The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 3 by Satoshi Wagahara Page B

us. That, and she can get to see ‘Daddy’ quicker, too.”
    “Daddy!”
    Alas Ramus, in Chiho’s arms, quickly brightened at the word, raising her arms in delight. She truly loved Daddy like no other.
    But Ashiya raised his head up from his depressed stupor to object.
    “I do not understand why my liege decided to take Alas Ramus in, but as long as we do not know the origin of this child, I feel it dangerous to bring her out in public…”
    “No. I agree with Chiho. We may have had quite a tumultuous time with her, but if we wish to make any progress, I feel we need to seize the initiative. The societal mores of this country would likely grow unfriendly before long to the idea of you caring for an unknown child. What if Alas Ramus fell ill? Would you take her to the doctor uninsured, without any documentation to prove you are related?”
    Ashiya fell silent to this justifiable counterpoint.
    Suzuno looked at Alas Ramus, comfortable within Chiho’s arms, the bawling from before now a near-forgotten nightmare of the past.
    “There is nothing to fear. I am confident enough that I can handle myself against your run-of-the-mill angel or demon. Once things are set into motion, we can decide what to do once circumstances change. That would be good for her, and for you as well, no?”
    “…Yes. But…”
    “And also note, Alciel, that no matter what our situation is, no matter how we clashed in the past, we are all in agreement right now on one central point—that we need to keep Alas Ramus protected, heart and soul.”
    “Dude,
I
never said that.”
    Everyone ignored the voice emanating from the closet.
    “
In
which case, I think it a fine idea to take Alas Ramus outside. It is the best thing for her health and happiness.”
    Suzuno’s gaze turned toward the closet.
    “I also feel that
his
presence is having a deleterious effect on her upbringing.”
    “Agreed.”
    Chiho nodded eagerly.
    “Hey, stop ragging on me!”
    He was aware of the pejoratives against him, but it still wasn’t enough to lure him out—a telltale sign of how unwilling he was to improve his attitude.
    “…Very well. But as my liege’s faithful servant, I cannot simply pass off the child he agreed to take care of without a second thought! I will come with her. On that condition, she may go outside.”
    Ashiya wolfed down the remainder of his bento with remarkable speed as he spoke, mumbling the words as he drained one of Suzuno’s energy drinks.
    It was a difficult sight to believe, considering Ashiya’s usual anal-retentiveness about table manners. But, the instant the drink was emptied:
    “Nh!”
    With a groan, Ashiya collapsed flat on his back.
    “Ashiya?!”
    Chiho hurried to his side. Ashiya stared into space for a moment, clearly in pain, before gently closing his eyes, as if breathing his last.
    “Ooo, Al-cell sleepy!”
    The carefree Alas Ramus was in stark contrast to the aghast Chiho. Suzuno couldn’t have put something in that drink to strike a final blow against the demons. Could she?
    “Grrrnnnkkk…”
    But, the next moment, Ashiya let out an enormous snoring sound, mouth wide open.
    “…Well, that was the telling blow, I suppose.”
    Suzuno shook her head in disbelief.
    “I woke up several times last night, and I was in another room. Listening to Alas Ramus’s wailing from inches away must have pushed Alciel over the brink.”
    Warily watching the closet door, Suzuno picked up the small bottle Ashiya dropped as he fell.
    “Emilia gave this to me yesterday. It was not the gentlest approach, I grant you, but without this, I doubt Alciel would ever allow himself any rest. Illness would come soon after, and I have noticed by now is that whenever Alciel is too ill to go on, the demons around him have a tendency to make things even worse.”
    Suzuno was pointing to the energy shot in her hand. The bottle read “5-Holy Energy β,” a brand wholly unfamiliar to Chiho, and its ingredient list was written in a script she