Chapter Text
November 3rd, 2XXX. Tokyo, Japan - 11:57 PM
Moving to Japan was something that Adam always had on his bucket list of things to do with his life. Having spent the better part of two years living in the land of the rising sun, wanting to just get away from the utter hell that was his life back in the States. Really, all he wanted was a clean slate, a fresh start, a new way to reinvent himself, etc.
Having gotten his citizenship to live there and a work visa to well.....work. He managed to land himself a pretty decent job tending to the elderly at a nursing home in Ota City, specifically a place called Best Life Minami-Tokyo. Having managed to pass a variety of tests just to get a special certification to work there. He makes some decent money, enough to rent a pretty decent apartment. Though rent wise he was going a bit on the cheaper side of things, since per month at the place he's living at charges him roughly ¥55,000 a month. Plus an additional ¥15,000 on account of certain charges. There is also the utilities he has to pay extra for but that's for another time. Where he lived at wasn't really all that far from his job. A bit of a walk, like.....fifteen blocks or so but, hey, it was worth it in the end.
But honestly living in Japan has been pretty sweet his neighbors were kind and welcoming when he first moved in, he's made....well they're more so just work friends, but they invite him to go out and have fun on what off days they get, though he politely declines. He honestly wasn't much of a drinker....or sociable. He was more of a stay at home, watch TV, and eat cheap instant noodles, bentos and junk food kind of guy. A total introvert, social ineptitude, awkward guy when it comes to making friends, keeps to himself most of the time, etcetera.
Speaking of the foreign man, the American was currently sitting in his apartment after having just gotten off of his long work shift, from noon to evenings, and wanted to enjoy his night as best as he could.
The apartment itself was basically like one big room save for the sliding wooden panel doors for the kitchenette area as well as the small hallway that lead to the bathroom. His futon put to the side by a few cabinets and the TV currently off. In the direct center of the room was a painted summoning circle that would typically be seen in occult stuff. Having a few magenta wax candles surrounding the circle as well, each one lit. The foreign male, Adam, who was sitting in front of the circle with a book in hand looked to be in his mid-twenties, specifically 26, with fair skin, standing at 6'5 with short red hair, brown eyes behind black framed glasses and a rather chubby build to him. Wearing a simple set of sleep shorts and a maroon T-shirt with a single breast pocket on his left. "This better work, or the guy from that alley ripped me off...." He said with a sigh in english before clearing his throat as he extended a hand forward. "Oh dark souls suffering in the abyss, head my call. Come forth, come forth, come forth. I beseech thee, listen to my voice and come to me. Devils and Demons, dark ones and imps, do my bidding and come forward to me! Hell's Gates be damned, come forward I say!" He said in a dramatic fashion. The chubby American looked around saw that nothing was happening.....and then sighed. "I knew it....was just a bunch of crap....." He said with a sigh....before suddenly the clock on his wall struck midnight.
FWOOSH!!
The candles around the circle had turned as black as the night sky and a streaming blaze of flames would come from the candles themselves and instantly melt them to the very base. "W-what the fu-?!" He yelled before in a flash it was over.
"Huh? Where am I?" A voice called out as smoke would be left in the room that slowly cleared out before standig there in front of the male, confused as can be, was a woman. She was a dark-skinned woman with very long pink hair, having two bangs that framed her face, she also wore black clothes with an open midriff, exposing her stomach and quite a bit of her underboob, on top of this she also wears a red cape. She also had these piercing yellow eyes and some dark purple lipstick on. The woman looked around still before seeing Adam and looked at him. "Who are you, and what am I doing here? Why was I summoned?" She said after noticing the summoning circle after looking down, narrowing her eyes at him.
Adam gulped nervously as he stared at her, blinking a bit as he kept staring at the busty dark skinned woman. "Uh....." He said, dumbly as he was utterly dumbfounded as to why an attractive woman was standing before him. "I uh....are you a demon or something?" He asked the busty pinkette, blinking as his face went red, seeing her underboob.
"I am a Hell Knight, so again why did you summon me..." She said still looking down at him with narrowed eyes.
