Chapter 896: Intermission : Cento & Cien ~ ~ The Change of their World, Together with the Sun ~ ~

—————The world is a small and cold place…… At least, that was for the two girls.

For Cento and Cien, twin girls born among the Demons, the world at that time was a very difficult place to live in.

Unlike Humans, Demons don't necessarily have parents. It's not uncommon for Demons to have no parents or even relatives.

For the twins, the world is so small that it was already filled up by the two of them, and it's a cold and dark place without any warmth.

At the time of their birth, the Demon Realm was in the midst of a period of great change, with the spread of the Six Kings and Peerage system.

The girls were living in such a time while supporting each other. Having a large city as their homebase, they worked as handymen.

Fortunately, the Demon Realm was still in disorder due to the changes, and it wasn't difficult for them to earn enough money to survive.

Both Cento and Cien were happy enough with that. They were good fighters in their own right, and they could have joined one of the camps, or even attained a respectable position.

However, they didn't want to do that. As long as they had each other, that was all that mattered to them. Having been living together for a long time, they now didn't feel like serving anyone, so they continued to work as handymen without getting deeply involved with anyone.

A turning point…… a sudden occasion came to such girls. Seeing a Demon who happened to be lost on the street, they asked if they could guide her.

Of course, it wasn't out of kindness. They were doing this out of self-interest, thinking that they could earn a few coins.

[Really!? That would be a big help!]

The purple-haired woman they guided for a small fee didn't really make them feel any emotions…… "until they saw her lost again the next day".

As they exchanged glances with each other with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, wondering why the woman was lost in the same place two days in a row, the woman noticed them and asked them to guide her again.

The next day, they saw that woman again in the same place, and they couldn't help but let out a sigh.

[……So, how come you're lost three days in a row, and in almost the same place? Are you stupid?]

[How mysterious, isn't it? The scenery today looks different from yesterday……]

[You're just one street over……]

The fact that she had been lost for three days in a row left the twins completely dumbfounded. Looking at the two of them, the woman…… Tre wryly smiled and spoke.

[Well~~ I actually had a long vacation and went sightseeing in this place, but this city is pretty complicated and difficult to navigate in.]

[……No, normally, when you get lost for the first time…… or at least the second time, you'd make sure that you don't get lost again, right?]

Cien threw a tsukkomi at Tre, but Tre only happily smiled at her.

[I did though? See, you guys are here to help me out again.]

[……We're just aiming for the remunerations.]

[Ahh! That's right, how about you give me a tour of the city while I'm on vacation?]

[Cento……]

[……Yeah, well~~ Whether we guide you around while you're vacation or just show you the tourist spots, it depends on how much you pay us, okay?]

[Fumu fumu, depends on  how much I pay you huh……]

Having come to the conclusion that Tre was an idiot, Cento, though dumbfounded, said she would accept the job anyway.

It would be easy to get paid for just showing her around, and she doesn't seem smart enough to be fooling them, she thinks that it should be alright receiving this job if the pay is good……

[It's 30 days, so how about 3 gold coins!?]

(T/N: If based on Kaito's conversation of money, 3 gold coins would be $30,000/¥3,000,000)

[ [ ……Huh? ] ]

Hearing the words Tre announced with a smile, Cento and Cien stiffened for a moment. Thereupon, telling Tre that they would discuss this matter and asked her to wait for a while, the twins started talking about this in a remote place away from Tre.

[……3 gold coins for 30 days of guidance? What do you think, Cien?]

[It sounds really suspicious, but it doesn't look like she's trying to trick us…… Could it be that she's the daughter of some rich guy?]

[Easily brandishing her money, naive to how the world works…… She really looks the part, but then why bother hiring kids like us who are no different than vagrants?]

[……For the time being, how about we take it? Of course, let's remain vigilant……]

[With 3 gold coins…… We can also buy those so-called magic tools. I guess let's take it……]

Many of the magic tools invented by one of the Six Kings are extremely useful, but magic tools are still in their infancy and are expensive, so they are out of reach for the two of them.

It's not that they want to be extravagant, but they've been wanting to get their hands on a magic tool called magic box that could apparently preserve food without deteriorating.

Therefore, they saw this as an opportunity, and while they're being vigilant about this deal, they accepted Tre's request.

And so, for 30 days, as they were guiding Tre on a sightseeing tour…… The girls were pushed around a lot by Tre. Tre is basically optimistic and acts in the spirit of "things will sort themselves out", which made guiding her a challenge.

