Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 14 - Chapter 4

THE HERO IS AMAZED BY THE ENEMY GENERAL’S VAST POWERS 
It was by sheer coincidence that Suzuno sensed something was off with a sight that had grown all too familiar in recent days. You could say the morning sun just happened to cast its light against it, there in their shared hallway, or perhaps her eyes caught sight of it when she bent over to pick up the key she dropped while locking the door. 
“D-Devil King…?” 
“Mm? Oh, you’re leaving this early?” 
The easygoing reply came from Sadao Maou, the human form of the Lord of All Demons who’d come within a stone’s throw of taking over the world once, but who was now her next-door neighbor. 
“…Why’re you all hunched-over like that?” 
“N-no reason…” 
That wasn’t true. However, even if Suzuno pointed out the cause, what could she do about it? Considering the nature of their relationship, Suzuno had no motivation to actively save Maou from the…issue befalling him. They had grown closer lately as neighbors, she had been forcibly named a general in his army the other day, and overall, she couldn’t deny that things were evolving between them in a way they hadn’t before. But if some misfortune were to befall him, her reaction normally would’ve been to point and laugh. 
Right now, though, despite that, the sight presented before Suzuno, were she to go through with that, would’ve made her seem so low, so petty. Whether he was her enemy or not—or, really, because he was her enemy—his encountering this kind of trouble was something she never wanted to see. So, after weighing Maou’s good reputation against her own sense of shame, she opted to point it out. Just not directly. 
“D-Devil King, um, what is the matter with Alciel?” 
Her plan-B strategy began with asking about Shirou Ashiya—the Great Demon General Alciel, faithful servant of Maou, a domestic god, and truly the ideal househusband in every way. 
“Oh, um, he found a temp job he has to stay out overnight for, so he won’t be back until tonight.” 
“Wh-what?” 
The news filled Suzuno with despair. It also made her understand why the sight before her was being exposed to the public in the first place. There was no way Ashiya, someone keenly aware of his master’s social standing, would allow this to go unnoticed. 
“Uh, did you need Ashiya for something?” 
“No, umm, that, I was planning to visit the morning market today and I thought I would discuss it with him…but…” 
She wasn’t lying. If they happened to come across each other, they would at least exchange pleasantries along those lines. But, in the end, it was both a lie and an escape for her. 
“Are, are you going to work, Devil King?” 
“Yeah. Just a half-day shift today… Aaaand I’m outta time. See you.” 
“Ah…” 
With a glance at his watch, Maou turned around without bothering to wait for Suzuno’s response and headed out. He left her still crouched down there as he mounted his Dullahan II city fixie and sped off, the sound fading in the distance. 
All she could do was watch as he disappeared. 
 
“Chi, um…do you think you should just tell him?” 
“I can’t! I could never do that…!” 
Chiho Sasaki—a walking embodiment of high morals, politeness, and good habits, dressed in a MgRonald uniform—might very well have defied her boss’s will for the first time in her work career just now. 
There was nothing at all unusual with Maou’s behavior. He was beavering away behind the counter, a refreshing smile on his face. But Mayumi Kisaki, manager at the MgRonald restaurant in front of Hatagaya Station, and Chiho Sasaki, who knew much more about Maou’s life and history than she’d ever be able to reveal to the public, simply had to talk about him today. 
Would telling the man himself, though, really be an act of kindness? That was where the pair’s conversation began. 
“No, I think if you told him, that’d keep the damage to a minimum…” 
“But I can’t, I… I could just never say it. I mean, if I did, you know he’ll ask how I noticed in the first place…” 
“How? Hell, I noticed it from my height. There’s nothing weird about it.” 
“B-but Maou’s a man, and if he has a girl tell him, I think that’d hurt his feelings. Personally, Ms. Kisaki, I think it’d hurt him the least if you phrased it like an order to him…” 
“You say that, but for today at least, it’s fine. I don’t have any right to criticize how he handles himself outside the workplace… Don’t you think it’d be nicer if someone with more of a private rapport with him just kind of, you know, gave a hint?” 
“N-no, but…” 
“Shirking responsibility” was never a term anyone would use to describe Chiho or Kisaki. Except today. 
The utterly unproductive conversation continued anon. Yes, Chiho knew Maou in his personal life, but bringing up such a delicate issue would make anybody hesitate a little. But then she remembered that in said “private rapport,” she had just been placed in a position she knew Maou thought of as terribly important. A position that, by her connection to Maou, gave her a certain amount of responsibility for him. 
“It’s just so strange, though. You’d think that Ashiya— Oh, um, that’s the name of Maou’s roommate, but…” 
“I know him; he’s come to the restaurant a few times. That tall man he was with a little bit ago, right?” 
Chiho recalled the name of Shirou Ashiya, Maou’s closest confidant and general. With someone that careful, that exact with every aspect of home life, how could he let this happen? She couldn’t even imagine. 
“Right, right. He had to have noticed that. Ashiya handles all the laundry and housework, so there’s no way he couldn’t have.” 
“Well, you never know, though. Because I really don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before. It’s not something you’re looking out for unless you know it’s there.” 
“Yeah, but if you’re folding it up and putting it back in your dresser, for example, you’ve got to notice it then, right?” 
“Or maybe it doesn’t show up unless you’re actually wearing it? If it’s just a white blotch like that, maybe you wouldn’t notice it…” 
The two of them were discussing Maou’s wardrobe. He was wearing the standard MgRonald red polo shirt, like always, matched with flat-front black pants that gave him a slim silhouette, a red visor, and a pair of cheap black leather shoes. At a glance, the outfit wouldn’t look out of place on any of the thousands of male MgRonald employees in Japan and around the world. 
“Well, look, as I said, I can’t say anything to him about his life outside these walls. So please, Chi. I know Marko means a lot to you. Either give it to him straight, or go tell his friend Ashiya, or something. Just figure out a way to keep from hurting his feelings as much as possible, okay?” 
“M-Ms. Kisaki! If you put it that way…!” 
“Because I know I’m your manager, but there’s just some things I can’t do, Chi!” 
“Ughhh, I can’t do this… What am I even supposed to say…?” 
