There is a saying "uninvited guest", but in this case, it would be different, I thought to myself as I looked at the person in front of me with a bitter smile.
How can I explain the current situation where the head of the organization, our demon king and president, is smiling and waving his hand in greeting.
He's holding up a plastic bag in one hand as if he's a college student going out to see cherry blossoms.
He's plainly dressed in black jeans, a white shirt and a pale blue jacket.
But he's the demon king and the head of this company.
Perhaps he's dressed like a general to blend in with the public, but he's so dignified that people might think he's some kind of prince.
I'm not sure how to respond to such a person when he or she appears with a souvenir, as I've never experienced such a thing before.
I didn't look upset, but I still had to keep my mouth from twitching.
Evvia has her hand on her forehead to stave off a headache, and Keely needs help, not nodding that she understands how I feel.
Hahahahaha! It's called a surprise. That's pretty fun. Shall we do this regularly?
Please don't.
To my dismay, the president of the company laughs, drawing letters in the air with magic and a big surprise success.
It's easy to be mischievous or not.
Oh, general! You came for a drink too?
"Kaka, I didn't expect you to invite the Demon King as well, Jiro, the Lord has come a long way!
"Affirmation, quintessential loyal boss
But unlike me, the president's appearance is a welcome development for those who are drunk and feeling better.
Instructor Kio, bottle in hand, hugs my shoulder, smiles and waves to the president with the smell of alcohol on his breath, and next to him stands instructor Fusio, also in a good mood, laughing.
And Amiri, who should not be drinking for all intents and purposes, greeted the president with a bottle of Spiritas in one hand, with a slight tint to her cheeks, which she should not have.
You can't sit and wait for the top management to appear, as any organization would.
But I didn't invite the president, and although the facts are about to be fabricated, I think we'll just have to let the moment go by the wayside.
The instructors seem to be welcoming you, and I hope you enjoy your stay.
I had to somehow smile and greet the president.
"Gahahahahahaha, General! Let's have a drink over here! I've got a whole bunch of booze from this side of the world.
Yes, the flavors are all quite good. Jiro has arranged everything for you.
"Recommendation, this spiritus is delicious
The instructors slapped me on the back and tried to lead me to their seats.
I was relieved to see them do so, but...
Hmm, that's good, but how about you, Jiro. Would you like to have a drink with me?
The president of the company softly refused the invitation and invited me to join him for a drink with a smile.
Kaido and the others watching from afar were amazed at the invitation, while Suela and the other women were quietly looking at us.
The parents-in-law were all smiles at the fact that their son in law was remembered enough to be approached by the president.
"Yes, I'd be delighted if I could.
I can't say no to the invitation from the president in front of me, of course, but I can't say no to the invitation because I'm under pressure from the people around me, so I mobilize all my facial muscles and smile, thinking that it's desperation.
You are able to get a good idea of what to expect when you sit down.
"Oh, you'll be fine with me, this is a rude awakening.
The president is concerned about the quietness of the space, and says such words to the people around him, but the space is more quiet than the noise from before.
The instructors don't seem bothered and have started drinking, so it's not so different, but other than that, it's different.
Evvia has joined the instructors, and Tatte seems to have entered the room, but she and Tatte keep an eye on us.
I'm sure that Suela and the others, as well as Kaido, also look at you often, but I can't respond to their eyes right now.
"So, Jiro-kun.
"Yes!
Haha, I wish you weren't so hard. I didn't mean for you to come over here and berate me or anything.
"Huh.
Even though it was a banquet, I felt like I was the only one being interviewed, so when I was called, I straightened up and gave my answer.
The president of the company said, "It's just that I'm not sober.
But that doesn't mean you can't relax now that you're sober, you just relax your shoulders and look at the crowd of bottles.
Well, sir, what would you like to drink? As you can see there is a wide variety,
Hmmm, I'm torn on this one. Then I'll ask for your recommendation.
"Is my recommendation?
In addition to otherworldly liquors, there was a crowd of liquors available in this world.
Beer, sake, shochu, whiskey, wine, tequila, spiritas, gin, and many others, I stood up and quietly reached for the whiskey.
It wasn't a luxury item, but a brand I would order for a highball at a former company's drinking party.
Would you mind if I had a drink like this?
To be honest, I don't know the taste of the other person's taste, and I don't know the taste of luxury goods, so I can only recommend a purely favorite sake.
This is not a cheap sake, but one that is reasonably priced.
The taste is not bad at all, but it's a gamble to see if it will pass muster with the Demon Lord.
I'll show it to you and take a wait-and-see attitude.
Okay, well, I'll take it.
After staring at the amber liquor for a few seconds, the president nodded and asked for the liquor.
I was relieved that I had bought it on a bet.
Okay. How would you like to drink it? There are many ways to drink, though.
Well, it's my first time drinking that drink, so let's just enjoy the flavors of the drink itself first.
"This drink is strong, is it okay to just put ice in it, on the rocks?
"Yeah, I used to drink until morning with Lydieux, so I can handle a little strength.
He didn't balk at my choice and accepted the glass I had filled with ice and offered him.
I heard him say something familiar, but I let it slide for now and said, "I see," while I did the same.
Well then, here's to the moon god for this opportunity.
Cheers.
He gently raised his glass to match the president's.
As he sipped his whiskey, I gently poured the whiskey into my mouth and took a sip.
The heat of the alcohol eased my tense body a little.
"Hmm, I see, so this is a liquor with a woodsy aroma, is it? It's quite flavorful.
I hope you liked it.
Oh, I'd love to have some if there's another kind.
