Delusions of Normality Pt. 1

I stood in the center of the bustling mall, surrounded by a sea of shopping fronts. People flowed around me, some talking loudly on their phones, others in groups, laughing and goofing around. I even spotted a few who seemed close to my age. Is this what 'normal life' looks like? It's loud. Very loud.

The cold today was sharper than usual, so I layered up with a warm sweater beneath a sleek black trench coat. I remembered Watcher giving it to me ages ago, claiming it was outrageously expensive. He suggested I wear it to look cool while working, but that was a hard pass. Assassins prioritize agility and stealth—there's no room for fancy coats in the field. Tracksuits were the go-to for a reason. Even now, the coat felt restrictive. Glad I never had the bright idea to test it out during a mission.

I checked my phone—11:34 AM. I'd arrived way too early, and that's not even counting the last fifteen minutes of standing around.

Swiping through my screen, I pulled up Line. Shiro had a group chat with me and Taiyori last night, sending us a checklist of everything we needed to buy and an itinerary for the day. I didn’t bother reading it all.

With a sigh, I pocketed my phone. The noise is starting to get to me. I can feel my patience getting thinner by the second.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out behind me. I resisted the urge to turn around, telling myself it was none of my business. But even I wasn't immune to the pull of curiosity when drama started brewing nearby.

"I might be able to show you a little something that might change your mind," a man said. "Oh, wait up, will you? Where's a pretty little lady like you going in such a hurry?"

I could hear the voice of a middle-aged man, his tone dripping with attempts to woo a younger woman. From the clatter of multiple footsteps, it seemed like he wasn't alone—three more were following closely behind him. Were they all chasing after the same woman? It almost felt too familiar, like a certain situation involving someone I knew all too well.

"None of your business," the woman replied coldly. "Go away."

"There's no way we can just let a beautiful woman go without saying a word," another man scoffed. "Just give us a chance."

"I'm going to say this one last time. Leave me alone, or I'll call the police."

Similar, indeed. This is playing out like one of those bad rom-com shows. Even the rejection was just as aggressive as I expected. In fact, she sounds exactly like... Taiyori...?

I turned around, and my eyes shot wide open. Standing her ground confidently against four men was Taiyori Ayaka herself.

The first thing that caught my eye was her casual outfit—she wore a fluffy white jacket, a short skirt paired with leggings, and snow boots. A knitted cap sat snug on her head, and a plaid scarf was wrapped around her neck, completing the look with a subtle touch of style.

I can’t even deny it—she looked beautiful today. But unfortunately, that’s where the compliments end. Her awful personality? Well, that's an entirely different story.

As the men continued to shower her with words of flattery, she simply stood there, annoyed and unamused.

Hm... Should I step in? The last time I decided to help her, she offered some 'kind' words in exchange. I'm not saying that I did it out of chivalry, but she could've at least thanked me.

The more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off. Never mind. She can handle this on her own. I'll just stand back and see where this goes. Who knows? Maybe she really can handle herself as she says.

Right then, the man reached for Taiyori's shoulder, but she swung her purse and whacked him dead in his head. As the man stumbled back, a small gash in his head, Taiyori faced him with a menacing glare.

"Don't... touch me," she muttered dangerously.

That certainly was a surprise. At best, I thought she would back away and scream; I didn't expect her to fight back. Now I'm wondering... If I hadn't interfered that one time, would she have done the same to that guy as well?

"What the hell," the same grumbled. "Hey, you made me bleed."

"I could've done a lot worse. Now, get lost before I do."

"Hah, this little girl is threatening me, huh? Then it's fine if I do the same, right?"

"Huh...?"

The instant he lunged forward, my body reacted on instinct. Just before he could lay a hand on her, I intercepted his arm, twisted it sharply, and grabbed him by the neck. In one swift motion, I hurled him across the hall. He spun mid-air before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. All eyes in the room turned toward us, but my focus remained locked on him.