Kisaki all but fled the scene, a distressed look on her face, as Chiho was almost driven to tears. Wow, the carefree Maou thought, noticing this. That’s rare. Did Chi do something wrong to anger her? 
 
As the evening sun set beyond the town of Sasazuka, Emi spotted him. She thought about saying something, but before she could take in any breath, the air stopped cold in her throat. 
“Pmfggh!” 
Then she reflexively blocked the mouth of her daughter, who was about to comment on the same thing. 
“…Mommy?” 
Alas Ramus, in Emi’s arms, turned a concerned eye to her behavior. Emi had no time to answer her. That had to be Maou in front of her, walking his bike along, with Chiho right next to him. Chiho had mentioned that they were both working the day shift today, so their being together wasn’t an issue. She was in street clothes, carrying what looked like an insulated bag—food she’d be bringing along to Devil’s Castle tonight, no doubt. 
But what, of all things, could that be? She knew that Maou was living life on the barest shoestring of a budget, but didn’t it shame him at all to go around exposing that to the world? He tended to at least keep a bare minimum of decent attire on him at all times; that’s how he retained his pride as Devil King. 
So maybe he hadn’t noticed? Could be. 
Because there wouldn’t be any way to, in that location. If it were folded up neatly, even, it’d be impossible to pick up on. 
Then, upon reaching that conclusion, a question flashed across Emi’s brain: What was Ashiya doing—the Great Demon General, Maou’s most talented of servants? Didn’t it embarrass him, having his master go around like that? It hardly mattered to Emi how much Maou publicly embarrassed himself, of course. If anything, she should be talking behind his back to the entire world about this—and then, as the Hero who saved a world he had nearly placed on the brink of destruction, she ought to whip out her holy sword and drive it straight into his back. 
Now that she was a long-term resident of Japan, however, she had no interest in doing that, and she doubted Maou even suspected she would. But as a human being and a Hero, she had to think that the Devil King losing his social standing following a gaffe like this was a good thing for her. 
She had to, but she didn’t. That error he’d made was so small, so piddling, so pathetic, that even Emi couldn’t suppress a little pity for him. 
“Ch-Chiho!” 
Emi walked a little faster toward them. Chiho had to come first. She couldn’t afford to scar Chiho just because she happened to be walking with him. Everybody close to either of them knew that she had deep, serious feelings for him. Emi was the Hero, but before that, a living, breathing person. Chiho was her friend. And she couldn’t allow her pure, beautiful feelings to be marred because of the Devil King’s utter foolishness. 
“Oh! Ms. Yusa! And Alas Ramus!” 
“Hi, Daddy! Hi, Chi-Sis!” 
Emi averted her eyes, unable to look at them directly the way Alas Ramus could. 
“Ooh, there you are, Alas Ramus! …What’s your deal, Emi?” 
But no matter how unnatural Emi knew it made her look, as long as Chiho was walking next to this guy, her pride deserved to be kept safe. She was ready to do what had to be done. And right now, that meant walking right behind Maou until they reached the apartment. 
Of course, having the Hero breathing down his neck like this wasn’t exactly comfortable for Maou. He knew that Emi wasn’t about to jab a dagger into the back of his neck, but there was just something so awkward with the position she took. 
And yet, Emi kept it going. She didn’t want to walk like this, either—but she was willing to sacrifice her body for it. Besides, what if Chiho hadn’t noticed, by some crazy chance? She even considered letting Alas Ramus ride on Maou’s back as she pushed his bicycle, but not only would that leave part of it unhidden, it’d be even harder to cover his back. 
Then she noticed Chiho turned toward her, a sad smile on her face. 
“Ms.…Yusa?” 
“Chiho… You…” 
Her expression convinced Emi: Chiho knew the truth. She knew it, and she was still walking next to him. And no wonder. A couple walking single-file down the sidewalk would be too goofy to ignore. The look Chiho flashed Emi also told her that Maou still had no idea. 
Anger began to well up from the pit of her stomach. She knew Chiho was important to him, but unless he was capable of covering all the bases himself, there was no point to it. The sheer innocence to Chiho’s act made her heart ache. Falling in love with this thoughtless—disgusting, even—Devil King would never leave her happy in life, but just look at her… 
“Almost there…” 
“Y-yeah…” 
“Uh, what’s up, guys?” 
And then here was Maou, completely oblivious in the middle of the two women, but increasingly suspicious at how clearly unnatural their conversation was. Chiho and Emi, meanwhile, just wished he’d notice something else unnatural about himself—but the residential area surrounding Villa Rosa Sasazuka was mostly empty at the moment, making his chances of being spotted by strangers low. 
“Oh? Is that Suzuno over there?” 
Chiho pointed out Suzuno, standing there at the landing of the apartment’s stairwell. She must have noticed them as well, and the moment she saw how Chiho and Emi were positioned around Maou, she visibly gasped. It told Chiho and Emi everything they needed to know. 
She was aware, too. 
“Hi, Suzu-Sis!” 
Only Alas Ramus, her pure smile strong enough to banish all evil from the world, bothered to wave at her. 
“Why didn’t you just tell him in the morning…? It’s so gross…!” 
“If, if you saw something like that without warning, do you think you could offer the right sort of advice with no advance notice, you?” 
“N-no, I couldn’t… I mean, there’s really nothing we could do.” 
“Wh-what?!” 
She had never done it before, but today Suzuno had gone all the way down the stairs to greet the three of them (or, really, just Chiho and Emi). The women immediately went into a huddle, whispering among themselves. Maou, left by himself to stare at them, opted to walk upstairs. 
“…Whatever. I’m going in.” 
All three women couldn’t help but watch his rear as he climbed the stairwell. The moment he disappeared behind his front door, they began whispering again. 
“What could Alciel possibly be thinking? You’d think he would notice something like that!” 
“Y-yeah, it’s hard to believe he’d miss it…” 
“The Devil King said that he had picked up temporary employment that required an overnight stay again.” 
““…”” 
This tidbit of information made Chiho and Emi bring a hand to their respective foreheads. 
“First those rip-off door-to-door salesmen, and now this? Can’t they survive a single day if Alciel isn’t there?!” 
“I guess Ashiya’s the real unsung hero of the demon realms, huh…?” 
“Well…how did he fare today, Chiho? Did it stand out very much?” 
