Two days after the carnival haunting. Reigen had just returned after another full day working alongside Serizawa. The brunette was back to it again: pretending like nothing was wrong. Honestly, it would be better at this point if the two sat and talked about it, but, Serizawa was obviously avoiding that. Was there something HE could do??

Bzzz bzzz bzzz

     "Huh? This late? Wonder what-?" He set the phone to his ear.

     ""Hello?? This is Reigen Arataka, correct?"" ...It was a familiar, feminine voice, but, he couldn't remember for the life of him who it was or where he heard it.

     "Um, yes, it is. Who is this?" Reigen stripped off his suit jacket and set aside his shoes as he waited for an answer. The voice liked to stutter a lot, clearly nervous.

     ""Thi-this is Daisi Kuppito. We met on your birthday about a month ago to have dinner and drinks...""

     Reigen mulled the name around in his head as he opened the fridge door to look for something to cook. "...-Ah, ohh! Yeah, I remember you! The one with long black hair?"

     ""Yes! That's me!""

     "How'd you get my number?"

     ""Eizu Anakata, my friend you also met that day, asked Serizawa for it.""

     "Hm, and why are you calling?"

     ""W-well, I- um... I need your advice!""

     "What about?" He pulled out some eggs and other ingredients, deciding to make an omelette.

     ""Not over the phone! I was hoping maybe we could go to get drinks sometime soon? Or dinner? Po-point is, I think you're a nice guy worth talking to, and I need some manly advice!""

     His heart flinched, painfully, at what felt both like a compliment and a slow-setting insult. He was quiet for a moment as he poured a little oil onto the pan and washed off an egg with one hand. "...Sure, I'd be down for that. I'm free tomorrow. Same place we ate on my birthday?"

     ""Yes! Perfect! Thankyou so much!!""

     "Heheh, alright, bye." The call ended there and he slid his phone back into his pocket.

     Wait, was this a date?

- - - - - - - - - - -

     "Tome, could you go pickup some things for our client at the grocery store? Here. Use these coupons. They shouldn't be expired yet."

     "Yes sir!!"

- - - - - - - - - - -

     Sanami was pleasantly surprised to see a girl her age entering the store after so many old farts, so her eyes lingered on her for a while.

     Tome held a sticky note in one hand, anxiously tapping her heel as she scanned for the correct supplies. She had to hurry since it was for work, but now that she was put on the spot here, her eyes weren't working right!

     In an instant, she clutched the store counter, wild and needy. "Hello, would you mind helping me find the gorilla glue and pickles!?"

     "..." Sanami chuckled and pointed right next to Tome, where a jar of pickles stood on a mini shelf.

     Tome grabbed the pickles at once. "Oh my god thank you! And the gorilla glue?!"

     "Um... On the third isle, furthest from me." Sanami also pointed whilst giving her instructions. Tome bowed deeply before scurrying off to grab said items, plus several more on her list. Sanami thought the way she moved around was cute. And her suit was so pretty, and her hair-- The moment Tome returned with everything she needed, Sanami scanned and bagged her items at an impressive speed, taking after (L/n) a little to show off. Tome didn't care much about the speed. Her eyes wandered away, scanning the store boredly. She did kinda like the girl's makeup, though. Wondered how she pulled off such a casual but pretty look. And it matched her dirty blond hair well somehow.

     What really caught her eyes was the thing on the other's arm. "Is that an alien themed keychain??" Tome pointed at the girl's wrist. Sanami grabbed it and laughed nervously.

     "It's nothing, really."

     "Oh yeah! I have coupons by the way!"

     "Oh, thanks!" Sanami took the coupons and paper to stamp, but happened to catch the name and number on the paper. "You know (Y/n) (L/n)?"

     "Huh?" Tome leaned over the desk and gasped seeing the woman's name on the paper. "That treacherous demon! Trying to seduce my boss with coupons!"

     "Uhh- what?"

     Tome grabbed the stamped slip of paper, now wondering how close (L/n) and Reigen really were. "Tell me! How do you know (L/n)?!" She slapped her hand on the desk aggressively, now interrogating Sanami. 

     "She WORKS here! I-um..."

     Gaaaaaaaaaaasp. Tome jumped back into a defensive stance. "So you are the enemy too..."

     "Wh-WHAT? What are you talking about?!" Tome grabbed her bagged things and slinked away. "HEY YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT!"

