Beware the Shady Products Brought In by Corporate

"Welcome—"

From inside the register counter, Raul, who had been checking the incoming-stock slip, looked up the instant he sensed the door opening. But the moment he caught sight of the person who'd walked in, he froze solid.

"… That's not exactly the face you make at a customer, is it, Raul Chaser?"

A dazzlingly white camisole. The one who strode up to the counter and pointed it out reproachfully was a dignified, beautiful girl, her golden hair like silk threads flowing behind her.

"… What do you want?"

Airi Ortinet, otherwise known as "All-A Airi." The girl who, back in the hero-prep academy days, had vied with Raul for the top spot.

… About a week ago, she'd happened to drop by to buy a Magicassette tape, taken it upon herself to be disappointed in Raul, said her piece, and walked off. That little incident had been quietly nagging at him ever since.

"… Came to watch your old rival ring up the register, huh?"

Raul's tone went sharp despite himself, and Airi gave a small shrug.

"Hardly. Just shopping. Just shopping… Well, I'll admit, standing over you like this as a customer isn't an unpleasant feeling."

"… Although, you know."

Faced with Airi narrowing her eyes smugly in front of the register, Raul finally asked the thing that had been bothering him since their last encounter.

"What about you? What are you doing now?"

"Eh?"

"You were aiming to be a hero too, weren't you? So where'd you end up getting hired?"

"Ah, um…"

The girl gasped as if caught off-guard, then, after a beat, slid her deep-colored eyes away.

"… A s-security firm."

"A security firm!? S-s-seriously!?"

When Raul parroted the words back, Airi nodded timidly.

"Y-yeah… I mean, even before all this, over-concentration in the royal capital was already a social problem, and now with the recession, crime is on the rise, right? So every day's super busy. But it's rewarding, the pay and benefits are good, so I'm satisfied… well, it's kind of like being a private-sector hero, I suppose."

"Whoa… that's nice…"

In his envy, Raul ended up leaning out over the counter. At a security firm, you could put the skills you'd built up to become a hero to use. At least more than as a clerk at a magic shop… Although by the time Raul had started job hunting, those positions were already filled up with ex-heroes, and there'd been zero room for prep-school grads to even get a foot in the door.

"As expected of 'All-A'…! The fact that you got through this employment ice age is seriously something I respect!"

"I-it's not that big a deal… but I still have to work harder."

In response to Raul's envious gaze, however, Airi's expression suddenly turned serious. A melancholy color settled in her eyes, and she swept her golden hair back.

"With the [Hero System] gone, I can't expect support from the country, and I'm overwhelmingly short on the money and time I'd need to defeat the demonkin… Those guys haven't all been wiped out yet. They have to be taken down as soon as possible, but…"

"Huh…?"

Her brooding tone drew a puzzled sound out of Raul.

"Why do you need to defeat the demonkin? Nobody's gonna praise you for taking them down anymore, you won't get even one gold in subsidies, you know? Besides…"

If you actually talked to them, they might turn out to be surprisingly serious, decent folks… Well, sure, maybe a bit eccentric, a little out of touch with the world.

That was what Raul had been about to say. The very moment he opened his mouth—

A heavy impact rang across the register counter, and Raul's heart shrank up tight.

"—!?"

"You!"

With her fist, trembling with rage, still slammed down on the counter, Airi shot Raul a piercing glare.

"You don't know how vicious of a creature the demonkin are!? Just what the cruel, despicable demonkin have done to humanity all this time…!?"

"Uh… um…"

"… I…"

In front of Raul, thoroughly cowed by her ferocious temper, Airi quietly lowered her burning eyes. After a pause, she opened her mouth, weighty.

"I will not forgive the demonkin. Absolutely not. I will exterminate them all, down to the last one. The demonkin are my… no, humanity's enemy."

The girl's resolve, sealed with a sorrowful firmness, packed into that fierce spirit.

… Now that he thought of it, this one's family had been, he was pretty sure, hurt by the demonkin.

Belatedly recalling a rumor he'd caught wind of back in prep school, Raul felt a chill run down his spine.

This girl is dead serious… I knew even back in prep school that her resolve was on a different level from everyone else's, that she honestly stood out from the crowd, but she really is planning to wipe out the demonkin. If she ever found out our store was employing a demonkin, there's no way we'd get off lightly… or rather.

Realizing that, Raul went rigid. Fino wasn't just any demonkin. She was the very mastermind behind the demonkin this girl hated. A being carrying the blood of the [Demon King], the root of all evil.

"Rauuul, where am I supposed to put this product out?"

Into that hopelessly awkward situation.

… with hopelessly bad timing, one shadow came strolling back.

 

*

 

"Mm? What is it, you?"

A box of Magic Ribbons clutched firmly to her chest.

The silver-haired demonkin, renowned for her tin ear for atmosphere, surveyed the two facing off across the counter. Eventually, her face went tense and she shuffled backwards as if on guard.

"… Carrying no product… seems extremely angry… and Raul's making an even more miserable face than usual… you, then. You must be a customer-complainer!"

"Eh!? Customer-complainer… me?"

"Don't play dumb! I read about it in the register manual! Customer-complainers are very scary! Apparently, if you handle them wrong, they're the kind of beings who can destroy not just the store but the entire company…!"

