A/N: Yeah, yeah, I said Monday and now it's Tuesday but y'all really don't wanna hear why so I'll spare you that… Also, for those of you here that haven't read the revised version of the first chapter, I'd suggest you go do that cuz it's twice as long and does a better job of keeping it real… Also, this chapter occurs one week in the past from the first, just an fyi…
Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Anything. All rights to the characters go where due.
Chapter 2: The Demon King makes a mean strawberry shake!
Sadao Maou
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Ugh, can't a guy get some sleep? Ever since Kisaki made me assistant manager of her MgRonald's… It's like I'm on call now or something.
You know, usually, I wouldn't complain about working, 'specially since I get paid, but I took extra special care to remind Kisaki-san that today was my day off…
I even made plans to go shopping with Ashiya and get Urushihara off his lazy ass today so I could buy a new bike since they're having a semi-annual sale at Seiya this week…
Don't get me wrong, I realize that Dullahan's keeping up, but… it definitely has seen better days… No thanks to a certain Hero Emilia…
I groggily reached an arm out of the covers of the one bed Devil's Castle now possessed and felt around for my phone, finally finding it and ripping the charger from the wall, more forcefully than I'd rip out Emi's lungs so she'd stop talking to me for once. I touched around the answer area on the screen, not daring to open my eyes even a millimeter.
"Kisaki-san, isn't it too early to be out of bed? The sun isn't even awake yet," I groaned, just barely peering out of my eyelids to see absolute darkness.
I think even my soul might be brighter than this room… I didn't think such darkness was possible. If I fought the Hero in this environment with enough training…
"What could you possibly mean, Maou-kun? It's already 4 AM! I'll have you know, I've had 95 customers come through in the last two hours. Nighttime is profit time, Maou-kun!..."
Ah, good ol' Kisaki-san, always thinking about her bottom line, as usual… Never thinking about how little sleep comes between midnight and whatever the hell it is now…
"What does any of this have to do with me, Kisaki-san? It's my day off… I wanna sleep until at least 6 today… After how long I stayed up last night…"
I yawned into my phone, hoping Kisaki would catch my drift. Subtly, however, was not something the woman understood.
"Of those 95 customers, 68 have requested to be served by you, and I have three elderly women who won't go away 'till they see you…"
Oh, God, not those three again… At least they didn't come back with the other one… I guess I could deal with three old ladies if I had to, but if the four of them were together…
"Kisaki… I've worked like 50 hours this week alone… Can't I have one day off?"
I already have 10 hours of overtime pay raked up… And even if I'm going to spend a little on that new bike… Ashiya has a stash somewhere that he can use to buy groceries, right? The Devil's Castle will be fine even without a little bit more…
"You get paid not only overtime, but also 5% of our total profits, Maou-kun…"
"But I can't even see my hands, Kisaki-san…"
I got one on the phone but where's the other? I can feel it but where did this other one go? My human form should still have two, right? That's how it's been these past few years… Why is it changing now?
"I'll pay you 7%, but that's my final offer."
"Money can only go so far, Kisaki-san… But having to work that insane 17-hour shift yesterday means my back is killing me and I'm stiff all over, Kisaki-san…"
I came to cook hash browns at 5 AM and Kisaki-san made me stay until midnight… I never even got to take my dinner break because it was too busy to step out for even a quick restroom break. Customer after customer after customer after…
So many orders… So many angry customers that Kisaki-san made me handle… I get chills just thinking about it…
"I made you who you are, Maou-kun, and I can take it all away just as easily… And I know just who to make your replacement… You think that Emi girl's interested in a raise?"
There is no way in hell I'm going to let that red-haired bitch get anywhere close to my job. I'd rather die than have her say that she's the new-
She had me between a rock and a hard place. No one, mortal, holy, or unholy, had the guts or stupidity to ignore Mayumi Kisaki's threats. If she wanted to, she'd probably be general manager of all the MgRonald's in Japan, just by asking nicely and then baring her teeth…
If Kisaki-san tried to conquer Ente Isle… She'd be able to defeat the Hero with a single one of her death glares… If I only had her as the commander of my Eastern forces…
But it's best not to dwell on past regrets…
"No, no, that's fine, Kisaki-san, I'm fine with coming in today. In fact, if I hang up now, I bet I can make it to Hatagaya Station by 4:15! It's really quite all right, Kisaki-san. I'll just take the day off whenever it's convenient for you"
So I'm never getting that day off, am I? I'm starting to think this promotion was so Kisaki-san would have an excuse to bring me in at all hours, even if they weren't the waking hours…
"Glad you were able to see things from my perspective, Maou-kun. I'll see you in a few minutes then… And make sure to bring your A-game! We're really going to need it today," Kisaki-san's voice trailed off in a sing-song pattern.
Every day's an A-game day when Kisaki's your manager… Although that's probably to be expected from Kisaki-san… It's probably the reason we're the best in our region for sales and customer service this year…
I pulled myself off of the bed and into what would be considered a nearly-perfect plank position, taking a few moments to stretch myself out until I was able to fully regain control of my motions without inducing too much pain.
