The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

gingerly walked down the staircase.
    It never dawned on Ashiya that he, himself, had fallen to the point where he gleefully made excuses in order to cheap out on a single stop’s worth of train fare.

    Sadao Maou, perched atop his trusty steed Dullahan, was on his way to work.
    From the Devil’s Castle in Sasazuka, it was less than ten minutes’ riding to the MgRonald in Hatagaya, assuming no snags. Thanks to the delay from Ashiya’s lecturing, however, the rain was now falling at a steady clip.
    It was strong enough that his beaten-up umbrella, with its bent ribs, rusting support rod, and clouded plastic that no longer offered full visibility, had no chance of covering for it.
    Yet Maou pedaled on, prodding himself forward as quickly as possible.
    It was the last day of the month, a Friday, one that always loosened the strings on his wallet a bit. An important day, too. His store was vying for the number one regional sales prize for the current special menu item. It made Maou burn with excitement. This was it. This would be the day when they would set a new record for Black Chili Pepper Fry sales!
    “I don’t need you yelling at me, Ashiya. I’m thinking about this, too…in my own way!”
    The lust was still there. His ultimate ambition, as always, was toconquer Ente Isla. But with no way to return home, there wasn’t much to be done about it. Even if he could teleport over right now, he would be cut down and defeated in the blink of an eye without his magic force.
    Meanwhile, in Japan, as long as you kept your nose clean, your chances of being slain on the battlefield were on the low side. And if you regarded this current routine as baby steps on the path to reclaiming the Devil King throne, it was even possible to retain one’s sense of demonic pride.
    For now, this was fine. Maou honestly believed that.
    He stopped at a red crosswalk signal, his brakes screeching as his front wheel plowed into a water puddle.
    Dullahan was a bargain, but its brakes, like the scream of an enraged mandragora, were one sticking point.
    At this intersection, cutting through a residential area a block away from the Koshu-Kaido road, there was a small park and a trendy restaurant, its walls covered with glass from floor to ceiling.
    Across the street, toward the direction he came from, Maou spotted a woman nestled beneath the restaurant’s rain canopy.
    The street was filled with passersby in search of lunch, but this woman caught his eye. She apparently had no umbrella with her. Even from afar, he could see her make a face as she wiped down her hair and shoulders with a small handkerchief in her hand.
    Her annoyed stare was pointed toward the sky as the light remained steadily red. She likely wasn’t expecting the rain. Even when the light finally turned green, she remained under the canopy, seemingly at a loss.
    Maou, ever mindful of traffic laws, dismounted his bike and walked it across the street. Once across, the woman noticed him for the first time, eyes turned toward his. He nodded lightly at her, then ducked under the restaurant’s canopy next to her, taking care to place Dullahan in between them to dispel any suspicions.
    “Um, if you like…”
    Folding up his plastic umbrella, he presented it to her, handle first.
    “Huh?”
    Her clear, refreshing voice sounded confused at first. She looked around her surroundings, unsure how to proceed.
    “Oh, I… It just started so suddenly, so I thought you might need it.”
    She had seemed like a mature woman, judging by how she looked and acted from across the street, but up close, she looked younger, perhaps even high school age. She was, at least, younger than Maou’s external appearance.
    Her flower-print, tunic-length top and tight, skinny denim jeans were a good match for her natural beauty. The rain in her long hair, slightly curled at the ends, gave it a sheen that made it all the more attractive. A pity she didn’t think to pack a folding umbrella inside the small purse