Ashiya, fresh from an ultimately disappointing trip to the National Museum of Western Art’s special exhibit wing, tossed the museum pamphlet into the mail holder. Snapping a four-hundred-gram block of expired discount udon in half, he began to boil the noodles in a pot as he waited for Maou’s return.
There was no way either of them could survive only with the food left in the refrigerator. Ashiya had been saving his own money as well, in part to raise the funds for his museum investigations, so he was still able to perform a bare minimum of shopping. He kept this stash a secret from his liege.
“Ugh. He’s bound to bring back more of those chili-pepper fries, I just know it…”
Swatting away the bugs flitting inside from the open window, Ashiya took a glance at the clock.
“Hmm…His Demonic Highness is late.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“So you’re Sadao Maou, and you’re Emi Yusa? Right. So could you tell me why you were arguing at that intersection?”
“I was there to slay this man!”
The Devil King and Emilia were seated on folding chairs at the Hatagaya police substation, a wizened officer in front of them.
“Listen, ma’am, I don’t know what your friend here did to deserve this, but there’s no excuse for going around flailing a knife at him. You need to just calm down and talk things over, all right?”
The officer’s advice was enough to send Emi Yusa, aka the Hero Emilia, into a rage.
“I… Who do you think he is to me…?!”
“Right now,” Maou interjected, an angry scowl on his face, “I bet he thinks we’re having a lovers’ spat or something.”
“Well, if I’m wrong, I apologize. You see that sort of thing a lot lately, you know? So just talk it over and… You know, if you’re gonna break up, try to be a tad more quiet about it, okay?”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that between us!”
A local resident had called the police at the confrontation. Now the Devil King and his rival, Hero, were at the station, getting the riot act read to them.
It took an hour or so of lecturing about the perils of domestic violence before the two of them were finally released.
Emilia plodded wearily forward as they exited. The ordeal had apparently caused her some measure of emotional pain.
“…I’m letting you go today. But next time…that’ll be it.”
“Oh, what, you planning to bring a rolling pin next time?”
Emilia chose to ignore the jab.
“Hmph. I hope you’re happy you’ve been granted an extension to your life. And this evening hasn’t been a waste at all. I memorized your home address, I’ll have you know. Hope you weren’t expecting to get a full night’s sleep for the rest of your life.”
“You’re sounding more like a mob boss than a Hero.” Even as Maou winced at her brazen threat, a question suddenly popped into his mind. “Oh, by the way, what about my umbrella?”
For a moment, Emilia’s face betrayed her inability to comprehend the question. Then, she let out a haughty, nasal laugh.
✦ ✦ ✦
✦ ✦ ✦
“You said I could toss it out once I was done. So I did! I made sure to thoroughly mutilate it before I did, too.”
“Oh, that’s just mean!”
The anguish was sincere, from the bottom of his heart. Thanks to all the neighborhood cleanup efforts around Shibuya ward, it was growing difficult to find abandoned umbrellas lying around.
“And why would a Hero such as myself gleefully accept an umbrella from the Devil King himself? May my family be cursed for generations if I did! I’d never keep such a putrid, tainted cancer near me for even a second!”
To prove the point, Emilia took out a handkerchief, one in a strangely cutesy pink color, and began to wipe her hands.
“I am the sworn enemy of the demon race and all that take comfort with it. Starting tomorrow, you’d best watch yourself on the streets at night!”
With this final, rather unheroic flourish, she disappeared into the Hatagaya night, her footing still a bit unsteady.
“…Well, that’s all I need.” The Hero had pursued the Devil King across multiple worlds. But why? It hardly seemed like anything important had happened at all. His even still had work tomorrow.
The day was already starting to break as he muttered to himself on the way back home.
“Man, Ashiya’s gonna be pissed if he hears that girl is here. Maybe I should keep it under my hat for a while.”