Urushihara had heard, vaguely, at some point, that there had been a rapidly increasing trend of young people—particularly teenagers—growing addicted to electronics, much to the dismay of the older generation. He didn't much care for the term 'addicted', he preferred to think he was just very good at spending time, but even if it did turn out that he was addicted, he wouldn't mind. He loved electronics. They captured his attention like nothing else did, and there was always something to do on the internet. He could never be bored with his computer.

Add a good soundtrack to the background, and he was completely gone, taken to another world. A world where no one nagged him, no one berated him, and no one asked him weird questions. Except the weird people on the internet, of course.

But for some reason, today he found he couldn't quite submerge completely into that comforting hypnosis like he normally did. Something was tugging on the back of his brain, keeping his head above water. He tried turning up the music louder, a catchy pop song he'd grown rather fond of, but found he couldn't even pay attention to the guitar riff in the middle, his favorite part.

Finally, after going through two more songs with similar luck, he gave up. He took out his headphones and rubbed his eyes, sighing when the strain he hadn't noticed until then relaxed.

It was quiet. He knew it was quiet when he was the only one in the apartment, but he didn't know it was this quiet. Just the faintest sounds of cars going by every now and then, or the wind picking up to blow through the leaves. He drummed his fingers against the tabletop absentmindedly, his body perhaps wanting to fill that emptiness with something.

He knew what it reminded him of. The Demon World, when he'd still been a stray wandering around the wastelands looking for something to occupy his time. He'd glide along the winds over fiery deserts, swooping in and out of clouds as dark as his wings, aimlessly travelling from one land to the next. He'd spent years, decades, doing that. The sheer, skull-raking boredom would sometimes foul his mood so much that whenever he found any demon, whether it be a straggler or a clan, he didn't waste time killing them right off the bat, because it was simply something to do.

(Of course, afterwards he'd regret it, because once again he'd be left with no one to entertain him.)

Stupid Ashiya. Urushihara sighed and lay back on the floor, groping without looking for a box of snacks in the process. He popped a chip into his mouth and listened to the crunching, his eyes tracing the wooden beams on the ceiling.

It was obvious why his roommate had asked that question. But it was still a stupid question. Ashiya had always been one to worry about useless things, and this was no different. It wasn't like their powers were gone entirely, nor was it the case that they'd be gone forever. All they had to do was wait for some big disaster to happen, and poof! Instant refueling. So in the meantime, why worry?

The chip bag was empty before he knew it, and his fingers scraped around the greasy insides for several seconds before he decided to look to confirm. Tossing the garbage with the rest, he wiped his fingers on his shirt and spread his arms out on either side of him as he lay back once again.

After a time, he turned his head to gaze down one arm. It was slightly crooked, like the bend in a wing. His hand rested palm up with its fingers splayed outwards, almost like feathers extending from the joint.

Urushihara snorted, and sat back up again. Ashiya didn't know anything. He hadn't been lying, not one bit, when he'd told his roommate he didn't miss his wings. Normally, he would have just left it at that, but the idiot just looked so damn pitiful, Urushihara tacked on that last bit before he could start a day's worth of moping, which would usually end up with Ashiya being more irritating than usual (otherwise Urushihara wouldn't have bothered).

But he didn't miss them. Angels by nature were able to hide their wings, so it wasn't like some big surprise to him when he woke up in Japan and his wings were gone.

(It had been a bit of a shock when he couldn't recall them right away, but that was short-lived the moment he'd absorbed some human negativity)

Besides, he was able to fly without his wings anyways. He'd tested it a few times in the Demon World, and though it was a bit strange feeling the wind on his face but not his feathers, he quickly grew used to it.

No, he'd never missed his wings, simply because he never thought about them. He understood why it could be a surprise to some, considering how long he'd lived with them. But he had better things to be wasting his time with. Like the Internet.

Although…

Urushihara grimaced. If he had to pick something he missed, he supposed it would be his energy. He'd been powerful before he came to Japan, very powerful. For a long time, the most powerful demon in the area, and even longer still, one of the most powerful angels. And as a Demon General...he admitted it did feel good to have that sort of authority. It wasn't the same as his authority in Heaven. Those lower-class soldiers would snap to attention if a leaf fell by. An administrative position, however high, was just an office job in the end. But to be in charge of an army...He hadn't had fun like that in centuries. So it was a bit of a letdown that he'd been reduced to this level, when he thought about it.

But he didn't think about it, so he didn't care.

He plugged his headphones back in, and pulled up another video. This time, he was able to sink into it completely.


RN: Very short, and maybe disappointing to some, but I felt like it was the most likely answer he'd give. I have a feeling he never really wanted to go back to Heaven in the first place (why would he, when it bored him so much?) and like any young person getting introduced to electronics, he'd be too fascinated by them to care about anything else in his life. As a person who wants to do as little work in his life as possible, feeling bad about his current state just seems like a waste of energy.

Maou is next, and the final one. Stay tuned!