Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
'Is this guy really foolish enough to bring me to where he lives?' Lucifer asked himself as he and Tatsuo walked away from the MgRonald's. 'I mean, there's no way he would put his family in danger like that, right? Unless they're all monsters like he is. No, that's impossible. There can't be more anomalies like that in such a weak world, right? Then again, maybe he's not from this world. I mean, if we got here, there's no telling how many other worlds are connected to this one, right?'
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, with his hands free, the MgRonald's bag no longer being held, looked back over his shoulder at Lucifer with a curious expression on his face.
'Man, when this guy gets lost in his thoughts, he loses track of everything, doesn't he?' Tatsuo asked himself amusedly. 'But that kinda sucks. I was really looking forward to the look on his face when he saw me tear a hole in space and hand the food to Tio. I'm sure it would have been hilarious. Oh well, I guess I'll just blow his mind when I leave Maou-San's place.'
Just as Tatsuo thought, shortly after leaving MgRonald's, while there were no other people around, Tatsuo used his [Spatial Manipulation] to tear a small hole in space that led to his apartment's living room. Then, after sharing a few words with Tio, he handed her the bag with hers and Ayane's food. Then, he closed the tear in space and continued walking without Lucifer even noticing.
"Well, we're here." Tatsuo said, snapping Lucifer out of his contemplation.
"Huh?" Lucifer intoned, completely confused by the old building he saw. "This is where you live? I was kind of expecting... more."
"Nah, this isn't where I live." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. He then started walking towards the stairs leading up to the old apartment building's second floor. "This is where Maou-San and Ashiya-San live."
That dumbfounded Lucifer even more than the thought of Tatsuo living here. As one of Sadao's former generals, he was quite familiar of the Devil's Castle in Ente Isla. So, to see such a rundown building serving as the new Devil's Castle, he was thoroughly taken aback.
Eventually, Lucifer got over his shock. He then hurried to catch up with Tatsuo. Then, after a few moments, the two stood in front of the first apartment with Tatsuo's hand raised to knock.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Who could that be, Sire?" Ashiya's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "You don't think it's a debt collector, do you?"
"Of course not." Sadao replied. "I never by things on credit. So, there's no debt to collect. Just go and answer the door."
"Yes, Sire." Ashiya said, sounding a bit unsure. "But that does leave us short on money every time you make a big purchase."
"Just go answer the door!" Sadao shouted in annoyance.
"Ys, sire." Ashiya replied, sounding a bit panicked.
Next, the sound of footsteps could be heard moving closer to the door. And as they got closer, the frequency of the steps slowed, as if Ashiya were afraid of answering. But the footsteps eventually could be heard right on the other side of the door. However, the door was not opened immediately. Ashiya was obviously looking through the peep hole to make sure that the person outside did not look like a debt collector.
"What are you waiting for, Ashiya?" Sadao's voice carried from inside the apartment once again. "What if they leave? We might have missed something important."
"*Sigh* Caution and Patience are virtues, Sire." Ashiya said as the sound of the latch being removed could be heard.
A moment later, the door was opened and Ashiya stood there in his usual outfit with a green apron over it.
"Yo." Tatsuo said with a wave. "How have you been, Ashiya-San? I came with a guest and a present. I hope you appreciate it."
"Huh?" Ashiya intoned while tilting his head in confusion. He then leaned slightly to the side to see the other person with Tatsuo. And when he did, his eyes widened while he pointed sharply. "How...!? How is this possible? You're supposed to be dead!"
"Oh, is he?" Tatsuo asked while glancing at Lucifer with a grin. "Sounds like there's a story to be told here."
"What's all the commotion about, Ashiya?" Sadao asked, the sound of his footsteps getting closer with every word. "Who's at the door."
"It's a ghost!" Ashiya shouted as he took a step back, trying to shield Sadao from the ghost's evil influence.
"Seeing a demon afraid of a ghost was not what I expected to see today when I left the house." Tatsuo muttered. He then turned to look at Sadao and raised his hand once again. "Yo, how's it going, Maou-San?"
"Oh, hey, Soramoto-Kun." Sadao said, waving back in return. "Do you have any idea what Ashiya's... going on... about?"
Like Ashiya, Sadao's eyes widened when he caught sight of Lucifer, causing his words to trail off. Then, also like Ashiya, he pointed at Lucifer.
"How the hell are you still alive?" Sadao asked in a suspicious toen. "I heard you were killed by the Hero."
"Uh... Yeah... about that." Lucifer said while scratching the back of his head with his head lowered. "See… What had happened was…"
"Anyway, can we come in?" Tatsuo asked while rolling his eyes at the tell-tale beginning of a lie that was on its way out of Lucifer's mouth. He then patted the duffle bag over his shoulder a couple of times while he continued. "I don't think it would look good if I opened this up where people could see."
