A Devil's Sin

by manram

Thrown into another world without any understanding of where I was, how I arrived here, and above all why. It doesn't seem like it would be a walk in the park, unfortunately for me. (Self-insert).

3. Chapter 3

The dare is still going on, so this is the third chapter

Samuele's POV

This one is a delight to be around.

Seeing someone smiling so widely, looking around with such wonder, was quite pleasing.

But she didn't simply ask for explanation, she also walked with her eyes much above the sidewalk, her heads swiveling from one side to the other, she almost hitting the people going to work or to school due to her disattention.

Like almost hitting a light pole.

"Sister, the pole."

"Ah! Thank you! May the lord bless you!"

Twice. And twice did she bless me, and twice a migraine hit me, even if it was more the price of that delight than anything.

Truly, what kind of people sent barely this one to the other side of the world without at least a guide?

Barely an adult, who never traveled much if the content of her small suitcase was answer, and quite the trusting one, if all it took was to find a fellow countryman to ask help immediately.

And to let him carry her suitcase, even with that annoying scratch.

Or maybe I was the one paranoid of the two on the scale.

"Oh, oh! What is written here, mister Samuele?" she pointed to the statues, the roads starts, the advertisments.

"That's a bar, sister Argento. "Shoji teahouse" it says up there." There were shoji boards set inside, and some chess as well, in between the tables.

Interesting idea, all in all, even if a bit too old fashioned for me.

"A teahouse? Kind of like a bar?" she tilted her head, and I was sure that it was rumbling I heard, when the door opened and aroma of butter and frying and tea came out.

It definitedly was rumbling, when the sister's eyes looked down and a faint blushing started ro rise up.

Hmmmm.

"I apologise, sister, but may I take something for my own breakfast? I forgot to do it and I am slightly famished." I kept my voice level, and didn't move my eyes from hers, to sell this.

I would take two brioshes, just in case.

"Ah, uh, yes! Lead the way!" the young woman shouted, her blush becoming redder when the people around turned towards her, which made her hide under the white and blue veil, her eyes looking the ground while following me inside.

Truly, she was a delight to be around.

We entered that bar, and his memories came unbound, along with a name that went out my lips towards the grey haired man keeping guard at the boiling keetles.

"Mister Takemura! Two... dorayaki, please."

I really hated those memories, but the man turned, and while he was a normal old man, his grandfatherly smile put my own mind at ease, for a moment, while keeping my hands down to avoid any kind of gesture that would show my own request to the italian beside me.

"Sonny! I didn't expect you at this hour, usually you are in class! You aren't skipping class, aren't you?" his good natured jab made me guiltier than before, Samuele's memories not helping.

"But maybe it was for a good reason, wasn't it? Who is the lass beside you, a classmate? Or a friend from abroad?" the old man brown eyes turned towards the sister beside me, and his easygoing smile twitched for but a moment, then returning to that easygoing that Samuele remembered.

But I had noticed.

"Ah! Mi chiamo Asia Argento, piacere di conoscerla!" the voice of the young woman beside me was sudden, along with the tended hand, and my mind came back to the present.

It seems I was going to be translator.

"Ah, an italian. Piacere d'incontrarla, signorina Argento. Io sono Takemura Sado...Sado Takemura, mi scusi, proprietario di questo casa da thé."

Or maybe not.

My own surprise must be noticable, or maybe it was just as a story the way old men often do, because the old man turned towards me and smiling explained, his hand still closed around the young's woman::

"I wanted to get a bit more knowledge about my own field so I went to Italy for four years when I was your age to learn. Still know a bit, luckily for me."

Bullshit. That was perfect Italian, down to the accent. It even followed the courtesy rules.

But it wasn't my place to speak, and the young sister face had lighted up wonderfully at the words from our home country being spoken by yet another person.

Quite understandable in her situation.

"Ora, signorina, visto che lei mi ha fatto ricordare uno splendido periodo della mia vita che ne dite se i dorayaki li offro io?"

The young woman at the offer started shaking her right hand furiously in front of her, while crying out against free food: "Non serve, sul serio! Lei è troppo generoso, non vorrei darle problemi! Sono già contenta che c'ho un'altra persona con cui parlare, non c'è bisogno di niente!"

Something that I myself was against, it was, after all, this man's way of living.

