Chapter 5
Welcome to the Human Fan Club
(Part 2)
A few days later, I arrived early at the place Baldo had told me about.
It was a mountain area with nothing but rocks and dirt, and with no water source nearby, it seemed unlikely any humans would come here. True enough, I didn’t meet a single human on my way straight there.
I advanced along the mountain path and came out into an open space, but it was just as barren as the path itself.
I was worried about whether this so-called gate would actually appear, but when the specified time came, a black mist-like substance began to rise.
Soon, the mist gathered in one spot, and from within it, a black door large enough for a single human to pass through appeared. This must be the gate magic Baldo mentioned.
I’d heard that creating a gate capable of crossing worlds requires a tremendous amount of magical power, and this was truly immense. If I tried to produce something like this, I’d probably collapse and be out for the entire day.
I called out to Hal and cautiously placed my hand on the doorknob.
It felt like an ordinary metal doorknob. I turned it, and the door opened easily.
Upon entering, the rocky mountain from moments before transformed completely, and we found ourselves in a place that resembled an outdoor party venue.
Having heard it was the demon world, I expected a dimly lit place, but it was the complete opposite of what I had imagined.
Under a clear sky, long tables with white tablecloths were lined up across a paved square. The tables were laden with various dishes, and everyone was using the tongs provided to take the desired amount onto their plates, enjoying meals and conversations.
I was so astonished that my mouth hung open agape. Just then, a pair—a demon and a human woman—approached us from the side and started talking.
The demon had black hair and was slightly petite.
Her hair stuck up perkily like cat ears, and while her face retained a youthful quality, I could sense strong power from her. I instinctively moved to position myself in front of Hal, and she hurriedly apologized, saying, ‘Sorry for startling you.’
“You’re a new face. Judging by your look, is this your first time here?”
“Ah, yes, sorry… Nice to meet you, I’m Ruki. Pleased to meet you.”
“No need to be so nervous! Comrades are equal, regardless of strength. You’re very welcome! My name is Kizuna, and this is Noelle-chan. She’s really cute, right? My proud wife.”
The demon who introduced himself as Kizuna turned his gaze towards the girl clinging to his arm.
She was a girl with long, slightly wavy, light brown hair. Detaching herself from Kizuna’s arm, she smiled sweetly and bowed gracefully. Her polite and beautiful demeanor made my heart skip a beat unexpectedly.
“Ruki, let’s go.”
Suddenly, Hal pulled me by the arm, leading me away from the spot. I was stunned by this uncharacteristic action from Hal, but Kizuna didn’t seem to mind much and waved at us.
I waved back, then shook off Hal’s arm with a downward flick of my own.
“What was that all of a sudden?”
“That demon has a… not-so-good ability. It’s better not to get too close to him unnecessarily.”
“Eh, what do you mean?”
“Ah, there you are, there you are! Ruki-chi~, over here, over here!!”
In the distance, I could see Baldo waving his hand, calling us over.
I wanted to hear the rest of the explanation, so I was wondering what to do when Hal dodged my question and changed the subject.
“Baldo is calling you. I think you should go to him.”
“…Well, fine. But isn’t it wrong to call a girl ‘-kun’?”
“……”
An awkward silence fell between us for a moment. Huh, did I say something strange?
For now, I took Hal’s hand and headed towards where Baldo was.
Surrounded by so many demons and humans, I hadn’t noticed earlier, but there was a tall male demon standing next to Baldo.
After looking at me, he frowned upon seeing Hal.
“Ruki-chi, let me introduce you. This is my friend, Dia-chi.”
The introduced Dia-san gave a slight bow in our direction.
Looking at him closely right in front of me, the sheer intensity of his magical power was so overwhelming I felt my knees might give way.
What in the world is this… Do demons like this really exist in the world?
I could tell at a glance that the earlier Kizuna-san was also a strong demon, enough to make me instinctively wary, but this Dia-san was on another level. Just looking at him made me feel an insurmountable gap in power, sending a shiver down my spine.
Even if he were sleeping defenselessly right in front of me, I probably couldn’t lay a scratch on him.
