Chapter One

The sky is overcast, but sometimes the gray-white clouds break and behind them, it shimmers light blue. The sun is already pretty low, it's still light for maybe another hour. It's been a long drive, but the roads are cleared and so the small vehicle winds its way through the hilly foothills of the mountains.
However, the mountains and the usual ski resorts are not the destinations, but a small cabin located in the forest. It is part of a complex of half a dozen different cabins, but they are all far enough apart that seclusion is guaranteed. Besides, it's out of season and the other guests don't arrive there for another week, and by then they're long gone.
It's only a small car. Much too small for five people and an overtired toddler. Fortunately, Kamazuki Suzuno had to cancel her participation in this little vacation trip because of influenza, otherwise, they would have had to pile into the car. On the other hand, her always calm, mediating manner would be an advantage right now.
They've been on the road for six hours already, and actually, it is a miracle that little Alas-Ramus has lasted this long without whining. She spent the first few hours on Urushihara's lap, looking out the window and commenting in her childishly naive way on everything she saw out there.
"There's a big truck. It's blue and there's a cow on the side."
"There's a big bird in the sky."
"The cloud looks like Mama when she's mad."
"Horsie. White. Black. Brown and white. There's very little horsie. A ... a ... pony? Pony!"
"Houses. An ooooold lady with a doggie. The doggie's wearing a little coat. It's sooo cute."
"Forest. Uh, Lucifer, there are lots and lots of trees. And they're soooo big."
As much as Emi loves her foster daughter, she's in the driver's seat, and after four and a half hours, the whole thing was getting pretty on her nerves, and as usual, it was the sensitive Sasaki Chiho who noticed it first. So she lured Alas-Ramus over with a picture book.
But that didn't really go well, because a good hour later Alas-Ramus is whining and a fight has broken out between the other three in the back seat. And with Maou in the passenger seat next to her trying to mediate, having to raise his voice to even make himself heard, Ente Isla's heroine's ears are quickly ringing. She feels a headache approaching.

And then her patience finally snaps.
Emi abruptly hits the brakes. The car comes to a screeching halt and slides forward a few more meters on the wet road until it finally comes to a stop.
"Get out!" she orders the usual suspect in the back seat.
It is suddenly dead silent there. The loud shouting that had robbed her of every nerve for the last five minutes has suddenly fallen silent. Four pairs of eyes stare at her in great surprise. One of them belongs to the demon king Satan Jacobu aka MgRonald's employer of the month Maou Sadao in the passenger seat.
"Emi," he begins anxiously, but the latter pays no attention to him.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and exits the car. As she stomps around the car, Maou exchanges worried glances with Ashiya and Chiho, who are crowded into the back seat with Urushihara.
At that moment, the toddler on Chiho's lap begins to cry heartbreakingly.
"Shsh, it's okay, Alas-Ramus," he immediately tries to comfort the little girl. "Your mama's not mad at you!"
"Not my mama," Alas brings out with a sob.
Maou sighs inwardly. For a few weeks now, Alas-Ramus has been very dismissive of her foster mother Emi, and it's further tugging at her nerves. In her eyes, Urushihara has planted that in the little girl's mind, so it's no wonder that she's now finally losing it.
Maou turns all the way around in his seat to give Urushihara, who is sitting right behind him, a pitying look. And maybe his look is also a little accusatory because Urushihara's constant "Are we there yet?", together with his stubborn refusal to respond to Ashiya's request to read something to the fretful Alas-Ramus, has ultimately played a not inconsiderable part in the whole heated atmosphere here.
But Urushihara ignores him and just stares in front of him in the same indifferent way as he always does lately. This impassive stare is so unnerving that Maou can suddenly understand Emi's freak-out all too well.
At that moment, Emi is once halfway around the car and now yanks opens the door on Urushihara's side so hard that he flinches in fright.
"I'm fed up with you!" she screams, grabbing him by the collar of his parka and rigorously dragging him out of the car. She's taller than him, plus she's strong and he doesn't weigh much, and she knows how to use that well. With momentum, she throws him into the high snow on the side of the road.
"You'll walk the last three kilometers!"
Awkwardly, Urushihara picks himself up from the snow.
"You can't do that!" he protests. "What have I done? Maou, help me!"
Maou smiles unhappily. He has learned to fear Emi's tantrums, especially since she is also not afraid to use both of their foster daughter Alas-Ramus as leverage. Fortunately, Ashiya answers for him and therefore relieves him of the burden of having to clearly take a side.
"It's only three kilometers, Urushihara. A little exercise will do you some good."
Alas-Ramus literally howls and Chiho tries to comfort her, squeezing her and stroking her hair as the whole situation becomes more and more uncomfortable for her.
"Emi," Chiho defends Urushihara, "that's not fair. Urushihara is not to blame. I started the fight."
But Emi doesn't care. She throws the back door shut again, hurls another of her famous death glares in Urushihara's direction, and stomps back to the driver's door.
"Hey!" Staggering, Urushihara struggles to his feet. "You guys can't do this! Hey, guys! Guys!"
He takes a step toward them and extends his hand pleadingly, but by then the car is already pulling away with its engine roaring.
"Hey!" He takes another hasty step, stumbles, and then falls lengthwise into the mud. For a second he just lies there in shock, then slowly scrambles to his knees.
"Go die, you idiots!" he yells after the car disappears around a bend. "I didn't wanna come!"

Fuck!
Frustrated, Urushihara throws his head back, and then his loud, piercing scream rings through the forest. Startled, a few birds flutter away from the trees, small twigs and snow trickle to the ground, and about a second after the scream fades, a squirrel somewhere complains, chittering.
After shouting all his frustration from his soul, Urushihara literally slumps down. With his shoulders slumped and his head bowed, he kneels in the snow by the side of the road, struggling for both composure and breath. A sound escapes from his throat, it sounds like a stifled sob, but he quickly suppresses it.
For a few minutes, he just kneels there, trying to collect himself.
It's not far. It's only three kilometers. I should be on the road for maximum an hour. I can do that.
It's not easy to fight the feelings of despair and fear, but if there's one thing he's learned in the last thirty-one days, it's that he has no choice at all. He must face what lies ahead.
And so he takes a few deep breaths and focuses completely on his surroundings. Over the loud pounding of his heart, he hears and feels the light wind. The air smells pure and clear with a hint of old leaves and is slightly woody. It is dry, but he can almost taste the approaching snowfall. There is a rustling somewhere behind him. A small animal, perhaps a mouse or a bird.
At least there are no dangerous animals that want to eat me.
A bitter smile twitches around his lips as he slowly stands up. Crouching a bit, he takes a few cautious steps in the direction he thinks will lead him to the road.