"Ah, no, Fino, this person isn't…"

Raul tried hastily to deny it, but Fino wasn't listening to a word. With a wicked smile, she crossed her arms and laughed grandly.

"Kukuku, a customer-complainer… to think I would encounter one this soon… but it seems they aren't as fearsome as the rumors say. Someone of your level, I, who carry the blood of the [Demon King], can handle on my own oi quit it let go Raul!"

"Aaaagh this person is someone I know! Someone I know AND a customer! Not a complainer! So calm down!"

"Someone you know…"

Fino, who had been flailing while Raul gripped the scruff of her neck, finally let out a small "Oh, I see," turned to Airi, who was staring wide-eyed in front of the register, and abruptly extended her hand.

"My apologies for the misunderstanding, Raul's customer-acquaintance! I am Fino Bloodstone. Pleasure to meet you, human!"

"Hu… man?"

"Ah, n-no, that's… that's, um, a dialect from her hometown! You know, like the greeting 'Yo, brother!'? It's the same as that!"

To Raul's frantic explanation, Airi nodded, looking impressed.

"Hee… what an unusual custom. I'm Airi Ortinet. Fino-san, whereabouts were you born?"

"Airi, what a fine name! As for me, I was born in the Demon Re— mph, mphmph!"

"Th-the village of Makai, right!? I'm pretty sure it was a remote village up north, right!?"

"By the way, didn't this girl just say something about the blood of the [Demon King]…?"

"Th-that's…! She's, uh, a little out there, sort of a thing that happens in puberty, you know, that age, please just go with it!"

"Ngh, oi Raul, I'm not out there anywhere? By the way, I just remembered, it's almost festival season! Did you know, Raul? In the Demon Realm, on the altar of the evil god, the blood of living monsters is…"

"YOU'RE TOTALLY DOING THIS ON PURPOSE NOW, AREN'T YOU!?"

… Honestly, he was practically in tears at this point.

"You two…"

Airi's expression just slightly stiffened. She began to say something, but just then, Raul and Fino looked up at the same time. Sensing the door opening, the two of them drew breath together and let their voices ring out from the bottom of their bellies.

""Welcome!""

"Welc—"

… for some reason.

Airi, too, raised her head at almost the same time as them, drew breath at the same time, opened her mouth at the same time.

When Raul and Fino, having finished their greeting, glanced over at her dubiously from either side, the golden-haired girl flushed crimson with a start, and in the next moment had turned brusquely away from the counter.

"I-I'm going to take another look at the merchandise!"

Airi declared, stomping off into the back of the store. Watching the girl go, the two of them eventually wound up exchanging a glance, neither one initiating.

"… What was that?"

"… Weird one."

So muttering, they shifted their attention to the man who had just newly entered the store.

… And in that instant, Raul's expression froze over again.

 

*

 

After a brief lag, Raul put on a polite smile with a slightly different nuance than his usual customer-service one and gave a light nod of acknowledgment.

"Ah, hi Gil-san, thanks for the hard work."

"Thanks for the hard work. Is the manager in?"

Dull-blond hair and round-rimmed glasses. The tall man called Gil, somewhere in his late twenties, returned the greeting perfunctorily, and while still cradling a large paper box, scanned the store as if looking for something.

"Ah, the manager's got the day off today. The assistant manager's on break, away from her station. What do you want to do? Should I call her?"

"Oh, never mind then. Please pass my regards to the assistant manager later. Or only if you happen to remember. Actually, never mind, it doesn't matter."

"… Hey."

His sleeve was being tugged at insistently. When Raul turned his face, there was Fino's puzzled expression.

"Raul's face looks bad again… is this one, this time for real, a customer-complainer?"

"—!"

Hurriedly, Raul brought his mouth close to Fino's ear and explained in a whisper.

"… This is Gil-san! He's from our company's headquarters!"

"Headquarters?"

"Our store is part of a chain, so there's lots of other stores like it, and… there's a department that oversees them all."

"Hoho, in other words, a stronghold. So headquarters is like the [Demon King]'s castle!"

"… Eh… well, that's basically right, yeah."

"I see, understood!"

With a nod, Fino turned afresh to face Gil. Hand on her hip, she puffed out her chest and looked up at Gil, who was at least three heads taller than her, as if glaring down at him.

"In short, the executive himself has personally come to the front lines to inspect, has he! A long journey, my compliments for your effort! And yet, to bring a souvenir to us, who are right here at the front. What a capable man you are! Such an unpretentious attitude, I like it! But what's inside, I'm super curious!"

"… Raul-san, who is this girl?"

The box still in his arms, Gil asked with a perfectly straight face, his tone so flat that Raul flinched.

Gil Brand, Section Chief of the Store Support Division, Leostad Trading Company Headquarters. The Store Support Division was basically a glorified handyman post, but its duties included addressing store-level issues and instructing staff. Which is to say, this freewheeling behavior from Fino was extremely bad news. At worst, Fino might be fired on the spot, and the manager, held responsible for management failure, could even face disciplinary action.

"Ah, uh, this one's a new part-time hire, Fino, she's still in training, there's some, uh, rough edges… b-but believe it or not, when it comes to register work, she's perfect!"

"… … … …"

In front of Raul, struggling to cover for her, Gil stayed completely silent, just gazing down at Fino.

Eventually, he shifted his eyes to Raul and slowly opened his mouth.

"She's cute, isn't she…!"

"Huh?"

