It was odd, how quickly things changed. Just a few days ago, I didn't even know their names. Now, Lulu and Mimi were regular fixtures in my life—and by "fixtures," I mean they had a habit of popping up wherever I went. Whether I was hauling hay at the barn or running errands in the village, Lulu would always saunter up like she owned the place, with Mimi trailing shyly behind her, clutching her tail, or avoiding eye contact with anyone who looked her way.
I wasn't complaining, though. They were good company in their own way—Lulu with her fiery attitude and constant teasing, and Mimi with her quiet kindness and rare but heartfelt smiles. If you could look past the occasional chaos, they made things less lonely.
This particular day, the three of us were wandering through the outskirts of the village, following a path that led toward the river. Lulu, as usual, was leading the charge, her tail swishing behind her as she marched ahead with zero regard for directions.
"I'm just saying," Lulu declared, her voice carrying through the trees. "If I were running this village, we wouldn't have all these stupid rules about 'keeping out of trouble.' Trouble is half the fun!"
Mimi, walking a few steps behind her, fiddled nervously with the hem of her jacket. "L-Lulu maybe don't say that so loudly," she whispered. "Someone might hear you."
"Good! Let them hear!" Lulu shot back, her horns catching the sunlight as she turned to grin at her sister. "What's the point of fun if it's a secret?"
I chuckled, shaking my head as I followed behind them. "You've got a way of attracting attention, don't you?"
Lulu smirked over her shoulder. "Only the good kind of attention, Balthazar. Unlike you, who just stands there brooding like some mysterious antihero."
"I don't brood," I protested. "I just think quietly."
"That's what brooders say," she shot back, sticking out her tongue.
Mimi giggled softly at our exchange, her cheeks turning pink as she tried to stifle her laughter. It was nice, seeing her relax a little, even if Lulu's teasing never let up.
The moment of light-hearted banter was interrupted when a loud, booming voice echoed from the path ahead. "Well, well! What do we have here? A couple of monster girls and their demonling babysitter!"
We all stopped in our tracks, and I quickly stepped forward, placing myself between the girls and the newcomers. Four adventurers emerged from the trees, their armour gleaming and their weapons drawn—not threateningly, but enough to make their arrogance obvious. The leader, a broad-shouldered man with a shiny axe, grinned like he'd already won some imaginary battle.
"Is this what passes for excitement in this village?" he continued, his tone dripping with condescension. "A little demon parade?"
Lulu's tail lashed behind her as she folded her arms. "Excuse me, parade? We weren't even doing anything! You're the ones marching around like peacocks!"
Mimi quietly tugged her sleeve. "L-Lulu, please don't…"
"What?" Lulu huffed. "Someone's got to put them in their place!"
The leader of the adventurers chuckled, gesturing to his companions. "Looks like the fiery one's got a mouth on her. Think she'll still have it after we show her how out of place she really is?"
I clenched my claws, stepping forward. "You might want to rethink that approach," I said evenly. "You're outnumbering us, sure, but I don't think you're ready for a fair fight."
"Fair fight?" The leader grinned wider. "You call this fair? You're not even worth the effort."
The leader of the adventurers chuckled, gesturing to his companions. "Looks like the fiery one's got a mouth on her. Think she'll still have it after we show her how out of place she really is?"
That grin of his—it brought something back. A memory I'd tried to bury. For a moment, I wasn't standing in a forested path anymore—I was back in a cramped, fluorescent-lit office, facing down a manager who had perfected the art of the condescending smirk. Just like these guys, those managers always seemed to think they were smarter, better, untouchable. They'd waltz in, make snide remarks, puff up their egos, and blame you for their problems when things didn't go as planned.
My claws flexed instinctively. The adventurers in front of me didn't just remind me of those old managers—they were those managers, in spirit if not in reality. That same mix of arrogance and disregard for anyone they deemed beneath them.
It made my blood boil.
