Chapter 4
Rem stepped into the restaurant, the mark burned into his suit still visible where the bartender's blood had splattered earlier. By now, he'd pieced it together — the pain Devil had been summoned by the bartender bloodstain left on his clothes.
The place was empty, save for a what looked like the owner behind the counter, scrolling through her phone.
Without a word, Rem quietly approached and stood in front of her, looking scanning the place ' not bad ' he said looking at the furniture
Noticing him too late, the bartender glanced up and jolted with a startled gasp.
"AAH! Jee...Fuck ! You scared me!" she blurted, clutching her chest.
" Sorry " Rem raised his hands slightly "...didn't mean to"
" Oh no no its My fault haha sorry I was lost In my phone " she stood up " so what can I get for you mister ?"
"Hmm… I'll go with a cheesecake," Rem said, dropping into a seat at the counter.
"Of course. Anything else?" the owner asked.
"A spoon. Or it's gonna get messy without one. Oh — and put honey on top. A lot of it."
"Suuure…?" the owner replied, a hint of confusion in her voice as she turned away. Before she could head to the kitchen, the bell above the door chimed.
A figure stepped inside — black sunglasses, a white cap pulled low over long purple hair, and a mask covering the lower half of their face. Whoever it was, they clearly didn't want to be recognized.
"Ah~ this place looks cozy!" the girl chirped, waving a hand. "Sorry for barging in. I've been wandering around for like an hour — this is the only place still open at this time Lucky me, huh?"
"Oh, welcome! What can I get you?" the owner called out, setting a plate down in front of Rem.
'That was fast,' he thought, eyeing the cheesecake. It looked sloppy, clearly not something freshly made. She didn't bake it , just grabbed one straight from the fridge. And worst of all…
"Where's my spoon?" Rem asked flatly.
The owner ignored him, turning her attention back to the newcomer.
"I've been kinda craving waffles alot lately."
"Sure thing. Take a seat — I'll have it ready in a minute," the owner said, heading to the kitchen.
"Thanks!" the girl said sliding into a stool two seats away from Rem, who, by now, was using his fingers as a makeshift spoon.
The girl's eyes flicked toward him, drawing a sharp frown from Rem. "The hell are you staring at?" rem muttered.
She quickly looked away, saying nothing.
With an annoyed sigh, Rem dug a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket, slid one between his lips, and struck a lighter, the small flame briefly illuminating his face before he took a drag.
He glanced slightly at the mysterious girl only to see her still glancing at him in unease
' what's with this girl ? ' he said looking up and down at her ' ohooo ! She has a baby inside her ' he thought glancing at the slight bump in her stomach , rem couldn't tell at first because of her baggy clothes " Tsk ..." he scowled throwing the cigarette at the ground and stomping it before standing up
He then smiled and walked toward her " can I borrow your phone alittle bit ? "
She flinched slightly when rem spoke "Y-yeah sure…! T-take your time !" She said with her voice cracking slightly as she handed him her phone
' again why's she so scared does she know me ? ' rem said taking the phone while squinting his eyes at her
As he looked at her phone he couldn't help but to notice the bright colours of the wallpaper which made him frown " augh ..." he quickly dialed a number and put the phone in his ear
The girl turned her head to look at him. Who is this person? she thought.
The moment her gaze met his eyes, something deep inside her screamed. A primal, wordless instinct to leave.
Every time she dared glance at him, the same feeling of dread clawed its way back, stronger and heavier than before. It wasn't anything he said or did — it was just there, hanging in the air around him, the owner didn't seem to notice i-
"Here."
A voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. It was him handing her phone back.
' that was fast ! 'She thought quietly taking it, barely managing a nod.
Then, without a word, he sat down right next to her "You've been flinching a lot… are you cold?" Rem asked.
Her face twisted in shock. She hadn't expected him to sit so close. Not when there was so much space.
"N-no, I… uh… h-how do I… I mean, um…"
"What week ?" he asked, voice calm, almost curious.
The moment those words reached her ears, something inside her shattered. The color drained from her face. Her limbs felt like stone. She wanted to run and scream but she couldn't even lift herself from the seat.
"Oh dear… you're sweating a lot," Rem murmured, leaning in. "Calm down. You wouldn't want to harm it , would you? "
"Y-yeah…" she said, tears streaming down her face.
"Why are you crying? I only asked you one question," Rem said, frowning in confusion.
"S-sixth… week," she whispered, wiping at her tears with her sleeve. She kept wiping, over and over afraid to lower her hands, as if she couldn't bear to meet the eyes of the man whose face was now just inches from her sniffing her hair
She gathered what little courage she had and lifted her gaze, trying to meet his eyes.
But before she could, Rem leaned back, so she doesn't catch sniffing , a grin already curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Pffft… HAHAHAHAHA!" He burst out laughing, the sound sharp and ugly in the air. "Dumb girl! Why would you tell a total stranger what week you got raw dogged ?! HAHAHAHA!"
His laughter echoed in the restaurant Then, just as suddenly, his face emptied of emotion, the grin vanishing like it was never there.
"Can I kill you?" he asked, leaning in again.
The girl's eyes squeezed shut. Whatever courage she'd managed to gather shattered in an instant, and with it, any thought of escape. In that moment she quietly accepted her fate.
...
She waited.
...
And waited.
Nothing happened.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. The restaurant was quiet, and the only thing in front of her was the concerned face of the owner, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Ma'am, are you okay? What happened? You've been crying with your eyes closed for five minutes now."
The girl blinked. "Huh…?"
---
Outside, Rem stood against the wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he stared up at the dark cloudy sky.
"That woman carried two souls inside her," Death's voice reverberated through his mind. "You could've taken three lives. So why?"
Rem exhaled a plume of smoke then he let the cigarette fall to the ground.
"No reason. Just felt like sparing that one...and who i kill doesn't concern you so shut up and mind your business ...whore " he muttered, turning away and disappearing into the dark alley.