"Honestly, super my type. Wow. Don't get me wrong, an orthodox beauty like Manager Seara is fine too, but this kind of unaffected girl, well, well, not bad at all."

"Cute, you say…"

At the unexpected reaction, Raul looked over at the demonkin almost reflexively. Fino, mouth agape, was staring at Gil with her usual blank face… or should have been.

… Silver hair spilling smoothly over her cheek, big innocent blue eyes.

Looking at her again, ever since shampoo had tamed her bedhead, Fino had, before he'd even noticed, come to look surprisingly presentable. Her words and behavior remained terribly disappointing, but wrapped up in a girly uniform like this, she certainly might pass for an outrageously beautiful—

"No, however. That being as it may, setting that aside."

Raul came back to himself with a start. Gil muttered a "Heave-ho" as he placed the large box he'd been carrying onto the counter, then turned to face Fino once more.

"Hmm… new hire or no, part-timer or no, your conduct is unsuitable for our company. Even if you're cute, cute is cute. That's that, this is this."

Pushing his glasses up, Gil declared in his unchanging flat tone,

"… So then, shall we have a one-on-one personal interview right away? Regarding customer service, I will, ahem, thoroughly instruct you. In a closed room. Just the two of us. Hands-on, step by step."

"Eh? Ah, ahh…"

"… Gil-san, I'm calling the audit office chief."

"Now then, let's get down to business."

At Raul's words, Gil deftly changed the subject. Gesturing to the box he'd just placed on the counter, he opened his mouth nonchalantly.

"This is the display unit for a new product I've brought in. Please put it out on the sales floor."

"… What is it?"

"A magic air purifier."

Ignoring Raul's still-prickly tone, Gil answered breezily.

"The price is very reasonable, and it's guaranteed to be a runaway seller. It's the recommended product of the season from Madame Maier in the Product Division."

"Haa… is that right…"

Going along with it just to be polite, Raul pressed a reader to the magic tag on the bottom of the box. But the moment the product information appeared on the register's display, his eyes went wide.

"Whoa, what is this, the wholesale price is so cheap! … Gil-san, is this really okay? I've never even heard of this manufacturer…"

"It'll be fine. Even manufacturers don't put out things that are that weird."

"No, but the other day, that weird, almost-bankrupt manufacturer Maier-san brought in that horrible magic dryer, remember? The one that shrinks your clothes to bits. Handling the customer complaints from that was a nightmare…"

"Oops, look at the time. I'd best be off to the next store."

"Ah, hey, wait!"

"Once you've finished setting up the display, send me a photo report on MITNet. Fino-san, let's have that one-on-one personal interview again soon, all right? Then, if you'll excuse me!"

With a casual wave and an unstoppable momentum, the headquarters man departed. By the time Raul realized it, the man had already vanished beyond the door.

"… … … …"

Raul stood there dumbfounded for a while, then turned his eyes to the register counter, looked at the large box left behind, and sighed. If you put something like this on the register counter, it'll just get in the way of checkout, geez. This is why corporate is the way it is… or so he thought.

"An air purifier…"

Eyes brimming with curiosity, Fino stared at the box Raul had readjusted in his arms, his face looking drained. From her mouth, an admiring murmur escaped.

"So this is an item that cleans dirty air. Humans really are amazing. To think you can buy an item this useful for world peace, in a shop!"

"No, it's not that amazing. It can't prevent pollution or anything. It's for a six-tatami room, the best it can save is the manager's office."

In the face of Raul delivering the merciless reality, however, the gleam of curiosity in Fino's eyes didn't fade.

"Hey, Raul! Since it's a display unit, that means it's okay to turn it on, right? I want to turn it on!"

At Fino's pleading suggestion, Raul scratched his head and glanced around the sales floor.

A weekday midday, the dead-zone hour. Looking around the store, the only customer worth mentioning was Airi, wandering around the magical-lifestyle-goods corner. It was the sort of work he'd normally save for after closing… but in a situation like this, even a slightly time-consuming task probably wouldn't be a problem.

"… Well, finishing it early would be easier later. All right, you can do it."

"Roger!"

With a happy cheer, Fino crouched down and began to open the box. As Raul started sorting the slips again, at his feet on the floor, she undid the packaging with brisk efficiency.

What emerged from inside was a white, square, armful-sized item. There were square holes in the upper-center of the front and back, and on top, switches in a row of various colors.

Fino glared at the instruction manual for a while, then, with a solemn expression, reached out cautiously for one of the switches.

And then.

"Hey, Raul…"

Called abruptly by name, Raul paused in his work and looked down at Fino at his feet.

"What? Doesn't it work?"

"No…"

Indicating the air purifier on the floor, Fino reported,

"… When I flipped the switch, something came out of it."

"… Hah?"

Raising a dubious voice, Raul turned his face toward what she was pointing at. And in that instant—

Without thinking, Raul launched the slip in his hand into the air with all his might.

Out of the air purifier, countless "Arms" had sprouted.

Spilling out from the holes in the front and back of the unit, swelling and rippling like jet-black snakes, slick "Arms".

"… I see."

In front of Raul, who instinctively backed away, Fino nodded in apparent satisfaction.

"So this is how it removes impurities from the air. Humans really are—"

"NO, IT'S NOT!!"

Reflexively, Raul shouted the retort, but at the same time, an unpleasant sweat was beading on his palms.