     "Oh yeah, you're right. Sorry." Suddenly calm again, Tome returned and finished her order uninterrupted. But, once she had paid, she shrunk back into a fighting stance and crab walked out of there. Sanami was embarrassed she ever thought that girl was cute.

- - - - - - - - - - -

     I had just started my shift at the cat cafe, feeding all the critters, when I received a call from an unknown number. Now usually I just ignored these, and technically I did, but when they called a second time I decided to stand up with a hand on my hip and answer. "Yes? Hello?"

     ""You know English, right?"" Reigen asked through the phone.

     "Huh?" I looked out the window. It would be getting dark here soon. What could this be about? "Uh, yeah. I know five other languages, including ancient Japanese-"

     ""Perfect! There's a client here who can't understand my accent when I speak English, so I need a more fluent speaker.""

     "..."

     ""Would that be okay?""

     "..Sure, put them on the phone."

     ""Of course! Thanks!""

     While it would have been better had I been there in person, I helped communicate between the two of them prices and job deals. It'd been a while since I needed to test my foreign language skills, so I considered it a good tester for me.

- - - - - - - - - - -

     Buddy-boy was NOT expecting what he'd see at dinner that night.

     He didn't even recognize her at first. But when a lady with ripped jeans, a black tank top, and comically tall black mohawk sat across from him at the table, he knew he was in for an interesting chat.

     Boldly as she dressed, Daisi sat and fidgeted nervously. "I decided to start my own punk-rock band, but I need help on the business side. You started your own business, right? So I was hoping you might have some tips. I was thinking I could maybe even pay you to help me out a little bit!"

     "...Heh." Reigen smirked. He leaned forward, weaving his fingers together in front of his face as he set his elbows on the table. Well this was going to be interesting... "Tell me... How good are you at making music?"

     She had skills, that was for sure, though her setup and framing needed to be improved upon. She showed him a few videos there at the table and he pointed out small things throughout she could improve upon. She seemed to really appreciate even the smallest bits of advice, writing every tip of his down.

     "Overall, I'd say you have serious potential." Pointing across the table with a charming smile. "All you need is a higher budget setup and some team members and you should be good to go!"

     "Thanks..." Daisi smiled, staring down at her half eaten food, which had already gone cold. She liked the compliment, but there was something clearly weighing on her.

     "What's the matter?"

     "Er- it's.. the other reason I asked you to come here..."

     "Oh?" Reigen's shoulders tensed as he leaned ever so slightly forward.

     Daisi's face turned red. "I- I wanted to apologize to you for your birthday! I know it was over a month ago, but I feel like I gotta!"

     "...Huh?"

     "Just- ...listen to me, okay?" Daisi used her chopsticks to mess around with her ramen. "I always try to be upfront with people about this, but, I didn't tell you the truth when we went on that double-date, and not telling the truth is just as bad as lying in my eyes!"

     "...go on~"

     "I-.. I'm trans, okay?!" Definitely embarrassed. "I usually tell every guy I go on a date with beforehand as a heads-up, but everything was so rushed that day, I- I didn't have the time to- and I've felt bad about it ever since!"

     "..." Reigen set his chin down on his woven fingers. "Whew... Here I thought you were going to admit to secretly stealing my kidneys or something."

     o///o "Of COURSE not I would NEVER do that!!"

     "Psh. Calm down, calm down. I'm not mad."

     Daisi leaned far back in her chair, faking a huge sigh of relief. "Thank GOODNESS... Wait, why aren't you more surprised?"

     "I sort of already knew..." 😅

     "WHAT? HOW?"

     "Just little things and behaviors. I'm pretty good at picking up on that kind of stuff."

     😭 "Awh, and here I thought I was fully passing..."

     "You are to most people, don't worry." Reigen couldn't help but smile.

     He was glad he came out here tonight.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Knock knock

     The man had just returned home. The knocking caught him mid-taking off his jacket. He slid it off real quick as he turned around and opened the door. "Yeah, (L/n)?" As expected, I stood at the door, offering him some meatloaf.

     "I made too much. Want some?"

     "Nh... Nah thanks. I just ate." He ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the door.

     "Ah... Alright then."

     "But I wouldn't mind trying it. I didn't know you cooked."

     "I just started practicing. Getting that full, 'human experience.'"

