"Well, talk about a bonus score."
Nero smirked to herself as she ducked behind the counter. She hadn't taken this gig at the coffee shop just to eavesdrop on the two girls chatting nearby, though that was a nice perk. Sure, earning some pocket change to avoid burning through her funds was part of it, but the real reason? Paying back the shop's owner.
Yup, the guy running Haneza Coffee was an old buddy of Dante's from his mercenary days—the one who'd pulled strings to sort out Nero's study visa and a bunch of other headaches. He'd claimed it was just repaying a favor to Dante, but Nero wasn't about to let that slide without some gratitude. So, here she was, slinging coffee.
Catching Aine and Sosei in the shop on her first day? Pure luck—and the good kind. From what she'd overheard, some shady weirdo was out there using "wishes" as bait to lure underage girls. Classic demon scam, if you asked her.
Nero kept her ears sharp, tuning into their conversation. Sosei was clearly trying to steer clear of her, but that was no big deal—Nero wasn't just any barista; she was a devil hunter with a demonic edge.
"Uh, well…" Aine fumbled, caught off guard when Nero had called her a "friend" earlier, which clashed with what she'd just told Sosei. "Maybe, like, 'friend' means something different to foreigners, haha~"
"Could be," Sosei said smoothly, letting the topic slide without calling her out. She shifted gears to the main event. "So, Aine, what do you think about Ace's offer?"
Aine leaned back in her chair, hands still behind her head, casual as ever. "Sounds too good to be true, y'know?"
"That's what I thought at first too," Sosei replied, gracefully lifting her teacup by the handle and taking a delicate sip, her smile soft. Aine blinked, clearly thrown by the elegance.
"I never asked before…" Aine started cautiously, "but what school do you go to, Sosei?"
"Tsukimori. Why, something on your mind?"
"I knew it! Er, I mean…" Aine straightened up, a bit nervous. "It's just, the way you carry yourself—it's so refined, like a proper heiress."
"Am I now?"
Sosei's poised demeanor softened just a touch at the compliment. "If you're saying that, I guess I've done a good job mimicking the part."
"Mimicking?"
"Yup, mimicking," Sosei said with a playful grin. "I only started at Tsukimori in junior high. That's when I began copying my classmates' manners. If we're talking real heiresses, that'd be someone like Fortuna over there."
Nero, still listening in, blinked. How'd I get dragged into this?
The topic fizzled out as Sosei steered the conversation back on track. "What I want to warn you about, Aine, is the danger."
"Danger?" Aine paused, her spoon hovering over her tea as she stirred in sugar, looking clueless.
"Of course." Sosei's smile took on a darker edge. "You don't think fighting demons is all fun and games, do you?"
"Uh…"
Sosei had hit the nail on the head. Aine, ever the optimist, hadn't even considered the downsides. To her, the worst-case scenario was nodding off in class after a late-night demon hunt. After all, if you've got the power to fight demons, how could they possibly hurt you?
But Sosei shut that down fast. "It's dangerous, Aine. Really dangerous."
"Fighting demons?" Nero's brow furrowed as she pieced it together. Flashing back to her run-in with Sosei last night, she realized the magic weapon Sosei wielded had to come from this "Ace" character. So, this creep was granting wishes to hook girls, then arming them with demon-sealed weapons to hunt other demons.
What Nero couldn't wrap her head around was how it was granting wishes. This was the Devil May Cry world—demonic power was the only game in town. The weapons Sosei and the others used were magic tools, forged from defeated or sealed demons. That alone proved there was no other power at play here, unless Nero's devil senses were off.
So, who—or what—was this "Ace"? Where was it getting the juice to make wishes come true? And if someone wished for something impossible, wouldn't the whole "wish-granting" scam fall apart? No way demon power could cover every wish—Nero would bet even Mundus, the Demon Emperor himself, couldn't pull that off.
"Even if you say it's dangerous…"
Aine's voice snapped Nero back to the moment. She glanced over to see Aine awkwardly mimicking Sosei's dainty teacup grip. "I still can't really picture it."
She took a sip, only for Sosei to drop a bombshell. "Let me be blunt—you could die."
"Cough, cough!" Aine choked on her tea, spluttering.
Sosei, cool as ever, tilted her head. "Need a handkerchief?"
"N-No, I'm good," Aine gasped, catching her breath before looking at Sosei with wide eyes. "You said die… Has someone actually died?"
Sosei's smile faded, her gaze growing heavy. "No one I know personally… not yet. But we're not the first to make deals with Ace, and we've never met any of the earlier 'seniors.' You get what that means, right?"
Aine shivered, the implication hitting hard.
Sosei took another slow sip of tea, her voice calm but firm. "That's why I'm not pushing you to make a wish, even though I'd love to have another ally. If you say no, no one's gonna hold it against you."
"Th-Thanks…" Aine mumbled.
"Don't mention it. That's all I can say."
Silence settled between them, broken only by the faint clink of teacups as they drank.
"Welcome~!"
Nero's cheery greeting rang out as the shop door jingled, startling Aine. She glanced at her empty teacup, then up at Sosei. "Um… Sosei…"
Sosei set down her own empty cup, her expression gentle. "Don't worry about it. Just do what feels right. Like I said, no one's gonna blame you for saying no.
"It's a matter of life and death, after all."
Aine stood, giving her a small nod. "Thanks. I'll think it over."
"Good. That's all I ask."
Nero, having just greeted a new customer, swooped in with perfect timing. Sosei stood as well, turning to her. "I'd like to settle the bill, please."
"Right this way~," Nero chirped, flashing her flawless customer-service smile.