The sun was setting over Sainan Town, painting the streets in shades of orange and purple. The air was cooling down, offering a welcome relief from the sweltering afternoon heat.
Rito walked down the sidewalk, a plastic grocery bag rustling in his hand. Inside were Mikan's requests: eggs, milk, and scallions for dinner. But in his other hand, he carried a small, warm paper bag from a street vendor.
Taiyaki. Premium cream and red bean filling.
He walked casually, humming a tune, but his senses were on high alert.
For the last three blocks, he had felt it. A prickling sensation on the back of his neck. A shadow that moved just a fraction of a second slower than the others.
Killing intent.
It was sharp, cold, and professional. It wasn't the clumsy jealousy of his classmates or the chaotic energy of Lala's guards. This was a predator.
'She's here.' Rito thought, his grip tightening on the grocery bag. 'Golden Darkness.'
He didn't panic. The old him would have been sweating bullets, looking over his shoulder every two seconds. But he knew who she was. He knew even her favourite food, and the fact that she was lonely.
He checked his surroundings. The street was getting busy with commuters coming home from work. 'Not good. If she attacked here, people would see. Or worse, they might get hurt.'
Rito took a sharp left turn, heading away from the main road and toward the small neighbourhood park, the same one where he had found Mikan on the swings.
It was empty at this hour. 'Perfect.'
He walked into the center of the park, near the sandbox. He stopped but didn't turn around.
"You can come out." Rito said, his voice calm but loud enough to carry. "I know you're there."
Silence. The wind rustled the leaves.
"I bought snacks." Rito added, lifting the paper bag. "They're getting cold."
SWISH.
The air behind him displaced with a sharp, violent sound.
Rito dropped to a crouch instantly.
A massive, golden blade, made of hair, sharp enough to cut steel, sliced through the space where his neck had been a millisecond ago. It carved a clean line through the air, humming with lethal energy.
Rito rolled forward, springing to his feet and spinning around.
Standing on top of the slide, bathed in the dying light of the sunset, was the girl from the convention center.
She looked exactly the same. Black gothic dress. Long, flowing blonde hair that defied gravity, turning into tendrils of death around her. Red eyes that glowed with a cold, emotionless light.
"Target confirmed." she said, her voice flat. "Yuuki Rito. Your reflexes are... adequate."
"Adequate is good." Rito said, dusting off his knees. He held up the taiyaki bag again, offering a shy, disarming smile. "Better than 'dead', right?"
The assassin narrowed her eyes. Her hair writhed like a nest of golden snakes, forming six distinct blades that pointed directly at Rito's vital points.
"You are calm," she observed. "Most targets run, fight, resist. Or beg."
"Running will make you chase me. And by the looks of it, I am no match for you." Rito shrugged. "And begging is annoying. Besides..."
He walked over to the park bench and sat down. He patted the empty space next to him.
"...you looked hungry yesterday. At the convention."
The assassin stiffened. "Yesterday? You..."
"I was the guy in the mask," Rito admitted, scratching his cheek. "The one who gave you the taiyaki. I figured you might want another one. This place has really good custard cream."
He opened the bag. The sweet, warm scent of fresh pastry wafted through the air, cutting through the tension.
The blades of hair wavered. Her stomach gave a traitorous, audible grumble.
The assassin flushed, a tiny spot of pink appearing on her pale cheeks.
"I am an assassin," she stated, trying to regain her composure. "I am here to kill you. I do not eat with targets."
"You can kill me after you eat," Rito countered logic with logic. "It's hard to fight on an empty stomach. Consider it... a last meal request? Except I'm sharing it."
He took a taiyaki out and held it out to her.
She stared at it. Then at him. Her red eyes searched for a trap, a weapon, a trick. She found nothing but a boy offering a snack.
Slowly, the hair blades retracted, softening back into long, silky strands. She hopped down from the slide, landing silently. She walked over to the bench, moving with a feline grace.
She snatched the taiyaki from his hand.
Chomp.
She took a bite. Her eyes widened slightly.
"It is... acceptable," she muttered. She sat down on the far end of the bench, putting distance between them. "I hate many things. But I do not hate taiyaki."
"Good," Rito smiled, taking one for himself. "I'm Rito, by the way. I know you said 'Target' and so you must know my name and all, but..."
"Golden Darkness," she interrupted. "That is my name."
Rito winced. "That's kind of a mouthful. And a little... edgy. Don't you have a nickname?"
"I am a weapon. Weapons do not need nicknames."
"How about Yami?" Rito suggested. "It means darkness, but it sounds... cuter. Yami-chan."
She stopped chewing. She glared at him. "Do not call me that. It is presumptuous. I will kill you soon."
"Sure, sure," Rito waved it off, undeterred. "But until then... Yami-chan."
She huffed, turning her head away to hide her face, but she didn't stop eating.
For a few minutes, they sat in silence, eating pastries in the twilight. It was bizarre. It was dangerous. And it was exactly the kind of connection Rito needed to make.
"Why?" Yami asked suddenly.
"Why what?"
"Why are you not afraid? I attacked you. I could kill you before you blink."
Rito looked at her. He saw the loneliness in her posture. He saw the way she held the taiyaki like it was a treasure.
"Because," Rito said honestly. "You're eating my snacks. And I think people who like taiyaki can't be all bad."
Yami looked at him, her red eyes wide with confusion. None of his words make sense. He broke all the rules of her world.
She stood up abruptly, finishing the last bite.
"The meal is over." she announced. Her hair hardened again, turning into a massive, serrated blade. "Now, I will complete my contract."
"Wait, seriously?" Rito scrambled up, grabbing his grocery bag. "Right after eating?!"
"Assassin rule number one: Never leave a job unfinished."
She swung.
It was a horizontal slash, fast and lethal.
Rito didn't have time to think. He let his body react. He dropped, his foot catching on a tree root protruding from the ground.
"Woah!"
He tripped. He fell backward, rolling away from the blade. The hair slashed through the air where his chest had been a second ago.
He tumbled into the sandbox, landing on his butt.
"Ow..."
Yami stood over him, the blade poised for a downward strike. But she hesitated. She looked at the boy sprawling in the sand, clutching a bag of groceries. She looked at the empty taiyaki bag on the bench.
Her stomach felt warm and full. The taste of custard lingered on her tongue.
She retracted the blade.
"You are... slippery." she muttered. "And lucky."
She turned around, her black dress swirling.
"I will let you live for tonight. The caloric intake requires digestion."
She jumped, leaping onto the park fence, silhouetted against the moon.
"But do not think this is mercy, Yuuki Rito. Next time... I will not stop."
She vanished into the night.
Rito sat in the sandbox, letting out a long, shaky breath. He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"That went... better than expected." he whispered. "At least the step one is complete: Feed the assassin."
*****
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