“──Alaya-sama! How could you get kidnapped without permission?! Do you have any idea how much Swan-san and I worried about you?!”
Evening. After giving detailed instructions to the research lab and the former members of the anti-society organization, I returned to the guest room in the Demon King’s castle, dragging my sleep-deprived feet.
The one who greeted me with an aura of pure fury was Milphobia.
Hmm, seems leaving just a note wasn’t enough.
“Ah, yes, I’m sorry about that…”
I rubbed my eyelids, heavy with sleep, as I apologized.
I did apologize, but I had a feeling that even if I explained myself verbally, she wouldn’t accept it.
“And you too, Shes! If you’re his bodyguard, your first priority should have been stopping Alaya-sama’s reckless behavior!”
“Y-Yes, my apologies…”
Even Shes, who didn’t back down against Deus of the Demon City Police Special Task Force, seemed to shrink under Milphobia’s sharp glare, her shoulders slumping as she looked downcast.
Knowing how serious Shes is, I’m pretty sure she hasn’t been scolded like this often.
Poor thing. She got dragged into my whims and ended up in this mess. How pitiful.
“…So, Alaya-sama, where exactly were you and what were you doing all through yesterday and into today?”
With a sigh, Milphobia placed her hands on her hips and questioned me.
“Yesterday, weren’t you supposed to be out with Otokai -sama? How did this turn into a story about you being kidnapped?”
“Ah, well… How should I put it? I got interested in one thing, and before I knew it, events started snowballing out of control…”
“? What exactly were you doing?”
“Trust me, it’s better if you don’t know.”
Knowing Milphobia, once she hears it, she’ll probably end up clutching her head and writhing in distress.
After all, what I did was borderline rebellion against the Demon Kingdom. Not that I have any intention of being rebellious, of course.
“Alaya-sama, if you don’t tell me the truth, no dinner for you.”
“That’s a problem…”
I haven’t eaten anything other than some light snacks while running around, so I’m starving.
Now, what should I do? Should I confess or keep silent?
As I folded my arms and pondered, the room’s door burst open with a loud BANG!
“Yo! Kiwi-chi! I’ve come to hang out again today!”
The one barging in without knocking was Otokai . As usual, she was dressed in revealing clothes, showing off her glossy red skin like a freshly picked apple, flashing a peace sign.
“You really came, huh?”
“Of course, I did! So, where are we going today?”
Even though it was almost nighttime, Otokai seemed fully energized, ready for a night out.
Her energy was admirable, but wouldn’t Agito be worried about her habit of constant late-night outings?
“Sorry, but I’m heading back to the clinic for a while starting tomorrow. I can’t join you for late-night escapades. I’m tired.”
“Eh?! But I came all this way…!”
Feeling a little bad for the dejected Otokai , I noticed something.
“Hm? Otokai -kun, what’s that in your hand?”
“This? Oh, this?”
Otokai looked at the thinly rolled-up piece of paper in her hand and said:
“On the way to the Demon King’s castle, I passed through the main street of the Demon City, where a newspaper company was shouting, ‘Extra! Extra!’ and handing these out. So, I grabbed one.”
“Oh, an extra? Did something happen?”
“No idea. Wanna read it?”
Otokai unfolded the extra edition newspaper.
What was written on the front page was:
[IMPORTANT WANTED NOTICE]
The Mask the Melon Gang
- Mask the Melon
- Female Knight, Thief
These individuals are the ringleaders behind the following crimes committed last night.
In light of the grave impact on the future security of the Demon City, they are hereby declared important wanted fugitives by Deus, the commander of the Demon City Police Special Task Force.
Crimes:
- Seizure of an illegal drug sales organization
- Obstruction of justice during a drug raid
- Assault and escape involving Demon City Police personnel
If you have seen these individuals or have any information, please report it to the Demon City Police.
[REWARD]
Mask the Melon
- Sightings: 5 million gold
- Capture: 100 million gold
Mask the Melon Gang
- Sightings: 2 million gold
- Capture: 20 million gold
Dead or alive
“Wow! Someone’s gone and pulled some real punk moves, huh? Going against the Demon City Police? That’s nuts!”
Otokai laughed out loud, seemingly thrilled by the absurdity of it.
Milphobia, meanwhile, stared intently at the newspaper and said:
“Deus-san’s name is mentioned… The Demon City Police must be taking this very seriously. This must be quite the big fish.”
