Chapter 3
The Girl Next Door
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback / Phone
Location / Date / Time Skip
Two Weeks Later
Inferno's Gym
"Okay, let's see how much you can lift." Natsu slid two 50 pound weights onto the barbell and stood back. The man clenched hard as he wrapped his fingers around the metal and pushed up. "Come on, you can do it!"
*POP*
"Oh, that's a hernia..." The man groaned out as he lowered back down, holding the lower part of his back. "Sorry Nate, but I just can't do it. That's just too much weight."
"No, it's not." Natsu replied. "I do this all the time. Here watch." Natsu positioned himself and easily lifted the weight. "See, you just need practice."
His ears twitched and he glanced at the side to see the same gaggle of girls staring at him, a red tint on their faces. 'It's so weird... why do they keep staring at me?' He placed the barbell down and turned back to his student. "Okay, let's move onto cardio."
The two walked over to the step machines as Natsu gripped his head in pain. "You okay?" The student asked.
"Yeah, just thirsty." He replied as the two climbed into their machines and punched in their times. 'Damn it, I need some real fire, now.'
Docodemo Customer Call Center
Emi let out an annoyed sigh before clicking on her screen. "Thank you for letting calling the Docodemo Call Center. My name is Emi Yusa, how may I help you today?"
"Whoa! It actually worked! Nice one, dude! You are good! Emi, can you hear me!?"
"Maou..." Emi growled in annoyance as she glared at the screen. "I'm working right now. What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't be mad. It's just a hacking experiment." Emi could actually feel her face twitch in anger as he explained. "Urushihara said he could do all kinds of things with computers, so I put him to the test."
"I have several questions for you." She growled out in annoyance. "First of all, who is Urushihara?!"
"Oh, that's Lucifer."
"What!? What do you mean Lucifer!?" She asked back. "Don't tell me he's staying with-" The dial tone echoed through her ear as she shook in rage.
Later That Night
Yusa Apartment
"It's not funny!" She told Natsu, who was holding his side from laughing so hard.
"It really is." He replied as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Still, it's nice to see that they're all friends again."
"Did you forget that he almost killed us a few weeks ago!?" Emi asked with a tick on her head.
"Hey, yesterday's enemies are today's friends." Natsu replied with a nonchalant grin. "So he has a computer now?"
"Yeah... probably going to use it to look up how to get magic back." Emi said as she pulled out her microwaved dinner. "Looks like I need to keep an even closer eye on them."
"I thought you were done with that..." Natsu sighed, rubbing his eyes. "That reminds me, Emi. When can we just go to your world so we can figure out a way to get ME home?"
"Let me see your eyes." She walked over and studied his face, frowning in concern. "Natsu, you need to find some place you can set fire to soon. I'm seriously worried about you."
"I'm not burning anything down." He replied, swiping her hand away. "I just really wanna get home. I'm sure my friends are worried about me too."
Two Days Later
"So, why are we walking in the dark in an abandoned school building?" Natsu asked as they walked through the dark building.
"Maou and Ashiya brought Chiho into here for some reason. And I want to find out why." Emi replied. "It could be a dark ritual or maybe even a sacrifice to get more magic."
"Isn't that same thing?" Her 'brother' asked, earning an angry glare. "Sorry, sorry. Let's just find them and get out of here."
The two continued to walk forward before a light covered the ground. "What are you idiots thinking, bringing a teenage girl here after dark!?" Emi asked the trio.
Chiho raised the flashlight and shined it into their faces. "Emi? Natsu?" Maou asked in confusion.
"You guys came out here to get magic from a sealed off classroom?" Natsu asked.
"First of all, I don't have to tell either of you." Maou answered back. "Second of all, what are you two doing here? Don't tell me the great hero and her sidekick are trespassing?"
"Why am I the sidekick?" Natsu asked as Chiho handed them some slippers.
