Delusions of Normality Pt. 1

I stood at the very center of a bustling mall filled with dozens of shopping fronts, patient and carefully observing my surroundings. Left and right, people were passing me by. While some were walking and speaking through their phones, others were in groups, goofing around and laughing with each other. I even noticed a couple of them were close to my age. I wonder if this is just another aspect of a 'normal life.' It's loud. Very loud.

Today seemed colder than usual, so I slipped on a warm sweater underneath a nice black trench coat. I remember Watcher giving this to me as a gift a very long time ago. He said something about it being extremely expensive, but I never found the opportunity to wear it.

He also said something about wearing it when working so I'd look cool, but that's a hard no. When hunting, assassins must be able to maneuver as efficiently as possible. It's the main reason why we wear tracksuits more often than not. A coat like this would only hinder my ability to move around as I please. Wearing it now, it's definitely not the best. I'm glad I was never dumb enough to test it out in the field.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It said, '11:34 AM.' Only now did I realize just how early I was, and that's not even including the last fifteen minutes since I got here.

I swiped through the screen and pulled up Line. Last night, Saki made a group chat with me and Ayaka. She sent us a checklist of all the things we needed to buy as well as an itinerary for the day. I didn't bother reading through it all.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and took a deep breath. The noise is starting to get to me. I can feel my patience running thinner by the second.

Suddenly, my ears perked up at the sound of a commotion happening behind me. Since it was none of my business, I kept myself from turning around. However, even I am not immune to the surge of anticipation that follows when drama occurs.

"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?"

It sounds like a middle-aged man is trying to woo a young woman. Based on the clattering of multiple footsteps, there seem to be three more following behind him. Are they all chasing after the same woman? That sounds awfully similar to the situation of a certain someone I know.

"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... Ayaka...?

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

The first thing I noticed was her casual outfit. She was wearing a fluffy white jacket and a short skirt with leggings underneath. On her head was a knitted cap, and she even wore snow boots. Wrapped around her neck was a plaid scarf, a nice pattern to top off the whole outfit.

I won't even try to deny it. Today, she looks beautiful, but unfortunately, that's all there is to her. That awful personality is 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 helped 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 Ayaka'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, Ayaka 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?

"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 moment he lunged forward, my body reacted instinctively. Right as he was about to grab her, I caught his arm, twisted it, held him by the neck, and sent him hurling across the hall. He spun in the air before slamming onto the ground with a heavy thud. At that moment, all eyes turned to us, but I could only keep my eyes fixed on the man.

"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 worm like him is backed into a corner, the only thing he can do is cower away. With so many eyes on us, he must be trying to formulate some kind of reputational damage control.

I won't let that happen. Judging by his prior confidence, he has done this before and got away with it.

I slid my hand through my hair and clutched it tightly out of frustration. It's like the world knows exactly who to put in front of me as if it is calling for me to act with indiscriminate retribution. If that is the case, then I will gladly accept.

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 her 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. There is not a single word that can justify what you did, and if there truly is a lesson to be taught, it will be taught by me... to you."

Suddenly, Ayaka 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 shameful human being. It seems like people out in the normal world are living a fantasy, ignorant of the consequences of their actions. The same could be said about those who tread the underworld, but there are also those who make them pay. Prime example: me.

Ayaka 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 the first 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 said. "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. 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 the performance, but who knew the Belle would have this side to her? It's refreshing, in a way.

"Relax," I said with a smile. "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 Ayaka, 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," Ayaka 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.