     "Ahhh, I see. I'll get a fork." He disappeared into his apartment and appeared a few moments later with a fork, which he stabbed into the meatloaf. He grabbed himself a pretty big bite, shoving it into his mouth.

     "Mh-" He froze, staring down at the dish, processing the flavor. He calmly retreated back into his apartment, fork sticking out of his mouth.

     I heard him politely spit it into the trash.

     He appeared a minute later, dabbing a paper towel to his mouth. "Do you not have any seasonings at your place?"

     "...Oh... I forgot people actually seasoned their food."

     "Oh my gosh..." Reigen made a few elaborate gestures with his hands, which ended in him covering his face, trying to articulate his thoughts. "..And it was a little on the raw side, too."

     "Oh... So it's not supposed to be pink at all? Not even in the middle?"

     "???" He looked at me like I was crazy, realized I was genuinely confused, and reeled himself back. "For meats like chicken, pork and steak, no."

     "Oh... Sorry." My voice was softer, more timid than usual. It's how he knew I was genuinely out of my league here, a complete and utter stranger to cooking.

     "You don't eat raw meat on a regular basis, do you?"

     "I'll usually just eat whatever makes the hunger pain go away, so, I guess so."

     Reigen's face scrunched like he'd eaten a lemon, stepping back, needing a moment to process that.

     "...You're not supposed to do that..." He couldn't believe he was having this conversation. "Didn't you follow a recipe?"

     "I glanced at it."

     "But you did nghothingh thh.. ohhghohd." The man leaned in the doorway. "Hhhhow are you still alive?"

...

     I shrugged.

     "Mgh... You know what?" He stepped back, hands up in front of himself. "It's too late to be having this conversation."

     I nodded, stepping back as well. "You're right."

     "Sorry about the call earlier today."

     "Hm?... Oh, that. Yeah, how did you get my number?"

     "Those, uh.. stamps... Saved it for emergencies, and, eheh, guess I had an emERgEnCy back there...heh. Sorry about that. I sort of panicked." He tightly tucked his arms around himself, leaning into a playful shrug.

     I shook my head, smiling softly. "It was no problem at all... I like helping you.." As my words settled into silence, my gaze flicked up suddenly, mild shock in my eyes. "I mean- I like to help people a lot more than you think I do! My whole job as The Power Broker after all was about essentially providing insurance for the dead! Eh-heheh! There are a lot of bad apples that take advantage of the system, sure, but it was designed for normal, everyday spirits who mean no harm!" Reigen couldn't recall a moment when I looked any more nervous and caught off guard than I was right now. He deliberately refused to read into what that might imply.

     "Oh really? Eheh, well. Guess I shouldn't be too worried then.. Ms. Charity over here." It was failing. He was equally awkward.

     "Yeah-h.. Charity..."

...

     "We're both tired. Go to sleep."
     "I was about to say the same thing."

- - - - - - - - - - -

     "Gawhhh, I didn't see that one coming!" Serizawa grabbed his face, embarrassed he was losing a game of chess to Reigen's sister.

     Evelyn laughed, taking his bishop. "This isn't Go~"

     "I know.. I know that..." He stared at the chess board, really thinking this time about where and how to make his next move.

     Evelyn sat in Reigen's chair and Serizawa sat on the corner of his desk. The woman really was persistent. She stopped by every day to bring Reigen lunch, which slowly transitioned to her bringing Serizawa's lunch, the blond making his escape every time. In the meantime, waiting for her brother to come around, she found a way to squeeze some fun out of her lunch breaks. Serizawa didn't mind her presence much anymore, though he did remain somewhat wary around her.

     The chair turned so she could stare out the window, Evelyn watched with half-lid eyes: the poor, long dead butterfly caught in a spiderweb outside the glass. "...-If I ever get a house of my own, I want to turn the backyard into a butterfly garden."

     "Huh?" Wondering what spurred this sudden shift, Serizawa looked out the window. "Oh... Poor little guy..." He used his telekinesis to clean the cobwebs and bug corpses off from the window sill outside. The woman sighed and flopped over the table, resting her head on her arms.

     "Mmh, I miss the old butterfly garden in highschool... I spent so much time in there... Do you like butterflies, Serizawa?"

     "Can't say I've given them much thought.."

     "Heh. So now every time you see one, you'll think of me~"

      "Ugh. Oh no..."

     "Wh- whaaa? You saying I'm an unsightly image to have pop up in your head??"

