Chapter 677 - Intermission : A Certain Demon"s Timidity
One afternoon, I came to Elise-san’s fortune-telling shop that I had visited before. Elise-san and I unfortunately weren’t close yet, and we could only be described as acquaintances, but she gave me a big hint in my match against Shiro-san, so I came to the store to say h.e.l.lo and thank her but……
[…..Ughhh, it’s Human-san huh.]
[h.e.l.lo, Elise-san.]
A blatantly displeased look on her face even when we just met. I heard that it’s not that she hates me, but that would mean she really thinks I’m a pain in the a.s.s.
……She really doesn’t hate me, right? I don’t feel that much repugnance coming through, so that probably means it’s okay, right?
[Yeah, yeah, h.e.l.lo. Or rather, Human-san, it’s been a while. I don’t think I’ve seen your face around for a few months. Or was it years?]
[Ah, yes. Errr…… After having a little confrontation with the G.o.d, going just as you had foreseen, I went back to the other world for a while.]
[……I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. At any rate…… That means you’re involved in something nonsensical again, right?]
[A- Ahaha.]
Indeed, thinking about it again, one might think that I’m saying something crazy. But unfortunately, all of it is true.
[But still, you’re still arriving at the most irritating time as ever. It makes me think you’re doing it on purpose.]
[Yes?]
[Even though it might look like there aren’t any customers at the moment, my shop is fairly popular. If there had been other customers at the time you had arrived, I would have had an excuse to turn Human-san away…… but unfortunately, I can’t turn you away because there isn’t and was just about to take a break.]
[H- Huhh……]
How should I say this…… Well, for the time being, it seemed like I wouldn’t be turned away.
[Well, fine. Human-san, mind flipping the hanging sign on the door?]
[Eh? Ah, yes.]
[Then, just go sit on a chair you want. Human-san, are you fine with coffee? Rather, I don’t like tea, so I only serve coffee here. I won’t accept any complaints.]
Saying this, Elise walked towards the back of the store, and came back a little later with two cups of coffee. Placing the coffee on her fortune-telling table, she urged me to sit down.
Hmmm, being served coffee like this…… doesn’t that mean that she doesn’t hate me?
[So, what are you here for today, Human-san?]
[Ahh, errr…… Thanks to Elise-san’s fortune-telling, I somehow made it through Shiro-san’s ordeal, so I thought of thanking you.]
[That’s okay. Fortune-telling is my job. When you’ve paid for my services, that’s already enough…… No, speaking of which…… I didn’t receive any money from Human-san at that time, did I? Well then, I’ll receive that thanks of yours.]
[Huhh…… Errr, Elise-san’s fortune-telling really helped me out. Thank you very much.]
[Your welcome.]
Elise-san is kind of a unique individual. Just talking with her like this, I don’t feel anything unpleasant…… or rather, I’m having fun talking to her.
Chuckling at her slightly odd phrasing of words a bit, I thanked her, to which Elise-san nodded in satisfaction before drinking her coffee.
[So, those things you talked about how you confronted G.o.d or that you returned to the other word, in the end, what the heck does those things mean? I think you should explain those things properly.]
[Ahh, you’re right. Errr, where should I start……]
I still feel like she thinks of me as a pain in the a.s.s, as she still won’t call me by my first name…… but then again, it doesn’t seem like Elise-san hates me or anything like that.
I guess I haven’t reached the point where she considers me a friend, but at least, she chooses to talk to me during her breaks……
After chatting with Kaito for a while, Elise told her that her break was over and sent him away. Thereupon, as she sat on a chair in her store, waiting for customers to come in as usual, the door was roughly opened and several ill-bred looking men came into the store.
[Welcome!]
[Yeah…… We’re going to look around for a bit.]
[Yes, take your time.]
Instead of the annoyed look she gave Kaito earlier, Elise responded with a cheerful smile even to these ill-bred-looking people. After briefly answering Elise, the men approached the shelves lined with amulets and other merchandise.
And then……
[Oops, my hand slipped.]
[Ahh……]
[My bad, shopkeeper-san, I knocked over a shelf.]
[No, no, are you hurt?]
With a nasty grin on their faces, the men repeatedly knocked over the shelves of merchandise, claiming their hands slipped, and stomped on the merchandise, claiming their feet slipped.
They’re obviously hara.s.sing her…… and even when they spoke out apologies, they didn’t look apologetic at all.
However, Elise continues to deal with such people with a smile on her face. Elise, as she said, is a very timid person, and she doesn’t go out of her way to make enemies or make things worse.
She just kept her business smile on her face, occasionally worrying if the man was injured, and waited for the storm to pa.s.s.
Because this store is located on the main street of the royal capital, she understood that these men wouldn’t do more than accidentally knock over her shelves or destroy her merchandise……
As she had expected, the men vandalized the store for a while, before talking to Elise with a nasty grin on their faces.
[Well~~ sorry about that, shopkeeper-san. We’re a bit clumsy, you see. I’m sorry for causing you trouble…… I think we’ll go home for the day. Here’s money for the repairs. You can keep the change.]
[Even so, this is quite a great shop, isn’t it? I didn’t find anything I wanted to buy, but we’ll come back tomorrow.]
[Ahh, yeah. It was such a great shop that I want to come back every day.]
