Komekko rose in the morning after Kazuma and the others were gone, her arms stretching out to try to grab hold of her big sister, only to find… the bed was empty, and she was alone. Her big red eyes opened like saucers as it hit her all at once. 'Mr. Kazuma is gone, Boob Lady is gone, big sis is gone, even the pantyless pervert with blue hair is gone.' She sniffled a little, her small hands grabbed the side of the sheets where her sister slept the night before. Her fingers went tight enough that they turned white as she pulled her sister's side of the bed closer to her so that she could take in the fading scent of her loved one.
Contrary to what Mr. Kazuma seemed to believe, 'I understand what they do, I know they might die out there… I might never see big sis again… why he thinks I don't know anything… I dunno… he treats me like a little kid…' She closed her eyes tight and curled up in a little ball on the great wide bed he provided for his house. Everything around her was more comfortable than she'd ever dreamed anyone could be.
'He's putting himself in danger to take care of me and big sis…' She told herself and bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. 'Please come back safe Mr. Kazuma, please don't die out there, bring Megumin back, okay?' She prayed to the universe and remained covered in the thick, heavy blanket, huddled beneath it while light slowly filled the room from the towering balcony doors.
Komekko remained that way until the light came through so fully that even closing her eyes beneath the blanket could no longer keep it out entirely, and her belly began to rumble.
Her immediate thought was, 'Another day hungry…' Until her memory rushed back to her in full. The cellar filled with more food than she thought existed in the world. The big hearty meals Kazuma prepared and provided for them all, the elaborate kitchen that was the size of most of her house.
Her belly rumbled again and her little hand clutched it as if she were going to argue.
Then she relaxed and slid out from under the covers, her feet touched the thick carpet of the room and she scrunched her toes against it like it was a guilty pleasure.
She slipped on a clean set of clothes, one which had no patches that failed to properly fix clothes, another gift of Kazuma's largesse, and headed toward the kitchen.
The walls of the hall seemed tall as mountains to her, and were a source of fear, fascination, and security all at once, which she craned her neck to look up at as if seeing them for the first time. The thick stone blocks were each as tall as her knees and there seemed to be an endless supply of them used in the making of the great manor through which she now walked.
Finding the kitchen was easy enough, easier than she expected after so short a time there. What made it easy was her nose. The smell of cooking reached her after only a few minutes and it rapidly drew her toward the source. She tilted her head back and kept sniffing, leaning forward with her arms at her sides, she sniffed, sniffed, sniffed her way to the interior of the manor until she found herself in the kitchen.
"Oh ho! Welcome little crimson demon who is a rival to her own sister! Welcome to the finest breakfast you will ever eat," Vanir proclaimed with an exaggerated stretching out of his arms, his back arched, an apron around the front of his body, and then a deep bow toward her, "until of course, I cook breakfast tomorrow!"
"Mr…?" Komekko tried to recall his name.
"Vanir! The demon hired as your caretaker." He said and put a hand on her head, "And I do swear you are even cuter than I recall from yesterday."
Komekko let him rub her head for a moment and then asked, "So… bout that breakfast?"
"Yes of course!" He all but shouted and whirled around to face the source of a sizzling sound, and the scrumptious smell of cooking food. "Today we will be having scrambled eggs with crumbled bacon bits dropped within, two biscuits, three if you want another, and fresh squeezed juice from an orange."
Komekko almost felt herself faint, she flopped down onto the wooden chair behind her instead.
It rocked back and forth for a moment until it came to a stop and she rubbed her hands together.
Vanir wasted no time, he tilted the pan he was working with and scraped the meal into a wooden bowl slightly wider than Komekko's fingers could spread, then drew out fluffy tan biscuits from an oven that creaked when he opened it, no sooner than he'd pulled them out than he spun on his heel and used the back of his other foot to kick the front of the oven closed with a bang, before placing food directly in front of Komekko with a smile beneath his mask.
"There you go, child of unfortunate parents."
She looked at the food, then up at Vanir who remained leaning over. "So… this looks real good, but… how do I know this isn't a trick… you're a demon, right?" She asked.
"Yes, a fine demon, nay, the second finest of all demons I dare say!" He straightened and tapped his chest with one hand, looking up and away as he preened in all his pride. "I exceed my brethren in so many ways it is almost shameful that we share the same title."
"Huh… so… if I eat this, you don't like… eat my soul or anythin?" She asked.
Vanir laughed uproariously and went to the counter to pour juice from a porcelain pitcher into a small hand height wooden cup, which he then placed with the delicacy of a butterfly's landing, in front of Komekko's bowl.
