Another Strange Coincidence
The Demon King leaned against my shoulder, her face twisted in an expression too complex to describe. As I supported her, I was painfully aware that the shock she’d just received was enormous in more ways than one.
Well… if my close friends suddenly came out to me like that, I’d be pretty shaken too…
Especially considering the nature of the demon race. If someone you’d known for decades—or even centuries—turned out to be in that kind of relationship, the impact would be beyond words. And since the Demon King had always been rather innocent about such matters, the blow must have hit her even harder.
At that moment, I thought it might be best to steer her away from this incredibly awkward subject and tried changing the topic with care.
“Um… Esther. What was that about earlier? It wasn’t like you at all…”
“...!”
The moment she heard my words, some color returned to the Demon King’s face. Then, with a faint blush, she spoke softly.
“I… wanted to brag.”
“...!”
“I wanted to act like a normal person for once. To show my close friends that I had someone special… that I was dating someone. Honestly, I never expected things to turn out quite like this…”
Her answer was simpler than I’d imagined, yet deeply sentimental. Hearing it, I suddenly found the woman before me incredibly cute in a way I hadn’t noticed before.
How should I put it… She reminds me of a girl who’s eager to try something new for the first time.
To others it might seem ordinary, but she longed for that very normalcy. Feeling a fresh wave of affection for this side of the Demon King, a small smile naturally formed on my lips.
“That aside… what should we do now, Hero? We left the restaurant without even finishing our meal.”
“That’s true, but… what can we do? Most places are packed at a time like this…”
To be honest, the current situation—fleeing from the high-end restaurant I’d gone through so much trouble to reserve—had completely exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t come up with a proper backup plan. On top of that, because it was Immanuelmas, nearly every upscale establishment was already fully booked. Yet we couldn’t simply skip dinner and move on to the next part of the date, so I felt genuinely stumped.
That was when—
“Ah, Hero. Let’s go there.”
“Huh? B-but that place is…”
“You know it too, don’t you? That I like that spot. Since things have come to this, let us dine there.”
The Demon King pointed with a bright smile at a certain location. It was the very same ordinary snack shop we had visited once before during our last date. A completely unremarkable place with no fancy decorations or romantic atmosphere whatsoever.
Yet looking at it now, I suddenly thought that perhaps this kind of simple location actually suited her quite well. A small smile crept across my face.
“Understood. If that is what Your Majesty desires, I’ll gladly accompany you.”
Coincidences have a way of creating connections that lead to completely unexpected situations. And at this very moment, in a quiet back alley away from the crowds, another strange encounter of a different kind was unfolding.
“You… How is a bastard who should be rotting in prison walking around freely?”
“What a filthy human. To think you would take our precious comrade hostage on a day like Immanuelmas. If you release Shamyuel right now, I’ll grant you a painless death.”
In the middle of the street, two figures radiated terrifying demonic energy. They were none other than the Demon Kingdom’s legion commanders, Ilios and Samson. Even one of them would be a formidable opponent on the battlefield. The man facing them—Hector, the current Hero and the one who had reserved a performance hall for a date with his official girlfriend—felt a deep sense of awkwardness as he recalled that he had been treated similarly once before.
At that moment…
“Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I don’t know why the news hasn’t reached you yet, but Hector has already been pardoned by Her Majesty the Demon King.”
“Pardoned?”
“Is that true? Then why would someone like him be with you on a day like today…”
Even in this situation, Shamyuel remained perfectly calm. The two commanders slightly lowered the intensity of their menacing energy and asked for clarification. In response, Shamyuel tilted her head slightly, as if wondering why they were asking something so obvious.
“Isn’t it obvious? If I’m with a man on Immanuelmas, then of course we’re in this kind of relationship… is what it is.”
With those words, Shamyuel grabbed Hector’s head. And then—
-chu!
“??!!!”
“Eh…? Eh…??”
The two legion commanders were instantly struck with profound shock at the completely unexpected sight. Paying no attention to their reactions, Shamyuel continued the deep, passionate kiss with Hector.
A moment later…
“Haa… Now do you understand? We are in this kind of relationship… is what it is.”
“…”
“Ah…”
“Ahem… ahem…”
Having witnessed such a shocking scene unfold right before their eyes, the two commanders were momentarily speechless. Hector, who had been suddenly kissed by his lover, wore a dazed expression caught between ecstasy and shock.
After a while, Samson and Ilios finally regained their composure and began apologizing for their misunderstanding.
“S-sorry. It seems we misunderstood the situation.”
“I… also reacted too sensitively. I apologize.”
The two of them readily admitted their mistake and sought forgiveness. Seeing this, Shamyuel nodded in understanding and asked,
“Well… you two have been busy patrolling the frontiers, so I understand. By the way, what are you two doing here?”
Shamyuel asked with mild curiosity. Since the three of them were all legion commanders, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be together on official business. In response to her question, Samson and Ilios glanced at each other briefly before nodding lightly.
And then—
“We’re the same.”
“We’re dating. We’re on our way to watch a performance together right now.”
“Ah… I see… so the two of you were in a relationship… WHAaaaaaaaaaaAT?!?!”
For a brief moment, Shamyuel’s face froze into a ◎□◎ expression as she displayed an emotion of pure shock that she had never shown before. Seeing her like this, Samson blushed slightly and said,
“Why are you so surprised? I’m more surprised that you and that Hero are dating.”
“B-but… but how? Everyone in the Demon Kingdom—every high-ranking official, every legion commander—knows that the two of you don’t get along… is what it is!”
“Well… that’s true, but… somehow it ended up this way.”
“I don’t really know how it happened either. But the fact that we’re dating is an undeniable truth.”
With those words, Ilios and Samson subtly pressed their bodies closer together. Watching the beauty-and-the-beast combination before her, Shamyuel felt her head spin a little and leaned against Hector.
“A-are you okay?”
“U-um… I-I’m… fine… It was just… a bit of a shock… is what it is.”
Shamyuel shook her head lightly as if her brain had momentarily shut down and rebooted, then regained her composure. Seeing her like that, Ilios asked carefully,
“Anyway, we were planning to watch Bathsheba’s performance from now on. What are your plans?”
“Hmm?… Oh… what a coincidence. We’re doing the same. I barely managed to get tickets for this one.”
“In that case… since we’re heading the same way, would you like to go together?”
“Well… then let’s do that… is what it is.”
Still not entirely free from the shock of discovering each other’s relationships, the two pairs ended up accompanying one another by sheer coincidence.
A short while later, they arrived at a massive circular amphitheater. Countless people had already taken their seats. In that place, four of the top ten strongest fighters in the entire Demon Kingdom sat side by side.
Soon after, Ilios’s eyes naturally fell on Shamyuel, who was sitting right beside her and casually resting her head on her lover’s shoulder.
“How is it?”
“It feels good… is what it is.”
Hector gently stroked Shamyuel’s horn in a natural motion, while she responded with a ●_● expression. Watching them, Ilios felt a faint pang of envy.