Chapter 25: The Love Triangle Showdown and the Ice Cream
The warm, cheerful atmosphere that had filled the living room from beginning to end froze solid the moment Eve appeared.
The change was immediate.
Gone was the friendly, easygoing expression Mikaela had worn only moments ago. Her bright blue eyes narrowed into a glare as she stared directly at Eve.
The Holy Knights serving as her escorts reacted just as quickly. Hands drifted to sword hilts, fingers tightening around polished grips.
Even Grana subtly shifted her stance, positioning herself so that she could protect Raphiel at a moment’s notice if things turned ugly.
The room felt like a powder keg.
One spark.
That was all it would take.
And yet, the person at the center of it all couldn’t have looked less concerned.
Eve completely ignored the hostility directed at her.
Instead, she sat happily munching on a fried shrimp, cheeks puffed out as she chewed.
“Mmm! Delicious! As expected, Oniichan’s cooking is the best!!”
“…You’re surprisingly relaxed for a Demon King.”
“Huh? Why would I need to be cautious?”
Eve smiled innocently.
There wasn’t a trace of mockery in her expression.
Which somehow made her words even more terrifying.
“Because all of you are weaker than me. Why would I be on guard against people I could wipe out whenever I wanted?”
“You idiot, Eve. Complete idiot.”
“Ow! Hey! Saintess! Why’d you hit me all of a sudden!? Violence is wrong!!”
“The fool who can’t read the room is the one at fault.”
Raphiel jabbed Eve sharply in the side with her elbow.
Watching that exchange only seemed to make Mikaela more tense.
The air around her practically crackled.
“You want to test whether I’m weak?”
“Eh? There’s no need. I can tell just by looking. The divine energy dwelling within you isn’t even close to Saintess-chan’s level.”
“Then I’ll gladly accept that challenge.”
Mikaela rose from her seat.
A brilliant light began gathering in her outstretched hand.
The Holy Knights stiffened.
Grana’s hand moved toward her weapon.
The room collectively held its breath.
Seeing disaster approaching at full speed, I immediately stepped between them.
“Would everyone like some dessert?”
“Eight.”
Mikaela looked at me as if I’d just interrupted a funeral to discuss the weather.
“Sorry, but could you maybe read the room?”
“Think of it as a change of pace.”
“…Look, I don’t really want to say this, but we’re discussing something important right now. The fact that you and Rafi-chan kept a Demon King’s existence secret is a pretty serious issue.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Not even a little.
Her argument was completely reasonable.
But if she was going to approach this as a matter of principle, then I had a principle of my own.
“Then let me say something as well.”
“What?”
“This is my house.”
“…And?”
“Who I choose to welcome as a guest is my decision. Well, Eve kind of forced her way in, but that’s beside the point.”
That was one issue.
This was another.
I crossed my arms.
“And if anyone causes trouble inside my home, I won’t forgive it.”
“Oh?”
Mikaela raised an eyebrow.
A challenging smile spread across her face.
“And what exactly are you planning to do? Threaten a Saintess? Because that would create a much bigger problem.”
“I won’t threaten anyone.”
“Then?”
“I’ll cancel breakfast tomorrow.”
“…Huh?”
Mikaela stared at me.
The look in her eyes practically screamed:
What is this idiot talking about?
But while the threat failed to impress her—
It landed a critical hit on the Holy Knights.
“W-WHAT!? No breakfast!?”
“You claim you aren’t threatening us, yet you’ve somehow found the single most effective threat imaginable!”
“How underhanded!”
“Damn it! I was actually looking forward to this mackerel set meal thing!”
“If only I hadn’t asked what tomorrow’s breakfast menu was going to be!”
“How cruel this world can be!”
Their collective despair was so dramatic that I almost laughed.
Honestly, their enthusiasm was helping me out.
Maybe they instinctively understood something.
Maybe all of them knew deep down that if a real fight broke out against Eve, nobody in this room would survive.
And because they understood that, they eagerly grabbed onto my absurd distraction.
“M-Mikaela-sama!! Let us calmly enjoy dessert instead!”
“What? Why would I—”
“Please reconsider! Surely this dessert will be every bit as incredible as the fried shrimp meal!”
“More importantly, we want to eat it!!”
The Holy Knights desperately tried to restrain her.
Part of it was definitely greed.
But it was also excellent support.
“…Fine.”
Mikaela slowly sat back down.
“But I’m still reporting the fact that a Demon King is living in your house.”
That should be enough to avert disaster for now…
Right?
Wiping cold sweat from my forehead, I hurriedly pulled out my smartphone.
