The next morning came too early. Too early for Koji and he hadn't even finished his second cup of coffee before chaos reintroduced itself.
"Koji," Darius said as he burst into the kitchen, shirtless again, holding the toaster like it was a cursed artifact. "This box just screamed and tried to eat my bread. This peasant dare to scream at his commander?"
"It's a toaster," Koji mumbled into his mug.
"It's a mimic," Gideon corrected, appearing behind him with a chart he'd made from cereal boxes and pen ink. "I've tracked its heating intervals and determined it possesses a semi-sentient response to foreign matter. Possibly a low-tier guardian spirit."
Koji pointed to the blinking power strip. "That's electricity."
"Oh…" Gideon whispered reverently. "Lightning magic trapped in cords…"
"Ohh sounds fun. Can I put this thingy inside this cords?" Darius said, holding a fork in his right hand.
"For the love of peace, please don't do that." Koji muttered under his breath. "Darius, where the hell is your shirt again?!"
Aurelia entered next, wearing one of the hoodies Koji had forced on her. She looked vaguely offended by how comfortable it was. "This shirt is warm," she muttered, suspicious. "Deceptively warm."
Koji set down his mug, a stiffed and force smile can be seen on his face. "Alright. That's it. We're going to the government office today."
Darius blinked. "To declare war?" Darius grinned, his eyes sparkle in excitement at the sound of declaring war and taking over this world.
"To get you identification cards so no one arrests you." Koji sighed.
"Same thing, it's like getting a permit to commit a crime." Aurelia said blandly.
Koji was speechless by their words and he rubbed his forehead—feeling stress for the first time in his 57 years in his life, even when he was a hunter, he never felt this stressed until today.
—————————
It was supposed to be a quiet morning for Koji just like the past 10 years since his retirement. But nothing was ever quiet when you were dragging three feral teenagers, who believe themselves as the reincarnated Demon Lords, to file legal documents in the middle of a city full of rules they didn't believe in.
Koji Watanabe rubbed his temples as he stood in line at the Tokyo Central Hunter Bureau, a sleek, glass-covered building with glowing signs, government officials in suits, and holographic forms floating everywhere. He could already feel the headache building.
Behind him stood the three walking disasters that had crashed into his retirement plan.
Aurelia, dressed in black jeans and a flame-print hoodie, arms folded like a soldier standing guard.
Darius, wearing a shirt and shoes for the first time after Koji threatened him to ban him from fighting. His arms were crossed proudly across his chest as if expecting to be crowned the next emperor.
And Gideon, now with glasses he didn't need, purely because he said it made him look more "intellectually integrated with the modern hierarchy."
"Do we kill the woman with the clipboard to begin the trial?" Darius asked, eyeing the front desk lady which his stare made the front desk lady to shiver slightly at his word.
Koji immediately signed the lady that Darius was just joking so she hesitantly looked away from them and continued with her work. Koji sighed again and ran a finger through his hair.
"No," Koji muttered. "We fill out forms. And don't say those words infront of other people again."
"Ehh?? Why not? Filling out forms sound boring, A trial should be in battle not some lazy paperworks." Darius scoffed and just pouted in his seat.
Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "Paperwork? This world worships ink? Is that why those people are weak?"
"It's called bureaucracy," Koji replied, handing them each a clipboard. "Answer it and if you have any questions, ask me. So don't answer anything without letting me know what you three put in there."
Gideon frowned at the form. "Name… Age… Nationality… Hm. Koji, what is our national allegiance?"
"You're Japanese now."
Aurelia narrowed her eyes. "Is that a title of nobility? A rank in society? Is that what you people call yourselves now?"
"No, Aurelia... It's a country." Koji answered her directly—Koji felt like Aurelia is like the tammed version of Darius but is more commanding than him.
Darius scowled. "I shall conquer it."
"Don't. We don't conquer, Darius." Koji said, glaring at Darius. Darius saw this so he just stared at Koji before muttering, "Not fair", under his breath.
They reached the counter. A bored attendant looked up from her holoscreen. "Next."
Koji stepped forward, motioning to the trio then he showed her his Civilian ID and Hunter ID. "I need to register these three under provisional civilian IDs. Long story. Just put them under my sponsorship."
The woman blinked. "Uh… okay. Names?"
Aurelia stepped up first. "I am Aurelia. Flame Tyrant of the Southern Sky."
The woman froze, fingers hovering over the keys—looking at Koji as if asking him if she was serious right now or not.
Koji was speechless by Aurelia sudden introduction but he suddenly composed himself when he saw the woman's reaction so he cleared his throat. "Just put Aurelia Watanabe."
Aurelia narrowed her eyes. "You dare rename me?"
"It's for your own safety," Koji hissed.
She couldn't dare to opposed him so she muttered darkly under her breath while she wrote it down.
Next was Gideon, who adjusted his fake glasses and nodded to the clerk. "Gideon. Scholar of the Void. Grand Arcanist of—"
"Just Gideon Watanabe," Koji interrupted.
"...Watanabe the Third," Gideon amended, smug.
The woman gave Koji a look—asking him again if this kid was serious but Koji just looked back at her with a helpless look on his face.
"Don't ask," he muttered.
Then came Darius. He strode up and he was about to challenge the desk to a duel but he was stopped by Koji by giving him a glare.
"I am Darius, the Beast Emperor, Scourge of the Ironfang, Slayer of—"
"Darius Watanabe," Koji barked.
"Do not bind me with this peasant title!" Darius growled back.