"'Witch's Arms'…"

It was his first time actually seeing one, but there was no doubt. A textbook runaway pattern for magic items caused by a loop error in the magic syntax… this thing is an error item!

In magic syntax, hand-built piece by piece by Magic Engineers, human errors were unavoidable. Such abnormal magic syntax could sometimes give items effects beyond imagination, so even for cheap commodities like lights, magic items were subject to strict inspection mandates. But even with all that, error items still slipped through the checks and hit the market…

"Fino, turn off the switch! Hurry!"

"Switch, you say…"

Fino glanced at the rampaging air purifier and murmured, troubled.

"With all this stuff coming out, I can't exactly get close easily…"

"Fino!"

One "Arm" suddenly slithered out from the group writhing on the floor, lunging to coil around Fino's ankle. In a split second, Raul grabbed a long ruler from the pen stand on the register counter and flung it at the tip of the "Arm".

"Raul, thanks!"

The long ruler, taken in place of Fino as she leapt back, was swallowed into the entangling whirlpool of "Witch's Arms". But with no time even to catch a breath, a second wave of "Arms" slithered toward the girl. This time, several at once.

"Damn it!"

Clicking his tongue, Raul grabbed the pen stand and the rest of the register stationery wholesale. For the moment, he gripped the most offensive-looking item, a pair of scissors, in one hand and brandished them.

But Fino wasn't just standing around either. With the physical ability unique to a demonkin, she slipped between the "Arms" to dodge, kicked off the floor in a great leap, and landed a little ways away. Yes, nicely done!

Confirming Fino had safely evacuated outside the "Arms"' area of influence, Raul, retreating backward himself, pressed the switch on his earpiece with a trembling hand.

"Assistant manager! Assistant manager! Emergency!!"

Speaking into the small microphone attached to his collar, his voice nearly cracking.

"An error item is running wild, 'Witch's Arms.' I'm sorry to bother you on break, but please come back right away!"

… But.

"Assistant manager!? Assistant manager!!?"

No matter how long he waited, no response came from the assistant manager on break.

Damn it, Raul ground his teeth. Maybe she's taken off her earpiece and is napping in the second-floor break room.

"I'll go check the break room!"

Fino, who had been listening to Raul's words, had apparently come to the same conclusion. Tossing aside her earpiece, she spun around and dashed for the back-yard. "Please!" Raul called after her, then turned again to face the air purifier, now transformed into a clump of "Arms".

… And it was at that moment.

"… For a place that calls itself a specialty shop, the selection's pretty underwhelming."

From the other side of the register counter, a girl's curt voice came drifting in.

"Well, it'd be rude to leave without buying anything, so for today I'll take this…"

Crap, Raul thought, clicking his tongue. He'd completely forgotten about her, about the customer's presence, right up until this moment!

"AIRI!!!!!!"

Calling her name, Raul rushed toward her. But it was already too late.

Airi had placed her item down at the center register, and toward her hand countless "Arms" stretched out as if asking for a handshake. Reaching out reflexively, Raul groaned. No good, won't make it, she's gonna be swallowed!

… However.

A solid, dull thud rang out.

Right before Raul's eyes, as he was moving to rescue her, Airi was knocking the "Witch's Arms" down with terrifying reaction speed. Slipping past the "Arms"' assault by a hair's breadth, she ducked to the opposite side and struck back with a knife-edge hand. Without mercy, she slammed it down to the floor.

"Whoa, as expected of 'All-A'…"

"Raul Chaser!!"

The moment she spotted Raul, Airi rushed over to the number-two register where he was standing, leaned out across the counter, and shouted, angry,

"What is this, what is going on, what does this mean!? What's with these creepy black squirming things, are they employees of your store!?"

"No, that's, uh, it's kind of an emergency…"

"And another thing, if a register isn't supposed to be used, at least put up an 'out of service' sign! What would you do if something happened to a customer!? And you call yourself a professional!?"

"Eh, wait, why are you nitpicking that!?"

I mean, yeah, sure, I'll cop to not putting up a sign, that part is on me! But that's not the issue!

"This is no time for that! Anyway, hurry up and get out of the store. Behind you!"

"—!?"

A single "Arm" stretched out behind the girl.

At Raul's voice, Airi tried to whirl around, but it was too late. Threading itself around her in an instant to exploit the opening, the "Arm" crawled up Airi's body in the blink of an eye and coiled around her chest, swathed in the pristine white camisole.

"Wai— no!!"

She shrieked, trying to bat it away, but before Airi could even brace her stance, several more "Arms" pounced on her.

From upper arms to shoulders, from her waist down to her thighs. In an instant, Airi's body had been trussed up, and in the next moment was hoisted high over the register counter.

"Ngh, let go of me! Damn you, let go I said!!"

"Hey, you! Are you all right!?"

"Does this look all right to you!?"

Coiling over Airi's body through the fluttering fabric, the countless "Arms" bit into her soft skin. But thankfully, she didn't seem to be having trouble breathing.

The moment Raul tried to approach to help her, an "Arm" swept at his feet in apparent reprisal, and he hurriedly stepped back.

"Hey! You're an active-duty mercenary, aren't you!? Can't you break free!?"

"D-don't ask the impossible!?"

