Ashtarot massaged his temple, feeling drained by his bosses' antics. Despite his frustration with their possessiveness and obsession, he found it hard to be too harsh on them, a feeling he didn't fully understand.
However, their behavior was wearing on him.
"Ladies, this is Inari, the new guardian of the 14th floor since the last one died in an accident," he introduced Inari to them.
"Inari probably knows about us, so introductions don't matter," Sorrush said, crossing her arms. "How about we have lunch together, Ashtarot?"
"Yes! You must be tired and hungry!" Sarissa exclaimed, with Sorrel nodding enthusiastically.
"You heard what Inari said, right? So no! I need to talk to him," Ashtarot said firmly. He then turned to Inari. "Do we need a more private place?"
"HE? HE IS A MALE?" Sarissa was startled, and her sisters gasped, not expecting this revelation.
"Yes, I am a male and I hate men," Inari declared loudly, smiling at them.
Inari had sensed someone stalking him, and he was right—it was Kirzin and he could see him with with the corner of his eyes.
Kirzin had been persistently trying to talk to him and had even started following him everywhere. Despite Inari's attempts to fend him off, including kicking and humiliating him, Kirzin remained undeterred.
The three-headed sisters gasped harder, their mouths agape and their eyes lighting up. They let go of Ashtarot and closed in on Inari.
Sorrush holding his hands, Sorrel stood beside him, and Sarissa put her arm around his neck, all of them excited to befriend him.
"Let's be best friends!" Sorrush said, shaking Inari's hand vigorously while the other two nodded.
"Ah... Sure," Inari replied reluctantly, confused by their sudden change in behavior.
The truth was, Inari's beauty made the sisters believe he would attract many men and he might also fancy them.
But since he hated men, he wouldn't get close to Ashtarot, which meant fewer rivals for their beloved Ashtarot.
"So, what kind of things do you want to talk to Ashtarot about?" Sorrush asked, tightening her grip on him.
Inari, a kitsune with sharp instincts, felt stunned. Sweat beaded on his temple, his hands trembled, his ears perked up, and the fur on his tail puffed.
He was scared.
The woman in front of him, despite her innocent smile, exuded an aura that made him feel she might murder him in the most terrible way.
"Ah... I... It's just about hell," Inari stammered, trying to calm himself down as his heart pounded.
"I see. Nice! Ashtarot knows many things about it!" Sorrush said with an innocent expression. "So, why not both of you talk here?" she suggested, turning to Ashtarot.
Ashtarot gazed at her for a moment, not wanting to add another victim. He nodded. "Sure, why not? It's not something that needs to be private, right?"
Inari remained silent for a moment, trying to calm himself and organize his thoughts. "Yes... I just want to talk about the name list of people who go to hell. I want to search for my friend's name, if possible."
Ashtarot raised an eyebrow. "Friend, huh?" He pondered, brushing his chin. "I can check it for you, but it'll take some time since I need to hack the server first."
"Eh? Hack?" Inari was confused by his statement.
"Yes. I don't have any direct connection with hell anymore, so I need to get into their server for information. Don't worry, their protection is so weak even a high schooler could hack it," Ashtarot explained nonchalantly.
He enjoyed messing with their system and pranking them. If he could, he'd erase the server from existence, but he knew his father would kill him.
Ashtarot just wanted to mess with his father, not make him miserable.
Inari, understanding the implications, backed down. "No, I think I don't need that name if you'll get it illegally."
"Don't worry about that, Ashtarot enjoys it," Sarissa chimed in.
"Yeah, Ashtarot hates his father because he keeps disturbing him to take care of hell," Sorrel added.
"And we hate that man, so we help Ashtarot cover his crimes," Sorrush concluded, feeling proud they could help their beloved devil.
Hearing that, Inari was flabbergasted. Though Moloch had already told him that Ashtarot was 'not normal,' it was the first time he realized that even his bosses were worst then Ashtarot.
"Uh... If you say so, I'll send the information to your desk, Mr. Ashtarot. Thank you."
"No problem, I'm glad I can help a coworker in need," Ashtarot said, a small smile tugging at his mouth.
Then came the quick Sorrush, snapping pictures of Ashtarot, not just once but dozens of times in mere seconds.
Ashtarot was used to it and didn't take it seriously. He couldn't do anything about their obsession anyway, so he just took it like a gentleman, albeit one tweaking her ear.
"I told you not to take my picture without my permission!" he said firmly.
"AKH! I'M SORRY!" Sorrush flinched but felt excited since she got Ashtarot's full attention and, more importantly, could grab his hand!
Sorrel pouted. "I want my ear pulled too!" She moved closer to Ashtarot with pleading eyes.
"Me too! Me too!" Sarissa followed suit, ready to be next.
Ashtarot sighed. This was why he couldn't do anything to them. Pain made them happy, and being praised made them even happier. The only thing he knew to do was ignore them, but that only led to more pestering!
However, he was saved when something appeared behind them. She was so large that only half of her body was visible even when they were in the void.
She smiled brightly and said cheerfully, "Hello, everyone. I'm finished with my vacation!"