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Perhaps it is demon nature to be insatiable, because no matter what he does, Asmodeus can not get Iruma’s words out of his head.
“Ah... Somehow hearing Azu-kun say that makes me really happy.”
“-Somehow hearing Azu-kun say that makes me really happy.”
“-makes me really happy.”
“-happy.”
It’s like he’s stuck looping in a message box: Error. Error. Asmodeus.exe has stopped working.
The worst part is, even resetting his mind (which is the usual tactic one approached with when dealing with the same problem on computer programs) does not help his case even in the slightest bit.
So here's the deal. After Asmodeus’s initial embarrassment, he’d spent a few peaceful weeks in a relaxed and calm mindset before the sentence fully sank into his brain. He still hasn’t recovered from the shock.
Though Asmodeus’s self-claimed purpose in life is to be of use to his Iruma-sama, which undoubtedly includes ensuring Iruma’s emotional well-being, actually hearing the fact that his humble existence is able to bring his king joy is an otherworldly experience. Asmodeus has never felt more honored yet deeply humbled! Including the time when he was a demon baby, receiving his first golden star-shaped sticker from the teacher for being the only kid to name all the familiars that appeared in the picture book, My First Familiar Friends (Book one of six)
It’s making it really hard for him to look at Iruma in the eye. Every direct eye contact is accompanied by a series of severe heart palpitations as well as squeezes at his windpipe. All in all, possibly hazardous to his health.
Or so Asmodeus thinks.
You see, despite years and years and years of being on this substantial plane, Asmodeus Alice, ranked Teth (9), Head of Lust of the 13 Crowns as well as one of the Demon King’s closest confidants, has been in a grand total of zero relationships.
It isn’t that he isn’t popular, because he is, with his attractive look and reputable bloodline. He is popular, and he is insanely so, to the point that he’s been voted number one on the yearly online “Most Desirable Government Official” poll five years in a roll. (Which Asmodeus himself actually felt, still does, outrageous at the results, because "There’s no way Iruma-sama hadn’t gotten first place!” )
So why hasn’t he participated in any romantic endeavors?
Well, the most prominent reason would be that he’s never really been interested in other demons, not in the way he’s dedicated himself to Iruma. If Iruma were the dazzling sun of his solar system, then every other demon were splattered in the vast space of trivial dust and specks. (Maybe except his mother, who could probably count as a planet.)
The second reason would be that the first reason is known to all. No amount of good looks can make up to the crushing disappointment that is your own insignificance in the eyes of your supposedly, significant other. Naturally, no one wants to go out with a guy who will drop out in a middle of a date with you in a heartbeat if the demon king so much as uttered his name out loud, and if you confront him about it (“Who is more important to you? Me or Iruma-sama ?!”) he will give you such a brutally honest answer it will make you burst your blood vessels (“What kind of question is that? Of course Iruma-sama is more important!!”)
Practice self care by acknowledging your own importance. Don’t settle. You deserve better.
That isn’t to say Asmodeus minds terribly that he is still a fetus when it comes to romance. In fact, he doesn’t mind it at all! Being single means more time to spend at work with his beloved Iruma-sama ! Why would he ever willingly sacrifice time with Iruma-sama when there could never be enough?
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what (or rather, who ) sits on the very top of Asmodeus’s list of priorities. It doesn’t even take a moderately intelligent individual. Anyone with any sort of sense can see- with eyes or otherwise- that Asmodeus Alice is without a doubt enamored with the Demon King. Anyone but the two involved in the matter, that is.
They dance an intricate prayer circle around each other, crossing paths but never intruding upon the other, wishing for secrecy.
As stated in the previous installment, when encountered with a crisis, Asmodeus went one of two ways. In this particular case, he’s chosen to hermit himself, grilling himself with agonizing questions to whose answers he hath naught.
ie, Why can’t I stop myself from smiling whenever I think about Iruma-sama ? Why does my gut churn whenever Iruma-sama talks to me? What is this feeling of pesky insects batting blindly in my chest?
That feeling, of course, is "head over heels", but Asmodeus has no appreciation for the subtlety of the manic giddiness that accompanies the flutterings in his body.
To make matters worse- or better, depending on how you look at the situation- Iruma is currently absent from the castle, out to resolve conflicts in the human world caused by wayward demons. That means Asmodeus’s Iruma energy is dangerously low, which might potentially tamper with his mood (and it’s something he still needs to work on). And without Iruma- the culprit- present for him to observe, Asmodeus is nowhere closer to cracking the mystery.
