitted intruding into this room, and, and you’re not a spirit, then how did you come in here!?” 
6954 
6955“Didn’t you see it just now!? I used the flying spell you saw just now and came up to the balcony to rest, then I discovered that the windows to this room were not locked!” 
6956 
6957During this time, Emilia was continuously learning the language of this country which was used by the other party, but she was still unable to fully grasp the various things she truly wanted to know about this country. 
6958 
6959While it was easier to obtain concepts from Keiko than old lady Kimura, if she wanted to pull out the information she wanted, she would need to spend more time. 
6960 
6961However, if she interacted with Keiko for too long, it was difficult to guarantee that her existence would not affect Keiko’s life unnecessarily. 
6962 
6963Worrying about her future, Emilia became moody. 
6964 
6965â—‡ 
6966 
6967“I already said I’m not a spirit! Just treat me as a foreigner who is in this country for the first time!” 
6968 
6969The whole time, Keiko felt something was off. 
6970 
6971“But your Japanese is so good?” 
6972 
6973She had already spoken with the lady who had suddenly appeared for a few minutes, but the voice of the lady in front of her seemed to echo in her cranium from a faraway place like a radio, making her feel that something was strange. 
6974 
6975The words said by the other party did reach her ears. However, these sounds and the content of what she understood were a little different. Keiko, unable to understand what was going on, began to feel more and more confused. 
6976 
6977“That is also because of ◊◊…… seriously! This is so troublesome!” 
6978 
6979And in what the lady said, there were occasionally some terms which she did not understand. 
6980 
6981When she heard terms she could not understand, the strangeness felt in her brain would produce noise like a radio tuned to a wrong frequency, and this noise would grow louder and louder. 
6982 
6983“Anyway! I always wanted to apologise to you! I’m sorry for scaring you so many times, and entering this room without permission!” 
6984 
6985“T-That’s it! Since you admitted intruding into this room, and, and you’re not a spirit, then how did you come in here!?” 
6986 
6987“Didn’t you see it just now!? I used the ◊◊◊◊◊ you saw just now and came up to the balcony to rest, then I discovered that the windows to this room were not locked!” 
6988 
6989“Even if you said that the window was unlocked, you wouldn’t be able to come up to the fifth floor directly……!” 
6990 
6991The information transmitted by the lady was difficult to absorb. 
6992 
6993Sometimes, even if the other party was talking about some familiar things, it still felt as if she was hearing it for the first time. 
6994 
6995Just before waking up, the dream world and reality would intersect, Keiko felt that she was stuck in this state, and at this moment, the lady spoke. 
6996 
6997“Anyway, I swear that I will not appear in this room anymore, and I will not cause you any trouble anymore!” 
6998 
6999“Oh……” 
7000 
7001“So…… at the end, I want to ask you something…… no, I hope you can tell me this.” 
7002 
7003“Yes?” 
7004 
7005“This mobile phone, what tool is this? I heard your voice yesterday through this mobile phone, is this like the ◊◊◊◊ of ◊◊◊◊, a tool used to talk to someone far away?” 
7006 
7007What is a mobile phone? Was the other party actually asking this seriously? 
7008 
7009“Rather than a mobile phone…… this is a Slimphone……but……” 
7010 
7011A Slimphone was a type of mobile phone, other than making calls, using the technology of big data communication, it has the function to serve as a mobile communication endpoint device. These Slimphones were being sold at the three large telecommunication companies and some internet providers in Japan. 
7012 
7013If a person wanted to buy a Slimphone, they had to go to a mobile phone seller or an electronics store to choose a model and a plan, then buy it by paying in one go or in installments. 
7014 
7015“Eh, what is this?” 
7016 
7017The mobile phone Keiko used was the newest model released by DoCoDeMo. She had decided to buy a new phone because her old feature phone had broken, but Keiko was not good with electronics in the first place, so she only got used to it only recently. 
7018 
7019“Wait, wait a minute, I didn’t plan to ask about this in the first place……” 
7020 
7021When changing mobile phones, because her old phone contract was signed under her father whose home was in Aomori, in order to change the contract to her own name, she even asked her family to send proof that they were father and daughter. Because she only needed her identification documents when she wanted to change her mobile phone in high school, there was a period of time when she did not know what to do at all. 
7022 
7023“S-Strange! Even these kinds of things……” 
7024 
7025It was only at that time did Keiko find out that her parents had been helping her pay her phone bills during the first two years she had been working, and when she saw the bank account transcript which was sent to her, she cried because she hit her deeply that she was truly staying very far away from her parents. 
7026 
7027At the beginning, when she was hired by the famous and reputable Omura Group, her parents were happy for her, however Keiko was immediately involved in the commotion surrounding Urban Heights Eifuku, and in her first year after entering working society, her mental state had become very fatigued. 
7028 
7029Within the chaotic company, newbies were thrown onto the scenes to face many issues without finishing their training. Many of her comrades in the same batch had disappeared during the first year. However, Keiko had lived alone in the city when she was studying, and at that time, when she was working as the customer service agent at DoCoDeMo’s call centre, she had pulled through in the end regardless of how much she had been scolded by others, or how many unreasonable inquiries she had received. Because she had this kind of experience, she could survive through that period. 