"Oh? Non c'è nessun problema, dopotutto sono io che offro. Poi al massimo farò pagare di più al ragazzetto che hai accanto." The old man rebuffed her request, dragging me in to make her feel less guilty.

"Oi." Was my simple answer, that generated a bark of laughter from the old man, and a look of pleading from the young woman.

I was prepared to hide the money somewhere that would be found later, while the man's back was turned but then: "Try to hide money somewhere, Samuele, and I will rip your head out of your neck, aye?"

Then the old men presented us with two warm, cream filled pancakes, and simply said, with a smile, a silver glint coming from down his shirt while he passed those sweets: "Chiamateli "Regalo di benvenuto in Giappone", ok? Now scram, Samuele, and make sure to make the lass arrives at the church safely!"

Then he shooed us out.

Like that.

We remained out, the sweets in our hands still warm, till we started walking down the street, not a word being uttered due to the sheer impossibility of what happened, the unsaid pact between two strangers to not speak until one of the two had their bearings back in place.

"Hmmm! Ma è bono!"

Then she bit down down at the sweet, and the sound of satisfaction came out.

I turned fully towards the young woman, who became a deer in front of the lights, and started blushing again.

I had to force myself to not laugh, and make sure to take a bit out of the sweet so she wouldn't notice, even if her face was hidden by the veil, my own smile.

Truly, this young woman was a riot to be around.

But I had to offer her something, at least: "It is good, don't worry. But do go on, it's quite amusing to see someone so taken by it."

It didn't mean that what I was offering was not embarassing, though.

I am sure the young woman just hid behind the veil, making me want to tease just more, but she was a stranger.

Oh, who cares.

"Wait, who is this?" The young woman, half her sweet already eaten, pointed towards another statue, asking for the writing under it.

I was more than happy to explain, to give a bit of sense of normalcy to this life.

Koneko's POV

"He is an idiot."

Nothing more to say.

A devil walking beside a nun? An idiot.

A devil walking beside a nun, giving her a tour of the city? A bigger idiot.

A devil walking beside a nun, giving her a tour of the city and going towards the church where there were signs of fallen? The biggest idiot.

What the hell.

The nun was at least unaware of the fact that he was a devil, and he was not that stupid to give away that important truth.

And so I was controlling them, the nun and the idiot, who for the first time in three days was smiling.
Interesting.

This nun was a klutz, almost hitting the third pole, only to be dragged away by the idiot. Good to know.

In case.

The two stopped at another statue, and I kept the attention up, waiting for the stench of holy light.

But it never came.

Thirtysix minutes of tallying them passed, and no fallen angels or disgraced exorcist came, and they arrived in front of the church.

It looked better than before, but the rose in front had visible holes where coloured glass should have been, and the doors were cracked.

And the idiot was just in front of it, at least not being an idiot enough to actually enter the, while no more sacred, still somewhat holy grounds.

"Thank you, mister Benedetti!" The nun said, and the idiot's smile, for some reason, faltered, like every time he heard his name, or he gave it.

Strange.

"I take this is where we part ways, sister Argento." At least he bothered to try to avoid showing he was a devil.

Small mercy for me.

"Ah, you don't need to be so formal! Just call me Asia!" Too pure. Almost annoying.

The idiot smiled a bit more widely, and with a voice that sounded like Akeno he answered: "Then why use the third person, sister?"

Third person? Ah. Italian.

I take the translation ability for granted.

"Oh. Yeah. True. Samuele then?" the idiot twitched again.

Strange.

"And you Asia. I hope we will meet each other again."

"May the Lord let us meet again!" a migraine hit both me and the idiot, who weathered it well enough with but a wince and a turn of his head.

Then I saw the sister moving her hands forward, like to help him, but the moment he looked back those hands were on her sides again.

Didn't know what to think about it, only that the idiot, after the useless goodbyes and meet agains, finally started walking away from the church, and into the wooden way towards the main street, where I was waiting.

When he came near, my words were simple: "You are an idiot."

He didn't jump, he didn't twitch, he didn't shout, he simply turned towards me and nodded: "Yes, that I am."

Good, he is aware of that.

Now, the secondary reason I was here: "Tonight you will come with me to do a contract."

He stared at me, then asked in his own calm tone: "I take it's something like the devil's bargain. Will I have ask for their souls?"