On the bright side, at least Iruma would never learn of Asmodeus’s borderline meltdown.
Sabnock Sabro, who ought to get a licence for couples’ counseling considering how often he has to deal with having a moping idiot for a sparring partner (and always on the receiving end of said idiot’s woes), finally breaks it to him straight. “Well then, that’s just love, isn’t it?”
For the first time in an absolute haunting week, Asmodeus’s mind pauses from its steady fixation on Iruma’s words “ -hearing Azu-kun say that makes me really happy ”, and launched into a screeching repetition of “ love...love...love...that’s just love… just love...love… ”
Love. Asmodeus’s mother has mentioned love before. But he has long learned to take anything his mother has to say with a grain of salt. Hearing it from someone other than his mother (though he suspects Sabnock Sabro is not much of an improvement), is driving the matter home at full force, slamming into Asmodeus head first. It renders him speechless! But really, isn't it stranger that he hasn't been suspecting the same thing? Seriously? Not even after the heartfelt spiel from the last installment? It really looked like a breakthrough at that time, but apparently Asmodeus has learned nothing. Hundreds of words wasted just like that. Really puts things into perspective.
However, it is not the time to mourn squandered word counts. Not when there are more important businesses at hand!
Sabnock considers his floundering friend. He’s known both parties for a long time, and their frustrating carefulness around each other is just as unbearable as it had been in their later school days.
Patience is a virtue and well, while demons have no use of that sort, it’s courtesy not to meddle, so the class, as much effort as it took them, did not meddle throughout the entirety of their school years. (Okay, maybe they did meddle, just a bit, because what kind of demon would they be if they didn’t? A shame that all was in vane in the end.) Now that time has stretched into years and it’s getting ridiculous, not that it wasn’t ridiculous in the first place. But well, seeing Asmodeus’s bewildered reaction, Sabnock, bless his heart, feels the achingly familiar urge to crack his skull against a boulder.
Thankfully, he is a mature demon now.
Calm, collected, not easily prone to unnecessary workplace violence, so he stops, and realizes that whatever irritation is drilling in his very soul can’t be any worse than what Asmodeus is experiencing. That makes him feel much better. He feels so good, in fact, that he grins dumbly and slaps his friend on the back heartily, saying, “Very well, I give you permission to court my rival.”
Earnest request disguised as dismissive boon!
It’s super effective!
Asmodeus is confounded!
He is caught in a splutter between “I don’t need your permission!” and “Court???” Meanwhile, his mind is still jumping back on forth on channels of “-makes me really happy.” as well as “ -love.”
Minds lesser than that completely used to handling all sorts of information at once under stress might have fried, but not Asmodeus’s!
Years of war-strategics has prepared him for this very moment!
An Asmodeus should be proper and polite at all times.
“Please excuse me.” he says, trembling as he desperately clings on to the last remaining pieces of his placidness as if it were his lifeline.
Asmodeus ran away!
Despite all his Hamlet tendencies when stuck in a looping thought, once Asmodeus manages to capture a conclusion, he is quick to take action.
“Love.” he mutters to himself as he paces a burnt trail down the corridor, which no one will mention to him, fearing to be the next target of his scorching practices. (The poor poor janitor from part one stifles a scream.)
Love, he thinks to himself. What is love?
(You can see clearly now that Asmodeus truly has no idea about the answer to that question. He doesn't even have the uncontrollable urge to follow it with "baby don't hurt me"!)
He’s certainly heard of the term before, seeing as it was his mother’s favorite topic at the dinner table that always puzzled him endlessly. (“Remember this well, Alice-chan! Love is war!!") Beyond that though, all he know is what he's found in textbooks, which honestly aren’t much help. (“Save yourself for marriage!”)
Asmodeus reaches deep into his soul and concentrates, trying to make sense of the tangled mess inside. All he knows is that thinking about Iruma makes his face burn and his limbs putty. Figuratively, of course. Ahh, so this is love? This sticky, tepid feeling. He rationalizes.
Could he have used better wording? Definitely! So many snobbish poets have described love in so many different ways. There's always a better wording, but the important thing is, we're finally headed somewhere.
Sabnock proposed a courtship, which is surprisingly not the worst idea in the history of massive failures. In fact, it seems like a rather reasonable step to take from Asmodeus’s position.
