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“Wah!” The woman let out a shrill scream as she bumped into one of the kitchen cabinets, rattling the contents inside. “Oh my…! Y-you’re a frog! Did you just turn into a frog?!”
“Ribbit!” On the floor sat a green frog that stared up at her with big, black eyes. This wasn’t just any frog, however. No, the small creature before her was in fact her husband who she had just kissed five seconds prior. He had been human when she first kissed him, but his flesh was almost immediately replaced with slimy, cold skin as soon as she pulled away. Confused, her husband tried hopping over to approach her.
“N-no! You’re a frog! A frog!” She pointed at him madly, continuing to distance herself away from him. “Look!”
Listening to her pleas, he obeyed and finally looked over himself, taking note of his brand new green limbs and webbed hands. Once reality caught up to him, he instinctively let out a shocked ribbit and the unnatural noise only worked to disturb him more. In a matter of seconds, the quaint cobblestone home erupted into chaos as the frog began to jump around the kitchen in distress. He eventually found himself on the dining table and hopped around violently, knocking off the plates and cuts they’d set for dinner. His wife was left sandwiched between the cabinet and said table, screaming her head off at the predicament.
Unbeknownst to them, giggles floated from the large tree outside of their kitchen window, carried through the air like wind chimes. In their disarray, they failed to notice the witch who had been comfortably lounging on a tree branch and had watched their panic through the leaves, amused.
“Hahaha. Looks like another job well done!” The witch laughed to himself. Satisfied, he lowered the wand he’d used to cast the spell with and tucked it away underneath his cloak. It’d been awhile since the last time a customer had asked him to use the frog curse, though he supposed it was a fitting fate for his current victim—the customer had bursted into tears when she explained that her lover had lied to her about not having a wife. Regardless of the circumstances, though, the witch still found it very entertaining. “Another point for the talented Asagiri Gen!”
Satisfied, Gen stood up on the branch with practiced ease and summoned his broomstick from where he had left it on the grass below. With the broom floating next to him, he tiptoed over, got on, and flew away from the poor house and into the night sky. In the air he happily hummed to himself as he felt the wind cool his face and took in the view of the small town he’d called home for many years. Whereas his fellow witches and wizards preferred to stay in the big cities where their craft was most profitable, he enjoyed the stress-free life of living in a quaint place. He got to be on good terms with his neighbors (when he wasn’t being mischievous, that is) and no one bothered him. Most importantly, though, he was the town’s only witch, meaning there was no competition to rob him of his coin. In other words, it was paradise.
“Now, what’s next on the list…?” Gen thought out loud to himself. “Ah, right! I need to pick up my order of herbs from Lady Ruri! Maybe she’ll give me extra so I can make myself a batch of tea~” He let out a light whistle which signaled the broom to go down and bank right towards the lights of the town center. As always, his broom took him to one of the alleyways outside of the densely populated area in which he twirled his wand and magically replaced his witch attire with the humble clothes and cloak the men in the town typically wore. To an outsider, the action probably seemed pointless given that most of the townspeople already knew he was a witch, but Gen was never one to flaunt his abilities. He’d seen his fair share of high and mighty mages, and he was willing to spare people of the second-hand embarrassment.
Once in his new outfit, he put his broom somewhere where it would be easy to summon and walked out of the alleyway into the town center. Even at night, the town bustled with lights, chatter, and life. With the late hours of some of the restaurants and the local tavern, many vendors took the opportunity to put up stalls and attract additional business. Judging by the crowd he was wading through, Gen would say that it worked, especially when some of the customers weren’t sober enough to think about their purchases. With a tug of his cloak, the witch finally emerged from the crowd and waved at the person at the stall a few feet away from him. “Good evening, Lady Ruri!”
The blond haired, blue-eyed woman had been checking her inventory when he called out to her. Caught off guard, her dress swished as she abruptly turned to greet him back. As always, she gave him a bright smile. “Ah, good evening, Mr. Gen! I was wondering when you would show up!”
“Sorry to make you wait,” Gen chuckled as he strode over to the stall, inspecting the plants and herbs she had on display. “I was working.”
“Hmm, is that so?” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow knowingly, smiling at him with a touch of concern. “I hope it was something good.”
“Haha! Good is subjective, Lady Ruri~!” He held his hands behind his back. “Is it safe to assume my order is ready?”
“Of course!” The woman briefly bent down and grabbed a paper bag from behind the stall. She carefully picked it up and placed it in his hands. “Your usual order. I put some extra rose in there for tea; on the house!”
Gen hid his excitement. It would go well with the pastries he bought from the bakery. “You’re an angel, Lady Ruri,” He smiled and gave a short bow to show his appreciation. He transferred the bag to one hand and pulled out a bag of coins from his cloak with the other, plopping it into her hand. When that was done, he gave the bag of herbs a whiff. “Mmn. I can tell that they’ll taste lovely—”
“Try to steal from me, will ya?!”
Everyone in the town center almost immediately turned their attention to the tavern when it erupted with the sound of a loud crash and drunken yelling. After another few seconds of confusion, two men bursted out of the doors grabbing at each other's shirts with a whooping crowd following behind them.
“I didn’t steal from you!” One of the men grunted, face flushed with alcohol and anger. “You’re the one who stole from me!”
“You liar! Give back my fucking money!” Fed up, the man finally threw a punch, and all the onlookers gasped and screamed as the two men began to brawl on the street. The sight was utter chaos.
“Oh my goodness, what on earth are they doing?!” Ruri gasped.
“A fight, it looks like,” Gen answered distractedly. “I’ve never seen one on a Tuesday before…”
“Are they fighting over money? Why don’t they just give back what they stole?” One of the vendors next to them scowled.
Another vendor shook their head. “And drunk, no less! Have they no shame?”
The crowd from the tavern whooped and cheered as the men fell to the ground with a thud.
Ruri frowned. “How can those people laugh? They’re just egging them on…”
Gen turned his attention to the crowd that had formed a circle around the fighting men. After another punch was thrown, one man in particular laughed especially loud. “Hmm. They are laughing quite a lot, aren’t they?”
Without a moment’s worth of hesitation, Gen reached for his wand and flicked it upwards underneath his cloak whilst whispering out a spell. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the crowd of onlookers, thus causing the man who’d just laughed to bump hard into the man next to him.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” The man bumped back.
“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t do anything!”
“Huh?!” The man growled and puffed out his chest. “You picking a fight or something?!”
“What? Are you picking a fight?!” The other yelled back, sizing him up. “I could sweep you across the street any day!”
Another gust of wind swept through them for good measure. Soon enough, the town center broke into complete mayhem as the two-man fight from before became a full out war. The wind having pushed them, multiple drunken fights broke out amongst the crowd and the chaos became indistinguishable. No matter where one looked, someone was being yelled at or punched.
The townspeople were terrified, but Gen was ecstatic.
“What—what’s happening…?!” Ruri exclaimed.
“Who knows?” Gen sighed casually, discreetly putting his wand away. “I’ll be off now. It was nice to see you, Lady Ruri. I’ll let you know when I need a restock~!”
