

I Was Summoned To Have Tea With The Demon Lord, But Now That I'm Stuck In This Other World, I Guess

 

I Was Summoned To Have Tea With The Demon Lord, But Now That I'm Stuck In This Other World, I Guess

Oolong

"Hiyori!"

"Yes, boss?"

"Take this to the back room."

"On it, boss."

I pick up the box of tea satchels and make my way carefully to the back of the store, dodging customers and my fellow part-timers.

My name is Hiyori Chiba, sixteen years old, and I work at The Flowering Tea Emporium. It's a big name for such a hole-in-the-wall place. In fact, it's a big name for a place in danger of going under.

The rest of the day goes by without a single problem. Everyone is polite. Everything is run-of-the-mill ordinary. It's so boring, I could die. Let me die.

I've always had a plan: when I graduate, I'm going to join the police force. So why am I working in a tea shop? Because girls have gone missing lately and the only common denominator is this store. The police are starting to give up, but I won't. I'm determined to start my career before I even join the force by cracking the case wide open.

"Hiyori."

"Yes, boss?"

"Have this oolong before you leave."

"Thank you."

Even though I want to get home as fast as possible, it would be rude to refuse. I pensively watch the steam rise from the cup and then check my reflection inside the darkish liquid.

Looking good, Hiyorin, I tell myself.

"Looking good, Hiyorin," my reflection repeats in a distorted voice, its mouth moving to match the words. It smiles, even though I'm frowning.

What?

I look around for the person pulling my leg.

"Boss?"

No answer.

"Boss?"

The shop is entirely quiet. I can't even hear his footfalls. All of the other employees must have gone home already. The walls are closing in—

No matter how I look at it, the room is contracting. My teacup rattles on the table, but it makes no sound. I try to speak, but now even my own words can't be heard. My body is sluggish when I try to stand up. Surely the tea was drugged and I'm inhaling the fumes of it and hallucinating. That no-good boss, I should have suspected him from the start!

My stomach does a barrel roll and light flashes before my eyes, the walls becoming too bright as they move ever inwards. I'm going to be sick.

The last thing I recognize before I pass out is the smell of the oolong tea I never had a chance to take a sip of.

***

"Welcome. Are you awake?" an unfamiliar voice asks me.

I yelp and jump back in surprise, sinking further into the comfortable couch I've been placed on. The person who spoke to me, if you can call them that, has purple skin, mismatched blue and red eyes, and two horns poking out of their head. They're dressed in an immaculate suit, like some kind of butler.

"I'm not awake," I tell them. "I'm still hallucinating."

"It's only natural to be wary of a new world," they say. Their voice is soothing. I still can't tell if they're a man or woman, but I doubt that's important. "But consider yourself lucky! You've been summoned by His Majesty."

"His Majesty?"

What kind of bullshit is this? A cosplay cult?

"His Majesty, the Demon Lord of Camellia, the one and only Lord Sinensis."

"Okay. I'm going to close my eyes," I tell them, "And when I open them again, I'm going to be on a car driving back to The Flowering Tea Emporium or I'm calling the police."

"A car, my lady?"

"A car. A train. An airplane." I speak through gritted teeth. "I don't care what it is. However I got here, do the same thing to get me back."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," they say.

"Why not?"

"Because His Majesty would be displeased. And... the summoning spell only works one way."

Summoning spell?

Wait, why am I wasting my time with this? I'm not restrained in any way. I pull my cell out of my pocket and prepare to dial the police, but there's no reception. Shit.

"The others had those strange devices, too. What are they?"

"My cell phone?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"It's... a cell phone," I answer flatly.

This cosplay freak can't be real.

"What does it do?"

"You use it to make calls, access the internet..."

As I explain, there's only confusion in those mismatched eyes. Which color eye is the real one and which is a contact, I wonder? It's really high quality if I can't tell from up this close.

"Forgive me. I don't understand a word."

"Aren't you a little too old to be playing games like this?"

They look taken aback. "I am not more than two hundred and fifteen."

"Like I said, too old—Two hundred and fifteen?" I rub my temples. "Okay. I'll bite. Give me the bullshit story and I'll escape later, when I've found the other girls."

"I don't know how you know about them, but the other girls have all elected not to stay with His Majesty. They received a small sum of gold and were sent out into the world."

"Of course I know about them. It's all over the news. Your little cosplay ring is going to get caught once I get reception and can call the real cops."

"Cops. Yes, they did mention something about those, too. One of them explained the concept to me as law enforcement. I'm afraid they have no jurisdiction on this plane of existence."

I shake my head. This weirdo... They have an answer for everything. I have to keep pressing and they'll drop the act eventually.

"And what plane of existence is that?" I ask.

"Camellia, as I said. His Majesty Sinensis has brought most of it under his control."

"And you... work for him?"

"I am sworn into his service, as are all demons."

"You're a demon." "What else would I be?

"A human with an overactive imagination." I sigh. I don't think I'm going to be getting anywhere with the way things are going. "Let me change the question. Can I ask your name?"

"Lavender," they answer. "Head butler of His Majesty's castle, in charge of waking guests and bringing them to his tea room."

"Wait, what?"

"I did not tell you? You are here to have tea with my master. I assume you like it; that would be why we summoned you from the teacup."

"I like tea well enough," I answer. "But you summoned—kidnapped me to have tea with the demon lord?"

"He does not get many visitors, and one can only have the same partners so often before the act becomes old. He grows weary of us demons and likes the variety that humans provide him. In a way, I am jealous. I have not taken tea with the master in a year."

A year. That's about how long the first girl has been missing. But if they were set free after having tea with this "demon lord", what stopped them from going back home?

"Here," Lavender says, extending a hand to me to help me off the couch.

I look around the room. Gaudy paintings of demons decorate the walls. There's a desk and chair in one corner. It's actually rather small.

"I don't need—" I lurch to my feet and, immediately, vertigo takes hold. "Help."

Lavender grips my hand with their own and it's inhumanly cold. I can't help but shiver. "My lady, let me assist you."

Until I can find out what's going on from the leader of this cult, I might as well play along.

"Fine. You may assist me."

"It's good to see that you are cooperating." Lavender smiles, revealing fangs. "Would you like to change into the garments we have prepared?"

Like hell I want to wear your stupid cosplay, I don't say. Instead, I force a smile. "Let's see those garments."

What did you think of this chapter?

grade_outlined

SO-SO

grade_outlined