He tucks a palm under his chin as he works through LOVE QUIZ❤: IS HE WORTH FIGHTING FOR from the freshest issue of some teen magazine. Apart from the category of whether Asmodeus is prepared to risk their current relationship, every other column ticks out.
His next course of action is clear, but well, needless to say, Asmodeus has never conducted a courtship before.
A courtship is a complex art. It requires tactical thinking and precise execution. Honestly, if this were in the animal kingdom, things would be a lot easier. You just wiggle your tail feathers or you howl at night disturbing the entire neighborhood, and someone might be interested to have your babies. However demons and humans alike are cursed with the burden of intelligence, therefore, copying above methods would most likely get you arrested for Being An Embarrassment To Your Family Name (And Disappointing Your First Grade Homeroom Teacher).
The ideal procedure would be to go the long way round.
Being the son of a succubus, there are more than countless shortcuts for Asmodeus to take if he so wishes. He’s been drilled with the basic steps of seduction early on, not to mention his bloodline’s naturally alluring properties.
It could be so simple.
But of course! Asmodeus is an honorable gentleman and he would never stoop so low, for seduction, at the end of the day, is a type of manipulation. He would never want to manipulate Iruma even in the loosest sense of the word. Plus, if that were the case, this story would’ve been cut a lot shorter, and none of us want that, do we?
Everyone say thank you Asmodeus Alice, for your lovably dense EQ and your utmost respect of boundaries!
No seduction! The long way round it is!
Iruma is starting to feel like he missed something here. Ever since he returned from his quick errand to the human world, Asmodeus has been acting odd: sticking around him even closer (“Azu-kun , I can’t walk like this.”), showering him with an absurd amount of compliments on the strangest of things (“Iruma-sama ! That was such a regal sneeze!"), smiles so wide they seem to split his face in half.
If this were a manga, he’d be surrounded by an almost irritating amount of bubbles and sparkles. All things Iruma thought he was used to seeing, and he is, just not to such degree.
At first he thought that Asmodeus must be feeling lonely, which is technically not incorrect, because Asmodeus has definitely missed him a lot, and these actions are used to attract Iruma’s attention. (It should be noted here, that Suzuki Iruma has never been part of a romantic relationship either, and is astonishingly, even more obtuse than Asmodeus on the matter.) Everything might have just been brushed off as acts out of distress from solitary, if not for the fact that on top of Asmodeus’s enhanced affection came some more perplexing maneuvers. Maneuvers like...
......
“The Middle Grounds and Slightly Less Middle Grounds are caught in another quarrel. We’re going to have to settle it before it escalates into anything more damaging.”
“They seem to be causing trouble for Iruma-sama . Should I slice both of their heads off for you?”
“What?”
“What?”
......
“I want you to know, Iruma-sama , that I won’t ever devour you.”
“Thank... you?”
......
“Ah, my tea is going cold.”
“Please allow me to heat it for you!”
“Thank you, Azu-kun- wait you really don’t have to burn down the entire tea set-!”
......
There’s something about this whole fiasco that screams deja vu! in his mind. If Iruma would just dig a little deeper into his memory, he’d see that the unfurling events draw an uncanny parallel to his first year back at Babirus, with Clara being a little too enthusiastic to try out the things she’s learned from her succubus class. Iruma was oblivious then, and he is oblivious now.
“Was it something I did?” He asks Alicred, his trusty companion residing in his ring, who is not blind to the blatant buffoonery playing in front of its one single eye. (It’s grown quite fond of the first appearance Iruma had given it, not that it would ever admit out loud to Iruma.) “Is Azu-kun mad at me for something?”
Which is, irrefutably, a stupid question, because everyone and their grandma knows that there is quite literally nothing Iruma could do to make Asmodeus angry. It just isn’t possible. Angry for him, absolutely, constantly; but angry at him, unprecedented, even more of a myth than the existence of the human race. And if you think about it, it’s actually kind of sad that after all this time Iruma still doesn’t understand Asmodeus Alice all that well, but we’ll cut him some slack for his sometimes worryingly low self-esteem, no doubt instilled inside him back in the days when he was still in the human world and struggling to get by everyday while convinced he is unloved.
Anyway.
