“We didn’t actually talk much about work, huh? But I’ll be at your office tomorrow anyway, so we can pick it up then. Nord, Laila, Yusa, see you all tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. Thanks again.”
“You too.”
“Keep up the good work, Kazuma.”
The Justina family watched as Kazuma walked off into the crowded street.
“What a surprise, though… I never expected you would work with Kazuma again. And buying Nord’s wheat, no less…”
The main goal of Kazuma’s visit to The Maou Company was to work out a contract for flour made from their wheat, for use in a brand-new bread menu at Yesodd’s Family Café. They would discuss costs with each other at tomorrow’s meeting, and they’d sign the agreement right there if they came to one.
“My company’s still just getting started. I gotta use every connection and relationship I have. Whenever we can get something at a discount, we gotta bring it in at as low a cost as possible. Then it’s on to the next step.”
Suzuno looked back at the crowd Kazuma had disappeared into and smiled a little.
“I hardly knew what to expect from you at first, but you seem to be doing rather well, no?”
She gave Maou a light pat on the back.
“Right?” he replied, a bit proud.
“Or maybe it looks that way,” Emi said with a grin from behind, “if you didn’t know how it really is.”
“Oh, don’t wheedle him too much,” pouted Chiho.
“So, yeah, that sort of thing. Nothing to worry about, you know? I’ve had a tight grip on the reins from the start.”
Suddenly, the shadow behind Maou’s back loomed high in Suzuno’s eyes.
“I’m still just biding my time. And someday, all the chains are gonna come off.”
“You have been biding your time for quite a while. Ever since you came to Japan, the story has never changed, has it?”
Maou rolled his eyes, knowing full well Suzuno wasn’t taking him seriously. But now Alas Ramus was tugging at his pants.
“Daddy… I’m tired. I wanna go home!”
“All right, I hear ya. C’mon, guys, let’s get going. Alas Ramus is starting to get crabby.”
Alas Ramus had her eyes half-open, fatigue crashing over her. It charmed Maou.
“Okay, Alas Ramus… Mommy and everyone else have a lot of baggage, so can you hold my hand?”
“Oh, okay, Chi. But I gotta go to the bathroom.”
“Oh, the bathroom? All right. Do you mind if I take Alas Ramus to the bathroom, Yusa?”
“Nope. Thanks, Chiho.”
“No problem! Here, give your purse to Daddy, okay? You don’t want it getting dirty.”
Chiho took the Relax-a-Bear purse hanging from Alas Ramus’s shoulder and gave it to Maou.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“Sure.”
“All right, there’s a lot of people, so hold on to my hand, okay?”
Watching as Chiho and Alas Ramus deftly navigated the crowds, Suzuno looked up at Maou again.
“So. It is all going well?”
What, she did not specify. Maou didn’t ask for clarification. Instead:
“The people around me understand, at least.”
“…Well, so be it. Perhaps Kazuma did not, but if someone gauges your past history on the surface, they might feel obliged to criticize your ethics more than you need.”
“Oh man, if I told the truth to my part-timers, I might be stabbed on the street some late night.”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
Suzuno couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.
“In your case, it does not seem like much of a joke. The way you look now, you would never have guessed, but…”
“I like to think I’m a virtuous Devil King.”
“Uh-huh. You sound human to me, all right. A human too big for his britches.”
“Well, you don’t change at all. What are you even doing? Coming to Tokyo in that pilgrim outfit… It’s like your first days in Japan all over again. What would the Archbishops think?”
“I have decided to live freely, and die freely. Work is work, and my private life is my private life.”
“Or your private planet, huh? None of the other elders in the Church could pull that off.”
As they spoke, Chiho and Alas Ramus came back.
“Thanks, Chiho. Give Chiho her handkerchief back, okay, Alas Ramus? And fold it up nice first.”
“Okay. Thank you, Chi.”
“You’re welcome!”
The child did as instructed. Then she ran up to Emi, a little perplexed.
“Hey, Mommy? Chi’s handkerchief is a different color from yours.”
“Huh?!”
“Hmm? What’s up, Yusa?”
“Oh? Ah, nothing! Nothing… W-wait a sec.”
“Hmm?”
“What is it, Emilia?”
Emi grabbed Maou’s arm. “You!” she said sternly, in a low voice. “That handkerchief from before…!”
“Huh? Oh, that? Your Mother’s Day present or whatever?”
“That one! You didn’t give the same thing to Chiho, did you?!”
“…Oh, ummm…”
The thought had never even occurred to him. But now he realized his inadvertent faux pas. It instantly broke him down.
“No, uh, it’s not the same thing…so…”
“It’s a different color of the same thing! What were you thinking?!”
“I—I’m sorry! I didn’t think a handkerchief was any big deal…”
“Will you please be more careful? Ugh.”
“Sorry…”
Maou put his hands together in front of Emi, begging for forgiveness. And Chiho, who had watched them both from the corner of her eye while chatting with Nord and Laila over the meal, said:
“Yusa just got a different color, huh? Well, that’s what I figured.”
She placed a hand on her shoulder bag, the slightly damp handkerchief from Alas Ramus safe inside, and exhaled lightly.