Glaring down at Raul as he yelled in desperation, Airi shouted back bitterly,

"I don't have any magic items, and you don't seriously expect me to fight with these magical-toothbrush refills, do you!? And besides, I haven't even paid for these yet!"

"Ah, yeah, you're right!"

… She was a weirdly conscientious girl, somehow.

Then, Airi let out a scream pitched differently from the ones before.

"Eek! No, what is this, it's getting under my clothes!?"

"Wh-what did you say!?"

In front of Raul, struck on multiple levels by those words, Airi twisted her upper body as if struggling.

"S-stop it, you idiot! No, stop, I said! No…"

Even into her usually fierce eyes, a thin film of tears welled up. From between the lips of the girl twisting her "Arm"-covered body, a distressed voice leaked out.

I mean, just what part of inside her clothes, and how, would something have to be getting in to make her make that kind of expression and voice, hey!? … Damn it, the "Arms" in front are in the way, I can't tell what's going on at all… no, what the hell am I thinking!!

"H-hey! Airi!? Airi!? Damn it…!"

"It's no good, Raul!"

At a clattering of hurried footsteps, Raul turned to see Fino come tumbling out from behind the back-yard door.

"The assistant manager wasn't there! He left a note saying he's gone out for lunch!"

"ASSISTANT MANAGEEER!!"

While Raul let out a resentful cry, Fino dashed onto the sales floor and visibly caught her breath.

"Airi, the customer, she's…!!"

The moment she shouted it, Fino's blue eyes narrowed into slits.

Catching some sort of bad feeling, Raul, panicked, raised his voice.

"H-hey, idiot! What are you—"

"We have to save her!"

But.

In the next moment, with a light tap, the petite girl kicked off the floor and threw her body into the writhing mass of "Witch's Arms".

"Fino!?"

In a flash, Fino's slim limbs were captured by the pitch-black "Arms", bound around again and again. But even so, Fino's hand succeeded in grabbing Airi's arm.

"Ngh… y-you, what are you doing!?"

Airi turned a bewildered gaze on the girl who had thrown herself into the whirlpool of "Arms". But in the eyes Fino fixed on Airi, there wasn't a trace of hesitation.

"Whatever happens, protect the customer first. It's written in the manual!"

"But, if you get caught too, there's no point, is there!?"

"It's fine!"

"It is not fine! You're getting tangled up worse than me!?"

"… It's a little gross, but… nngh… I'm okay…"

With her whole body wrapped up in "Arms" without a single inch to spare, Fino still desperately stretched out her hand and somehow managed to seize one of the "Arms" coiled around Airi. Finding its tip, she struggled, body refusing to move freely, to pry it off of Airi.

"I'll definitely save you! Definitely… nngh… d-definitely… nngh…"

Faintly flushed cheeks. Fino's expression looked pained, as if she was holding something back. And up that little girl's thigh slowly crept yet another "Arm"…

"—!"

There wasn't another moment to hesitate.

With a curse, Raul whirled around and ducked behind the register, weaving through the swarming "Witch's Arms". Human magic pressure was too low; it couldn't overcome the magical resistance of the atmosphere. To run magic through and hold it together, you needed a medium with high magical conductivity. Raul yanked open the cleaning-supplies cupboard, and as brooms and dustpans came clattering down in a noisy avalanche, he brushed them irritably aside and searched… There!

The store's anti-theft equipment, cheap to begin with and rust-covered, hadn't been maintained in probably years… but it was a hell of a lot better than a ruler.

Drawing in a small breath, he narrowed his eyes, focused his mind, and—

In that instant.

From Raul's wide-open five senses, the entire world vanished.

 

*

 

A sudden, dazzling silver-blue flash crossed her vision.

At the same time, the creepy sensation that had been binding their bodies cut off, and without even understanding what had happened, the girls drew breath together at the weightlessness that had abruptly enveloped them.

"—!!"

"Eek!!"

Drawing each other's bodies in reflexively, the girls fell, tangled together. Below them, fresh "Witch's Arms" swirled, hungry for new prey… But.

Before the "Arms" that had caught the girls falling from on high could rob them of their freedom again—

"…'Output Raise'!"

A sharp trail of light tore through them once again.

In the instant the two of them registered the apron-clad boy leaping in in front of them, the "Arms" touched by his gleaming blade vanished as though evaporating.

This time, they grasped clearly what had happened. The two girls cried out in unison.

"Raul!?"

"You're late!"

"'Output Lower'… and, sorry!"

At Airi's reproachful voice, Raul scratched his head sheepishly.

"It's been almost two years since I last used magic, I couldn't quite make myself commit to it… and Fino! You, jumping in with absolutely no plan! That's beyond reckless!"

"Raul, you, you can use magic!?"

"Well, yeah."

Grandly nodding, Raul re-gripped the glowing sword to shield the two of them.

"My magic itself is only a tad above average, and unlike a Magic Engineer I can't touch the 'Magic Field', but, well, just enough!"

"… What's with the modesty."

Airi muttered quietly behind him.

"A 'Magic Circuit' that even a first-rate magic user would need several minutes to assemble, you wire up in a matter of seconds. You're a freak."

"Hah, thanks!"

"… I wasn't praising you. Your focus is weird."

After her blunt declaration, Airi pulled herself up. Fino, who had been staring wide-eyed at the glowing sword in Raul's hand, also got hastily to her feet.

"Don't you have another sword? … I'll help too, Raul Chaser."

