As Kagerou sat alone at a corner table, waiting for his food to arrive, his eyes never stayed still.
They moved from travelers to locals, from guests to workers, most of whom were women.
From this vantage point, a realization slowly crept in.
This place wasn't just a ryokan.
Laughter, music, and drunken chatter filled the air, but beneath it all, Kagerou's ears caught everything. Conversations overlapped, voices rose and fell, secrets slipped loose under warm lantern light, and the promise of sake.
And it didn't take long for him to confirm his decision.
Coming here had been the right choice.
In just a few minutes of listening, he'd already heard two versions of the incident.
One echoed what the receptionist had said earlier, that the culprit was a deranged murderer, a madman stalking the streets at night.
But others whispered something different.
Something unnatural.
A presence.
A curse.
Something that moved faster than a man should.
But before Kagerou could listen further, a voice interrupted him.
"…Here's your dinner, handsome~"
He shifted his gaze from the table to the person standing beside him, and froze for half a heartbeat.
It was the receptionist.
Kagerou looked down at the meal, then back up at her.
"…Are you also a waiter at this place?" he asked calmly.
"I help sometimes," she replied lightly. Then, without waiting for permission, she sat down beside him.
"…Excuse me?" Kagerou tilted his head slightly.
"Don't worry about me. Just eat your dinner"
"But aren't you… busy?"
"No," she said with a smile. "I'm very much free right now. There's not much for me to do anyway"
Her eyes lingered on him.
"So I'll just keep you company"
"…"
Kagerou didn't respond.
He raised the kiseru to his lips, took a slow drag, and let the smoke slip quietly from his mouth as his gaze drifted around the room.
There weren't many guests, but not few either. Other workers moved busily between tables, refilling cups, laughing with patrons, keeping the atmosphere lively.
Then his eyes returned to the woman sitting beside him.
"…I see," he said at last, tone indifferent.
He stopped caring.
Picking up his chopsticks, Kagerou began eating the dishes laid out before him.
After that... Silence.
But it wasn't a silence that lasted long.
"…So, Rengoku-kun," the woman said, her gaze drifting from the kiseru resting on the table to Kagerou himself. "…Are you really just fifteen years old?"
"…"
"Not talking, huh? Well~ I like that"
"…"
"By the way," she continued casually, leaning a little closer, "is that sword of yours real?"
"…"
She didn't stop.
The receptionist kept talking, asking questions, making remarks, while Kagerou remained silent, focusing on his meal and clinging to the small pocket of peace he still had.
"Still not talking?" she teased. "What is it? Are you not a fan of women?"
A pause.
"…You like men, maybe?"
*Plak*
The sound was sharp.
Kagerou slammed his chopsticks onto the table harder than he meant to. Several heads turned in their direction, curious eyes glancing over.
Still, he didn't speak.
He reached for his kiseru, lit it with practiced ease, and brought it to his lips. He inhaled slowly, then exhaled, a thin stream of smoke curling between them. Only after the irritation settled did he lift his gaze and look directly at her.
She wasn't unattractive.
In fact, she was quite beautiful, easily the type to draw men in.
But that wasn't the point.
"…Alright," Kagerou said at last. "You win"
There was a faint edge of annoyance in his voice.
"What do you want?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "And who even are you?"
"Oh~ sorry," the woman replied, smiling as if none of his irritation mattered. "I haven't introduced myself, have I?"
She straightened just a bit.
"I'm Fujimoto Akari. Nice to meet you, Rengoku Kagerou-kun"
"So," Kagerou said, voice steady now, "Fujimoto Akari-san… what do you want from me?"
He exhaled softly through his nose.
"I believe this is our first time meeting. And I also believe that no matter how flirtatious someone is," he continued coolly, "they wouldn't be this bold without a reason"
His gaze stayed fixed on her.
"So tell me, Fujimoto-san... What do you want?"
For an instant, just an instant, the smile on Akari's face wobbled.
It was subtle. Almost imperceptible.
Still, the expression quickly returned, as if nothing had happened.
"Hm~" Akari hummed lightly. "So you're one of those types, huh? The hard-to-get-along-with kind"
As she said that, there was a faint hint of sadness in her eyes. It lingered only briefly before vanishing, but it didn't escape Kagerou's attention.
"You remind me of the owner of this place," she continued.
Kagerou said nothing. He brought the kiseru to his lips again, inhaled slowly, then exhaled a thin stream of smoke, silently urging her to go on.
"Like you," Akari said, "he's a man who's difficult to deal with"
Her lips curved into a smile, one entirely different from before.
Softer.
More genuine.
"But once you really get to know him," she added quietly, "he's actually quite sweet"
"…What is he to you?" Kagerou finally asked.
"Him?" Akari tilted her head slightly. "Well… you could say I was his wife"
"…"
"…"
"…Yes?"
"I'm his wife"
"…"
"Is that shocking to you?"
"Maybe," Kagerou replied calmly. He studied her face more closely before continuing. "But what shocks me more is this..."
His eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"You act like this even though you're already someone's wife?"
A pause.
"…Wait. How old are you, anyway?"
Akari chuckled softly.
"You know it's rude to ask a woman her age, right?"
Kagerou didn't miss a beat.
"And I know it's rude to bother someone while they're eating," he said, his gaze drifting around the room as if searching for something. "So where is he?"
"Dead"
Silence returned.
Kagerou froze, not because of the word itself, but because of how easily Akari had said it.
There was no hesitation. No pause. No crack in her voice.
Just a fact.
Slowly, Kagerou turned his head toward her.
That smile was still there.
"…He's gone," Akari continued calmly. "And he'll never come back again"
"I see…"
It was the only word Kagerou could offer. He didn't give condolences. They weren't close enough for that. And somehow, he felt that comfort offered by a stranger like him would mean nothing to her.
So the conversation ended there.
Silence settled between them once more, heavy, but not uncomfortable.
Kagerou remained seated, the kiseru resting loosely in his fingers, his eyes drifting across the ryokan. Guests laughed. Cups clinked. Life went on.
Beside him, Akari stayed perfectly still, like someone gathering her thoughts… or deciding what to reveal next.
And then...
"Rengoku-kun," she said softly. "You… you came here to hunt, right?"