Unbothered by the sight before him, Gen gave Ruri a small wave, ignoring the confused expression on her face, and exited the town center. Out of sight, he summoned his broomstick and changed into his original attire, disappearing into the night.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
His home lay on the outskirts of the town near the forest that surrounded it. It was a small, two-story cottage that used to belong to a farmer before he moved and sold his land. The soil was unfit for farming and the building was falling apart, so he’d been able to attain it for a fair price. Fortunately, with a little magic and generosity from the townspeople, he was able to fix it up and make it brand new, save for the second floor—Sir Kaseki said it was unrepairable, so he settled for a cottage with very high ceilings and a rickety staircase that led to an unfinished landing where he put his bed.
When he got home, he propped his broom next to the door and dropped his hat and the bag of herbs onto the kitchen counter. With a tired sigh he flicked his wand, lighting all the candles in the house with small flames. He could have turned on the gas lamps, but he always preferred the cozy ambiance of the dancing lights.
“Today sure was tiring, wasn’t it?” Gen stretched his arms over his head and yawned to himself. “At least all the jobs were a success. I’ll let the customers know that their requests were completed tomorrow. I’m beat!” Having already made up his mind, he began walking over to the staircase and tried unbuttoning his cloak—
Then the candles went out.
Weak and non-confrontational as he was, the witch immediately had a ball of flame in his palm and his wand drawn. He used the flame in an attempt to light his surroundings, but somehow even that flame went out too, leaving him in darkness–a magic user. He took a step forward and tried his best to focus his vision. “Hello? Who’s there? I know someone is here.” After a few seconds he took another step forward, unsurprised by the silence. He would’ve tried turning on the lamps, but something told him that the culprit wouldn’t hesitate to damage them, as well, and those weren’t nearly as cheap as candles. “Answer me. You’re a mage, aren’t you? What is it that you want?”
“Tsk. Who said I was a mage?”
Gen instantly whipped around to the voice behind him. At the same time, all the candles in the house magically flickered back to life, revealing the person who’d been floating in the shadows watching the witch.
Gen processed every detail as fast as he could. A young man with red eyes, scars above his eyebrows, and strange leek-like hair stared down at him from where he sat in midair. In his hand he carried a horned pitchfork, similar in design to his purple wings and tail…
Gen’s eyes widened as his heart sank with dread. “A-a demon?!”
“Yes, a demon,” The demon rolled his eyes and shook his head. The action was casual, as though he were talking to an old friend about the weather. “Witches and wizards sure do think they’re high and mighty. Mages aren’t the only people who can use magic.”
Gen stumbled back, looking frantically around himself. “W-where’s my ritual book? It has to be around here somewhere!” He ignored the demon as he began searching around the bookshelves and drawers closest to him. “Do I have enough materials? I haven’t had to exorcize a demon since my apprenticeship!”
“Hey!” The demon instantly flew over to him, stopping him in his tracks. “What are you doing? You’re not going to exorcize me!”
“Yes I am! Am I just supposed to let an unknown demon stay in my home uninvited?! You’re probably going to coerce me into a contract or forcibly take my soul!”
“The hell? That’s an offensive stereotype; we don’t all do that!” He scowled and let out a scoff. “And even if that were true, what are you planning to do with a stick of chalk and mint?”
Gen blinked at the materials that he had absentmindedly grabbed from one of the drawers and blushed from embarrassment. “Then what is a random demon doing in my house? In a witch’s house, no less?!”
The demon clicked his tongue and crossed his arms and legs, continuing to float in the air. “You’re pretty good with magic.”
“Pardon?” Gen raised an eyebrow.
“I saw what you did in the town center earlier. The gust of wind, the fight,” The demon shrugged. “It was discreet. Clever. I thought you were another demon trying to mooch off the fight I started in the tavern, but I stood corrected once I followed you and saw you get on your broom. I’ve never seen a witch use their magic for something outside of their benefit.”
“What?” Gen’s expression softened, surprised by the information. He subconsciously put down the mint and chalk. “So when they were arguing over having been robbed…you caused the fight?”
“Yeah,” He picked at his ear. “Stole their coin purses and made it seem as though they stole from one another. I have a quota to meet, after all.”
“Quota? What are you talking about?”
The demon sighed and gently lowered himself on top of the drawer to level with Gen’s face. “My name is Ishigami Senku. Like other demons, my boss has sent me from Hell to induce chaos and to create and attract as many sinners as possible. I’d been working in the city when I realized that the competition with other demons made it difficult for me to meet my quota, so I decided to head to the countryside. As far as I can tell, there are no demons in this town except for me, so I’ll be staying here until my quota is met.”
Gen stared at the demon, dumbfounded. The first and only time he’d interacted with a demon, he hadn’t been able to hold a conversation given the excruciating pain he and his mentor were putting the demon under. He never thought that demons could be this well composed…or that Hell was this organized. “I…see…” Gen muttered. After another second, however, his face became stern. “Wait, you aren’t hurting or killing anyone, are you? If that’s the case, I’ll have no choice but to eliminate you–”
“No, I’m not,” The demon–Senku–reassured. “That’s too much planning–too much paperwork and debriefing with the higher-ups. I’m only here to lead people down a road of temptation and to stir things up. They will suffer the consequences once they’re down in Hell.”
“Hmm,” Gen frowned at him, full of doubt. “You better not be lying. As much as I hate using offensive magic, I’ll be forced to detain and exorcize you if dare hurt any of the townspeople…”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Gen gave him a long look. “...okay.”
It was then Senku’s turn to give him a dumbfounded expression. “Is that it? I can stay in town?”
“Yes? As long as you don’t hurt anyone, I don’t care what you do. It’s not like I’m the town mayor,” The witch shrugged. “Is there anything else you need?’
Senku paused. Still picking at his ear, he looked around the cottage, taking in the dim light of the candles and the witchcraft materials scattered around the area. His eyes settled on Gen’s hat. “...are you the only witch here? This town is pretty far away from any cities.”
“Yep! I suppose we’re similar in that we both prefer to work without the stress of competition,” Deeming it safe, Gen finally walked away from the demon to unbutton and hang up his cloak on the coat rack next to the door. “There’s also the lack of prying eyes. My witchcraft was restricted in the city, but here I’m allowed to stir up trouble and fool around as much as I please~!”
“What does that mean?” Senku took another haphazard look around the cottage. “Don’t tell me you practice black magic.”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Gen chuckled. “I just use my customers as an excuse to get up to fun. Take today for example: I turned a mistress’ lover into a frog! You should’ve seen the look on his wife’s face after she kissed him!”
“Pfft! That’s a new one!” Senku cackled. “I’ve only heard of that spell in legend.”
“It’s a rather old spell. I practically begged my mentor to teach it to me,” Gen shrugged with a smirk. “Let’s just hope I remember how to reverse the spell.”
Senku snorted, amused. “Are you sure you’re not a demon?” He pointed to his left cheek. “With that mischief and soul-binding scar on your face, you could easily pass as a demon.”
