The sun was just beginning to rise over the city of Kuoh, casting a pale morning light over the commercial district. The air was fresh, the birds were singing, and the human world was waking in blessed ignorance.
On the sidewalk, standing in an irregular line, were five individuals and a fat three-headed dog.
None of them said a single word. All of them had their heads tilted back, staring fixedly upward.
The quintet stood in the street in pajamas. Or, well, if what the Fallen were wearing could even be called "pajamas."
Yugo Hano wore his usual gray sweatpants and a tight black T-shirt. Asia Argento wore an adorable pink nightgown with little bunnies printed on it, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
However, the ancient former assassins of Grigori had still not grasped the concept of "decent sleepwear for going outside." Raynare wore a black and red lace babydoll that barely covered what was strictly legal; Kalawarner wore a purple silk nightgown that openly defied gravity and public morality; and Mittelt was wrapped in one of Yugo's white shirts, which reached down to her knees, while hugging her gothic teddy bear.
But Yugo did not care about the dress code at that moment. His gray pits were fixed on the structure standing before them.
Where the previous night the modest, dusty, and humble two-story "Saturn" minimarket had stood... now rose a true titan of retail commerce.
It was an imposing three-story building. The façade was made of gleaming tempered glass, with matte black steel frames. An immense luminous sign crowned the entrance, bearing the logo of a smiling Saturn planet, with state-of-the-art LED letters that read: "SATURN SUPERMARKET." To one side, a paved parking lot with perfectly painted lines had space for at least forty vehicles.
They had simply gone to sleep. And when they woke up because of a strange buzzing sound, the store was already gigantic.
Raynare swallowed audibly. Her violet eyes trembled.
"T-This... this is witchcraft," stammered the former leader of the Fallen, hugging herself against the morning cold and psychological terror. "We went to sleep in the backroom storage area. We were surrounded by cardboard boxes. I woke up in a real bed and went downstairs and... and all of this was here. I didn't even hear a single hammer strike! How scary!"
"The construction golems of House Lucifuge are the pinnacle of Underworld efficiency," Yugo replied, his voice monotone, though there was an undeniable and profound gleam of capitalist ecstasy in his eyes. "Grayfia did impeccable work. No noise, no dust, and with the municipal permits integrated into the human database through mental alteration. It's... beautiful."
Kalawarner, pale as paper, looked at Yugo as if he were insane.
"Boss, you charged a personal favor to Sirzechs Lucifer himself, the Demon King who can erase galaxies, and you used it to have a supermarket built while we slept! What kind of monster are you?!"
"One with excellent business vision," Yugo replied, adjusting his glasses. "Let's go inside. I want to see the frozen foods section."
The automatic glass doors opened with a soft and welcoming ding-dong.
The air conditioning greeted them with the perfect temperature. Upon entering, the quintet was left speechless.
The first floor was enormous. Wide, shining aisles, shelves filled with perfectly aligned products, a fruit and vegetable section illuminated with warm lights, and a row of six state-of-the-art cash registers. Metal shopping carts waited at the entrance.
"Oh my God!" Asia exclaimed, clasping her hands together with stars in her eyes. "Yugo-san, it's like a castle! Look how many kinds of bread there are in the bakery!"
While Asia happily ran off to see the ovens in the pastry section, the structural reality of the place hit the three Fallen Angels with the force of a Vaxasaurian attack.
Mittelt dropped her teddy bear onto the floor. Her eyes filled with tears.
"This whole floor..." whispered the little blonde, falling to her knees on the pristine linoleum. "All this tile... DO I HAVE TO MOP ALL OF THIS BY MYSELF?! SIX AISLES! I'M GOING TO DIE!"
"Get up, gothic hat. You will be assigned an industrial mop with a wringer bucket," Yugo declared without mercy, walking toward the escalators that connected to the second floor. "Upstairs."
They went up to the second floor. If the first was impressive, the second was a direct assault on Kalawarner's patience.