7030 
7031When the Urban Heights Eifuku Restoration Project ended, she had planned to go home and visit her family, something which she had not done in three years since she started working. 
7032 
7033“No…… if this goes on……!” 
7034 
7035At this instant, Keiko’s consciousness was momentarily surrounded by darkness. 
7036 
7037â—‡ 
7038 
7039Keiko’s thoughts rushed in like an angry wave. 
7040 
7041“Eh, what is this?” 
7042 
7043Emilia felt troubled, she only asked about the tool called a mobile phone, but before Keiko opened her mouth, her thoughts and memories related to the ‘mobile phone’ flowed continuously into Emilia’s brain, as if both their brains had connected. 
7044 
7045“Wait, wait a minute, I didn’t plan to ask about this in the first place……” 
7046 
7047Even the series of events detailing how Keiko ended up being involved with this building unfolded in Emilia’s brain with such clarity that it felt like she was seeing everything in person. 
7048 
7049At the same time, everything Keiko needed to know to study, work, and survive in this country called Japan spread to Emilia’s brain. 
7050 
7051“S-Strange! Even these kinds of things……” 
7052 
7053The face of a middle-aged man she had never seen before, was it the face of Keiko’s father? The snow build-up in her hometown of Aomori was very deep, that stern expression and deep-set features was very similar to the men living deep in the mountains of the Northern Continent of Ente Isla. 
7054 
7055That father seemed like he did not talk much, but he loved Keiko deeply, and Keiko understood this, so to not humiliate her father, she did not slack off and studied hard. 
7056 
7057The work at DoCoDeMo was difficult but the hourly pay was high, allowing Keiko to earn enough money to support herself during her job search without relying that much on her family. 
7058 
7059After the work related to the apartment was done, she wanted to return home to visit her parents. 
7060 
7061“No…… if this goes on……!” 
7062 
7063Emilia grabbed her head and shouted. 
7064 
7065“Dispel connection! Ah!” 
7066 
7067Emilia forcefully broke off the Idea Link, stopping her connection with Keiko. 
7068 
7069Keiko panted lightly, and closed her eyes. 
7070 
7071As for Emilia, her eyes were wide open, she was sweating cold sweat, and gasping for air. 
7072 
7073“Just now…… that…… I never thought Idea Link, would have this kind of effect……” 
7074 
7075Emilia looked at her shaking palm, and shuddered because of the unbelievable situation. 
7076 
7077That was definitely Idea Link going out of control. Her forehead was burning as if she had a fever, her mind was blank and her heart was beating too vigorously. 
7078 
7079Most importantly, she realised that she had used up a lot of stamina in a relatively short amount of time. 
7080 
7081“My holy magic…… went out of control?” 
7082 
7083Only this possibility was left. 
7084 
7085A corresponding amount of holy magic had to be consumed when using spells, but Idea Link should not require that much holy magic. 
7086 
7087Moreover, this was to establish communication between her mind and another person. If the holy magic reversed flow accidentally, not only would it hurt the other party, her mind would also be in danger. 
7088 
7089However, Emilia had never failed in her control of Idea Link before. 
7090This was just like the memory release spell used during criminal investigations where they extracted the contents of the other party’s mind. 
7091 
7092Any spells related to memories were advanced spells, Emilia only knew the existence of such spells but had never learned them. At most, she only knew the spell to temporarily seal memories. 
7093 
7094And she had only succeeded when sealing the recent memories of children who had been traumatised by the disasters caused by the Demon King Army. If it had to be done on adults with strong sense of self, only Emerada or Olba could carry it out. 
7095 
7096“What is going on? Magic control…… ugh……” 
7097 
7098Emilia felt a wave of dizziness and had to sit on the floor. 
7099 
7100“Why…… even when losing control, Idea Link shouldn’t tire out someone this much……” 
7101 
7102After Emilia said this, she immediately looked towards Keiko who had closed her eyes and hung her head. 
7103 
7104This country had no concept of spells. This country did not have spells. No spells meant…… 
7105 
7106“No holy magic?” 
7107 
7108Once she said it, the fear brought about by this fact tightened around Emilia’s heart. 
7109 
7110The holy magic in Ente Isla’s atmosphere was an important energy source for spells. 
7111 
7112The humans in Ente Isla all absorbed holy magic in varying amounts throughout their lives. 
7113 
7114However, there was no holy magic in this country known as Japan. No, perhaps this world, the whole Earth had no holy magic. 
7115 
7116Holy magic capacity varied from person to person, and it was not rare to have people who could not use spells at all. 
7117 
7118Even so, everyone would still absorb holy magic, Emilia did not know what would happen when a person ran out of holy magic completely. 
7119 
7120“There…… really is none?” 
7121 
7122Emilia touched Keiko’s hand and emitted a weak sonar into her body. 
7123 
7124“……Yah!” 
7125 
7126At this moment, as if she had been injected with stimulants, Keiko opened her eyes. 
7127 
7128“T-There really isn’t any……” 
7129 
7130Keiko’s body did not return any holy magic response at all. 
7131 
7132The reaction from Keiko just now was due to holy magic accumulating in the heart, a normal characteristic. 
