With the everlasting moon shining its light through the open window, Faust sits on the edge of the king-sized bed, blankly staring at the large, empty TV in front of her. Only the moonlight keeps the room visible to the eye, as Faust stares at her own reflection on the blank TV.

  Her body is literally halfed vertically, as if a guillotine has cleanly fall through her head down her middle. Her 'wound' is as black as the sea's abyssal depth, it faintly emitting wriggling clouds of ink-like shadows, though the moment a particle separate from her body, it'll disperse to thin air.

  Slowly, as she focuses her vision towards her reflection, the darkness that is her 'wound' suddenly erects themselves sideways. It continuously wriggles about like a bundle of black worms, till eventually, it forms a dark silhouette that fits what supposed to be the rest of Faust's body.

  "Are you sure you wanna let those two roam free?" With the same, robotic and radio-like voice, a voice echoes from the silhouette.

  "Yes. What reason would they have to run anyways?" She responds, with a tone as dead-panned as her other half.

  "Perhaps, now, they don't have any. But once they see the right moment, or if something changed their minds..." The silhouette tilts her head, "You'll be in trouble, y'know?"

  "Don't you worry. They're much more fragile than we initially thought. Especially... That Archangel..." The smile on her mask widen slightly, "Hah, I don't even need any effort to get him to stay. He really don't want to risk having his precious little butterfly get stolen by that Fox... Quite the most ridiculous of reasonings, correct?"

  "Ren Kitsuko," The silhouette reminds, "You do... Remember his name... Right?"

  "Right. Anyways... How is your collective doing, my Other Half?"

  The silhouette puts her shadowy fingers on the chin of her pitch-black mask before humming, "I admit there's been... Slight contention with Kao and Sion... But, I believe things are well. a contention as in Kao refusing to be sleeping in the same room with Sion."

  "Oh, don't mind that," Faust continuously taps her index finger and thumb together, "We all know those two have quite the tension anyways."

  "Hah," The silhouette forms a pitch-black smile, "Nothing speaks the truth like myself."

  "Then... To each their own, shall we?"

-----

  "Buy one get one free! Only available for tonight! Get your Summer Faerus plushie now!"

  "Merchandises here! For the families at home!"

  "This is your only chance to get 50% off! Buy the luxurious Hokkaido strawberries now!"

  The beach vendors and sellers yell as the crowd of humans, monsters, aliens and everything in between scour throughout the beach like horseshoe crabs in their spawning season. In every corner of the eye, stands a row of stalls, each with either the color hot-pink, peach, or sky-blue, each providing their own addition or comfort to the festival.

  Eye moisturizer for Cyclops or Venusian to use, the finest wing scales collected from the wing flaps of the Summer Faes, to a simple bouquet of flowers for the couples enjoying their honeymoon.

  Aside from those stalls, small rides are available for the whole family to enjoy. A Carousel for the little ones, a ferris wheel for a romantic view of the sea and starry sky, even a roller coaster that goes around the entirety of the festival and so many more. Granted, these rides are all made to fit only humanoids, so, a centaur or an arachne riding one is of the charts.

  "It's a pretty crowded festival, huh?" Azayaka crosses her arms, looking around the crowd as she stands in the middle of it with Yuu and Ren beside her as if they're her personal bodyguards.

  "Well, most of the A-list celebrities are Faes, so I'd imagine there would be some attending now," Ren mentions.

  "Wait, really? Holy shit... Now I wanna look around if Melanie Martinez's here..." Yuu mumbles to himself.

  "Who's that?" Azayaka raises a brow.

  "Only the most iconic dark-pop artist ever!" Yuu's face stares at her as if saying 'duh!'.

  "You're into dark-pop? Like Billie Eilish and stuff like that?" Ren narrows his eyes.

  "Yeah. Why?"

  Then Ren looks away, before whispering, "So that's why you turn out like that..."

  "What?"

  "Nothing."

  Amidst the crowd, the trio keeps on stepping on the sandy terrains, each looking at different things at once. One looking for a stall selling sweets related to cinnamons, another looking at a shelf filled with figurines of Fairy-themed anime characters, while the last search for the potential presence of a pink-skinned, four-eyed Fairy.

  "So... What're we gonna do here? Do you even have any money right now?" Yuu glances to Ren, which in response pops his lips.

  "Nope."