The entire floor was dedicated to cleaning products, household goods, stationery, basic clothing, and a gigantic section of imported dairy and cold cuts, courtesy of the tax-free license Yugo had demanded. The shelves were taller, and the volume of products was massive.
"This is too much..." Kalawarner groaned, clutching her head, seeing her future as inventory manager vanish into an abyss of heavy boxes. "There are thousands of barcodes. My back won't survive this."
"You have demonic regeneration. You'll lift fifty boxes of detergent per minute and you'll like it," the professor replied, heading toward the private elevator at the end of the hallway.
Raynare, Kalawarner, and Mittelt shared a look of pure and absolute despair. The Underworld had not killed them, but retail commerce definitely would.
Yugo pressed the button for the third floor. The brushed steel doors opened.
When they stepped out, the store atmosphere disappeared completely, giving way to an air of exclusivity and luxury that left everyone open-mouthed.
The third floor was an open-concept apartment. The floor was polished oak wood. There was an enormous living room with white leather sofas, a television screen the size of a wall, and a kitchen with a granite island and stainless-steel appliances. Huge panoramic windows offered a spectacular view of the city of Kuoh.
"Wow..." Asia whispered, spinning around the living room in wonder.
Tamal, the three-headed pug Yugo carried under his arm, yawned, freed himself from his master's grip, walked toward an immense and fluffy Persian rug in the center of the room, and dropped asleep in less than five seconds.
But what truly caught the Fallen's attention was the hallway.
"There are... there are six doors here," Raynare murmured, walking down the corridor and opening the first.
It was a spacious room, with a king-size bed, a desk, a huge wardrobe, and its own private bathroom with a bathtub. She opened the second, identical. The third, the same.
Raynare slowly turned toward Yugo. Her cheeks turned deep red, and the warrior's pride tried in vain to hide the pure emotion she felt.
"M-Manager..." Raynare stammered. "D-Don't tell me... these rooms...?"
Yugo, already in the kitchen inspecting the state-of-the-art espresso machine, did not even look at her.
"The main door in the hallway is mine. The second is Asia's," Yugo indicated, pouring himself a cup. "The other three are yours."
Silence reigned again. Mittelt, Kalawarner, and Raynare froze. They had spent more than a week sleeping on mats on the cold floor of the backroom, between boxes of noodles and brooms, surrounded by dust and dampness. They were slaves, prisoners of war. They expected nothing more than misery.
"Y-You're going to give us... private rooms?" Kalawarner asked, her voice trembling slightly, losing all of its seductive tone. "With real beds?"
Yugo took a sip of his coffee. He adjusted his glasses and looked at them with that icy expressionlessness that terrified them.
"An employee suffering from sleep deprivation and back pain has a fifteen percent margin of error when operating the cash register, and is twenty percent more likely to break valuable inventory," Yugo explained with administrative coldness that cut like a scalpel. "I cannot afford that loss rate in my new establishment. Besides, I don't want customers thinking I have malnourished homeless women working for me. It ruins Saturn's corporate image."
The three women looked at each other. They knew their "boss" was a master at disguising his scarce, but existing, acts of humanity behind a wall of capitalist pragmatism and sociopathic cynicism.
Asia, knowing him better than anyone, simply smiled tenderly.
Raynare clenched her fists, lowered her gaze to hide the fact that her violet eyes were slightly moist, and crossed her arms in her classic tsundere pose.
"D-Don't think I'm going to thank you, stupid human!" Raynare growled, stomping her foot and turning around to run into her new room and slam the door shut.
Kalawarner and Mittelt did not have that much pride.
"THANK YOU, MASTER!" Mittelt shrieked, running toward her room to throw herself onto the springy bed.
Kalawarner, with a genuine smile free of malice, bowed to him before also disappearing down the hallway.
Yugo released a slight sigh, setting the cup down on the marble. His gaze met Asia's, who approached him with shining eyes.
"It's a beautiful home, Yugo-san. The castle you promised."
Yugo lowered his hand and gently ruffled her golden hair.
"It's only concrete and glass, Asia."
He looked at the wall clock. It was seven in the morning.
