“Of course we do! What are you saying?”
Laila looked shocked at this. It almost hurt Chiho a bit; if anything, she reasoned, she had a good reason to be shocked. Even a teenager who hadn’t worked with anything besides a labor contract for her part-time job knew that any valid contract in Japan needed three things: names, addresses, and official seals. Laila was trying to sign a contract with Maou that included promises of rewards later on, and yet she had failed to even provide a space for addresses. It went far beyond the realm of a careless error.
“I’m not going to break this contract or anything,” Laila doggedly exclaimed. “Besides, it’s not like we can take this to Japanese court if either side has a problem, is it? All we need here is our names and a common agreement…”
Chiho could already imagine the two of them in a courtroom.
“I agreed to save an entire world from danger, but she never provided me her promised payment!”
“I provided the exact compensation we agreed to, Your Honor!”
“But a single payment for all the Sephirah is ridiculous, considering all the work it took to release all of them!”
“All of that was factored in the final agreement, Your Honor, right up to the maximum predicted level of difficulty!”
“Pfft!”
She couldn’t help but laugh out loud, especially when she imagined Reconciliation Panel chairwoman and Room 202 resident Suzuno Kamazuki in the judge’s chair.
“N-no, Laila, that’s not what Maou is talking about.”
“So…what, then?”
“Chiho Sasaki just said it, dude. We’re all normal people here, but from our perspective, you’re still an angel, Laila.”
“Lucifer?”
Maou nodded. “Exactly. I don’t know where you live, you know?”
Bewildered, Laila blinked at this.
“Stuff happening on Ente Isla is one thing,” Maou said as he looked at the draft contract, then the doomsday report placed next to Chiho. “But I don’t know a single thing about where you live in this country, how you’re putting food on the table, and how you plan to be involved with Japan going forward.”
Then he opened the case he took from the shelf, placing several small cards from it on the tatami floor.
“My name is Sadao Maou. I live in Villa Rosa Sasazuka, Sasazuka city, Shibuya ward, Tokyo. Around here, I’m a human being.”
One card was Maou’s driver’s license, complete with photograph so embarrassing that he steadfastly refused to show it to anyone at first.
“This is my national health insurance card. This is my official seal registration I submitted to the Shibuya Ward Office. Any info about my work history is probably kept at MgRonald’s main Tokyo HQ. How much proof can you provide that you exist in this world?”
“That I exist…here…?”
Having all these tools to prove Maou’s identity thrust before her left Laila unable to do anything but stare at the floor.
“Because right now, you’re still an angel to us. Someone who might appear or disappear at any time, just like you did before. Not a human who has an actual life here.”
Being declared not human made Laila blanch a bit.
“I mean, look at Sariel. He goes by Mitsuki Sarue here in Japan, and he’s still an angel and an enemy to me. But he works right nearby, and as much as I hate to think about it, he lives in what’s apparently a pretty nice apartment. He was blowing tons of cash trying to impress my manager way back when, so I know he’s comfortable financially. The way he tries to butter up any woman he sees grosses me out, but it seems like he and his staff get along pretty well. He’s used to life in Hatagaya—to the point where he agreed to keep our shopping area safe if something happened while me and Suzuno were in Ente Isla saving Emi’s hide.”
He may have been an enemy—in terms of bloodlines, destinies, and fast-food rivalries—but even Maou had at least one or two good things to say about the archangel.
“And you know, along those lines, if he was the one who brought this up with me, maybe I would’ve lent a more serious ear to it, you know?”
“Huh?!” Laila looked shocked. “I’m below Sariel…? That much?”
“If I could go into more detail, I feel like Sariel would have come up with kind of a clearer report, too. He’s got experience making employee manuals and flowcharts and stuff.”
Chiho’s follow-up was like a fatal torpedo to Laila’s defense.