7133 
7134“S-Strange, why am I…… ah, Spirit-san......” 
7135 
7136She understood the term spirit, but because she had not accumulated enough vocabulary, Emilia could not even understand half of what Keiko was saying if she did not use Idea Link. 
7137 
7138However, if she continued to connect with Keiko, not only was she unable to guarantee Keiko’s safety, she did not know how it would affect her as well. 
7139 
7140Perhaps she was unable to replenish holy magic in this country. 
7141 
7142Before she could confirm if her conclusion was correct, continuing to stay here was not a good idea. 
7143 
7144Emilia judged that it was time to leave. 
7145 
7146“Keiko-san.” 
7147 
7148“Eh? Strange? Ah, yes.” 
7149 
7150Keiko replied after touching her ears. 
7151 
7152“I’m sorry. I still caused you trouble in the end. However, I swear to you again. I will definitely not steal your things. And I will not leak out or abuse the knowledge I have gained from you. I will never…… have you encounter terrifying experiences because of me.” 
7153 
7154“O-Oh……” 
7155 
7156“You will forget me afterwards, but while harbouring feelings of gratitude and guilt, I will still tell you my name. My name is 
7157Emilia Justina. I am a Hero from another world…… who will bring calamity to this world.” 
7158 
7159“He……ro?” 
7160 
7161“Please do your best at work. I will support you…… goodbye, I’m really, sorry.” 
7162 
7163â—‡ 
7164 
7165“Keiko-san.” 
7166 
7167“Eh? Strange? Ah, yes.” 
7168 
7169Keiko, who was unaware that she had lost consciousness, got a shock from the voice which, unlike before, transmitted clearly into her ears, then replied on reflex. 
7170 
7171“I’m sorry. I still caused you trouble in the end. However, I swear to you again. I will definitely not steal your things. And I will not leak out or abuse the knowledge I have gained from you. I will never…… have you encounter terrifying experiences because of me.” 
7172 
7173“O-Oh……” 
7174 
7175“You will forget me afterwards, but while harbouring feelings of gratitude and guilt, I will still tell you my name. My name is 
7176Emilia Justina. I am a Hero from another world…… who will bring calamity to this world.” 
7177 
7178“He……ro?” 
7179 
7180Feeling perplexed, Keiko blinked, then the lady who seemed to be called Emilia, stretched her hand in front of Keiko’s face. 
7181 
7182“Please do your best at work. I will support you…… goodbye, I’m really, sorry.” 
7183 
7184Something like a breeze blew out from Emilia’s palm––   
7185 
7186 
7187 
7188 
7189When she came to her senses, Keiko was already lying on a hospital bed. 
7190 
7191â—‡ 
7192 
7193One month after that, when Urban Heights Eifuku went on sale again, the signing of the contracts for the sale and rent portions had reached twenty percent of the total. It was only twenty percent, but they had to admit that this was already considered a very good result. 
7194 
7195This caused everyone in the company to painfully realise that the world had not forgotten the bad reviews on this place. 
7196 
7197Most importantly, what happened to Yusa Keiko at the apartment was leaked to the public, then this incident lumped together with other incidents which were hotly discussed at that time, causing Urban Heights Eifuku’s past to be reported by some media outlets, greatly damaging the project. 
7198The morning following that incident, a colleague had visited Urban Heights Eifuku because they were worried about Keiko who had not returned, and they discovered her unconscious form. 
7199 
7200There was no life-threatening danger, but the fact that an employee of the apartment’s management company had fainted for unknown reasons and was taken away by an ambulance was viewed as a serious matter. 
7201 
7202During the same period, near Harajuku, Yoyogi, and Hatsudai, there were many cases of pedestrians suddenly losing consciousness because of unknown reasons. 
7203 
7204Because the cause was unknown, irresponsible conjectures such as gas leakage or terrorist attacks started to spread, and Keiko’s incident was also exaggerated using these conjectures. 
7205 
7206Furthermore, it was exposed that the company did not do anything when the surrounding residents had repeatedly reported to the agency managing Urban Heights Eifuku about a suspicious person and strange happenings, and Yusa Keiko had continuously reported the strange occurrences on the scene when she investigated, forcing the City Area Real Estate to improve on its internal procedures. 
7207 
7208Keiko did not know what had happened to her at all, and it felt as if something was stuck in her heart even after she was discharged from the hospital. 
7209 
7210Keiko still remembered that she had been scared by a spirit, but strangely, she was convinced that the spirit would never appear again. 
7211 
7212This was about her, yet she did not know anything. 
7213 
7214When she woke up in the hospital, she had been asked many questions by the police and firefighters about the incident where she had lost consciousness, but Keiko, who did not remember and had no impression of anything, was unable to give any clear answers. 
7215 
7216She had something which could be used as a clue, but that thing was no longer with Keiko. 
7217 
7218That was the DSLR camera Keiko brought with her for work. 
7219 
7220The day before Keiko was found, the last photo she took was the upside-down picture of the porch of Room 501. 
7221 
7222There was a photo of a bag like thing placed in front of the open door and an image of what seemed like a human face looking in from the exterior wall of the corridor, but it was too blurred to make anything out. 
