The night shift stretched on like an unfinished spell.
The convenience store lights buzzed overhead, flickering just enough to make everything feel slightly unreal. Outside, the street was empty. Inside, the air smelled faintly of instant ramen, disinfectant, and something vaguely cursed.
Yuwen stood near the back door, arms crossed, staring at a small box she had taken from behind the counter earlier.
Cigarettes.
She tilted her head, studying the warning labels like ancient runes. "Humans place many threats on this box," she said calmly. "Yet they still consume it daily. Curious."
Bella, restocking chips three aisles away, stiffened.
"…No," Bella said quietly. "Whatever you're thinking—no."
Yuwen slid one cigarette out with two fingers, examining it like a wand. "They ignite it," she murmured. "Then inhale the smoke. A ritual of suffering for temporary comfort."
"That's not—" Bella started.
Yuwen flicked a tiny spark of demonic fire onto the tip.
It lit instantly.
A thin trail of smoke curled upward, twisting toward the ceiling like it was alive.
Nyx peeked over from behind the freezer. "Oh no. Oh no. Why do I feel like we're about to violate at least five workplace rules?"
Yuwen inhaled.
For half a second, she was silent.
Then her eyes widened.
"…This is—"
She coughed.
Once.
Twice.
Then violently.
The sound echoed through the store, deep and rough, like a monster choking in a dungeon. Smoke burst from her mouth as her demonic aura flared on instinct. Shadows crawled up the walls. Her eyes glowed brighter. The air pressure shifted.
Bella turned around.
She saw Yuwen half-covered in smoke, glowing eyes burning through the haze, coughing like she was summoning an ancient curse while holding a flaming stick between her fingers.
Bella screamed.
The chips fell.
Time slowed.
Bella took one step back.
Then fainted.
Her body hit the floor with a soft but final thud.
The smoke began to clear.
Yuwen finally stopped coughing, blinking slowly as if processing new information. "…This is unpleasant," she concluded. She looked down.
Bella lay motionless at her feet.
"…Did she expire?" Yuwen asked neutrally.
From the counter, Vario slowly turned around.
"…What," the Demon King said, "did you do."
Nyx rushed over, kneeling beside Bella and waving a hand in front of her face. "She's alive. I think. She just got jumpscared by demon-flavored lung failure."
Bella groaned faintly. "…The smoke monster… talked to me…"
"Yeah," Nyx said gently. "That tracks."
The automatic doors slid open.
The manager walked in.
He took one look at the smoke residue, the fainted employee, the glowing demon general holding a cigarette like a failed science experiment—
—and sighed.
"…I was gone for ten minutes."
Yuwen calmly crushed the cigarette under her boot. "I have tested a human vice," she reported. "It burns the throat, clouds the mind, and provides no strategic benefit. I do not recommend it."
Vario rubbed his temples. "No smoking. No vaping. No experimenting with human weaknesses without asking."
Nyx added, "And no terrifying the staff into unconsciousness."
Yuwen nodded once. "Understood."
Bella slowly sat up, eyes unfocused. "Am I dead?"
"No," Nyx said. "But welcome to night shift."
The manager pointed at the mop. "Clean up. Ventilate. And if anyone sets anything on fire again, I'm docking hours."
As Yuwen took the mop, she glanced once more at the crushed cigarette. "…Humans are strange," she murmured.
The store lights buzzed on.
The night shift continued.
And Bella refused to look down the back aisle ever again.