"Let me guess," I said, my voice steady but with an edge. "You guys like throwing your weight around because it makes you feel important?"
The leader raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Just that you're all talk," I replied, stepping forward. "You're not heroes. You're just bullies with shiny toys."
Lulu shot me a surprised glance, but I didn't stop. "You want to puff your chests out and act like you're better than everyone else? Fine. But don't expect us to stand here and take it."
Before I could respond, Lulu stomped past me, planting herself right in front of the leader. Her horns tilted upward defiantly as she glared up at him, her hands on her hips. "Listen here, tin can. You don't get to walk around like you're some kind of hero when you're just picking fights for fun."
The leader raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Bold words for someone half my size."
"Bold words for someone who doesn't know the difference between bravado and stupidity," she shot back, her tail flicking.
I groaned internally, but before things could escalate further, one of the smaller adventurers stepped forward—a wiry man with a bow slung over his shoulder. "Hey, boss," he said nervously. "This guy's got claws. What if he's… y'know, strong?"
The leader rolled his eyes. "What, this guy?" He gestured to me like I was some background decoration. "He's all talk. Watch this."
And then he lunged at me. Bad move.
I sidestepped his swing easily, catching the haft of his axe with my claw and twisting it out of his grip. The weapon clattered to the ground, and he stumbled back, swearing loudly.
"Guess I am strong," I said, smirking.
The other adventurers froze, clearly rethinking their bravado. Lulu, meanwhile, grinned like she was enjoying the show. "Not bad, Balthazar. Maybe you do have some use after all."
"Gee, thanks," I muttered.
The adventurers muttered among themselves before retreating into the trees, dragging their leader with them. The quiet that followed was palpable, broken only by Lulu's victorious laugh.
"See? Told you they weren't ready for us!" she declared, throwing her arms in the air.
Mimi stepped out timidly, her tail swishing nervously. "Th-thank you for helping," she said softly, her cheeks pink.
I shrugged, brushing dust off my claws. "No big deal. Just part of the 'demon parade,' I guess."
Lulu rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a grin on her face. "Okay, maybe you're not so bad. But don't let it go to your head."
The adventurers muttered among themselves before retreating into the trees, dragging their leader with them. The quiet that followed was palpable, broken only by Lulu's victorious laugh.
"See? Told you they weren't ready for us!" she declared, throwing her arms in the air.
As we continued down the path, the tension faded, replaced by laughter and light teasing. It wasn't the kind of adventure I'd signed up for—but with Lulu and Mimi by my side, it was starting to feel like something worth sticking around for.
****************
The water shimmered in the sunlight, its soft ripples stretching toward the horizon. A gentle breeze stirred the trees that framed the scene, carrying with it the smell of grass and earth. For a moment, it felt like we'd found a pocket of peace away from the chaos of the village.
Lulu threw herself onto the grass with all the grace of a cat claiming territory. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" she declared, her arms stretched above her head. "No annoying villagers, no dumb rules—just peace, quiet, and freedom."
Mimi settled carefully beside her, folding her legs neatly beneath her as she gazed out at the river. "It's beautiful," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
I leaned against a tree nearby, watching them with a small smile. "You've got good taste, Lulu. For once."
She shot me a glare, but there was no real bite behind it. "Don't ruin the moment, Balthazar. Just stand there and brood like you always do."
"I don't brood," I said automatically, though I knew better than to argue.
The peace didn't last long. A rustling sound came from the bushes behind us, followed by the unmistakable clink of armour. My claws tensed instinctively as I turned toward the noise.
"Oh, come on!" Lulu groaned, sitting up and crossing her arms. "Seriously?"
From the trees emerged the adventurers we'd faced earlier—only now, they weren't alone. Another group followed close behind, their weapons gleaming in the afternoon sun. They looked just as cocky as their predecessors, if not more so, and their leader's smug grin made my claws itch.
"Well, look who we have here!" the leader said, his voice carrying like it was meant for an audience. "Thought you'd seen the last of us, huh?"