Being a magic ring is long suffering. It’s like, you have nothing else to do because you’re tied to the ring itself, and so your master’s love life is the only drama for you to enjoy, and you still haven’t decided if it’s entertaining or downright exasperating. But Alicred is a strong, independent enchantment ring, and if not for its wisdom, who would lead Iruma towards a bright and promising future? So it lifts its hand and places it on Iruma’s shoulder very sincerely, and says, “No offense, but you’re really dumb sometimes, Iru-boy.”
There comes a time in every well-laid-out plan when there’s an oh shit moment that you realize things aren’t going as smoothly as you’d hoped. The scale of oh shit ranged from oh shit i’m running out of space on your birthday card to write that final Y to oh shit I forgot to calculate Valac Clara as a variable.
Asmodeus’s revelation that oh shit Iruma-sama has not noticed at all that I am trying to court him is stuck somewhere between oh shit Mother is in contact with Iruma-sama and oh shit I’m going to have to spend another four days apart from Iruma-sama???
That’s when it suddenly hit Asmodeus. Maybe he’s been approaching the matter incorrectly this entire time. He’s been thinking on demon courting rituals, when he really should be going for human ones!
“Love.” Asmodeus mutters out loud. “Love. What does humans have to say about love?”
Out of all the demons he knows, which of them would know about humans?
Balam-sensei, his beloved mentor and the closest one can call a “human expert” has been the person he learned most from regarding the supposedly imaginary species. Their diets and body structure, their average size and weight, their wingless backs and tailless behinds. Asmodeus only learned later that Balam-sensei had also been one of the first demons to know of Iruma-sama’s identity. Looking back, maybe he had been trying to prepare Asmodeus the entire time. There had also been one thing he mentioned that baffled Asmodeus back then, The humans have this saying concerning seeking one’s hand. He has said, The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It purportedly means to feed the man you’re wooing.
Does that only apply to men? Or are other genders won through the same fashion? Sabnock had asked back then, respectfully intrigued.
It depends on the individual, really.
It depends on the individual. Thankfully the individual in question indubitably holds a great love for food.
Of course, Asmodeus has cooked for Iruma several times in the past, but those were all in the days when they were still in school, and Asmodeus has no idea that Iruma is human. After settling down the kingdom, there just hasn’t been any reason for himself to cook, what with the overflowing staff of the castle; nor has there been much time for him to attempt so. And well, now that he’s learned of his feelings for Iruma, the significance of the act has tripled itself.
Now as much as he’d love to ring up Balam-sensei and ask him about the specifics of human customs surrounding food-gifting, his mentor is currently out on a remote research trip where there’s no service. Therefore, unreachable. Asmodeus is going to have to settle for the next best candidate.
Despite being both alliterative-named and having gone to the same uppity parties since they were young, Azazel Ameri and Asmodeus Alice has not been known to share many conversations in private quarters. That’s why it is so surprising to hear from Asmodeus of all people, nonetheless, about humans.
So this is an Iruma Problem . She thinks with a mild amusement, as if not every problem Asmodeus has ever had is an Iruma Problem.
“According to these forbidden texts,” she says, holding up volume 48 of Hatsukoi Memory. “humans often make food for each other as a token of affection. In this case, Rin-chan is making chocolates for Kakeru-kun .”
On the pages of the shoujo manga, a cute girl is donning a heart-patterned apron with a determined look as well as splotches of chocolate on her face.
"Chocolates…" Asmodeus mutters under his breath, flipping through the contents of Hatsukoi Memory. The girl is holding out a ribbon-tied pouch, face flushed in an impressive shade. "Are you suggesting I make chocolates for Iruma-sama as well?"
"Chocolates do seem to have a romantic implication about them." Ameri comments, inspecting Sayo’s disgruntled expression on the bottom right panel. "But I think more importantly, is to take what Iruma likes eating into consideration."
Asmodeus’s fingers on the manga stills.
What Iruma likes eating?
"That’s everything."
An awkward pause drops between them. Because it's painfully true.
Everything?? Does that mean I’m going to have to cook... everything? Is that even possible? But I don’t know a single human cuisine!
There it is! Asmodeus Alice’s signature thought-spiral! A common occurrence when he is stuck on Iruma-related businesses: overthinking!
So it’s only natural that fate would find him splayed across the Royal Kitchen Counter Top on the verge of a breakdown, plates and plates of perfectly cooked dishes stacked on every other visible surface with the exception of the floor, 10:30 at night at that.