7223 
7224Keiko was asked about what those things where, but she could only show a perplexed expression. 
7225 
7226In the end, Keiko was the last victim of the incidents where people were losing consciousness in various parts of the city, and the incident was slowly forgotten when there were no more strange occurrences at Urban Heights Eifuku. Keiko was also transferred to the retail department. 
7227 
7228“What exactly had happened?” 
7229 
7230She was one of the people involved in the incident which had shaken society, and Keiko found this intriguing, but she had a feeling that the series of incidents reported on the news did not match what she had experienced. 
7231 
7232The ‘Fainting Incidents’ which were reported earlier were all suddenly feeling a wave of cold air while walking on the streets and immediately losing consciousness, and the victims did not remember what had happened afterwards. 
7233 
7234But Keiko did not remember feeling unwell, and she was not walking on the streets then. 
7235 
7236Amongst those people identified as the ‘victims’, Keiko was the only person who was found indoors. 
7237 
7238All the rooms on the fifth floor where Keiko was found were all seen as haunted rooms, and the rent was less than half the price compared to the rooms on the other floors, but to today, no clients were willing to stay on the fifth floor. 
7239 
7240The reviews on the apartment had already dropped to rock bottom, but the reason Keiko went to Urban Heights Eifuku in the first place was because the nearby residents reported that ‘they saw a strange light’ or ‘it seems like someone entered’. 
7241In addition, an employee of the management company was involved in a mysterious incident, the fact that there were clients was already a strange occurrence. 
7242 
7243This in-between building age of three years was already enough for someone to want to investigate the background of the apartment, if someone interested in this incident did a search on the internet, they could even find websites set up by bored people who had arranged the past scandals and this incident into an easy to understand format. 
7244 
7245Especially all the rooms on the fifth floor where Keiko was found, even if their rent was significantly lower, forget about people moving in, no one had called to ask about them. 
7246 
7247Until yesterday. 
7248 
7249“Oh, it’s almost time for the appointment.” 
7250 
7251Yesterday, a client contacted the retail department and said that they wanted to move in to Urban Heights Eifuku, requesting for Yusa Keiko to be the one responsible for the liaising. 
7252 
7253This was not done through the Omura Group or an estate agency, this person had called the retail department directly. 
7254 
7255The other party seemed to be a young lady, and she had specified Room 501, the room with the problems. 
7256 
7257Keiko had felt confused when she picked up the phone. 
7258 
7259No one had died there before, yet all advertisements and documents related to the rooms on the fifth floor were recorded as ‘needing special explanation’. 
7260 
7261She did not know if the lady had seen those advertisements, but since the rooms were labelled as ‘needing special explanation’, according to the procedures, the staff responsible would have to notify the client about the related content. 
7262 
7263Keiko was the person involved, so it was a little awkward to say it, but work was work. 
7264 
7265Just as Keiko gathered her courage and planned to talk about the various facts surrounding Room 501, the lady interrupted her on the phone––   
7266 
7267“I know all about it. I understand everything about this, but I still want to rent this room.” 
7268 
7269––and said this. 
7270 
7271Since the other party had said this much, Keiko had no reason to reject her. 
7272 
7273The other rooms getting rented out quickly after a person started to stay in one of the rooms was also something which happened frequently. 
7274 
7275Keiko immediately made preparations for the signing of the contract and waited for the lady to visit at the appointed time. 
7276 
7277In the end, the person that came was a young lady with long hair, wearing a suit and carrying a shoulder bag. 
7278 
7279She should have been around the same age as Keiko, or younger than her. Her appearance seemed to be that of a person who had just entered working society, but her expression contained an aura of a person who had seen much of the world. 
7280 
7281Her client had come, but Keiko suddenly forgot how to react. When she saw the lady’s face, her brain reacted to something. 
7282 
7283I seem to have seen that person somewhere before……? 
7284 
7285“Hello. I made an appointment before, my name is Yusa.” 
7286 
7287“……Ah, my apologies. Welcome. Please take a seat.” 
7288 
7289After hearing the other party’s voice, Keiko came back to her senses. 
7290 
7291That’s right, the client’s last name was ‘Yusa’. 
7292The kanji was different, but the pronunciation was similar to her own last name, perhaps she had accidentally confused herself with other things because of this. 
7293 
7294“Thank you for taking the time to come down today…… erhm, I picked up your call from before, my last name is also ‘YUSA’, just that it’s written this way.” 
7295 
7296“Yes. Nice to meet you.” 
7297 
7298The client who called herself Yusa bowed slightly. On a second thought, since the other party specifically asked for her when contacting the company, Keiko did not need to emphasise that their last names were pronounced similarly. 
7299 
7300“Then, with regards to the room you want to rent, Room 501 of Urban Heights Eifuku, have you seen the actual room before?” 
7301 
7302“Yeah, I saw it a few times. I viewed it when it was opened to public as a sample room setup.” 
7303 
7304Not only had she seen the room a few times, she even planned to stay in it? Keiko was shocked once again. 
7305 
7306“With regards to this room, there are some things I have to explain to you first, if you change your mind afterwards, we can introduce other rooms to you later, please confirm this first.” 
