The one behind the mask of an innocent man is Satan, one of the Seven Demon Kings, the most powerful demons in Hell, Serianne's main target. He is the Wrath Demon who has bad temper and get pissed off easily. His patience is as thin as a strain of hair.
What an unexpected twist. She was expecting to find Lucifer first in the Aetheris Academy but she found Satan in a random cafe instead. She isn't sure whether her luck is good or bad.
"You're Cindy's friend? Serianne, huh?" Zenith adjusts his cap and stares down at Serianne with critical eyes. His disguise is flawless. He goes by a 25 years old man named 'Zenith' to blend with humans.
No one expects him to be a demon except Serianne. She can tell his real form by feeling his presence and looking at his form once. But she doesn't make it obvious. She remains calm and smiles at him despite the raging storm inside her. Her angelic senses are tingling, urging her to purge the demon immediately.
'This guy...Satan! You wretch creature!'
"Yes. My name is Serianne. Nice to meet you." She extends her hand to handshake.
Zenith nods. "I'm Zenith, Cindy's boss." He accepts her handshake before pulling immediately. He turns and walks away. "Take a seat. Cindy will take your order."
Serianne silently wipes off her hand behind her clothes, feeling disgusted and disdain. She can't believe she touched his hand. She wonders if Zenith has already noticed her identity as an angel. Can he senses her angelic presence? It supposed not because Serianne has made sure to suppress her presence perfectly so no demons can sense her divinity.
Serianne takes a deep breath to calm down before settling down on the stool. Not now. Be patient. She can purge him anytime after this. For now she needs to stay low to not raise suspicion. If it's not because of Cindy, she would have already lift her cane and stab him.
'The Demon King Satan opens a cafe in mortal realm? How funny...'
Serianne sneers quietly while stealing a glance at his back who is arranging the chairs. She is analyzing his every move without making it obvious. No one would expect the infamous demon king who brought terror and destruction 1000 years ago, is now living as a human and running a business. If she tell other angels about this, everyone will be laughing.
'Just goes straight to the point is too risky. I need to expose his true form first.' She mutters quietly as Cindy serves her a glass of water.
"See? Told you he's handsome. You can't stop looking at him." Cindy leans down and covers the side of her face with a tray. She is grinning from ear to ear.
"Mhm...I can tell..." Serianne smirks and nods. She's happy but at the same time, pissed because her main target is finally right in front of her. "Is he single?" She asks, trying to play along and digging every bits of information. This is her chance to get to know to Zenith so she can purge Satan easier. It feels like someone throws gold at her and she opens her arms and gladly accepts it.
When she keeps staring at Zenith, his muscles and tanned skin body, she remembers Aiden. The two men are the hottest men she had ever seen since descended to earth. No other men can be compared to them. But to her, Zenith is nothing like Aiden because she realizes, beneath the handsome facade, lies the vile creature of a demon.
Cindy laughs, thinking Serianne is charmed by his look. He has caught her interest. Yes. Interest to kill.
"Looks like someone is falling in love~" She teases playfully and nudges her side.
"Maybe..."
'In your dream.'
But Serianne doesn't bother to deny it because this can be an excuse for her to keep staring at him. She just pretends to be interested in Zenith.
"One blueberry pancake and tea, right? Coming up!" Cindy muses while taking a note in her small notebook. She turns around and leaves to deliver the order to Zenith.
Serianne wants to say something but nothing comes out. Her mouth is gap open. She just realizes. Zenith is the cook so she's going to eat the food made by demon. And it's Satan himself. The feeling of dread creeps up to her core. It's too late to back away now.
Later, a few other customers come in. Cindy busy herself by taking their orders while Serianne remains still in her seat. There's a glass window between the kitchen and the counter so she can see Zenith working on her order on the stove.
The cafe has been running for years and most people love the place and food. If the humans can consume the food, the ingredients used by Zenith must be just normal ingredients which can be bought from the store. That, Serianne can confirm to convince herself when the pancake is delivered to her table. A steaming cup of tea is next to it.
