Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha - Volume Ex - Chapter 3.2

2

In many high schools, there are points of time where it suddenly becomes lively.

Lunch period happens after the morning classes finished up.

The snack shop and school store suddenly becomes crowded, and those fighting for a place in line begin thinking about where they’d eat for lunch.

Naruse Mio and Nonaka Yuki ate their lunch boxes in class 1B.

There were four pairs of shoes at their table, two belonging to Mio and Yuki, and the other two belonging to their friends Aikawa Shiho and Sakaki Chika.

With that—on the four desks they pushed together, Mio and Yuki opened the lunchboxes they brought. They had fancy looking three-tier lunch boxes.

“Uwaah, that looks so delicious… though, isn’t it sort of too awesome?”

“Did you two make it together?”

Colourful with all sorts of food, it brought surprised voices from Aikawa and Sakaki.

“No way… Yuki and I can’t make something this good”

Mio said with a sad smile, and Yuki by her side continued,

“This was made by Mio’s younger sister, and this new girl who started living with us.”

That’s right—they were special lunch boxes made by Maria and Zest together.

—Up till now, Maria had taken care of all the chores of the Toujou household.

And then Zest was a new addition to that. With that, right after the day they returned from the demon realm, Sheila and Lucia from the moderate faction had encouraged her to showcase her skills as a maid. As such, she created a feast of a breakfast that wouldn’t lose out to one from a luxurious hotel.

With regards to that amazing skill, Maria was jealous and felt competitive, but… When buying the jet bath, the extremely serious Zest had her master-servant curse activate and as she submitted to Basara, Mio and Maria helped to resolve it.

In addition, the basement floor of the Toujou household with its large bedroom and bathroom were from Maria’s ideas and made real by Zest.

Regarding household chores, Maria and Zest split them up and work together whenever needed and it seems like everything had calmed down—as a result, the lunch boxes Mio and Yuki had brought that day was a combination of both their talents.

…But it’s so luxurious it’s flashy.

Maria and Zest wouldn’t hold back, in thinking of everyone else’s health and in regards to the quality of their jobs.

“But—something this luxurious, this is just for today okay?”

“Eh? Is that so?”

“Yeah I mean, isn’t cooking and boxing it everyday for you guys difficult?

After finishing the lunch boxes, Maria and Zest gave it to them. Zest then become worried about troubling Basara and the curse of the master-servant contract activated, and she had to be relieved.

With that said, it’s still something they put great effort into making. Mio and Yuki decided to take the big box in the bag and Basara took a smaller sized box.

During lunch time, Basara left the classroom with some of the other boys. Since Basara was on the committee for the sports festival, he had befriended boys other than Takigawa, and as such had gone his separate ways from Mio and Yuki during lunch.

Even though eating lunch with Basara is something Mio and Yuki actually want,

…If they’re together too much and something troublesome happens again then that would be difficult.

Mio and Yuki have passionate fans inside the school. They don’t have a favourable impression of Basara since he lives with Mio and Yuki. Especially the groups started by Donoue and Hozumi, they had even called Basara out to the yard, causing all sorts of trouble during the sports festival.

However, once they go home with Basara they can be together as much as they like without issue.

…In any case.

Mio and Yuki have classmates like Aikawa and Sakaki who they could spend their time with like this.

They also wanted Basara to have his own friends, and enjoy his school life.

—They worked hard to achieve a peaceful daily life like this.

With that—they finished eating their lunch boxes with the help of Aikawa and Sakaki.

“That’s right, Naruse-san and class representative, can we come over to hang out at your place sometime?”

Aikawa said as if she just thought of it.

At the sudden question, Mio’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was the same for Yuki next to her. She had a slightly surprised face as she looked at Aikawa.

“Eh… Did I say something weird?”

Aikawa ended up with a worried expression on her face.

“See, we’ve always went our separate ways after school, and whenever we hang out on the weekends we meet by the station, but we’ve never been to your house. I’ve always been curious about what your house is like. Right Chika-chan?”

“Eh? Yeah…”

Next to Aikawa, Sakaki Chika finished eating a cutely sized bento, nodded confirming she had the same thought.

“Toujou-kun who came in during second term living with Naruse-san surprised me but… There was talk about the remarriage of your parents. The transfer student living in the same house, when I heard that I was surprised, but if it’s because he lives with you that he transferred into our school, then it’s pretty expected”

But.

