“You are the too gullible, Chiho! Kaori, she is correct! And maybe not right now, but as long as Ashiya is there, Maou only has so much of the time to return favor! You must take the brisk action!”
“Yeah, but what kind of action?”
Suzuno was curled up next to Chiho, still holding Alas Ramus. Acieth and Kaori—remarkably kindred spirits, considering this was their first meeting—were busy interrogating the poor teen in front of them.
“Acieth is right! You can cook, Sasachi. Just attack him with some homemade chocolate and beat an answer out of him! Ambush him when he’s done with his shift or whatever! It’s okay if it’s a few days before or after the fourteenth, besides!”
“Homemade, huh? I haven’t really done any confectionary work before.”
“Huh?! Chiho, you cannot make the sweets?! Me, I counting on you!”
“It’s not that I can’t… I mean, like, I haven’t made anything too fancy yet…”
“Then go buy a candy bar or a bag of chips from the convenience store! I’m telling you, you’ve had all these near misses—it’s time to put an end to it! You gotta start applying some pressure, lady!”
“Hmm…”
“Stand! Stand up, Chiho! Maou, we will wow him! Make him give you chocolate back for White Day!”
“I—I dunno if that’s really what I want…”
“…zzz…”
In front of Kaori, who presumably didn’t know what was going on with Ente Isla, and Acieth, who could never lie or deceive anyone, Suzuno sat straining, sweat pouring out from her body as Alas Ramus kept sleeping in her arms.
Emi had been put in a similar situation at this same exact fast food joint in the past once. Her friend Rika Suzuki didn’t know anything at the time; she was just curious to uncover the truth about Maou and Emi’s relationship.
Ashiya’s sudden intervention saved the day then, but Suzuno was still an unknown to Emi at the time; she must have been on pins and needles trying to keep her secrets away from Rika. Now, Suzuno couldn’t help but feel Rika was paying the price for it.
Kaori knew nothing about Ente Isla, but she seemed fairly intimate with Chiho. Judging from the way she seemed to easily accept Acieth, Alas Ramus, and Suzuno—all three rather uncommon sights around the city—Chiho must have told her about them, in a nonincriminating fashion. That was Chiho’s decision to make, and Suzuno didn’t resent that, but the problem was Acieth. She had none of Ashiya’s quick-wittedness, and her being around the same age (?) as Kaori meant they instantly got along. There was no telling when a slip of her tongue might arouse Kaori’s suspicions. Plus, the guy running this place was still, in the end, Sariel. Considering his usual behavior, holding a conversation about Valentine’s Day in here ran the considerable risk of making life miserable for Chiho, Emi, Maou, and everyone else at Sentucky and MgRonald in very short order.
With all this in mind, Suzuno was honestly scared out of her wits. But even though she was in the exact same position, Chiho seemed perfectly natural as she fended off Acieth’s and Kaori’s barrage of questions. Suzuno had chased down Acieth out of concern that Maou’s lack of forward thinking would hurt Chiho yet again; now, her mind was filled with the single desire to make this situation a thing of the past as soon as possible.
“By the way, Suzuno, what do you really think of him? Maou, I mean.”
“Hwah?!”
Kaori suddenly tossing the subject her way almost made Suzuno leap out of her seat.
“What do I…think? Think how?”
“Is he the type of guy who’d appreciate some homemade chocolate?”
“Ah, um, I wonder… I think he would appreciate most things edible, but, um…” She realized midway that wasn’t what Kaori asked. “I mean, he isn’t the kind of person to fail to notice the feelings behind a gift…I think.”
“But then,” a dissatisfied-looking Kaori replied, “what about all the meals you’ve been preparing for him, Sasachi? Because I think you put a lot of feeling into those.”
Suzuno couldn’t help but feel like she was being assaulted. Maou never failed to thank Chiho for whatever she brought in, but nonetheless, Kaori wouldn’t be satisfied. Chiho, for her part, seemed to know that.
“It’s not really about that,” she said, backing up Suzuno more than Maou at the moment. “I did it because I wanted to have dinner with the whole gang.”
“But Maou being there wasn’t exactly a minor part of that decision, right?”