“Is Asmodeus-sama okay?” A newly employed cook still has the heart in him to ask.
The chef pats his shoulder sagely, a type of leisurely only acquired through experience and time spent working at the castle. One gets used to one’s bosses’ shenanigans. “Asmodeus-sama usually isn’t, but he’ll make do.”
It isn’t said out loud, but everyone present sans the rookie is thinking the same thing. And if he doesn’t, the Demon King will get him to snap right out of it as soon as he shows up, which shouldn’t be very long, because the kitchen is arguably the King’s favorite part of the castle.
“Excuse me,” a meek voice rings out from behind them. “Is Azu-kun in here?”
Speaking of the devil. “Your majesty!”
Iruma smiles awkwardly. He doesn’t think he will ever get used to being addressed so formally by his staff. (Though if you were to ask Asmodeus, he would tell you with a scoff that it’s because almost all the head officers Iruma are most closely associated with address him way too casually.)
“May I?” he gestures at the entryway, desperately praying that his staff would allow him some space for privacy, because man do they love to gossip. Little does he know that every staff member in the palace already thinks that there’s an underground affair going on between the both of them, but you can’t possibly fault them for thinking that, for they are the ones that have to bear seeing two heedless dumbasses (who are still their bosses, so they will only refer to them like this in their minds, with the slightest of guilt) throwing completely smitten looks at each other when the other is not looking. It’s harder to not make that assumption, really.
Yet they are dutiful employees, and while everyone in the castle knows that the Demon King is a kindhearted, soft-spoken young man that will never underpay them and is honestly a little too nice for his own good, they also know that his right hand man, the Head of Lust, is far less tolerant to any action that even lightly breaches upon taking advantage of the King. Ultimately, no one has the heart to trouble the King. Plus, good gossip isn’t worth being scorched on an open fire, so they all scurry off like cockroaches whenever you open your long-since-cleaned closet, and while we’re at it, personal hygiene is not something to make light of. Tidy up your room, kids.
"Azu-kun ?”
“I-Iruma-sama !” Asmodeus yelps, hastily jumping to his feet as he reprimands himself for being so lost in thought he hasn’t even sensed Iruma entering the room. “I was just-”
All thoughts of explaining himself gets tossed out the window the moment he hears Iruma’s laugh: boyish and mesmerizing. “I feel like it’s been a while since I last saw you.” he says. “Have you been trying to avoid me?”
“I assure you, Iruma-sama ! I won’t ever do something like that! It’s always an honor to be by your side. I apologize if I have made it seem like I didn’t want that, when it couldn’t be further from the truth!” Asmodeus stumbles to reassure Iruma. It’s unsightly to cause his king grief instead of ridding his concerns. He panics for a half second before Iruma’s snort gives away that he is simply teasing.
“I’m not mad.” he promises, which isn’t a surprise because if Iruma didn’t even get mad at his parents for selling him to a literal demon, when would he ever get mad? “I was just wondering why you were acting a bit amiss.”
“Amiss, Iruma-sama ?” asks Asmodeus, mortified that he’s as transparent as he is, but secretly, giddily happy that Iruma noticed it at all.
“I mean, you sort of punched through three walls out of the blue. Is there a reason?”
“It was a display of brute strength, Iruma-sama .”
“A display of what now?” Iruma frowns, mildly disappointed that after years of reign he’s still stumped by yet another demon custom he knows not of. Give credit where credit’s due though, Iruma has been studying on demon culture and demon traditions ever since he got to the Demon Realm, and there’s always so much to learn about an entire world, so you can’t possibly demand him to know every detail of their rituals.
“It’s nothing to burden your mind with, Iruma-sama.”
Which is a dismissive saying that has never once in the history of everything, managed to quell their audience's curiosity. But as the history of everything tends to pan out, Iruma lets it slip, choosing to get back on his original train of thought. “Regardless, if it’s something on my part, then it’s something I’d like to fix. If it’s not, then I’d like to hear about it anyway.” He prompts gently, like the true angel he is, always considerate and respectful. This is the type of quality that will make anyone (read: Asmodeus) swoon! “Of course, only if you’re comfortable with sharing.” he then adds quickly, like he’s afraid to have it taken as an afterthought.
“It’s-!” Asmodeus rushes to say, but screeches to a halt midway as he remembers what he was trying to do in the first place.
