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

===Part 7===
After leaving the real estate agency, Basara was somewhat lost in terms of what to do afterwards. There were a few other real estate agencies that they had listed down, so if they went to take a look, it was possible that they could be lucky to find a 6LDK property. …But, as he stood in front of the crosswalk at an intersection, Basara glimpsed to his side as he waited for the signal to change. Standing next to Basara, Maria clearly seemed to be deprived of her usual energy. Mio and Zest who were standing side-by-side behind them had stopped talking a while ago after reading the odd atmosphere that surrounded Maria. An awkward silence hung around Basara and the others. —Maria was the most enthusiastic of them all when she the proposal for a new place of residence had come up. And even though it wasn’t a rental property, they had still found a place where they could allocate one room to each person, something that Maria had been eager for. Basara, Mio and Zest all stopped to think. Considering Maria’s personality, she was usually the one who would advocate ‘we should buy it’.

''…Dear me.''

Basara wondered to himself about what had happened. The strange thing about Maria that he had noticed was that she had withdrawn to Yuki and Kurumi’s room along with them after breakfast, though the reason for that was somewhat obvious. Mio probably had an inkling about it as well. Zest had also noticed that Maria was acting strange, but she didn’t seem to understand the cause of it all. Although they could tell her, it wasn’t something that they could openly speak about in front of Maria. And even if they told Zest about it, given her personality, it could become even more troublesome than Kurumi’s time if the matter wasn’t handled well. And so, as they stood amidst the crowd, Toujou Basara thought. Maria and Zest — what was the best solution for both of them? It was right at that moment. On the other side of the crosswalk — standing amidst the crowd waiting for the signal to change was the face of a young man that Basara was familiar with.

“Takigawa—…”

As Basara uttered his name, Mio and the others also seemed to take note of Takigawa’s presence. Then

[——]

Standing on the other side, Takigawa showed a smile as he directed his eyes at them. When the signal changed, a flow of people walking in opposite directions was initiated. As Basara and his group advanced forward, Takigawa simply stood on the spot and waited for their arrival.

“—Yo Basacchi, are you on a group date? As expected of the star of the Moderates faction, it’s great for you.”

As they approached him, Takigawa spoke in a light-hearted manner.

“Takigawa…the fact that you’re here means…”

Basara asked as he guessed about his current situation.

“Yeah…let’s head in somewhere and talk for a bit. I don’t really want to be stuck here talking under this freezing cold winter sky.”

Takigawa Yahiro revealed a wry smile as he shrugged. And so, Basara and the others went into a nearby café. It was the same shop that Yuki had brought Basara to on that day that he transferred to Hijirigasaka Academy. It was afternoon during the holiday period, so the inside of the store was quite crowded, and there was a queue at the ordering counter.

“—We’ll order, so you three can find a table first.”

As Basara told them that they’d handle the payment and bring the items back to the table, Mio chose blended coffee, while Maria chose a café latte and went into the back of the store to search for a vacant table where the five of them could sit down. Zest was the only one who didn’t seem to want Basara to handle the chore since he was her master, but she continued to follow Mio after convincing herself to accept Basara’s words as an order ‘Well, it’s the same as an order from Basara’. And so when Basara and Takigawa were left alone,

“I suppose the Moderates faction and Current Maou faction have made a decision on how to deal with you…”

“Yeah, I’ll be continuing with my surveillance role with agreement from both sides…however, this time, all of you are included, not just Naruse.”

They began to talk to each other without a care for the other customers around them. People — wouldn’t be interested in what others around them were talking about.

[[File:Shinmai v08 151.png|thumb]]

Things like overhearing a vital conversation only happened in movies, games and the like. It was something that didn’t really exist outside of fiction. There wasn’t anyone who would actually believe that Takigawa was a demon.

“Given that it was only yesterday…that was a very quick conclusion.”

It was just yesterday that the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction had their first high-level talks regarding peace in Wildart. It was the same day that Basara and the others had returned from the Demon Realm  — just yesterday. Then, as Takigawa advanced a spot in the queue while they waited to order

“What are you saying…it’s your fault that it turned out like this, Basacchi.”

“—Mine?”

Being told such a thing, Basara frowned. —He was unsure about whether to feel wary or not. When Basara fought against Leohart and unleashed his power, it was revealed to both the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction that the blood of a Demon Lord flowed through him. —However, he didn’t think that it was a problem for both sides. Even if the Current Demon Lord faction believed that it was a problem, the Moderates faction — Basara knew that Ramsas would move to suppress it. Then — why were both the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction cautious of Basara? As their turn came, Basara ordered drinks together with Takigawa from the store clerk. After finalising the payment together with Takigawa , they moved along to the collection counter.

“Could it be — during the talks, did they think that I was the one who did that to Belphegor?”