"U-uh....well....you see...." Adam said before sighing as he rubbed back of his neck nervously. "I was.....I was given pamphlet with ritual on it by someone while I passed through this alley while on my way home from work." He said, sighing in defeat. "I...summoned you, probably by accident, because....I was lonely...." He said, looking away. And what he just said would take about a few seconds to register in her head.
.
.
.
.
"I'm sorry....you were lonely?" She said blinking looking at him, "So you think i'm some kind of succubus?" She asked with an eye twitch and was about to summon a weapon to use on him before she was stopped and stared at him as he explained the misunderstanding.
"W-wait a minute!" Adam yelled as he scooted back away from her in a panicked state. "I-it's not what you think!" He said as he tried to catch his breath before sighing. "L-look I just.....I don't have many friends....and....honestly I'm something of an awkward guy....I close myself off because I'm scared of getting hurt again like in the past and I just....." He said before sighing. "...I just want a friend....that's all..." He said, looking off to the side, looking down. "If you're gonna kill because of something as dumb that then....go ahead. Not like anyone would really miss me...."
".....a friend?" She said blinking in confusion, "You used a demon summoning ritual...to ask for a friend?" She said completely confused by this as she's never herd of someone doing this before. She looked at him before she ceased her weapon summoning. "I guess I can entertain this for a while...what was the summoning ritual you used exactly anyways...?" She asked looking around for the instructions for the ritual.
The young man blinked before gulping. "Uh....over here...." He said to the busty pinkette before getting up slowly. He walked over to a small tv-stand, small tv and basic cable box also. He picked up a small three page black and magenta pamphlet, handing it over to the female demon. She would recognize the instructions and incantations from something she once saw while going about her business, a special ritual that was concocted. A way for demons to gain more followers and handed out by collaborators. "Uh...some guy I met handed that to me as I was passing through and alley on my way home from work. Some weirdo in a purple robe, smelled like hot garbage mixed with sewer water though...." He explained, muttering the last part to himself.
She looked it over before realizing the last part of it was edited....and it bound her to this human. Her eye twitched at this as she wanted to lash out before sighing. "Well great...looks like i'm stuck here...." She said before looking at him. "I'm Ingrid...might as well get aquainted..." She said putting her hand on her hip as she waited for the male to answer back.
"Uh....I'm uh....Adam." Adam said, looking at her before he winced and held his right hand, his dark brown eyes looking down as a pink sigil would suddenly start etching itself onto the back of his hand. It was an intricate heart shaped emblem with small bat wings and a smaller crown at the top. Ingrid would immediately recognize it as the symbol of their pact having been forged, just with an exchange of names. However she would soon see, with her demonic vision, a rather...vast amount of life energy coming off of him. Something that a human shouldn't really have, an extreme rarity among normal human beings no doubt.
"Well at least i'll get something out of it..." Ingrid thought before sighing again. "And so our pact is made... That means i'm...yours to command..." She said, to him, although she didn't sound too enthusiastic about it. In fact she was just irritated about her new situation. "So what will your first order be?" She asked him having an idea already as most males are easy to read, however his request would catch her off guard.
"Well uh....you hungry at all? I can't exactly guarantee it's gourmet..." Adam said to the dark skinned busty pinkette, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Not exactly used to having guests around so..." He said, scratching his cheek in a bashful way. "Oh, hang on. Let me clean that up first." He said, talking about the summoning circle and the remains of the candles that melted. "My land lady does monthly inspections on the apartment building and she will have a cow if she saw this....." He said to her, soon walking to his cabinets by the kitchenette area. Yeah, she would definitely have to get use to someone being genuinely nice to her.
"Right i'm sure whatever you make will be...fine..." Ingrid said crossing her arms under her bust as she walked a few feet away and took a seat, sitting cross legged now, her boots vanishing in a flurry of black flames. She was confused, normally when a human male summons a female demon it's to indulge themselves...but this one was different, he was treating her almost like a equal even though he could command her to do anything. She would keep her guard up around him as she was not used to someone showing the kindness that this....Adam was showing her right now.