“No need to be so scared. Dia-chi has the worst glare, zero tact, and he’s so stingy he won’t even buy cute little me a parfait, but he’s relatively mild-mannered.”
“No need for the extra comments.”
Saying that, Dia-san lightly tapped Baldo on the head.
Watching Baldo hold his head and complain, ‘Oww~,’ somehow made my tension ease.
“Ah, so you’re the new demon & human combo pair I heard about?”
Suddenly, from somewhere, I heard a youthful, clear voice, and then a human popped his head out from behind Dia-san and looked our way.
He was a young albino man with white hair and red eyes. He seemed to be in his late teens, perhaps.
He wasn’t particularly short, but next to the tall Dia-san, he looked a whole size smaller. He wore a grey shirt, black vest and pants, and outdoor shoes suitable for easy movement—an outfit like any ordinary human you’d see in town.
“Hello. I’m Akatsuki.”
He extended his right hand as if asking for a handshake, so I also offered my right hand, and we shook.
His smiling face gave the impression of a friendly, pleasant young man, but somehow, his soul had an unusual shape.
“Um, Akatsuki-san, you’re… human, right?”
“That’s right. Demons can see souls, can’t they?”
“I get it, Ruki-chi, Aka-chi’s soul is kinda weird, after all.”
“Eh, really…? Dia, is my soul somehow strange?”
Akatsuki-san turned towards Dia-san with a puzzled look.
I understand that humans, unlike us demons, can’t see souls, so he wouldn’t know, but Dia-san didn’t seem bothered by it at all. Dia-san stared intently at Akatsuki-san, seeming to choose his words carefully.
“Yes, it has a doll-like, lovely appearance.”
“”Ehh……””””
Baldo and I simultaneously made the same exasperated face.
Akatsuki-san paid us no mind, seeming embarrassed by Dia-san’s words.
―――――――――
Since it was a party, we decided to get some food first and then talk at the table.
I placed various dishes, little by little, onto the plate I was given.
Everything looked delicious, so I took small portions of various foods, regardless of whether it was meat, fish, or vegetables. Hal was just standing there holding an empty plate, so I went ahead and served food onto it for him.
By the time we returned to the table, the other three were already seated.
Baldo had a cute plate centered around fruits,
Dia had coffee and a few sandwiches,
and Akatsuki had a plate piled high with meat, without any hesitation.
“I might not get to eat this much meat again, so I’m going for it!”
Saying that, Akatsuki-san smiled and took a big bite out of a generously cut steak.
The conversation over the meal was more lively than I expected.
Baldo was truly a good conversationalist and skillfully kept the conversation flowing, which was a great help.
Hal seemed more interested in the food than the others. He didn’t speak up on his own and ate silently. But he was clearly listening to the conversation around him and properly answered when asked questions.
“Speaking of which, I’ve been really, really curious~ How did you and Dia-chi become lovers, Aka-chi?”
“Lo-lovers!?”
Surprised, I accidentally raised my voice. My shoulders jerked, and a slice of ham fell from my fork with a soft plop onto the plate.
Akatsuki-san turned to us with a proud smile, and Dia-san nodded as if it were the most natural thing.
Well, I mean, they were being lovey-dovey earlier, so I guess it makes sense? But what in the world did Akatsuki-san do to make such a powerful demon fall for him?
From our conversation, Dia-san didn’t seem like a bad person, but his true feelings… were a bit hard to read.
Just from a glance, anyone could tell he possessed immense magical power. I probably couldn’t even comprehend the full extent of that power. He has very handsome features, and according to Baldo, demons tend to be attracted to strong beings, so there must be countless others drawn to him.
“Fufu, want to know?”
“I wanna know, I wanna know~”
Baldo clapped his hands together pleadingly at Akatsuki-san, who was puffing out his chest.
I have to admit, I’m really curious too… This is the thing I’m most curious about today!
“Yes, I’d like to hear it from Akatsuki’s perspective as well.”
When Dia-san said that, Akatsuki-san took a quick sip of his coffee and said, ‘It’s a long story.’
With everyone’s eyes on him, Akatsuki-san slowly began his tale.
“My meeting with Dia was…”