Sadao and Ashiya exchanged glances when they heard that. Then, they both shrugged and took a step away from the door, giving Tatsuo and Lucifer the space to come inside. And Tatsuo accepted the invitation without hesitation. Lucifer, on the other hand, looked apprehensive. Though, he did eventually follow Tatsuo inside.
Not long later, the four were seated around the low table in the small apartment., and Ashiya had served tea. And while Tatsuo was leisurely sipping the tea, Sadao and Ashiya were glaring at Lucifer. Lucifer, on the other hand, was fidgeting nervously under the stares.
"So, I gotta get back home sooner or later." Tatsuo said after taking another sip of his tea. "So, why don't you guys start talking instead of just staring at the guy."
Hearing that, the three demons shifted their gazes to Tatsuo. Then, Sadao took a deep breath before speaking in a solemn, yet curious, tone.
"Alright, fine." Sadao said. "But before I start talking to this guy, I wanna know… Why did you bring him here?"
"Well, before I answer that question, let me show you the present I brought you." Tatsuo said as he reached for the duffle bag's zipper. He then started unzipping it slowly as he continued. "You see, while I was on the way to MgR's, an old guy tried to stab me out of nowhere. The keyword being 'tried.' Then, after I stopped him, but before I kicked his ass, he started spewing crap about me being a heathen for knowing the devil. And well, since the only Devil I knew was you, I thought he must be someone you would know. Then, I found Lucifer hiding around a corner after this old guy called him out. So, I decided to bring them both to you."
By the time Tatsuo was finished with is retelling of the events, he had finished unzipping the duffle bag, revealing the unconscious Olba, whose face was covered in dried own blood.
"That's Archbishop, Olba Meyer." Sadao said with a critical eye. "He's one of the top ranking members of the Church of Ente Isla. And you're saying he was asking for Lucifer's help? That almost sounds impossible."
"If you say so." Tatsuo replied as if he had no idea. "But that's what happened. He asked for the idol's help."
That statement gave both Sadao and Ashiya pause. Then, they both turned to look at Lucifer.
"Now that you mention it…" Sadao said while cupping his chin with his right hand.
"He really does look like one of those pretty boy idols who sings and dances that you see in magazines." Ashiya added.
"Hey! We're not talking about me right now.!" Lucifer shouted in an annoyed tone.
"Actually, we kind of are." Tatsuo pointed out. "I mean, I was just talking about how the old guy asked you to help him, you know?"
This time, Lucifer was the one brought up short by Tatsuo's words. Meanwhile, Sadao's and Ashiya's gazes became much harsher when they were brought back to the original topic.
"So, why would Olba ask you for help, Lucifer?" Ashiya asked sternly. "No, let me guess, you were planning to betray His majesty, right?"
"The question is, how did he get you to switch sides?" Sadao asked, his tone filled with intrigue. "What could he have offered you to side with the church, and the Heavens, who cast you out. Hmm…"
"Probably offered to get him back into Heaven or something cliché like that." Tatsuo said off-handedly.
"No, that can't be it." Sadao replied. "Olba doesn't have that kind of authority. Only the Seraphim could make a promise like that. And Lucifer should know that. There's no way he was dumb… enough… to…"
Before Sadao could finish, he happened to glance in Lucifer's direction. And when he did, he saw the light of realization shining in his old subordinate's eyes.
"Wait… That's what he offered you, isn't it?" Sadao asked in dumbfounded amazement. "And you actually believed him. No way… I knew you were dumb. But I never thought you were that dumb."
"Sh-Shut up!" Lucifer shouted, sounding like a petulant child.
"Anyway, I'll let you decide what to do with these two." Tatsuo said, deciding to move on with the reason for his visit. They were only the first reason I came over. They weren't even the most important."
"What? Are you just calling me an afterthought?" Lucifer asked incredulously.
"Well… Kinda?" Tatsuo replied while scratching the side of his head. "I mean, if you two hadn't attacked me, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to you at all. I mean, I'm no hero. So, I wouldn't have gone after two people who were mugging and stabbing people."
Once again, Lucifer was brought up short. Then, he slumped his shoulders and crossed his arms as he looked away.
"And we just figured out how to regenerate magic in this magicless world." Lucifer muttered. "But now, I'm at the mercy of the King."
"Wait! What?" Sadao and Ashiya exclaimed in unison.
In response, Lucifer put on a sneaky smile. He hid it almost immediately, though.
"Yeah, you guys can talk about that later." Tatsuo said while waving dismissively. Like I said, I came here for two other reasons."