7307 
7308“Alright. But I wish to confirm something first, if I do not mind those things, I can rent it, right?” 
7309 
7310“Eh? Y-Yes, you are correct.” 
7311 
7312It appeared that this Yusa-san had a strong determination. 
7313 
7314There were people in the world who did not care about haunted houses at all, but Room 501 was a room meant for singles. Yusa-san also mentioned that she was living by herself when she was renting. 
7315 
7316A lady living alone on a problematic floor where there were no other residents, this made others feel that she was a very brave person. 
7317 
7318“As long as it is not a situation where the floor has holes, the porch has no door, or the water and electricity is not connected, I plan to rent that room.” 
7319 
7320After Keiko finished explaining everything, Yusa-san’s choice did not change. 
7321 
7322It was the room at the core of the hauntings, but the person’s intentions to move in was still this strong, this was of course the most ideal situation. 
7323 
7324From Keiko’s standpoint, she had no reason to say anything more to a person who still wanted to rent the room after knowing it was haunted, so she initiated the procedure to sign the contract. 
7325 
7326“Then please fill in the number we can use to contact you in the bolded box here, and fill in your workplace here too…… oh my.” 
7327 
7328Keiko had an impression of the lady’s mobile phone and workplace. 
7329 
7330Most importantly, after seeing the name below the leaser’s field, she started to suspect if it was really just a coincidence. 
7331 
7332“Is something wrong?” 
7333 
7334“Ah, no. Erhm, your mobile phone is the same as mine…… and, I actually worked here before.” 
7335 
7336“Is that so?” 
7337 
7338As if she felt surprised, the female client smiled. 
7339 
7340“Not only that……” 
7341 
7342“Yes.” 
7343 
7344“Your name is very similar to mine, so it feels like I can’t see you as a total stranger…… I’m sorry, saying such unnecessary things.” 
7345 
7346“No. Now that you mentioned it, it is very similar. Perhaps we have meet each other someplace before.” 
7347 
7348That smile touched a deep part of Keiko’s memories, but the other party was someone she was meeting for the first time after all. 
7349 
7350“……Then, because you wish to move in tomorrow, I will now explain the various facilities to you. There is no management staff there, so we will conduct an onsite tour now.” 
7351 
7352Keiko took the key to Room 501 and stood up, driving to Urban Heights Eifuku, which was just a few minutes’ drive away from the sales office. 
7353 
7354Passing through the hall which had an autolock and taking the elevator to the fifth floor, the two reached the quiet corridor. 
7355 
7356“……” 
7357 
7358After reaching this place, Keiko was still unable to shake off the feeling that she knew this lady. 
7359 
7360Did she see something in this corridor at that time? However, the more she tried to recall anything, the more she was unable to grasp those odd memory fragments, like a dream she could not recall after waking up. 
7361 
7362After unlocking the room and entering, Keiko realised that the room was empty. 
7363 
7364Keiko then remembered something. 
7365 
7366This room was only used as a sample display for one week. Because placing furniture in a haunted house no one was living in was not ideal, the renovators had already collected the furniture. 
7367 
7368“Yusa-san……” 
7369 
7370“Yes?” 
7371 
7372“The first time you came here, when was that?” 
7373 
7374“When was it, I wonder?” 
7375 
7376The lady did not answer, and only smiled slightly. 
7377 
7378“However, I feel that this is a good room. I like it a lot. There are rumours of spirits haunting the place, but seeing how the situation is, the spirits might just feel bad about it and not appear anymore.” 
7379 
7380“Uh……” 
7381 
7382Unable to keep up with the situation, Keiko showed a perplexed expression, and after entering the room, the client who exuded a mysterious aura closed her eyes in the middle of the living room and breathed in. 
7383 
7384“The things about this room…… I will never forget it. In this country, this room was the first place which provided me with a sense of peace……” 
7385 
7386“Eh?” 
7387 
7388The lady spoke in a language Keiko had not heard before, surprising her. 
7389 
7390“Anyway, I have caused you a lot of trouble, thank you for your care. Yusa-san, thanks to you, I was able to find a way to stay here. Really, thank you very much.” 
7391 
7392The lady known as Yusa Emi, who gave the impression that they had met before, ignored Keiko’s confusion and bowed deeply to her. 
7393 
7394※ 
7395 
7396“Thinking back on it now, it’s not enough no matter how much I thank Keiko-san.” 
7397 
7398Yusa Emi said this while sitting with her two friends around the black tea and cream puffs. 
7399 
7400“Oh~ so Emi’s last name of ‘Yusa’ comes from that person?” 
7401 
7402Emi nodded and answered Rika’s question vaguely. 
7403 
7404“Half half I guess. Part of it came from the pronunciation of Justina, but there was some influence after all.” 
7405 
7406“But~~ according to the story just now~~ you might have taken ‘Kimura’ too, right~~?” 
7407 
7408After eating all the cream puffs Rika had brought over as a visiting gift, Emerada asked this with an expression of realisation. 