While Ingrid had sat, Adam somewhat feeling bad since he didn't have any comfy pillows for guests, he got the cleaning supplies from his cabinets. A broom, mop, bucket, sponge and some soap. It wouldn't be but mere minutes later that he had cleaned up the spot where the summoning had taken place. After that he would start gathering somethings from his food pantry and fridge, after putting up his cleaning supplies, and start to get busy on cooking. "Uh....if you don't mind me asking....since you're a demon, shouldn't you have horns, wings and a tail?" He asked, having washed some rice and got it set for the rice cooker. He would then also get things ready for some kind of gravy to go along with the ground beef he got from the fridge. "Sorry, gonna be a bit for the food. Not exactly used to cooking for guests." He said.
"It's fine and not all demons have those, some of us share the same appearence as human but with minor difference or abilities." Ingrid said to him as she looked at him. "For me it's my ability to control black flames....." She said as she raised her hand as a black fire ball appeared before vanishing as she closed her hand. She wasn't going to actual go into details about her power but she figured that would be enough to satify his curiosity about her. "So what is it you have planned after this meal?" She asked him curiously.
Adam paused in his cooking after putting down a patty in the skillet on his stove, staring as she did her trick with the flames. "Huh.....neat..." He said to her before going back to cooking. "Well....not much. I have tomorrow off of work....did plan to stay up a bit to watch late night TV." He said to her, soon enough flipping the beef patty once it started to brown on the bottom. "I'm a little curious, how does the hierarchy work in the demon world or hell....or whatever you guys call it?" He asked, tending to the gravy he was making.
"....Well it's not much different from you humans and your Kings, Knights and other class systems. We have a King who commands us all, Then we have knights and different rank of knights. I'm a Hell Knight which is the highest rank and report directly to the King, or well I did for a time." She explained to him a little surprised he actually wanted to know. "There are those of the lower class that live there, harmless demons unless provoked they tend to be picked on by the stronger demons however." She continued on before looking at him. "So tell me, what you do for a living...?" She asked the human hosting her. A bit curious about her new "master".
"Well uh....." Adam said, pausing for a bit before turning on the rice cooker. "I....working at a nursing home. Helping the elderly get comfy with themselves in their final years of life, when they can't take care of themselves anymore. Make sure they have it good before they eventually pass on." He said to her, looking down. And as she stared at the cooking meat in the skillet. "Decided to do this type work since I had kept visiting my grandmother when I was in school back in the States. I work at the Best Life Minami-Tokyo nursing home, it's somewhat close by, bit of a walk to and from though." He said to her, letting her know exactly how far he has to go for his job and the trek back. "Though I doubt you care...." He muttered, soon tending to the beef patty on the skillet and flipping it again before stirring the gravy in a small pot. "Back breaking work though!" He said with a laugh, soon lifting up the back of his shirt to show he had a few medical patches on his lower back.
Ingrid looked at him and looked at the food as she was thinking. "I can...help make the trip easier for you..." She said to him offhandedly. "I am rather skilled with magic, so I could do something to help you." She said getting a surprised look from Adam, "Don't misunderstand, i'm not as heartless as one might think. There was a time when the strong were meant to help the weak...your helping the elderly in their time of need so I see no reason for me to not lend you a hand as well." She explained to him.
"I mean....i can basically walk the whole way, but...." Adam said, blinking owlishly at the busty pinkette. "I don't exactly have a Japanese driver's license yet. I do however have a bike, but I save that for my own exercises like riding around the block a few times." He said to her. "Well, since you do this for me....how's about we go clothes shopping for you? I do have a bit of money left over, since you'll be living with me for a while." He said to her, catching her off guard with his kind gesture. He soon began to finish up his cooking, plating the rice first before setting the beef patty over it and the finally drizzling it in gravy. Garnishing it with a few chives, giving a splash of color. "One sec." He said, leaving the plate on the counter before soon heading over by his tv and getting another somewhat smaller table, setting it down in front of her.