Hmmm. Normal to think about that, but it should be Master, not me, who says it: "We ask for money, figurines, tickets, vouchers, those kind of things, depending on the contract, not souls."

He nodded, stroking his chin and then adding: "I take that it's to avoid the drying up of the resources."

I nodded at that, content that he had understood the concept.

"Tonight we go to an usual client. I will pose, you just need to watch."

He rose a brow at that, but didn't ask anything.

"But don't you have school? It's monday today." he asks suddendly, his head tilting, while we were walking aimlessly.

"Got a pass today, to guard you." I said truthfully, and he nodded.

"Thank you for that."

I nodded as an answer. It was easy to speak with him.

Didn't need to speak much, that was good.

It was always tiring.

Samuele POV's, that night

"Channel your magic into the circle, mister Benedetti."

I simply stared at her, and waited for the sadistic devil in front of me to continue.

She didn't continue. So I asked, trying to keep the frustration, and anger, and fear, out of my tone:

"How does someone channel magic? Is it like activating the… sacred gear?"

Even now it sounded foreign on my tongue.

"Think of it like a spring of water starting from your heart and going to the palm of your hand. Your devil nature should do the rest." the devil in front of me answered, her answer not truly helpful in any way to make me understand the how, while her tone sounding like it was the most normal thing in the world.

But I tried to follow what she had described.

But, after a few seconds of nothing happening, I thought of something else.

Like a fire warming everything around it.

I felt... something. It was like breathing, in a sense, or flexing your arm. But at the same time, it was wholly foreign. A third arm? A second heart?

Not an unpleasant feeling, just that strange sensation...

"Weak." came the dry voice from the little woman our master had sent to shadow me, which made me snirk despite it being me she was talking about, which made me focus on the barely lit circle in front of me.

"That is true, you have much less magical power than even Kiba. That is strange." added the devil, and I could hear the rhytmical tapping of her finger on her arm.

I looked at my left hand, instead.

I needed to be able to tap into that. I wouldn't be helpless again.

"Please don't kill me."

And it appeared in a light of green.

[Boost!]

That anger.

That injustice.

That wrath.

[A coward, running away while usurping another's right. Your anger is just badly concealed fear.]

I kept that sensation up, the flame inside me becoming warmer at that, and the circle's weak light became stronger, the circle's detailed and the feeling harsher.

"A bit more, werewolf." came the voice of the little girl, who was watching above my shoulder at the circle.

Luckily for me, it seemed that this "sacred gear" didn't need me to keep up that sensation, but I could still feel that fire on the back of mind.

[Boost!]

Now the circle was another source of light, and the fire was becoming warmer and warmer in me.

The devil noted, just behind us, and I could hear the gears turning in her head: "It's enough, I think. You will need training in magic, but right now you feel like Koneko, as far as reserves go. Oh my oh my, this is truly interesting."

The young girl, instead, pointed at the circle and ordered: "Step in, idiot. It's ready."

I shook my head at the lack of courtesy, but I wanted to see how to do this kind of tasks, if I had to complete them.

Then I stepped in, and all I saw was that red light. And the feeling of being in an infernal car that was doing the worst turns on the Appeninis and Alps together.

There was also the sound, which was so muffled that it felt like being underwater while at the same time being as loud as a jet engine.

That's without considering the lack of some kind of solid pavement, meaning that from my perspective I was suspended. And spinning like the blades of a chopper.

It wasn't a good travel. And it felt the same as the first time I used it.

I made it known to the world by almost tripping then and there, when I finally landed on safe, unmoving and above all solid ground.

[Reset!]

"Uh... mister devil? Are you alright? You are awfully pale." The gruff and deep voice asked kindly, and I was able to focus through the pounding headache to the... client, while also not spitting out anything and remaining as upright as possible.

He was as big as me, and were several scratches and little scars on his hands and arms, along with a ring on the left hand.

A popping sound, and a red light, appeared beside me, and the little woman soon followed, landing like that experience hadn't been one of the punishments of Hell.

"Oh! Miss Toujou, so you are here as well! I thought that today you were busy, with your companion being sent here." he sounded relieved at that, and now that I felt less like I was going be flung across the city, I could see that there were several well crafted...costumes hanging around.

