[1st POV]
I was given a week off from work.
Not to mention the insane amount of money I was given as a reward for completing my assignment. It was so much that I got a boner when I read the last two zeros of the sum.
I probably contributed a huge chunk of the total amount of money needed in the aftermath of the Accident Devil.
It got me wishing another devil of the same calibre appeared as soon as possible.
I got stronger, I had a massive feast, I got a week off from work, a shit ton of money and most importantly, I finally got proof for Aki that Makima really kissed me on the cheek.
It was so worth it.
I pushed the door of the cafe, causing small bells to jingle. I quickly scanned for Reze inside the cafe and saw her attending to the two customers in the cafe.
I entered with a wide smile, but Reze was not so impressed.
She turned her head towards the door but quickly looked away with a pout when she saw me. She instead continued to talk to the customers and take their orders.
In the meantime, I still did not lose my smile. I stood at the entrance, smiling and waiting for her to finish.
After she was done, she gave me a cute glare with no real heat. It was an act to make herself cute, if anything.
She put a hand on her waist, standing in a way that highkey showed off her small waist and surprisingly wide hips. Her body had the perfect feminine shape.
I opened my arms and turned my ear towards her.
She sighed in the end.
"Welcome to the Crossroads Cafe," she said finally.
Only then did I move towards one of the seats. At this point, I had my own spot in the cafe, and I sat down in the same comfortable and familiar position.
She handed the order to the cook before she made her way towards me.
"You didn't come for four days," she immediately confronted me.
"I'll have tea in my cup of sugar," I said.
"Answer me," she said. "Why did you disappear for four days without telling me anything? You wouldn't read my texts or answer my calls either."
My phone was destroyed in the battle. Now I only have the phone that Makima gave me. But I did remember Reze's number, though.
Unfortunately, even if I knew her number, it was hard to find a time to call her when my battle lasted three whole fucking days.
"Remember when I said my power was to summon pretty girls? Well, I summoned this cute girl-" before I could even finish my sentence, her pen cap hit my forehead.
The cap somehow bounced on my forehead and returned to her. Nice skills, I must say.
"I'm kidding," I said with a chuckle. "Geez, did you really miss me that much?" I rubbed my forehead.
"Obviously," she admitted with a straight face but with a small blush creeping up. "And the day you didn't come was the day I made you the bento."
"Oh," I said dumbly, just now remembering about that.
I said a while back that I was getting tired of the menu in the cafe. I came here every day, and with my unlimited appetite, I've tried all their dishes more than ten times. I said I may go somewhere else for breakfast to try something new.
But then she said she would make a bento for me so that I could keep coming and try something new here. She said she would make it tomorrow, and I promised I'd come to try it the next day.
Well, tomorrow never came for her.
She probably thought I didn't want to try her bento and went to someplace else. A girl making a bento for a boy was kind of a big deal in Japanese culture.
"Sorry," I said, my hands joined. "I swear I have a really good reason."
She folded her arms, waiting.
"You heard about the devil incident in Saitama? I was there," I said.
Her eyes widened, and so did her mouth. She blinked and then quickly became flustered.
"O-Oh, is that so. I'm sorry. I just assumed-no, I'm sorry," she said, apologising rapidly and even bowing her head.
"It's okay," I said.
But she was still flustered. "I'll get your order."
She ran away from me like a girl who was embarrassed for assuming and acting like she had the right to be upset.
I chuckled seeing her like that. My laugh started amused but as the seconds passed, it slowly lost humour and volume.
Until my chuckle died down completely.
And realisation sank in.
No, more like a reminder in my head.
Lie.
It was all a lie. Everything.
But it was so beautifully fabricated that I wanted to buy into the lie. Like reading a story so immersive you couldn't care less if reality burned and faded away.
I watched her come back with a cup of tea. She looked much better now, her face no longer having its blush.
She set my tea down on the table. It was a tea that smelled more like melted sugar.
I stared.
And then she took something out from behind her and set it down on the table.
It was a bento box.
"...Is that?"