“Um… When you put it that way, then no, but…”
In the end, it was Suzuno who induced Chiho into providing that support. She had been serving consecrated food to the demons, hoping to sap them of their powers, and Chiho had stepped up to counteract that with her own cooking. It made it hard to comment on this line of questioning, even though it led (after a long, winding road) to things like Suzuno teaching Chiho how to cook and learning about Japanese and Earth cuisine herself. It built a relationship between them, and that relationship taught Suzuno how to understand Chiho’s thoughts on Maou. And now, despite the conflicts she felt about it, she had settled into a position of support for Chiho.
“I mean…”
“Hmm?”
“I think,” Chiho said, “I’ve been a little too selfish lately.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been so reserved up until now, so I guess I didn’t really know how I should break through that. And now I’ve caused all this trouble for you, Kao, and for Suzuno. Acieth, too, I guess.”
“Huh? You mean, this is the payback for something?”
“Yeah.”
Acieth wouldn’t have known, but the night Rika tried and failed to make Ashiya her boyfriend, Chiho had taken a step forward thanks to the words Acieth had given a confused Chiho inside Sasazuka Station. So say the thing when you can, before you cannot say it anymore. Chiho had “said the thing” long ago, and she had shown, through her behavior, that she still meant it. All that remained was to trust in him, and wait.
“I’m just thinking I should stop pestering him until next July.”
“Huh? Next July? That’s so arbitrary.”
“You—you will extend the Valentine’s until July?!”
Acieth was in her own dimension as usual. But Suzuno, knowing where the July deadline came from, turned her eyes down at the heavy child in her arms. The Obon Festival next July. The “birthday” of Alas Ramus, and the deadline Maou set for their journey to destroy heaven. To Maou, of course, defeating Ignora was a side quest; the main goal was to give Alas Ramus the best birthday she’d ever had, and Chiho agreed with him.
“So I mean, I’m just not sure I should worry about Valentine’s right now.”
““Whaaat?!””
Kaori and Acieth both lunged at her.
“What do you mean, you’re not sure?! Are you crazy, Sasachi?”
“Chiho, have you lost the mind?! You must give chocolate, or he no give you the chocolate back!”
They were criticizing her from two rather different vectors. Chiho raised both hands to calm them down.
“No, I mean, I’ll probably do something. Probably. But…Suzuno?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you seen Maou at his apartment lately?”
“Yes, I saw him as he left for work this morning.”
“I was just wondering, how’s his place looking these days? I feel like the fatigue’s getting to him lately.”
“I am not sure. We have said little but hello to each other as of late.”
Suzuno’s schedule was structured more around Emi’s than anyone else’s, so she’d often not see anyone at all on the way back to Room 202.
At that point, Acieth spoke up. “Maou, he is the really, really tired. I know. He even said ‘Oh, I’m sick of eating out anymore!’”
“He’s sick of eating out?”
Chiho took a moment to ponder what this could mean. It didn’t take long to glean something from it.
“Ah… Ohhh. Ashiya isn’t there, so h
e has to deal with breakfast and dinner himself. I get it.”
“Ch-Chiho?”
“And lunch is one thing, but I know he’s been closing a lot of days lately. I don’t know when he’ll be home from training, so it’s hard to drop in on him. I could leave something with Yusa, but it’d have to be on a day when they’re both working.”
“Um, Sasachi?”
“Hmm… Okay.” Chiho’s voice went flat. “Kao, Suzuno, Acieth… What do you think about me giving Maou a freeze-dried miso soup set for Valentine’s Day?”
“““…”””
Suzuno’s, Acieth’s, and most of all, Kaori’s faces told the whole story. Something was wrong with Chiho today.
“…Are you serious?”
“Huh? Kind of.”
“This isn’t a classroom party!!”
“Yeah, but if I want to bake him something homemade, I’ll have to spend a lot of money buying good chocolate somewhere. If I’m gonna invest in that anyway, why don’t I spend it on something he actually needs?”
“Um, Suzuno? From what I am discerning, Valentine’s Day, it’s that kind of thing, no?”