“Yeah, this is pretty much them declaring, ‘We’ll take these guys down no matter what.'”
“Hmm… But what is this Mask the Melon criminal planning after seizing an anti-society organization?”
“Who knows? Oh, by the way, Kiwi-chi, speaking of anti-society stuff, what happened with that new water drug from yesterday?”
Otokai suddenly asked, as if remembering.
“You went to the illegal drug lab after that, right? Did you manage to seize control of it?”
“Yeah, everything’s been resolved. No more worries about illegal drugs.”
“Ah, good to hear! Now Mukomuu and the others can finally relax!”
“Nikaa!” Otokai grinned widely, and behind him, Milphobia seemed to notice something as she carefully compared the wanted poster with my appearance, muttering, “Hmm?”
“Uh, Alaya-sama?”
“What is it?”
“Did you get involved with a criminal organization yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Did that criminal organization have a research facility that would interest you?”
“Yes.”
“And you took over that research facility?”
“Yes.”
“…”
I could see the blood drain from Milphobia’s face as she stared at me. After a moment, she pressed her hands to her head.
“Alaya-sama? What should we do from here on?”
“Huh…”
I folded my arms as I pondered,
“I don’t want to be scolded, and I definitely don’t want to lose the research facility or the organization I worked hard to get… So… I guess it’s better not to hide it, right?”
“Of course you can’t hide it!”
Milphobia’s voice came down like thunder.
“Don’t act like a child hiding a toy!”
“Muu… Was it wrong…?”
“Of course it is… But, even Gun Ken-sama from the Magic Kingdom’s leadership is quite a character, and in this time of war, the situation is too serious. I’ll wait for the right time, so please report to His Majesty when that moment comes.”
“Thank you so much, Milphobia-kun.”
“Really…”
Milphobia sighed deeply and then turned to face Otokai .
“Otokai -sama, about this matter, please keep it confidential…”
“Aaa… Yeah, got it! I pretty much figured it out!”
With a firm thumbs-up, Otokai said,
“But man, Kiwi-chi, you’re really something!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s good! It’s more fitting for a Magic Kingdom leader to be that way. All those demons are crazy and stand out in some way, including my dad.”
With Otokai ’s full approval, the matter was settled for now.
Milphobia had prepared dinner and was waiting, so we gathered around the dining table. Of course, Otokai was invited too.
Though I wanted to chat more, I was too sleep-deprived. I ended up falling asleep while eating my hamburger, and the only thing I remember was how much I liked the taste of the demi-glace sauce. Then my memory cuts off there.
[Side: Tiger]
“—W-Wow, Kiwi’s older brother! Right from the start, a bounty of one million gold…! That bounty might even put him in the top ten!”
In the early morning, on a corner of an open farm at the edge of the Magic City, Tiger was excitedly looking at the extra edition newspaper. Freesia, a former executioner and snow demon, hurriedly pressed Tiger’s mouth shut.
“It’s Mask-sama, remember!”
“Oh, right, sorry, sorry!”
“You need to be more careful… If our involvement with him were to leak, what do you think would happen…?”
The bad thought made Freesia shiver.
Tiger, too, didn’t want to repeat the time he almost had his neck severed.
He took a deep breath and, despite the danger, muttered quietly,
“That’s the case… but a bounty head… sounds pretty good.”
“What’s good about it? Nothing good comes from being wanted like that.”
“You don’t get it. This is the kind of thing that gives a reputation in the underworld. It’s the kind of romanticism bad guys like.”
“Huh?”
“The Magic Spear Twinko, bounty of 20 million gold. Scorching Fist Achiis, bounty of 18 million gold. These two were the only ones in the Eight Executioner Groups with bounties like that.”
“Look, we were an assassination group, okay? It’s not good for our names to be known…”
Tiger shrugged in disbelief.
“Tch… reality people…”
“No, look at reality!”
With a large sigh, Freesia said,
“Right now, what we should care about isn’t the bounty amount. It’s the price of cabbage and broccoli. Recently, the prices for these two vegetables have been rising, so we need to check the stock carefully and get the best price from buyers. Right now, we can only make money through front businesses, so we have to contribute to Mask-sama in any way we can, or we’ll be ‘cut loose.'”
“Ugh… I know, I know…”
Freesia and Tiger, shoulders slumped, headed to the produce market for the auction.
