Free The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 2 by Satoshi Wagahara Page B

202 last week. I come from a well-known family in a very remote place, one not exposed to the modern trappings of the world, so I remain rather unaccustomed to day-to-day life here. I do hope you’ll help a simple country girl make her way in this grand city.”
    “Uh…yeahh… I’m Emi Yusa. Good to meet you.”
    The unexpectedly stiff and polite greeting from the woman meekly kneeling before her made Emi feel obliged to arch her back straight upward as well.
    “But…and I don’t mean any offense…I’m amazed you chose a place like this.”
    Emi pointed a finger at the dusty, dry tatami mats that lined the Devil’s Castle floor, more than a trace of doubt in her speech.
    Before she found the condo she currently lived in, Emi’s rental agent went into great detail about the things a single woman needed to be aware of living by herself.
    Her apartment was on the fifth floor, but even now, she did things like purchase a couple of men’s boxers and such just so she could hang them up alongside the rest of her laundry. The buzzer intercom on the ground floor was another plus in her mind.
    Villa Rosa Sasazuka, meanwhile, was cheap and close to the rail station, but from the eyes of an impartial observer, it was not at all suited for a young girl living alone.
    It was constructed in the Stone Age; there was no bath or air conditioner or balcony; the doors had nothing but simple cylinder locks on them; most of the rooms were completely empty; and the only other tenants were a pack of sadistic monsters from another world.
    Judging by the careful exactitude with which she dressed herself—kimonos can be such a pain to keep in good condition—and the apparent food charity she was giving to her destitute neighbors, the cut-rate rent couldn’t have been the attraction for her.
    And judging by how familiar she’d already become with the group of grown men living next to her in the space of just over a week, she had absolutely no sense of the modern precautions any urban resident would take.
    “As long as I have a roof to block the rain, four walls to block the wind, and a sturdy floor under my feet, I ask for nothing else.”
    Suzuno seemed to read Emi’s mind as she silently worried.
    “I have no interest in worldly luxury. I simply thought that being near the city would make finding suitable work a simpler task.”
    Then she fell silent, her eyes fixed upon Emi.
    “I wish to find a vocation here that will make my homeland proud.”
    “A wonderful ambition! You could stand to learn from her, Urushihara.”
    Ashiya heaped praise upon Suzuno from his sickbed.
    Urushihara ignored it as he returned to his computer desk.
    “Regardless, I am sure it is fate that brought the two of us together, in the same city within this vast country. I hope we will provide each other with warm support and goodwill toward our fellow human beings.”
    Suzuno turned toward Emi and bowed deeply once more.
    “Um, yeah. You, too.”
    At a loss, Emi leaned forward to match her conversational partner.
    “Whew! Thanks for the noodles. That was great!”
    Maou, passing by as he polished off the remainder of his breakfast, let out a cheek-stretching yawn as he brought his utensils to the sink.
    “Man, though…I’ve got so much to do, and remember, and stuff. It’s wrecking my mind.”
    “What do you mean? You’re just manning the grill like always, right?”
    Emi’s brows furrowed as she asked. Maou responded with an out-of-place grin.
    “Oho! Well, that’s where you’re wrong. While you were off wasting away your life, I’ve made some serious advances as a member of human society.”
    Human?
Emi resisted the urge to lunge at the obvious bait.
    “Yeah, that’s right, Emi! Get a load of this! Starting on Saturday—tomorrow—I’m going to be the afternoon associate manager at the Hatagaya station MgRonald!”
    Maou cocked his head back, hand on hip, the morning sun pouring in through the window behind him. Emi could feel her