Instinctively, the witch gently covered the scar on his face, having been carved into his cheek using a soul-binding spell many years ago. Subservient to their master for eternity, all demons bore a similar scar of some kind–a chain, a curse. Of course, soul-binding was a phenomenon across all realms, so Gen shouldn’t have been surprised by the demon’s easy recognition of it. Even so, it caught him off guard. He smiled. “Oh, this? It’s just an ordinary curse. Not a demon, I’m afraid~!”
“Demon, witch? Same thing,” Senku waved off, to which Gen scoffed and rolled his eyes. He transferred his pitchfork to his other hand and lifted off of the drawer. “Regardless, I’ve introduced myself to you. You won’t exorcize me as long as I don’t cause harm to those who live here, and in return I won’t interfere with whatever business you have going on. There should be no misunderstandings between us, right, Mister…?”
“Gen. Asagiri Gen,” The witch nodded. “This is my first time speaking with a demon, so I hope we get along! I’d shake your hand, but I’m not interested in accidentally agreeing to a contract.”
“Tsk. You humans and your stereotypes,” Senku frowned. A gust of wind blew through the cottage as the demon began waving his pitchfork. “I’ll see you around, Asagiri Gen the Witch.”
And just like that with the flicker of the candles, he disappeared into the shadows.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Four days later, they saw each other again in an alleyway in the middle of the night.
Gen came to a stop when he saw the demon peeking through a window into one of the buildings. “Oh, it’s you.”
Senku greeted him back just as dryly, only sparing a quick glance at him as the witch approached the window as well. “Ah, it’s the witch. Good evening.”
“Good evening,” Gen sighed. He stood next to him, looking through the window. “What are you doing?”
“Adultery.”
“That sounds strange out of context.”
“Whatever,” Senku rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Just walking through. Just came back from picking up some ingredients for a spell.”
“Hmm?” The demon hummed, preoccupied with making sure the couple inside were taking advantage of his efforts. “What spell?”
“Turning a frog back into a human.”
Senku stifled a laugh and looked over at the witch. “Seriously? You still haven’t worked that out?”
“I know, alright?” Gen groaned. “His wife is already giving me enough trouble as it is. I’m doing my best!”
Senku shook his head. “That poor woman’s husband.”
“Blame the mistress for being so insistent,” Gen sighed. He silently watched as the couple fell onto the bed before recognition made him intrigued. “Wait, is that the widow and the seamstress’ husband?!”
“What, you know them?”
“Of course I do, I know everyone!” He exclaimed, elbowing the demon’s side. “You’re evil, Senku-chan!”
“It’s my job,” Senku pushed him back. “And don’t use that cutesy nickname on me. It’s gross.”
“Nonsense! It’s what you deserve for making two innocent people have an affair at such an old age!”
Senku huffed. “Are you mad?”
“No, it’s just so scandalous!” Gen mused as though he were watching a drama. “Though I suppose it’s their fault for being easily tempted.” He crossed his arms and wore an exasperated smile. “I have a feeling more people will be asking for the frog spell.”
“You should work harder on figuring out that reversal spell, huh?” Senku smirked.
“Haha, right,” Gen chuckled nervously. He backed away from the window and straightened his hat before summoning his broom. “I should get home now. Good luck with the adultery, Senku-chan!”
“Ew, don’t word it like that!” The demon scowled at him over his shoulder.
“Your words not mine,” Gen teased as he got on the broomstick. “See ya!”
“See ya.”
Then he sped off into the night.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
They ran into each other one week later. Gen was on his way to the bakery when he was stopped by a crowd outside of the dairy and butcher shop, blocking the middle of the street. On closer look, he saw the owner of the shop scolding two children who’d decided to steal three baskets of eggs simply for the sake of stealing.
Gen jumped when he heard a voice call out to him from below and saw a black cat sitting next to him and looking at him. Once he noticed the scars sat above its eyes, he stifled a gasp. “Senku-chan…?”
“Duh? Who else would it be?” Instead of outright speaking (probably because of the unwanted attention a talking cat would garner) Senku used telepathy to communicate with the witch. Even then, it wasn’t enough to quell Gen’s initial shock.
“S-Senku-chan! Why are you a cat?!”
The demon couldn’t roll his eyes, but Gen could hear it communicated in the tone of his voice. “To disguise myself. Can’t walk around in my true form in broad daylight.”
“Why don’t you just disguise yourself as a human?”
“It’d be a nuisance,” The cat yawned, bored. “I’d have to create a human persona if I wanted to walk around such a small town. I would have to pretend that I moved here in order to avoid suspicion–everyone knows one another, after all. It’s better for me to stay off the radar.”
Gen pondered the information and couldn’t help but agree. “Well…I guess that is true–wait, where do you live, then?”
“Nowhere. I’m a demon; we don’t need the basic necessities that you humans need to survive. Water, food, shelter, and sleep are useless to me.”
“So what do you do at night when everyone’s asleep? Don’t you get bored?”
“I either wander around the town or forest or visit Hell for a little. Demons are used to this kind of stuff.”
“Eally-ray? It sounds like a drag,” Gen huffed. He watched as the children reluctantly gave the eggs back. Then, he stepped back with the crowd when one of the children rebelliously snatched the eggs back and threw them at the owner’s face, splattering egg whites and yolks everywhere. “How did you make kids steal?”
“They’ve always had the temptation but never had the courage.”
Gen tutted. “What a waste of eggs.”
The cat blinked up at him. “Are you mad?”
“No, but I do feel sorry for you. Being a demon sounds boring. Witchcraft is way better!”
Senku snorted. “Doubt it.”
“I’ll prove it to you!” He looked down at the cat. “Whenever you feel bored, come over to my house! You could help me with some spells and potions! That must be more fun than walking around all night waiting for the town to wake up!”
“Ah, yes, free labor. How fun.”
“You won’t regret it!” Gen winked. He looked up when the crowd gasped as the children ran away and the owner chased after them. “Oh, it looks like your job here is done.” He smiled. “If you don’t have anything to do after this, would you like to accompany me to the bakery?”
The cat’s ears flicked. “Demons don’t need to eat.”
“Need doesn’t equal want, Senku-chan,” Gen hummed, already beginning to walk away. “Are you coming or not?”
The cat stared at him, unmoving. However, when he saw that Gen had no intention of leaving until he responded, he inevitably caved. “...fine.”
☆彡☆彡☆彡
The following week found Senku nearly scaring Gen to death when he suddenly appeared in his home while he was brewing a potion. He nearly dropped a book in the cauldron. “Geez, can you at least knock?!”
“Sorry,” Senku apologized, though he clearly didn’t mean it. He floated over to where Gen stood in front of the cauldron in the middle of the kitchen. “You said I could come over, but I didn’t think you were already working on something.”
“I’m always working on something,” Gen whined and continued stirring the concoction. “Geez, you almost made me ruin the potion. Do you know how impatient this customer is?!”
“I don’t.”
“Very impatient! If they don’t have this potion by the end of the day, they’ll be pissed!”
“Heh, this customer must be ruthless,” Senku peered into the cauldron, eyeing the orange liquid. “What’s it for?”
