The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 1 (15 page)

After a thorough examination, her injury was officially classified as “light.” Nonetheless, the doctor went ahead and exaggerated a bit on his official report, smiling at Emi as he did.

“If I were a young woman like you, if something scratched
me
on the forehead, I’d hope to get some compensation from it.”

Emi let out a bitter laugh.

It was already past nine p.m. by the time everything was settled and she left the examination room.

“Hello, Rika?”

Being in a hospital, she used a green public phone, an endangered species in the urban landscape, to call Rika. Her friend answered on the first ring.

“Emi? Hello! How’d it go?”

“Well, the doctor examined me all over, but they said it was nothing big. He disinfected my scratch and gave me some medication just in case, but he said I didn’t have to take it unless it hurt.”

“Oh! Okay, I’m so glad it’s nothing serious! Where’s your hospital?”

“Shinjuku. The university hospital.”

“Got it. I’ll be right over, so hang tight, okay?”

“Oh, that’s all right. I don’t need to bother you.”

“Oh? Is your family there or something?”

A sensible enough question to ask in the midst of this catastrophe, but for Emi, it required a lie to settle.

“No, uh, my parents aren’t in Japan, so…”

“Oh, really? Like, overseas?!”

The surprise was evident in Rika’s voice. Judging by the background noise, she was already preparing to go.

“Yeaaah, that sort of thing.”

“Well, all the more reason I better keep an eye on you! I’ll go take a taxi there right now. It’ll be about ten minutes, all right? See you then!”

“Whoa, Rika, wait a—!”

Emi stared at the green handset, stunned at how briskly Rika had hung up on her.

There was nothing to be done. She sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before the receptionist called her name.

The way it was explained to her, the fees for her examination and its certificate would be compensated for once she paid the fees in her
name, and then sent an invoice, plus any other necessary documentation, to the appropriate location.

As she paid the receptionist, Emi recalled that her new purse was underneath the rubble alongside her commuter bag. That, and she remembered Rika’s monetary support: “You never know when you’re gonna need it at a time like this!”

She could bring her insurance card in before the end of the month to take care of everything, but even then, the assorted fees she racked up this evening were on the pricey side.

Just as she accepted her receipt and the prescription for her medication, she noticed a taxi stopped outside the lobby and Rika walking inside. She immediately ran over to Emi once she saw her.

“Are you okay, Emi?!”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks a lot. You’re being a big help.”

Emi brought the receipt and prescription up to Rika’s eyes.

“See? Told you.”

Rika smiled.

“I’m just happy it was nothing serious. Here, how about you stay at my place tonight? I’ve got the taxi waiting.”

“S-sure, but is it really okay?”

“Oh, of course! No need to worry about anything, okay? C’mon!”

“All right!”

Unable to protest Rika’s vigorous invitation, Emi was taken outside and thrown into the taxi. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of Rika’s condo in the neighborhood of Takadanobaba.

Rika’s condo was around the same size as Emi’s, but the smell of fresh building materials, wallpaper, and paint belied its very recent construction.

“So, anyway, if you aren’t hurt anywhere else, you should go take a shower and get changed first. I can lend you my sweats for today; you’ll be more comfortable in those.”

Rika handed her a sweatshirt and pants, both neatly folded, along with a hanging wardrobe bag.

“And put your old clothes in here. Better not throw them away, even if they’re ripped or whatever.”

“Why not?”

Emi meekly removed her clothes as ordered. The gray suit she had worn for work wasn’t particularly damaged, but her blouse was stained with blood from her forehead.

“Because you might get whatever company manages that food court to pay for it, is why! No harm keeping the evidence safe until it’s all over.”

“Oh. Makes sense.”

The concept of individual compensation provided by large firms, public or private, was unimaginable in Ente Isla. Even now, Emi still lacked a full grasp of the idea.

The prevailing system back in her homeland was still largely feudal. If a citizen summoned for some public construction project was hurt by an accident or a disaster, the common expectation was that he’d be given a pittance of a consolation payment and tossed by the side of the road.

“I’m impressed, though, Rika. You sure know a lot about this kind of thing.”