Claiming that it was for repairs, the men gave Elise money about the size of a child’s allowance…… which of course, wasn’t enough to pay back the damages they made, they left the store with a happy smile on their faces.
Not uttering a complaint about the money given to her, Elise saw the men off. She knew that if she complained about the money, she would get into even more trouble.
And remembering the words saying how they will be back…… warning words…… no, threatening words, she stared at the door through which the mend had left…… and the smile on her face disappeared.
[……I guess that’s an out.]
After muttering this, Elise lightly flicked her fingers. Thereupon, the fallen shelves and scattered products returned to their original positions, and the doors of the store were locked at the same time.
Making sure that everything has been set properly, Elise took out a small magic tool from her pocket and imbued it with her magic power.
“Yes, yes, what is it?”
[……Shalltear-sama, how about I borrow a favor, including the post-processing of this matter? Ahh, there’s no need for tedious exchanges. It’s not like you don’t know about it, so just give me the information I need.]
“Fine…… The people who came to your store are just paid thugs. The main culprit is that shop on the same street you’re in…… a newly opened one about 150 meters south of yours. It seems that they consider your store, which is in the same line of business, to be a hindrance.”
Using a communication magic tool directly connected to Shalltear, her lord, which is given only to the executives under the Phantasmal King, Elise obtained information on the mastermind behind the people who visited the store earlier.
After hearing that, with her eyes as cold as ice, she took out black tarot cards.
“You’re still moving as fast and merciless as ever…… I’m even feeling bad for that person who put their hands on you.”
[It’s natural. Shalltear-sama should know about it, right? I’m a timid person. If I find any insect that could even slightly threaten my peace…… I will make sure to immediately and thoroughly destroy it.]
“How scary…… Well, that’s why you’re my executive after all.”
[I still think you’re bringing me nothing but trouble, but for this situation, I guess I’m a little grateful.]
As the person herself said, Elise is a timid person. She basically never antagonizes anyone, nor does she get close to anyone more than she has to.
Always putting on a façade, she rarely shows her true colors to others.
Elise’s way of thinking isn’t easily influenced by her emotions, prioritizing her own peace…… and anyone who threatens it or has the potential to threaten it would be eliminated by her upon discovery.
The next day…… a few people and their lackeys went missing, and one of the stores that had just opened on the main street…… suddenly had their store closed, but strangely…… “as if someone had manipulated the information”…… This matter never became a big topic of conversation.
A few days later, at Elise’s store, which was open for business as usual, the shopowner, Elise, had a blatantly displeased look on her face.
[……Uwahhh, you’re here again. Are you that free, Human-san?]
[A- Ahaha…… Well, I brought you some sweets to thank you for the coffee from before.]
[You’re just being conscientious that you’re making it hard for me to turn you away. Good grief, I want to curse my bad luck for getting to know Human-san…… Ahh, you just take your seat somewhere.]
One might think that Elise loathes Kaito, if not adverse towards him…… but that’s just a big misunderstanding.
In the first place, Elise treats most people wearing a façade. She always uses a polite tone of voice, and doesn’t try to make enemies.
There are only a few people she deals with in a harsh manner. One of them is her lord, Shalltear, while the other is Kaito.
When Elise shows her true colors and speaks abusive words, it’s a sign that she trusts the one she’s speaking with. Even if she shows her true self, she knows that this person will not become an enemy that threatens her peace, which is a very big trust from a timid person like her.
He has supported her dream in the best possible way, and having a good eye for people, she was able to understand Kaito’s character through her frequent contact with him.
After taking all these factors into consideration, for Elise, Kaito is…… well, a harbinger of troubles, but she likes him to a certain extent.
Incidentally, the reason why she calls Kaito “Human-san” and doesn’t want to call him by his name…… was that she thinks it’s not a problem since being called like that makes her distinguish him from the others.
[Human-san, it’s just about lunchtime. Making one or two portions doesn’t make any difference, so you can go eat with me.]
[Eh? Ah, yes. Thank you.]
[Putting aside if I will consider it, I’ll just ask you something. Is there any food you don’t like.]
[……Bell peppers.]
[……You’re all grown up, and yet, you’re quite childish, aren’t you?]
[Ughh.]
[Well, lucky for you, I don’t have any plans to use bell peppers for today’s lunch, Human-san. Well then, wait right there.]
Even though her tongue was sharp, there was a faint smile on Elise’s lips as she walked to the kitchen.
Serious-senpai : [Nice seriousness. There really is someone decent among Phantasmal King’s executives huh!]
? ? ? : [She certainly is someone who sticks to her logic even more than I do and works really fast…… but she’s basically a hikikomori, complaining everytime I ask her to do a job, and not easy to handle. Well, she’s still one of the decent ones among Alice-chan’s executives.]
Serious-senpai : [Incidentally, which one of them is the best and the worst?]
? ? ? : [The most decent one is undoubtedly Pandemonium. She is always in regular contact with us, and she works quickly and accurately. She is the conscience of the Ten Demons, and the one with the most decent personality. Then, the worst one would either be that freaking m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t of a bird, as when she has a job to do, she would always freaking make sure she dies once before finishing it and coming back with a look of ecstasy on her face, or that loud sh*tty snake that cries every time she finishes work, but in terms of personality…… Needless to say, it would be Pandora.]
Serious-senpai : [……You have it hard, eh?]