7409 
7410“Yeah, you’re referring to the old lady at the Kimura Watch shop. I didn’t plan to stay long at that time, so I was very guarded and made an effort not to get too involved with her, but after I started living here, I patronised her shop a few times. After chatting with her, I realised that she was just a normal old lady who ran her business passionately. I didn’t ask her how much she sold the Irihem gold coin for though.” 
7411 
7412The alarm clock in Emi’s room and the watch she wore at work were bought at Kimura’s watch shop, but since Madam Kimura served her enthusiastically at that time, she must have sold it for more than 70,000 yen. 
7413 
7414“Anyway, not only did Keiko-san link me to this room…… she created an opportunity for me to find the Demon King.” 
7415 
7416“Eh~~ what is that supposed to mean~~” 
7417 
7418“Summarising the story just now, Emi only acted as a ghost and forcefully brought down the rent of the room, there was no way for Maou-san to play a role in this.” 
7419 
7420Faced with Rika’s merciless commentary, Emi stood up with a troubled smile and returned after taking a scrapbook from the closet. 
7421 
7422“These are the newspaper articles from that time. This is the city map.” 
7423 
7424Rika and Emerada looked towards the page Emi opened to. 
7425 
7426“Ah…… thinking about it, something like that did happen before. I happened to move here at that time, so I had felt that it was a little scary.” 
7427 
7428After seeing the newspaper articles, Rika remembered the past events and nodded. 
7429 
7430“When Keiko-san…… fainted because of me and became one of the victims in the fainting incidents, it became huge news. This is the sequence and locations of the victims who lost consciousness. The scenes of the incidents began from Harajuku, and moved to Sasazuka gradually, do you understand now?” 
7431 
7432“Oh~~! So it was like that~~!” 
7433 
7434Emerada was the first to realise what Emi wanted to say. 
7435 
7436“The Idea Link initiated with Keiko-san~~ caused Emilia to realise that this world did not have any holy magic~~ and that it would flow out if it was not controlled~~” 
7437 
7438“Exactly.” 
7439 
7440“Hmm? Hmm?” 
7441 
7442As Rika looked like she still did not understand, Emi elaborated further, 
7443 
7444“In other words, it was then did I realise that the Demon King and the others might be in the same situation too. This world does not have demonic magic. Being injured, they might have lost a huge amount of demonic magic after they arrived, becoming too weak to be detected…… sigh, but I never expected that he would be working at MgRonalds in a human form.” 
7445 
7446With a troubled smile, Emi pointed out the location of the first incident. 
7447 
7448“The Demon King and Alsiel lost their demonic magic after coming to Japan. However, the demonic magic they lost did not just dissipate into thin air. The troubling thing is that the demonic magic still remains in Japan.” 
7449 
7450Satan and Alsiel, who got injured and were weakened in the battle with Emi, could not absorb the demonic magic flowing out from their bodies. 
7451 
7452It could be deduced that the two of them had begun losing their demonic magic immediately after leaving the ‘gate’, but just like Emi’s situation, the exit of the ‘gate’ was in the air. 
7453 
7454If they lost their demonic magic once they left the ‘gate’, then where did Satan and Alsiel’s demonic magic disappear to? There was only one answer, the sky where the ‘gate’ was located. 
7455 
7456Humans who have no resistance to demonic magic will experience discomfort once they come into contact with demonic magic. 
7457 
7458The reason for the consecutive fainting incidents was the demonic magic lost by Maou and Ashiya. 
7459 
7460“Eh? How does that work? This means that the demonic magic of Maou-san and the others slowly descended from the sky like PM2.5 or flower pollen, causing those incidents?” 
7461 
7462“Of course it’s not just that. Because those guys can move around, before reaching that apartment, they must have emitted a lot of demonic magic on the way there.” 
7463 
7464“The way you’re describing it feels a little dirty~~” 
7465 
7466Emerada smiled wryly. 
7467 
7468“And because they have really turned weak, it only caused this level of damage. Anyway, I deduced that they must have been near the location where the incidents stopped, so when I had the time, I investigated the areas around the private railways from Shinjuku to Shibuya. Sigh…… because I was by myself and also busy with work, it was a very time-consuming task.” 
7469 
7470“Sorry~~ for being unable to help during your toughest times~~” 
7471 
7472“It’s not like that. All of you have your reasons, and I have always believed that Em would definitely come to get me.” 
7473 
7474“Uuuu~~ Emilia~~!” 
7475 
7476Feeling touched, Emerada hugged Emi. 
7477 
7478“Hey, Emerada-chan, you’ll wake up Alas=Ramus-chan if you’re this loud.” 
7479 
7480Rika raised her index finger, and Emerada covered her mouth frantically. 
7481 
7482“In addition, the maps I read carefully when inspecting Keiko-san’s belongings without permission became a hint as well.” 
7483 
7484“You’re referring to the white map and blue map? The blue one probably has the residents’ last names or the advertisements of the nearby shops printed on them. But in the end, what did the numbers on the white map refer to?” 
7485 
7486“Yeah. You can’t see those now, but they’re called ‘Route Price Diagrams’.” 
7487 
7488““Route Price Diagrams?”” 
7489 
7490Rika and Emerada expressed their confusion at this foreign term. 
7491 
7492Route Price Diagrams showed the local routes which make up the city area, in other words, it was a map which showed the price per square meter of the houses facing the road. 