“I am impressed you are ‘discerning’ anything at the moment, but yes, I agree.”
“You’re right,” Kaori said, “if this was for some normal day. But that’s not any different from the food you brought over before, is it? You know what I mean? Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate! Even if you wanna get creative about it, it’s still got to be something sweet!”
“I know. I know that…” Chiho sighed, shoulders drooping downward. “But I… I haven’t said this before, but I actually have been pressing Maou for an answer, a little.”
““Huh?!””
“Phew!”
Kaori and Suzuno opened their eyes wide. Acieth almost whistled her approval.
“Back when we all went to Nerima together…”
“Oh, back then?”
“So? So what did he say to you?!”
“Well… He did kind of give me an answer. He said he’ll tell me once he gets everything in order.”
“Huh?” Kaori gave her a stupefied tilt of the head. “That’s the same as just stringing it out some more. There’s nothing definite about it at all.”
“No, I guess not…” Chiho gave the group a half smile, a tad embarrassed. “But it feels to me like we set a new deadline, kind of. I feel like, if I give him some fancy chocolate right now, that’ll go beyond pressure and feel more like stress to him.”
Suzuno, of course, knew the truth lurking behind Chiho’s words. It kept her from saying No, that’s not true right now. Certainly, here was a man who knew Chiho’s feelings and was letting them float around aimlessly. Something needed to be done. But considering the enormous, complex issues Maou wrangled with, forcing him into a decision about Chiho felt like it’d bring nothing but bad repercussions.
“You…may be right.”
“Of course, if Acieth is telling the truth, that’s more stress for me, but…”
“Oh, it is no lie, I am the guaranteeing you of it! I saw Kusuda! She had the leer at him!”
“Acieth! You didn’t say that before!”
“Hmm… Kusuda… Hmm…”
Chiho’s face went blank for a moment. She shrugged, looking a little tired again.
“I didn’t mean to let Valentine’s Day go by without any comment. But looking at Maou right now, anything I do seems like pushing my emotions on him, or like it’d seem out of place right now. But I can’t just sit by and pretend this day doesn’t exist, so I thought over what I should do, and I didn’t have any bright ideas, so here I am. I mean…like, Yusa or Suzuno or Amane, or their landlord even—that’s one thing. But to get some chocolate from someone none of us even know?”
“Ahh… Um, well… True. Yes.”
Acieth described it as “expensive-looking” chocolate. But it wasn’t too long ago, Chiho felt, that Maou would’ve gone right to her for advice on what to do in social situations like these. It was exactly what Emi and Akiko thought, back at MgRonald, at almost the same time.
“I’m sure none of this would’ve happened if Alciel was around…”
Ashiya’s absence from Room 201 had caused Maou to become fatigued, oblivious, and open to attack. It made Suzuno wonder how the Devil King’s Army ever stayed together without him. No wonder Emi had plowed through them.
“Oh, right,” Kaori said, face brightening as she sat up. “Kisaki is the manager at MgRonald, right? Why don’t you have her mix it in with the rest of the chocolate getting passed around the staff? Just say it’d make things weird if you personally gave it to him.”
Chiho scowled. “We’re prohibited from giving out chocolate.”
“Huh? Why?”
“She told me herself; the crew can’t give chocolate to one another. Like, ‘If you wanna do it, do it in private,’ she said. I guess it causes problems.”
“Ohhh, I see. Maybe that’s what happens if you got a big staff like that. Hmm. What should you do? Are you really just gonna do nothing?”
“Honestly, part of me thinks that’s the best solution right now.”
“Mmmm… But… Mmmm.” Kaori seemed to understand Chiho but didn’t seem willing to accept it. “But it’s Valentine’s and everything. You can’t just… Oh!” She glanced at Suzuno, eyebrows raised. “You’re friends with Maou, right, Suzuno?”
“Excuse me?” Suzuno froze. “Um, well, who can say? I suppose we are rather close fr…neighbors.”
Suzuno had all but stopped bringing up the discord between humans and demons with Maou, unless she was deliberately trying to needle him. But being asked by an outside observer if they were “friends,” she found it hard to give an instant reply. To someone like Kaori, they were friends and/or neighbors, but she just couldn’t use that word, leading to an oddly ambivalent response.