"Look, I was following you guys around as usual and I saw you going into a school after dark." Emi explained as the two changed footwear. "So I called Natsu and the two of us came in to see what you were doing. I'm still not sure what you weirdos are up to, so deal with it. We're here, we're going with-"
"You know you're talking to statues, right?" Natsu asked. Emi looked up and stared at the stone, growling in anger. "Easy, easy. Don't have a breakdown. I can track them with my nose."
"THEN GET TO IT!" Emi shouted, scaring the Dragon Slayer. He sniffed the air and started running, Emi following behind. "Hold it right there, you jerks!"
"Crap, run!" Maou shouted before the trio ran around a corner.
"Stop running or I will cut you!" Emi shouted as she overtook Natsu. She kicked open the door, summoned her sword, and rushed in.
"Emi, stop! You might hit Chiho!" Natsu sprinted forward and reached the door, seeing Emi standing before a collection of organs. "I'm gonna be sick..."
"Quit complaining, I got him." Emi said with a smirk.
"No you didn't, you psycho!" Maou shouted as he suddenly sprang up, scaring the two.
"Mister Natsu, that's what we call an 'anatomical model'." Chi spoke up. "It's like a doll."
"Oh, thank god!" Natsu sighed in relief. "I almost threw up."
"Why are you thanking them!? This is all their fault!" Emi shouted. "They left us behind and made us chase after them! Just fix the damn thing with your magic."
"Why should I use my precious magic to fix something you broke?" Maou asked.
Ashiya gasped in shock as he studied the tool. "This model only has one heart..."
"Dude, how many hearts do you think humans have?" Natsu asked as he entered the room. "Come on, this thing looks like one giant puzzle. It shouldn't be too hard to put back together.
The five man band stared at the old classroom as Emi held her sword to her face. "Would you quit waving that thing?" Maou asked. "It's like you're compensating for something."
"I don't take orders from you, bucko." She growled back.
"That's the old part of the building there." Chiho explained. "The room were looking for should be on the third floor, all the way up the stairs."
"Okay, let's go." Maou took the first step and lead the others inside. Quickly walking up the stairs, they reached the sealed room.
"I don't remember there being any actual boards here." Chiho said as Emi raised her sword.
"What did I just say about waving that thing?" Maou asked as Ashiya looked down.
"What's up?" Natsu asked.
"Look, someone has clearly used this door recently." The housekeeper said, pointing at a lock on the floor.
Natsu walked forward and grab the board, only to find it so loose he could turn it. "It's a fake?"
"The door isn't actually sealed?" Emi asked in surprise.
Maou pushed the screen door open and found bags of trash littering the wooden floor. "It looks like someone has been living here." He said as the others walked in behind him.
"Yeah, all this trash doesn't belong in a sealed room." Natsu said as he sniffed the air. "Hey, this place smells familiar."
A ringing scared the group as Maou quickly reached around and pulled out his phone. "What now, Urushihara?"
"Don't be rude. Are you there yet?" The fallen angel asked.
"We just walked in." He replied. "Would you stop calling every five seconds? It's annoying!"
"Do you see anything on the floor? Like, say, a game system?" The hacker asked as Chiho walked over and grabbed it.
"It's here, we got it." Maou answered as the girl walked back over.
"Yeah, I knew it. I had a feeling that's where it got left." Lucifer sighed.
"Where it what?" Maou asked in anger.
"Nothing." He replied as the Chiho handed Natsu the system. "Do me a favor and bring it back, would ya?"
"Just tell me one thing: How hard am I going to ask Natsu to hit you?" Maou asked, scaring the hacker. "You said this was a place where the Gate could open. Is this where you and Olba came through when you got to this world?"
"Yeah, that's the place." He answered. "Did I not say that? My bad. We lived there for a while, and I accidentally forgot to grab the game I was playing."
The entire group stared in silence as Maou gripped the phone tight. "You better not have just sent us out here just to bring back a stupid game." He growled out.
"N-no, of course not." Urushiharu chuckled. "I thought, you know, maybe the gate opened again, and someone else came through. Did you find anything? If not, get back here already. I'm starving! I'll even take a pork bowl at this point."