7493 
7494It was the standard value used in the calculations of inheritance tax and fixed assets tax, because it was the most accurate reflection of the official land valuation value, it could also be used as a guide for the local estate value. 
7495 
7496“Other than the time with Keiko-san, three more fainting incidents occurred after that, one was in the hospital, one was near Koshu Kaido, and one was in a residential area near the Oda Rapid Line. Connecting those three locations together, one would get a piece of cheap land which does not face any main roads, in other words, an area filled with amalgamated dwellings with cheap rent. It was difficult to imagine that the Demon King, having lost his demonic magic, would have any items which could be easily exchanged for money, so I thought he might have been hiding in this area.” 
7497 
7498In reality, Maou still had a bit of demonic magic left, and obtained money using their methods. 
7499 
7500In the end, Villa Rosa Sasazuka, where Maou and the others lived, was located outside of that triangle, but Maou’s workplace, the MgRonalds in front of Hatagaya station which Emi also applied for, was within that area. 
7501 
7502“So you weren’t just wandering aimlessly in Sasazuka huh. However, you still spent a lot time before actually meeting Maousan.” 
7503 
7504“This can’t be helped. It seems as if I had limited the area, but I did not have any definitive evidence, and although it looks small on the map, the actual area is very big when walking through it. It’s not like I could scout the area every day. Moreover, every time I felt uneasy, I would try to take the train to a further location, or research if similar incidents have occurred in other areas of Japan, taking many detours…… sigh.” 
7505 
7506Emi showed a nostalgic gaze, thinking back on the events at that time. 
7507 
7508“At that time, I never expected that things would turn out like this.” 
7509 
7510This sentence included the many unbelievable things which happened from the time she reunited with Maou until now. 
7511 
7512She did not kill the Demon King, kill Maou. She even met him almost every day, eating together with him, and after their ‘daughter’ appeared, she started to trust him and received his help. 
7513 
7514“I never expected things to become like this…… since I came to Japan, I was always thinking this.” 
7515 
7516“With regards to that~~ do you feel any regrets~~?” 
7517 
7518Emi replied immediately to Emerada’s question, “I don’t regret it that much.” 
7519 
7520What surprised her the most was that she had changed so much that she could say this. 
7521 
7522※ 
7523 
7524Almost one year after Emilia arrived in Japan, when she was close to completing her search of the area drawn on the map. 
7525 
7526With no one else fainting, that incident was slowly being forgotten by the public. 
7527 
7528Unlike the time when she first arrived in Japan, her living environment was very complete, not only was she used to living in Japan, she had obtained a good job and friends, but Emi’s loneliness was still increasing. 
7529 
7530She was still unable to find any traces of Demon King Satan and Demon General Alsiel, Ente Isla did not send anyone to rescue her, and time just passed by. 
7531 
7532As she got used to living as a Japanese, and acted like a Japanese, unlike the time with Yusa Keiko, Emilia no longer encountered a situation where she had to reveal her true identity to someone. 
7533 
7534Of course, that was because if she carelessly admitted her origins, she might scare someone, just like how she scared Keiko. 
7535 
7536At this moment, someone noticed Emilia’s situation and started to show concern for her. 
7537 
7538“……Hey, Emi. Are you feeling unwell recently? Have you been eating well?” 
7539 
7540“Yeah, I’ve been a little tired recently, so I don’t have much appetite.” 
7541 
7542“You seem to be busy with something important, but you can’t do anything if you collapse. You need to eat properly.” 
7543 
7544“……Yeah, you’re right…… thank you…… Rika.” 
7545 
7546“Yep, you need to take care of your body first. If you want to exercise your brain and worry, you need to eat!” 
7547 
7548Without knowing anything, Rika filled in Emi’s loneliness. 
7549 
7550Rika would not pry into the private matters of others, as if she knew from the start how to make Emilia relax. 
7551 
7552Not long after, Emilia gained many juniors at work, and as she guided others on the job she obtained in Japan, she suddenly remembered things about Keiko. 
7553 
7554After Emilia moved into Urban Heights Eifuku, Keiko had contacted her once. 
7555 
7556Keiko sent a name card, saying that she would return to her hometown after getting married and that the contact person had to be changed. 
7557 
7558She was the one who had sealed Keiko’s memories, and Emilia also knew that these feelings were unreasonable, but someone who had known her true identity going some place far away was still a huge blow to her. 
7559 
7560After that, she had troubled over whether she should tell Rika her true identity a few times. 
7561 
7562However, Emilia did not want to lose this girl who was her friend in Japan, someone who had been continuously patching up her feelings of loneliness in her daily life, so Emilia could only continue lying. 
7563 
7564The days when she did not have to lie, when would they arrive? 
7565 
7566In the future, would she have to interact with others in a situation where she could declare her origins and true identity without hiding anything? 
7567 
7568Emilia really wanted to meet a person whom she did not have to hide things from, who knew about her past and could patch up her loneliness. 
7569 
7570She thought about these things as she walked on the streets of Sasazuka she was already familiar with, and encountered heavy rain which was not mentioned in the weather forecast. 
7571 
7572“Damn it! Why is it raining all of a sudden!?” 