Uh. The little woman did say that she was going to pose, but I didn't expect cosplay.

Better than what it could have been, much better.

"So, miss Toujou, today it will just be a cardcaptor. The client was a bit insecure but they finally reached a decision." the summoner shook his head, a smile present on his face while he was taking off one costume from the hanger.

"Hmmm. I will go to the changing room." The little woman took the clothes without much fanfare and went to a little room to the side.

I leaned on a wall waiting, while the summoner's head thumped on the table in front of him, and a long sigh came out, his form relaxing openly.

"Finallllyyyyyyyyy!" He breathed out, the deep voice amusingly glad of the work done, but it was quite understandable.

Even while not knowing anything about his work, it was probably something extremely time consuming, and it was night, after all.

Nonetheless, when he remembered my presence, he shot up went back to the rigid straight back he had greeted us with.

I just shook my open hand at him, and added with a smile: "It's not necessary."

He didn't calm down.

That made me sit down, crossing my legs and making sure to not look at him.

This is a good way to appear less threatening. Even against someone who was probably bigger than me.

Which was a good reaction, considering that from his point of view I was a fucking devil.

"So." I added in, filling the silence: "For who is the costume? I don't think that for a normal client someone would do that much."

The man smiled genually, and with a small laugh and while rubbing the back of his head he added: "Well, it was my wife's idea, and so..."

"Ah. Understandable." Not really, but I was a stranger in here, and not the one who was actually putting on the clothes, so I didn't really need to pry. Nor want to.

But at least the man had calmed down enough to actually relax, leaning on the table where there still were several wires and buttons and multicoloured fabrics, shiny under the turned on desk lamp.

Then the phone beside him rung, and the man's eyes widened and as fast as a cat he took it up:

"Dear! So, how did her med exam go? You said it was a formality, but still-"

The man eyes became relaxed again, and a mighty sigh came out:

"Good. Good. The model is trying it, it should be good but I will send a photo, ok?"

I could hear squeals coming from the phone, but the man smiled even more widely and added:

"Yes, I will send them to you, don't worry."

There were some more excited words, then followed by dejected. I couldn't make them out, but I understood the gist.

A devil's summoners could be good a good person? Quite interesting.

Then the changing room's door opened and I had to bite my lips to not laugh at what everyone would call "a grumpy cat".

A really cute grumpy cat, but still a grumpy cat, with a slightly too big costume.

Hell, she even had the little cat hair pin! I had never noticed it!

"Do not speak."

If a sound was to come out, it certainly wasn't going to be words.

But, through sheer determination and no small amount of lip bitten down, I was able to soldier on and not laugh at the frankly scary little woman who could very much bend me like a pretzle.

She was making it hard, though.

A fake click was heard beside us, along with a flash, and when both of us turned we saw an apologetic looking big man, with his smartphone in his hand, who was rubbing the back of his head:

"Wife's orders, I am sorry."

I heard the girl beside me grumble something, then she turned, and, under the professional look, and the far less professional machine, it was deemed perfect by the client.

The little woman looked up and, crossing her arms, waited for the response of the client, who was staring at the phone with an unreadable expression.

Then a call came.

"SQUEEEEEEEEEE!"
And I am sure the man was deafened, even if the smile made it so that he was just as happy.

We, instead, were just... stranged by the reaction, but didn't react much, Koneko simply returning in the changing room and I simply observing the excited words, and squeals, and happiness coming in and out the phone.

So much closed to their own little world that the client didn't notice when the little woman came out of the changing room, the costume on an hanger and dressed in her... school uniform.

It was still quite chartiable to call that a school uniform.

The client, seeing that the little woman had come out, opened a drawer and put the call on hold:

"Here, there is a little extra fee for the timing. Thank you again." and he bowed, while offering an envelope.

The little woman accepted the money without a word and gave one slip of paper, a black circle prominent on it.

The client took it and shook the little woman's hand immediately after, and there weren't many more words exchanged, the black bags under my client eyes now much more prominent due to his quiet smile.

Then the little woman spoke up, her voice flat and without any kind of inflection, while her spent eyes were staring at me: "We go on foot. Follow me. We go for dinner."

Yeah, much better than that dreadful travel way.

Koneko's POV

Akeno-fukubochou did offer me food after my first contract, and she said that Buchou offered her a meal after her first contract.