"Just what... were you trying to do?" I asked.

He stood and pointed at me. "The hell?! Why are kids these days so goddam disrespectful?!"

"Disrespectful? Did you just say that I'm disrespectful? She clearly declined your advances, and yet, you persisted, fully ready to put your hands on her."

"I was just gonna teach her a lesson!"

"A lesson of what exactly? Do tell."

"T-that's..."

How fucking disgusting. Once a coward like him is cornered, all that's left is his pathetic attempt to retreat. With all these eyes on us, he's probably scrambling to salvage his reputation somehow.

But I won't allow it. That earlier smugness of his? It means he's done this before and has walked away unscathed.

I ran a hand through my hair, gripping it tightly in frustration. It is as if the world knows exactly who to throw in my path, daring me to kill them without mercy. If that's the case, then I'll gladly oblige.

As I slowly began walking towards him with my fists harshly clenched, I spoke coldly.

"You seem insistent on maintaining your silence. In that case, allow me to speak on your behalf. You, a fully grown man, were chasing after a young woman who made the boundaries clear. You insist that we are the ones in the wrong... but you know exactly what your intentions were. You will not speak, because you can not speak. You will not act, because you can not act. Nothing you say can justify what you tried to do—and if there truly is a lesson to be taught, it will be taught by me... to you."

Suddenly, Taiyori latched onto my arm with a confident look.

"The point is, sir, do we need to be respectful to those who don't even try to do the same for us?" she smirked. "Learn to respect a woman's choice first. Otherwise, you'll just keep making a fool of yourself like you did today."

The man stumbled away in fear while his friends followed him. What a pathetic excuse for a human being. It's like people in the normal world are living a fantasy, blissfully ignorant of the consequences of their actions.

Sure, you could say the same about those in the underworld, but there is a big difference. There exist people who will make them pay. Prime example: me.

Taiyori suddenly jerked her head at me, eyes sharp and seemingly furious. "Just what were you about to do to him?"

"W-what do you mean?" I gulped.

Her arms squeezed tighter. "Don't try to play dumb. You did this last time too when you almost broke that guy's arm. Is violence always the answer in your playbook?"

As a matter of fact, it is, but it's not like I can casually divulge something like that.

"I try to be merciful when I can," I replied. "But, some people just don't deserve it."

"Hah! What are you, a killer or something?"

"I wonder. By the way, Taiyori... Those guys are gone now."

"Did you just notice? They left a while ago."

"Yeah, I know. So... Could you let go?"

It took her a solid second to realize that she was still holding onto my arm, so she quickly let go and jumped back with a flustered expression.

"D-don't think anything weird, got it?!" she spoke rapidly. "I only did it to embarrass those guys! Forget about it! Or better yet, erase it from your memory altogether! A-and you better not tell anyone about—"

I let out an amused chuckle, which abruptly stopped her in her tracks. I don't know why she feels the need to explain herself. I get that it was all for theatrics, but who knew the Belle would have this side to her? It's refreshing, in a way.

"Relax," I scoffed. "I didn't think anything of it, nor will I tell anyone. Happy?"

For a moment, she was left speechless, but her previous expression returned almost immediately.

"Y-you better not..." she mumbled.

"If it wasn't obvious, I'm not a guy who enjoys the attention. I won't say a word, so quit worrying about it."

"Ah, you guys are so here!" someone shouted.

We both turned to see Saki running at us with a joyful grin. Like Taiyori, she was dressed a lot more casually, wearing an unzipped hoodie and a plain white shirt underneath with a black skirt. A white scarf hung from her neck.

"Gosh, how early did you get here?" she asked.

"Not long ago," I said.

"Same," Taiyori muttered.

"Hm? Did something happen?" Saki asked.

"N-nothing!"

Judging by her face, Saki was unconvinced, but she decided not to press for any more information.

"Alright, well, since we're all here, let's move out!" Saki cheered.