"Do you want a legal identity or not? If you don't have one then you can't battle anyone if you became a hunter." Koji said with a grin—He already know that Darius always like fighting so he wanted to use this to always get Darius to follow him.
Darius sulked. "Fine. But I refuse to answer anyone who called me that, unless they screamed that name in fear."
The woman stared at them. "Are these your kids?"
"No." Koji answered flatly.
"Grandkids?"
"No. Worse."
The clerk gave him a confused expression on her face, waiting for Koji to answer her question until—
"They're my problem." Koji said, a force smile was shown on his face.
The woman rolled her eyes and finished inputting the data. "Okay, they're now officially registered. IDs will be mailed within the week. Until then, use these temporary cards."
She handed them three plastic slips which made the three curious about those plastic slips and they have different reactions upon receiving it.
Aurelia looked at hers like it was a cursed talisman. "Is this a cursed talisman? Woah, this might be a protection paper."
Gideon tried to scan it with a pen but became disappointed when it didn't do anything. "Why isn't scanning?"
Darius thought that it was food so he bit his immediately after receiving it but Koji managed to take it away from his mouth.
"Do not eat your ID," Koji snapped.
"But it hums when I put it near my chest." Darius said, surprisingly it was like a child experiencing something facinating for the first time.
"That's your heartbeat, you moron." Koji sighed again and he just patted Darius head which made Darius grin slightly. Koji lose count already on the times he sigh out of stress after meeting this three but deep inside—he enjoyed the company this three brought in his life.
—————————
Back at Koji's safehouse, the sun had begun to set—painting the city skyline in hues of burnt orange and soft lavender.
Koji collapsed onto the couch like a man who had just returned from war. Technically, he had. But this war didn't involve monsters or magic.
It involved three teenage reincarnated Demon Lords… and a vending machine they still didn't trust.
He peeked over the couch arm.
Darius already took off his shirt immediately after returning home and was already pacing shirtless across the floor, fists raised like he expected a surprise sparring match with the ceiling fan.
Aurelia sat cross-legged by the window, arms folded, eyes narrowed at a group of pigeons perched on a power line like they were plotting something.
And Gideon was in the kitchen, whispering to the microwave.
Koji sighed.
"So. Let's review," he muttered aloud. "You've got IDs. You've got clothes. You didn't accidentally kill anyone. Technically. And tomorrow…"
He paused, knowing full well this would come back to bite him.
"…you start school."
Three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"School?" Darius groaned. "I know some informatiom about that in our past world. Isn't that a name called to prison for children?"
"Well..... You get uniforms and cafeteria food. So those words are close enough to describe it." Koji said helplessly with a bitter smile—he couldn't say anything to Darius words since he was right about it anyway.
Darius grinned. "I will comply in joining that prison but, will there be battles for dominance?"
"No."
"Public executions?"
"Definitely no."
Gideon adjusted his sleeves. "May we access their archives of forbidden knowledge?"
"…If you mean the library, then yes."
Aurelia stood, flame-printed hoodie rustling as she moved. "Will there be rules?"
Koji chuckled bitterly. "You have no idea."
She raised an eyebrow. "Good. I enjoy breaking those. I better get a weapon this time."
"I'll buy you all pens."
"Can I duel someone with mine?" Darius asked.
"Not unless you want to be arrested."
Gideon looked thoughtful. "The laws here are rigid but contain exploitable clauses. I've already begun drafting loopholes."
Koji nearly choked by himself when he heard his words and he rubbed his face. "I should've just let the gate eat me."
"Too late," Darius said, dropping onto the couch beside him with all the grace of a collapsing rhino. "You've been chosen by fate to guide us in this strange land."
"I didn't agree to that."
Gideon appeared behind them with a steaming mug in hand. "You did by not fleeing when you had the chance."
"Also," Aurelia added coolly, "we've declared your home a sanctuary. You're now our official guide, chef, and battle consultant."
Koji stared at them in exhausted horror.
And then he stood up.
"Fine. Fine! You wanna live here? Eat my food? Break my blender?! Then we're doing this my way."
He jabbed a finger toward the hallway.
"Tomorrow, you're going to school. You'll listen. You'll follow the rules. No fireballs. No duels. No mysterious dead animals in the fridge—Gideon. And Darius—if I catch you shirtless outside again, I'm duct taping that shirt to your torso."
Darius opened his mouth—
"No exceptions!" He said with a huge cheeky smile on his face.
After his word, there was silence again but Aurelia smirked faintly as if she was already plotting something out of nowhere.
Gideon raised his mug. "Understood, Mentor Koji."
Darius gave a thumbs-up. "This shall be my greatest trial yet."
Koji collapsed into the armchair, face-first, and the ceiling fan hummed overhead above him.
Outside, a news broadcast played faintly on a nearby rooftop screen, reporting another low-level Gate break in the outskirts of the city.
Koji groaned into the cushion. "This was supposed to be my quiet retirement…" Koji looked at the news for a while before he felt his eyes dropping from exhaustion. After a few minutes, Koji fall asleep into the cushion and the three put a blanket ontop of him.
The three all looked at each other with a huge grin on their face as they gathered into a circle while Koji fall asleep from exhaustion. Aurelia looked out the window, golden eyes sharp.
"Tomorrow," she whispered, more to herself than anyone, "we infiltrate the heart of this world."
She paused.
"And if anyone gets in our way…" Flames flickered in her hand, her magic started to manifest after leveling up from the gate break. "…we burn it down."
The three all agreed to that plan, little did Koji know that his life will become more chaotic than he imagined.