Chapter 3 Arc 1 — "Kuidaore"

—Kuidaore…

The safe haven. The restaurant was originally a house, with the previous owner living on the top floor of the restaurant which now served as the room for the current owner, "Momo."

It was probably her genius idea to make the garage in the bottom a restaurant. It had all the qualities. It was wide, it had a lot of junk, and the door was already busted.

It wasn't known as for why the door got broken down. Sasaki just woke up one day hearing a loud bang outside just to see that the metal sheet had broken.

Because of this, the entrance had no door, no blockade, not even a curtain. They didn't even have a conscience as to repair it.

Although that didn't even matter now, since this place was doing well for a small local joint. Momo had done well to make a family business from the use of their empty space.

Serene atmosphere came from the light color palette, a hint of blue with a little bit of light green on the supporting edges; which was supposed to be a lucky charm?

On the walls hung some art replicas from famous painters. Most notably, "Van Gogh's Starry Night." It was Sasaki's favorite painting. He didn't know the meaning behind it, but he just liked the aesthetic appeal coming from it. As lazy as he is, he didn't even try to deduce the meaning behind it.

"I'm home... "

Sasaki exhaled deeply, but it wasn't much considered to be a sigh.

In front of the counter which also served as a kitchen stood a charming woman wearing a light purple apron, combining well with her cyan long sleeve.

She was fair, as she tied up her long brunette hair which reached her upper back, with her slender fingers. She wore thin glasses. Not because she needed to, she simply wore them as some kind of everyday fashion.

It was easier to differentiate reading glasses than ones used for aesthetics. Just simply look at the thickness of the glass, since most reading glasses are layered.

Her hazel eyes locked with Sasaki's lifeless gaze. Immediately, she recognized him.

"Welcome home Sasaki!"

Momo lowered the heat from her stove, so as to not burn the fish she was frying. She approached the two standing still by the entrance.

Sasaki looked down at her, not in a humiliating manner. It was simply the height difference and his scary appearance that would make one assume that he was.

Sasaki smiled. Not a smile deriving from madness, but a genuine smile. This wasn't much of a rare occurrence around the one's he's close to, but this was a new experience for Kouji.

"Oh, Hey Kouji! Long time no see! How's your mother doing?"

"Thanks for asking Momo, but mom has been doing fine."

Kouji lied, so as to not destroy the ardent presence Momo was emitting.

People as cheerful as her is a rare occurrence in the world they're living in. Whenever you pass by a lively soul as hers in this grim city, the smile emitted would render more infectious than any poisonous gas.

"Momo, can you lend me a thousand?"

Straight to the point as always, Momo stared puzzled at Sasaki as she tried to deduce his antics.

The last time she'd given him ten thousand yen to shop for groceries, he ended up using it as bribe money to escape the cops.

"Are the cops chasing you again?"

"No no Momo, it's for me."

Momo's smile got wider, as she grinning from both ears as she pulled out her wallet placed in the large pocket on her apron.

She grabbed two-thousand yen out of her wallet before placing it back where she first took it.

"Well why didn't you say so! Oh, and here's a bonus thousand for your mother's treatment!"

—She didn't even hesitate… what if she was getting ripped off. I guess I would be the one to blame again if she did get scammed by Kouji.

"Eh, hu— no no! Please, keep the tip. I only need a thousand to pay my debts to Sasaki."

Kouji had put down the money she offered in an entreaty after she'd offered an extra bonus. Before switching into a nervous expression, chuckling from embarrassment of her feeling pity for him.

Momo's eyes turned grim. She turned to Sasaki like a corpse awakened from its slumber. He slowly, and instinctively looked away from her while still keeping a slight gaze from a small fraction of his vision.

"Sasaki?"

"Please don't kill me madam. He doesn't owe me anything, it was from Uncle."

Sasaki had reassured Momo, traumatized by the unmentionable things she had done to him. He didn't want to experience them again.

—So this is the power of a wife…

Kouji had thought of their bantering as some kind of lovers quarrel. He grinned from both ears tilting his head as if he was flying on the clouds.

"Don't worry Sasaki, if you two ever get on an argument, drink's on me—"

"Shut up! I'll bash your head on the sidewalk if you mutter another word."

They both shouted in unison. This only made Kouji's smile even clearer than the warm sunset. To watch such synchronised chemistry, how blessed could he be,

"Aw—"

Kouji was found laying on the ground with bruises scattered across his entire body. His face was tattered and a bloody mess, with a five-thousand yen note placed on his mouth.

Even Cupid couldn't save him from the wrath of these two monsters. May Kouji rest in peace as he enters the pearly gates. That is if he's lucky.

"Miyuki's home right?"

"Yeah, she's right upstairs."

The two left his hapless body on the sidewalk, as they walked back inside the restaurant.

Sasaki limped over the door behind the counter, and yet again he was faced by such a challenge… "stairs!"

"My back's so beat man… could this house at least give me a break?"

Sasaki sighed in exhaustion, as he crept on all fours to drag himself to ascend himself on the stairs like a four-legged animal.

"Rahh!"

His cries of pain were heard across the restaurant as he ascended with each step up the stairway.

The customers, puzzled and in shock of the events currently occurring. Was there a ghost haunting this place? Is someone being tortured? Such questions had run into their minds, which led one of them to approach Momo.

"Uh, mi—"

"Hrgrahhh! Hrahh!"

Momo smiled, exasperated by his antics. Sasaki was scaring off her lovely customers, with his "battle cries."

—What could this man be up to this time…

Momo gestured to the man to wait by the counter, as she took the bat laying by the side. She opens the door leading to her room, to see Sasaki painfully reaching out his hand to climb up the steps.

"You damn runt!"

"Gah!"

"You're scaring—"

"Ah"

"—My damn,"

"Grugh!"

"—Customers!"

"Bwah!"

Momo had hit Sasaki's head with her bat thrice. Without even a sign of sympathy was shown in her actions.

Although for Sasaki, even though he's out cold. It seemed like a normal thing for that to happen to him. He thinks that being out cold gives better sleep quality than actually trying to sleep.

And the reason being, that he feels much colder whenever he's knocked out of his senses, rather than sleeping yet still feeling the scorching heat from outside.

"Miyuki!"

Soft agitated footsteps suddenly rushed over to the small stairway.

A small fair girl with short dark hair wearing a plain white dress had appeared atop the stairs. Although her hair wasn't that short as to be considered a man's haircut, it was also long enough for it to cover her other eye slightly, reaching shoulder length.

Her outfit on the other hand, was more considerable as a tag than an actual fit itself. Much resembling scraps from curtains rather than an actual dress.

Her jade eyes stared down onto Sasaki, who was lying unconscious in the middle of the stairway. She touched him, rubbing his hair softly with an endearing smile on her face.

Sasaki had slowly gained consciousness from the sensation he's feeling. He groaned tiringly. Looking up, he noticed a cute girl rubbing the strands of his hair.

"I told you not to make Momo mad again."

Sasaki smiled, as he struggled to reach out for her face.

"Miyu—"

He dropped dead.