Editing Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 8 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===
“Ugh…that was a terrible false domestic charge.”

After recovering from Mio’s punishment, Maria complained to herself as she walked down the stairs. And then, as she opened the living room door so that she could head towards the kitchen

“…—Eh?”

She widened her eyes in surprise when she saw that breakfast had already been prepared on the dining table. A colourful salad, freshly baked bread with a fragrant smell, and omelette which had been fluffily pan-fried to perfection. Although the menu consisted of basic western-style dishes, the quality of each dish was exceptionally high. It already looked delicious even before she had savoured the taste of it. It was also served beautifully, such that the arrangement and balance of each seemed perfect. As Maria stood there in awe of what seemed like a totally professional job

“Oh, this is amazing…”

“It’s like breakfast at a luxury hotel.”

The voices of Basara and the others came from behind her one after the other as they expressed their admiration.

''…Whose cooking is this?''

The answer that Maria wanted was in the kitchen.

“—Sorry to have kept you waiting. The soup will be ready in just a little longer.”

The person who said that with a gracious tone was Zest, who was wearing a pretty apron as she stood in front of the gas stove to finish off the soup.

“No way…since when did you know how to use the kitchen in this house?”

Despite having arrived just yesterday, Zest had been able to make full use of the Toujou residence’s kitchen. She replied to the stunned Maria

“Before I was entrusted to the Moderates faction under Sheera-sama, I stayed here for a while until I was picked up. Though, I was only watching at that time…so that I could properly serve when the day came.”

She had learnt how to be a maid from Sheera and Lucia in the Demon Realm, and she had probably wanted to make use of her skills in the Toujou residence — no, she probably dreamed about serving Basara.

“I see…thank you.”

In response to Zest’s words, Basara revealed a gentle smile.

“………”

Maria made a complicated expression.

''…B-But, how…?''

The first question arose. And that was the matter of ingredients. —Since they were away from the house for such a long time when they went to the Demon Realm, Maria had planned out the meals so that she used almost all of the ingredients in the refrigerator. Therefore, this morning, a combination of foods which were easy to preserve such as ochazuke<ref>Ochazuke: A dish consisting of rice with some toppings, and then green tea poured on top.</ref> and grilled rice balls would have been all that were possible before she went out to the supermarket in the morning to go shopping. But, the breakfast that Zest made clearly couldn’t have been possible with the ingredients which were remaining in the Toujou residence. In other words

“No way, you went shopping…?”

“Yes. The supermarket in this world sure is convenient. It’s wonderful how ingredients can be normally purchased even so early in the morning.”

After being asked that, Zest frankly replied. Calculating the time it would take to prepare such an elaborate menu, it seemed impossible unless some preparation had already been completed before she went to wake Basara up. Given the late sunrise in winter, it probably meant that Zest had gone shopping alone before the sun even rose.

“But, what about the money…?”

Yuki suddenly asked the simple question which had also been on Maria’s mind.

“T-That’s right! Zest-san shouldn’t have any money in this world. Don’t tell me you threatened the people in the store for ingredients—”

“—There weren’t any problems in that regard.”

Zest then took out a single card and placed it down on the table.

“A b-black card<ref>Black Card: Known informally by this name due to its appearance, this is most likely a reference to the American Express Centurion Card – an invitation-only card for the extremely wealthy.</ref>…!?”

It was the ultimate credit card which was only supposed to be given to individuals who passed strict criteria, and Maria shuddered in astonishment upon seeing it.

“Aside from taking care of Basara-sama in this world, I am also indebted to Mio-sama. So Lucia-sama gave this to me.”

Zest explained without hesitation.

“Hey…this couldn’t possibly be a counterfeit card, right?”

Kurumi also seemed to be in disbelief.

“There is no need to worry. If someone were to do something so conspicuous, and with a large impact on the human world such as obtaining a vast sum of money through counterfeiting or magic, it is possible that it would attract the ire of the Hero clan who could take action. That would also further complicate the position of Yuki-san and Kurumi-san.”

Zest smiled as she continued

“This is due to your achievements in the battle against the Current Demon Lord faction. Ramsas-sama and Klaus-sama transported the highest purity gold which was mined from the Valiant Gold Mine in the Demon Realm to this world, and had it exchanged into currency so that they could prepare an account for this card.”