He ended the call and the group march out of the building. "Who does that little jack wagon of a demon think he is?!" Maou growled in annoyance.
"I say we should sell this for money." Ashiya said as he stared at the device. "We could use the extra cash."
"I say you should give it to me." Natsu declared.
"Don't you have enough games at home?" Emi asked.
"Emi... you can NEVER have enough games." He replied as he took the system.
The Next Day
Yusa Appartment
Emi stared at the box on the couch as she held her phone to her ear. "Hello, this is Emeralda Etuna speaking."
"Yeah, I know that because I called you." Emi replied. "This is Emilia. I'm calling because I just got a package from you. Did you mail something to us?"
"I can't believe it already arrived!" She said in shock. "How amazing, I only just sent it out yesterday. That is surprisingly fast. I sent you a gift: Celestial Force."
"Celestial Force?" The Hero repeated as she opened the box. "But why is it labled as food?"
"I had to covert it into a form that wouldn't seem out of place." Esmeralda explained. "I do hope you like it."
Emilia opened the box and found it filled with bottles of energy drinks. "Holy Vitan B?" She asked as she read the bottle.
"That's not a 'B', silly. It's a Beta." Her friend teased.
"Right, whatever. So drinking this will help me regain my Celestial Force?" Emi asked.
"Yes, but I need to be absolutely clear here." Emeralda said in a serious tone, catching Emi's attention. "Be very careful with the dosage. Under NO circumstances can you drink more two bottles in one day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. That said, if you skip the first one, you can't double up on them later in the day."
"Seems easy enough." Emi confessed.
"Wonderful." Her friend cheered. "And please follow the instructions to the letter. I know how you can get. So how's it going between you and the devil king?"
"Same old, same old." Emi replied with a sigh. "We butt heads every time we meet. We're both too busy with work, so neither of us have time to do anything else."
"Oh, really?" Emeralda replied. "That sounds like the quintessential complaint of a couple who don't spend enough time together."
"A... w... WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Emi shouted. "I'm the hero and he's the freaking ruler of darkness! He's my mortal enemy! Having any kind of romantic relationship with him is out of the question!"
"I know, I know." Emeralda chuckled.
"God, I hate when you do that." Emi scolded. "Anyway, is there word on finding Natsu's home world?"
"It's not going as smooth as we hoped." The wizard confessed. "That hair sample we took gave us more hits than we expected. Some of these worlds we're observing are bizarre, even for us. Finding the right version is finding a like a needle in the haystack. It's going to take more time than we thought."
"Well try to hurry." Emi requested. "He's not holding up to well."
"We'll do what we can. Just be careful." Emeralda said. "Seems like Olba wasn't the only one involved in the plan to kill both you and Satan. A lot of higher ups agreed with them, not to mention wealthy aristocrats and states trying to gain favor. I'll talk to you later when I get more information on either goal."
The call ended and Emi stared at the bottle. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." She said before she twisted the lid off and took a swig.
The door to the appartment opened and Natsu walked into the room. "I'm back from my run." He said, wiping sweat from his head. He lowered his towel and stared at the box. "We get a delivery?"
"It's from Emeralda." Emi explained, lowering the bottle. "It's Celestial Force."
"No, I'm pretty sure this is an energy drink." Natsu said, picking up a bottle. "Wholy Viton B?"
"Gimme that!" She reached up and grabbed the bottle from his hand. "I don't want you breaking it."
"Sorry." He replied as he walked towards the bathroom. "I'm getting in the shower."
"Hold on." Emi said, catching his attention. "Listen, someone called in sick so I need to go in. And since you're not working today, I have a special mission for you."
"Mission?" Natsu repeated as he eyes showed pure excitement. "Count me in! What is it?"
"...Why did I fall for that?" Natsu asked as he stood outside Maou's apartment in the sun. "I could be trying out the new DLC right now. Instead I'm out here, wasting my time. Besides, these guys never do anything." A stray cat walked over and rubbed against his leg, enjoying the shade from Natsu's shadow. "Screw this. There's a movie I've been dying to see and I'm going now."
