Sadao Maou, perched atop his trusty steed Dullahan, was on his way to work.
From the Devil’s Castle in Sasazuka, it was less than ten minutes’ riding to the MgRonald in Hatagaya, assuming no snags. Thanks to the delay from Ashiya’s lecturing, however, the rain was now falling at a steady clip.
It was strong enough that his beaten-up umbrella, with its bent ribs, rusting support rod, and clouded plastic that no longer offered full visibility, had no chance of covering for it.
Yet Maou pedaled on, prodding himself forward as quickly as possible.
It was the last day of the month, a Friday, one that always loosened the strings on his wallet a bit. An important day, too. His store was vying for the number one regional sales prize for the current special menu item. It made Maou burn with excitement. This was it. This would be the day when they would set a new record for Black Chili Pepper Fry sales!
“I don’t need you yelling at me, Ashiya. I’m thinking about this, too…in my own way!”
The lust was still there. His ultimate ambition, as always, was to conquer Ente Isla. But with no way to return home, there wasn’t much to be done about it. Even if he could teleport over right now, he would be cut down and defeated in the blink of an eye without his magic force.
Meanwhile, in Japan, as long as you kept your nose clean, your chances of being slain on the battlefield were on the low side. And if you regarded this current routine as baby steps on the path to reclaiming the Devil King throne, it was even possible to retain one’s sense of demonic pride.
For now, this was fine. Maou honestly believed that.
He stopped at a red crosswalk signal, his brakes screeching as his front wheel plowed into a water puddle.
Dullahan was a bargain, but its brakes, like the scream of an enraged mandragora, were one sticking point.
At this intersection, cutting through a residential area a block away from the Koshu-Kaido road, there was a small park and a trendy restaurant, its walls covered with glass from floor to ceiling.
Across the street, toward the direction he came from, Maou spotted a woman nestled beneath the restaurant’s rain canopy.
The street was filled with passersby in search of lunch, but this woman caught his eye. She apparently had no umbrella with her. Even from afar, he could see her make a face as she wiped down her hair and shoulders with a small handkerchief in her hand.
Her annoyed stare was pointed toward the sky as the light remained steadily red. She likely wasn’t expecting the rain. Even when the light finally turned green, she remained under the canopy, seemingly at a loss.
Maou, ever mindful of traffic laws, dismounted his bike and walked it across the street. Once across, the woman noticed him for the first time, eyes turned toward his. He nodded lightly at her, then ducked under the restaurant’s canopy next to her, taking care to place Dullahan in between them to dispel any suspicions.
“Um, if you like…”
Folding up his plastic umbrella, he presented it to her, handle first.
“Huh?”
Her clear, refreshing voice sounded confused at first. She looked around her surroundings, unsure how to proceed.
“Oh, I… It just started so suddenly, so I thought you might need it.”
She had seemed like a mature woman, judging by how she looked and acted from across the street, but up close, she looked younger, perhaps even high school age. She was, at least, younger than Maou’s external appearance.
Her flower-print, tunic-length top and tight, skinny denim jeans were a good match for her natural beauty. The rain in her long hair, slightly curled at the ends, gave it a sheen that made it all the more attractive. A pity she didn’t think to pack a folding umbrella inside the small purse hanging from her shoulder.
Her strong, willful eyes were now clearly focused upon Maou, a whiff of anxiety on her face.
“But…are you sure? I can’t just take this from you…”
He had no spare on him, of course. This one had been plucked off the ground; actually spending money on one was an exotic concept to him.
“Oh, no, I work right nearby here, so… It’s only about two or three minutes by bike. We’ve got more umbrellas over there.”
Nervously, the woman took up the handle offered to her. As she did, Maou swiftly remounted his bike, not wishing to make her feel any more indebted.
“Um, thank you very much! I’d like to repay you somehow…”
However, the woman turned out to be more insistent than Maou was expecting. He held his hand upward in response.
“Forget about it. It’s kind of junky anyway. You can go ahead and toss it once you’re done with it.”
“Oh, I couldn’t just…”
Maou turned toward the woman, who was still acting a tad hesitant about the whole thing.
“Well, how about this? I work at the MgRonald right nearby here, so why don’t you stop by for a bite to eat sometime?”
“Right nearby…? You mean the one by Hatagaya station?”
She nodded her understanding as Maou pointed out the direction. “Yeah. I’ll give you an upsize on the special fries we got right now, if I’m there.”
It was this sort of grassroots marketing that Maou specialized in around the neighborhood. He saw himself as a MgRonald employee everywhere he went in public, and anyone could be a potential customer. The way he saw it, this extra effort was what led to his job promotions.
“All right. I’ll be sure to do that. Umm…”
The woman stood up straight, looking right into Maou’s eyes.
“Thanks again.”
With that, she bowed lightly.
Her smile was like a beautiful ray of sunshine peeking through the distressing rainclouds of his heart.
“Sure thing. Be careful.”
Maou turned around, attempting to hide his pangs of awkwardness. Waving his hand, he plunged back into the rain, never turning back.
“Brrrr! Cold!”
Perhaps that exchange was too knightly for his own good. But it was all for a better tomorrow, better sales figures, and—let one not forget—a better chance at brutally dominating the world.
Also, losing one’s umbrella for a valid reason should make Ashiya release his iron grip on their finances enough that he could purchase a new one, right? If not, he could always take his pick from the umbrella rack in front of the store.
Back at the intersection, the light long since back to red, the woman remained motionless, until Maou was no longer in sight.