“Well, you know, I’ve been through a thing or two in my life. Oh, the bathroom’s that way. I’ve got some brand-new underwear you can take home, too. I’m pretty sure we got the same bra size.”

“Smaller than Chiho’s, probably.”

“Huh?”

“…Oh, uh, never mind.”

She sighed, not quite managing to stop the complaint before it crossed her lips. Checking the size of what she was given, it was indeed the same as Emi’s.

“Really, though, thank you so much for everything. I’ll be in the bathroom.”

Lukewarm shower water bounced off her body, instantly sweeping away the assorted events of the day and filling her with a comfortable sense of satisfaction.

“I put a towel on top of the washer in the changing room, okay?
Oh, and here’s a washcloth if you need it. The body soap’s on the far left-hand side.”

A washcloth was offered through a crack in the bathroom door, Rika’s index finger pointing out the soap container.

“Did you eat dinner, by the way?”

“Ooh, to be honest, I’m about ready to die of starvation more than anything else.”

Rika broke into a broad, comforting smile at Emi’s honest reply.

“Well, I’ll whip up something quick for you, so enjoy the shower, okay? You’re good for anything, right?”

Rika left the changing room, allowing Emi a few moments to fully enjoy the shower in silence.

“…Weird.”

It was oddly difficult to calm down. She was overly aware of her heartbeat, yes, but there was something about even that which comforted her.

Whenever she was struck down by foes in her quest against the Devil King, there was always someone nearby to help her. Many of them happily offered her food and board as well.

But she had never had a feeling quite like this one before.

It made her wish she could stay this way forever, as intensely pleasant and comfortable as the temperature of the water that coursed down her skin.

It was as if a soft light kindled itself within her mind, like she was being gently wrapped in an angel’s wings.

“Well, here’s to your good health. Cheers!”

The two glasses of cold mineral water clinked together.

Rika apologized for having nothing but leftovers to offer, but the simmered meat and potatoes she warmed up were a feast for Emi’s empty stomach. She eagerly worked on the dish with her chopsticks.

“If you’ve got that kind of appetite, I guess there really
is
nothing to worry about, huh?”

Rika smiled, relieved from the inside out.

“But, still, be careful, all right? Sometimes injuries like that can relapse and get you in trouble later on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything, Rika. Really. I promise I’ll pay you back later.”

“Well, it’s the least I could do! I mean, you lost your purse
and
your bank book! That’d be a disaster for anyone.”

After some more chitchat, Rika casually turned on the TV.

It was nothing but news reports about the corridor collapse Emi was involved in. Rika flipped through the channels at light speed, until she stopped at a music program.

For Emi’s sake, no doubt. Emi looked toward the TV stand, noticing a photograph propped on top of it. Her attention did not go unnoticed.

“Oh, that’s my family.”

The photo was shot in front of a factorylike building, with Rika, a couple that were presumably her parents, and another girl, essentially a younger version of Rika.

“Is that your sister down there? You sure look alike.”

“You know, that’s what everyone says! If you ask me, though, I’ve never seen the resemblance.”

Rika smiled. Just then:

“Oh, mind if I get that?”

The phone was ringing inside Rika’s bag. Once Emi nodded, Rika picked up.

“Hello?…Pfft. Wella
course
it’s me. Who else’re ya expectin’, calling up this number?”

Emi looked toward Rika, surprised. This tone of voice she had never heard before.

“Oh, y’all got that? Cool. Nah, it ain’t nothin’ that expensive. I drink it all the time. Plus which, ’ell, Gramps’ll drink anythin’ if it says ‘
shochu
liquor’ on the label, am I right?”

Rika had mentioned that she was born in the Kansai region of Japan. But the accent seemed a bit off intonation-wise from what Emi knew about the Kansai dialect.

“So I’m a-comin’ back in August, okay?…Huh? Accident? Oh,
yeah, that was right close to my job, but I’m okay, so… You tell that to everyone else too, all right? Yeah. Byeeeee.”

The short conversation ended. Rika was about to toss the phone on the table, but thought better of it and pulled up the charger cord plugged into the wall, inserting it into the phone jack.

“That was Ma. She was all worked up about the stuff on TV, but I didn’t feel like goin’ all at it talkin’ about you all night.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard your original accent before, Rika.”