"Good. Sentimentality time is over," Yugo declared, raising his voice so the three women in the hallway could hear him, recovering his dictator tone. "You have thirty minutes to shower, change out of those rags, and go to your stations! Saturn Supermarket's grand opening is at eight sharp, and I want those cash registers smoking!"
From the rooms came three "YES, MANAGER!" in perfect synchronization.
...
Exactly twenty-nine minutes after they had gone up to their new luxurious rooms, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the inactive escalators.
Yugo Hano stood in the center of the main aisle on the first floor, holding a clipboard in his hand and wearing his usual inscrutable expression as he reviewed the inventory of the fruit section. He lifted his gaze when his "staff" formed in front of him in a more or less straight line.
Asia arrived with her uniform immaculate, radiating an angelic light that violently contrasted with the aura of misery surrounding the other three.
Kalawarner, Raynare, and Mittelt had done what they could in half an hour. They had showered and put on basic civilian clothes beneath the green aprons bearing the logo of the smiling planet. However, seeing them together under the bright and revealing fluorescent light of the new supermarket, Yugo's gray pits narrowed in purely critical evaluation.
The professor remained silent, scanning the bodies of the three Fallen Angels. Or rather, the way the cheap fabric adapted to them.
Raynare instinctively crossed her arms, a furious blush coloring her cheeks as she felt the human's analytical and penetrating gaze.
"W-What are you staring at, perverted manager?!" hissed the former leader of the assassins, trying to preserve her dignity. "You gave us thirty minutes! We didn't have time to put on makeup for your stupid store!"
Yugo did not pay attention to the accusation. His brain was processing visual data and remembering recent events. Specifically, an event in the forest training field, where a hysterical Raynare kicked Issei Hyoudou on the ground while shouting at the top of her lungs: "AND THE GREEN UNIFORM MAKES ME LOOK FAT!"
The man with glasses tilted his head, analyzing the claim with mathematical coldness.
Physically, Raynare had an enviable figure, typical of a supernatural entity designed to seduce. However, the generic, straight, one-size-fits-all apron she wore cut her waist at an unnatural angle, creating a "box" effect that indeed added volume where there was none.
Then he looked at Kalawarner. The blue-haired woman's situation was directly a workplace hazard. The Fallen's extreme voluptuousness was stretching the apron seams to the limit of structural tension. The green fabric seemed to be screaming for mercy, and the straps dug into her shoulders. If Kalawarner had to bend down to pick up a box of tuna cans, the top button would shoot off at bullet speed.
Finally, he looked at Mittelt. The little gothic lolita literally looked like she was wearing a green tent. She had been forced to tie the apron with three knots behind her back so it would not fall to the floor while she walked.
Horrible, Jose's corporate mind ruled. They are former elite warriors. They possess an impeccable aesthetic by nature, and I have them dressed like janitors from a slaughterhouse. This destroys the new store's premium image.
Yugo lowered the clipboard and adjusted his glasses.
"Raynare. You were right," the professor said in a monotone voice.
The one addressed blinked, completely thrown off. "H-Huh? Right about what?"
"That uniform makes you look fat," Yugo confirmed with such casual brutality that Raynare felt as if a spear of light had been driven into her pride.
"G-GAAHH!! HOW DARE YOU?! YOU GAVE US THESE CLOTHES, YOU DAMN—!"
"Silence," he cut her off, raising one hand. "It is a logistical error on my part. The generic design lacks ergonomics and does not adjust to your... varied biological proportions. A supermarket of this level cannot afford employees who look stuffed into cheap plastic. Corporate aesthetics are vital for retaining high-class customers."
Yugo pulled out his cell phone, a new model courtesy of the Student Council budget, and began typing quickly.
"I'm going to order custom uniforms," he announced, without lifting his gaze from the screen. "We'll change the color palette. Elegant matte black as the base, with subtle emerald green edges to maintain brand identity. Breathable fabrics, cuts fitted to the waist, and skorts that allow mobility for inventory work. Kalawarner, I'll order yours with elastic reinforcement in the chest before you shoot a customer's eye out with a button."
