Third Time's a Charm

This is my tenth night at the convenience store. 

Ding-a-ling-a-ling...  

“Wel-... Oh, not you again! Didn’t I just give you a bunch of food?!” 

I swear, I can hear the ta-daaaah that heralds his entrance. Ugh, now that it’s his third time here, the demon lord’s old news. 

“I have come to receive more.”

Does this guy suffer from selective hearing, or what?

The demon lord wanders through the store until he finds the sandwich section, putting three of the pork cutlet ones into his basket before he approaches the register. 

“No, seriously, what happened to all that stuff I gave you? You can’t tell me it’s gone already.”

He kind of reminds me of that one song about the cat who kept coming back.

“It is.”

Knowing how proud the demon lord is, he probably wouldn’t lie about something like that. Still, I can’t shake this feeling of doubt. 

“That was five thousand yen in food! That’s a lot, you know. And, I’m pretty sure that was less than five days ago!”

“I distributed it among my companions. Yamada, who collects the most cans... Ito, who demonstrated how to do ones’ laundry in the river... Matsumoto, who instructed me on proper tent construction... They all thanked me, moved to tears by how delicious it all was. I told them to take more, to eat their fill. It was rather like a banquet, though the supplies did not last for long.”  

Oh, hell. Everything’s gone blurry. Are there ninjas cutting onions in here, or something?

“Whatever is the matter, lad? Raise your head.”

“I’m just...going to go grab my wallet, okay?”

And fork over...most of all of my paycheck... 

Ding-a-ling-a-ling...  

“So, this is where y’were! Demon Lord, sir, you can’t keep comin’ here to beg for food!” 

The elf-maid dashes into the store (as usual) and tries to drag the demon lord away by the cape (as usual). 

“Sir, it’s time t’go! This ain’t a place that does handouts!”

See, the elf-maid knows what’s up. At least one of them gets human customs.

And today, she’s wearing a red dress that perfectly highlights her perky chest.

Honestly, after getting to see that view...treating them to a couple of sandwiches is the least I can do. 

“B-But I...I vowed to bring them more sustenance. The ‘homeless’ group said they were overjoyed to have experienced a full stomach at least once before the end of their days. I owe them a debt of gratitude for their assistance, so I wished to return the favor.”

“It’s fine, I’ll pay for it! Miss Elf-maid, you can let go!” 

“Y’can’t keep coddlin’ him like this! We can’t have a complete stranger payin’ for us all the time! I’ve gotta teach him how to earn his keep, for his sake! Otherwise, he’s gonna turn into a big ol’ spoiled brat!” 

The whole scene...

Reminds me of a mother (lovingly) berating her child.

I blink back tears with an audible sniffle, moved by how strong their bond is. 

“I’ll have what we owe ya for the last round once I’ve gotten paid, so sit tight, ’kay?” 

...She’s too good for this world. Ugh, whenever these two show up at the convenience store, I feel like bursting into tears. 

“C’mon, sir. We’re still broke, so you gotta put those sandwiches back from where you got ‘em.” 

“But I have money.” 

The demon lord’s tone is surprisingly firm as he starts rummaging through his armor, looking for something. 

“Really, I don’t mind spotting hi-...”

The elf-maid and I exchange an astonished glance as the demon lord pulls out a threadbare purple wrapping cloth that jingles with the tell-tale rattle of coins.

“Human money, at that.”

Grumbling slightly, the demon lord pulls a hundred yen coin from his makeshift wallet, along with a scattering of ten yen coins, one yen coins...and a rock.

“...Huh. Uh, where did you get this?” 

“The proceeds from Yamada’s can collecting. Ito and I found the priceless gem along the riverside. Matsumoto was the one who found the rest beneath a ‘vending machine’.”

The demon lord carefully gathers up his cherished assortment of coins (plus rock), offering the pile to me as, well, an offering.

“However, I do not fully comprehend the value of these bits of metal. Tally it up, lad. Is this sufficient to buy those delectable pork cutlet sandwiches your store produces? If not, then I shall return with more.”

It all adds up to two hundred forty-eight yen.

He’s just a few coins shy of the three hundred he’d need to buy one sandwich.

“Nope, you’re good. This is exactly the right amount.” 

I can’t. I don’t have it in me to turn him away. 

They’re both just doing their best to get by, so it’d kill me to send them home empty handed.

“Truly?! How wonderful. That...makes this my first ever purchase with human money.”

“You’re sure that’s enough?”

The elf-maid gives me a knowing smile, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes.

Can’t fool her, huh?

“Yep. Not a single yen short.”

I can hear my own voice choke up with emotion, too.

Guys, seriously. You’ve got to stop tugging on my heartstrings every time you drop by.

This is a complete turn-around from the demon lord’s first visit, when he came barging in, demanding free food. Now he’s brought his own money — all to do something nice for the people he cares about. 

“Thank you for your business. We hope to see you again!” 

I mean it, too. It’s already 3 AM, and this has been an excellent start to my shift.

The demon lord takes the bag of pork cutlet sandwiches, cradling it in his arms, looking happier than I’ve ever seen him.

“Well, ain’t that great?”

The elf-maid is positively beaming. 

Ding-a-ling-a-ling...   

The heartfelt moment is cut short by another customer’s entrance.

The newest arrival is wearing a black hoodie and matching baseball cap with the brim pulled way down low. Even with both hands crammed into his pockets, I know exactly who this guy is. It’s that shitty influencer again. 

“Ah.”

“Huh?”

“Wait, you’re...”

The demon lord, elf-maid and hero all freeze, locked in some kind of startled standoff.

Wait. Aren’t these guys supposed to be...mortal enemies?