Chapter 133: Magic City (Bonus Chapter)
"Huh...?"
Otonashi Chiya was instantly dazed, failing to grasp the meaning behind Shingetsu's words. What did she mean by "not even sparing a devil"?
"Is it not true?" Shingetsu countered.
"No, first you need to explain to me what 'not even sparing a devil' means. I really don't follow..." Chiya looked utterly helpless.
"It's likely because Miss Scarlet just said you were the human she cared about most—bar none," Reze explained on Shingetsu's behalf. As she spoke, she headed into the kitchen to help carry out the dishes.
The other Hybrids naturally felt awkward just sitting there waiting, so they also got up to wash hands, grab utensils, and help serve the food.
"Oh, so that's what this is about." Chiya finally caught on. It was because Scarlet had said something so easily misinterpreted.
"You've all misunderstood what Scarlet meant," Chiya explained immediately. "She only signed a contract with me because of the uniqueness of my eyes. So, strictly speaking, what she cares about are my eyes."
Shingetsu helped ladle soup for everyone, her voice still tinged with suspicion. "Is that really it?"
"More or less, but..." Scarlet chimed in at that moment. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. At the beginning, I indeed cared most about his eyes, but now... I find myself quite interested in him as a person too."
She was likely referring to her desire to unearth all the secrets Chiya was hiding. But again, her phrasing was so vague it invited even more misunderstanding than her previous comment.
Shingetsu gave Chiya a slight, huffy glare, seemingly blaming him for trying to gloss things over.
Chiya let out a soft sigh. "Scarlet... couldn't you be a bit clearer? You're making the misunderstanding even worse..."
"Am I? Personally, I find it quite entertaining." The corner of Scarlet's mouth curled up slightly.
Seeing that, Chiya immediately understood: Scarlet was doing this on purpose. He had suspected before that she had a bit of a "black-bellied" (mischievous) side, and now it was confirmed. Chiya didn't bother explaining further; it would only get more chaotic, especially with someone as manipulative as Scarlet stirring the pot.
A moment later, dinner began. However, there were too many people now, and the dining table was a tight squeeze. Between Chiya, Denji, Reze, and the others, there were ten people in total—just enough to fill the seats, with Pochita sharing a chair with Denji. With Scarlet added to the mix, someone was going to have to stand or eat on the sofa.
"Um, I—" Barem, the Flamethrower Hybrid, was about to offer up his seat when Scarlet sat down first.
However, she didn't sit on a chair; she sat directly on Chiya's lap.
"..." Chiya opened his mouth to say something but found himself at a loss for words.
Shingetsu's pupils trembled.
Reze was marveled inwardly: Miss Scarlet is a devil, yet she's so skilled at this! She had heard that the more a devil looks like a human, the smarter and more intelligent they are. She had only heard it as a rumor before, but today she was seeing it with her own eyes.
"Eh?" Kobeni Higashiyama was wide-eyed with shock, while a hint of envy simultaneously bubbled up in her heart.
"AH! What are you doing?!"
Denji, on the other hand, was so agitated she nearly jumped out of her seat.
Both Kobeni and Denji had just been introduced to Scarlet and knew she was a devil contracted to Chiya. However, they never expected this "devil big sister" to act so intimately with him.
"Little human girl, I simply wish to taste the food Otonashi Chiya prepared. Is there a problem?" Scarlet's smile was one of pure amusement.
"That's not the point! The point is why are you sitting on Chiya-gege's lap?!" Denji exclaimed, her voice thick with emotion.
So jealous... No! So hateful!
"Isn't it because there are no seats left? Therefore, this is the only place for me to sit," Scarlet said with an air of complete logic.
"Then I'll swap with you! You can have my seat!" Denji offered immediately.
"No. I find sitting like this much more comfortable," Scarlet declined flatly.
Kobeni let out a slightly awkward laugh. While she couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy herself, she wasn't nearly as bold as Denji.
"You...!" Denji was now caught between rage and envy.
Shingetsu, meanwhile, was staring fixedly at Scarlet, the air around her thick with invisible, swirling jealousy.
"Ara ara~" Reze, as usual, was enjoying the show.
The Hybrids took the stance of "not my business, not my problem." As subordinates, they had no intention of looking for trouble.
"I do not know how to use human utensils. You must feed me," Scarlet said, picking up a pair of chopsticks and handing them to Chiya.
Her grip on the chopsticks made it obvious she had never held them before. For a devil who had never touched human cutlery, trying to eat with them was indeed a tall order.
However, the combined weight of Shingetsu, Denji, and Kobeni's gazes was starting to put real pressure on Chiya. Only Reze seemed to be watching purely for the comedy of it.
"That's enough. Don't push it too far."
Chiya lifted Scarlet off his lap and set her down, then went to the kitchen to fetch a spoon and a fork. "If you can't use chopsticks, use these."
A spoon for rice, a fork for the dishes—as long as one had hands, they could use them, even if clumsily. He knew Scarlet was just being mischievous to tease him, and he had no intention of indulging her further and creating more headaches for himself.
"Fine then," Scarlet said casually.
Afterward, Chiya took his own plate and went over to the sofa to eat. Based on his habits from his previous life, he could eat just fine even while walking around with a bowl. During holidays when the house was full of people, this was standard practice; he was long since used to it.
After dinner and a short rest.
Scarlet seemed satisfied. She returned to the palm of Chiya's right hand, residing back within his body. Reze had already made contact with the International Transfer staff in China and informed Chiya of the details.
"According to them, we can head over about seven days in advance to prepare. This year's International Transfer is being held in the Magic City (Shanghai). We just need to go directly there."
"Magic City, huh? That works." Chiya nodded slightly.
He didn't have much else to do lately, other than the fact that this would slightly delay his trip to Hell. He planned to head to Hell for a look once the International Transfer was over—and find Makima while he was at it.
He needed to eliminate that potential threat as much as possible. As long as Makima hadn't been dealt with, she remained an unstable factor. Even if it wasn't the Japanese Cabinet, the high-ranking officials of other countries weren't much better; it was best not to let Makima fall into the hands of any government.