After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 6

After chatting for a while, Chiba gradually realized that Yuichi was treating her like a child.

Unable to ignore it any longer, she asked,

“I’m curious… do you really think I’m that young?”

Yuichi looked at her matter-of-factly.

“Well, of course. You look no different from any other underage girl.”

For some reason, his answer made Chiba chuckle.

“What an amusing thing to hear.”

She folded her arms proudly.

“No wonder you’re human. Your brain must consist of a single cell. To tell you the truth, I may very well be older than your ancestors.”

Yuichi blinked.

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

His blunt dismissal immediately wiped the smile from Chiba’s face.

The self-proclaimed demon frowned in annoyance before hopping down from the bed and slowly walking toward him.

“I’ve reached the limit of my patience, human.”

“It’s time you learned exactly who you’ve gotten yourself involved with.”

With those words, she reached out and gently grasped Yuichi’s hand.

“?”

Yuichi froze.

It was the first time in more than twenty years that he had ever held hands with a girl.

His brain instantly short-circuited.

“U-Um… I know you’re trying to intimidate me, but… what you’re doing actually feels more like a reward.”

Faced with his shameless comment, Chiba remained expressionless.

Then—

“Whoa?!”

An overwhelming surge of energy exploded through Yuichi’s body.

It felt as though lightning had struck him from the inside.

Every muscle stiffened.

Every strand of hair stood on end.

A violent current raced through his limbs, filling him with unbearable pain.

His vision blurred.

By the time his consciousness returned, he was lying flat on the floor.

Several minutes later, Yuichi slowly regained consciousness.

Looking up at Chiba, who stared down at him with complete indifference, he nervously swallowed.

“Y-You’re…”

“…You’re really a demon?”

Seeing that he had finally begun taking her seriously, Chiba casually shrugged.

“Didn’t you just experience the proof yourself?”

Yuichi remained silent.

It was unbelievable.

He had read countless fantasy novels featuring demons, heroes, and magic.

But actually meeting one?

That was an entirely different matter.

He took a deep breath and tried to organize his chaotic thoughts.

Then—

For some inexplicable reason, a very different image entered his mind.

His expression suddenly brightened.

“A real demon…”

“I see… I see…”

“That’s amazing!”

He actually sounded excited.

Chiba stared at him in complete disbelief.

According to everything she knew, humans were supposed to fear demons.

Yet instead of panicking…

Yuichi looked thrilled.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Chiba herself felt a strange sense of danger.

Perhaps staying in this human’s house tonight was a mistake…

Who knows what strange ideas he’s thinking?

The room fell silent.

After a while, Yuichi finally asked,

“If you’re really a demon… then how did you end up here?”

Chiba hesitated.

Can this man be trusted?

He didn’t seem particularly dangerous.

And besides…

He had shared pudding with her.

To Chiba, that alone was practically an act of supreme generosity.

After thinking it over, she decided there was no harm in explaining.

Beyond this world existed another realm known as Anstertandin.

Originally, the two worlds had never been connected.

Humans who died in Earth occasionally found themselves reincarnated there, their previous memories erased completely before beginning new lives.

However, those born in Anstertandin could never return to Earth.

It was a land where humans and demons had waged war against one another since ancient times.

Chiba herself was the daughter and successor of the nineteenth Demon Chieftain.

For generations, the demons had sought to conquer the world.

Among their greatest warriors stood Lucifer, Chiba’s most loyal subordinate.

As commander of the demon armies, he captured vast human territories and became feared throughout the continent as “The True Demon.”

Eventually, the demons surrounded humanity’s final stronghold.

Victory seemed inevitable.

Then…

The Hero appeared.

Leading the resistance was a young woman named Alice, whose sudden arrival completely changed the course of the war.

The heroes launched an unexpected counterattack that shattered the demon offensive.

Severely wounded, Chiba’s father ordered a retreat.

But the heroes refused to stop chasing them.

With no other options remaining, the Demon Chieftain gathered his last reserves of magical power and opened a portal leading to another world.

His sole purpose was to ensure the survival of the demon race.

Despite Chiba’s desperate protests, he entrusted her future to Lucifer.

“Lucifer…”

“My daughter is in your hands now.”

With those final words, he pushed both Chiba and Lucifer through the dimensional gate.

The portal closed behind them.

The room fell quiet once again.

After listening to the entire story, Yuichi slowly nodded.

“So that’s what happened.”

“It really sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel.”

Then Chiba asked the question that had been bothering her.

“I’m a demon.”

“As a human… aren’t you afraid of me?”

Yuichi simply smiled.

“Maybe that works on people from your world.”

“But not on me.”

“Besides…”

“You still owe me for saving your life.”

“Why would I be scared of someone who’s indebted to me?”

Chiba blinked.

After thinking about it carefully, she realized…

His logic somehow made sense.

Without realizing it, the tension in her shoulders eased.

By the time their conversation ended, night had completely fallen.

Yuichi stretched and yawned.

“It’s getting late.”

“We should get some sleep.”

He gestured toward the bed.

“You can have it.”

Meanwhile, he opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out an old tatami mat that had been collecting dust.

He intended to sleep on the floor.

Watching him prepare his bedding, Chiba unexpectedly felt a twinge of guilt.

Although he was only a lowly human, he had shown her nothing but kindness.

“…Come sleep up here.”

She patted the empty side of the bed.

Yuichi looked surprised.

“Are you sure?”

“If something happens, I won’t take responsibility.”

To anyone else, the statement would have sounded incredibly suspicious.

But Chiba remained completely unfazed.

“If you have the ability…”

“You are welcome to try.”

For a brief moment, Yuichi seriously considered accepting.

Sharing a bed with a beautiful girl was the dream of countless lonely otaku.

Then he remembered the electric shock from earlier.

His enthusiasm instantly vanished.

No.

That would be a terrible idea.

If I rolled over in my sleep and accidentally touched her…

I’d probably wake up dead.

With that thought, Yuichi quietly spread the tatami mat across the floor and lay down.

The surface was hard and uncomfortable.

But after the exhausting day he’d had, sleep claimed him almost immediately.