“Oh, no? I didn’t realize. I always fall into that whenever I’m talking to folks back home. We all live in Kobe.”

Come to think of it, Rika did sound a bit different from usual ever since they’d met at the collapse site. Revealing more of herself, maybe. The thought made Emi smile.

“Wow. It sounds kind of fresh and new to me. I’ve never really left Tokyo at all, but I’d love to go out west sometime.”

The work paid well by the hour, but she was hardly a wealthy woman, and she had never enjoyed anything close to resembling a “vacation” in her life. If it weren’t for the Devil King…though she had entertained the thought of traveling around Japan for a while if she ever did slay him. But that was far in the future, if ever.

Emi focused back on her dinner. By the time the music program was over, she had polished off everything Rika put out for her.

“Wow. Nice job. Guess you’re just fine now, huh?”

“Thanks to you. Should I go rinse off the dishes?”

Emi quickly stacked up the dishes and bowls, dividing them into “oil” and “non-oil” stacks as she placed them in the water.

“Thanks! Just leave them there, okay? I’ll wash them later.”

“Sure thing. Oh, uh, you mind if I watch the news?”

“Mmm? Not really, but are you sure?”

It was obvious what they’d be covering, no matter how long they waited. Rika’s face darkened for a moment, but Emi nodded back at her.

“I want to check the weather and stuff. Besides, I’m sure they’ll have other things on, too.”

“Well, okay. I think
Press Terminal
oughtta be on right now.”

Rika picked up the remote and navigated the channels. Emi returned from the dining table and sat where she was before, facing the TV screen. The top news was the collapse in Shinjuku, of course, but they dwelled upon it for a surprisingly small amount of time before moving on to the recent rash of street robberies across Tokyo.

“Man, that sucks. My luck’s been so bad lately, I’m probably gonna run into
that
next.”

The observation from Emi made Rika look at her from the side. Then: “Dahh! Aw, Emi, you’re the best!”

“Huh? Wh-what do you mean, Rika?”

Suddenly, Rika gave Emi a hug from behind.

“Whoa! What’s gotten into
you
?”

“Aw, you’re just so
nice
, Emi. You’re so
soothing
.”

“Huh?”

For a moment or two, Rika swayed back and forth, rocking Emi like a cradle. Emi let it pass, not quite understanding her behavior. Soon, Rika finally spoke, still holding her.

“You know, ever since I went off to Tokyo, I’ve always tried to speak in standard Japanese. It was just so annoying otherwise.”

“Annoying?”

Emi turned toward her quizzically. Thousands of people flocked to Tokyo from elsewhere in Japan all the time. Several people at the call center still sported obvious accents as they worked.

“Well, like, if you use standard Japanese, then you don’t have to worry about people asking where you came from, right?”

Come to think of it…Emi knew Rika was from the Kansai area, but her friend never told her anything else about home.

It was, truthfully, something Emi never actively explored with her, lest she be tasked with completely fabricating her own childhood in response.

“If you’re from Hyogo prefecture, then all people in Tokyo ever want to talk to you about is The Earthquake.”

“Oh…”

Emi suddenly realized her motivation. She turned around within Rika’s arms.

“And that’s, like,
all
, too. Never anything else. So I stopped talking about my home, since it was just getting annoying.”

Rika’s eyes turned toward the family photograph.

“I was still just a kid during the 1995 Earthquake, but I’ll still never forget that day. It was really scary. There were a lot of small workshops and stuff near our house, and we had a lot of damage in our neighborhood.”

Emi was certainly aware of the history-making earthquake centered on Kobe and its environs. It was an era-defining event, a couple of decades ago.

“It was practically a miracle everyone in my family was okay. A lot of my friends… There were a ton of kids who lost family members. I was in grade school, but when class started up again, two of my classmates were gone. I tried to kid myself into thinking they moved away.”

“…Wow. I hear you.”

“So it really makes me mad, how insensitive some people are. They’re just like ‘Oh, how was the earthquake?’ It pretty much flattened my granddad’s workshop, and there were aftershocks the whole time we were at the rescue center. I was scared for days!”