A few taps later, I ordered ice cream from a famous shop.
Since I didn’t know everyone’s tastes, I played it safe and ordered vanilla.
Nobody hated vanilla.
Then I sprinted to the front entrance to retrieve the delivery.
“Here you go!”
“T-This is cold!?”
The Holy Knights recoiled the instant they touched the cups.
But that reaction was nothing compared to what happened after they took their first bite.
“W-What is this!?”
“It melts in your mouth…!”
“The flavor drifts through your nose… and it’s sweet!”
“I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”
Excellent.
Absolutely excellent reactions.
Even Mikaela, who still looked dissatisfied with my forced mediation, widened her eyes in astonishment after tasting it.
“Mmm. Delicious. Eight, from today onward, I request this ice cream after every meal.”
“Absolutely not. It’s expensive.”
“I protest with all my strength. I shall tighten the water faucet slightly every time I use it.”
“Please stop with the subtle harassment.”
After dinner and dessert were finished, the Holy Knights finally escorted Mikaela away before she and Eve could start glaring at each other again.
Eve watched them leave while eating another spoonful of ice cream.
“What a noisy bunch.”
“…Seriously, Eve. Could you stop saying things specifically designed to irritate people?”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head.
“But it’s true. That Mikaela girl is weaker than me.”
“Whether that’s true or not isn’t the point. There’s no reason to make enemies unnecessarily.”
Eve looked genuinely confused.
“That’s the part I don’t understand.”
She pointed at herself.
“I’m a Demon King.”
Then she pointed toward the hallway where Mikaela had disappeared.
“And she’s a Saintess.”
Her crimson eyes met mine.
“How can we make enemies when we were enemies from the beginning?”
“…”
I couldn’t immediately answer.
Because she wasn’t entirely wrong.
The worlds of a Demon King and a Saintess were fundamentally different.
Their values.
Their common sense.
Their entire way of viewing existence.
Someone like me, who belonged to neither side, probably wasn’t qualified to lecture them about it.
“…Maybe you’re right.”
I sighed.
“But please don’t start problems inside my house.”
“I know.”
Eve grinned.
“Besides, I don’t break promises with Oniichan.”
“Good.”
Then I noticed something.
“Wait. You’re eating too much ice cream. You’re going to upset your stomach.”
Without hesitation, I confiscated the cup from her hands.
“Ahhh! My ice cream!!”
At nearly the same moment, I noticed Raphiel quietly attempting to sneak away with another cup.
She froze.
I confiscated that one too.
“Eight! Please do not take my ice cream!”
“Save the rest for tomorrow!”
I pointed toward the hallway.
“It’s late. Go brush your teeth and get to bed.”
““Boooo!!””
A synchronized chorus of complaints erupted from Eve and Raphiel.
Even so, their full stomachs were already making them sleepy.
Before long, both girls reluctantly gave up and headed toward their rooms.
Then, just before disappearing down the hallway, Raphiel stopped.
“Eight.”
“What is it? And no, you’re not getting the ice cream back.”
“Not that.”
For a moment, her voice became unusually quiet.
Unusually gentle.
“…Mikaela’s parents were killed by monsters.”
“Eh?”
I blinked.
Raphiel lowered her gaze.
“That is why she lost control when she saw Eve.”
There was sadness in her voice.
“The Mikaela you saw tonight is not her usual self.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“She is normally a very kind and pure-hearted girl.”
Raphiel looked directly at me.
“Please don’t dislike her.”
A helpless laugh escaped me.
“Don’t worry.”
I smiled.
“I understand.”
“…Thank you, Eight.”
Raphiel gave a small nod before disappearing into her room.
I watched the closed door for a while afterward.
Mikaela must be someone incredibly precious to her.
Someone irreplaceable.
The kind of friend she’d treasure forever.
I found myself envying that.
After all, I didn’t have anyone I could truly call a friend.
Not in my old world.
Not in this one.
…Or at least, that was what I thought.
Until the following morning.
“I hate Rafi-chan.”
“…Huh?”
The words came so suddenly that my brain nearly stopped functioning.
Mikaela sat across from me at breakfast, calmly sipping tea as though she’d merely commented on the weather.
“I hate how she always acts so composed.”
She raised one finger.
“I hate that she uses ‘I’ in that weird formal way.”
A second finger.
“I hate how everyone keeps calling her the Second Coming of the Great Saintess and fawning all over her.”
A third finger.
“It seriously pisses me off.”
“…”
I stared.
Then stared some more.
My mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
Nothing came out.
And thus, first thing in the morning, Mikaela casually dropped a bombshell that left me with absolutely no idea how to respond.