This was a well-trodden street to everyone but Urushihara. It was a quiet part of town, children’s laughter and shouting occasionally heard from afar. A classic Sunday afternoon scene like you’d see anywhere in Japan—but the quintet walking down this street was a poor match for it, with how gloomy and downtrodden they looked.
Once they’d reached their destination, Maou stepped up to push the intercom button.
“Ah! Um… I-I’ll be right there!”
A familiar voice sounded surprised as it greeted them. The intercom shut off before Maou could reply, and then they heard pattering footsteps up to the door.
“Umm…”
Chiho Sasaki greeted them there, unable to hide her ambivalence.
“Are we a bit early?”
Maou looked down at his watch. They were exactly five minutes ahead of schedule.
“Th-that’s okay, but… Wow. I’m surprised you have suits on. Even Urushihara…”
“Yeah,” Urushihara bluntly replied as he wriggled around in his brand-new suit. “I know we don’t exactly look natural, but this is important, y’know?”
“Politeness demands at least this much,” Ashiya said, tense and uncomfortably tugging at his necktie.
“It’d be too off-putting if we arrived in Ente Islan formal wear, right?”
Emi, dressed in formal black business attire, glanced at the rest of her party.
“Yes. That’s why we arrived in the Japanese norm instead, as unusual as it may make us look.”
Suzuno, for her part, was in a silken kimono of light purple, meant for visiting other families. She bowed lightly.
“Chi… Um, I mean Sasaki, are your parents at home?”
Finally Maou—Satan, King of all Demons in Ente Isla, but who still preferred to go by Sadao Maou around here—looked straight at Chiho Sasaki. To her credit, Chiho didn’t turn away, standing tall and nodding at him.
“They are, Maou. They’ve been waiting for you, actually. Come right in.”
“Thanks. Let’s go, guys.”
“Thank you,” Emi said as they all somberly went through the Sasakis’ front door. For her, Maou, and Suzuno, this was not their first visit. The familiar front foyer was still there, and their living room was down the corridor and past the door.
“You can come in.”
Chiho opened the door for them.
“Oh, hello there, Mr. Maou! And everyone else… My, how dashing you all look!”
Beyond the doorway, they saw Riho Sasaki, Chiho’s mother and a familiar sight to them…
“…Hello.”
…and another middle-aged man, his rigid face not hiding his confusion at all.
This was Sen’ichi Sasaki—Chiho’s father, a career police officer, and the most important person out of everyone they needed to conduct today’s events. He had a loose polo shirt on, looking every bit a dad enjoying his day off, and seeing Maou’s group only clouded his face further.
“Thanks for letting us in. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to see us.”
“C-certainly,” Sen’ichi replied, slurring it a bit as he reacted to Maou’s polite address. “Come on in.”
Once everyone was in the living room, Maou promptly walked up to Sen’ichi and put his hands and knees on the floor.
“Maou?!”
And not just him. Behind him came Ashiya, Urushihara, Emi, and Suzuno, all following his lead—kneeling before Sen’ichi and Riho and bowing their heads.
“We sincerely apologize for all of this.”
“Maou…”
“I am aware that Chiho and Ms. Sasaki informed you about everything. What I did to Chiho…I’m not sure we can ever make up for. We’ve constantly betrayed your trust in us as her parents.”
“Ah? …Ahh, well… Umm…”
“We convinced ourselves,” Emi continued after Maou had fallen silent, “that we were taking ample consideration of your daughter’s feelings. So we procrastinated on explaining everything as we should have, and we continually lied to you instead. And I know we could never apologize enough for that.”
“Hmm? No, uh…”
“Yusa…”
“I promise you that we never proactively sought to place your daughter in the path of danger. However, in the end, we failed. In fact, we have been saved by her hand on multiple occasions.”
“Yeah. And this…like, I know we can never properly make up for it, but…”
Ashiya apologizing in a business suit seemed natural enough, but Urushihara’s attempts at polite remorse were a wonder to see.
“I want it to be clear that Chiho never had any intention of deceiving you. It was entirely through our own wishful thinking that we placed this excessive burden on her, forcing her hand in our deceits. I know this is asking much from you, but I sincerely hope you will allow us a chance to atone for these acts.” It was Suzuno who wrapped up their appeal, quietly but with a palpable force.
“Ashiya… Urushihara… Suzuno…”
“Ahh… Mmmm…”
Sen’ichi hemmed and hawed. That was to be expected. So Maou lifted his head, looking at the man they needed to apologize to the most.
“Chiho, what’s going on here? What’s this all about?”
The voice, settling over Maou’s head, was filled not with anger, but with sheer confusion.
“Um…?”
Their eyes met for the first time. Maou had seen his face twice before, and it looked bewildered.
“I mean… All I heard was that Mr. Maou was coming here today.”
“Huh? Um, Chiho and your wife didn’t…?”
“No, they didn’t say anything. But they were both weirdly smiling at me all day, and, um, you’re dressed to the nines, so… I thought, you know, perhaps…”
The still-bewildered Sen’ichi looked at his daughter, then at the man kowtowing in front of him.
“I was prepared to have you asking permission to see my daughter, but…”
“To see… What?!”
This was more than Maou could take.
“But if it was that, you wouldn’t have these other people with you, and you’re sure not talking that way, either… Honey? Chiho? You mind explaining to me what kinda thing this is?”