Eva wandered the streets of Devildom after school. Between the upcoming retreat at the Demon Lord's Castle and what Belphie had revealed to her, she had a lot on her mind.Â
She wasnât supposed to be able to see his room in the atticâŚbut for some reason she could. Why was that? She couldnât come up with any explanation. He didnât have any ideas either, which was why he thought it would be a good idea to look for clues in Diavoloâs castle. The problem was, she had no clue what to even look for. Plus, she imagined it would be difficult to sneak around and search the castle while everyone was there. She could claim she was just looking around since it was her first time visiting, but it wouldnât be good to be caught in places she wasnât meant to be. She wouldnât have a good excuse either, if they thought she was up to something.Â
âHuhâŚ?â She mumbled at the feeling of a few drops of water falling on her head.Â
She glanced up, only to be met with the rain dripping onto her face. She quickly looked back down considering how quickly the raindrops were beginning to fall. It was a downpour in mere moments. She stayed put, too stunned by the sudden predicament to seek shelter. She could almost laugh at how ridiculous the situation was paired with her mood.Â
Instead, she sighed and continued to wander down the street, looking for a good place to seek shelter for the moment.Â
Meanwhile, the demon brothers were yet again discussing where she could have disappeared to. Nobody had seen her since school had ended, since she left directly after to wander around. Considering the downpour, more than one of them was a bit concerned that she was possibly out around town without an umbrella.Â
Satan had left the house around the time talk about where she could be had started. He didnât particularly care about looking for her. Mammon was in charge of her, and at this point, she also had Levi and Beel looking out for her now that they had pacts with her. He didnât need to go out of his way to keep an eye on her. But he was interested in picking up the new book that had just been released from a series he enjoyed. He was lucky he had gone home beforehand, or he would have gotten stuck in the rain without an umbrella.Â
As he left the bookstore, he spotted someone under a nearby awning that hadnât been there when he had entered the store earlier. She was simply staring out at her surroundings, seemingly deep in thought. She was most likely trying to wait out the rain under the protection of the awning.Â
âEva,â he called, heading over to her.Â
She looked up, broken out of her thoughts, surprised to suddenly hear her name.Â
âSatan? What are you doing out here?â
âI was just picking up a new release from the bookstore. The others have been trying to figure out where youâve been."
He surveyed her. Her uniform and hair were wet.Â
"I see you got stuck in the rain.â
âYeahâŚâ she chuckled awkwardly. âI wanted to take a walk, but I didnât expect to get stuck in a downpourâŚâ
âIt looked like you were deep in thought before I called out to you.â
âMmâŚâ she gave a tentative nod. âYou could say that.â
âIs it not something you want to talk about?â He asked, picking up on her hesitance.
âWellâŚitâs more not something I really can talk about.â
âNow Iâm even more curious.â
âI still canât say,â she winked, holding her finger up to her lips.Â
He chuckled. âSo you went on a walk to be able to think without the others bothering you Iâm guessing?â
âPutting it that way is a little harshâŚbut it was so I could think alone, yes. I donât mind the others, but sometimes I do need time to relax and be on my own. The library is a nice place for that, but theyâve learned to look for me there. Itâs harder to find me when Iâm just wandering.â
âTime to relax, hmâŚ? Thereâs a place I would like to show you. Will you join me?â He smiled.Â
âUhâŚsure,â she was a bit surprised, but nodded anyway.Â
He motioned for her to join him under his umbrella as he stepped out into the rain. She followed beside him as he led the way down the street. To her surprise, he stopped outside of a cat cafe.Â
âA cat cafeâŚ?â She muttered before smiling up at him. âDo you like cats, Satan?â
âWell, yesâŚâ His cheeks were slightly flushed. âBut this is also a nice place to relax and let off some steam. Do you like cats, Eva?â
âTheyâre cute,â she nodded. âThere were a few strays that would come by the place I was living at back in the human realm because we would feed them. They were really cute.â
âReally?â He was intrigued as they went in. âLucifer gets upset if I feed any strays at the dormâŚâ
âDoes he not like cats?â She tilted her head in curiosity.Â
âItâs more that he won't allow petsâŚAlthough Levi had a snake for a period of time, which I think is completely unfair,â he huffed.