That was — the same method that Wilbert had used when those two people had been entrusted with the task of becoming Mio’s adoptive parents. It was the same way that they had been given funds to live in the human world. However, it was because Wilbert took safety measures like this to reduce the risk to Mio that the demons and Hero clan never noticed. But this time, Mio had chosen to live as a human, which meant that the reward was for Basara. Considering the positions of Yuki and Kurumi that Zest mentioned just earlier, this difficult method was probably chosen as it was the least likely to draw attention. Maria understood and believed that it was the correct choice. But

“W-Why did onee-sama give it to Zest-san…if they’re meant to be living expenses, shouldn’t it have been me?”

Maria puffed out her cheeks as she didn’t seem convinced.

“Lucia-sama said that if she gave it to you, then it was possible that you would buy many indecent items and would needlessly waste money.”

“Ah—…”

“W-What’s with that convinced look on your face, Basara-san! I’m trustworthy as well. I buy fancy eroge and adult goods in order to enhance the subjugation training of Basara-san and the others. I verify reviews on the net beforehand, and I only choose them after playing through the trial version first. I’ve never done anything that’s wasteful!”

Maria fumed in outrage.

“Okay okay, I get it. Anyways, let’s have breakfast…okay?”

After Basara said that, everyone sat down at their respective seats and Zest placed a bowl of soup down in front of everyone.

“…I hope it is to your liking.”

Zest said lightly, seeming slightly anxious. —But, everyone aside from Zest understood that such worries were completely groundless. The taste of Zest’s dishes were even better than they looked.

“Delicious…”

“This is really amazing…”

Voices of praise were sung. Maria also placed some of the omelette into her mouth, and

“T-This is…!”

It was frustrating to her, but it was truly tasty — it was fluffy, and the surface was smooth and moist. It wasn’t just the heat. This kind of result would be impossible without a full understanding of the frypan’s material.

“………”

Feeling defeated, and just as the depression began to sink in to Maria—

“What is it Zest? Hurry up and sit down too—…”

Basara began to speak before he suddenly stopped as he realised. Just as there weren’t enough beds, there weren’t enough chairs either. At the beginning — the chairs placed at the dining table of the Toujou residence were only enough to seat four people. That was intended for when Jin, Basara, Mio and Maria were living together. However, because Jin was frequently away from the house, Yuki was able to make use of Jin’s spot when she began to live together with them, and when Kurumi came to live with them as well, they had gone out to buy more furniture.

[[File:Shinmai v08 121.png|thumb]]

''…That was careless.''

Toujou Basara realised his own blunder. He should have realised when Zest was missing a bed last night. Since Zest would be living in this house from now on, furniture for her such as a bed would be essential. Of course, it wasn’t a problem that had to be completely solved the day after returning from the Demon Realm, but if he had known, it would’ve given them the option of eating in the living room this morning, or having breakfast outside.

“Please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

Zest said as she smiled.

“It’s because it would also be rude for a maid to have a meal at the same time as her master…”

As soon as he heard that, Basara shook his head.

“That’s no good Zest. Although that may be correct for a maid, you will eat together with us from now on.”

“But…”

Although Zest was concerned by that

“You think of me as your master, but I’ll treat you as a family member just like everyone else…if you’re going to live together with us from now on, then you’ll have to follow the rules of this house.”

With that, he clearly conveyed his thoughts.

“I understand…if that is what you command, Basara-sama.”

“This is slightly different from an order. This is just normal for a family…well, I think you’ll get used to it little by little.”

“Yes…”

Hearing this, Zest showed a bright smile.

“We’ll need furniture for Zest, but this house has certainly become a bit more cramped now…”

This house was rented in mind for four people to live in it. In other words, Jin, Basara, Mio and Maria. In addition to the four rooms for each person, Jin’s camera equipment, files and work materials were kept in a study room as the house had a 4LDK+S layout<ref>This comes up a few times in the chapter. Japan uses abbreviations to describe housing layouts. The number prefix represents the number of bedrooms, while the L stands for Living, D for Dining, K for Kitchen, and S for Study.</ref>. —But when Yuki and Kurumi began to live together with them, the room allocation was changed again. While the rooms that Basara and Jin used were left as is, the remaining two rooms were divided up so that one was for Mio and Maria, and the other was for Yuki and Kurumi. But even in that state, they were full. Last night, he had told Zest that she could use Jin’s room, but she had firmly refused because she seemed afraid of intruding into that room. However, it was no good for her to sleep in Basara’s room either, as they were of opposite genders. Basara was mindful of imposing on the other girls as well, and Zest had also said that she couldn’t possibly make things inconvenient for Basara. In the first place, sleeping in the same room as Basara would be…would certainly have been rejected. —However, there wasn’t any other room. Just as Basara contemplated over what to do

“So Basara-san, how about looking for a new house right now?”