“Yeah. And it’s not like I trust his type at all. We aren’t in regular contact or anything. But as long as Ms. Kisaki is working in Hatagaya, I’m one hundred percent positive he isn’t moving an inch from there. Even if his company decides to transfer him somewhere else, I’m pretty confident he’ll tap into his archangel forces to keep himself there if he has to. But even with that, he’s living a regular life here in Japan that’s been accepted by dozens, if not hundreds, of people around him.”
“He was awful to me at first, too,” added Chiho, “but with everything that’s happened since, we say hello to each other nowadays when we pass by in the shopping arcade.”
“Yeah, dude, he certainly showed us how much of a hard worker he is. That was a surprise, huh?”
Even Urushihara was willing to give this honest assessment, having seen how he stepped up while Maou and Suzuno were gone from Earth.
“Mmm. But what about you, huh? I have no clue where you live or where you’re getting your money from. You’re showing up a lot more often than you used to, but if you flake out again, we’ve got no way to track you down. Considering that, what if something happens to Emi or Nord and you never show up? ’Cause that seems entirely possible to me.”
“N-no, I’d never—”
“And you know, I’m sure Emi would say the same thing. If you asked me, after all the scheming and conniving you’ve done around us, I still don’t really know why you’ve picked this moment in time to show yourself. I know you’re kinda part of the Devil’s Castle dinner club now, but don’t think we’re just letting that slide forever.”
“I… That…”
Laila looked downward, her guard weakening now that Maou had finally gotten his point across to her.
“You know, you’ve everything worked out in terms of appearances, but you’re still dealing with us in bad faith. Like you always have. Enough to make me wonder if you’re providing all this info, like the story bible for some TV show, so you can keep the wraps over your own situation in case you feel the need to slip away again. And all this stuff’s so vague, too. There’s too little meat to it.”
“I…I’m sorry…?”
“So, really, in the end, I’m kind of forced to question how much of this whole story is true, y’know? Because there’s nothing in here I’m willing to believe in so much that I’ll close my eyes to the fact that you angels are still our enemy. Whether whatever you’re doing is really the best thing for the future of Alas Ramus and all the rest or not.”
“…”
“Laila…”
Chiho patted the shoulder of the silent, downtrodden angel.
“It’s all right. Chiho,” the woman replied, brushing the hand away. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You warned me about that in Lucifer’s hospital room, and I’m just doing the same thing over again, aren’t I?”
“You’ve gotten so used to being a social outcast, it must’ve soaked into your brain by now, huh?”
“There, you see, Laila? Even Urushihara feels valid saying stuff like that to you. Shouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself?”
“Oh, Maou!”
“It’s fine. I can’t defend myself against it. Besides…”
“Hmm?”
Laila lifted her face a little, then turned it a bit to the side toward Urushihara.
“I’m…partly at fault for what happened to Lucifer anyway.”
Here, for the first time, was something that honestly piqued both Maou’s and Chiho’s curiosity. Their eyebrows arched up.
“What?”
Urushihara gave Laila a deeply unpleasant stare. “Uh, dude, could you not phrase it so you sound like a mom apologizing for the way she raised her kid? ’Cause that burns, man.”
“But, Lucifer—”
He shook his head before she could continue. “I really don’t care. Like, really, I don’t even remember much of it. How long ago d’you think that was?”
“Yeah…”
Then he turned back toward his computer and fell silent. Laila turned a pair of saddened eyes toward his back. It made Maou and Chiho feel eminently uncomfortable.
“Y’know, Chi, that sounds like something that’s gonna take the squabbling among Emi’s family and throw it in one damn crazy new direction.”
“No, it certainly didn’t seem like a laughing matter to me…”
Urushihara and Laila looked at them, one fully understanding how Maou and Chiho interpreted their conversation just now and the other not at all.
“Dudes, don’t get the wrong idea. ’Cause depending on how you interpret it and who’s doin’ the interpreting, it’d mean both my life and the lives of, like, a bunch of others.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
““Um, nothing,”” Maou and Chiho awkwardly said in unison, faces turned away.