“Well, if the workplace is a no-go, could we do a trade between close friends, and you can mix it in there?”
“W-Wait, Kaori, are—are you telling the rest of us to give Maou chocolate as well?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the only way to do it. Would you guys mind pitching in for Sasachi’s sake?”
“H-Hold on, Kao! What are you even asking from Suzuno?! Sh-she’s fine! This is all about my own stuff; I can’t put that on her shoulders!”
There was something very “teenager” about Kaori’s out-of-control suggestion. Chiho almost felt the need to apologize to Suzuno. Suzuno, meanwhile, was blushing ear to ear and staring at Kaori.
“M-Me? Give chocolate to him? Wh-what?”
“…Suzuno?”
“How could I look at him? What excuse could I give? And what would I give him? Matcha powder? Wasanbon sugar? Kuromitsu syrup?!” Her eyes darted from person to person as she mumbled. “I—I am not sure about any of that! Perhaps, if it was seen as the polite, social thing to do, it would not seem unnatural… Would it? I did give him those udon noodles at first… Oh, but things are so different now!”
“Suzuno? Suzuno, you are the seriously worried? Why?”
“Ah!”
Acieth’s cold voice snapped her out of her stupor. Noticing the three pairs of eyes staring at her, Suzuno looked downward, face reddening again.
“I—I am sorry. I mean, something like Valentine’s… I have never done anything of the sort before. So…the idea of giving sweets to a member of the opposite sex…”
““Huhhh?!””
This came as a surprise to Chiho and Kaori. To the latter, someone as young-looking but mature as Suzuno having no experience with this was an honest surprise; to the former (although she never worried about it before), the thought of her never giving any man a gift in Ente Isla was beyond her wildest dreams. Chiho and Kaori weren’t so experienced that they had a right to look down on her, but Valentine’s was something you learned in preschool, really, or within your own family.
Suzuno used the hand that wasn’t supporting Alas Ramus to reach up and hide her waterin
g eyes. “R-Regardless,” she said, voice low as she tried to defend herself against the two teens, “if I gave him sweets as well, that would be all the more unnatural. To Maou, I am, er, not at all the sort of person to do that. I think the camouflage would be all too obvious.”
“Then let me do it, too!” Acieth blurted out, whether she knew Suzuno’s feelings or not. Acieth, of course, wasn’t even hiding her desire to be showered in chocolate on White Day; it’d be much more natural for her to do the Valentine’s deed.
“Hmm… Sorry, Acieth, but I think it’d still be a little tough.”
Acieth’s presence still wouldn’t be enough to dull the impact of Chiho presenting chocolate to Maou. To serve as camouflage, their gifts would need to be presented to Maou at the same time—but if Maou was in Sasazuka right now, he likely wouldn’t return until late at night, and he’d be right back at work in the morning. Chiho’s high school schedule kept her from visiting his home that late, and workplace chocolate was already deemed verboten. It was hard to picture a situation where both she and Acieth could give him a gift at the same time.
“So what’re we gonna do?! It’s like there’s no way out!”
“Umm, well, if I can pair up with someone, I can do that,” Chiho stated, “but now’s not the right time for it, and I can’t really expect someone to join me on this. I don’t think we can do anything.”
There was no answer they could ever reach. Beyond anything else, Chiho just didn’t have the drive to push through this apparent impasse. The conversation was starting to visibly fizzle before their eyes.
“Nh…fwahhhh…”
Then, in Suzuno’s lap, the napping Alas Ramus lifted her heavy eyelids open.
“Aw, cute!”
Kaori, seeing her awake for the first time, fawned on the awkwardly squirming toddler.
“Oh, Alas Ramus, are you awake?”
“Hahh… Suzu-Sisss… Goo’ morrrning… Uh?”
As she sleepily greeted Suzuno, she turned and realized she was no longer where she was before she began her nap.
“Magrobad… No? Where aww-we?”
“Good morning, Alas Ramus! No, this isn’t MgRonald. This is Sentucky.”
“Snntuh-key?”
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 16 Page 5