Kalawarner blushed slightly, but sighed in relief. "My back thanks you, boss. Seriously, this fabric scratches."
"Custom-made?!" Mittelt gave a little jump, excited. "Can mine have gothic ruffles on the edges?!"
"This is not a cosplay parade, Mittelt. It's a work uniform," Yugo replied, sending the message directly to Grayfia Lucifuge's contact, knowing that the Demon King's perfect maid would secure the best tailor in the Underworld before noon. "But I'll ask that yours not drag through the dirt you're going to mop."
Raynare, still dealing with the insult to her figure and her boss's sudden interest in how they looked, crossed her arms and turned her gaze away.
"As if I care how I look while selling gum to simple humans..." she muttered, though secretly she was excited to get rid of the horrid boxy green apron.
"You'll care when you see that the cost of the designer uniforms will come out of your year-end bonus fund," Yugo added with a sadistic half-smile, putting away his phone.
The three Fallen opened their mouths, outraged by the merciless capitalist blow, but Yugo did not give them time to protest.
He looked at his wristwatch. There were two minutes left until eight in the morning.
Through the immense glass doors at the entrance, a dark shadow was beginning to form. It was not an army of Rogue Devils. It was not the peerage of House Phenex.
It was something much, much more terrifying.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Japanese housewives, elderly bargain hunters, and university students crowded against the glass. They had seen the magically distributed flyers around the city announcing the "Grand Reopening" and the infamous seventy percent discount on imported cold cuts and eggs.
Their faces were pressed against the glass. Their eyes burned with a ferocity that rivaled Riser's immortal fire. They were armed with reusable cloth bags and clipped coupons.
Kalawarner's millennia-old survival instinct activated. She took one step back, breaking into a cold sweat.
"Boss..." murmured the blue-haired woman, pointing at the horde. "Those humans... are looking at us like we're food."
"They're not looking at you. They're looking at the dairy aisle behind you," Yugo corrected, walking firmly toward the main doors.
Asia ran to her station, turning on cash register number one with a brave smile. Raynare swallowed and entrenched herself at cash register number two, feeling that she would rather be facing Rias Gremory. Mittelt gripped her mop as if it were a sacred spear.
Yugo stopped in front of the automatic doors. He looked into the eyes of an old woman holding a shopping cart with a grip that demonstrated years of experience in urban bargain warfare.
The professor raised his hand toward the main switch.
"Welcome to the real Hell, doves," Yugo whispered, drawing a sharp smile.
He turned the key. The glass doors opened wide.
The horde entered like a tsunami. The sound of carts colliding and hurried footsteps echoed like thunder through the enormous store.
Saturn Supermarket was officially open, and the war for the discounts had just begun.
...
It was five in the afternoon, and Saturn Supermarket had survived its first day of large-scale operations. Or rather, the city of Kuoh had survived Saturn.
Yugo Hano stood on a slightly elevated platform near the cash registers, holding a clipboard and observing his domain with the same clinical intensity with which he would observe a battlefield.
The golems of House Lucifuge had not only built a colossal building in one night; the Underworld tailors had also delivered the uniform order at seven-thirty in the morning.
The result was visually devastating.
The three Fallen Angels no longer looked like sad janitors. They wore elegant matte black skorts that allowed absolute mobility, combined with fitted dark blouses featuring emerald green trim. The custom cut highlighted their natural attributes without becoming vulgar, giving them an air of high-end professionalism that had left more than one human customer dazed in the dairy aisle.
Even Kalawarner, whose new uniform had the structural and elastic support Yugo had demanded, moved while carrying boxes of vegetables with lethal efficiency and without fear of causing a textile accident. Mittelt, with subtle gothic lace on the edges of her apron, a small concession from the manager, mopped the floors with military ferocity.
And Raynare... Raynare was at cash register number one. The former commander of Grigori scanned products through the laser scanner at a speed that broke the sound barrier, handing over receipts with a forced and tense smile, driven by pure terror that Yugo would deduct a single yen from her nonexistent salary.