Airi stepped up alongside him with the offer, but Raul shook his head.

"No good. You stay back."

"Wh-what are you trying to be cool for!? This isn't the time for—"

"That's not it."

Glancing at Airi as she got worked up, Raul jerked his chin toward Fino.

"Like she said. Like Fino said, we can't put a customer in danger. So just be a customer, 'All-A'!"

"Ngh…"

She still looked like she had more to say. But seeing Airi tighten her lips and reluctantly fall back, with a nod, Raul turned his eyes to Fino.

"Anyway, Fino, you, can't you use magic? After all, you're a…"

Demonkin, right? Raul almost said, then hastily shut his mouth. Whew, close one. Even if he'd sent Airi back, if she'd happened to overhear that, it would have been disastrous.

"Sorry, Raul."

Looking up at Raul, Fino shook her head regretfully.

"I haven't 'Awakened' yet. See, my eyes aren't red yet, are they? I have magic power, but I can't release it. So I can't use magic."

"… I see."

Nodding, Raul wiped the sweat from his brow. Fino was light on her feet and nimble, but as combat strength, apparently, she couldn't be counted on.

Even with Airi's help refused, the battle situation could hardly be called favorable. The "Arms" he'd thinned out had already fully regenerated. In fact, they looked like they'd actually grown more numerous than before.

He had confidence in the "Magic Circuit" he'd practiced from a young age, peppered with his own unique optimizations. But at his disposal he only had about 15 kilobyle of magic power, and that was insufficient to wield it. Even with his "Magic Output" tuned to the limit (in ampyle), he could only burn through the "Arms" three more times. Charging in recklessly, his chances of winning were thin.

What on earth could he do…

"… Behind it!"

Suddenly. At the voice thrown from behind him, Raul's eyes wavered with a start.

"When I was being lifted up earlier, I could see it from above! The density isn't all that different, but the back side has overwhelmingly weaker force!"

"… Thanks! Let's go, Fino!"

The moment he thanked her, Raul placed one hand on the counter. Vaulting the waist-high barrier in a single leap, he sprang out onto the sales floor. With a tap kicking off the floor, Fino followed him.

"You remember the instruction manual, right!? I'll knock these guys off, you cut the switch!"

"Roger!"

Nodding to Fino's words, Raul brought his magic-clad blade swinging down.

"'Output Raise'! 3,000 ampyle!"

At the magic flowing through the "Magic Circuit," the sword surged with light in his hand.

Just as Airi had advised, the "Arms" behind the main unit really were noticeably weaker than the ones at the front. With a single sweep that cleared the "Arms" blocking his path, he closed the distance in one go before the "Arms" from the front could close in around him and gave one more sweep. In that instant, the "Witch's Arms" had nearly vanished from his vision, and the sword had already reached the top of the air purifier.

"Fino!"

Slipping past Raul's side, Fino dropped to one knee against the air purifier itself. Pushing aside the new "Arms" still being spat out, the girl stretched out her slim hand, and the moment she touched one of the buttons—

The black "Arms" flickering in their vision vanished instantly.

"W-we did it…"

Out of sheer relief, Raul felt the strength drain from his entire body and ended up dropping to his knees on the spot.

Almost all of his magic spent, his exhaustion at its limit. Sliding to plop onto the floor, Raul, in a state of total slump, let out a weak laugh.

"… Sheesh, this is why nothing corporate brings in is ever any g—"

And then… faintly sensing a gaze, he glanced back without thinking, and froze just like that.

Beside the store's entrance door, beyond a single large pane of glass. On the deserted street in front of the shop, one man was standing, peering in their way.

A hat pulled low, and a high-collared trench coat.

The moment Raul looked up, the figure turned on his heel and walked off, and something about it made Raul feel unsettled. But just as Raul was about to stand up—

"That was AMAZING!!"

When Raul snapped his face forward, there, before he'd even noticed, was Fino's beaming, excited smile.

"Raul, you were incredible! Really, super super cool! My heart was pounding! Raul! You! You really are amazing!!"

Cheeks flushed, voice raised in excitement. The girl gripped Raul's clothes, her eyes sparkling, with straight, unstinting words of praise.

"Raul, so cool! I want to be like Raul too!!"

"N-no, uh…"

Praised that much, his face was heating up. The girl's adoring gaze was ticklish, and Raul, almost as an excuse, opened his mouth.

"Well, I was a hero-aspirant, you know."

"Eh…"

In that instant.

Fino's expression seemed to abruptly stiffen, and just as Raul, feeling something off, was about to open his mouth—

"Mmm, what, what, what's going on?"

A casual voice suddenly came from behind him.

""Assistant manager!!""

When the two whirled around at the same time, the assistant manager, surveying the transformed interior of the register counter, made a thoroughly unpleasant face.

"… Uh, what's with this mess? While I was off getting a hamburger, what happened?"

"Uh, um, headquarters…"

"Headquarters? Don't tell me Beard Manager was here? Or was it Sleazy-Sadist Glasses?"

"… It was Gil-san."

Faced with the assistant manager and her runaway mouth, Raul let out a deep sigh.

"This air purifier here, Gil-san brought it in earlier… but I think we should return it."

 

*

 

… Honestly. Today, I really got the worst of it.

Under a thin moon and hazy stars, a stone-paved alley lit by magic lamps.

