II. A unit full of happy people, and a former demon.

The route towards the clifftop park was a short upward trail. Climbing consumed energy but going down the main road was easy.

Fred just finished talking to Ara over the phone and hang up.

He had a freshened look after that sightseeing and a quick sketch. He could feel the cool breeze as he walked down the slightly paved road covered by the shade of tall trees that stretch out their branches. The light that passed through the leaves gave a mysterious glow within the area. It truly was a majestic sight.

This town really is a beauty. I can only compare this scenery right now to the vast elven forest at East Continent.

Having a nostalgic expression while still walking, he didn’t realized the range of the trees ended and he was now exiting to the main road.

The next span of houses could be seen nearby. The sidewalk was not that wide that only a couple could walk side by side while holding hands. It seemed like a long walk towards the center of the town but Fred is quite used to it. Looking at him will make one guess he had been walking same distances daily.

He finally arrived at a convenience store.

The center of the town looked more civilized than one can imagine. The population was not that big but there were establishments everywhere. From food shops, to supermarkets, to appliance centers. A convenience store was a sure pick for Fred due to accessibility and easy-prepared food. They also sold energy drinks, so he picked up a bunch.

After paying at the cashier and exit the convenience store, he was now carrying a huge bag full of food and beverages. Carrying it to the unit he’s living must be tiring to an extent, but he didn’t look like it though.

It still took a 15-minute walk before he arrived at an apartment unit. It was not an apartment that could be considered high class, nor a shabby one. It was a generic model, two-storey, and consist of 4 doors. Total of 8 tenants including the landlady.

His unit was located at the second floor and the second door.

A black card written “Spence” was posted beside the door which indicates it should be Fred’s apartment.

The door was not locked.

He entered the unit and the very first thing he did was to sniff the aroma coming from the kitchen area.

Ah, as expected, she’s here again.

“AAH!! FRED’S HERE!!”

He could hear a shout from the living room coming from a lively-voiced person.

That was supposed to be Ara.

Fred removed his sandals and entered the living room. A not-so-spacious area that had a typical set of furniture: a sofa, center table, TV, and a girl with twin drills lying on the floor. Yes a living girl with twin drill hair lying on the floor…

“Seems to be missing one…”

A sudden embrace from behind.

SOFT SOFT SOFT!!

Fred felt a soft sensation at his back. And it’s still pushing.

We are not really on good terms, but I thank you God for this meal. Wait do I, a former Maou, really thank God?

“Where have you been?! I’ve been missing you since you left. How could you leave me alone here!”

“Never did you once considered Kyrie there as a living human, eh?”

It was still pressing, her breasts it is.

Ah so soft I feel like being sandwiched by a pair of gigantic cotton pillows. I’m very sorry Ara, I really have no intention of falling in love with you but please let me use your sister mode (aneki) for my fantasies.

Fred’s thoughts contradicted with what his face shown. Inside he’s like a teenager experiencing most of his youth being embraced behind by a well-endowed teacher or council president. Masking himself with a nonchalant character, he continued speaking to Ara as if not feeling her pressed body behind him.

“Words are rich coming from someone who misses me yet called me only once this past 4 hours.”

“Hmp!” she pouted.

Having a loss for words she decided to creep on Fred’s side like a snake circling on its prey. Fred felt the heat of her breath when she passed on his nape and kept steady breather on his left ear.

A steady whisper

“Ya like Jazz?”

GOOSEBUMPS!

“HEEY!!!”

He forced himself out of this entanglement and finally lost composure.

“I—I—I told you to stop doing those kinds of things! You are to defenseless for a girl on her late-teens!”

The erotic feeling finally vanished within the room.

The happy-go-lucky girl is Ara. She was an eighteen sweetie living right below Fred’s unit. Aside from her alluring traits, she could, at times be an airhead. She always dressed loose shirts at home and always acted defenseless, especially when interacting with Fred. The bob-cut hair with mahogany color really fitted her character. She moves too much: a character that won’t stay in place even for a few minutes even if told too, really childish. She casually turns 180 when with Fred, acting like a mature sister figure doing erotic things like what just happened, you won’t know if it’s to tease him or it’s really just the normal her. She could be both a child and a lady given the situation.

I can never get used to this.

That same time the silence within the room went. A sudden sound stopped it. It was the sound of the television. It was the late afternoon news. So much as Ara wanted to flirt Fred but this situation really killed the mood.