So now it was her turn to do that for her own kouhai.

Hmmm.

Calling someone four years her senior, and thrice as big, and ten times as hairy, kouhai was somewhat amusing in my mind.

And so walking down the street, not using teleportation, that aroma of meat and onion and spices and warmth and above all, meat.

Even if the sounds of wings around didn't help me savour it.

"Is this a...ramen stand?" the werewolf beside me asked, rubbing his chin and leaning to the right.

I was sure that there was a scar on the right knee, but maybe it's just the wound.

And the question was answered with a nod, and me sitting on one of the too tall stools.

The werewolf quickly followed suit, the old man behind the counter very much happy to have more clientele, and my usual order already in preparation.

Instead the werewolf was looking at the menu, lost for a moment but then straighting up immediately after.

And the words "Cheapest ramen" were on his lips.

So I beat him to it: "Old man, two of the usual. I am offering." And I immediately put the money on the counter, so that there wouldn't be time for any take over from the wannabe werewolf.

He just stared bewildered, his hand frozen inside his jacket's inner pocket, his mouth open to retort.

But instead he just huffed, leaning forward a bit, his lips twitching up for a moment.

Hmmm.

"Here it is, best-client-chan!" and two bowls were in front of them, prepared quickly, efficently, and above all, delicious.

"I humbly receive this food." I spoke that rite phrase, my own chopstick already prepared, while the wannabe werewolf simply nodded and added a low "Thank for the food".

It was interesting to see him eat.

And work.

Unlike when he was with the nun, he was far less emotional, or warm.

I had to help him, I promised it to Buchou, after all. And I was the best suited for this.

Samuele's POV, that thursday's night

"Thanks. It wasn't necessary." The little woman said that when the paper bag was put in front of her place on the far too luxurious sofa, and then shown how much it was by scoffing it down in a few seconds.

And it wasn't an euphemism.

"Still take them everyday, though." It was that little centimeter, after all.

"Free food, good food. And I am a devil." The little woman explained without any kind of shame, which made me almost smile.

Then I saw the smirking "master" and the equally smiking torturer and my good mood was dampened, and so I sat waiting for the next contract I would help the little woman with, a book about introduction magic in my hands.

It wouldn't do to be useless for my "master" to have an useless slave, after all, no?

Unfortunately magic was still far from what I could do, if my tries were true, at least without the gaunlet.

Which it was still an hit and miss to summon. Mostly a miss.

I couldn't let it remain a miss for long.

"Samuele." Came the calm and refined voice of my "master", that made me sit ramrod straight from my thoughts: "Koneko gave me glowing reviews on your work with her." I rose a brow towards the little woman, who nodded and shrugged: "So tonight will be your first solo contract."

The "master" looked radiant, her hands clapped beside her face, but I just wanted to get away from here as fast as possible.

"What do I have to do?" I tried to keep my own emotions in check, for now, and I forced them down.

The black haired devil took up her phone, when my "master" didn't answer, and answered with a cheerful voice that made me shudder: "It's an elderly woman on a wheelchair, that little Koneko usually walks with her every once in a while because she lives alone. Buuuut there was another contract, and after asking her, she was more than happy to meet a "dashing young man"."

Another mundane contract, uh?

This seemed like a strange pattern, but it was still a noticeable one for these contracts.

"I will do as you ask, master." I bowed my head slightly, trying to show myself as subservient as possible while keeping down my own scowl.

"Hmmm. I expect the best." that voice haunted me while I went for the circle, and that voice helped me summon the gauntlet when I stood in front of that red design.

[How much I have fallen, to help a coward]

[Boost]

That voice made me tremble slightly, my heart beating strong.

[Boost]

I felt almost relieved by that horrible sensation, that nausea rising from my stomach but kept down by my will, my eyes closed for the effort.

Then came the stench of rot, and the smell of iron, and the fetor of wax, and I dry heaved, my side wincing at the sudden motion.

When I was able to stand again, I saw the state of the room, and above all, the body.

It was a male body, I was sure of that, the smell had to come from him, and he was pinned to the wall like he was crucified, black blood pooling down thick, and small vermins eating the wounds.

His eyes were closed, and there was a of a cross painted with black blood, and the flies were on the body, and the dancing shadows of the candles, and-

"Oi shitty devil! I understand that my handywork is good, but it's not that good, ya know?"