  Hearing that, Azayaka giggles as she stops her steps, prompting the men to do the same, "Don't worry, I got a little something," From her back pocket, Azayaka pulls out a wallet, dangling it like it's some sort of trophy, "Pulled it out straight from that literally half-assed Chief."

  Ren presses his lips together at the sight, before he glances back to Azayaka, "Wait, Aza, what if she finds out? God, I don't even want to imagine what'll happen... Especially to my salary..." He lays his ears back.

  "Relax... With that standoffish attitude, she obviously has a lot to spare, right?"

  "Sure... But... Stealing is-"

  A nudge to his shoulder causes him to stop, "Don't be a kill-joy now, Fox."

  To the Archangel's statement, Ren looks to the two smirking assassins and sigh as he puts his hands on his hips, "Guess the Chief had it coming anyways..."

  And so the night continues with joy. Ren bought some new stash of mangas and doujins, Azayaka happily slurping a cone of cinnamon ice-cream with a box of cinnamon rolls in her hand, while Yuu got an autograph scribbled to the neck-collar of his jacket.

  Things couldn't get any better, right?

  Then... A haunted house-themed fun house.

  It does get better.

  "Wanna go in there?" Azayaka says, staring at the cartoonishly abandoned mansion in front of her, the entrance of its picket fences showing off the name "Adanera's Magic Fun House," Written in the joker's font.

  To that, Ren hugs the bag of weeb stuff he just bought and stare away, his ears laying back as he mumbles, "Well... I'd rather ride the roller coaster or something..."

  Then Azayaka glances to Yuu, who is too looking away.

  "It's not that I'm scared... I just think that haunted houses are childish. Just a waste of our time," He say so with his lips firmly pressed together.

  And with that, Azayaka forms a V-shaped smile.

  "Whoever enters and exits that house without pissing themselves, I'll sit on their face," She says with her finger up and her other hand holding her waist as she turns around to face the haunted house again.

  "..."

  Hearing the silence, she chuckles lightly, "Kidding! I'm kidding... No way I'll do tha-"

  She turns back, only to be greeted with the sight of the empty air. Ren's new belongings now put on the sandy floor.

  "Eh?"

-----

  Harrowing, silent and abandoned, three words that describe the hallway the two men are now in. The deep, dark tunnel in front of them contrasts the sparkling, crowded views of the festival behind them. The faded wallpapers covering the walls, the broken down flooring showing spots of exposed beach sands and rocks, and the faint howls echoing from within the dark, it almost as if they made this "Fun" House from a real abandoned one. A haunted one at that.

  Ren looks behind once again, seeing the lively sounds and sights he's grown accustomed to, before sighing to himself. Meanwhile, Yuu enters his hands to his jacket's pocket, huffing as he puffs his chest.

  This attraction is free to enter, yet no one else but them is here.

  With that in mind, the two men gulp.

  "Careful not to piss yourself, Fox," Yuu taunts, crossing his arms as he looks away.

  Ren raises a corner of his lips at him while lowering his other, "Yeah? Why don't you lead the way, then?"

  "In case something comes from behind us, I can beat the shit out of it with my wings, a feat that you obviously can't do with that wimpy tail of yours," He nonchalantly answers.

  Ren immediately raises and hugs his tail as he sneers at the Archangel, "Wha!? Don't compare my tail with those fucking chicken wings! Look at them now! They're as small as your dick!"

  "Wha-" Yuu cuts himself off in realization, widening his eyes. His wings only reaches the length of his shoulders, and when he tries to enlarge them, they respond only in few tiny flaps that barely knock any air, "Shut up! It's only cuz of this dumb collar your Chief gave me!" He points to the silver collar wrapped around his neck, then he begins to try to claw it off.

  A few seconds after he does, a spark crackles from it, flinching his fingers off.

   "Don't force it, idiot! You'll hurt yourself!" Ren warns, grabbing Yuu's wrist.

  But Yuu immediately takes his hand back and pushes Ren away, "So what if I do? Why would you care?"

  "Cause' Aza will be sad if you do!"

  Yuu is silenced for a moment, his green eyes softening. Then he puts his hands back to his pockets, "Right..."

  "So, we agree that you'll be in front?"

  "Shut the fuck up, you pussy. Let's just get this over with."

  "W-Wait, slow down!"