While waiting for their drinks to be ready, they continued their conversation. Before the decisive battle between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, Basara had secretly assassinated Belphegor. The only person who actually knew how Basara did it was — Takigawa, who had lent him a hand with arranging the perfume and telling him the location of Belphegor’s playground. Of course, it was impossible to stop people from speculating about it. He had a feeling that Jin knew about it, as well as Leohart, based on how he had acted when they last met in Wildart. But — Basara didn’t leave behind any evidence that it was something that he did. As for Mio and the others, he had acted separately from them during the battle against Leohart’s group, but he explained that to them by saying that he had been testing the medicine that Sheera formulated. …Anyway, it was actually true that Basara tried Sheera’s medicine whilst he was acting on his own. The activation of his demon blood that he had inherited from his mother Sapphire was the trump card that he would’ve liked not to use if possible, considering the risks of its aftereffects. He had thus decided only to use it in a situation where he had been absolutely cornered. Given how close things would be, Basara chose not to recklessly proceed unless he had tested to confirm whether or not it worked. He had received several of the medication to activate his demonic blood from Sheera, as well as the drug to suppress it — since he had received the drug that could return him to his original form, Basara  tried it out beforehand. He had ensured that he would definitely be able to use it as a trump card, and then explained the circumstances to Mio and the others afterwards. The explanation was also effective with the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction. So even if he was suspected, it was something that could only remain as speculation. No matter how much Basara tried to confront Ramsas, he had no choice but to withdraw.

…Moreover, Jin wouldn’t go out of his way to put his own son Basara at risk by revealing such details, and as for Leohart, even if Basara was the one who eliminated Belphegor — he wouldn’t publicly admit that a member of the Moderates faction had done so. In order for the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction to advance their relations from a temporary truce to a military alliance, it was best for the truth to remain shrouded in darkness. It wasn’t just for Basara — for the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, the truth behind Belphegor’s death was an inconvenient truth. It would be a different story if someone were to testify that it was Basara who did it, but Basara didn’t think Takigawa would do it, even though he was the only one who knew about the circumstances. If he outed that information, it could come to light that he himself had assisted Basara. Then

“Don’t worry…it doesn’t seem like the topic of Belphegor came up during the meeting, and I’m not so careless that I’d let it slip from my mouth.”

Takigawa said as he sent a chuckle towards Basara.

“It’s just — after that battle, I couldn’t escape from the suspicion of Leohart’s sister. She was rather insistent on getting me to tell her about the relationship between you and I.”

“———”

Basara took a deep breath as he listened to what Takigawa said. Basara had met Leohart’s older sister just once — he came face-to-face in the room where she had massacred all of the other Council members aside from Belphegor. He only learned that she was called Riara and that she was Leohart’s sister afterwards. Certainly — if it was her, then it wouldn’t be surprising if she was able to arrive at the truth behind Belphegor’s death. It was also a possible explanation as to how Leohart had suspected it being Basara’s work when he went to Wildart for the meeting. What he didn’t understand was

“Hey — what on earth is she?”

In the room after that horrific slaughter had been carried out, the tremendous aura that she exuded when she confronted Jin was superior even to that of the Demon God Chaos. That was already — no longer in the realm of a mere person. Then

“Who knows, I’m not sure about the details either…I wonder when she appeared.  In any case, because of the problem with her appearance, Riara-sama was unable to succeed the duke, and it seems Leohart was an orphan who was taken in and raised to be the successor.”

Takigawa added.

“It seems as though his parents gave a lot of their blood to Leohart via transfusions so that no suspicions were raised. Leohart was chosen from among many orphans, and they had also checked beforehand to confirm if the blood of his parents would cause any kind of rejection response. Even though those bastard parents of his only cared about maintaining their status, Leohart seemed happy when told this…because ‘it is as though me and my sister have truly become family’.”

And then

“Riara-sama dotes on Leohart as well…she demonstrated her full-powered aura, just like she did when she got rid of the Council members when she questioned me ‘Would you happen to the boy who killed Belphegor?’. I seriously thought I was going to die then.”

“And…what did you say, Takigawa?”

“That’s obvious…I dodged the matter about Belphegor, and I just confessed to her about my relationship with you to some extent, Basacchi. Stuff like you’re the son of Jin Toujou, you can use a special elimination technique, we had grilled meat together, and that we teamed up to get rid of Zolgear.”

“Huh? Was she convinced with your story? If it’s just information like that, then the Current Demon Lord faction would’ve already known about it.”

“Yeah. I think she probably already heard about it all from Leohart…but somehow, she seemed quite amused to hear about all of it.”

Takigawa continued.

“But I seriously felt scared when she said that she would’ve wanted to participate in the decisive battle if she knew that someone like you was going to be there, Basacchi.”

“…I agree. I’m glad that wasn’t the case.”

If it came down to fighting against Riara, Basara was unable to imagine himself being able to come out on top with his current strength. Even if he was able to effectively use the Gravity Slash which he had used against Leohart, he was completely unable to imagine himself defeating Riara. Just as Basara thought about how lucky he was to escape with his life intact

“Anyway, I wanted to get away from the Current Demon Lord faction, and Leohart offered me a mission to monitor you guys…so here I am after fleeing from there.”

