Beauty and the demon LuciferXRin

Chapter four Potts and Pans

'The Order is going to make you the paladin.'

Honestly, what is wrong with her? What's wrong with all of them? They sell off Rin and the second after they try and promote me.

Azazel's stand-in is senile, and Armumahel's stand-in likely has brain rot, but Shiemi... Shiemi knows better than that, loyalty means something to her, or at least it did. In the decade I knew her, she was loyal and stubborn. Have these past six months really changed her so greatly?

It's sickly ironic to think years mean nothing in the span of six months.

But it's no matter now. If they are going to offer me the position I should take it. At least then I can be updated on the war and Rin's condition. The order's second favorite hobby is hiding information, at least now I will be the one hiding it.

Their first favorite is being hypocritical, thankfully I have enough practice in that arena already. By even taking this job I am already betraying Rin on the path to help him. This has got to be some sick joke, Mephisto's likely having fun watching this. Nothing more entertaining than seeing the self-destruction of a former empire.

At least most demons aren't like that. Or at least Kuro isn't. Most days he walks around the house, playing with his toys or running around for fun, a few times he has escaped but he always comes right back, but I don't mind any of that, what worries me is when he stands at the door just watching it.

As if any second Rin is going to walk in just through Kuro's determination; as if staring could act as some summoning circle that could draw him back. That's the real reason I can't stay here all day, or else I would just sit and watch him, hoping his silly trick works for the both of us. If I become the paladin then I can get Rin to walk through that door.

As I get ready, memories come to mind, thoughts that I would normally never visit.

The month after I got back from the Illuminati after our battle in the tundra, Rin was so happy. He would be smiling at the oddest times and over the smallest things. When I asked why he was smiling he would say 'I'm just glad you are here'. He became more willing to study and seemed happier than he had before even before we lost Shiro.

It's stupid but I expect him to come home and see me, smile while doing paperwork, grinning at the small things again. Just like before how losing me made me cherished... I guess it's my turn now to cherish him when he gets back.

I don't know if I am going to be happy while doing paperwork, that's part of his job I never envied. To think I complained about my paperwork as a teacher...

Though that's just how it goes doesn't it? We are all ready to complain until we are confronted with something worse than we can handle.

As I grab my coat and head toward the door, Kuro catches the corner of my coat, pulling it back. I try to tug it away but he snarls back.

"Leave it." He puts his entire force into pulling the coat, if I were to pull back any harder the fabric would rip.

I pull it off and throw it over his head. "Fine keep it."

I don't know why he is being so weird over a stupid coat.

Well, that small delay isn't going to have much of an impact on my commute, not that I think Mephisto would mind. As the king of the time, I'm sure he has plenty of things to do beyond waiting for a stupid meeting. I don't even know why they want me to share my answer with Him in a meeting of all places.

Maybe they were afraid I would say no and thought he would be able to convince me to change my mind. If I was dumb and did say no I wouldn't listen to him, but maybe if I was dumb I would actually listen.