“Stomach pains and insomnia. The customer is pregnant with her second child.”
“Oh. Congrats, I guess,” Senku raised an eyebrow. “Why doesn’t she go to an apothecary?”
“Apparently the baby is quite the kicker; doesn’t let her sleep. This potion will help the baby calm down and let her rest for once, hence why she demands I give it to her immediately.”
“So the brat’s making her entitled. Humans sure have no shame.”
“Can’t blame her, though. Having to carry a parasite in your stomach for nine months sounds terrible,” Gen sighed. Using his magic, he poured a small pouch of lavender into the cauldron. He smiled devilishly. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on her.”
Senku returned the smile. “Hehe, of course you wouldn’t. What are you plotting?”
Gen hummed to himself, relishing the idea. “Come by tomorrow morning. You’ll see~”
Senku stayed around to watch the witch complete the potion. Half an hour later, the very pregnant, impatient woman arrived at the cottage to pick up the flask Gen had prepared for her before stomping off back home. Seeing no reason to stay, the demon left and returned the following morning, unsurprised by Gen’s cheeriness. He scowled when he was offered a seat on Gen’s broomstick and purposely batted his wings hard to whisk the hat off of Gen’s head. The other man simply laughed it off and lifted himself into the air, leading the way on his broomstick with Senku flying beside him.
After a few minutes they arrived at a large tree that towered over a two story house on the other side of town. Seeing the demon’s confusion, the witch beckoned him to sit on one of the branches and hide amongst the leaves. Once he deemed that the coast was clear, he gave Senku a cheeky grin and pointed at the window closest to them. “It’s almost time. Look!”
Sure enough, he could hear Senku bristle in the branch above him when a loud shriek was heard from inside the house. After a brief pause, the silhouette of a man appeared in the window, his voice frantic. “Dear, was that you?! What’s wrong?!”
“Daddy, come quick!” The voice of a child yelled back excitedly. “The baby is kicking really hard!”
“Too hard!” A woman—the pregnant customer from the previous day—yelled back. She stumbled into the room where the window was, her silhouette faint. “He started kicking as soon as I woke up and hasn’t stopped. I can barely walk!”
Her husband—bless his soul—put a hand on her back and tried to help her walk. “What, how is that possible? Wasn’t the potion meant to help?”
“I don’t know!” She hissed out of frustration, clutching onto the sides of her stomach. “Gods, I hope this doesn’t make my stretch marks worse!”
“Don’t worry about that, Dear. You’re beautiful no matter what—”
In that moment, the baby kicked so hard that her entire body couldn’t help but jump, causing her to yelp and accidentally punch her husband in the nose.
Needless to say, the mix of desperate apologies, pained groans, frustrated curses, and a poor father’s swollen nose left both Senku and Gen struggling to keep down their laughter.
“What the hell did you do?” Senku snickered.
“She asked me to make a potion that would calm her baby down at night. She never said anything about the daytime,” Gen smiled mischievously. “So I put something in there that would give the little parasite boundless energy for as long as the sun was up. Playtime is important for development, after all~”
The demon allowed a giggle to escape. “You’re terrible.”
“So are you.”
“Your tricks aren’t nearly as good as mine, though.”
“Really, now?” Gen crossed his arms and looked up at the demon challengingly. “Says who?”
“The seamstress has two appointments today with two brides. They’re best friends. But as much as they claim to love each other, they’re too afraid to admit that they’re trying to one up each other’s wedding. There’s only so many resources in a small town to host the perfect wedding and there are very few brides willing to give that up. The seamstress has made the perfect dress and today they’ll be fighting over it.”
Gen beamed at the prospect of juicy drama. “Eally-ray?!”
“Yep,” Senku grinned down at him proudly. “You can tag along with me later to see how things pan out if you’re not busy.”
Gen didn’t need to be told twice. He was already mentally rearranging his schedule. “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
Senku nodded. “Good. It’s a date.”
Gen ignored the way his heart skipped a beat at the wording.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One month later
Gen was flying back home from picking moss balls in the forest when he noticed the demon standing on one of the rooftops in the town center, watching the people below. He figured he’d say hello.
Senku hardly flinched when he landed beside him. “Good evening, Senku-chan.”
“If it isn’t Asagiri Gen,” Senku mockingly greeted back, his eyes transfixed on the ground. After a brief pause, he scooted closer to the witch and sniffed his clothes. “You smell like dirt and river water. Were you in the forest?”
“Indeed! You're as vigilant as ever, Senku-chan!” Gen smiled, bumping their shoulders teasingly. Senku let out a huff of annoyance before looking back down at the crowd, prompting Gen to do the same. “What are you doing? Scouting for chaos?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have anything grand planned for tonight.”
“Hm, in that case let me offer a suggestion,” Gen elegantly took his wand out from underneath his cloak and pulled the demon closer to him so his vision could line up with where his wand pointed. Nearly two months into knowing each other the instances of touch and close proximity hardly bothered them anymore. “Magma. He’s a hunter who sells his game to the butcher. He mistakenly claimed that a duck he shot fell onto my property this morning and that I refused to give it back. He called me a liar and forced me to pay for it!”
Senku let out a low hum in response. The sound reverberated between them as his lips turned down into a frown, the red in his eyes turning a shade darker. “Hm. A hunter, huh? He sounds conceited.”
“Pfft. Trust me, he is. This isn’t the first time he’s done something like this!”
“I see. It’s settled, then.” At that moment, Senku grabbed his pitchfork, muttered some sort of spell to himself, and pointed the horned ends at the crowd, zeroing in on Magma. Gen looked between the hunter and the demon, confused on what trickery Senku had just performed. Just when he thought it was a fluke, however, he found himself turning with the crowd when the air was suddenly filled with quacking. Looking up, he saw a flock of ducks flying towards them through the night sky, their calls only growing louder with each second.
The bliss that came with their initial confusion only lasted until the flock abruptly dived down into the town center and made Magma their target. In a matter of seconds, people were screaming and trying to flee as the ducks pecked, attacked, and chased after Magma as he tried to fight back in his tipsy state. In the end his struggle was pointless, and all he could do was curl up into a ball and cry out as some of the men from the tavern tried to peel the ducks off of him to no avail. Through all of it, Senku triumphantly put his hands on his hips and grinned evilly at his work.
Despite the shock, Gen couldn’t have been happier.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Five months later
Months later, Senku still took Gen up on his invitation to stay at his house whenever he felt bored.
“Senku-chan? Are you here?” Gen called out as he closed the door behind himself.
“Here,” Senku dryly responded, making the witch tilt his head upwards. The demon had decided to cozy up close to the ceiling, sitting in midair as he read through some of the spell books he’d selected from Gen’s library while he was out conducting consultations. The books silently levitated around him, and Gen couldn’t help but find the sight endearing. “How did it go?”
“All good, nothing to complain about!” Gen happily replied as he took off his hat. “How about you? Slow day?”
“Yeah. Everyone stays mostly inside during winter. There’s not much to do.”