"Honestly, can you not even hang a piece of clothing properly?" Natsu flinched at the new voice caught his attention. "You truly know nothing of household chores, do you, good Hanzo?"
Natsu slowly pulled himself to look over the edge and saw a woman in a robe scolding Lucifer. "Who is that?"
"Will you lay off me?" Hanzo asked. "It's like I'm being haunted by Ashiya before he's even died."
'Okay... this is new.' Natsu thought as he sank down. 'Is she another demon? When did she get here? Crap, I can't let Emi find out I did nothing about this. I'm gonna have to get closer.' He walked over to the steps and slowly climbed up them.
Natsu walked into the hallway and leaned against the door, using his heightened ears to listen in. "In times of crisis, you need to pull yourself together, good Hanzo." The girl said, scolding Lucifer.
'The hell?' Natsu asked himself. 'Is this girl some kind of live-in maid? Why is she cooking for them? And what the hell is she wearing?'
"We need ginger..." The girl mumbled. "Oh, I have some in my room."
'Crap!' Natsu sprinted out the door as fast as he could before jumping over the railing. Landing on the ground, he quickly hid under the stairwell, looking up. 'Nailed it.'
"Natsu, what are you doing?"
The pinkette flinched and turned to see Maou staring right at him. "Aw, crap."
"Dude, you are spending way too much time with Emi." Maou chuckled as he sat next to Natsu at the table. "Pretty soon, you won't be able to walk down stairs either."
Natsu hung his head in embarrassment before glancing to the side. "So what's up with Ashiya? Why's he sleeping in the middle of the day?"
"He's not sleeping, he's got heat stroke." Lucifer said from his computer.
"What's heat stroke?" Natsu asked in total earnest.
"Is the only kind of sick you get motion sick?" The NEET teased. "Talk about a lame wizard."
"Say that to my face." He declared before crawling over, catching a glance at the screen before gasping loudly. "...YOU'RE THEFALLEN1666?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Lucifer asked, clicking as he played his game.
"I'm KingofDragons777." Natsu declared.
"That's you!?" The Fallen Angel asked, now paying attention to Natsu fully. "Dude, you are like ten levels higher than me. How did you get that high when you work five days a week?"
"You grind hard." Natsu answered. "But I can only do so much when Emi takes up the tv for her stories. I get like an hour a day to play, max."
Tears were welling up as Lucifer put his hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Finally, someone who understands the pain!" Lucifer cried out as the two hugged.
"Do you have any clue what they're talking about?" Maou asked the girl.
"I do not." She replied before walking over to the hugging gamers, catching Natsu's attention. "I believe I should introduced myself. My name is Suzano Kamazuki. I just moved into the room next door last week. I come from a traditional family from far away, and I'm still unfamiliar with the area. I'd be happy if you could instruct me in city life."
"Yeah, sure." He replied. "Name's Nate Yusa. But why come to this place? No offense guys, but this complex is a dump."
"Hey, show some respect!" Maou shouted back. "I swear, you really are turning into Emi."
"I am not." Natsu replied, picking up his drink.
"Good Nate, this Emi girl... is she in an intimate relationship with Maou?" Suzano asked, making Nate spit-take and choke on his drink.
"No-No trust me." He replied, punching himself in the chest to clear his throat. "There is NOTHING intimate about those two. They hate each other so much, they wouldn't shed a tear if the other one dropped dead."
"Oh, good." She replied with a small smile.
'What's this called again? Duja View?' Chi suddenly flashed through his head, making Natsu worry. 'Crap, not again.' He stood up and walked over, leaning in to her. "Random question, but are you... interested in Maou?"
Suzano went wide eyed before she grabbed his hand and lead him out in a panic. "Not so loud. What if he heard us?" She asked in a panic.
"S-sorry." He mumbled.
"Be that as it may, I'm very impressed." The kimono clade girl admitted. "How did you figure it out?"
"Oh, because this has-" Natsu started before he froze. "Never happened before." 'Something in my gut is telling me I shouldn't tell her about Chiho. Well, who ever this girl is, she's definitely a weird one. But in all the shows I've seen, assassins don't wait a week to kill. And there's no way she a demon.'