“Me and Ms. Kisaki noticed it just passing by him in the staff room…” 
“Yeah, and the moment I saw his rear end out on the street, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It’s just so pathetic, I thought I was gonna cry.” 
“Th-that obvious? But the man himself has yet to notice?” 
“Well, Ms. Kisaki said that the fabric probably only stretches out after he puts them on and he can’t see it…” 
“Oh, that kinda thing…” 
“R-regardless. If he has not noticed, we should just point it out behind him at some point and try not to make it sting. It is the kindest thing to do.” 
“T-true. Just…give it to him easy, like a warm cup of tea…” 
“…Uh, who’s gonna do that? I sure don’t want to.” 
“What I’m saying is,” Suzuno began, “if someone brings it up just a tad awkwardly, as if they’ve only just noticed it—” 
“Aaaaaaaaagggggghgghghhhhhh!” 
A pained, shrill scream echoed across the upstairs floor, making all three of them shiver. They all knew what happened. It had only dawned on them now—something they had forgotten. Someone else close to Maou, a man for whom the word “empathy” meant nothing. 
“Hey, uh, sorry, dudes…” 
The window to Room 201 opened, revealing the face of a sleepy-eyed Hanzou Urushihara. 
“…but d’you mind waiting a little bit? Maou just flipped over the dresser, so it’s kinda messy in here.” 
He pulled his head back inside. 
“He said it.” 
“He must have.” 
“Urushihara…” 
“Ooh?” 
Their sighs melted into the night sky. Suzuno, Kisaki, Chiho, and Emi had all noticed instantly. Urushihara must’ve been asleep in the morning, but he had to be awake by now, and he spotted it just as quickly. 
And then he just naturally blurted it out. Right there, where his legs met in the crotch of the jeans he wore to and from work today, were two blatantly visible holes. 
 
“Not, not, not there, of all places…” 
Maou, his pants spread out on the floor in front of him, shivered. 
“Why would there be holes right there?!” 
This was a pair of jeans, part of his off-the-clock wear. Once again, right where the legs connected to the crotch, the fabric had gone from blue to nearly white. Upon further inspection, the weaving was wearing out and all but gone. Only the cross-stitching was still around, but put your leg through it, and bare skin was clearly visible. 
“And three of them?!” 
All three pairs of jeans laid on the floor had similar holes. 
“You had only three pairs of nonwork pants…?” 
As much as Emi knew Maou believed in the credo of “poverty with honor,” this sheer lack of a wardrobe was shocking to see. 
“I got three other work pairs!!” 
“Were they all right?” 
“His work pants didn’t look like that today, no,” Chiho said. 
Maou checked them, of course—and no, his work slacks were still in serviceable condition. Even the pair he had over in storage had nothing wrong with it—and that’s what he was wearing now, to deal with this emergency. 
He gave another look at his ruined jeans, the pain written across his face, then spoke with a voice like the apocalypse. 
“So, uh, Chi?” 
“Y-yes?” 
“Um, if you noticed it, Chi, does that mean…?” 
Too pure-hearted to lie to Maou, Chiho finally confessed, as much as it made her blood curdle. 
“Ms. Kisaki was worried about you, too…” 
“Daaaaaaaagagggggggghhhhhhh!!” 
Maou grabbed his head and fell into a ball on the floor. 
“You don’t have to exaggerate, dude,” Urushihara casually muttered next to him. 
“Shut up, you dumbass!” the wounded Maou snapped back. “I’m not like you! I actually go outside! Your clothes personify everything you are, out there! You want people to think that you don’t have any problem wearing jeans with holes in the crotch?!” 
“I haven’t really paid attention to what people thought about me so far in life, yo.” 
“M-Maou, it’s all right!” Chiho interjected. “We all know this is just an accident!” 
“As an Ente Islan, though, seeing the Devil King, who attempted to conquer us so serviceably, walking around with holes in his pants is hilarious. I hope this is added to history books all over the world.” 
“Gaaaahhhhh!! Damn it! Emi seeing me is something I’ll never make up for in my whole life!!” 
“Another new page in our holy scripture…” 
“Suzunoooooo!! Whether you’re joking or not, stop it! I’m seriously depressed right now, all right?!” 
“Maou…I’m so sorry. If only me or Ms. Kisaki had been brave enough to say it…” 
“It’s not your fault, Chiho. If anything, Alciel’s the one to blame for not noticing any of this, don’t you think?” 
“Yeah,” Urushihara replied to Emi. “Like, that’s the biggest surprise to me. The first time I saw it, I was like, whoa, was there a moth infestation or something?” 
While they had the women wait outside, Maou and Urushihara conducted a snap inspection of the entire rest of their wardrobe. Some of it was a bit worn, of course, but only Maou’s jeans had chosen to fall apart in such a whimsical fashion. 
“But if this is all your stuff,” Chiho asked, “these pants can’t be that old, can they? Why are only the jeans like this?” 
Maou nodded, his face gaunt. It hadn’t even been two years since he and Ashiya made it to Japan. No matter how long ago it was when they bought these clothes, none of it could’ve been more than two years old. Some of it was used, of course, but the jeans? As Maou recalled, he had bought two pairs at the UniClo in Sasazuka and the other on sale at a clothing store down at the shopping arcade. 
“The reason doesn’t matter… Look, if you guys’re eating, go ahead without me. The UniClo’s still open right now. I gotta go get some new pants.” 
He rose to his feet like a wandering ghoul, grabbing his wallet and walking toward the door. 
“Shouldn’t you ask Ashiya first, Maou?” Urushihara asked from behind, no doubt just as casually as when he’d pointed out the holes. The three girls had thought the same thing, but they felt so bad for Maou that they just couldn’t bring it up. 
Maou turned around, his eyes sunken. “This is an emergency,” he said in a low voice. “Ashiya’s not enough of a monster to whine about one or two pairs of jeans.” 
“But wouldn’t Ashiya say, like, ‘even in rags, a man’s heart is as pure as gold’ or something?” 
“You think a modern Japanese person can have a heart of gold if half his crotch is visible?!” 
With that, he slammed the door behind him. 
“Ah! Maou!” 