On top of that, Tre wanted Cento and Cien to go sightseeing with her and have fun. Thinking that the rich Tre was going to pay for everything, they had no reason to say no and agreed, but Tre is so dynamic that they really thought that they would be able to get around the whole city in those 30 days…… They don't really know how to explain it, but they felt really tired.

Tre is an incredibly optimistic person, and she is very good at having fun. When something catches her attention, she would stop and her eyes would sparkle. Even when she only found something small, her surprise was expressed in a really exaggerated way, and in any case, she seemed to be enjoying the moment to the fullest…… For the twins, Tre was incredibly dazzling.

As a result of being dragged around by Tre, they have discovered new things in the city they were supposed to have lived in for a long time. They were dragged by Tre to a fancy restaurant that they had never been to before, and were astonished at how delicious the food was.

As the day went on, the frequency of their conversations increased, and before they knew it, their thoughts changed from "they're going out with Tre because she asked them to" to "they're enjoying sightseeing with Tre".

As the promised 30th day approached, an inexplicable feeling of loneliness began to well up in both of their hearts.

For the two of them…… their world is already complete with the two of them in it. But then, a third person forcefully entered their world.

From the world that was supposed to be cold…… The twins felt warmth from people other than each other.

[……Hey, you two, want to come with me?]

That's why, the words that were spoken at the end of the 30th day of sightseeing shook them to the core.

The smile on Tre's face was too dazzling to turn away from, and the hand she held out to them was too warm for them to shake off……

Thereupon, the twins took Tre's hand and chose to go with her. Then, Tre brought them to meet Kuromueina and everyone in the family, and their world became wider and warmer.

After gaining great strength from Kuromueina's teachings, the two volunteered to be Tre's guard to repay Tre for changing their world, and the rest is history.

Lying on the bed, Tre languidly mumbled.

[……I got severely scolded. Do they usually scold people like that?]

Seeing the sight of Tre who seemed to have been severely wrung out by Ein and Zwei, Cento and Cien smiled.

She was currently in this state because she had just been scolded, but since she is an optimistic and positive person, she would obviously be found in a little while.

……That's also the reason why she's been scolded so many times…… but well, they both know that she will never learn.

[……Esteemed Sister Tre, would you like something to drink?]

[Ahh, I'd like some tea! You know, the one I bought the other day? That one that smells like oranges!]

With a single call from Cento, she was already like that. The two of them let out a sigh, thinking that one of these days, she will forget about the scolding she received and go off on her own again just like she did this time.

What's troubling though is whether it's Cento or Cien…… They love Tre with all their heart and adore them with all their soul…… that they're somewhat spoiling her.

[Ah, that's right, you two, listen to me. I went to that seafood restaurant that Kuromu-sama told me about before, their food was really tasty. Next time, let's visit it together, the three of us.]

[Ahh, that restaurant. Cien and I were also a little curious about it.]

[What did you eat, Esteemed Sister Tre?]

Tre, who was already in good spirits, spoke happily, after Cento prepared tea for the three of them and Cien prepared teacakes, they joined Tre at the table.

—————For the girls, the world "was" a small and cold place.

—————For the girls, the world was already complete with the two of them in it.

—————Yes, that was until the endlessly bright sun named 『3』…… suddenly illuminated their world……

(T/N: For those who don’t know, 3 in Japanese is “san”. You know, sun. san. Haha.)

<Afterword>

【Tre】

She has a positive and strong mental attitude, but she has a weak combat ability. She is a very cheerful person and a moodmaker, and the family loves her very much.

She thinks that most things in the world would sort themselves out, always facing everything with a smile…… She never learns.

【Cento & Cien】

They are twins Demons, and are a bit unusual in Kuro's family in that they weren't found by Kuro, but brought back by Tre instead.

They are always being dragged around by Tre, but they both love their big sister, so they tend to have a soft spot for her.

【Tre's bracelet】

It's a magic tool similar to Kaito's necklace, and Kuro has put various magic techniques into it to protect Tre, so that if she's in danger, Kuro will immediately notice.

In fact, the first necklace that Kuro gave to Kaito was a prototype that she had made in the form of a necklace that was made to make it easier to write on, allowing Kuro to adjust the composition of the techniques and the balance of Automatic Activation, thinking that it was time to update Tre's bracelet with the latest technology.

(※ After she gave it to Kaito, she adjusted it frequently for him, so the current formula structure of Kaito's necklace and Tre's bracelet are quite different)