After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 24

The meeting room suddenly fell silent.

Yuichi instinctively lowered his head.

He and Lucifer had been late for one of the company’s most important meetings. Normally, their supervisor would have already exploded with anger.

Yet…

Several seconds passed.

No yelling.

No scolding.

No lecture.

…Has the boss suddenly become a better person?

Curious, Yuichi cautiously looked up.

The moment their eyes met, a chill ran down his spine.

Please…

Anything but a salary deduction…

To his surprise, the heavyset supervisor simply smiled.

Then he looked around at everyone gathered in the room.

“I’ve seen everyone’s hard work over the past month.”

“You’ve all done an outstanding job.”

“Because of your efforts, the company’s performance has exceeded all expectations.”

He paused dramatically before raising his voice.

“This month’s total revenue has reached sixty million yen!”

The employees immediately erupted into applause.

The supervisor grinned.

“And to celebrate…”

“The company has decided to organize a one-day trip for everyone!”

“Every expense will be covered by the company!”

For a brief moment…

The room fell silent.

Then—

Cheers exploded throughout the office.

“Seriously?!”

“That’s amazing!”

“We’re finally getting a company trip!”

Standing beside Yuichi, Yota Sasaki excitedly grabbed his shoulders.

“Did you hear that, Yuichi?”

“We’re going on a trip!”

Yuichi blinked blankly.

“…Huh?”

He still hadn’t fully processed what had just happened.

A company trip…

Yuichi couldn’t even remember the last time he had traveled anywhere.

The only memory that came to mind was a family vacation during his childhood.

Unfortunately, he had been so young that almost nothing remained except a few blurry images.

To be honest…

Yuichi wasn’t fond of traveling.

He considered himself an introvert.

Meeting strangers.

Crowded places.

People staring at him.

All of those things made him uncomfortable.

If given the choice…

He would much rather stay home.

That was one of the reasons he had moved away from his parents and started living alone.

As long as he quietly went to work every day and did his job properly…

No one would bother him.

At least…

That had always been his ideal life.

“…A company trip…”

Yuichi sighed.

After the meeting ended, he planned to speak with his supervisor and politely decline the invitation.

Just then—

“Yuichi.”

Lucifer called out to him.

“Could you come with me for a moment?”

“…?”

Following Lucifer, Yuichi arrived at an abandoned storage room that had once served as the employees’ break room.

After making sure no one else was around, Yuichi spoke first.

“I’ve actually been wondering…”

“You were late this morning too.”

“That’s unusual.”

Lucifer nodded calmly.

“My Lady delayed me before I left.”

“…I see.”

After a brief pause, Yuichi asked the question that had been on his mind ever since Chiba left.

“…How has Chiba been?”

Lucifer didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick envelope filled with cash.

Yuichi stared at it in confusion.

“…What’s this?”

Lucifer respectfully held it out.

“My Lady asked me to give this to you.”

“It is her way of thanking you for taking care of her.”

Yuichi’s expression immediately changed.

“…Absolutely not.”

“I only let Chiba stay with me because she had nowhere else to go.”

“I never expected anything in return.”

“Besides…”

“She helped me just as much as I helped her.”

“I can’t accept this.”

Lucifer quietly thought for a moment before speaking again.

“My Lady insisted.”

“She said this is how she wishes to repay your kindness.”

Hearing those words only made Yuichi shake his head more firmly.

“I still won’t accept it.”

When Chiba had promised to repay him, he’d assumed she was joking.

He never imagined…

She had actually been serious.

Receiving money from her felt wrong.

Very wrong.

“If that’s all…”

“I’m leaving.”

Yuichi turned toward the door.

Lucifer stood frozen.

He had expected many reactions.

This wasn’t one of them.

Ordinarily…

If any ordinary human dared to reject him so bluntly, Lucifer would’ve crushed them without hesitation.

But Yuichi was different.

He was someone Chiba genuinely cared about.

Taking a slow breath, Lucifer lowered his tone.

“…Please reconsider.”

“If you refuse…”

“My Lady will be disappointed.”

“And…”

“I don’t think you want to make her sad.”

Yuichi stopped walking.

His clenched fists tightened.

Lucifer’s words had struck exactly where it hurt.

…Have I only been thinking about my own feelings?

What about Chiba’s?

She had proudly declared that a demon always repaid their debts.

If he rejected her gratitude completely…

Wouldn’t that only make her feel worse?

After standing there silently for a long time, Yuichi finally let out a quiet sigh.

“…Alright.”

“I’ll accept it.”

“But…”

“Please thank Chiba for me.”

Lucifer nodded respectfully.

“I will.”

For the first time since they had met…

The Demon Grand Marshal offered Yuichi a small, genuine smile.