The girl lying on the floor a while ago now sat near the center table. Funny though, there is a sofa beside her. She didn’t used it.

The name of the girl was Kyrie. There was always this mysterious air around her. She’s a very silent girl and still didn’t talk even if you feel it was the right time to speak out. It was also very creepy that she just suddenly smiles out of nowhere. She sometimes had casual gestures, then moves so suddenly. She did things without a single heads up. Despite the character, she was someone who quickly adapted to everything. A genius, a coming of a prodigy that appears few times every ten years.

She wore a frilly white and black dress that she often referred to as “Gothic Lolita” or some sort. Her twin drills were hanging and lenghts just below her shoulder. She had a slender body, and an small figure despite her age.

“”Kyyyyrieee. You always kill the mood! You don’t even like Fred. Why do you always get in my way of flirting him?”

“I like him”

A small, monotone voice was heard from her. It was like an event that comes once every hundred years. The people on that unit was overwhelmed with an unexplainable aura. The woman on the kitchen smirked.

“You don’t 'like' like him”, continued Ara

“I 'like' like him so it’s okay for me to act this way”, she further continued

“I 'like' like him so much that i just want to tease him that I like like him!” and she further continued.

“Hey what’s with the last sentence? You jest, you do this all the time. And hey, don’t give me that I’m pitying you smile Kyrie, creeps me out.” -Fred said as he tried to stop them from arguing any further.

An “I’m pitying you” smile really could be seen on Kyrie as Fred tried to talk himself out of the situation.

This was a common scene between Ara and Kyrie. They’re not enemies nor love rivals. They’re also not arguing over. In fact, they are close friends already, which includes Fred too. It is the type of friendship that both are close enough that teasing each other to that extent is normal.

“Geez, both of you.”

Fred walked towards the center table and put down his sling bag. He sat at the sofa and started watching. The lazy Kyrie crawled towards the bag and bring out its contents.

“Humu, as expected of Maou Spence-sensei.”

Looking at the canvas board Kyrie looked with a face on content. Ara also approached and took a glance. Letting out an “Oooh, this sure is talent.”

A cute blushing highschool girl was being pushed towards the wall by a boy. It was a typical confession scene for teens on that country. The mechanics are simple: Both parties read the mood > boy pushes girl towards the wall > confess when the time is right.

“That’s why you’ve been out for hours. That high school near that park really helps you out with ideas. You can see all kinds of references for your work at a bird’s eye view.”

“You, really…”

They looked at Kyrie as she speak

“You really can draw anything we teach you, huh?”

Living a life of royalty provides one a lot of teachings and professions to master, one of which was Art. One of the required classes Fred had to attend when he was at a young age was painting. There, sketching was one of the skills required. Learning something required massive repetitions of the process itself.

Fred grew quite fond of painting that it naturally became his hobby. There were times that he would sneak out of the castle to draw a scenery at the outskirts of the Demon Capital.

This was what he really liked to tell the two of them, but he decided not to.

As he tried to find the right words to answer them regarding his sketching skill, a familiar aroma came from the kitchen that reset his train of thought…

“Beef stew,”

Fred spoke.

The woman at the kitchen turned the stove off and put off her apron. She finally finished cooking.

“What do you think you are doing?” Fred asks

“I cooked dinner”

“That’s why I’m asking you what do you think you are doing? 'Miss Landlady'?”

It was just past 3pm.

“I’m telling you we won’t have any time to cook later on once you have started drawing again.”

The three of them finally remembered something important.

That thing was so important that the urgency could bring up fear on each of their faces.

“Crap I just remembered old man’s face” Ara murmured.

A flashback finally arrived at Fred. It was a memory around 10am when he first left the unit at that time.

“I’m going to the convenience store to buy us some energy drinks. We just had an all-nighter and we still have few pages to finish.”

“Hm”

“’Kaaay~”

He went out of the room. The room in which the setup was not the normal one which you have a pajama party and spend all-nighters talking stories of love and fantasies. It was a studio type with 3 large desks, drawing materials, reeks of ink, and a place of eternal cramming. A manga artist studio.

The door of the room was a meter behind the middle sofa at the living room.

Fred suddenly jumped off the sofa and started running towards the room.

Ara followed him skipping her way, while Kyrie walks as usual.

“My, my,” Ms. Landlady sighed.

This scenario was how the apartment unit of Frederie Spence being used. It was always being filled with happy people, and a former demon.

Frederie Spence, a former maou, now a manga artist.