I folded up the covers neatly , tiptoeing on the floor so Ashiya and Urushihara would stay asleep while I lightly flicked the closet door open with my wrist and took out my spare MgRonald's work uniform, folding it up into a bag and bringing it, brushing my teeth on the way. I placed the toothbrush on the counter next to the sink and began putting on my shoes while chewing the first thing I could pull out of the fridge before the light could turn on.
One of the perks of having a decently old fridge is that if you want to get a midnight snack, you can easily do so without brightness flashing in your roommates' eyes and them throwing MgRonald's food containers, drink cups, wrappers, and whatever other junk happens to be unfortunately lying around them, at you.
Just love it when that happens… The last time I left the fridge open long enough, Urushihara threw half-full drinks and open sauce containers at me… Ashiya was not happy about how much detergent I had to waste to clean my clothes after that fiasco…
Biking at what I considered to be the speed of light itself, I raced to the MgRonald's near Hatagaya Station, almost flying through the door and rushing into the dressing room to change out of yesterday's work uniform.
I admit, it may have been more practical to change out of it when I got home last night, but sometimes, you lie on the bed, tell yourself it'll be 5 minutes, and then stay there for the next four hours until your manager wakes you up and gets you to work another shift.
After the morning breakfast rush, things started to cool down a little. Customers started being reasonable… I had a lady in the drive-through who stayed there until we found her daughter a rabbit toy for her Happy Meal, and a guy who wanted us to make him thirty Big Breakfasts… so we had to hold his order for a while… And then… It started pouring and since everyone else found a way to be busy, Kisaki-san made me run in the torrential downpour… But I do get paid a portion of the profits today, so…
As I finished up a sale, a gust of wind rolled in and the doors flew open, almost by… magic. A slim man in a crisply tailored grey suit walked in nonchalantly, as if the world was put on hold for his arrival.
His jet-black hair seemed freshly slicked back and his facial hair was cleanly shaven, save for the faintest glimmer of a goatee. This guy definitely meant business;the suit jacket he wore was probably at least 50,000 ¥… Easily more than what I've seen for a few months of work. I prepared my best smile and mentally readied myself for anything.
After all, with these rich-guy types, it's anyone's can turn out to be the nicest person you've met, they can think the world is their playground, they can be hellbent on making you suffer… Truly anything's possible…
I cleared my throat before opening my mouth to greet him, as per company policy.
"Good morning, sir, how are you today?"
A demonic grin rose to his face as a mischevious glint came into his eyes. "I'm doing perfectly fine, milord, and how are you feeling today?"
Mi-milord… there's no way a-a simple guy like this knows who I truly am, right? He's joking… Maybe that's just how rich guys call everyone or something?
I wouldn't know, I personally find myself in the almost-penniless walk of life, so…
"Well, slightly tired but none the worse for the wear," I sheepishly replied, remembering to be as relatable and honest in my answers as possible. "All righty, sir, what can I get you today? Which of our fine products are you most interested in? Or would you like me to suggest something off the menu?"
After the customer gets his order, everything should be fine and I'll stop hearing milord's… Maybe this is just Ashiya using a little bit of magic, and old habits die hard?...
But then again… where would Ashiya find dark magic?... And why wouldn't he have told me about it?
"I'll have two large strawberry shakes, milord, and if you could drizzle some caramel atop the whipped cream, I'd be much obliged," the concerning character replied.
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes, yes, that'll be all, and… I'll have it for here, milord…"
"627 ¥ is your total, sir," I articulated, smiling as best I could.
I finally make more than twice that an hour here… I could buy four of those and go home…
Although Ashiya'd be outraged at the very thought…
Come to think of it, if this guy was Ashiya, he'd be able to project a rich appearance but he'd never order something that expensive, even if it's not really that much…
No, the real Ashiya would've gone for the cheapest menu item we had, which wouldn't be hard to find for him since I leave spare copies of it lying around the house…
The man pulled out a black leather wallet with gold trim and proceeded to sift through multiple different currencies.
"Here's a 50… Will that do?" he inquired, holding out a 50,000 ¥ banknote. I checked it to make sure it was real, then called Kisaki-san over to make some quick change.
While I waited, I poured two perfect strawberry milkshakes, and my whipped cream technique hadn't seen a better day than this one. Even the caramel on top was perfect and the cherry's finishing touch was magnificent… If I could take a picture… I'd have the new display photo for MgRonald's strawberry shake… It was a proud moment in my life.
Yup, this is a perfect note…Or a perfect replica… And there's no way Ashiya would be able to cast magic to project something like that with just a computerized image… Seeing as how Ashiya's never laid eyes on one of these –hell, when we first got here and I started working, I thought the 50,000 ¥ banknote was some sort of urban legend… I thought that kind of wealth simply wasn't possible for someone to achieve and squander like this…
There isn't a single doubt in my mind then… This guy definitely isn't the demon general I fought side by side with against the Hero Emilia…
But if this guy isn't Ashiya… Who is he really? Some envoy of Heaven, here to try and steal Alas=Ramus again? Or is he after me in particular…?