Chiho, unable to stay silent, ran out after him, pursuing the stricken demon. The remaining three saw her go, then sat in silence for a moment. It was Suzuno who spoke first, as she folded up Maou’s ruined jeans. 
“Still…I wonder why they frayed like this.” 
“It wouldn’t happen to you in those kimono you wear. I think I better check on my clothes, too. I never looked right in that spot, but if I find anything like this, I’m gonna be more hurt than the Devil King.” 
“Dude, I never knew Maou was delicate enough to get all hurt over something like this.” 
“Hmph. Well, if the Devil King were to continue wearing crotchless jeans, it would hurt all of us far more greatly.” 
“Where did Daddy ’n’ Chi-Sis go?” 
Alas Ramus was curiously staring at the door. 
“Mmm… They went out to buy some clothes.” 
“What about dinnew?” 
“Well…” 
Emi and Suzuno exchanged glances. The child wouldn’t understand the truth, and if she did, Maou probably wouldn’t be able to show his face around her. 
“We’re all going to eat together,” Emi said in a soothing voice, “so just wait a little bit longer, okay?” 
With Chiho out the door, it’d be rude to eat the stuff in her bag without asking. It’d be terribly mean to Maou, besides. 
“Okeh!” 
“Whuhhh?” 
Alas Ramus was agreeable to it. The other child in the room wasn’t. 
“Dude, Maou said we could eat without him.” 
“Ugh…” 
“Lucifer…how could you…?” 
Emi and Suzuno glared at him, looks of clear, unfettered scorn on their faces. 
“So after the main support of this place has that happen to him, you don’t feel any sympathy at all?” 
“Look at how kind Alas Ramus is at times like these. Have you no shame whatsoever?” 
“Whoa! Why’re you all taking Maou’s side here?” the surprised Urushihara asked. “That’s kind of freaky, in a way. Why do you care if Maou has something really embarrassing happen to him?” 
““Not this embarrassing!”” they both shouted back. To the denizens of a world laid siege to by a Devil King now half-driven to tears because of holes in his jeans, this was simply too much to bear. 
 
“Maou, um, don’t let this get you down too much… This was our fault, too. We saw it, but we didn’t know how to put it to you, so…um…” 
“…No, I’m sorry, too. I freaked out a little too much.” 
On their way to the UniClo by Sasazuka Station, Chiho tried her best to cheer up Maou, even as he lurched forward with his shoulders halfway to the ground. 
“Like, yeah, if I was a girl, I dunno how I’d put it to a man, either. I’d be racking my brains up and down tryin’ to figure out what to do. And there weren’t any men on shift today apart from me.” 
Certainly, there were measures he could’ve taken if he’d known. Walking home in his work pants, for example. But hindsight was always 20/20 that way—and out of consideration for a man who had already gone all the way to work in holey jeans, they couldn’t quite tell him. That was their story, and Maou knew they weren’t lying. 
“…Ah, well. Yeah, those holes suck for me, but it’s not like I was exposing my bare ass or people saw my undies or anything. A new pair of pants, and it’s all good. You mind helping me pick something?” 
It seemed more than a little bit like hollow bravado to Chiho, but as long as Maou was trying to cheer up about it, there was no need for her to bring up the holes again. 
They were at Sasazuka Station in a flash. All the stores at the in-station mall were still open, luckily, and the UniClo among them was fairly busy with nine-to-fivers and students on their way home. 
“My budget’s…maybe five thousand yen,” Maou said with a groan as he entered the store. Considering he was replacing three pairs of jeans, this sounded horribly unrealistic to Chiho. “Hey,” he reasoned, “summer’s over and they’ll have the fall and winter stuff out, so maybe it’ll be cheaper.” 
“Yeah, true.” 
The UniClo at Sasazuka Station was on the small side, compared to the rest of the chain’s locations, so the merchandise changed in and out rapidly with the seasons. With summer coming to an end, Maou figured the remaining summer gear would either be piled up in clearance bins or subject to “buy one, get X” sales. 
“Do jeans ever go for that cheap, though?” 
“It doesn’t have to be jeans for now. As long as there’s cheap pants with no crazy design on them, anything’s fine.” 
This convinced Chiho well enough as they stepped inside. 
“Oh, look!” 
It wasn’t a very large store, so it didn’t take long for Chiho to point out a set of shelves groaning with summer gear—T-shirts for 590 yen, short-sleeve button-downs for 790 yen each. A lot of stuff that was low-priced, but might just be worth it cost performance–wise if you were willing to store it in the closet for a year. Another section of the corner also had a selection of thin, lightweight pants, apparently good for their moisture-wicking, quick-drying properties. 
Chiho picked up the nearest pair and looked at the price. “Wow, you’re right. This is pretty inexpensive.” 
It was a pair of pleated chino pants, and they were marked down to 1,500 yen—almost too cheap, you could say. 
“But…this is too thin, isn’t it? It’s meant for summer.” 
“Beats bein’ naked, doesn’t it?” 
“N-no, you’re right, but…I mean…” 
Chiho couldn’t help but smile at Maou’s heavily forced logic. Come to think of it, Maou was the kind of person who’d gladly wear the thinnest hoodie she ever saw while winter wasn’t quite over yet, if he had nothing else to wear. 
“Lemme see it… Ahh, this won’t work. The waist is too big around me.” 

“What size are you, Maou? I don’t really know how men’s sizes work.” 
A tag with “87” marked on it was sewn into the pleated chinos Chiho picked up first—87 centimeters, or about a size 34 in inches. 
“The pants I got on right now are a 76,” Maou replied, slapping the knee of his work pants. This would be a size 30 in imperial units. “It’s got some looseness to it, though, so I could probably freestyle a little size-wise with a belt.” 
To the Devil King’s Army, which put price above all other considerations, clothing and shoes weren’t something they bought custom-fit for their bodies. As long as the size was within shooting distance, they adjusted their own bodies to them. 
Maou proceeded to take a few pants off the shelf, then put them back…then take a few more off…then put them back again. This cycle repeated itself a few more times. 
“…Nothing.” 
“Nope…” 
His face grew sterner. In terms of sheer numbers, there were a ton of summer pants piled up, but—as you’d expect from closeout jobs like these—there was nothing in just the right size, or any very common size for that matter. The smallest one available was 73, and from there they shot straight up to 81, with the rest of them all in the mid-eighties. 