     "No- not- well...sort of, I guess. Reigen certainly doesn't trust you."

     "Meh, but don't you hate him now for lying to you?"

     "I- ...not really, no."

     "Let's get back to playing."

     "Good idea." Though they continued to play, the mood had shifted.

     Serizawa made some ground in retaliation, but then Evelyn pulled out her queen to take one of his pieces. She fidgeted with the chess piece in her hand and scoffed. "Ironic that the queen is the most powerful piece on the board..."

     "......I like to imagine it's because the king loves her so much..."

     "Hmh."

     "He spent all of his personal money buying her the best armor and the finest horse.. and he was left with not very much to spend on himself..."

     "...That..is adorable." She giggled, gazing directly into his eyes. But then she rest her head on her arms, staring at the chess board while messing with the king piece, and sighed, the joy in her features fizzling out. "But no man would do that... Sorry to sound rude. Heh. I know you're a guy.. but I just know."

...

     "...Not ALL men are-"

     Sitting up suddenly, a sour look on her face. "Ghh, I knew you'd say that."

     "I'm telling you the truth! Think about-"

      "Listen, I've dated more men than I can count and I know for a fact what 'all' men are like."

     Serizawa's brows shifted tightly, forcing himself to look away from her. "...I'm sorry to hear you've been so unfortunate."

     "GHhh! You know what!?" She stood up and flipped the chess board over, spilling pieces everywhere.

     "Hey! Don't make a mess!"

     She slammed her hands on the desk. "Try to live as a woman, I DARE you!! Try to live as a woman dating men! It's BRUTAL! You get treated like trash until you believe you ARE trash! Everybody hates you for not being able to choose between one devil or another, and EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. HHHAATES YOU AND CALLS YOU A HO FOR HAVING BASIC HUMAN DESIRES! I WASN'T A GOOD PERSON, I KNOW THAT, BUT I WAS YOUNG AND I WAS SCARED!" Serizawa stepped back to keep his distance. He couldn't look away from her hateful, tear-filled eyes. He waited, watching the woman calm herself down and wipe her own face. "*sniffle* I'm sorry... I'm sorry... It's- it's this pregnancy, it's making me hormonal..." She repeatedly wiped her face but the flow of tears didn't stop, her whole body trembling.

     The man held onto his own feelings. The view in front of him overlapped with old memories of his mother. With clear pain in his eyes, he forced himself to look away. His fists clenched.

     "...The father of that child must have been a special man...for you to keep it." He mumbled.

     Her belly was starting to grow a little bump, though it still wasn't obvious she was pregnant.

     Evelyn sniffled some more, grabbing some tissue from Reigen's desk to blow her nose in. "...He was the only guy I almost married... He was..sweet, and..considerate. But, he died in a motorcycle accident two months ago... I didn't even get to tell him I was expecting..." Holding the tissue to her face, she held her side in a desperate self soothing hug and let out a couple sobs. Serizawa was uncomfortable again... He never knew what to do when people cried, especially women. He stood there awkwardly, wishing for some kind of cue. "But...the main reason I kept the baby was because...well..." She cleaned away her tears finally, breaths settling down. "...I've always been an irresponsible, selfish person... I caused so much trouble for my family, it didn't surprise me when they all eventually cut me off..." Glancing at Serizawa, she was pleased to see he had settled again. "But I-- I'm not trying to make excuses, but my mom died when I was a baby. So, the mom I grew up with was actually my step mom... And while she did try her best to treat me like her daughter..I just... I knew she wasn't my mom... Add on the fact that both Mom and Dad were on the shorter side..and I never really felt like I had anyone to run to when I was in danger... Heheh.. where was I going with this again? Oh yeah.." Wiping her cheek with the tissue, she smiled nervously, staring down at the desk. "Point is, I think I need something in my life that'll force me to take my life seriously... Force me to be more responsible. And...I did always want to be a mom... It was never my intention to.. you know... Heheh..be a sl#t, basically..."

     Seeing now that the emotional high was over, Serizawa exhaled a long breath.

     Evelyn laughed at herself. "Wow, that was a lot. I'm sorry to talk your ear off like that- eheh.. Let me help with that..." Evelyn rounded the desk and crouched down to pick up the chess board and pieces. She hummed sadly to see some of them were broken. Serizawa considered just using his telekinesis, but instead he bent down and helped her the normal way.