“But…all right. I understand. So listen, Satan—and you too, Chiho, if you like.”
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you two to forget all about this for now,” Laila said, taking the doomsday report from Chiho’s hands. She sat back down, looking them straight in the eye. “If you like, you can come visit my place. My home in Japan, of course.”
“Your…”
“Your home?”
Chiho looked bewildered. Maou lowered his brows in disbelief.
Laila gave them both a firm nod. “Right. I’ve lived at several addresses since I came to Japan, but I’ve been at the same place for five years now. My work keeps me away from home some nights, though.”
Whether her “work” meant her efforts related to this doomsday report or the answer to Chiho’s question wasn’t clear at this point.
“But over there, you’ll find a lot more than this report. You’ll see all the resources and information I’ve collected worldwide over centuries. There’s documents, talismans, devices you won’t find anywhere except heaven. If I wanted to…I could even make angel’s feather pens for you, Satan…and Emilia, and Chiho. Everyone here. It will take some time, but…”
“You mean…!”
Laila’s casual reference to a familiar item shocked Chiho and even made Maou raise his eyebrows. Creating such a pen required a feather from the wings of an archangel, allowing the user to freely create Gates without any need for magic casting. As an archangel herself, Laila probably could craft more than a few. Shiba stated that the heaven of Ente Isla had firmly shut its borders, impossible to access even via a Gate—but if Laila could gift a stock of feather pens for Maou and everyone else, that was an enticing offer, whether it involved freeing the Sephirah or not. Plus, these were Laila’s feathers. If she decided to vanish again, they could probably use them to find her.
Chiho gave Maou an expectant look. After all this waiting and talking it out, they finally had something concrete to work with. Maou answered her expression with a reply that came quicker than she expected.
“I’d be willing to go now, if you want.”
““Wha?!”” exclaimed both Chiho and Laila.
“But you probably gotta get home, huh, Chi? It’s getting late.”
“Oh, um…”
“Ah, er…”
Both women were stammering at the same time.
“…Something wrong with that, you two?”
““N-no, um, I’m not ready,”” the archangel and teenager echoed in unison.
“Not ready?” Maou gave Laila an exasperated sigh. “You’re the one who invited us.”
Laila put her hands together, bowing her head to Maou. “I-I’m sorry. I really do want you to come visit, but I didn’t expect you to ask for right now, so, um, maybe sometime besides today?”
“Why? You got plans or something tonight? Emi’s working until ten PM, I think, so you won’t be seeing her.”
“Um, no, not that, but…”
“Wait,” Maou rumbled. “Don’t tell me Emi doesn’t know your home address, either?”
““!!””
Another synchronized gasp from the two women. Their subsequent reactions, however, diverged from there—Laila averting her eyes from Maou, but Chiho scowling and turning her head downward.
“I, um, actually, I haven’t been able to talk about stuff like this with Emilia at all…”
“Come on, lady!” Maou’s eyes burst open at Laila and her penchant for constantly making excuses. “You still haven’t? How many days has it been?”
It had been over a week since Maou and Emi proclaimed an interest in working with Laila.
“Well, not like this, okay? I’m not going to your place before Emi does. I doubt she’d bring it up with me, but I guarantee she’ll be upset with you all over again.”
It was near the end of the year. Everyone was busier than usual. But she still hadn’t found an opportunity to talk things over with Emi? Maou began to wonder which side was the main cause of that.
“Y-yeah. I know. I want to discuss matters with Emilia, and…and that’s another reason why we can’t do it today! I’m sorry about that! If it’s tomorrow…ooh, maybe the day after, actually…”
“The day afterrrr?”
The disbelief was obvious from Maou’s nasal reply as he glanced at the monthly work schedule tacked to the refrigerator.
“Hmph. Lucky us, huh? Me, Chi, and Emi aren’t scheduled for anything that evening. That’s pretty rare, you know. Day after tomorrow, you got it?”