"Yes, it's a bento I made," she said. "Although you didn't come, I made another one the next day. And the next day. And the next day too."
"...."
"I was hoping you'd come back eventually, so I made it every day," she said.
I opened up the bento box, and steam came out to show that it was freshly made. It had rice, sausages, omelette, broccoli and octopus.
I turned to her.
"I promise it tastes better than it looks. I made it with the intention of winning you back and making sure you never go to other restaurants after you give it a try," she said.
I took a deep breath.
Reze, it's not that you are a good liar, but your lie is too good.
That's why I always forget sometimes.
I took out the chopsticks and ate the food. For the first time, I was not eating like a pig. I did not eat big chunks, but I savoured them piece by piece.
"So?"
I gave a thumbs up. "You got me."
She gave me a big smile.
"Hope that's enough to make up for earlier," she said and waved. "Gotta get back to work."
She served a few customers afterwards. In the meantime, I enjoyed the bento with no other thoughts. My whole focus was on the food alone.
After a while, the customers stopped coming and she finally had time to rest. She came to my table and sat across from me.
We talked for a while, catching up with each other. Strangely enough, she did not ask me anything about my job. I thought she would show unnatural interest in it since she was a spy and all.
But no, she was more interested in how I was doing after the mission, how I cooked my meat, what kinds of food I liked so that she could add it to the bento next time, how many friends I had.
All the usual stuff that friends would talk about.
After I finished my food, I closed the bento and leaned back on the soft sofa. I did not miss even a single grain of rice.
"You were right, I should have at least given you a call. I can't believe we wasted three of those," I said with a mournful shake of my head.
She chuckled.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" I asked.
"No, no. You don't have to do anything," she said, shaking her hands.
"But I want to," I said and added dramatically. "Or else my guilt will continue to eat me away inside."
"Well..." she tucked her hair behind her ears. "....we can go on a date?"
"A date?"
She blushed, her hand clinging to her hair, and she nodded.
"I thought we are still at the talking stage? Kinda fast for a date, no?" I said.
"It's okay if you don't want to," she said, not hiding the disappointment in her tone. It felt like I just kicked a puppy.
"But I thought maybe if we went on a date, you'd finally consider me important enough to tell about these things," she said.
With the face she was making, her tone and her body language that wouldn't understand through words alone, how the fuck was I supposed to say no?
"Okay, let's go on a date then," I said. "Where do you want to go?"
She hesitated. Her mouth opened but her voice did not come out. I saw the fickle lies fade away from her face. Her eyes that were closed with smiles to hide lies so often opened with clarity.
I waited.
Until she finally said, "Daikoku Park, but it's a bit far. It's located in Ōta Ward."
When her words sank in, I lost my smile.
She did too.
The Ōta Ward of Tokyo. It was a heavy industrial zone with many private facilities. It was due to this reason that most of the businessmen there relied more on private Devil Hunters.
Out of all the places in Japan, the Ōta Ward was perhaps the least influence by the Public Safety Commission, which was a government sector.
You would imagine what a date there would entail.
If she was going to attack and kill me, there was no better place in the whole of Tokyo.
"..."
"..."
Really, Reze?
Had my recent mission caused her orders to change?
"You want to go there for a date?" I asked, just to make sure.
She did not use words. She only gave a small nod, like there was a dagger under her chin, like she wished I didn't see her nod.
"Okay," I said. "We'll go there."
I finally gave a smile.
If this is how it's going to be, let it be quick.
..
..
"On second thought," Reze said suddenly, her smile returning matching mine. "I think you should pick the date. The guy is supposed to lead, right?"
That surprised me.
"Shinagawa," I said quickly. The Public Safety Commission has a presence there. There were even training facilities over there.
"I know the place well. I can even show you around where I work and train in the Public Safety Commission," I said.
It was the complete opposite of the place she suggested. This was perhaps one of the worst places where she could try and kill me.
Reze smiled wider, but it looked more broken.
She nodded. "It's a date then."
I exhaled in a bit of a surprise.
"It's a date."
..
..
[IMAGE of Reze]
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