Takigawa spoke in a seemingly honest manner as he received his own American coffee from the store clerk. And then Basara said with a bitter smile

“I see…I’m sorry for giving you all that trouble, Takigawa.”

After receiving his own drink, and the drinks for Mio and the others, he and Takigawa walked back over to the girls who had gone ahead to find seats first. Takigawa Yahiro went along with Basara to the table where Mio and the others were seated. As Basara handed the drinks over to them, Mio and the other girls thanked Basara as they received their cups. And then, when Takigawa and Basara eventually sat down next to each other, facing opposite the girls

“So — Lars, why are you here?”

Zest instantly gave him a cold glare as she asked him that. With a troubled look, Takigawa replied

“I’ve already told Bassachi the reason why…I don’t want to repeat the same thing twice, so you can just hear it from him at your leisure later.”

Even though Basara had been told, Mio and the others made up their minds that it was up to them to decide.

“…Is it something bad that you can’t tell us directly, or is there some kind of inconvenient secret that you’re hiding?”

Although Mio stared directly at him with a clear resolution, Takigawa simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey come on…can you not just hear it from Basacchi? I’m surprised that you can’t trust the words of your master even though you’re a servant under a Master-Servant contract.”

As he returned the provocation

“—Stop it, Takigawa.”

Basara quickly stopped Takigawa. If Mio thought that her own remark was an act of betrayal, then the aphrodisiac curse would activate. But

“Oh, well unfortunately…it’s not that I don’t trust Basara, I’m just worried.”

“Is that so…well that’s fine by me.”

In response to Mio’s question, Takigawa simply smiled as he answered.

''…I see.''

As expected, her attitude and thoughts only grew even more impudent than before. Given how she had difficulty acting honestly, she had made great progress compared to the time when she was originally overcome by the Master-Servant contract and collapsed at school.

“Having said that…even though it’s cute when girls worry in moderation, it’s just a heavy burden for men when women get too greedy and want to know everything.”

“Wha—…!”

As soon as he said that, Mio’s face became bright red in an instant, and Zest revealed a visibly discomforted expression. Seeing the girls like that, Takigawa sneered as he said

“And if you mistake the meaning of the word ‘worry’ for ‘shackling down’, then things will truly be over…you’d best be careful if you don’t want Basacchi to abandon you.”

“…………………………”

Upon hearing Takigawa’s advice, Mio and the others finally fell into silence as frustrated expressions painted their faces.

''…Hmm?''

All of a sudden, Takigawa noticed that Maria, who was sitting on the end, had remained silent the whole time. Takigawa and Maria had fought against each other as representatives for the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction during the decisive battle in Lundvall. And at that time, Takigawa had defeated Maria. He had thought that she remained silent because she felt frustrated with herself and was overcome with regret that she had let down Basara and the others, but he was unable to feel any kind of hostility from her even though he was right in front of her. And so when he inquired about what they had been doing before, it was Basara who spoke up instead of Mio and the others this time.

“Hmmm…house hunting huh?”

Having heard about the situation, Takigawa snorted as he said

“So, in order to allocate one room per person, you want a house with a layout of 6LDK or more…as expected of a sixteen year old male, the way you surround yourself with five girls is certainly different.”

“No, the floor plan wasn’t exactly my decision…”

Basara said with a bitter expression.

“Having said that, you’ll probably find something if those are your conditions…but if you’re after something absurd like a bath that you can fit everyone in, then it’s a completely different story.”

And as he said that

“——!”

Maria perked up slightly in response.

“…………………………………………”

Basara and Mio also turned their faces away in embarrassment as an awkward silence drifted in the air. And so, Takigawa said with surprise

“Hey guys, it’s all well and good to be lively…but if you do it too much, then Basacchi might end up exhausting his balls, you know?”

“T-That’s—…”

As Mio let out a high-pitched voice with her bright red face, Basara calmed her down by quietly calling her name.

“Thank you, but I’ll be careful not to do so.”

As he said so, a wry smile floated onto his face. The way that Basara acted and expressed himself showed how he was different from Zolgear and Belphegor who only treated women like objects to be possessed. It was a glimpse of the quiet preparedness that he had to shoulder the existences and relationships of Mio and the others upon himself.

''…I guess it’s related to the girls after all huh.''

If he was going to continue cooperating with Basara in secret, since he was helpful to have around in case of an emergency, it was probably best for him to remain an ally of Basara. What they had between them wasn’t just some cheap friendship. It was a trust that had been born as collaborators where a single misstep at any moment could’ve jeopardised the other’s position. —Surely from now on, Takigawa and Basara would share secrets which no one else would know, and they would share secrets that no one else could know of. It was different from the Master-Servant relationship that Mio and the others had, it was more like the shared sins that they had would lead them to a common destiny. Therefore, Takigawa Yahiro spoke to Basara — his accomplice. With another wry smile on his face, he said

“In that case — I guess it’s good news that you have me keeping you company right now. As thanks for taking care of me, let me tell you the way to find a new residence.”