Seeing the president drinking so happily, I decided to ask him a question, wondering if he should not say anything.
I don't drink much?
The vassals are so annoying. I'm quite confident of my health, but people are very anxious. Even though ordinary poison won't kill you, you can't eat a meal at a party unless it has been tested by a toxologist. It's the first time since before I became a demon king that I ate a meal like this without a care in the world, so it's been a long time.
I felt the alcohol that had been burning in my body recede at that statement.
You're the master of a country before you're the president.
You're just offering me a drink as if you were in the old days of business entertainment.
It's not a good idea, you think, and you look pale at your mistake.
Yeah, it's all right. The general and Evvia are here. No one is going to poison them through their eyes, and I myself know that you have no intention of harming me.
The president comforts me, telling me not to worry about it.
Those words didn't help, and with a nervous, stiff expression on his face again, he replied, "Huh.
And I'm the kind of person who can only defeat brave men, so how could I die so easily? You are still blessed by God. I'd rather be poisoned to death, which is unheard of and will go down in history.
I finally managed to loosen my mouth as the president amused me with more jokes.
He laughed and sipped his glass again and added, "Oh, that looks good, too.
He sipped his glass again and added, "Oh, that looks good, too.
In addition, if you find a distant dumpling, you can magically transfer it to the dumpling and heat it up in front of you with magic, then grab the steaming dumpling with your bare hands and eat it.
Hmmm, after all, the food must be warm.
The being in front of you is so freewheeling that it makes you wonder if he really is the demon king.
He must have been feeling really tight. Now he's the one who's enjoying this place the most in a way.
I can hear Miss Evia sighing in the distance instead.
Normally, I should be showing more dignity, but I don't show any trace of that atmosphere.
However, he or she is naturally calm because of his or her demon king style or because I instinctively sense his or her strength.
But he really looks delicious. It's rare to find a demon king who looks good with gyoza.
"Do you want some?
Then, it's time to take it.
It was not possible for me to refuse the dumplings made by Himikku, who was offered to me by the boss, so I quietly grabbed the dumplings and threw them into my mouth as they became warm.
The warmth of the dumplings naturally calms people down.
Enjoying the deliciousness of the dumpling, you are relieved.
Yes, while eating, Jiro-kun, would you like to try to fight me once?
"Gofo!"?
Then, just as I was about to swallow the dumplings, the boss made me an outrageous suggestion: "Hahahahaha!
Ahahahahaha! It's not so surprising, is it? Isn't it strange for a demon king to be curious about the abilities of a tester with the qualities of a brave man trained by the three best fighters in our country, Raido, No Life and Evia?
The president was smiling and carrying on with his story, not caring that the red bean paste of the surprised dumplings had entered his windpipe and was choking him.
I cleared my throat several times to calm my breathing, and when I turned to face him again, he was looking at me smiling and waiting for my answer.
What, don't worry. I'm still better at taking it easy on you than Raido. I'll make sure your life is safe.
I'd like to say that's not what I'm worried about, but that's not what I'm worried about right now.
......... president, that's not all, is it?
The only thing that could have trained you to see right through this is that you are trained by Evvia and her friends.
I could sense the vibe of a bad boy hiding some mischief, so I gave up half of the time, but I asked him back, and sure enough, he was right.
He was praising me, but I wondered if he was being deliberate in his acting.
The president in front of you is rather quick to talk about my ability to read the other side of the story, as if to say.
"Rejoice, Jiro. You're promoted.
When Pan and the president clapped once, a fanfare sounded, and when they banged around, a cracker-like sound was heard, causing spectacular effects around the president.
Thinking that every single thing we do is so detailed.
'This is what I've decided to do, but the old men in Congress are too loud.
Evvia is glaring at the president in the background as she continues to talk.
That means she's not listening either.
Indeed, just when you thought you'd be relieved to screw up your engagement to Evia, the old men are very hard-headed. They'll try to divert you from your promotion for one reason or another. It's fine to value tradition, but it's not worth it if it hinders the progress of your organization by making you think too much. So, you need to show them what you can do as soon as possible to shut them up.
I'm sure you're aware of the way he's looking at you, but he doesn't mind and pours a whiskey and asks me if he can have another one.
I quietly poured my drink and urged him to continue the conversation.
The story of the promotion itself is great for me, but it smells like trouble.
A lot of dungeon testers joined the company in the spring, and it doesn't look good to them. When I told them about this, they weren't happy. So if you fight with me and prove yourself, and then pledge your loyalty to me right then and there, I can promote you, even if it's in their hearts. Then my army can bring the head of the dungeon tester into our ranks. Or, as we say in this country, we can kill two birds with one stone.
And, as expected, the story started to get tacky as it became about the organization.
The old me, I would have been trying to figure out how to say no with a smile.
What do you think, sir? I'm good at it.
Now I wanted a place in the company, and an unheard-of ambition made me choose those words.
For the sake of Suela and the others who chose me, and for the sake of my unborn child, it's clear that I don't want to be talked down to, and I can't let this opportunity pass me by.
Then I can't let this opportunity pass.
Hahahahaha! I wouldn't say these words to something so ineffective.
After hearing my words, he looked into my eyes and smiled.
His words were enough to make me decide.
I will try to live up to those words.
Yeah, I'm excited about your results.
Then, after a long drink, he said.
Then let's enjoy the rest of the time. There's plenty more to drink!
As if to tap me on the shoulder and tell me my business was over, I was walking lightly toward the crowd of drinks.
I wanted to be able to live up to the expectations on their backs.