".....You do understand the kind of arragment we have right? You summoned me and this pact makes it where i'm your servant...you can ask me to do anything you want and I will have no choice but to obey..." Ingrid said as she was confused by why he was being nice and still not giving her an order or something to do, she just couldn't wrap her head around it.
"Yeah but....you don't exactly seem like a demon to me. You're....more like a person than anything." Adam said before blinking, bringing her plate to the table. "Uh....and admittedly....one of the more beautiful women I've ever...had the privilege of being around...." He said, blushing heavily as he backed away from the table. Walking to the kitchen in case she wanted another plate of food.
".......I...see...." Ingrid said looking down at her food before picking up the utensil to take a bite of her food. And a blush came on to her cheeks as she ate the food. It was actually better than she was expecting. "It's not bad...you have a real talent for cooking it seems..." She said to him as she started to eat more of her meal. However she looked down a bit, wondering how the one she admired would react to her in this situation. Or a certain traitorous kunoichi for that matter.
Adam blushed himself and decided to prepare some more for her. Namely another patty as she ate. "Uh....well, Ingrid right? If you want, I can sleep in one corner of the room tonight. Let you have the main floor space in the center." He said to the busty pinkette, getting busy with cooking her another patty. "I have some spare blankets and pillows I can use for myself." He said to her. "I'll let you use my personal uh...futon..." He added, still playing nice with her.
".....No that wont do...." Ingrid said accepting the second plate, "This is your home and I wont kick you out of your sleeping space for my own comfort." She said to him. "I will sleep in another part of the room, and then tomorrow as you suggested, we look for new clothes for myself and we can look for another futon for me to sleep on." She said to him.
"O-ok then. Sure thing....." Adam said after giving her seconds of what food he made that night. "If it's not too much to ask, could you uh....help me with clean up? At the very uh...least?" He asked the busty pinkette before looking away. "I-it's fine if you don't actually want to, far beit from me asking a great Hell Knight for help with a small task." He said, deciding to make a joke about the whole situation she was in.
"It would be rude of me not too," Ingird said to him, "Don't make a mistake in thinking my title as Hell Knight means I think i'm above everyone else." She said to him with a small genuine smile. "I always pay my dues, yes...always...." She said to him as she took the second plate of food she was giving. "I will handle the clean up when we are done, you are my...master after all." She told him.
It would be close to an hour or so later that Adam would get some help from Ingrid with doing the dishes and putting away whatever wasn't just in the sink being washed. Eventually he would bring out the extra blankets and pillows, as well as his futon for him or Ingrid to use. She would see him set up his futon by the wall with a window, two extra pillows for his head. "Before you say anything, I normally sleep over this way anyways. Can't exactly sleep well when my head's flat, can't breathe right because....." He said, gesturing to himself, specifically his exterior since he has a "few extra pounds" compared to most men. "So...yeah...." He said, soon finishing up with setting his futon up. He then walked over to her and helped set down her own blankets to lay down and cover up with as well as her own extra fluffy pillow.
"....You are a very strange human..." Ingrid said as the two layed in their sleeping spots. "Not that it's a bad thing...it's actually kind of...nice to know that their are some decent humans out there..." She said to him as she layed there, it was very odd to her not even back home in Underworkds she was treated with such...kindness...it was nice. She had that thought going though her head as she went to sleep, but she was still aware of her suroundings as part of her still doupted that he didn't have an ulterior motives...but nothing happened and she had a peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile Adam had turned over after turning the lights out, his face completely red as he was mentally freaking out. "Oh holy crap!! I have a chick in my apartment with me, and she's a total ten! God damn, I feel so freaking lucky!" He thought before he took some deep breaths to calm himself down, just quiet enough so Ingrid couldn't hear him. "B-but she's a demon....she....doesn't exactly belong here.....and really me?! 'I was lonely'?! What is wrong with us!?" He thought with a cringe filled expression on his face.
The night would be rather silent after a time, the chubby american having managed to calm himself, as sleep would slowly take him. However, what neither would realize, is that Adam's life energy had been slowly transferred to Ingrid as they slept, a connection forming between the two.
A connection that will bring about a great change within the near future. And boy what a change that will be!