“Oh, Maou, this one’s a seventy-ni— Actually, let’s not go with this one.” 
“Yeah, that’s…you know.” 
What Chiho had picked up just by looking at the tag was a pair of cargo pants festooned with the flags of the world, like someone had tried to symbolize the United Nations in a pair of pants. It didn’t really work. 
“Hmm, maybe I could handle an 81 with a belt. Chi, can you find the one from before…and gimme this one, too? I’ll go try them on.” 
“Oh, okay.” 
Chiho handed over the other pleated pants, Maou grabbing another pair for himself and asking a salesperson to lead him to the changing room. “Let me know if you need anything, sir,” the employee said as he closed the door behind him. 
Standing there, leaning against the wall across from the door, Chiho couldn’t help but chuckle a little. This wasn’t exactly a thrilling trip out, but this was kind of turning into a date, wasn’t it? 
“Maybe we’ll do this again sometime, except with the places switched…” 
Chiho let her mind lazily run wild. She’d go into the changing room, having Maou evaluate whether she looked cute in whatever she picked. Even that seemed like a dream to her. Of course, given Maou’s current fragile emotional state, she couldn’t bask in the moment for too long, and Emi and the others were waiting back at the apartment anyway—but still, she started to wish this moment could last a little longer for her. 
“What d’you think of this, Chi?” 
“Y-yeah?” 
The door suddenly opened. Chiho reddened a bit before turning her face toward the changing room, as if shyly peeking at Maou. 
“Uhm…” 
She was at a loss. In a word, it looked lame. Those pleats were not happening—that much was firm in her mind. He was pairing it with a T-shirt, revealing a decent amount of his fairly lean body, but below that he appeared to be wearing a large kite around his waist, fabric billowing over his hips. The pants he walked in with were thin, but sized for a slim figure, which made these seem like the main sail of an old naval vessel by comparison. 
It made her promptly shake her head. “Let’s not go with that. How about the other one?” 
“It looks weird, huh?” 
“It’s weird, yeah. It doesn’t match your figure, and I don’t think it matches any of the clothing you have.” 
Chiho wasn’t intimately familiar with all of Maou’s wardrobe, but nothing she had seen on him before would work well with these pants. 
“All right. Gimme a second.” 
With a humble nod, he closed the door again. He didn’t even have it open before he spoke up once more. 
“Nah, this ain’t good.” 
Chiho could hear ruffling sounds for a moment or two as he returned to his original slacks and stepped back out. 
“There’s too much waist. Even with a belt, the front hook sags way down and it looks awful. Eighty-one’s too big for me.” 
“Oh. Well, in that case…” 
Chiho’s eyes turned toward a different shelf from before, as did Maou’s. 
“It’s gotta be that, huh? But, ooh, my budget…” 
She understood what he meant. They were both looking at the men’s jeans section, ready for the colder months and well stocked in a variety of colors and sizes. Being meant for fall and winter, however, also meant the prices were set a level higher. 
“Thirty-nine hundred and ninety yen,” Maou barely croaked out. “Oof, that price hurts…” 
On a five-thousand-yen budget, it would mean he’d walk away with just one pair of pants. This was five thousand yen he had all but squeezed from the proverbial stone. Ashiya was no monster; he wouldn’t demand Maou spend the winter with nothing covering his crotch. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility to buy this pair, then negotiate a second one with him later—but spending the majority of his cash before attempting to reason with him wasn’t a good look to start with. 
“So what do you think…?” 
“Hmmmm…” 
Chiho, sensing the conflict in Maou’s mind without having to ask, found it difficult to push him toward any decision. It was a frustrating outcome, for sure. 
 
“Hello, I’m— Er, what are you people doing?” 
It was eight in the evening when Ashiya returned, only to find his master gone and Emi, Alas Ramus, Suzuno, and Urushihara in his place—a rather uncommon combination in Devil’s Castle. For a moment, he wondered if the Hero and her gang were occupying their domicile, Urushihara having helplessly surrendered to them. 
If so, he couldn’t be blamed. There were several dishes laid out on the low kotatsu, each wrapped in plastic and filled with food waiting to be microwaved and served. Emi and Suzuno were seated around it, eagerly awaiting the moment, and Urushihara was behind them on hands and knees, giving Alas Ramus a horseback ride. 
Ashiya put his heavy backpack on the floor and sighed. “Urushihara, what is the meaning of this? Where is His Demonic Highness?” 
“Wait, Alciel!” Emi stated. “Before that, I have to ask you something! Where have you been all this time? There’s been an emergency.” 
“Wh-what? An emergency?!” The sudden declaration put Ashiya in a confused frenzy. “I have just returned from an overnight temporary job. It was a lucrative one, referred to me by an acquaintance, so I left my domicile for a single day. Why must I shoulder the blame for whatever happened?” 
“Yeah, we knew that,” the fallen angel asked. “Can you at least say what kind of work it was, dude? Where were you?” 
Ashiya nodded back. “I hadn’t told you, had I? It was a medical trial.” 
“A medical… Whoa! Alciel?!” Now Emi was worked into a frenzy. “You mean they fed you new drugs or whatever for research and measured the results? Are you all right?!” 
“Oh, you are worried for my health now?” 
“Of course not. You didn’t tell them you’re a demon, did you? If their test results go all out of whack because of that, it’s gonna be your fault!” 
“I have faced no ill effects from utilizing human medication so far.” 
“That’s not what I’m talking about!” 
Ashiya just shook his head as he opened his bag and took out a plastic file folder, tossing it at her. 
“What’s this?” 
“The medicine they were testing.” 
Emi lowered her eyebrows as she looked at the first sheet of paper in the folder. 
“…A ‘percutaneous anti-inflammatory topical pain reliever’?” 
“Yes. A product trial for an externally applied medication. The concept is for a light pain reliever you can apply for aches and pains sustained during domestic work. A sort of liquid cold compress, you could say.” 
“Ah.” Suzuno nodded as she looked at the papers. “For aching shoulders and backs and the like? I have seen these advertised on television.” 
