Maou unenthusiastically waved Emi off, trying to bring an end to the conversation. But Emi was unwilling to let that final jab go unanswered.
“My attack? What do you mean?”
“You were listening in on me and Chi, right? Like, starting halfway through?” Maou shrugged, exasperated. “No way is what she’s going through normal. All this happened when you and I were here. Someone hatched it on us. I don’t know if it was a sonar pulse or magical interference or whatever, but what I do know is, our cover’s been blown.”
Emi’s eyes burst open.
“So our enemy…”
“He’s right nearby, yeah. We just never noticed before. And I bet he didn’t attempt a second stab because I was about to return to my full Devil body.”
“B-but…but what was that? We’re in Japan. You can’t refill your strength; I can’t refill mine. How could they unleash this kind of force?”
Maou flashed a wry smile.
“Oh, I have my ideas.”
“What? Oh, come on!”
Maou’s expression remained firm, almost cold, against the agitated Emi.
“Not that I’ve got any duty to tell you. It’s not like you could do anything about it.”
Emi contemplated firing back for an instant, but resisted the urge. In his own way, Maou was right.
“But I’ll give you a hint, anyway. Don’t want you getting all panicked whenever things go down.”
“…A hint?”
“Sure. First off, whether it’s indirect or not, our opponent’s throwing around his powers like crazy, whenever he wants to. Think about who could do that in Ente Isla right now, huh? Someone who’s apparently confident that he can kill the both of us?”
Emi had deduced that much by herself. But who? She drew a total blank. Watching Emi lost in thought, a cynical smile grew on Maou’s face.
“Got it yet? I’m going home. I need to think about how to counter him. Plus, I’m tired.”
“W-wait! Wait a minute. I still need—”
“You still need to talk? Great. But how ’bout we take a rain check for today? You got company.”
Maou pointed over Emi’s shoulder. There, they found a figure stretching her body past the police tape behind the ambulances, excitedly waving toward them.
“Rika…”
“Oh, is that your coworker or something? She keeps calling your name, did you notice that?”
Rika Suzuki, still in her work outfit, began waving even more fervently when she noticed Emi’s look of recognition.
“So you do have some friends.”
“That’s none of your business! Stop bothering me!”
Emi spat out the words as she turned her back to him.
“Hey, I’m just being jealous. Here, go say hello to her.”
“But…you think they’re going to strike again once things settle down?”
This question came from the heart, the personification of her anxieties. This collapse wasn’t like the flurry of magical blasts from earlier; it had endangered a large number of innocent bystanders. If a third attack was forthcoming, it might get Rika involved next time. But Maou just laughed haughtily, voice full of confidence.
“Doubt it. He declared that both you and I were his targets. If he attacks one of us, that’s gonna set off alarms for the other guy, right? Trust me. I know how an evil villain thinks. I’m the best one out there.”
It wasn’t necessarily something to be proud of, but Maou still puffed up his chest as he spoke.
“Well? C’mon. Don’t keep her waiting.”
He gave Emi a push. It was a less than pleasant experience.
She took a step forward, then whipped her head around.
“Just for today, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah. ‘Don’t try anything funny,’ right? Sure thing.”
He doubted that she believed such an airy reply, and likewise Emi twisted up her face a bit before quickly jogging away. Her coworker behind the tape embraced her, tears running down her face. Her uniform was typical secretary gear, her sandals plain and unadorned. She must have thrown on whatever was handy when she heard the news.
Maou chuckled wistfully to himself. “If she’s trying to demotivate me, she’s damn well succeeding.”
He turned on his heels, preparing to walk away from the scene.
“Your Demonic Hiiiiighness…”
“Agh! Ashiya!”
He nearly collided with Ashiya, not noticing him lurking behind like some vengeful ghost.
“I-I’m so sorry, my liege!”
“What’s that from all of a sudden? For that matter, where were you?”
Ashiya sniffled pathetically in front of him, wailing as he pointed out an ambulance in the distance.
“I allowed Emilia to approach us… I failed to notice our advancing foe… And you even saved my life, my liege! How could I ever… ever repaaaaaay you?!”
Maou wearily pushed the dusty, blubbering Ashiya to the side.
“Look, will you shut up? Stop sobbing like that in public. You look terrible. C’mon, let’s go home. You aren’t hurt, are you?”
“N-n-no… No, nooo! Th-thank you for…for caring…!”
They were stopped three times by other officers to check their identities as they left; two of the officers gave them information about reparations and nearby hospitals. They then fled, nearly getting caught by the media covering the scene, but nonetheless cheaping out on train fare and walking the entire way from Shinjuku to Sasazuka. It was two hours later by the time they arrived home.
“Oh my goodness, what a surprise! You, like, always go down to that food court, right, Emi? I thought maybe you got caught up in all that, and… You know, I was just beside myself!”
Rika, after confirming Emi was fine, broke down in tears, as if the tragedy happened to her instead.
“I couldn’t get you on the phone, you didn’t respond to any of my texts… So I was like ‘oh, no’, so I ran over here, but no way would they let me in… I’m telling you, I was in a panic!”