"Suzano, can I give you some advice?" He asked, earning a nod. "I wouldn't get too attached to Maou. Not just anyone can get this close to him. He's an... interesting guy."
"I'll be fine." Suzano replied. "I may not look like it at the moment, but I'm a seasoned warrior." Natsu looked her over top to bottom, making her sigh."Very well, I shall accept your advice. But I will not simply leave this place. I know this may seem presumptuous, but I hope I can count on you and this Emi person."
"Sure..." He replied. "Oh, hang on a second." He walked into the room and took some paper. "Here, my phone number and my sister's as well. Call us if you need anything, okay?"
She nodded back as he turned to the door. "I should probably get going. Hanzo, I'll meet up with you online tonight."
"I can't wait." Lucifer replied as Natsu left the complex, once again jumping the railing.
Night
Convenient Store
"So a new girl moved in?" Emi asked as the two walked into the store. "That's all that happened today?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Natsu replied as they hit the frozen dinner section. Picking up their selection, they walked over and paid for their dinners. "Seriously, Emi. You need some variety in your dinner. I think you eat the same thing every night."
"Whatever." She replied. The clerk wrapped the two dinners and handed Emi the bag. The two walked towards the entrance before suddenly freezing. A masked man rushed at the two, only to crash into the sliding door.
The clerk came out and offered to help, only for Natsu to push him aside, causing a strange laser to miss him. Emi summoned her sword and slashed at the masked man, sending him flying into a street light. "Stay inside and call the police!" She shouted before the two raced outside.
"Duck!" Natsu shouted before he forced Emi's head down, making another beam miss her. Another one flew at the two and Emi blocked it with a swing. The two watched as the man walked out from behind a car, holding a scythe in his hand.
"I'm not scared of you. I don't care if you're human or demon." Emi declared. "You should be ashamed for attacking us in public. Going after either of us is fine, but messing with innocent people is a ticket to the afterlife."
She charged the man and jumped off the car, slamming her blade into the scythe. She spun and kicked him in the face, sending the man back towards Natsu. He kicked the man in the back and Emi dived at the man, only for a sudden glow to hit and shrink her sword.
"What did you do!?" She asked before the man turned and swung his pole arm at Natsu. He jumped back from the swung and charged at the man, swinging his fists. The man dodged every punch before the mugger tripped Natsu and slammed him to the ground, his blade at Natsu's neck.
"Hey!" The mugger looked up and was hit with a dye pack in the face. "Get out of here!" The clerk shouted as he threw another dye pack. The masked man ran and the clerk turned to the 'siblings'. "Hey, you two okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Emi said as she dispelled her sword behind her back.
"Sorry about pushing you to the side." Natsu said, rubbing his head.
"It's fine. Just hit my forehead." The clerk chuckled.
"Did you call the police?" Emi asked, helping her 'brother' up.
"Pretty sure tripping the alarm called the security company, so they should have gotten a hold of the cops." He replied. "Oh, and sorry to tell you this, but according to the manual, we need to ask all customers to wait in the store until the police arrive, so would you two mind waiting. I'm sorry I even have to ask."
"Fine." Emi sighed as the two walked back into the store and were lead into the office.
"Well, looks like your energy drink worked." Nate told her with a smile.
"Yeah, the Better Half I summoned was far stronger than the one from when we fought Lucifer." She added. "But that guy with the purple light... I never fought with someone who could nullify my sacred swords or powers like that."
"That guy kinda remind me of someone from my world." Natsu confessed with his arms crossed. "Only he was taller, more brooding, and couldn't shoot lasers out of his eyes."
The door opened and the clerk walked in, holding their bags. "I picked these up, they're yours right?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks." Emi said, taking the bags.
"Stare at Empty Mirrors! Looking for a sign!"
"That's me." Natsu said as he pulled out his phone, a confused look on the other two. "What? I like the song." The clerk walked out of the room and Natsu pressed the button, answering the phone. "Hello?"