“Yes,” Ashiya explained. “Think of it as a sort of lighter dose of those treatments. It is not meant for intense pain; rather, to soften the kind of light fatigue and aching one might feel on a day-to-day basis.” 
Most of the product ads Suzuno referenced talked about how strong and instantly effective they were, giving the impression they would be too much for less serious pain. This led to the suggestion of a lighter treatment for lighter issues, and Ashiya had applied to the final clinical trial for it. 
“Whoa,” Urushihara muttered. “If all I’m doing is rubbing ointment on me, I can do that, I think…” 
“No you can’t,” Ashiya said, cutting him off. “I had to undergo a rigorous examination before they accepted me. You would be right out, Urushihara, and if you will pardon my rudeness, even my liege might have had trouble being accepted.” 
“Huh? How so?” 
“I told you, this is meant to be a light treatment for light pain. It is not targeted for athletes and other people working their bodies hard on a constant, daily basis. It is meant…for housewives.” 
The emphasis he placed on “housewives” confused Urushihara and Emi a little, but it was enough to convince Suzuno. 
“Hmm, yes, I see. So they are taking stronger medication developed for men and attempting to target it at women?” 
“Exactly. The testing period is rather tight, so they only accepted people capable of carrying out household chores at an advanced level. I was asked to perform a great variety of tasks. In the kitchen alone, there were five different motions related to handling a knife. In my case, the high scores I received in the infant-care section were the deciding factor for my acceptance.” 
““Infant care…?”” 
Emi’s and Suzuno’s eyes turned toward Alas Ramus. It went without saying that Ashiya was her primary caretaker while staying in Devil’s Castle. Following Chiho’s guidance, and occasionally receiving a helping hand from Suzuno, he was probably second only to Emi in taking care of the child, in terms of knowing how to deal with infants. With all the meals they now ate together, he was well versed in cooking for young children as well. 
“In addition to cooking and infant care, I also carried out cleaning, laundry, and most other household tasks that require physical labor. This, for six hours out of the day. To be honest, between cooking and cleaning, with the trial taking place in such a large room and the equipment all so new and shiny, I found it all rather simple. One of the elderly women who made it through the trial complimented me grandly about my work. ‘You don’t seem like a young man at all,’ as she put it.” 
There was a sense of pride to Ashiya’s words as he said them. It made Emi and Suzuno feel weary, for the first time in a while. 
“Alciel… Don’t you think you should start to question whether you’re a demon at all?” 
“Honestly, if you are capable of that much, then as a woman I may find myself growing envious.” 
Urushihara sighed a half-resigned, half-astonished sigh. “You never know what kinda talent’s gonna help you out, huh…?” 
“So, is it clear why I was gone now? And I should add that those documents are confidential. Tell anyone about them, and you shall pay dearly.” 
Emi and Suzuno felt like laughing. They had a few secrets they wouldn’t mind sharing with the world well before this one. 
“Now, can I ask why all of you are here? Where is my liege? Emilia, are you attempting to take over Devil’s Castle while His Demonic Highness is away?” 
“Why would I want to ‘take over’ a dump like this? I’d rather live in Bell’s apartment.” 
Emi pointed at the three pairs of jeans, left abandoned on the floor following the pointless arguing earlier. 
“Mm? Those are my liege’s street clothes, are they not? Why are all three of them out on the floor?” 
“Can’t you see? Thanks to those jeans, all of us, along with Chiho and Ms. Kisaki, just experienced one of the most awkward days of our lives.” 
“What?” Ashiya glared at them all as he took off his shoes and finally stepped away from the front door. 
“Hi, All-cell! Welcum back!” 
“…Yes. Thank you, Alas Ramus.” 
The heartfelt greeting loosened up Ashiya’s face a little. He was never shy about being hostile with Emi and Suzuno, but the simpleminded child was something he was far weaker against. 
“Be good on top of that pony of yours for a while longer, all right?” 
“Okeh!” 
“Ashiya, whaddaya mean ‘that pony’…?” 
It was actually not too uncommon for Alas Ramus to play with Urushihara in here. They had a surprisingly good rapport going, actually, not that he was ever rewarded for it. 
Ashiya knelt on the ground and picked up a pair of jeans. 
“Mm, what on…?” 
The holes were spotted quickly. 
“All three of them?” 
“Uh-huh,” Emi confirmed. “The Devil King walked around in public in those today.” 
“What?” Ashiya’s face soured. 
“I didn’t want to say it to his face, and I had no reason to anyway, but it just looked so pathetic to us. My arch-nemesis, running around with holes in his crotch—and now one of you has been assigned to be Alas Ramus’s pony for all time, which just makes me want to squirm, all right? Aren’t you supposed to be his Great Demon General? I know you run a tight budget, but aren’t you ashamed at all, making him wear all this frayed, falling-apart clothing?” 
“Mmm…” 
“Dude, since when am I Alas Ramus’s personal pony?” 
“B-but we bought two of these jeans from UniClo. I bought some for my own as well, at the time, but they are nothing like this…” 
“Yeah,” Alas Ramus’s personal pony replied. “It’s just Maou’s.” 
Ashiya raised an eyebrow. “So where is my liege, then?” 
“Once he found out, he practically started bawling. He ran right off to UniClo to buy a new pair.” 
“Mmmm…” He scowled in anguish. 
“You have to forgive him for it this time, Alciel. I feel simply awful for the Devil King. Chiho joined him on the journey. I am sure she will forbid him from purchasing anything too extravagant.” 
“No, no, I am confident there is no other solution to this, but… Hmm. You. The pony over there.” 
“I’m seriously gonna get angry soon, okay, man?” 
“Call our liege for me. Tell him that I will mend these jeans, so keep that in mind as he shops for a new pair.” 
“Why do I have to— Huh?” 
“Hmm?” 
“Wha…?” 
Just as Urushihara headed for his laptop, he and everyone else in the room picked up on Ashiya’s bizarre declaration. 
“You’ll…mend them? That…” 
“Yes,” Ashiya matter-of-factly stated. “Holes this large can be mended well enough without standing out.” 
The other three stared at him saucer-eyed as he opened a cabinet and took out a cardboard box. 
“Wait, is that…?” 
