The Betrayal Begins — Part 1
The morning sun shined over the roads leading back to Axel.
After everything that had happened at the Demon King's Castle, the journey back felt strangely quiet.
Ruko and the Devil King's Daughter traveled together along the dirt road. She had nowhere else to go, and despite everything, she chose to follow him.
During the trip, they talked from time to time. Sometimes about hobbies. Sometimes about random things. Sometimes about absolutely nothing. The strange part was that neither of them wanted to admit they were slowly getting used to the other's company.
When night came, they slept separately and continued traveling the next day. Eventually, the familiar walls of Axel appeared on the horizon. The Beginner's Town. The place where everything started.
Before entering, Ruko suddenly stopped. "OK, let me try something." The Devil King's Daughter immediately took a step back.
"Please don't tell me you'll do something bad to me." Ruko stared at her. "...Why is that always your first conclusion?" "Because every time you say that, something stupid happens." "Fair."
He scratched his cheek. "Oh no, since I got these materials and I wonder if I can share some of it to hide your race." The girl blinked. "Oh wow. I never thought you were smart. I thought you were stupid."
A vein popped on Ruko's forehead. "HEY! I'm trying to keep you from being executed, you little spoiled brat!" A matching vein appeared on her forehead. "Then why should I follow a stupid phony oaf like you?"
Ruko immediately bonked her head. "Oww!" "Stand still." She rubbed her head while glaring at him. Ruko ignored her and placed his hand against her chest while focusing.
A strange sensation spread through his body. Then—His vision changed. For a brief moment, he saw something he had never seen before.
A soul. The girl's soul. Ruko froze. "...What the hell?" He didn't know how he was seeing it. He didn't know why he was seeing it. But he could.
A black and silver light surrounded both of them. The aura grew stronger. Then suddenly—The transformation finished. Ruko opened his eyes. The horns were gone. Her skin looked completely human. Even her demonic presence had nearly vanished.
"It worked." Ruko smiled. Then his smile disappeared. "Wait." The girl looked down.
"...Wait." Both of them realized the problem at the exact same moment. The transformation had destroyed her clothes.
"OH COME ON!" Ruko immediately turned around. "HURRY UP!" The girl squeaked in panic. The black and silver aura quickly gathered around her body and formed new clothes.
A few seconds later— "Done." Ruko let out a relieved sigh. Thank every god in existence. Another second and his life expectancy would've dropped dramatically. The girl crossed her arms.
"So, human. Should we proceed?" BONK. "OW!" Ruko lowered his fist. "Let's get one thing straight." She rubbed her head. "I don't want you walking around calling people 'human.' They'll think you're weird."
"Then what do I call you?" "My name." "Human." BONK. "OW!" "My. Name." "Fine." She rolled her eyes. "I'll call you Ruki."
Ruko sighed. "Whatever." Then he paused. "Actually... what am I supposed to call you?" The girl went silent. For the first time since they'd met, her expression softened.
"The truth is..." She looked away. "My father never gave me a name." The wind stopped. Ruko stared. "...What kind of nonsense of a father doesn't name his own kid?" WHAM.
The punch sent him rolling across the dirt road like a human cannonball. He smashed into a tree. The tree lost. Ruko stood back up while blood leaked from his nose. The girl looked away.
"Don't talk about my father like that." Her voice had become much quieter. "He just... couldn't decide on one." Ruko rubbed his face. "Right..." Then he started thinking.
The girl shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I have a name or not." Ruko immediately interrupted. "Can you shut up? I'm trying to think." "...Rude."
He ignored her. Kyōichi Yasaka. Kyouka Yasaka. The names repeated inside his head. Then an idea appeared. Ruko snapped his fingers. "I got one."
The girl blinked. "What?" Ruko smiled. "Kyouri." "...Kyouri?" "...Yeah, Kyouri Yasaka." The wind blew through the trees. The girl's eyes widened. For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on her face. "Kyouri..."
She whispered the name again. "Kyouri Yasaka." A smile slowly appeared. Then another. Then a much bigger one. "I love it." Ruko froze. That smile nearly hit harder than her punches.
"Ahem." He looked away. "Yeah." "I combined both names and thought it sounded good." Kyouri held the name close to her heart. "Thank you." For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ruko noticed something. She was beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. The kind of beauty that would attract trouble from every direction. Ruko immediately frowned.
Nope. Absolutely not. The Devil King and Kyouka basically dumped responsibility on him already. Protecting her was enough trouble. No way was he dealing with anything else.
Up ahead at the dirty road, he notice that that had arrive. He pointed toward Axel. "Ready?" Kyouri blinked. "Ready for what?" "To see them again."
A few minutes later—She got her answer. The moment they entered the mansion area, chaos greeted them. Darkness was drowning beneath piles of letters. Megumin looked exhausted. Kazuma was shouting at everyone. Aqua was arguing with someone.
The entire place looked one step away from exploding. Both Ruko and Kyouri immediately turned around. "Nope." "Agreed." Unfortunately— "KAZUMAAAA!"
A familiar voice shouted. Kazuma spotted him. The next thing Ruko knew—Kazuma sprinted across the yard. "RUKOOOOOO!" CRITICAL HIT. Kazuma's foot connected directly with Ruko's groin.
The world froze. Birds stopped flying. Time itself stopped moving. Ruko's soul nearly left his body. He collapsed. Then Darkness grabbed him. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
She shook him. Then Megumin appeared. Then Aqua appeared. Then chaos appeared. Questions flew everywhere. "What happened to the castle?!" "Where did that demon girl go?!"
"How are you alive?!"
"Why are you covered in blood?!"
"Did you eat properly?!"
"Did you die?!"
"Are you secretly rich?!"
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
Kazuma finally karate-chopped Aqua. "STOP ASKING EVERYTHING AT ONCE!" Meanwhile—Kyouri finally snapped. "HUMANS! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Everyone froze. Their heads slowly turned. Then they looked down. Ruko was unconscious.
Foam dribbled slightly from the corner of his mouth. Kazuma's kick had been devastating. Silence. "...Did we kill him?" "No." "I think." "Maybe." Kyouri stared.
"What is wrong with you people?" Then everyone looked at her. At the exact same time. "WHO ARE YOU?!" Kyouri suddenly found herself tied up.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"This is discrimination." To be continued...