“Sorry to make you worry.”
“No! No, it’s not your fault, Emi! I mean, if anything, it was just bad luck! Or maybe good luck, I guess, since you’re okay now! Were you hurt really bad?”
Rika had finally gained enough of her wits to notice the bandage.
“I cut my forehead a little bit. Enough to draw blood. But it’s nothing big. I didn’t need stitches or anything.”
In Emi’s mind it really was a tiny scrape, but to the standards of the average Japanese person, it was worryingly serious.
“So can you go home now?”
“Well, I gave the police my contact info, and the paramedics told me about hospitals and compensation and stuff. They said they’d take me to the hospital once things settle down, but this is really the only injury I have, so…”
“Ooh, well, you better not run off home yet, then! Better at least get a medical note from the hospital. Do you have your phone and some money?”
Emi, amazed by Rika’s utter zeal to help, thought it over.
“I have my phone, but everything else is in my bag, under the rubble. Ahh! My insurance card, my passport…my seal…”
She could feel her blood pressure drop. She just had to be carrying all her valuables in one place today.
“Okay, take this. Lemme know once you’re out of the hospital. I’ll meet you over there.”
Seeing her friend in need, Rika quickly took three 10,000-yen bills out of her wallet, pushing them into Emi’s hand.
“R-Rika?”
“Hey, you never know when you’re gonna need it at a time like this! Plus, you don’t want the media catching you, so call me, all right?”
With that, she pushed Emi back behind the tape, making shooing motions with her hands. Emi humored her, looking back once there was enough distance between them. She found a man, presumably media, confronting her, hoping to get a story from someone who spoke with a victim.
Rika was too far away to b
e audible, but she chased the man away, looking plainly annoyed, before disappearing into the crowd.
Once she was gone, Emi returned to the ambulance that bandaged her and meekly traveled with several other victims to the nearest hospital.
After a thorough examination, her injury was officially classified as “light.” Nonetheless, the doctor went ahead and exaggerated a bit on his official report, smiling at Emi as he did.
“If I were a young woman like you, if something scratched me on the forehead, I’d hope to get some compensation from it.”
Emi let out a bitter laugh.
It was already past nine p.m. by the time everything was settled and she left the examination room.
“Hello, Rika?”
Being in a hospital, she used a green public phone, an endangered species in the urban landscape, to call Rika. Her friend answered on the first ring.
“Emi? Hello! How’d it go?”
“Well, the doctor examined me all over, but they said it was nothing big. He disinfected my scratch and gave me some medication just in case, but he said I didn’t have to take it unless it hurt.”
“Oh! Okay, I’m so glad it’s nothing serious! Where’s your hospital?”
“Shinjuku. The university hospital.”
“Got it. I’ll be right over, so hang tight, okay?”
“Oh, that’s all right. I don’t need to bother you.”
“Oh? Is your family there or something?”
A sensible enough question to ask in the midst of this catastrophe, but for Emi, it required a lie to settle.
“No, uh, my parents aren’t in Japan, so…”
“Oh, really? Like, overseas?!”
The surprise was evident in Rika’s voice. Judging by the background noise, she was already preparing to go.
“Yeaaah, that sort of thing.”
“Well, all the more reason I better keep an eye on you! I’ll go take a taxi there right now. It’ll be about ten minutes, all right? See you then!”
“Whoa, Rika, wait a—!”
Emi stared at the green handset, stunned at how briskly Rika had hung up on her.
There was nothing to be done. She sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before the receptionist called her name.
The way it was explained to her, the fees for her examination and its certificate would be compensated for once she paid the fees in her name, and then sent an invoice, plus any other necessary documentation, to the appropriate location.
As she paid the receptionist, Emi recalled that her new purse was underneath the rubble alongside her commuter bag. That, and she remembered Rika’s monetary support: “You never know when you’re gonna need it at a time like this!”
She could bring her insurance card in before the end of the month to take care of everything, but even then, the assorted fees she racked up this evening were on the pricey side.
Just as she accepted her receipt and the prescription for her medication, she noticed a taxi stopped outside the lobby and Rika walking inside. She immediately ran over to Emi once she saw her.
“Are you okay, Emi?!”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks a lot. You’re being a big help.”
Emi brought the receipt and prescription up to Rika’s eyes.
“See? Told you.”
Rika smiled.
“I’m just happy it was nothing serious. Here, how about you stay at my place tonight? I’ve got the taxi waiting.”
“S-sure, but is it really okay?”
“Oh, of course! No need to worry about anything, okay? C’mon!”
“All right!”
Unable to protest Rika’s vigorous invitation, Emi was taken outside and thrown into the taxi. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of Rika’s condo in the neighborhood of Takadanobaba.
Rika’s condo was around the same size as Emi’s, but the smell of fresh building materials, wallpaper, and paint belied its very recent construction.
“So, anyway, if you aren’t hurt anywhere else, you should go take a shower and get changed first. I can lend you my sweats for today; you’ll be more comfortable in those.”
Rika handed her a sweatshirt and pants, both neatly folded, along with a hanging wardrobe bag.