  Following the guidance arrows is the only thing Yuu's quickened pace could do while Ren struggles to keep up behind him. Left, right, right, another right, then left, are these halls a maze of some sort? So far, the scenery's been the same kind of sight of the entrance's. So far, nothing of note has happened or shown up.

  That is, until the guidance arrows finally leads them in front of a door. A wooden door that has nothing but a guidance arrow pointing at it.

  "The hell?" Yuu questions as Ren hides behind him, peeking an eye out towards the normal-looking door.

  Both of them gulp as Yuu reaches for its handle, but inches away, a rough thump suddenly pushes from its other side, causing Yuu to flinch his hand away.

  "Fox, open it," Yuu whispers his demand.

  At that, Ren quips his ears as he furrow his brow, responding with the same volume as Yuu, "Wha- no! You open it!"

  "I've been the one leading this whole time. Only fair to switch now."

  "So!?"

  "I'll tell Aza how much of a wimp you are."

  "Tch... Fine! But don't you dare fucking bail on me!"

  And so, Ren takes Yuu's place. He stares at the door's handle for a moment, his lips firmly pressed together. Then, with a sigh, he slowly goes for the door, as a ball of saliva falls down Ren's throat.

  "CRASH!" The moment Ren pulls the handle, the door barges open, causing Ren and Yuu to widen their eyes.

  For the thing waiting behind that door, is a giant, human-sized cockroach.

  "AAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Comically loud screams ensue, coming from both sides.

  Ren immediately jumps, just for Yuu to catch him in a princess carry.

  Then, without thinking, the unlikely prince run off with his princess towards the way which they came.

  Yet, to their surprise...

  They arrive at a dead end.

  "Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!" Ren mutters, his hold to the Archangel becoming tighter.

  "Get the fuck off of me," Yuu drops the fox in his carry, causing him to land on his back.

  "You could've at least be a little gent-"

  The skittering noise slowly creeping from behind them cuts off Ren's retort. They jitter as they turn behind.

  There it is, the giant, human-sized cockroach skittering about across the ceiling through the dark halls, ready to do unimaginable things to the two men.

  The two squeal as they try to use each other as a meat shield, but ultimately, Yuu manages to keep Ren in front of him.

  Huffing out a little air, Ren narrows his sight towards the approaching cockroach. Then his pupils turn to thin slits as they glow bright blue. As his lightning begins to coalesces throughout his body.

  But then, the cockroach falls into a grovel right in front of Ren, it speaking with a deep British accent, "Thank you! Thank you so much for breaking me out of that room! I was stuck in there for years!"

  On that note, both Yuu and Ren freeze for a moment.

  "What."

  "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!!!" The cockroach continues its grovel.

  "Wait... So... Are you an employee working here or something?"

  "What? W-What do you mean by that?"

  "You do know that this is a Fun House we're in, right?"

  "Dear god... How long was I trapped in there!?"

-----

  "So that's why this crappy attraction doesn't have any visitors..." Tracing the right way back towards the exit, Ren hums to himself as he looks around the repeating hall of the fun house, still decrepit and abandoned.

  "Couldn't they at least put a goddamn sign or something?" With a huff, Yuu complains.

  Ren brushes off his statement, "Don't know. Guess they got lazy," He then looks back, seeing the Cockroach leaning on the wall, hugging its knees as it stares at nothingness, "Feel bad for that roach though, hopefully he'll make sense of all this..."

  Afterwards, the two's journey back to civilization is accompanied by Ren's intermittent humming. His soft voice rings out random tunes, from one song then jumping to another. But, in all honesty, his voice isn't half bad, charming even, like your usual K-pop idol, but Yuu puts a stop to it anyways.

  "Fox, your eyes can see through things, right?"

  "Yeah, why?"

  "So why didn't you just use that? Instead of forcing me to walk in front?"

  Ren pouts his lips as he glances away, "Well... It's because... That's just not fair," He crosses his arms, keeping his pout, "Like... I wanted you to taste defeat in the purest manner y'know?"

  Yuu stares for a second, before smirking to himself, "Sure... sure... But either way, I would be the one winning anyways."

  "Hey, no one's decided that!"

  "A; I led the way for most of the time. B; you're the one that jumped to me like the pussy you are."

  "Well, clearly you didn't have to carry me like that all the way, but you still did," Ren pats himself on the back, before pointing a finger at Yuu, "You didn't even say 'no homo'! I'm smelling some suspicious stuff under those skin..."