Lulu's tail lashed irritably behind her. "What are you doing here? Didn't we humiliate you enough already?"
"We figured you might need a little reminder," he replied, hefting his axe. "This time, we brought back up."
"Oh, please," Lulu said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "You brought back up because you can't handle us on your own. How sad."
Mimi tugged nervously at my sleeve; her orange eyes wide. "B-Balthazar, maybe we should leave…"
"No way," Lulu interrupted, stepping forward. "I'm not running from these clowns."
The leader chuckled, his grip tightening on his axe. "Big words, monster. But they won't get you far."
I stepped between Lulu and the adventurers, my claws flexing as I met the leader's gaze. "Last time didn't go so well for you," I said evenly. "Are you sure you want a repeat performance?"
He smirked, raising his axe. "We're ready for you this time."
The clearing erupted into chaos. The adventurers charged, their weapons raised, but I met them head-on, using my claws to block their strikes. One came at me with a mace, but I dodged easily, knocking the weapon free with a well-placed swipe. Another tried to flank me, but Lulu rammed him with her horns before he could get close.
"Not bad, huh?" she called, grinning as she ducked under another swing.
"Could use less showing off," I muttered, catching the leader's axe mid-swing and twisting it from his grip. He stumbled back, swearing loudly as I threw the weapon into the river.
Mimi stayed by the water's edge, her hands clasped nervously as she watched the fight unfold. "L-Lulu, be careful!" she called, her voice trembling.
"I'm always careful!" Lulu shouted back, narrowly avoiding another strike. "Mostly."
It didn't take long for the adventurers to realize they were outmatched. Their leader, now weaponless and drenched in humiliation, glared at us before retreating with the rest of his crew.
"This isn't over!" he shouted as they disappeared into the trees.
Lulu let out a triumphant laugh, throwing her arms in the air. "See? Told you they couldn't handle us!"
"This isn't over!" he shouted as they disappeared into the trees.
Lulu let out a triumphant laugh, throwing her arms in the air. "See? Told you they couldn't handle us!"
Mimi approached cautiously, her tail swishing softly. "Th-thank you," she said, her cheeks pink. "For protecting us."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Let's try not to make a habit of this, alright?"
Lulu smirked, tilting her head. "But where's the fun in staying out of trouble?"
Her words sparked something in my mind—an idea. "You know," I said, crossing my arms, "maybe there's something to this. The three of us, sticking together."
Lulu raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Balthazar?"
I grinned. "I'm saying we make it official. A group. A team."
"A team?" Lulu repeated, her expression sceptical. "What kind of team?"
"We'll call it 'Demon Inc.'" I said with exaggerated flair. "We handle adventurer problems, explore the area, and make things less... random. Together."
Lulu burst out laughing, flopping back onto the grass. "Demon Inc.? Are you serious? That's the dumbest name I've ever heard!"
Mimi tilted her head, her voice soft. "I-I think it sounds nice…"
"See? Mimi gets it," I said, gesturing to her.
Lulu sat up again, folding her arms. "Fine. But why bother? We're doing fine as we are."
"The point," I said, "is that instead of just stumbling into trouble, we could make something out of it. Work together, keep each other safe, and maybe even find some purpose in all this."
For a moment, Lulu didn't reply, her gaze flicking between me and Mimi. Finally, she smirked. "You're really serious about this, huh?"
"Dead serious," I said. "But it only works if we all agree."
Mimi's orange eyes widened, and she smiled shyly. "I-I'd like to join…"
"Alright," Lulu said with a shrug. "I'm in. But don't think this means I'll stop causing trouble."
I laughed. "Trouble's half the fun, right?"
"Exactly," Lulu said, grinning.
And just like that, Demon Inc. was born—not with grand speeches or solemn vows, but with a shared laugh by the river. Maybe it wasn't the most conventional start, but with Lulu's fire, Mimi's heart, and my claws, I had a feeling we'd figure things out as we went.