“And put your old clothes in here. Better not throw them away, even if they’re ripped or whatever.”
“Why not?”
Emi meekly removed her clothes as ordered. The gray suit she had worn for work wasn’t particularly damaged, but her blouse was stained with blood from her forehead.
“Because you might get whatever company manages that food court to pay for it, is why! No harm keeping the evidence safe until it’s all over.”
“Oh. Makes sense.”
The concept of individual compensation provided by large firms, public or private, was unimaginable in Ente Isla. Even now, Emi still lacked a full grasp of the idea.
The prevailing system back in her homeland was still largely feudal. If a citizen summoned for some public construction project was hurt by an accident or a disaster, the common expectation was that he’d be given a pittance of a consolation payment and tossed by the side of the road.
“I’m impressed, though, Rika. You sure know a lot about this kind of thing.”
“Well, you know, I’ve been through a thing or two in my life. Oh, the bathroom’s that way. I’ve got some brand-new underwear you can take home, too. I’m pretty sure we got the same bra size.”
“Smaller than Chiho’s, probably.”
“Huh?”
“…Oh, uh, never mind.”
She sighed, not quite managing to stop the complaint before it crossed her lips. Checking the size of what she was given, it was indeed the same as Emi’s.
“Really, though, thank you so much for everything. I’ll be in the bathroom.”
Lukewarm shower water bounced off her body, instantly sweeping away the assorted events of the day and filling her with a comfortable sense of satisfaction.
“I put a towel on top of the washer in the changing room, okay? Oh, and here’s a washcloth if you need it. The body soap’s on the far left-hand side.”
A washcloth was offered through a crack in the bathroom door, Rika’s index finger pointing out the soap container.
“Did you eat dinner, by the way?”
“Ooh, to be honest, I’m about ready to die of starvation more than anything else.”
Rika broke into a broad, comforting smile at Emi’s honest reply.
“Well, I’ll whip up something quick for you, so enjoy the shower, okay? You’re good for anything, right?”
Rika left the changing room, allowing Emi a few moments to fully enjoy the shower in silence.
“…Weird.”
It was oddly difficult to calm down. She was overly aware of her heartbeat, yes, but there was something about even that which comforted her.
Whenever she was struck down by foes in her quest against the Devil King, there was always someone nearby to help her. Many of them happily offered her food and board as well.
But she had never had a feeling quite like this one before.
It made her wish she could stay this way forever, as intensely pleasant and comfortable as the temperature of the water that coursed down her skin.
It was as if a soft light kindled itself within her mind, like she was being gently wrapped in an angel’s wings.
“Well, here’s to your good health. Cheers!”
The two glasses of cold mineral water clinked together.
Rika apologized for having nothing but leftovers to offer, but the simmered meat and potatoes she warmed up were a feast for Emi’s empty stomach. She eagerly worked on the dish with her chopsticks.
“If you’ve got that kind of appetite, I guess there really is nothing to worry about, huh?”
Rika smiled, relieved from the inside out.
“But, still, be careful, all right? Sometimes injuries like that can relapse and get you in trouble later on.”
“
I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything, Rika. Really. I promise I’ll pay you back later.”
“Well, it’s the least I could do! I mean, you lost your purse and your bank book! That’d be a disaster for anyone.”
After some more chitchat, Rika casually turned on the TV.
It was nothing but news reports about the corridor collapse Emi was involved in. Rika flipped through the channels at light speed, until she stopped at a music program.
For Emi’s sake, no doubt. Emi looked toward the TV stand, noticing a photograph propped on top of it. Her attention did not go unnoticed.
“Oh, that’s my family.”
The photo was shot in front of a factorylike building, with Rika, a couple that were presumably her parents, and another girl, essentially a younger version of Rika.
“Is that your sister down there? You sure look alike.”
“You know, that’s what everyone says! If you ask me, though, I’ve never seen the resemblance.”
Rika smiled. Just then:
“Oh, mind if I get that?”
The phone was ringing inside Rika’s bag. Once Emi nodded, Rika picked up.
“Hello?…Pfft. Wella course it’s me. Who else’re ya expectin’, calling up this number?”
Emi looked toward Rika, surprised. This tone of voice she had never heard before.
“Oh, y’all got that? Cool. Nah, it ain’t nothin’ that expensive. I drink it all the time. Plus which, ’ell, Gramps’ll drink anythin’ if it says ‘shochu liquor’ on the label, am I right?”
Rika had mentioned that she was born in the Kansai region of Japan. But the accent seemed a bit off intonation-wise from what Emi knew about the Kansai dialect.
“So I’m a-comin’ back in August, okay?…Huh? Accident? Oh, yeah, that was right close to my job, but I’m okay, so… You tell that to everyone else too, all right? Yeah. Byeeeee.”
The short conversation ended. Rika was about to toss the phone on the table, but thought better of it and pulled up the charger cord plugged into the wall, inserting it into the phone jack.
“That was Ma. She was all worked up about the stuff on TV, but I didn’t feel like goin’ all at it talkin’ about you all night.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard your original accent before, Rika.”
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 1 Page 13
