kscans

Chapter 174 - A Lie to Kill, A Lie to Live

"This took longer than expected, so let’s just call it a day!"

At the president’s command, we got the afternoon off as well. I suppose it made sense. If we went for lunch now and then headed to the office, we would get there at a pretty awkward time. And so, it was decided that I would eat with the three of them, and then we would part ways.

"I could go straight home and just laze around... but first, I think I’ll go pay my respects."

I made my way to an entertainment agency called Devil Promotion. I imagine it’s obvious who is signed with them. They had arranged tickets for me, but I had not yet thanked them face to face. It was not like they would mind if I did not, but I had the time now, and I figured popping in to kill a few minutes would not hurt.

"Well if it isn’t Sato-sama. What business brings you here today?"

Normally, you cannot just waltz into an entertainment agency, but this place was an exception. The idols they managed were, after all, who they were. Every single employee was a demon.

"Oh, nothing much. You all hooked me up with concert tickets, you see. I came to say thanks."

"I see. Lucifer-sa... Lucifer-chan and the others are out on a job, but the president is in."

"Yeah, pardon the intrusion."

I passed the reception desk and entered the office, where the president, Devil Sandayu, came to greet me. That was not his real name, of course. You know how some behind the scenes staff use stage names? It was the same as that. The only difference from that sort of person was that he had not chosen the name himself. Well, yes, it was Lucifer and her friends’ doing. For demons, things like sexual harassment or power harassment simply do not exist.

"Yo, Sandayu. Thanks for the tickets the other day."

"Not at all. For us, arranging tickets is a small price to put Sato-sama in our debt."

"Relax. You don’t have to spell it out, I’m not going to break my promise."

As a rule, I keep my promises. Though if I make one with an enemy, I might break it depending on my mood. So as long as Lucifer and her crew do not try to pick a fight with me, I fully intend to repay the favor this one time.

"It’s just some cheap tea, but please."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Green tea... he’s using some pretty good stuff. You can tell from the aroma alone. But I could see this fragrance was not just because he was using expensive leaves. It was the result of a skill that drew out the tea’s full potential. Sandayu, I had no idea you had a talent like that.

"Still, you guys have it rough, don’t you. Looking after Lucifer and the others must give you a killer stomachache."

The employees at DevPro, including Sandayu, were all low-class demons. The lowest of the low, small fry demons. You might wonder what such weaklings are doing supporting Demon Lords, but I want you to think about it calmly. The top brass of the demon world has already entered the country. If well-known, high-ranking demons were added to the mix, Japan would not be able to overlook it. Neither would other countries. That is why they use bottom-tier demons as DevPro employees.

"For us humans, it’d be like a new hire who just got their job offer being suddenly told to take care of the president and the chairman."

Being forced to look after people so far above you that you have never even met would give you stress at mach speed.

"...Having my situation explained to me so objectively is kind of depressing."

Sandayu gazed into the distance.

"Well, yes. It is a lot of trouble, but we get to taste the sweet nectar as well."

To Sandayu, who laughed as if to say the stress was a necessary expense, I wanted to say something. Wait, calm down, that’s their trap. Demons are cunning. And for a Demon Lord, their level is in a different league entirely. They are so exceptionally good at using the carrot and the stick that making you think you are winning when you are losing overall is a piece of cake for them.

"Sandayu."

"? Yes, what is it?"

"When you’re on the verge of dying of thirst in the middle of a desert, even plain water must taste like the finest ambrosia from the heavens."

"I suppose so."

"The nectar you’re sipping is the exact same thing, you know?"

When I said that, Sandayu chuckled, fu.

"Even if that is so, as long as I do not have to face the truth... Sometimes lies kill people, and sometimes lies allow people to live..."

"Sa, Sandayu!"

In that tragic escapism, I, a corporate drone, saw the soul of my people. I pressed my fingers to the corners of my eyes, tearing up. Sandayu smiled with the face of a Buddha. The indescribable atmosphere was shattered when the office door was thrown open with force.

"We’re hooome! Oh my? Sato-kyun★"

"Oh my, my, you were here? I didn’t notice at all."

"I think this every time, but it’s amazing how you can suppress that much power to this degree."

The power-harassing Demon Lords had returned. The very instant he recognized their faces, Sandayu began preparing tea, which made me want to cry even more.

"Sato-kyun, what brings you here today?"

Lucifer Hoshino sat down next to me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Whoa, that's close. You're too close. This is the kind of distance you get at a hostess club where touching is allowed.

"Well, you know, you hooked me up with tickets, right? I came to say thanks for that."

"What about work? Playing hooky is a no-no, you know?"

Beelzebub Yasuda gently chided me, but who are you to talk? I did not want to be lectured about skipping work by you lot, who have tossed aside your jobs as Great Demons to pursue idol activities in Japan.

"I had a physical today, so I have the day off."

When I said that, Rofocale Saito nodded, impressed.

"A physical, huh. That’s a good habit. Health is the foundation of everything. A sound body doesn’t always harbor a sound mind, but a sound body is the minimum requirement if you hope for a sound mind."

Are those really the words of a demon?

"...Don’t you guys think you’re getting a little too swept up in the characters you created?"

They were going to make it as idols. Having overlapping character types was out of the question. They told me they had decided beforehand to go with different personas. Hoshino was the classic, cheerful, and innocent idol type. Her chest size was medium. Yasuda was the big-eater, gentle big-sister type idol. Her chest size was large. Saito was the cool, refreshing, boku-using idol type. Her chest size was small. They may or may not have taken into consideration appealing to various demographics.

"Jeez, Sato-kyun, you just don’t get it."

"Do you think it’s okay to let our guard down just because the fans aren’t watching?"

"An idol is an idol, even when the spotlight isn’t on her."

Their high level of professionalism is so annoying...!!

"...Is that so. My apologies, then."

"As long as you understand. By the way, how are those bosses of yours? Things going well?"

"When I told them I secured the tickets, they got all fidgety and looked super happy."

They were genuinely happy to have gotten the tickets. But that aside, they were probably still hesitant about the reality of actually going to a concert. Still, I had managed to break down their psychological resistance quite a bit. Once they get through the concert, they probably will not need my support anymore.

"I see, I see. That’s wonderful."

"On the day of the show, let’s do our absolute best so they have a good time, shall we?"

"Totally! Let’s go all out so not just the old guys, but all our fans go home happy!!"

"Yeah!" the three of them roared, full of fighting spirit.

(...What in the world am I being shown right now...?)