  "Reminder, you're the one that jumped to me first. Yet, here you are," Yuu calmly interjects.

  "I-I... Fine, I'll say it! No homo, kay?"

  "Hmph. God, you're fucking insufferable," Keeping his gaze away, Yuu rolls his eyes, "It's a miracle Aza was  friends with you."

  "You sure, though? That doesn't seem like a miracle for me," Ren immediately retorts, "What does seem like it though, is the fact that she's still friends with an emo chicken like you. How did you two know each other anyways? Some kind of under the bridge dance meeting I bet," Ren shoots his words with poignancy, not like Yuu's gonna understand that reference, though.

  "Her father bought me from a sex club in Infernum. Then I was forced to be a fucking assassin to keep her company. We ended up suffering through all those torturous trainings together and somehow, we still didn't end it all. Yeah, wonder why she's still friends with this emo chicken like you said."

  The Archangel's response is quick and concise, yet his tone carries darkness and bitterness. It takes Ren aback a bit, letting the two take their steps with silence for a moment.

  "You... You didn't even warn me for that..." Ren looks down, his ears doing the same, "Sorry... I... I didn't mean to sound like an asshole."

  "Don't be. Cause your face already looks like one."

  "You-" Ren takes a deep breath, "It's fine. I'm the one who started."

  "Figures."

  Then, the two take a steep dive into a sea of quietness. How could they not be? Yuu just dropped all of that like it's nothing, after all. From the looks of it, he seems to have already move past all of that. But bad memories stays that way, who knows what truly happened back then?

  Ren could only guess. But considering how Yuu seems so attached to Aza, and how that attachment almost killed Ren himself... Not to mention why they're both in this haunted house in the first place, that promise Azayaka said, whether true or not, though mostly it's just their childish mind taking over.

  He concludes that Yuu truly cares about Aza, and vice versa.

  For that, a deep sting stabs his chest. His nape becomes heavy, as if the newly acquired tattoo on it becomes solid.

  Thus, that prompts him to blurt out, "You love her, don't you?"

  "Hmph," Yuu answers ever so simply with a cross of his arms.

  "God, why am I stuck in a love triangle with this guy out of all people..." Ren's complaint is one of disdain, and he's not hiding it from his rival.

  "Could say the same," Yuu does the same.

  Ren moves his eyes to stare at the back of Yuu's head, how he doesn't even bother to look at him. His irises sharpen, like a lion trying to intimidate another to stay away from its harem.

  Usually, one would feel the daggers when someone's glaring at them, but Ren's is silent, unsettling and deathly as he narrow his eyes, as the stabbing in his heart starts to pulsate, while the weight on his nape grows.

  "Look... Either way... We shouldn't force either of us onto her..." Yuu mentions, his tone now sincere, without malice.

  Just like that, the darkness that constricts Ren's thoughts suddenly disappears. He widen his eyes afterward, as his pupils turn normal, "Yeah," He sighs, looking at the floorboards below, "I know."

  What the... What was that? Ren questions in his mind, as he reaches to his nape, where that tattoo is located.

  "And," Yuu continues, saying his next words with utter nonchalance, "That's exactly why... I hated you."

  Ren perks his ears, Yuu's sudden words interfering with his own mental turmoil, "Okay... This is... This is getting weird. Sorry I brought this up in the first place... I-I... Really didn't know what I was thinking..."

  Yuu only answers with a distrusting, side-eyed glare, prompting Ren to sigh.

  "But... just so you know... I won't back down just because you hate me."

  To that, Yuu answers with a sigh of his own, "I know..." He hunches himself, as he continues on, "But, after seeing how she talks to you, and how you talk to her... She missed you so much, y'know?" 

  Just like that, Ren's previous contempt disappears almost completely, still, his gaze soften as his ears perk to listen.

  "I'm not one to cling onto something I will never get..." His tone is raspy, said with his brow furrowed, almost as if it hurt for him to say, "So, you better treat her well, okay? Or else," He grips the air and form a knuckle at his last two words.

  "You don't have to say it out loud," Yet, Ren doesn't falter, instead he just lay his ears down, as his sight catch the light at the end of the hallway, "Because when you say it like that... It makes me feel... Guilty, y'know?"

  Yuu only huffs as he quickens his pace, longing for the light of the festival.

-----