“Business always suffers this time of year,” Gen sighed. Admittedly, he didn’t like to think about the decline in his clientele, either, but he’d always been good at finding ways to cheer himself up. On cue, he rummaged underneath his cloak and retrieved a paper bag, presenting it to Senku. “Anyways, I stopped by the bakery on the way home. How about I make us some tea?”
Senku lifted his eyes away from the spell book in front of him, staring at the witch below. Soon enough, he willed the rest of the books to flip shut. “Did you get the scones?”
“Of course.”
As always, he went through the effort of pretending to weigh his options before shrugging. “Sure, I can eat.”
Gen smiled. “Your company is always appreciated.”
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Seven months later
Senku sat on one of the couches below reading a book while Gen tossed and turned in bed, trying to fall asleep.
Senku finally sighed and looked up towards the platform. “Can’t fall asleep?”
“No,” Gen groaned, shuffling in bed. “It’s cold.”
“Why don’t you light some candles?”
“It’s harder to fall asleep with lights on,” The witch brought the blanket over his head. “It’s fine. I’ll have to fall asleep eventually.” For the upteenth time that night, Gen sighed and tried closing his eyes, hoping that sleep would befall him. He gasped, however, when a comforting warmth suddenly spread throughout the entirety of the cottage, causing him to throw the blanket off and sit up in bed. In that time, Senku had moved from the couch to float beside him. A small flame danced over his pointer finger as he stared at him. “Senku-chan, what are you doing?”
“A heat spell. I use and manipulate the heat from hellfire but expel the fire itself. Wouldn’t want the cottage to go up in flames.”
“You…you don’t need to do that,” The kind offer, the way the demon looked at him softly…it left the witch’s heart beating faster than before. A flush unrelated to the rise in temperature spread across the cheeks and the embarrassment only made him blush harder. “Using a spell all night takes so much energy—”
“I don’t mind,” Senku loudly reassured, catching them both off guard. The demon blushed from the awkwardness and quickly willed it away with a cough. “Uh, demons don’t sleep and I’m very good at balancing my magic use. It’s not an issue at all.”
“But—”
“Humans need their rest. You need your rest,” Senku then reached forward and grabbed the blanket from where it hung off the edge of the bed. He playfully threw it at Gen’s face. “I’ll watch over the cottage and make sure it doesn’t get cold. Now sleep.”
Gen bent his head forward, letting the blanket fall into his lap, and blinked at the man floating next to him. Despite the reassurance, he still felt sheepish. “…thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Senku grunted, watching as the other settled into bed.
“…good night,” Gen nodded at him. He couldn’t find it in himself to look away.
Senku didn’t either, red eyes piercing into him. “Good night.”
Unbeknownst to the witch, the demon stayed at his side until he successfully fell asleep.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Nine months later
“When did you get a cat?”
“Huh?” Gen followed the customer’s—Chrome—line of sight to the bookshelf behind him. Surely enough, Senku lay sprawled on one of the shelves in his cat form, staring at them as they completed the transaction. He returned his gaze to Chrome and smiled. “Ah, yes, he’s a stray. I let him into my home from time to time!”
The cat let out a low meow of annoyance.
“Is that so? Good for the cat, I guess,” Chrome shrugged off. “So, do you have the love potion or not?”
Gen crossed his arms and internally sighed, leaning against the doorframe. This, again? “I do.”
“Then why haven’t you given it to me?”
“Because I don’t think you need it.”
“What?! How could you say that?!” Chrome argued.
“Because Lady Ruri is already in love with you,” Gen said matter-of-factly. He smirked. “Well, at least that’s the way I see it~”
Chrome immediately blushed bright red. He stumbled on his words. “You…you don’t know that!”
“Everyone knows I have very good intuition, Sir Chrome. Even then, almost everyone in town agrees that you two are absolutely smitten for one another.”
“That’s-!” He tightened his fist, clenching the bag of coins in his hand. “You lot don’t know anything! Just because it appears that way doesn’t make it true! I—” He paused, trying to catch his bearings. “I couldn’t live with myself if Lady Ruri married someone else. This is just a precaution.” He straightened his back and extended the pouch of money to Gen. “Please, Mr. Gen. Just give me the potion.”
Gen admired his persistence. He let out an audible sigh. “Fine,” He picked up the bagged potion off the table next to the door and handed it to him, taking the money. “It’s your money. Just do me the favor of reconsidering before you use it. For both mine and Lady Ruri’s sakes.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Chrome brushed off, checking the contents inside. “Everyone’s just being dramatic. Have you ever fallen in love?”
Gen’s eyes widened a fraction, surprised by the abrupt question. For some odd reason, he felt compelled to glance back at the bookshelf behind him. When he looked, he saw that the cat had lifted itself up into a sitting position. His ears were perked up, eyeing the witch more attentively than before.
Gen quickly turned his head back to Chrome, wanting to rid the pressure in his chest. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Chrome raised an eyebrow. “Have you never felt butterflies when you’re around someone?”
“Beats me,” Gen shrugged, moving to close the door with a polite smile. “Goodbye, Sir Chrome. Do tell me how it goes.”
“I will. Goodbye, Mr. Gen.”
When the door closed, the witch let out an exhausted groan. Senku huffed from his spot on the bookshelf. “He was annoying.”
“He means well,” Gen chuckled.
A pause. “Have you really never been in love?”
His pulse quickened, again. “It’s hard to say. I don’t think about those things,” He swallowed. “How about you?”
The demon hesitated. His ear twitched and his tail swished. “…I don’t know either. I’ve never heard of a demon falling in love before.”
Right. Of course. “I see,” Gen stretched his arms above his head and forced a cheery grin as he began making his way to the kitchen. “Anyways, what shall we have for lunch?”
When Gen walked past the bookshelf, Senku took the opportunity to jump onto his shoulder and wrap himself around his neck, laying his head on his collarbone. “Pumpkin soup. A woman was explaining the ingredients she needed for the recipe to the vendors the other day and it sounded good.”
“Okay, pumpkin soup it is~!”
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One year later
“Hey, do you mind if I open a portal in your house?”
“A portal? What for?”
“I need to go back to Hell. They need a status report.”
Gen looked up from the new spell book he was reading on the couch. Senku was lounging in the air as always. “…oh.”
As though sensing his concern, the demon turned towards him. “It’s just for a meeting. I should only be gone for 2-3 days.”
“I see,” He would be coming back. Good. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow. So can I open the portal or not?”
Gen couldn’t help but snicker, going back to reading his book. “Sure, as long as you don’t set the house on fire. You better not bring back any demons, either. I have my hands full housing just one.”
“Yeah, yeah, I won’t,” Senku rolled his eyes. He returned to reading his book, as well, floating on his back. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat. “Thank you. For everything, I mean.”
Gen’s heart stirred. He finally spoke after mentally calming himself down. “Don’t mention it.”
The following day, Senku waved before disappearing into the portal.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One year and two days later
A dragon.
Gen woke up to screaming, bells, and the smell of burning debris. He scrambled out of his house, unable to register the part of his roof that was set ablaze.
