Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 17 - Chapter 5

THE DEVIL KING SCREWS UP BUYING A TIE 
Note: This is an original, previously unpublished story, not included in the Japanese print version of The Devil Is a Part Timer!, Vol. 17. 
Inside the Devil’s Castle that towered over Ente Isla’s Central Continent, Maou sat on his throne, surveying the selection spread out on the tatami-mat floor before him. 
“So here’s what I’ve got.” 
Meanwhile, Chiho and Rika, the couple being shown this spread, gave each other worried looks. 
“Um…” 
“Maou, the suit you have… You bought it a long time ago, right? With Ashiya?” 
“Yeah. Did he tell you?” 
“Uh, yeah, kinda. So uh, did you buy this back then, too?” 
She pointed at one of the items, arms folded. 
“No, I bought that new a bit ago.” 
Hearing this, Rika brought a hand to her temple, shaking her head in exasperation. 
“Why did you pick a pea-green paisley tie?” 
“Is…? Is that bad?’ 
“It’s gross. Awful.” 
The blow made Maou flinch on his throne. Seeing Chiho wistfully nod her agreement with a guilty expression in his peripheral vision only added to the shock. 
On the tatami mats was the business suit Maou would wear for his managerial training. It featured a charcoal-gray top and bottom, a white button-down shirt, a black belt, leather boots, and a tie. The tie Maou had picked out for himself was being singled out for punishment. 
“You’d have to be kind of a pudgier middle-aged guy for this to work on you.” 
Maou was unable to counter this brutal follow-up attack. Chiho, feeling sorry for him, decided to send out a lifeboat. 
“B-but if you actually put it on, maybe it’ll feel different! You chose that for yourself, so just try it on.” 
“Yeah, good point. Can you turn away from me for a bit?” 
They did, giving the depressed Devil King time to start changing. But Rika still looked down in the dumps. 
“Okay, I’m ready.” 
“Yep. Nope.” 
Two words provided all the finisher Rika needed to slay him. Chiho, so surprised by what she saw, couldn’t even respond. 
“You didn’t tie it right, which I’ll ignore for now, but it doesn’t match the rest of your outfit. At all.” 
“…Okay.” 
All Chiho could do was smile awkwardly. “I mean,” she ventured, “your suit’s cut to be neat and slender, but the colors on the tie alone make you balloon up. It stands out too much. Plus, there’s pink in the paisley pattern, and between that and the pea green, it doesn’t look very wintry, which is…you know…” 
“Complex, intricate patterns, especially in bright colors, are hard to match. Like Chiho suggested, if you’re totally married to this tie, then save it for spring. If you pair it with a lighter-colored piece of outerwear, I can see that working, but this isn’t the kind of tie you wear to job training in midwinter.” 
“R-really? I bought it because I liked it, but…” 
They felt bad for Maou as he loosened his tie. But he was applying for full-time managerial work. It was a job hunt, basically, and if he couldn’t look the part in his dress, he’d stand out in a detrimental way. That was why Rika and Chiho hardened their hearts a little to give their unfiltered advice… 
“Okay, so how about this one?” 
…but the next tie he broke out left them at a loss for words. 
It had a large embroidered coat of arms on it, with equal measures of black, yellow, and red—just like the flag of Germany. To get away with wearing this, you’d have to be either a student in an elite boarding school or a German Olympic athlete. 

“…Chiho, Chiho, is it me or does the Devil King have a serious lack of fashion sense?” 
“I—I don’t think he’s so bad most of the time… When we went out before, he dressed pretty simply, but it was still flattering…” 
Chiho recalled what Maou wore on their Shinjuku date, before she’d met Emi. 
“Oh, really? I’ve only ever seen him in sweats or MgRonald uniforms.” 
“…You know, apart from one particular day, same here.” 
“Hey, I don’t know what you girls are whispering over there, but I can tell it’s nothing good about me.” 
Maou had had enough of watching the backs of their heads as they gossiped in hushed tones about him. Then Emi stuck her head in. 
“Rika, Chiho, Bell made some tea. Do you want any? …Is that what you’re wearing to training, Devil King? You should try another tie. It doesn’t look right on you at all.” 
With that short review, she walked off—leaving the utterly defeated Devil King slumped on his throne, bested by the Hero’s unexpected finisher. 
“Hey, uh, cheer up.” 
“Um, you know, I could help you go out and pick something else…” 
They were honestly starting to sympathize with the poor guy. But then a swirl of light appeared next to Maou—and in the blink of an eye, it took the form of Shirou Ashiya. 
“Welcome back, Ashiya!” 
He had spent most of his time in Ente Isla lately, but judging by the plastic bag in his hand, he was back from his first shopping trip to Japan in a while. 
“Ah, hello to you two. Were you helping my liege with his clothing for his managerial training?” 
He walked past the dazed Maou, taking two rectangular boxes out from his bag and placing them on the tatami space. 
“Your Demonic Highness, I just happen to have these for you.” 
“Ashiya, are those…?” 
“They are ties, my liege.” 
““Pfft!”” 
Chiho and Rika both snorted. 
“I had a suspicion that your selections from before would be a bit too adventurous for a training or interview situation. I apologize if I am being too nosy, but I made some selections of my own, based on your suit and shirt.” 
One was a wine-red tie, reserved and with no pattern. The other was a relaxed silver-and-red stripe. Both would pair perfectly with Maou’s suit. 
“Red ties work well in winter, and I hear that, when expressing your views to another person, it lends a stronger impression to your words. The colors on the striped tie are a tad heavy, but the design is refined enough to work in summer as well. I hope you will give them a try.” 
““…”” 
That was when it finally dawned on Chiho. That dated wardrobe from Shinjuku— here is who lurked behind it. 
“Chiho?” 
“Y-yes?” 
“I’m gonna be rooting for ya, you know, but it’s gonna be hard to beat that ‘mother-in-law’ he’s got.” 
Chiho crouched, feeling a tad dizzy. 
“I—I still have my hands full learning how to sew…” 
Maou, meanwhile, just eyed the new ties, too weakened to move. 
“Man, it’s sure great to have friends who’re honest with you…” 
It was on the warm side in the Central Continent, but Ashiya’s earnest helpfulness—and the girls’ overly honest feedback—made a cold, dry wind blow over his heart. Back on Earth, it was early January…and Maou’s managerial training was about to turn a new corner.