Walking with a tired gait between buildings where the lights were already starting to wink out. Holding a paper bag of sandwiches plastered with discount stickers on his way home, Raul couldn't help letting sighs slip out.

Whoa, what is this? The magic syntax is at a level where a drunk Magic Engineer wrote it with his eyes closed using his left hand. To begin with, "Witch's Arms" is something even I, a former Magic Engineer, have only seen maybe twice… at this point, calling it an air purifier is so off-base it's practically a weapon. Ought to be sued out of existence under the MPL Act.

According to the assistant manager, who had skimmed the magic syntax, that air purifier was, to be honest, an absolute joke of an error item. Of course, the "Witch's Arms" getting as nasty as they did was probably also thanks to Fino's off-the-charts magic power when she'd flipped the switch…

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Raul looked up.

At this hour, a figure was hurriedly crossing the alley.

The figure passed exactly under a streetlamp. In that instant, Raul let it slip without thinking.

"… Huh, isn't that Fino."

Lit by the magic lamp's light: her familiar silver hair, her innocent face.

He was pretty sure he'd left the store before her, but apparently she'd overtaken him while he'd been ducking into a late-night grocer.

For a moment, he started to call out to her, but Raul held back. The apartment wasn't that much farther… and besides.

… Ever since that whole commotion, Fino's manner had been somehow off.

Every unsecured item in the area swept aside, broken: the register counter and its surroundings had been a complete disaster zone. In the end, Raul and the others had been forced to spend almost the whole rest of the operating hours restoring it, but as she put the toppled drawer back in place and picked up the supplies scattered on the floor, Fino had stayed brooding, lips pressed shut.

"Honestly, what a disaster. Well, I'm glad no one got hurt, but at this rate who even knows when we'll get a break."

Even when he tried to sweep aside the awkward atmosphere by speaking up cheerfully,

"… Yeah."

The only thing that came back was a vacant, half-hearted hum.

"B-but Airi's a weird one, too, isn't she? After going through all that, who'd have thought she'd actually go and sign up for our members' card."

"… Yeah."

"She did say, '… Pretty stingy point-return rate,' but. Hah, none of her business."

"… Yeah."

"… … … …"

In the face of Fino's complete unreachability, Raul, too, fell silent.

After that, Fino stayed in that mode the entire time. Even when he called out to her on the way out, what came back was, as before, a deeply distant attitude.

… Sheesh, what's with her, seriously. After getting so worked up over my magic, going on and on about how amazing it was.

Becoming, somehow, very much in a not-fun mood. Looking away from the alley where the girl had vanished, Raul glanced down at the paper bag in his hand. He had an early start tomorrow too; he'd eat dinner and just go straight to sleep.

The moment Raul muttered that to himself in his head—

A small, sharp sound came cutting through the silence of the night.

A sound that rang inside his eardrums, carrying a clear, unmistakable urgency. And then—

In the next moment, paper bag still in hand, Raul broke into a run.

No doubt about it, Raul thought, certain. This is that sound. The same one as when I tried it out to write the POP signage. That sound.

And if it was that sound, then its source was unmistakably…

As if chasing some unseen enemy, he pointed his feet toward where the sound came from.

The moment Raul dashed into that alley, mixed in with an ear-splitting alarm, he caught the brief sound of a tongue click.

As though afraid of being seen, several figures scattered, and with the jarring sound of footsteps clattering, they ran off.

Left behind was the figure of one small girl, slumped with her back against the wall.

"Fino!"

At the boy's voice as he rushed over, the silver-haired girl raised her face, somehow dazed.

"… Raul."

In the hand of the murmuring girl was still the pastel-pink magic light blaring its raucous alarm.

When she registered Raul's presence, the girl… Fino, gave a feeble smile.

"… Amazing. I never thought Raul would come. The Elephant Buzzer… was it? Just what kind of mechanism is this item?"

Noticing something not quite right about Fino's state, Raul's face stiffened.

"Fino, are you, are you hurt!?"

"… Ah, I took a hit to the shoulder. It's fine, it's nothing serious."

"Nothing serious, my ass. Look at you, your face is white as a sheet!"

"… I screwed up."

Beneath Fino's hand pressed over the wound, the red stain spread, gradually growing larger.

Gripping her clothes with a trembling hand, Fino twisted her mouth into a self-mocking grimace.

"… I even cut my hair. Thought I'd be fine for a while. To think they'd find me this fast…"

"Find you, you mean…"

At her words, Raul couldn't help but stare wide-eyed.

"Fino, you've been targeted before this!?"

In that moment, with an expression as if to say I shouldn't have said that, Fino's eyes wavered. Hastily averting her eyes from Raul, the girl hugged herself as if hiding the wounded shoulder.

"Fino! Hey! Fino!"

No matter how he pressed her, Fino, keeping her face turned away, didn't answer.

After a beat, Raul pressed an exasperated hand to his forehead.

"… Why."

… Despite himself, his tone went harsh.

"Why have you kept quiet about this all this time?"

"… It's nothing to do with you, Raul."

Still bowing her head. Fino, after a moment, muttered as if spitting it out.

"… It's my problem."

"Like hell it's nothing to do with me!!"

Finally exploding, Raul yelled.

"It bothers me! If something happens to you… um, the strain on me increases, doesn't it!? My workload goes up, my days off go down, and after you've finally started to become useful… damn it!"