He sat on his broomstick, horrified by the sight below him. The darkness of night exemplified the light coming from the raging flames that scorched the town. He could make out people trying to contain the fires with buckets of water, but the dragon’s hot breath and deafening roars left them no time. In an instant, they were wiped out too.
The rest was a blur. He rushed towards the dragon, using his wand and yelling out all the offensive spells he could muster, but even that wasn’t enough. The dragon was massive, a beast that far surpassed the powers described in every piece of literature in the human world, and Gen was a single witch.
He was swatted off of his broomstick. The overuse of magic exhausted him beyond belief.
The flames enveloped him. The dragon’s claws tore his skin to shreds. Everything, everyone, everywhere burned.
His skin charred and his clothes smoldered to his body.
Then, there was nothing.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One year and three days later
When Senku stepped through the portal, he was surprised Gen wasn’t there to greet him.
His shock was unfathomable when he saw the once cozy cottage left in ruin around him. The walls were covered in scorch marks and the roof was missing, its’ beams having toppled to the ground.
He immediately ran outside in search of the witch only to stop when he saw what lay in front of him.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but destroyed houses, fauna, and pummeled earth.
He flew into the air, eyes desperately scanning for any show of life, but there was nothing.
The entire town had been burnt to the ground.
The vendors, the children, the tavern goers—they were all gone.
It was rare, but in that moment Senku was reminded that despite his magic and flamboyance, Asagiri Gen was still a mere human.
In all his years of existence, that was the first time Ishigami Senku fell to the ground and felt true despair.
He silently mourned as he used his magic to bury the remains of the small town that once stood there.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Fifty years later
Senku watched as the burly man flipped the table, garnering attention from some of the people who happened to walk by. “That’s it! I know that you’re cheating!”
“I’m not cheating!” The other man yelled, throwing down his hand. They’d been playing poker on the side of the road. “Why don’t you just man up and admit that you suck at playing cards?!”
People yelped as the man was grabbed by the front of his shirt and thrown onto the cement. Soon enough, the two gamblers were kicking and punching each other with all their might.
Senku yawned, watching the fight unfold from the roof of a building. City life was boring.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Seventy years later
The demon flew at a distance, following a group of policemen who were chasing after two thieves. He’d been successful in making them steal a sackful of scones. One of them stuffed a pastry in their mouth as they ran. It made the demon laugh.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One hundred years later
Senku had spent the past two weeks following a group of travelers. While most of them had been excited about traveling across the country via wagon, they quickly grew tired of each other after four days. Now that they were nearing the third week, tensions were high, and Senku was sure one of them was about to explode from frustration. He looked forward to the drama and sin it would bring.
For now, the group decided to stop at a roadside town where they could bathe and stock up on materials. Seeing as nothing interesting was going to happen anytime soon, he took it upon himself to turn into a cat and explore the area. The town was catered towards tourists and travelers, so there was nothing but diners and cramped inns. Once he saw everything there was to see, he decided to stroll around some of the fields, basking in the sun and stretching out his legs. When he got his fill, he moved onto the forest, curious to see the flowers and small creatures he would find.
He wandered around the forest for about an hour before he heard the sound of rushing water—a river. Having nothing else to do, he followed the sound, intrigued, and eventually spotted a riverbank in the distance.
As he neared the river, however, he heard something else. The shifting of pebbles, a soft voice—humming.
He took a few steps forward and jumped onto a boulder, trying to get a better look.
Demons didn’t have hearts, but if they did, his would have stopped.
A flash of black peeked through the fauna. He narrowed his eyes—white hair. Then, the glint of a star, sewn onto a black, oversized hat.
Gen.
He’d never ran so fast in his damn life; he might as well should have been flying. The pebbles and twigs caught onto his paws, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t felt this excited in a century.
He lost his grip on his disguise, morphing back into his true form as soon as he stepped onto the pebbled sand that lined the river.
He couldn’t wait—wouldn’t wait. A miracle like this could only be a dream.
“GEN!”
As soon as the person turned around, he knew it wasn’t a dream. The hat, the clothes, the bicolored hair, the scar carved into his left cheek, those beautiful, gray eyes—who else could they possibly belong to?
That voice that called to him with that stupid nickname—“S-Senku-chan…?”
As soon as he recognized the person in front of him, Gen dropped the pouch of pebbles he’d been collecting into the water next to him, undoing all his work.
No…it couldn’t be. After all these years…
He took a reluctant step forward, cautious, as though any wrong movements would scare the man away. Perhaps it was an illusion his mind crafted. There’s no way a demon would risk being seen in broad daylight. “Senku-chan…?” He swallowed. The man’s face was pale, uncertain. “Is that really you…?”
The demon took a small step towards the witch, just as cautious. His hand shook as though he wanted to reach out to him. “Y-yes, I am. Are—” He struggled. “This isn’t a dream, right? You’re actually Gen?”
Gen inhaled. Without a moment’s worth of hesitation he pinched his hand, making himself wince. “No, this…isn’t a dream. I’m-I’m Asagiri Gen.” He swallowed again, trying to push down the lump in his throat, and took another step forward. “And you are—”
“Ishigami Senku,” The man answered immediately. This time he took two steps forward, undeterred. “I’m Ishigami Senku.”
Gen couldn’t hold in his tears anymore. He coughed as he forced a smile on his face. “Senku-chan…”
Senku was instantly in front of him, holding him tight as he cried into his neck. Then he gasped when Senku forced his chin up and kissed him, putting as much force into it as he could. Gen kissed him back just as passionately and held onto him as the demon peppered his face with kisses, occasionally wiping away the tears that fell from his eyes. When Senku spoke, his voice was gravely. “What happened?”
“A dragon. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t,” Gen sniffled. “It destroyed everything. It killed everyone. If I was stronger—”
“Stop it. You did what you could. It’s not your fault,” Senku frowned. He kissed him reassuringly. “How-how did you survive? I searched everywhere.”
The witch froze. Silent, he looked away.
“Gen.”
“I—” Gen tried stepping away, but Senku wouldn’t let him. “That’s not important.”
“The hell it isn’t!” Senku hissed. He grabbed onto the other’s shoulders, desperate. “Please, Gen. I won’t get mad. Just…please tell me what happened. I need to know.”
Gen hesitated, nervous to tell him the truth. Senku was never the person to back down from a challenge, though, so he eventually willed himself to look up and meet his eyes. With a shaky inhale, he brought his hand to his own left cheek, feeling over the grooves of his scar. “This scar…it’s a curse—”
He took a deep breath, never breaking eye-contact. “I’m immortal.”
Senku’s confidence and determination wavered. “What?” He inched closer, eyes roaming over Gen’s face. He held onto his shoulders tighter. “But you’re human.”
“I am,” Gen nodded. “But my mortality was stripped from me. My mother was an apothecary and her best friend was a witch. Their relationship became strained once my mother discovered that she practiced black magic and that didn’t sit well with her friend. They eventually fell out after a big argument and my mother refused to see her ever again. Their fallout had angered her friend so much that she cursed my mother’s unborn child when she found out that she was pregnant.”