The composed general store manager's eyes widened as she shivered. "Fi-Fifty thousand yen? I-I don't even think we keep half that much in the store!" Kisaki said in a panic as she frantically scrambled for his change. Just yesterday, Kisaki-san deposited all of the store's profits, and all we had on hand for change was today's totals, nothing more, nothing less…
Even after taking out every coin and bill in the store, we almost reached it, but in the end… Somehow we wound up still a full 1,000 ¥ short… Is there no mercy in this world?
"It's quite alright, ma'am… I probably should've stopped at a bank or something and gotten a few thousand or something," the peculiar man apologized, saying more than a few sumimasens and scratching his head, most likely unused to the attention of the rather attractive woman in front of him… At least, I've been told Kisaki-san is attractive, and Sariel seems to agree…
"Oh, no, it's really our fault, sir… If there's any way I can make up the thousand yen difference… Is there anything else you would like? We can let you come around the back and make whatever you want…" Kisaki-san began, her face actually a flushed red. It was the first time I had seen Kisaki Mayumi-san embarassed… Until now, I didn't know such a mode existed…
Perhaps she finds this man attractive in the same way Sariel finds her? Or rather, maybe the profits and publicity he could bring to this store are what's causing this?...
"Uh, actually, if you could let me know when this young man here goes on break… I'd like to have a little chat with him, that is, if you don't mind…" came the booming voice from the frivolously spending man.
Kisaki-san practically tossed me out the Employees-Only door and into the restaurant, not bothering to concern herself with my personal safety.
"You have 10 minutes exact, Maou-kun. After that, I'll be taking 10 ¥ off your paycheck for each second," Kisaki-san sternly articulated while waving her finger back and forth to indicate that although she might sound –to the untrained passerby's ear- as if she were joking, she was 200% serious, and that I was lucky she was only threatening me with 10 ¥.
I picked myself up off of the ground, brushed the dust lightly away from myself, careful not to get any on the customers. The man picked a table at the end and sat down, tearing through the straw wrapper before inserting the straw carefully into one of the strawberry m ilkshakes. He motioned me over with a few flicks of his wrist and I marched to meet him. Sitting in the seat opposite him, I raised my eyebrow.
The question was clearly visible, albeit implicit.
Why? Why did you call me out here? Why now, when there are innocent lives around? W hy have you done nothing to show me even who's side you're on…?
After installing the second straw into the remaining milkshake, he slid it over to me, yawning. I looked over at the clock, reflexively. It was only 11:06 but he was somehow already tired.
"Well, milord, I guess it's already been a long day for both of us… So, drink up and ask away, Overlord… I'm sure you're just dying to know something, aren't you?
Well, he wasn't wrong…
"All right, sir… For starters, why MgRonald's? Was it our hospitality that lured you in? Our delicious, nutritious selection of nourishment? Our low prices?"
"Oh, come now, Lord Satan… I didn't come all this way simply to stop at a MgRonald's for a quick snack… Surely there must be a more pertinent inquiry for you to make, milord?..."
No one in this store should know me by… that name… Save for Chi-chan, but that's only because she's been in the wrong place at the wrong time…
I took a long sip of the strawberry shake, waiting until the sugar kicked in before I opened my mouth.
"Well, if you want to me to be more blunt, all you had to do was ask, sir… So how's about you tell me where you're coming up with all these "milord"s and "Lord Satan" and "Overlord" from, huh?" I asked, trying my best to sound polite to a customer but mildly worried that it came off as reticent. After all, this was my restaurant, and we had a customer service reputation to uphold… Well, almost my restaurant…
Kisaki-san was still my boss, but before long, she'll be promoted to an area supervisor or a director of operations, so the MgRonald's at Hatagaya station was essentially in my clutches… All Kisaki-san's been doing for the past few months was training her replacement…
"See, all it took was a simple few sentences and now we've cut to the chase… You and I both know you aren't really Sadao Maou, Demon King… And I think it's futile, at this point, to pretend otherwise…"
My questioning look turned into a downright death glare that even Kisaki-san would be proud of.
"Where is this conversation going exactly?..." my voice trailed off.
"You hope to bring this world and the next to its knees, don't you? And in that case, I have a proposition for you, Demon King… I think you'll find it suitable to your newfound tastes…"
A/N: And with that, chapter 2 draws to a close… I wanted to drag things out, so this one probably isn't what you thought it'd be… Next time will be back to present-day, or at least, the present to Emi and Maou… Even the past is the present to the past version of us. As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated… Y'all should review… Having notifications makes me happier than strawberry shakes… And this time, chapter 3'll be Monday of next week, for sure, cuz it's already in the works… so I hope that makes you look forward to a Monday?
~Lefauxlucifer