I turned towards the source of the voice, only an armchair between us, and the lights of the street on my left, and there stood a white haired man, smaller than me by good twenty centimetres, but that I felt was taller, far taller.

He was brandshing a strange hilt in his left hand, and a gun in the other, and a strange silver crucifix, with curve lines instead of the straight ones, on his chest, and he had an equally strange dark overcoat, lined with thousand and thousand of small designs in silver.

His attire was only furthered by the maniac smile, the bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, and the calm movements in the slaughter we were in.

[Reset!]

I didn't know if this was a man or something else, but I wouldn't fall now.

"Oh, the shitty devil is silent? Sad? Angry? Come on talk little Sam, I know that you can."

I moved towards the armchair, and while moving and eyeing the window just above a vase, I spoke up, all emotions muted in front of this danger: "Do priests now murder people in their house? What do you to sinners that confess, a knife through the heart?"

I needed to keep him distracted focused on the words, and sadists liked to talk about their sadism when found out.

"Oooh, the shitty devil talks about murders, but the shitty devil steals souls and it's my duty as a priest, even a renegade, to heal those souls, with any mean possible!" the deranged man almost seemed to tremble at his fervour, and his head turned up to the roof.

Another step for the armchair was taken.

"I don't think that the... person stuck on the wall really wanted your help." do not think about it, do not think about it, do not think about it.

I was repeating that mantra, while sneaking towards that damned piece of forniture.

"But is it not my job to save the immortal soul of man from the clutches of you devils? I just did what was necessary!"

Now I was just behind the armchair.

That I promptly kicked towards the priest, my side not liking that at all, and then jumped toward the window, hoping that it would be enough to break the window.

*BANG*

And then the explosion of the gun deafened me, and a piercing pain through my right knee took my breath when I impacted with my higher back against the wall.

"Good try, shitty devil! But not good enough, you kicked too much to the right! Now come on, get up, get up! I want to see you fight before jud-killing you!"

The voice was joyous under the ringing, and through the pain I could see that the smile had widened.

I bit back the curses, and tried to find some way, any way, to survive this.

The man looked up to me, then disappeared in a smell of sulfur.

I owed it to them!

"Good, there is still some fight left, and she has just finished her beacon! Come on, get up, get up, we dont' have a lot of time shitty devil!"

I gritted my teeth and started getting up, under the gleeful eyes of the sadistic priest, my vision blurring and my heart beating like a drum.

Then the door crashed open, and a blonde haired, green eyed young woman ran inside.

Asia looked at me like a deer in front of a car's light, and her presence made me freeze for a moment, after which I snarled while getting up as fast as possible.

"Father-What!? Why!? Why?!" She had paled much, and I could see her trembling, looking wildly from me to the corpse on the wall, and starting to hyperventilate slightly.

The shooter didn't turn away from me, he just asked with that amused tone of his to the shocked nun, waving his sword arm: "DId you set up the bounded field I gave you, little Asia? I wouldn't want for his friends to come here, the sweat would be bad for my garb!"

The nun didn't answer, and just took two trembling steps towards me, even her own voice trembling, muttering minute step with minute step: "Sam-Samuele? S-so y-you ar-are a D-dev-"

"Yes, I am." I said, exhaling the truth, my mind calming down.

The truth, a bit, for once.

"Please, father, don't-!"

Then the gunned hand knocked against the nun, who fell down noiselessly.

"Please don't kill me."

I stared down at her, then looked at the no longer smiling priest.

"Please don't kill me."

There was the heart beating, there was my breath deepening, the pain in my knee and side but there was something more.

"Please don't kill me." Two voices, man and woman, joining.

This time, it was as easy as breathing.

[Boost!]

"Please, don't let her kill me!"

"Oooh! Now this is reeeaaallly interesting."

[Boost!]

"Please, don't let her kill me!"

I didn't answer, my hand on the vase beside me, my left leg ready to make my charge the man in front of me.

[Boost!]

"Please, don't let our death be in vain!"

Then, a red light washed over me, just when the priest's hilt shone of white, and the red was what first greeted me, my jailer and enemy looking at me, her blue eyes filled with mocking concern, her base dark and cold and controlling.

I never had been more angered than then.