The day fell on a weekday, but by sheer coincidence, the three of them weren’t scheduled for anything beyond the start of evening.
“I, um, I’ll try.”
It was a rather odd reply to Maou’s declaration. But at least it marked this mystery woman Laila promising to remove at least one layer of the veils surrounding her.
“Also, while I have the chance, can you give me your phone number? ’Cause seriously, you make me anxious. I gotta get as much info outta you as I can while you’re still here.”
“All right.”
Laila meekly took out her smartphone, opened her contacts list, and provided it to Maou. He typed Laila’s number into his, double-checking to ensure he got it right, then had Chiho do the same before tossing the phone back at the archangel.
“Oh, and try talking to Emi for a change, too, all right? We’ll share the contact info with her, but don’t assume we can easily reach her anytime of day.”
Laila meekly nodded at the sharp warning. “…I’ll try on that, too.”
Just as it looked like things were wrapping up, Urushihara turned back around.
“So what’re you ‘not ready’ for, Chiho Sasaki?”
“…………Oh, uh, yes.”
She had acted a bit thrown at first, but now that they had a firm promise to meet at Laila’s residence, Chiho had started to show signs of calm. Maou worried that it wasn’t calm so much as depression.
“Chi?”
But she shook her head at him. “No, um, I’m all right. The question got settled as we were talking.”
“Oh? Well, good.”
“Are you coming, too, Chiho? Lucifer’s invited, too, if he likes, and Alciel and Bell…”
“Oh, um, I’ll ask,” Chiho replied, the tone of her voice low.
“No thanks, dude. Sounds too much like work. Not like I’ll have anything to do over there.”
As the entire human race could have predicted, Urushihara turned down a chance to venture outside.
“Yeah, so… I dunno if having the whole gang over would be all that great, but I’ll go ahead and ask Ashiya and Suzuno. See you in two days. My
shift’s till five, but I’ll contact you about a meetup time once we know what Chi’s school schedule looks like.”
“A-all right.”
Laila’s speech had been oddly wooden for a while now.
“Do you think we should invite Nord and Emeralda, too, Maou?”
“Yeah… Emeralda I dunno, but Nord for sure…”
Judging by the way Laila put it, Nord had never seen the place, either, whether he knew about its existence or not. If it was just Emi going, that was one thing—but ignoring Nord even after nonfamily members like Maou and Chiho were invited wouldn’t be very kind. Adding him to the mix seemed like a completely normal gesture to make, but for some reason, it made Laila visibly wince.
“No! Not him!!”
“Huh?” “Oh?” “Dudette?”
This was a surprise for all three of them.
“Look, whether you want him or not, he’s kind of important…”
Maou was honestly bewildered. Nord was Laila’s husband. Maou, on the other hand, wasn’t related to either of them. Why was he okay but Nord off the list?
“Y-yes, um, I know full well how weird this sounds. I know, but, um, he, uh, if he’s coming, too, then I dunno about two days from now…”
“Quit talkin’ nonsense.” Maou looked at the December shift schedule on the fridge and winced. “If it’s not two days, then I don’t see another time when we’re all free for a while!”
“I—I know, I know. I’m well aware it’s my fault for letting this go for so long. It’s my crime. But it’s all right. I’ll figure something out. He might say no for all I know, so, um, yeah, day after tomorrow. That’s fine.”
Allowing Satan, King of All Demons, to come as she excluded her own husband seemed ridiculous. But Maou held back. Haranguing Laila about this could make her call the whole thing off.
“All right. So…where should we go in two days, Laila?”
“Oh, right, right. Yes. Umm, Shinjuku. Can we meet up at Shinjuku station, maybe? I’ll be taking the Oedo Line, so how about by the turnstiles at the Keio Line west exit?”
“All right.”
It was a familiar spot. Chiho often used it as a meetup site for outings with her own friends.
“Satan?”
“Sure.”
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 13 Page 5