“You?”
“Yeah,” Gen forced a chuckle. He sighed. “Her hatred for my mother and her devotion to black magic was so intense that she was able to come up with a curse even the most talented mages can’t master: an eternity doomed to suffering.”
Senku inhaled sharply. “That’s—”
“My life is a glorified bad omen,” Gen continued. “My parents gave me all the love they could but that wasn’t enough. My father died of an incurable illness when I was a teenager and my mother was murdered six months later. My mentor who I apprenticed under died trying to protect his family and his neighbors from a monster attack. They didn’t survive, either. All my other colleagues died from sudden illness. I tried moving away from the city to reduce the harm, but…” He shook his head. “Lady Ruri, Sir Chrome, Sir Kaseki…I killed them!”
“It wasn’t your fault!”
“And all the people from before…!” Gen cried. “Even if they didn’t die prematurely, I was still forced to watch them die! My family, my friends…everyone I once knew is dead! I’m—” He tried steadying his breathing. “I’m all alone.”
“No, you’re not!”
“Please, Senku-chan, I’m 350 years old,” Gen laughed dryly. “I know that barely seems like a blip in time to a demon, but that’s an awful lot of time for a human. It’s hard not to feel alone when you’ve lived for so long, especially when a fifth of that time is spent waiting for your body to slowly heal itself.”
“Well, you’re not alone anymore!” Senku hugged him tight, laying his head on his collarbone. “I know I’m not a human but you have me.”
Gen sadly smiled at the comforting words, resting his chin on top of the demon’s head whilst stroking his hair. “I just want to practice magic. I just want to live an ordinary life.”
“I know.”
“And you have a job to do—quotas to meet. I can’t keep you tied down to me forever.”
“Who said you’d be tying me down? It’s my choice, not yours, and I can take care of my responsibilities just fine,” Senku tilted his head and scowled up at him. “And it won’t be forever. I’m determined to break that damn curse.”
“Senku-chan,” Gen groaned. “I’ve tried so many times. Nothing will work.”
“You haven’t tried with a demon’s help, have you?”
“No—”
“Then you can’t say it’s impossible. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”
“Senku-chan…”
“Let me help you,” Senku lifted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. His expression was stern. “Please.”
Gen didn’t say anything at first, busy weighing his options. Even so, it’s not like the demon was giving him an easy choice. If he said no, he’d just keep pestering him until he said yes. “…okay.”
The man kissed him again, this time harder. “Good,” He stood upright, giving the witch some space. “Have you eaten?”
“No. Have you?”
“No, I’ve been tailing a group of travelers all day. Do you want to stop by one of the diners in town?”
“Sure,” Gen shrugged, wiping his face. He proceeded to pick up the empty, wet pouch he’d dropped before taking Senku’s extended hand. “I’m not sure if they allow cats in, though.”
“Too bad, they don’t have a choice,” Senku scoffed. “How did you end up here, anyways?”
“I’ve been touring around. Apparently tourists love the vagabond witch type~!”
“Really? In that case, I should introduce you to the people I’ve been following…”
From that day forward, they never lost each other again.
☆彡☆彡☆彡
One month later
They were staying in an inn in the middle of a mountain range. They’d saved enough money to book the largest room possible and were using it the best to their advantage.
Various candles were lit and scattered across the room. On the ground, Gen had removed the carpet to draw a pentagram on the hardwood floor using chalk. On the ceiling, Senku had drawn a different pentagram using some of Gen’s blood (Gen had to reassure him multiple times that he felt fine). Seeing their finished work, Gen nodded to himself and finally called out to Senku. “I think we’re ready.”
“Okay.”
Wordlessly, Gen summoned his broomstick and they switched places, Senku laying down on the chalk pentagram while Gen flew up and aligned himself with the blood pentagram on the ceiling. Looking at each other, they exchanged one last nod before beginning to chant their respective incantations.
After about ten seconds, a gust of wind swept through the room, causing the candle flames to dance wildly. The windows shook as the pentagrams began to glow and buzz, the blood green and the chalk purple. The longer they chanted, the brighter the pentagrams glowed and the harsher the wind became. At some point they couldn’t hear their own voices anymore, choked out by the rush of howling magic. Admittedly, Gen thought for a moment that their plan wouldn’t work due to how long the process was taking, but his worries soon came to an end.
Suddenly, the noise stopped, and the space in between them clouded with smoke so black that it appeared untouchable. Time seemed to stop, their surroundings frozen in wild movement, colored in a dull white haze. Except for them and the black smoke, nothing else was able to move.
A low, disembodied voice spoke to them. After a moment, Gen realized it was the black, swaying cloud of smoke. Its’ voice echoed in their heads.
“Someone disturbs me.”
Senku, who’d been floating once time stopped, immediately got on one knee and bowed, though it seemed involuntary.
Nausea immediately filled Gen’s chest. This being—the purest source and embodiment of evil—was powerful.
The cloud of smoke slowly moved towards the demon and addressed him.
“Hm. Two scars—I know them well. This is Ishigami Senku. My eternal servant.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Senku answered sternly, voice dry.
Afterwards, the cloud moved towards Gen who was able to float by the ceiling without his broom. With the being closer to him, Gen’s nausea became even worse.
“And this is a human. A cursed one, at that. What a filthy scar.”
It moved closer. Gen’s stomach churned.
“Asagiri Gen—a witch. Are you the one who disturbed me?”
Closer. It was getting hard to breathe.
“Two contracts were attempted, one of which demands my servant to become your eternal slave as your familiar. Do you wish to rob me of my property?”
“If I may explain this, my Lord.”
Both Gen and the cloud of smoke looked at Senku who had stayed kneeling on the floor below. The cloud moved towards him.
“You may speak, servant.”
“The contracts were attempted at the same time as a form of equivalent exchange. In exchange for becoming Asagiri Gen’s familiar, he would sell his soul to me and to you by extension. His soul would belong to me and to Hell for all of eternity.”
The cloud pulsated.
“Are you saying you planned to willingly sell yourself off to a human? Have you forgotten who your true master is?
“He had no intention of selling his soul. It wasn’t part of the contract,” Gen interrupted. He exuded as much confidence as he could despite the fear running through his body. “All that was required was for him to bond his soul with mine for as long as I live. That’s it.”
Confused, the cloud slowly moved back and forth between them.
“Hm. I sense that there is a plot here. What are your intentions?”
“I—” Gen stuttered, trying to speak past the nausea. “As you can see, I have a soul-binding scar. I was cursed to eternal suffering since the day I was born. I believe the individual who casted the curse is dead. However, the black magic and hatred they used is difficult to overcome.”
“By forming a double contract and binding our souls to each other—two damned souls, a demon and a sly witch—we hoped the connection would be strong enough to undo the initial soul-bond,” Senku finished.
The cloud pulsated again, though this time it seemed for a different reason.
“I see.”
It began to circle around them.
“An exchange of souls, bonded for life…hm. It is quite similar to marriage, is it not? You wish to override the hatred and black magic with love and occultism.”
Gen choked.
Senku bristled, trying to hide his embarrassment from his master.