Serianne was having a doubt. She refuses to consume something made by the hands of a demon. Despite her principle, the pancake looks appetizing. She almost drool. Watching other customers enjoying the food, her will is stirred. She gulps heavily.
Slowly, she takes the knife and fork, cutting a small piece from the soft layered pancake. She mutters several angel chants before taking it into her mouth.
"!"
Sweet.
It's sweet but not too sweet. It's just right. It melts into her tongue immediately. She stunned in her seat as she stares at the pancake with disbelief. Her knuckles turn white as she grips the cutlery tightly.
Cindy isn't aware because she's too busy entertaining the customers. While Zenith was arranging bottles behind the counter, noticing Serianne's shock look.
"What's wrong with your face?" He raises an eyebrow. He holds an empty glass from the cabinet and wipes it with clean cloth. "Is the food not to your liking?" His eyes are still locked on her as he resumes his duty. There's a slight grunt underneath his tone, probably feeling annoyed but masked it with polite tone. His voice is hoarse like he has sore throat.
Devil can cook? Serianne still can't believe it. Did her judgement wrong? Is Zenith actually a human and not Satan? No. She can't doubt her judgement. She knows she's always right because that's just the fact. When she was still in heaven, every decision made by her led to the best possible outcome. So when her instinct told her Zenith is Satan, she instantly believes it.
But what if she's wrong this time? She has no choice but to figure it out herself, for the sake of satisfaction and erasing her doubt.
"Not bad." She gives him a cold shoulder. She refuses to admit how good the pancake taste even though she can't stop munching it. The texture, taste, topping and look are all perfect like coming straight from a five stars hotel.
Zenith rolls his eyes and grunts under his breath. He's probably not used to get a 'decent' opinion. He removes his apron and hangs it, since there's no pending order. He lifts his cap to fixes his messy red hair with other hand.
Serianne takes a peek. The silky red hair looks so soft and tuggable. She wonders what it feel like to run her fingers through it. She quickly shakes her head. What was she thinking?
"So..." Zenith puts back the cap on his head. He leans forward against the counter and gazes at Serianne. "Cindy talked a lot about you."
'She did?'
Unlike Aiden who is cold and barely talk, Zenith is grumpy but talks more often. Despite his bad temper, he's actually being polite toward his customers but not soft spoken. He is bothered enough to initiate a conversation with Serianne.
"She couldn't stop talking about how happy she was for having a housemate, that she's no longer feeling lonely at home." Said Zenith while staring at Cindy who is chatting with some customers. That girl is very lively and friendly. She talks a lot. That's why Zenith took her for work so his customers feel entertained and for his cafe's reputation.
"There was no one renting the apartment before me?" Asked Serianne, genuinely interested in the topic Zenith is serving.
Zenith shakes his head. "Cindy has been working for me for five years. As far as I'm aware, yes. She's never got someone in her house before. The apartment's owner is my acquaintance so I'm aware of that place."
Wow, isn't this information is something?
"So...Mr. Zenith."
'This is my chance to dig as much information as I can. Who knows I can use it against him.'
Zenith looks over his shoudler, ready to listen to her. He's leaning against the counter with his back facing her.
'Try to act natural and friendly and maybe he will open up to me. And when his guard is down, that's when I'll strike.'
"How long have you been running the cafe?"
"...10 years."
Seeing her mouth gaps open without noise, Zenith sighs slowly. "Surprise? Yes. I start my business since I was 15. This building is originally owned by my father."
'Lie. You're a demon. Of course you made up your background.'
Serianne can't stop cursing internally and she masks it skillfully. "That's amazing, Mr. Zenith. You must have been so hardworking to be able to achieve this stage."
Zenith let out a sorry and disgusted expression. He crosses his arms over his broad chest. "Please...drop the 'Mr'. Don't act formal with me. You're not my employee."
Serianne chuckles and nods. She finishes her food and drink. Zenith takes the plate and cup before putting them in the kitchen. Serianne pays for her food before telling Cindy about her leave. She manages to give a last look at Zenith, who is wiping the table before walking through the door.
Not now. Not today. It's still too early. She needs a confirmation about Zenith's true identity first before finally bringing out her sword and judgement.