Food for Iruma-sama . Food for Iruma-sama for courting Iruma-sama.
His face first drains itself of all color, then as if the blood in his system has finally come to an mutual agreement, surge straight into his cheeks, tinting them pinker than his hair.
“I was just wondering… Would you teach me how to make your favorite dish?” He utters at last, every cell in his body burning up in embarrassment, which is a sensation he would know, since he excels at fire magic and all that.
Iruma blinks, only thinly veiling his surprise, before scratching his head sheepishly. “Well,” he says, “I can’t really be trusted in the kitchen, because I eat anything that’s remotely edible. But I do remember learning how to make a special drink.”
“A drink, Iruma-sama ?”
Iruma nods as he reaches into the cupboards over their heads. “It was a little unprofessional of me, but I saw this in a convenience store on my trip to the human world and well.” he pulls out a packet of tea bags and brandishes it victoriously. “A very kind middle-aged man once taught me how to make this after I helped him repair his roof.”
Iruma wrings out a tea bag swiftly before putting the rest of the packet back. Tossing it into a mug adorned with cartoon bat wings, he lets the hot water run. Asmodeus trails behind him quietly, eyes fixed intently on Iruma’s movements, his gaze following the swish swish swish of milk being shook inside a spare bottle, the plop of honey dropping into the concoction, the swirl of a stirring stick.
“It’s done.” Iruma says, as he presses the mug gently into Asmodeus’s hands, the latter barely suppressing tears of joy. A hand-made drink! From Iruma-sama !! Suck on that, Valac!!!
“Iruma-sama ! I will cherish this drink well as I would a family heirloom!”
“W-I mean- It’s really simple milk tea. I’m sure Azu-kun would be able to make far more complex beverages.”
“But this one holds a significance to Iruma-sama , which makes it the most precious after all!”
“That’s…” Iruma promptly turn red. “Will you try it?”
Darn! Asmodeus’s initial plan had been to cast a perseverance spell on the tea and keep it encased in a glass casket for all his future descendants to gawk upon! Drinking it now would be a waste! A frivolous luxury! But his Iruma-sama must crave his feedback!
As if sensing Asmodeus’s inner turmoil (but really who wouldn’t? What with the menacing way his face is distorted in), Iruma drops one final straw. “Please? It would make me really happy!”
The camel keels down valiantly.
Very carefully, Asmodeus takes a savoring sip. The bubbly sweetness of the honey melts into the frothy foam on the tip of the tongue.
“Well, how is it?”
“It’s heavenly, Iruma-sama !” Asmodeus beams up to his king brightly, his Iruma-only smile. It’s a brilliant and blinding thing, though the demon in question holds no knowledge of this. And as thick-headed as his king is, Iruma is not immune. The moe is overpowering his composure. Iruma suddenly feels compelled to voice the emotions pawing at the base of his throat.
“T-The moon looks beautiful tonight, doesn’t it?”
A courageous effort! Taking one out of the pretentious literature references! The Nametsu Soseki quote is legendary , perfect for those who have too much adoration in their hearts but are too scared to actually face them. Common in Japanese media of all types! (Iruma himself really just learned it from reading Hatsukoi Memory. ) The thing is, Iruma knows this shot at a confession is about as long as Sullivan’s camera roll of himself, which is objectively bordering on endless. Still he hopes quietly, that his lackluster attempt at professing his amatory intents haven’t fallen flat.
Yet just as Iruma has no knowledge of the courting rituals of demons, Asmodeus bears no expertise on the romantic endeavors of humans. The moon? He wonders briefly, before lifting his gaze up at the night sky.
There’s a single small window on the wall in the kitchen. Only portions of the moon can be seen from this angle. Moonlight floods into the room liberally, casting a breathtaking glow on the frame of his king. An animal sixth-sense tells him that there’s a hidden meaning in there somewhere , but seeing the peaceful setting cloaked with nothing but overwhelming contentment, Asmodeus finds that he surprisingly isn’t obsessing over the idea. “Indeed, Iruma-sama !” he says. I can die happy. he thinks.
Iruma watches his friend’s dopey grin, and muses fondly about the teeny detail he was a little too shy to disclose. This is a tea for family. Ishido- san had told him. Share it with the people you cherish.
He looks at Asmodeus in front of him now and thinks, I cherish him. To a degree that is surely unthinkable to him.
Maybe one day Iruma would be ready to tell him that.