"Right…" Sadao said, forcefully calming himself down as he did so. "So, what are those other reasons, Soramoto-Kun?"
"First, I have a concert coming up at Santory Hall Friday night." Tatsuo said with a smile. "And Chi-Chan is going. But she'll need an escort. And I thought you would be the best choice for that, Maou-San. The only issue is that… You'd need to wear formalwear. But… well…"
Reaching that point, Tatsuo trailed off as he looked around the clean, obviously cheap, yet very well maintained apartment. He then shifted his gaze towards the MgRonald's visor hanging near the front door.
"Escorting Chi-Chan to a formal event, huh?" Sadao muttered while Tatsuo's insinuation sank in. "You're right, though. I don't have any formal clothing. *Sigh* Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll---"
*Bang!*
"You are going, Sire!" Ashiya shouted as he slammed his palm onto the low table. "The Demon King will not be seen as a pauper. Although I am slightly dissatisfied by the fact that you will be accompanying a human, you still have an image to maintain. "
After saying that, Ashiya stood up and moved to the counterspace that acted as a kitchen in the small apartment. He then opened a drawer and picked up a passbook.
"I have put a side some extra money for, as humans call it, a rainy day." Ashiya said as he opened the passbook. So, getting you a suit, a shirt, a tie, and a pair of decent shoes should not be an issue."
'Hmm… I kinda forgot how good at keeping a budget Ashiya was.' Tatsuo thought to himself while watching Ashiya make calculations about the budget for the next few months. 'Maybe I should ask mom to get him a job in her company. The accounting department might be a good fit for him.'
Tatsuo then turned his attention to Lucifer, who was still looking like he had a trick or two up his sleeves.
'And this guy is kind of a genius when it comes to hacking.' Tatsuo continued in his mind. 'Maybe a job in cyber-security with Mom's company might fit him well, too. Hehehe. Then, we'll just leave Maou-San at his part-time job at MgRonald's. I wonder how he'll react when he's not the bread winner for this house hold. Oh, and when I spring my other idea on them… This is gonna be fun.'
"Well, I'm not trying to insult you guys." Tatsuo said with a smile. "But that may not be enough. This concert is a classical music show. So, you'll have to really be the bell of the ball, you know? But don't worry about that. If you wanna go, I have no issue spotting you a little money. And you can just pay me back. I won't even charge any interest."
"Uh… I guess I appreciate that…" Sadao said, sounding a bit uncomfortable at the thought of having to borrow money. "But if that's what it takes, I guess I'll accept if necessary. I don't wanna embarrass Chi-Chan, after all."
Shaking his head to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling, Sadao then turned back to look at Tatsuo.
"And you said there was another thing you wanted to talk about with us, right?" Sadao asked curiously. "Well, what is it?"
"Oh, we're gonna be moving soon." Tatsuo said happily. "Mom's gonna buy a big plot of land and we're gonna build a house on it using magic and [Alchemy]. So, our current apartment is going to be vacant. But since we own it, we were thinking of renting it out. You know, so that it doesn't just collect dust."
"I see." Sadao said with an understanding nod. "Then, I suppose congratulations are in order."
"Thanks." Tatsuo replied. "But that's not all of it. What I actually wanted to talk to you two about was… How would you like to rent it? And because we don't need the money, we can keep the price as low as it is here. We can even include all utilities, electricity, gas, and water. Hell, we'll even throw in internet. You'll have to do cable on your own, though."
Only two of the three demons in the room reacted. And they were Sadao and Lucifer. Ashiya had never been to the penthouse apartment before. So, he had no idea how nice it was. Though, he had some idea after hearing tails from Sadao. But Sadao, knowing exactly how nice the penthouse apartment was, balked in surprise. Meanwhile, Lucifer's eyes lit up at the mention of free internet.
'Ha! Got 'em.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I knew Lucifer would be quick to switch his tune. He's an internet addict, after all. And Maou-San would never give up the opportunity to upgrade to a better Devil's Castle. Especially not at such a good price.'
Tatsu's smile then turned quite mischievous as his thoughts continued.
'But that's not even the best part.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I just wish I could be there when Maou-San, Ashiya-San, and Lucifer, though I guess he'll be Urushihara-San soon enough, run into Emi. Man, that's gonna be gold.'
Meanwhile, Sadao and Ashiya were having a deep discussion through eye contact while Lucifer was staring at them with enough intensity to burn a hole in the thin walls oof this apartment building. At the same time, Tatsuo could practically see the moment when he threw away his thoughts of betrayal. After being in this world for so long, he had come to enjoy its amenities, after all. And he probably would not get a chance to enjoy them this much in the short term if he did not side with the Devil.