Much to Suzuno’s surprise, it was filled with a mishmash of needles and thread, forming a severely disorganized sewing kit. He had mentioned darning the holes in Maou’s socks with this and a burned-out lightbulb once, but having this sewing kit presented to her in real life made Suzuno feel dizzy. 
“For the fabric…I could use this, I think.” 
He then took out several pieces of blue fabric that were more or less the color of jeans. 
“W-wait a sec, Alciel,” Emi pleaded, still not fully recovered. “That’s not the same fabric, is it?” 
It was blue, yes, but the texture was a complete mismatch. It wasn’t even denim. Placing it where the holes were would make it stand out in ways unimaginable to anyone in the room. 
“What are you talking about? I will apply this to an invisible section of the pants. It is not a problem.” 
“Invisible…? I know it’s between the legs, but if the fabric’s different, you’re gonna notice it.” 
“What?” There was a twinge of surprise to Ashiya’s voice as his eyes cycled between Emi and the jeans several times. “You fool. I am not going to simply slap this on top of the holes.” 
“Huh?” 
Ashiya then turned the jeans inside out and began cutting out a section of fabric from behind a rear pocket. 
“Wh-whoa!” 
“Using fabric from a non-prominent section of a well-worn item of clothing to mend holes is one of the most basic of techniques. The colors and so forth wear at roughly the same speed across the garment, so it will not look that unnatural when finished. To replace the cutout section, one needs to merely use a piece of fabric of similar thickness, so the clothing does not become too uncomfortable to wear… Hmm. This is the only blue thread I have. I cannot cut out a large portion.” 
His big hands were already deftly handling a needle and thread as he adjusted the size of the fabric piece. He didn’t need a threader, which was good, because his kit sure didn’t have one. 
“Similar thickness…? That?” 
“This cloth? You should know what this is…? Well, perhaps not. It was quite a while ago.” 
“Huh?” 
“This piece comes from the pants His Demonic Highness tore when achieving his demon form for the first time in Japan. You were there, were you not?” 
“What?” Emi shouted. “I-it’s from that?!” 
“That” was long before Suzuno began living in Japan, just a few days after Emi and Maou had encountered each other there, and even before Chiho knew the truth behind the two. Thanks to a scheme engineered by the then-hostile Urushihara, Maou, Emi, Chiho, and Ashiya were caught in a cave-in along an underground mall in Shinjuku. That marked the first time Maou existed in demon form on this planet, and the great demon Satan had sizing needs far different from Sadao Maou the human. The results ripped apart his clothes—clothes that, through the unusual generosity of Ashiya, hadn’t been bargain-basement castoffs for a change. 
“Wait, that outfit? The one that made him look a little bit nicer than usual?” 
“Yes. And they shall continue to make him look good, in their own way. Ah, Urushihara has been the enemy of our budget since even before he came to live with us.” 
“I was kind of your enemy period back then,” the fallen angel defiantly stated. Alas Ramus didn’t seem to want off of his back, so he trotted over to the computer on all fours to wake it up and launch the SkyPhone app. 
“It was good material, so it felt too valuable to simply throw away. I went to the library to see if there was anything I could do with it, and I found something about the traditional art of quilting, so I thought I could keep the remnants for that.” 
Quilting was said to be invented when people sewed squares of cotton fabric together for better warmth and strength, back when it wasn’t as cheap and widely available as it is currently. Now it was its own fully established handicraft, practiced all across Japan. 
“The book said it was a technique long used to keep fabric and clothing well cared for over a long period of time. My own pants were torn up during that incident as well, if you recall. So I practiced it a little, and it worked even better than I expected. Since then, I’ve been expanding my handicraft skills with socks and the like.” 
“Ah…” 
Unlike his master, Ashiya’s demon form came complete with a tail. That combined with human clothing would result in a rather large hole right on the top of the butt seam, which meant that Ashiya himself had, technically speaking, gone around with holes in his pants before Emi once. But that was in the past, and now, before Emi’s and Suzuno’s astonished eyes, Ashiya was beavering away at the patch he crafted. 
“Uh, hey, Maou?” Urushihara tangled with Alas Ramus and his headphone mic at the same time. “Ashiya just got back home, and he’s fixing up your jeans, so he told you to keep that in mind during your— Huh? Yeah, he’s mending them. And it looks like they’ll turn out pretty good, too. Yeah. Later. Hey, gimme those headphones back, Alas Ramus! 
“…Okay, so he sounded pretty surprised, but I told him. He said he’s comin’ back home now.” 
“Ah. In that case, we had best prepare for dinner.” 
Regaining her senses, Suzuno pulled up the hem of her kimono and stood up, returning to Room 202 to heat up a few of the plastic-wrapped dishes. It left Emi with nothing else to do but talk to Ashiya. 
“Alciel… Have you ever, like, wondered whether you’re really a demon or not?” 
“No,” he immediately replied. “Demons from our world don’t rely on machines, or the charity of other people. They have magic to work with, of course, but regardless, they live by doing everything they can by themselves. One will not survive long in the demon realms otherwise. When I arrived in Japan, I learned whatever I thought we needed by myself—cooking, laundry, cleaning, sewing, the whole of it. There is nothing more complex to the tale than that. Everything I have learned, a regular person could master the basics of after perhaps a week of training.” 
“That’s pretty extremely downplaying it,” Emi said, even though she couldn’t deny it. The human world was composed of people paying people for things and services they couldn’t handle themselves—but if everyone went too far and kept asking others for things they could do if they tried, that would make society as a whole lose something. Emi could see the logic to that. 
“But how did those holes appear in the first place, dude?” 
“That is a good point,” Emi admitted. 
“Even with your horse sense,” muttered Ashiya as he ran the needle back and forth, “you still fail to understand it? My liege is the only one of us who travels regularly by bicycle.” 
““Oh!”” 
Emi and Urushihara both stumbled upon it at once, exclaiming their surprise in a chorus. 
“He commutes to work on one, and he often uses it for other errands as well. At rather high speeds, too, it seems. With all the force he pedals with, I imagine the crotch section rubs against the saddle enough to wear out.” 
““Yeah…”” 
“And you be careful on your own saddle up there, Alas Ramus. Your diaper’s going to come off.” 
“Wheh?! Whoa! Ah, Alas Ramus, you didn’t do it yet, didja? H-here, get off for a sec…” 
“No! Not yet! More!” 