"M...mister Natsu... Tr-trouble..."
"Chi?" Natsu asked in surprise, catching Emi's attention. Pushing the speaker button, he placed the phone on the table and let Emi hear it. "Emi's here with me. What's the problem?"
"Mister Maou..." The girl mumbled.
"What about Maou? What did he do?" Emi asked, anger building up in her.
"Today he brought... he brought..." Chiho mumbled before suddenly exploding. "HE BROUGHT THE HEART WITH THE BENTO AND THE RICE! AND THE TWO LAYERS, AND THE NEW YEARS, AND THE HANDMADE, AND THE SHE!"
The two stared at the phone before Natsu turned to his 'sister'. "...I caught about every third word. What about you?" He asked.
"Something about a new years meal and Maou bringing in a bento box." Emi replied.
"Wait, did Suzano make him a lunch?" He asked earnestly.
"YOU KNEW THIS AND DIDN'T TELL ME!?" Chiho asked, making the man flinched. "How do you two not think it's weird? There's three guys living in that tiny apartment! No matter how you look at it, they're poor and not cool at all! It's unbelievable that a young girl would just a approach them like that!"
"Chiho, you like him, right?" Emi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's why I'm the only one who'd think about doing that!" The school girl shouted back. "I have a favor to ask you two... You guys are heroes, right? People who help others in need?"
"Yeah, I guess..." Emi nodded in confusion.
"Then help me..." Chi mumbled. "Help me stay strong as I go to the Devil's Castle!"
The Next Day
Outside Maou's Apartment
"So basically, you have no confidence at all." Emi said as fhe three stared up at the building.
"If I lose, I don't think I'll ever be able to recover." Chiho replied determined.
"I mean, I kinda get that..." Natsu started.
"Ignoring the fact that she was half a year early for New Years, the girl still put together a really nice meal!" The girl interrupted as they reached the stairs. "I just don't trust her. What if she put poison it? It could be dangerous for Mr. Maou and the rest."
"I don't think that's gonna work on them." Natsu replied as they walked up the metal. "Besides, I had some yesterday and I was totally fine."
"Chi, trying to make everything about Ente Isla is just a lame excuse." Emi added as the trio stared at the apartment door. "You have to tackle this head on."
"Exactly." Natsu declared as he rang the doorbell.
"I guess so..." Chiho mumbled as the door opened, revealing Suzano.
"Greetings." The girl said as she turned back into the room. "Good Sadou, you have guests!"
"One second!" Maou shouted as he walked over to the door. "Seriously, you two again? And why'd you drag Chi along with you?"
"Uh... I uh..." The girl mumbled, loosening her grip on the bag in her hand. "I was... wondering... if it's okay that I make you breakfast..."
"Is... is that Miss Sasaki at the door?" Both Chi and Emi perked up to see Ashiya pushing himself up. "Miss Suzano... I'm sorry, but could you please go into the cupboard and take out some tea for our guests?"
"Dude, are you still suffering from that heat strike?" Natsu asked.
"Heat strike?" Emi repeated. "Wait, Ashiya is sick?"
"I wouldn't really call it sick..." Maou said as he rubbed the back of his head. "But that's kind of the reason behind yesterday's bento box."
"Huh?" Chiho asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Come on in. It'll be easier that way." He replied before the three walked in. Chiho instantly latched onto Suzano and listened to her cooking advice. "Man, it's crowded in here. Hope we have enough bowls and chopsticks for everyone."
"Don't worry, Mr. Maou. I brought mine with me." Chi replied.
"K. Guess there's nothing to worry about." He chuckled as they gathered around the table.
"Miss Suzano is cooking in my stead. I'm a disgrace." Ashiya groaned.
Urushihara crawled out of a tunnel of noodle boxes, sniffing the air. "Breakfast already? Hold on, where am I gonna sit?" An empty pork bucket hit him in the head, making him look down. "Not cool. This is unacceptable!" He shouted in anger. "You made room for, Emi but not for me!?"