"Never, child. For you see, I have a contract with the boy adventurer you so fancy! Your gift of undergarments to him was inspired, and it is part of why I agreed to mind you. The boy adventurer is prone to falling into traps, shenanigans, and hijinks alike, and so he is an endless source of amusement to me. As such I have agreed to mind you while he is away, and of course, his venture will profit me as well, so how could I refuse? Eating your soul is…" His smile turned upside down and he shivered in disgust, "so crass. Only unthinking brutish and animalistic demons would stoop so low. But even if that weren't so, have you never learned of the value of contracts, oh child of the crimson?!" Vanir exclaimed, and went statue still when she shook her head while shoveling food in her mouth as if all her fears had never existed in the first place.
"Oh my dear girl, why contracts are the essence of demon society! A demon must always, always, always keep his word to perfection! Of course… there are pranksters, tricksters like my brother who keeps his word in perfect perversion of intent…" Vanir explained, to which Komekko cocked her head.
"Whasat mean?" She asked.
"Oh, he grants the letter, but not the spirit of his bargains. For example, suppose someone's contract with him said that he could use the women's baths without ever being thrown out… then my perverse brother would turn the contractee into a woman, thus fulfilling the letter, but not the perverse spirit of the deal. Or suppose someone wished to be able to look at women's panties all day every day without issue. My brother would get them a retail job at a women's shop… after the fiftieth ka'ren monster, he would regret his very existence… but he would have his wish granted."
"But you don't do that, Mr. Vanir?" Komekko asked while she vigorously wiped her mouth.
"No, I pride myself in fulfilling all bargains made in letter and spirit." Vanir said, "I make sure I gain from them, but I believe mutual benefits are vital to all business. There are plenty of negative emotions to be had without even trying to make more of them."
The young crimson demon thought that over in the sort of silence reserved solely for thoughtful little girls, took up her cup of juice, and drank it while she thought it over.
"So… can I make a contract with you?" She asked.
Vanir paused, "A contract of what sort?" He asked, his curiosity piqued at the sudden and unexpected interest of the small crimson demon girl.
"Teach me how to use magic so that I can become a great adventurer like big sis and Mr. Kazuma." Komekko demanded.
Vanir took that in, then asked, "Why?"
"I only eat because Mr. Kazuma feeds me. I only have a bed because Mr. Kazuma gives me one. I only got nice clothes cuz Mr. Kazuma bought them for me. An all I did was get him in bad trouble. I wanna be useful, like big sis, an strong, like big sis. I don't wanna just be taken care of." Komekko said, and Vanir listened to every word.
He watched as she suppressed a little tremor. "I don't wanna get left behind forever."
"I see, child. I see. Very few cute children aspire to be adventurers, let alone learn demon magic. That is quite a request." He said while he thought the matter over.
"I am cute, but what good is that?" She snorted.
"Cute is an excellent survival strategy. After all, which are you more likely to attack?" He asked and snapped his fingers. His body morphed into a masked greater direwolf with bared teeth and a snarling face.
Komekko froze in her chair, unable to move while looking at the fearsome yellow eyes of the hungry monster.
"Or this?" He asked and morphed himself again, shrinking down to the height of her ankle, becoming a little brown pup with a wagging tail and a lolling tongue.
Then he morphed back into himself again, and with a smirk he said, "Never underestimate the power of cuteness to bend others to its will."
Komekko quietly filed it away as sage wisdom and said, "Still, I want to learn strong magic, magic that will make me like big sister or stronger."
Vanir shrugged, "I could teach you, but what do I get? A contract must offer things to both parties, and I can't think of anything you could offer to me in turn. Those are the rules." He said and began to clear the table.
"I'll think of something." Komekko promised with a tiny, serious nod that bounced her hair around.
'That's the last of that.' Vanir told himself.
"So what do we do today?" She asked him after he put away the last of the dishes.
"I must take us to the shop of my permanently impoverished pathetic partner in peddling piss poor products to people with permanently empty pockets." Vanir remarked and let out a light groan. "She's a fine lich, as liches go, charming, clumsy, and kind. But a daft fool with business, I embarked into business with her because she already had a shop and I thought it would be something to do. Only to realize too late that she had no instincts and no matter how hard she worked, she could only become poorer." His shoulders slumped, "You'll be coming with me of course, but after that perhaps I could take you to a park or find some children for you to play with?"
Komekko's legs kicked back and forth under the chair, "That'll be fun." She pasted a smile on her face while her mind raced at speeds that few outside of the Crimson Demon clan could match.
Vanir, it seemed, was true to his word, and he carried her seated on his shoulders all the way to a small shop with a clear glass window and a thick wooden door. He opened it, causing the dangling bell overhead to send out its tinkling ring throughout the shop, then ducked down to enter and allow Komekko to easily fit underneath without banging her little head.
"I'll be right out!" There was a crash in the back, the noise of breaking glass, "Oh no! Not another one! That was expensive!" Wiz exclaimed.
Vanir powered up his murder ray and inched closer to the counter.