âA snake?â She chuckled. âThatâs a little surprising. But thatâs too bad Lucifer wonât allow any other pets. It would be cute to have a cat running around. Or at least strays that came by.â
âI agree,â he smiled.Â
The two ordered drinks before finding a place to sit.Â
âYou said you were picking up a new release at the bookstore before you ran into me?â
He nodded before telling her about the series.Â
âHmmâŚsounds interesting,â she mused. âMaybe Iâll check it out once Iâm done with what Iâm reading.â
âI highly recommend it. What are you currently reading?â
âA mystery I found in the library,â she replied before explaining it to him.Â
âYes, Iâve read that one before. If youâve enjoyed it, I could recommend some other series that are similar.â
âReally?â She smiled. âI would like that.â
The two continued to talk about the books they had read recently.Â
âI know you frequent the library, but I didnât expect you to enjoy so many of the things I haveâŚâ he admitted.Â
âWhenever I see you in the library I figure you wonât want to be bothered, so I havenât tried to talk to you muchâŚâ she chuckled awkwardly.
âI seeâŚâ he felt a bit bad that he seemed unapproachable. âYou donât need to worry about that. If you would like to chat, I donât mind. Iâll let you know if Iâm busy and canât talk.â
âDeal,â she smiled. âAnd the same goes for you.â
âYouâll never be left alone if you keep offering yourself to us,â he chuckled.Â
But he still felt a bit pleased that she was offering, despite voicing that the library was one of the places she went to be alone earlier.Â
âI live with six people,â she chuckled as well. âIsnât alone time hard to come by?â
âEven with that many people, the rest of us still get plenty of alone time. It's your attention my brothers want.â
âI seeâŚâ she chuckled awkwardly. âWell, all else fails Iâll just keep sneaking off to wander around like earlier.â
âWhile I understand, you should be carefulâŚYou are a human, after all.â
âI know. But you donât need to worry. I wonât let anything happen,â she grinned.Â
Before he could respond, she let out a gasp of delight. One of the cats had come up to her, rubbing against her leg.Â
She leaned down, carefully picking it up. It let her, purring in her arms as she snuggled it.Â
âIsnât she adorable, Satan?â She grinned.Â
âShe is very cuteâŚâ he didnât want to admit he was a bit jealous.Â
She stood up, keeping the cat cradled in one arm as she moved her chair directly beside his. She sat back down, practically against his side. The cat was still curled up in her arms, showing no signs of moving. He wasnât expecting her sudden close proximity. His cheeks flushed pink from the combination of the surprise, the cat, and the cute look on her face.
âIâll bet sheâll let you pet her.â
He reached out, gently running his hand along the catâs back. She began to pur once more. He smiled, continuing to slowly pet the catâs back as Eva cradled her.Â
The two continued to play with the cats for a while longer until Satan realized how late it had gotten.Â
âHmâŚwe should probably be heading home. Itâs getting late,â he pointed out.Â
âI guess so, huhâŚâ she muttered before smiling. âThis has been fun.â
âIt has been,â he agreed as they began to leave. âIf you come again and would like company, I would be happy to join you.â
âIâll be sure to let you know,â she grinned.Â
âSometime soon Iâll have to have you join me on an outing after school. I rarely go home right after classes. I know you are already pretty familiar with Devildom, but there are places I would be interested in taking you.â
âReally? I look forward to it then.â
âThe retreat is coming up soonâŚitâs going to be busy, so how about we plan for sometime after itâs over?â
âSounds good to me,â she nodded.Â
The two continued their walk home under his umbrella in good spirits.