The automatic glass door opened with its usual cheerful ding-dong.
Yugo lifted his gaze from the clipboard. His gray pits stopped on the group that had just crossed the threshold.
Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Sona Sitri, and Tsubaki Shinra entered the supermarket. All four wore their Kuoh Academy uniforms. Despite trying to blend in with the customers, the aura of demonic aristocracy they projected made several humans instinctively move out of their way.
Rias looked toward the high ceiling, the bright lights, and the wide aisles packed with products. She blinked, completely stunned.
"Sona..." murmured the Princess of Ruin, unable to believe what her eyes were seeing. "Two days ago, this place was a dusty little store. Did your Pawn use my brother's favor... to build a supermarket?"
Sona adjusted her glasses, lifting her chin with a mixture of resignation and a strange but undeniable territorial pride.
"Hano-sensei's tactical and commercial vision is... unconventional, Rias. But highly effective."
The four devils walked toward the platform where Yugo observed them.
At the cash register, Raynare tensed upon seeing Rias and Akeno. Millennia-old hatred tried to rise, but when she noticed Yugo slightly moving the pen over his clipboard, the Fallen swallowed, lowered her head, and pretended to be extremely focused on scanning a package of toilet paper.
Yugo did not descend from his platform. He looked at them from above with his usual expression of gray apathy.
"Good afternoon," the professor greeted. "Aisle four for imported teas. Aisle seven for sweets. If you are not going to buy anything, I suggest you not block the main entrance; customer flow is vital for the afternoon metrics."
Rias let out a small nervous laugh. Seeing the man who had transformed into an eighteen-meter titan and evaporated Riser Phenex now worried about "afternoon metrics" was a massive psychological whiplash.
"Hano-sensei," Rias took a step forward, with a much softer and more respectful tone than the one she usually used. "We came to see how you were. After everything that happened last night... you disappeared from the club before I could formally thank you once again."
Yugo made a note on his chart. "The Rating Game is over, Gremory. The contract is broken and the chicken is in the hospital. There is nothing else to thank me for. Today is discount Tuesday for cold cuts. That requires all my attention."
Akeno Himejima stepped forward, placing both hands on the metal railing of Yugo's platform. The Thunder Priestess leaned slightly forward, with a flirtatious smile and violet eyes shining with a secret only the two of them shared.
"Ara, ara, manager..." Akeno purred, her voice adopting a dangerous and honeyed tone. "Is there perhaps no special treatment for the saviors of the club? I'm sure we could find a very personal way to thank you for all your... hard work."
Sona Sitri's heart lurched violently in her chest.
The Student Council President clenched her fists at the sides of her skirt. By Underworld law and family tradition, the man before them was her fiancé. He was hers. But because Saji had been the only one to open his mouth, and only in front of the Sitri clan, no one else in Kuoh knew it.
Sona could not shout at them to get away from her future husband without revealing the secret and causing a political scandal. She had to bite her tongue.
Damn Himejima, Sona thought, feeling her demonic water aura threatening to seep from her pores due to pure, hard jealousy. She is flirting with him right in my face.
"Himejima," Sona intervened, taking a step forward and using her coldest and most authoritative King tone. "I remind you that Hano-sensei is my Pawn. I would appreciate it if you maintained decency and did not interfere during his working hours. House Sitri demands professionalism in all its establishments."
Akeno glanced sideways at Sona. Far from being intimidated, the Gremory Queen widened her smile, detecting the unnatural rigidity in her rival's posture.
"Oh, excuse me, Kaichou," Akeno replied with false innocence. "I was only trying to be kind to our hero."
Yugo, completely immune to the hormonal cold war being fought at his feet, looked at Akeno with the same coldness with which he would look at a sales statistic.
"The only special treatment I offer is a two-for-one on liquid detergent, Himejima. And judging by how your uniform looked yesterday after Yubelluna's explosion, I suggest you take advantage of it."
Akeno released a crystalline laugh, delighted by "Jose's" dry rejection. Far from being offended, her devotion to him only increased upon seeing how he treated everyone with the same apathetic fairness.