     He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say or how to say it... Just like when he was a kid watching his mother break down... He never knew what to do or say then, so he remained quiet... Kept his thoughts and feelings to himself. Did everything in his power to, at the very least, not make things worse

     Evelyn nudged him. "You okay?"

     "Wuh? Oh! Heheh, yeah, perfectly fine."

     She shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Noooo you're not." She pat his shoulder, pulling away. "No need to keep quiet about what's on your mind. I mean just look at Reigen and I. Hah! We're both good examples of what NOT to do with your feelings!"

     "How are you so clam now?"

     "Eh, like I said, it's just hormones."

     "I don't think that was just hormones..."

     "But we're going to pretend like it is~! Hahah!"

     *sigh*

- - - - - - - - - - -

     Seven years ago. Before drugs.

     There was someone at work he had a little crush on. Someone he'd peek glances at from time to time, showing special interest in their conversations across the room. He didn't expect this work crush to go anywhere. After all, they were rather popular and got along with everyone, but...there was a small part of him that held hope.

     The Internet was still a fairly new place. The "wild west" of the world at the time. It was difficult to navigate, connection was untrustworthy, and frankly it was very ugly. And yet, somehow, Reigen found his people there.

     What started as one large chat room for all the guys to geek out about games together slowly whittled down into one, much smaller, but tight-knit group of what could be considered friends. Friends who, specifically, considered themselves to be "not love crazy." If ever there was discussion about love and romance, it was to tease the idea and reinstate that friendship was where it's at!... As nice as it was finally knowing people who didn't think he was strange for not wanting to be intimate, it made him fear "betraying" them by bringing up his little work crush.

     But, one day after especially long work hours, the young man fell into his chair and immediately began typing about them. Unable to hold his feelings in any longer.

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: I'm sorry to derail the conversation, but there's a cute __ at work and I need to talk about __ or else I might explode!

Scharphuz: Heheh bro's gunna explode on his monitor >:)

709386: oooohhhhhhh~

DaRickRiddy: send pics >:}}}

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: SERIOUSLY GUYS?!

G@Ym3rM@N: ToT how dare you betray us

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: No this isn't like that!!

709386: aren't you asexual

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: I can still LIKE people though can't I?

709386: uh nu-uh

G@Ym3rM@N: bro's like f#cking romeo and juliet ToTo

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: ???

709386: the likelihood they aren't is high

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: ok?? That would suck, but I can just find someone else who is also asexual, right?

Scharphuz: sounds like torture. what if one of you changes your mind later?

709386: yeah and besides it isn't real love if you aren't getting physical. may as well just be friends

Xx_D3m0nk!ngg_xX: you guys are starting to sound like my parents...

Scharphuz: oof

G@Ym3rM@N: LMAO

709386: ouch

709386: I still stand by what I said. If you TRULY love someone, as MORE than a friend, you'll do anything for them, even if it's uncomfortable.

709386: it's basic human nature anyways. breeding is in our dna

G@Ym3rM@N: EWW you didn't have to say it like that! xP

Scharphuz: HAHAH!

   '...Then I guess I'll never truly love anyone...' Reigen leaned far back in his chair, arms dangling at his sides, staring at the ceiling with grief stricken, glossy eyes. '...But I really, really want to...'

     The dream to fall in love one day...suffered a slow..and painful death.

- - - - - - - - - - -

     December 20th, the land was covered in a thin layer of snow. The air was so still and quiet. Passerbys shuffled around in a slightly faster, stiffer pace than before. A large variety of coats decorated public stations, telling much about the people who wore them. 

     But as the air grew more festive, a certain man became more fearful.

     A panicked Reigen ran up to my door and knocked on it again and again until at last I opened it.

     I only slit the door open, in part because it was hella cold out there, in other part because I'd just crawled out of bed and looked terrible. "What is it?" I groaned.

     Reigen stiffened, rubbing his hands together. The backdrop behind him of near-pure black broken up only by distant street lights and thick clumps of falling snow told me it was going to be another long, slow day at work tomorrow.

     "I'm willing to pay you!!"

...

     "Payment?" Heheh hell yeah I'll take payment for anything.

     "I can't believe I'm doing this..." The man groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "My parents are coming to visit over the holidays and I... Hhh... I'll pay you to pretend you don't know me at all and avoid us at all cost!!"

...

     "...Count me in. I need to pay extra for heating." 😎👍