“No, uh, dude, if you didn’t yet, I’ll let you go around one more time, so just lemme check real quick…” 
The urgency was clear in Urushihara’s pleas as he flailed at the little girl above him. 
“It’s almost time to eat, Alas Ramus. Time to get off Lucifer the Pony, all right?” 
“Emilia! I heard you say that!” 
“A pity you fail to be more of a workhorse in real life.” 
“Stop berating me like that, Ashiya! You didn’t even look at me when you said that!” 
“Enough,” Suzuno stated, walking in with a new plate in her hands. “Chiho and the Devil King will return shortly. Will you lend a hoof to me?” 
“Hell no!” he shouted back, almost frothing at the mouth. But just as she predicted, they soon heard steps coming up the outside stairs. 
“We’re back!” 
“Hey, Ashiya, can you really get those fixed?” 
Maou looked almost giddy as he strode into the room, dressed to the nines in his new 3,990-yen pair of jeans. 
“Wow, Ashiya… You really did it.” 
The sight of Ashiya wielding a needle and thread to fix up Maou’s pants genuinely seemed to shock Chiho. Even as she settled down to her seat at the table, her eyes were pinned to the motion of his hands. 
“A simple case of monkey see, monkey do. Nothing very skillful about it.” 
Ashiya was always modest like that around Chiho, but to Emi—who had been watching from the beginning—patching up a hole in some jeans in the space of twenty minutes seemed pretty damn skillful to her. He took a break to eat with the rest of them, but by the time Chiho left for her own house, he had three fixed-up pairs of jeans, all mended to the point that you’d never know at a glance that there were holes in them. 
 
There was an unwritten rule among this group that sprang up organically over time: If Chiho is going home late, at least a couple of people have to escort her back. Thus, Emi and Suzuno had joined her on the sidewalk. 
“Something up, Chiho? You don’t look too happy.” 
Emi had reason to be worried. Chiho had been silent nearly the whole time, almost never taking her eyes off the ground. 
“I’m sorry,” she replied, eyes focused off to the distance. “I just kinda lost my confidence.” 
“Huh?” 
“There’s this wall I have to climb over, and it’s just a little too tall, and I dunno what to do…” 
“…I am very unsure I should ask,” Suzuno gingerly ventured, “but are you referring to Alciel?” 
Chiho quickly nodded. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had a day before where it felt like I could never win against someone.” 
“…” 
Emi and Suzuno had little to cheer her up with. Any girl in love would hope to be her lover’s number one by his side, after all. 
“I thought I could handle things like cleaning, and laundry, and cooking…but I totally overlooked sewing.” 
“Well, I mean… Yeah. Maybe.” 
It was rare these days for people to bother with that kind of thing. Emi was about to say that before she stopped herself; without a mastery of at least the type of household skills that’d let Chiho replace Ashiya, then regardless of any other obligations, if Maou accepted Chiho’s love, her inexperience might wind up causing problems in their daily life. 
“…I would note,” Suzuno ventured, “that Alciel is not on equal footing with the Devil King. He is his subordinate, and—” 
“Yeah, and I’m not entirely sure I’m equals with the ‘Devil King,’ either…” Emi added. 
“……Mm.” 
Chiho’s life skills were nowhere near as poor as she thought they were. She was just comparing herself to the wrong person—but pointing that out wouldn’t be enough to convince her. When Chiho was like this, there was only one way to cheer her up. 
“I could perhaps give you some pointers. Would you be interested?” 
The invite from Suzuno made Chiho literally leap at her. “Oh, please teach me! I’ve only used a needle and thread in home-ec class, and my mom doesn’t sew very much, so I don’t know who else to turn to!” 
“Er… Yes. Yes, that is fine, Chiho, so settle down for a moment. But keep in mind, I would be teaching you from an Ente Islan perspective—or, rather, the eyes of a monk in service to the Church. I am sure my teaching differs from the language and techniques used here, so you will need to engage in some self-study as well.” 
“Oh, of course!” 
“Well, uh, that’s good, huh, Chiho? I guess you’re pretty talented in a lot of areas, too, Suzuno.” 
“I have had to learn through experience quite often, in my career.” 
As a cleric, and one who had to carry out a number of not-so-pleasant missions in her life, Suzuno had a past that often put her in situations involving spy or undercover work. The skills she learned proved quite handy upon her return to civilian life, no doubt. But, seeing this weird competitive drive against Ashiya plant itself in Chiho’s burning heart, Emi couldn’t help but think: 
“…A lot of those talents might seem pretty old-fashioned, to Japanese people…” 
In modern times, cooking, washing, and cleaning were no longer considered the exclusive domain of women. In the end, however, being able to perform those tasks beat not being able to. It made you seem like a more decent person, and it enriched your own life as well. Emi’s experiences as a child had made her confident enough when it came to general chores, but the brainwashing effect of modern Japanese life admittedly led her to cut quite a few corners these days. 
“…Hey, Alas Ramus?” she asked, softly enough not to interrupt Suzuno and the excited Chiho. She couldn’t have the baby appear from thin air in front of Chiho’s mother, so she had been instilled within Emi’s body this whole trip. All that romping around with Urushihara earlier had tired her out well enough. 
“Mmh… Yeah, Mommy?” 
Emi smiled at the slow, mumbled voice. “Sorry to bother you when you’re tired. Is there anything you wanna eat tomorrow?” 
“…Corn soup…mh…” 
“Corn soup? All right.” Emi nodded, took out her smartphone, and did a search for how to make corn soup from scratch instead of frozen. All the ingredients were available from whatever convenience or grocery stores she’d pass on the way back. 
But seeing Suzuno and Chiho in front of her made her reflect a bit. Chiho wasn’t afraid to make any effort needed for Maou’s sake, and Ashiya was the same. Suzuno followed her faith so that she could help the world at large around her. And Maou was eternally working hard for his own ambitions, and to keep Ashiya and Urushihara fed. 
“I’m glad you’re here, Alas Ramus.” 
If Emi had anything she could strive for the sake of, it could only be her daughter within her. There—after all those years of pushing forward for the sake of what she’d lost—she now decided to work toward someone she could care for in her current life.