“What is it with the shame? The denial? I am the creator of temptation; I can already sense that you two have bonded in more scandalous ways than others.”
The witch and the demon endured the torture silently. Eventually, Senku worked up the nerve to speak. “You understand our predicament. We never intended to offend you. Will you spare us, my Lord?”
“Hm. A human and a demon. Two completely different species from two completely different realms. A soul-bond—a matrimony—between the two is unprecedented. Unheard of…”
When the cloud spoke, it was as if it were grinning madly.
“…utterly dreadful and god-forsaken.”
In that moment, everything clicked for both of them. “Will you let us go?” Gen asked.
“Just this once. I advise you to remember that Ishigami Senku will first and foremost always be my servant, Asagiri Gen. I will not be merciful if you ever dare to disturb me again.”
“Of course.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The cloud settled in between them.
“This will be the first double contract and soul-bond between a demon and a human recorded in history. I expect great things from you two. I may even be kind enough to send you a gift to celebrate the occasion.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I am grateful, my Lord. We are undeserving of your gifts and mercy.”
“Hm. Good luck. I’ll be watching.”
As abrupt as it appeared, the cloud of black smoke vanished into thin air equally so. As soon as it disappeared, however, time immediately resumed, meaning that Senku had to scramble to catch Gen before he crashed into the floor. The pentagrams stopped glowing and the candles were extinguished, forcing Senku to turn on the gas lamps with his magic while he helped Gen up. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, all thanks to you,” Gen groaned. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, just trying to calm down. I didn’t think the double contract would summon my…boss…”
Gen raised an eyebrow when Senku’s voice trailed off, focusing on staring at him like a frozen deer, instead. “What is it?”
He flinched when the demon wordlessly cupped his left cheek, stroking the skin with his thumb. “Your scar…it’s gone.”
“What?!” Gen frantically swatted away his hand, trying to feel his cheek for himself. “Really?! Did it…work…?”
“What? What’s wrong—” Senku started, confused by the witch’s sudden change in attitude.
Then, he followed his line of sight, directed at his left hand.
His eyes widened when he finally noticed the glint of the ring on his left ring finger and nearly gasped when he saw an identical-looking ring on Gen’s hand, as well.
They looked between themselves in shock.
“Th-this is…”
“The gift.” Matrimony. That’s the word his boss had used.
“Not just that,” Gen held his left hand over his heart, pressing the silver band against his chest. “It’s warm. Unnaturally so for a piece of jewelry.” He looked up at Senku. “It’s not an ordinary ring. Inside…”
“There’s a soul,” Senku finished. He pressed his own ring against his chest, feeling how the warmth contrasted with his cold skin. “You have mine and I have yours—”
“Forever,” They said in unison.
For the next ten seconds they stood there silently, admiring their rings as they processed what had just happened and the weight of their decision; their bond. Gen broke the silence first, smiling at the man in front of him. “I’m not cursed.”
It took a moment, but Senku managed to direct his gaze away from the ring to nod at Gen. “You’re not cursed—ah,” He lowered his head a little, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “But you’re technically still immortal. You’re bonded to me for as long as I live, which is…forever.”
“I don’t care!” Gen happily jumped onto him, sending both of them crashing to the floor. He laughed, wrapping his arms around the back of his neck as he kissed him, dotting his face with as many pecks as he could. “A lifetime with you is just another blessing! I’m free!”
As much as the back of his head hurt from hitting the floor, Senku couldn’t resist laughing alongside him. When Gen let up, he grabbed his face and kissed him back, smiling against the corner of his mouth. “Yeah,” It was uncomfortable, but they laced their left hands together, relishing in the shared warmth. “You’re free.”
☆彡☆彡☆彡
Two hundred years later
Gen had been doing an inventory check behind the front counter when he heard the bell above the door jingle. Sure enough, a man and his three children had walked in and were looking around the store when Gen turned around. “Hello~! How can I help you?”
“Hello,” The man smiled and walked up to the counter. “I’m here to pick up a potion? I believe my spouse said it’s for cleaning? Some sort of levitation spell?”
“Ah, yes, I remember them! They told me they’d be working when the potion was ready and that you would pick it up in their place!” The witch turned around and retrieved the potion from the shelf behind him, handing the bag to the man carefully. “Sprinkle this on any of your cleaning appliances and they’ll do the work for you. No human labor required!”
“Thanks. It’ll be very useful,” The man chuckled. He began to pull out his coin purse. “How much will it be?”
“Fifty!”
Taken aback, the man gaped and blinked at Gen. “Fifty? C’mon, can’t you give me something cheaper?”
In that moment, the three children squealed when a black cat suddenly ran past them at lightning speed and hopped onto the counter. It bared its teeth and hissed at the man, causing him to stumble back. “What the—?!”
“Oh, my apologies, Sir!” The witch exclaimed and immediately grabbed the cat, lifting it and setting it on his shoulder like a pirate. “This is my cat. Unfortunately he doesn’t take kindly to strangers.”
“Oooh, what a cute kitty!” The children rushed to the counter, peering curiously at the cat. “He looks so nice!”
“Nice? What makes you think it’s nice? It just hissed at me!” The man argued.
“Probably because you were being cheap!” One of the children exclaimed.
“Yeah!” The other two agreed. “We’re going to tell Baba that you were being rude! They don’t like it when you’re stingy!”
The man gasped in horror, giving his children the most intimidating scowl he could. “Stop it! You will tell them no such thing!” The man quickly turned to Gen and grabbed a fistful of coins, slamming them on the counter. “Fifty, right? Thank you for the potion.” He turned back to his kids, beckoning them to follow him out the door. “That’s it! If you three keep talking back to me, we’ll go home without stopping for any ice cream!”
The children’s whines could be heard even when the door closed. “But, Dad…!”
Once they were out of view of the shop windows, Gen sighed and side-eyed the cat on his shoulder. “Was that necessary?”
“You heard the kids. He was being cheap,” Gen slouched forward to let the cat walk on his back and settle around his neck before standing upright again. The fur tickled his chin. “Brats have more manners than he does. They probably get it from his spouse.”
“Most likely,” Gen chuckled. He scratched the cat behind the ear, earning a pleased purr and an affectionate nuzzle against his cheek. “What do you want to eat today?”
“Mmn. Think you could replicate that one chef’s steak from down the street?”
“Are you talking about Francois? No way! They’re a high class cook!” The witch scoffed. “How about beef stew?”
The cat’s tail swished. “That works too.”
“Are you going to help this time?”
The cat let out a low meow, clearly opposed to the idea of having to get out of the comfortable position to work. Regardless, it jumped off of his shoulder and gently dropped onto the ground. When Gen turned around, he was met with the view of a demon staring back at him, lazily picking at his ear. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll help.”
Gen smiled and followed him as he led the way towards the kitchen in the back of the store. He took his hand out of pure habit, lacing their fingers together.
To this day, the ring was as warm as ever. “Thank you, Senku-chan~”
“Yeah,” Senku grunted, squeezing his hand in response. “Don’t mention it.”