Riding the momentum to ramble on, even to himself Raul thought it sounded awfully like an excuse. But he could hardly say his honest feelings out loud.

… Honestly, what was getting into him. To think this demonkin he used to find so off-putting was now the source of so much worry.

"Hey…"

In front of Raul like that.

Fino abruptly raised her face and stared at Raul, intent.

Her lips slowly moved, hesitantly, to spin out the words.

"… Raul, do you also think I should become the [Demon King]?"

"Eh?"

It was an abrupt question.

"What are you, talking nonsense…"

"After all, you were aiming to be a hero, weren't you? You wanted to be, didn't you, a hero?"

At Fino's words, Raul, for a moment, lost his voice.

When he opened his eyes wide despite himself, Fino smiled, somehow lonely.

"You can be one, Raul. You can. Today's Raul was super strong. If there's a [Demon King]… if I become the [Demon King], Raul can definitely become a hero."

Suddenly feeling a suffocating tightness, Raul pressed at his chest. His heart was pounding violently.

… If Fino becomes the [Demon King], I can become a hero.

A sensation like his blood coming to a boil. His shrieking heart, on the verge of bursting any second.

The goal of my life, snatched away when I was so close. The dream I should have given up on, having cried, and cried, and cried himself hollow. But.

… If Fino, if this girl became the [Demon King]… I could be a hero…

"D-don't be ridiculous!"

Shaking his head as if to dispel the thought that had surfaced, Raul raised his voice harshly.

"Fino, you're being weird! What's gotten into you to suddenly start saying things like that!? More importantly, who the hell were those guys targeting you!? Surviving demonkin!? Or…"

"… That's the thing."

In front of Raul, who was firing off questions to mask his agitation, Fino lifted the corner of her lips and let out a hollow laugh.

"… Those guys who attacked me. Those, were people who used to be heroes."

 

*

 

It took Raul a little while to swallow the meaning of those words.

His consciousness went blank, as if it had been blown clean apart… Fino, who should have been right in front of him, sounded like she was speaking from somewhere terribly far away.

"They're people who stopped being heroes because the [Demon King] was defeated… Those guys, they're telling me to become the [Demon King]."

"… … … …"

"It's almost been two years since the [Demon King]… since Pops got taken down, and yet human society is still in chaos, isn't it? All the heroes got laid off, lots of weapon and armor companies went under, jobs disappeared, everyone's having a hard time…"

"… … … …"

"They say if I become the [Demon King], all of that will go back to the way it was. Everything will be neatly settled… That's what they're telling me."

Raul bit his lip hard.

The pounding in his chest only grew worse. A dizziness like his whole body was swaying.

To be honest, he understood the feelings of those former heroes painfully well. The restoration of the [Hero System]. Even Raul, who could say how many countless times he himself had wished for that… But.

"But… I don't want to."

The demonkin girl, crouched in front of Raul, lowered her big eyes sorrowfully.

"… I don't want to become the [Demon King]."

As though trying to hide her pained expression. Still hanging her head, the girl gently buried her face in her drawn-up knees.

"All this time, I was scared of Pops… of the [Demon King]. In front of Pops, my body would freeze up, my voice would die… no matter how horribly Pops treated my mother, all I could do was watch… and that, really, was so, so unbearable…"

The voice trembling on her lips, framed by an anguished expression, was so thin it sounded like it might cut out at any moment.

"From as far back as I can remember, by Pops's side, being made to see what the [Demon King] did. At first I thought it was natural because they were weak, but, watching the pained faces of the demonkin Pops killed, gradually they started to look like me and my mother… when I thought, weak people must feel pain too when they're struck, my breath would get unbearably tight… like everyone said, it's only natural, I couldn't think of it like that anymore…"

"… … … …"

"I can't say it well, but… I hate it. I don't want to become like Pops. I don't want to do the things Pops did. So, after Pops was taken down, they tried to make me the [Demon King], and somehow I managed to escape… I want to change…"

Suddenly she lifted her face. With sincere eyes, the girl gazed at Raul, intent.

"… That's why I came to the human world. To your store."

Ah, Raul thought.

A demonkin, who shouldn't know how to create, only how to take… but this one, having taken issue with that "given" of a demonkin's life, was trying to change. That was why she was always, in a way that took your breath away and exasperated you both, working so very hard.

… Compared to that, what about myself?

Unable to bear the girl's gaze, Raul averted his eyes and fell completely silent. Fino's big eyes wavered uneasily for a while, then she dropped her gaze and quietly murmured,

"… Hey, Raul. About today, please keep it a secret from the manager."

"—! Something this important, you're planning to keep quiet about!?"

He came back to himself with a start. Faced with Raul's scolding voice, Fino shook her head emphatically.

"It's fine. Those former heroes, their faces are known, so they can't move in public. See, they're trying to become heroes again, so they can't afford to have their reputations spoiled, right? Just now, the moment Raul came, they ran. And besides, just today, I was lost in thought and let my guard down, but when it comes to escaping, I'm fast at least."

"But…"

"Please."

At the desperately earnest tone of her voice, Raul swallowed the words he'd been about to say.

"The manager works until late at night every day, doesn't she? … She's already busy with the store. I don't want to put any extra worries on her."

The single-minded, devoted gaze of the girl.

… In the face of her clinging, pleading expression, all Raul could do was nod.