Maria clapped her hands together as she asked.

“With the current number of rooms that we have, we might just be able to make enough room to have a living space for Zest-san. However, if Jin-san finds the mother of Basara-san who has gone missing at the moment, then the capacity of this house will eventually be exceeded once that couple comes home together.”

Moreover

“Compared to the time when Jin-san stayed with us in this house, our relationship has changed greatly. In my view, if Jin-san was in the house, you might be able to enjoy a little thrill, but you would have to be mindful of keeping your voices and any noises down. However, doing so all the time would be somewhat inconvenient.”

Maria continued

“Since Jin-san already knows about the special Succubus-type Master-Servant contract that Basara-san has with Mio-sama and everyone else, I imagine that he is aware of what we’re doing, but…the story is somewhat different when he could be seeing or hearing such things in the first person. Mio-sama and everyone else may not be able to submit to Basara-san with peace of mind either.”

“With ‘peace of mind’ you say…”

Although she didn’t affirm it with absolute positivity, Mio’s cheeks still turned bright red at the thought.

“Besides, Basara-san, you’d probably feel embarrassed to dominate Mio-sama and the others if your father Jin-san was present.”

“Of course I would…”

Rather than embarrassing, it would just be plain awkward.

“Well, if you want the love affairs with your own girls to be seen by your father, say if you have a fetish for such things, then that’s a different story.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have any such fetishes.”

Basara immediately asserted.

“But…there’s definitely some truth in that.”

“Indeed! Being watched makes you feel turned on, right?”

“Stop with the fetishes. I’m talking about the house.”

Even though the problems with the Demon Realm had settled down, it was not possible for Basara-sama and the others to dissolve their Master-Servant contracts immediately because there was still a risk that there would be trouble in the Demon Realm. They had to carefully determine whether peace had been established between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, as well as observe any changes in the situation with the other factions. Therefore, taking into consideration that Jin would return, it was undeniable that the amount of space and the structure of the house were unsuitable.

“—Having said that, as minors, it’s not something we can really do on our own…”

There was also the issue of finances. In that regard, it was possible to manipulate the minds of real estate agents with magic, but since they had just begun to live with Zest, it was best to avoid such things so as not to alert the Hero clan. Then

“—How about using the money in the account that I keep?”

Zest uttered her proposal rather reservedly.

“This money was given as remuneration for the achievements of Basara-sama and the others, as well as living expenses for Mio-sama. If you don’t want to go ahead without Jin-dono’s permission first, then you could tell him about the current situation and then check with him if there are any issues with finding a new house.”

“That’s…well, that might work.”

It was certainly possible since he was in possession of a mobile phone which had a special magic chip, so Jin could be contacted even if he was in the Demon Realm.

“What do you think? Do you think it’s okay?”

Basara asked Yuki and Kurumi about Zest’s suggestion. About whether the <<Village>> would have a problem with that — when asked about that possibility, Yuki thought about it briefly before replying

“It’s probably okay…there isn’t any direct harm to other people.”

“It’s not something that will have a significant impact on society either.”

Kurumi also shared the view that there wouldn’t be a problem.

“I see…”

In that case, it was probably worth considering. As Basara looked around at everyone, the eyes of Mio, Yuki, Kurumi and Zest all seemed to indicate that they had ‘no objection’ to it. Only one person — Maria seemed to have a somewhat dissatisfied face.

“What’s wrong Maria…weren’t you the one who suggested we start house hunting? Are you opposed to it after all?”

“No, not really~? The thought never crossed my mind to object to this, okay?”

In response to the question, Maria seemed to put up a façade.

“It doesn’t look like that at all though…but, I guess we’ll start taking a look for some good properties after this.”

Toujou Basara said as he let out a deep breath.

“Leaving aside what we’ll actually do for now — I guess it’s not a problem if we just start doing some research.”