"She's our guest." Maou replied as the others started eating.
"Screw you!" The NEET shouted before Natsu sat next to him.
"No one should eat alone." He replied, making the fallen angel smile a bit.
"Don't think I'm not mad at you for bailing last night." Urushihara chuckled as he sat down next to the pinkette.
"Suzano, what kind of job are you looking for?" Emi asked, the two gamers having missed the conversation up to that point.
"I do not reasonably expect to find full time work." The kimono-clad girl replied. "As long as my expenses are paid, I will indenture myself wherever I am able."
'What does fake teeth have to do with finding a job?' Natsu asked himself.
"You could always apply for a job at MgRonald's." Maou suggested, shocking the room with his stupidity. "Chi could train you, and I'd be there to help out too. We've been pretty understaffed as of late, so we could use another set of hands."
"Hey, there's no need to make a snap decision here." Emi spoke up, saving Chi from further embarrassment. "How about me and Nate show you around Shinjuku? We could get you some new clothing."
"Tis true. I do not even have a decent pair of shoes or even a purse." Suzano replied.
"Wait, all your clothing is like that?" Natsu asked, motioning to her kimono.
"Indeed it is." She replied, making everyone stare at her. "Is that unusual?"
"I wouldn't call it run of the mill." Ashiya replied.
"Trust me, Emi knows where to find the fashion stuff." Natsu said, holding up his 'sister's purse.
"Hey, give that back!" She shouted, clutching it close to her chest. "I don't want it stinking of sweat and nerd!"
"Hey, that's just rude!" Urushihara shouted.
"You really should go with them, Miss Suzano." Chiho added.
"How about after work today?" Emi offered.
"That sounds acceptable." Suzano replied. "I'll explore the shopping area until you two are done."
"Sounds like a plan." Natsu declared, grabbing another bowl of noodles.
Later in the Day
Train Station
The two 'siblings' stood in the shopping mall before Natsu nudged Emi. She turned and saw as Suzano walked over to them, prompting them to meet her half way. "You find your wallet?" Emi asked.
"Yes, I apologize for keeping you both waiting." Suzano told them
"It's fine, but is something wrong?" Emi asked, catching Natsu off guard. "You seem a bit off."
"N,no. Not at all." The kimono clad girl replied with a slight stutter.
"Great, now let's just get this over with." Natsu said, a look of fear in his eyes.
"Am I disturbing you, good Nate?" Suzano asked.
"Just ignore him. He gets motion sick really easily." Emi chuckled. "So, let's get our train tickets. We're only one stop away from Shinjuku, but it's too far to walk. Do you have your pass with you?"
"Pass?" Suzano asked, tilting her head in confusion. "The truth is... I've never ridden a train before. Although, I did hear that Tokyo residents pay for travel with watermelon. Do either of you know where I might obtain one?
The air conditioners shut down and the wind picked up, blowing a smell into Natsu's face. He leaned over and started sniffing around Suzano, scaring her and angering Emi. "What did I say about that?" She asked, pulling on his ear before turning back to Suzano. "So if this is your first time riding a train, how'd you get to Sasazuka?"
"That's a silly question. I arrived here through the Gate, obviously." She replied matter of factly.
"Oh, yeah. Obvio-" She froze in shock and let go of Natsu, letting him rub his ear in pain.
"That's what it was." He said. "I couldn't smell it in Maou's place cause of all the food, but she kinda smells like you, Emi."
"Wait, are you saying that she's from Ente Isla?" Emi asked.
"Yes, of course I am." She replied. "...Did you two not know that?"
.
.
.
.
"HUH!?"/"HUH!?"/"HUH!?"
FINALLY! FINALLY! We are getting a season two of Part-Time! And it only took eight years to get here!
A lot happened in this chapter, some silly stuff, some serious stuff. I definitely feel like Natsu and Urushihara would definitely be gaming buddies in this would. And I find Natsu interacting with Suzano absolutely hilarious to write. See ya next time.
Beta read by The 3rd Dragneel and TheExcadrillComics