7573 
7574She glared at the sky and complained, and ran under the eaves of a nearby restaurant for shelter, and at this moment––   
7575 
7576 
7577 
7578 
7579“If you don’t mind, please use this.” 
7580 
7581“Eh?” 
7582 
7583A battered plastic umbrella was pushed towards her. 
7584 
7585 	 
7586Author, Afterword –AND YOU– 
7587 
7588The afterword this time will reveal some plot in this volume. 
7589 
7590Readers who start reading from the afterword, please take note of this. 
7591 
7592 
7593In the afterword of the previous volume “Hataraku! Maou-sama” volume 13, I made the declaration that I would ‘compile the short stories which have not been published in a volume and deliver it into everyone’s hands as soon as possible’. 
7594 
7595As declared, I have delivered it at the fastest speed! This volume, the 14th volume of “Hataraku! Maou-sama” is the second volume of short stories after the 7th volume of “Hataraku! Maou-sama”. 
7596 
7597There is no rule that a short story volume will be published every seven volumes, and because ‘Volume 0’ was also published in between, this should be considered the eighth volume, but as long as you have read this volume, you would gain a deeper understanding of the world of “Hataraku! Maou-sama”……but it does not seem to be that way either. 
7598 
7599This volume does not narrate this kind of story. All you can see is their financial situation. 
7600 
7601Everyone, please focus on them who are living their normal daily lives, and the stories which are weaved from this. 
7602 
7603‘Hero and High School Girl, Becoming Friends’ 
7604 
7605This is something which occurs a few days after the end of volume 1. 
7606 
7607This is a story for everyone to know that this child was already a very mentally strong person when she was still ‘a normal person who could be seen everywhere’. Everyone is still so green here. The setting that Emerada’s appetite is much larger than her stature was also revealed for the first time. 
7608 
7609However, when I went to a revolving sushi store recently, it feels as if the sushi were not revolving at all, everyone seems to be more inclined towards ordering through the electronic menu? 
7610 
7611 
7612‘Demon King, Thinking Back on a Thrifty Life’ 
7613 
7614Using this story, I wish to give him, who has been under a large amount of stress, a small reward. 
7615 
7616In addition, it was mentioned in the story, if you allow children under one year old who have not completely developed their digestive immune system to eat honey, this might cause botulinum poisoning. 
7617 
7618The reason is that botulinum is a type of bacteria which will not be killed under high heat, everyone please pay attention not to feed children under one year old any processed foods which have honey as the ingredient. 
7619 
7620 
7621‘Demon King, Buying a New Mobile Phone with the Hero’s Money’ 
7622 
7623I mentioned this in the afterword of the 5th volume of ‘Hataraku! Maou-sama’, the era of the world in this series is equivalent to 2010 in the real world. 
7624 
7625This is because I wrote the prototype for ‘Hataraku! Maou-sama’ during that time, but because of this, the real models of many of the stores, businesses, services and systems, do not exist in 2015 anymore. 
7626 
7627In the current era where ‘Smartphones’ and ‘Smart devices’ are very common, it might not be long before no one uses terms like ‘mobile phone’ or ‘handphone’. 
7628 
7629 
7630‘Hero, Admiring the Ability of the Enemy Officials’ 
7631 
7632This kind of hole does exist. It’s strange right? It’s really very rare. There are things like ripped jeans, but if it’s not ripped at the knees or the edges, it’s just a pair of torn jeans. 
7633 
7634When Wagahara discovered a hole at the bottom of the pockets, he felt it was time to change his pants. 
7635 
7636 
7637‘Demon King, Knowing about his Superior’s Past’ 
7638 
7639The mystery since the 2nd volume has been revealed! This is a story of fate which has continued from a long time ago! I’m not lying! 
7640 
7641The shop manager of Fushima Park’s store, Mizushima Yuki, just like Kawada Takefumi, Ooki Akiko and Nakayama Kotarou, they were all characters which have been imported from the anime. 
7642 
7643I personally like this kind of character, but since she was an original character in the anime and there were shocking factors such as the female characters wearing swimsuits and true horrors, she did not stand out that much. Considering that this was the only way to write more about her, she appeared in this story. 
7644 
7645For people who normally wore smart uniforms, having them wear casual clothing occasionally will leave a strong impression.  
7646 
7647 
7648‘The Hero Before She Found a Job! –a few days ago–’ 
7649 
7650Writing about Yusa Emi a.k.a Emilia Justina when she just arrived in Japan, a prequel following the timeline around the 1st volume of ‘Hataraku! Maou-sama’. 
7651 
7652This is an entirely new story written for this volume. 
7653 
7654Everyone, thank you for waiting. The reason why the rent for Emi’s apartment is this low is due to these events. 
7655 
7656Because she is the Hero, because she was alone, she encountered many troubles which Maou and Ashiya had never experienced. 
7657 
7658 
7659It is difficult living in this world, but if you die, nothing can be accomplished. 
7660 
7661For these characters who are struggling to live, this volume is for them to relax and show their true personalities. 
7662 
7663I hope these stories become a freshener for all the readers, relaxing everyone a little. 
7664 
7665Then, see you next volume!