Rias, for her part, blushed slightly upon remembering the previous night. The moment in her bed, when she had begged him to take her, and how he had refused in order to destroy the sky for her instead. The Princess of Ruin lowered her gaze, feeling deep respect and a strange new attraction toward this man with glasses.
"Truly, Hano-sensei... this place is incredible," Rias said, trying to change the subject and observing the Fallen's uniforms. "And I see your... staff is very well uniformed."
"Corporate identity, Gremory," Yugo declared, nodding slightly. "I will not allow Grigori's incompetence to ruin the aesthetic of my establishment."
At that moment, Asia Argento came trotting from the bakery aisle. She wore her own uniform, though hers included a small baker's hat that made her look ridiculously adorable. She carried a tray of freshly baked melon buns.
"Buchou! Akeno-san! Kaichou!" Asia greeted, radiant with happiness. "I'm so happy to see you! Try these, I just took them out of the oven!"
Tsubaki accepted a bun with a small bow, and Sona took one, relaxing her posture a little upon seeing the nun.
"They smell delicious, Asia," Sona said, taking a small bite. Her brow furrowed in surprise; they were genuinely exquisite.
Beneath Yugo's platform, a loud snore interrupted the tasting.
Rias looked down. Hidden beneath the customer service counter, on a mountain of expensive blankets, Tamal, the morbidly obese three-headed dog, was sleeping deeply. The middle head had a half-chewed bun in its mouth.
"Is that... your familiar?" Rias asked, trying to find the right words not to insult the useless beast.
"He is an excellent paperweight," was the only defense Yugo offered for his pet.
The professor checked his wristwatch.
"If you've finished your inspection tour, I suggest you go to the register or clear the area. The afternoon shift of university students is about to begin, and I need the aisles free."
Rias nodded, smiling with genuine warmth.
"Understood, manager. We'll go buy some things for the club. And... thank you, again. For everything."
Yugo simply nodded, returning his attention to the documents.
While Rias, Akeno, and Asia walked toward the aisles, Sona stayed behind for a moment longer. Tsubaki discreetly moved away to give her King space.
The Sitri heiress looked up. Yugo was focused on his spreadsheets. Sona adjusted her glasses, feeling her heart beat at a treacherous rhythm. He was the most terrifying man in the Underworld, the destroyer of House Phenex, but in that moment, with his tie perfectly knotted and frowning over a mislabeled box of tomatoes, Sona found him... irresistibly attractive.
"Hano-sensei," Sona called in a low voice, making sure no one else heard.
Yugo lowered the clipboard and looked at her. "What is it, President? Problems with Student Council paperwork?"
Sona shook her head. Her cheeks took on a subtle pink tone, but she kept her gaze firm, projecting all her confidence as a leader.
"No. I only wanted to inform you that... my parents requested a formal meeting next weekend. They have heard the rumors about your performance in the Rating Game, and given the circumstances of our... chess agreement... they wish to meet you."
Yugo blinked. His sociopathic mind stopped for a second.
"Your parents?" he repeated, his flat tone betraying the slightest note of tactical alert.
"Yes." Sona sketched a small, sharp, and beautiful smile. "So I suggest you buy yourself a new suit, Yugo. Because if you think Riser Phenex was a headache... you have no idea what it is like to have dinner with Lord and Lady Sitri. See you tomorrow in class, fiancé."
Sona turned around and walked toward the aisles with an elegant and victorious step, leaving the "Demon of Discipline" frozen on his platform.
Yugo Hano stared into nothing for several seconds.
He could face armies, monsters, and gods. But meeting demonic in-laws was an anomaly for which not even Grey Matter had a defense protocol.
The professor released a long, heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Damn chess..." he murmured to himself, before shouting at Raynare again to stop glaring at an old woman who could not find her credit card.
Season Finale
Thank you to everyone who followed this fanfic up to this point. I appreciate your support, comments, views, and giving this project a chance. We'll see each other again another time. Take care.