Lavender, still taking me by the hand, leads me down a long hallway and into a large bedroom. On the bed, a frilly green dress is laid out with some jewelry.

"Is it to your liking, my lady?"

"Not even a little." I grimace. "But it’ll do."

"Then I shall be back in twenty minutes. Please, if you need any help before that, ring the bell for assistance. One of the maids will immediately assist you."

I just need to think of it as going undercover on my first day as a private detective. The dress is nice, really, but I've always been embarrassed to wear girly clothes. I still wear shorts underneath my school skirts.

Does this room have any hidden cameras? I can't take the time I need to search properly, but after giving it a preliminary once-over, nothing suspicious stands out.

I take my work uniform off and put on the dress, feeling stupid the whole time. Is this why the girls never came back? Did they die of embarrassment first, for having gone along with a cosplay cult's weird antics?

I catch sight of my reflection in a mirror and gasp. I look like an upper-class woman straight out of some fantasy world, even with my hair in its casual ponytail. What an amazing piece, to transform someone so thoroughly—

There's a knock on the door. "My lady? Are you finished changing?"

"Yes." I'm also embarrassed at how my voice trembles when I answer Lavender's summons. "I'm ready."

"As is Lord Sinensis." Lavender holds out their arm for me to take, like I'm really some kind of noblewoman. "Will you allow me to lead you to the tea room?"

"Of course, Lavender." Shit, I didn't mean to call them by name. That implies a familiarity and willingness to go along with their delusions that I definitely don't have. "We don't want to keep His Majesty waiting."

"Very true. You have not seen his temper." Lavender shakes their head. "And I truly hope you never have to."

The boss had always been a nice guy. I don’t think I’d ever heard him so much as raise his voice. Criminals surprise you, though. I shouldn’t expect his mild-mannered civilian persona to be anything other than a dirty lie.

I can feel the weight of the borrowed necklace around my neck like a noose. I'm being led to the slaughter, for sure. And there had been no place to stash my cell phone, so it lay on the drawer next to the bed.

Lavender knocks once, twice, upon an imposing door. "Your Majesty. Your partner has arrived."

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"Send her in," a surprisingly reedy voice instructs from within.

A man sits at a small table with two ornate chairs. There are two empty teacups at each place setting, and a silver teapot in the center. It's all very European.

And the person sitting there is definitely not the owner of The Flowering Tea Emporium.

"I am the Demon Lord Sinensis," the man announces, standing up and giving a slight bow. "Thank you for traveling from your world to mine."

He doesn't look like a Demon Lord. At least, I don't think so. Unlike Lavender, his skin is a normal tan shade. He has no horns. His hair and eyes are red. He looks like he could be one of my classmates.

"I had no choice in the matter, Your Majesty," I answer with a smile to offset the sarcasm in my voice. "I was pulled here against my will."

"But here you are, dressed up and ready for tea."

"I wanted to ask you personally, what happened to the other girls? What is this place? You don't really believe all of this crap, do you?"

He laughs. It's an unnerving sound. "Lavender, dismissed."

"My lord?"

"I can handle one girl. Don't worry."

"I'm right here," I point out, but the two ignore me.

"If you insist," Lavender says, bowing and leaving us to our tea.

I appreciate the brief silence between us.

"As you may have guessed, I am no more Demon Lord than you are the summoned hero," Sinensis says. "But please, sit down so I can explain."

His whole bearing changes. The regal attitude he was putting on for Lavender gives way to the careless air of a schoolboy, instantly making him look younger. He puts his feet up on the table, rattling his teacup and shaking the rest of the glassware.

"I was summoned here, to Camellia, to defeat the Demon Lord. That asshole King told me I could go home once he was defeated. Nobody thought it was possible, but I did it. Turns out they never actually prepared for a victory. They said that the summoning spell only works one way. Faced with an eternity of boredom in a peaceful, backwards kingdom, I established myself as the new Demon Lord."

This makes less sense than before. But he continues to speak.

"I've missed Japan, and I've been trying to find someone to be my partner in ruling this world. A date over tea seems as good a way as any to get to know the girls I summon, doesn't it?"

"You absolute nutjob," I spit. "Who's going to believe a story like that?"

I glare at him. "Kidnap victims aren’t just going to join you in your weird little cult. I don't know where you found this mansion or these lackeys to go along with you, but you're coming with me. I'm making a citizen's arrest."

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

The bolt on the door slides shut without anyone touching it. The second chair moves out from the table, almost invitingly. This all seems to be happening in response to him waving a finger in the air.

"The summoning spell," he repeats, "Only works one way. You're in another world whether you believe it or not."

"Tell that to the judge." I've always wanted to say that.

But I fly forward into the chair against my will, too.

"At least listen to me for a little while," Sinensis says. "I've been looking forward to sharing this blend with someone all day."

With unusual poise, he pours me a cup. I inhale the vapors deeply, halfway hoping to find the blend drugged just like the cup of oolong from earlier today. No such luck. I’m stuck listening to this criminal.

"Okay." If I’m forced to be conscious, I might as well get the whole story so I can recite it to the police later. "Shoot."

"Now, now," he says. "I don't even know your name."

"Hiyori Chiba. The girl who's going to take you down. Don't forget it."

He laughs.