Choromatsu groaned as he closed yet another book, adding it to the growing stack next to him. He looked up from the table to see the others nose deep in the books they're reading.
"Any luck with you guys?" He asked, keeping his voice hushed. They are in a library after all.
"Nothing." Karamatsu replied, skimming through his book.
"Nothing worth mentioning…" Ichimatsu groaned out, closing his book as well.
"Man, this is taking forever." Osomatsu complained, plopping his face into the book he was reading.
"What about you Jyushima—" Choromatsu stopped as he turned towards his yellow-clad brother.
He was crying as he turned the pages of his book.
"Jyushimatsu…"
"I miss Totty…" Jyushimatsu hiccupped, wiping the tears with his sleeve.
The other four stared at the book in their hands, frowns on their faces.
"We all do." Karamatsu sighed out, reaching over to pat Jyushimatsu's head.
Jyushimatsu sniffled, leaning into Karamatsu's touch. "I wish we never were mean to him…then they wouldn't have taken him…"
Choromatsu sighed, leaning back again his chair. "What's done is done, unfortunately."
"You sound like a fortuneteller, Choromatsu." Osomatsu chuckled, looking at his brother from over his book.
"Shut up and finish your damn book before I throw this one at you."
"Touchy!"
Osomatsu kept giggling to himself as he went back to his book.
Ichimatsu stood up, walking back over to the paranormal section and pulled out another book that contained information about demons and rituals.
Karamatsu pinched his brows in irritation, his sigh gaining the attention of his brothers. "How long do you all suppose this will take? It's been three damn days since he's been taken and we still aren't getting any closer to figuring out how to get him back."
"Karamatsu, I understand that this is taking longer than we're more comfortable with. We all want to get Todomatsu back. It's just that trying to find the best option on how to do so is more complicated that we anticipated." Choromatsu explained, looking at Karamatsu with an expression of pity.
"Do we know anyone who knows about shit like this? Like, opening portals?" Osomatsu asked, leaning against his chair with his legs on the table.
Jyushimatsu immediately shot up out of his chair. "What about Professor Dekapan?"
"…What about him?" Ichimatsu asked as he walked back over to the table with 5 more books in his hands.
"Don't you think he could help us?" Jyushimatsu suggested, getting all fidgety.
The others thought about it since Jyushimatsu brought up the idea.
"How do you think he'll help us?" Osomatsu asked, stretching his arms out.
"He made the truth serum for ESP Kitty and the love potion for dad! Maybe he'll be able to make something that could get us into hell!" Jyushimatsu shouted, only to be shushed by a passing librarian.
Everyone's faces lit up at the idea and stood up from the table. Except for Choromatsu.
"Choromatsu! Come o—" Osomatsu prompted, trying to get him to go with them, only to be cut off.
"What should we do if it doesn't work?" Choromatsu stared the table with a hard glare, as if it held all the answers.
The other four stood in silence, not knowing how to respond.
"This could be our only shot…but what will we do if it's a dead end?" Choromatsu asked, looking at the others.
"Shouldn't we try anyway?" Osomatsu suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Choromatsu sighed and stood up, joining the others.
The five exited the library, forgetting to put back the books they used. Those poor librarians…
Jyushimatsu, Karamatsu and Osomatsu have hesitant smiles gracing their faces while Choromatsu and Ichimatsu gulped in apprehension as they approached to the laboratory of Dekapan. The five brothers walked up the steps and let the doors slide open, entering the building.
"Hello, Professor!" Choromatsu called out, making their presence known.
Dekapan turned around and faced the brothers, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "Hello boys! What can I do for you today?"
Choromatsu rubbed his neck in nervousness. "Do you happen to know anything about…demonic rituals?"
Dekapan blinked in surprise at the question. "Demonic rituals? It's a weird question, but I do actually."
The five visibly relaxed, sighing in relief.
"What's it for?" He asked as he turned back to the shelf behind him, searching for the items in question.
Karamatsu and Osomatsu inhaled sharply and then quickly exhaled. "Well…Todomatsu was kidnapped by our demon doppelgangers. We're trying to get him back, but we don't know how." Karamatsu explained.
Dekapan quickly turned back around, a shocked expression grazing his face. The five jumped in surprise at Dekapan's sudden movement.
"W-What's wrong? Did you figure out something?" Choromatsu asked, apprehensive of the answer.
"This is a very serious matter! If he was taken by demons as you said, we don't know if he's even still alive!"
"WHAT?!"
Dekapan pulled out a large rolled up parchment paper and a thick leather-bound book. He placed them on the table and unrolled the parchment paper. "The atmosphere down there is downright toxic. There's no reason for there to be any oxygen supply since humans aren't meant to dwell down there. There are only two possibilities: he's either dead, or they managed to keep him alive."
"How would they even manage to keep him alive if it's toxic…?" Ichimatsu asked, pondering the information given to them.
"Simple, you either die or you ingest demonic blood." Dekapan answered, crossing his arms in frustration.
The brother's eyes widened.
Karamatsu clenched his fists and banged them on the table in fury. "I AM SO SICK OF THIS SHIT! FIRST THEY TELL US WE AREN'T WORTHY OF BEING TODOMATSU'S BROTHER AND THEN THEY TRY TO TURN HIM INTO ONE OF THEM?!"
"This is just…s-some sick joke…right? Right, professor?" Osomatsu nervously chuckled.
Dekapan simply shook his head in denial.
Karamatsu fell to his knees, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "I just want my baby brother back…"
Jyushimatsu sniffled, trying to not let his own tears fall as he walked over to Karamatsu and try to help him up.
The door to the laboratory opened, signaling that someone else had entered the building. They all assumed it was Dayon and paid no mind in turning around to see who it was.
Suddenly, the light above the table exploded.
"Hey, what's with all the sad faces?"
The five brothers immediately turned around in fear.
A man stood in the doorway, his back illuminated by the sunlight. His hair looked nearly identical to Ichimatsu's, only messier. He was wearing a long trench coat with fur laced around the hood, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, black camo pants tucked into knee-high combat boots. His red eyes glowed as he stared at the brothers, a shark-like grin on his face.
"I asked you a question. Now answer me." The grin fell from the stranger's face.
Osomatsu gulped. "W-We have no reason to tell you anything!"
The grin flew back up in an instance. "Feisty. I like it, just like Lucifer."
"How the hell do you know that fucker?" Karamatsu demanded, standing up with Jyushimatsu's help.
The shadowed man shrugged his shoulders. "I'll tell you once you tell me what's going on."
"And why should we trust you?" Choromatsu asked, completely suspicious of the new individual.
"Alright, alright. Forget asking. I overheard that your brother went missing? Kidnapped by some demons?"
The brothers looked at each other, back to the man and nodded.
"How'd you like to get him back with my help?"
"Help? But how? You're not a—" Ichimatsu started, only to be cut off by the man.
"A demon? I beg to differ." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and snapped his finger. A portal just like they say Belphegor open tore its way through the floor, creating a crater. "Also that whole 'ingesting demon blood to survive' thing is bogus if you learn to bypass it. Fortunately, I know how."
"Who are you?" Osomatsu asked, suspicious of the man.
"Who am I?"
The fire illuminating from the crater lit up the man's face, giving the brothers a better visual of him.
"You can call me Satan."