“Naruse-san’s mother and Toujou-kun’s father, they’re always away from home right?”

“Yeah… um, yeah. That’s right”

The real circumstances regarding Mio and the other girls living situation isn’t something that is easy to talk about with normal people. So they had to make up a story for Aikawa and Sakaki.

It was a story Mio and Maria made up somehow, before knowing what kind of person Jin is.

“In addition to that… The class representative ended up living together with you guys too?”

“…We talked about this before”

At Sakaki’s words, Yuki gave a slight shudder as she answered.

“If I remember correctly—since you’re childhood friends with Toujou-kun, your parents also got along well right?”

Aikawa said, remembering the reason given to her for Yuki living in the Toujou household.

“So, your parents back in the countryside got worried about you living all alone… Then you moved in, after talking to Toujou-kun’s father, am I right?”

At those words of Aikawa, Mio nodded a “yes”.

“My mother agreed with that too, since it’s that kind of case. She completely understands the worry of parents for their child who’s living alone”

As she said that, Mio muttered an apology in her heart for lying.

—Aikawa and Sakaki are good friends of hers, and they’re precious to her.

She never wanted to betray them. But it’s impossible to talk about the actual situation.

If she did that, they would probably think she’s crazy.

…Besides.

If Sakaki and Aikawa were to become aware of the true nature of the relationship between Basara and the girls, and learn about the things they do, it would be understandable if they believed it to be a fantasy. No matter how strong their enemy is, and now matter how difficult it they might be to defeat, their relationship with the succubus master-servant contract, in the end is indescribably lewd.

It’s not something that can be understood, and they know that.

—That being said, there’s also no need for them to include even more into this.

No matter who it is, they will have something they can’t discuss, even if it’s with their closest friends.

Even if it’s with their own family, bound to them by blood.

Naruse Mio holds Aikawa Shiho and Sakaki Chika dear. Their friendship is important to her.

That’s why it can’t be helped—she cannot tell them the truth.

But,

“That’s true… Well if you let us know in advance, it should be okay I think”

Mio said, agreeing to their request.

“Yuki you don’t mind either right?”

“Of course not. I’m sure Basara will be happy with that as well”

To confirm, Yuki nodded in response.

“Really? Yay”

“Thanks. I’m really looking forward to it”

Aikawa and Sakaki bursted into smiles, and seeing how happy they were, Mio was happy as well.

—All this time, Mio has been targeted by the current demon lord faction.

As such, so that they don’t involve others, she tries to not interact with people more than necessary. Even if she talks with Aikawa and Sakaki in school, There hasn’t been many times where she’s seen them outside—even if they’ve met, it’s been as little as possible, as a means of keeping up appearances at school.

…But.

Despite many things happening, they were able to come to an understanding with the current demon lord faction.

With this, they would no longer be targeted by those in the current demon lord faction.

Prior to that, they had to avoid potentially getting others involved.

—Of course, it’s not as if they’re 100% safe now.

There are still those in the current demon lord faction who detest the idea of an alliance with the moderate faction.

That being said, there should be no large risks from those demons aiming at their group, and even within that to use transformations and such to trick them, hence Yuki from the heroes clan had decided that it was no issue for Aikawa and Sakaki to come to their place. That being said, there should be large threats from those demons aiming at their group, and even within that those seeking to trick them using transformations as such, therefore Yuki from the hero clan decided that it wasn’t an issue for Aikawa and Sakaki to come over to their house.

This is thanks to Basara - no thanks to everyone.

From Basara and Maria, to Yuki and Kurumi, and also to Zest as well, they all had undertaken a difficult and dangerous task for Mio. Risking their lives in battle, they had brought back victory.

That’s why now, Mio is able to return to her daily life.

And what she’s attained is what was lost since her adoptive parents were killed.

A regular peaceful life. She could only be thankful for this.

“Well, it’s fine for you to come over but… But you better not expect anything much okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, having classmates living in the same house is interesting enough”

Aikawa said with a hearty laugh, responding to Mio’s words.

“The name on the address is Toujou but Naruse-san and class rep live their as well?”

“Yes. Other than that there’s my sister Kurumi, and Mio’s sister Maria”

“So it’s super lively and fun as it is”

“I’m an only child, so I’m envious of a big household”

Aikawa and Sakaki said enviously.

“Also… as Yuki said earlier there’s one more person”

Therefore Mio said,

“We’ll introduce you two to all of them when you come over”