Kikidori walked through the glittering, floating streets of Heaven, his hands in his coat pockets, his demonic aura hidden by layers of spellwork. It was still absurd to him how little the angelic realm noticed a walking disaster with charm issues striding through like he owned the place.
"Still no security upgrade," he muttered, side-eyeing a group of glowing cherubs blowing bubbles of pure light. "You'd think breaking out of prison would at least get me on a wanted poster or something."
He kicked a passing cloud. It squeaked.
Then he stopped.
Dead in his tracks.
There, standing under the silver-leaf tree in the Garden Overlook, was *Adam*.
*The* Adam.
The First Man.
He wasn't quite what Kikidori expected. Sure, the dude was built—tall, strong, broad shoulders, jawline that could slice glass. He wore a simple robe and had calm, wise eyes. But he also looked... tired. Like he'd seen too much, lived too long, and finally found peace—but it hadn't come cheap.
Their eyes locked.
The air went still.
Kikidori blinked. "Huh."
Adam blinked. "Oh."
Silence.
The kind of silence where you can *hear* the awkwardness bubbling under the surface.
"…Sooo," Kikidori finally said, shifting his weight, "you, uh… first human. That must be weird."
Adam nodded slowly. "It has its moments."
Kikidori scratched the back of his head. "Cool. Cool. You uh… still got ribs left? Or did that stop being a thing after Eve?"
Adam gave him a long look.
Then—speak of the celestial mother—*Eve* walked over from around the corner, golden-brown curls bouncing, her face bright with curiosity. "Adam, who are you talking—"
She stopped.
Her eyes locked on Kikidori.
And she *screamed*.
It wasn't a high-pitched, terrified scream.
It was a "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING DOING HERE" scream.
Kikidori physically jolted backward. "Okay—damn, calm down, woman! I didn't *bite* you!"
Eve narrowed her eyes. "You have *horns.*"
Kikidori held up his hands. "Temporary. Cosmetic. Purely aesthetic. They're not even the dangerous kind."
She crossed her arms. "You're a demon."
"Guilty-ish."
Adam sighed. "Eve, he's not attacking us."
"Yet," she replied, stepping protectively in front of her husband.
Kikidori rolled his eyes. "Jeez, lady, I'm not here to ruin your second honeymoon or whatever this is."
He paused. Looked at the two of them. Then grinned.
And that's when he made *the joke*.
"You know," he said, half-chuckling, "that whole fruit thing? With the tree? The snake?" He leaned in slightly. "Yeah… the snake was kinda my *dad*, y'know? Family legacy and all."
The silence returned.
*Stone cold* silence.
Eve blinked slowly. "That is… not funny."
Adam tilted his head. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"
Kikidori looked up, squinting. "I mean… yeah? Kinda. I thought—like, irony? Family humor?"
Adam just stared.
Eve's face didn't move.
"You're really *bad* at this," Adam said.
Kikidori held his hands up. "Okay, *fine*. I admit it. That was a bad one. Missed the mark. I'll do better next time."
"There won't *be* a next time," Eve said sharply.
"I was just trying to *lighten the mood*," he said, a little insulted. "You know, 'ha-ha', 'first sin', 'apple of destruction', classic Heaven humor."
"Not Heaven humor," Adam replied. "Just… history. Tragedy."
"And trauma," Eve added with a scowl. "You know how long it took to *forgive* myself for that?"
"Okay, now I feel like an ass," Kikidori muttered.
"You should," Eve said.
"…Still not as bad as what Cain did," Kikidori mumbled under his breath.
Adam's eyes flared. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
Another beat of silence.
Kikidori exhaled, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. "Look. I'm just passing through. Didn't mean to offend. I'm not here to preach or corrupt or tempt or whatever cliché thing demons do."
Eve squinted. "Then *why* are you here?"
"…Bored."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "So you caused chaos on Earth, broke out of Heaven's prison, and wandered into the Garden because you were *bored*?"
Kikidori nodded. "Pretty much."
Eve looked at Adam. "I'm calling Michael."
"Don't bother," Kikidori sighed. "I'm leaving."
He turned around, waved behind him lazily, and muttered, "Tell God I said hi. "
As he walked away, he heard Eve mutter, "What a *weird* demon."
Adam nodded. "Yeah. But not the worst I've met."
Kikidori smirked as he disappeared down a glowing path. "I'll take that as a compliment."
The end of chapter 10.