The dining hall at the orphanage is always too chaotic for my liking. The tables are wooden and shabby and so are the chairs. The utensils are carelessly washed, for which you can smell the chutney we had yesterday in the custard we are getting today. Probably it was Benny's turn to wash them. He needs to learn how to do things properly.
I sit alone, like always, in the small table deserted from the rest with only two chairs. No one usually bothers me, but I think someone might do it today. Kevin Smith, the newbie in this place. Teens who lose their family mostly don't come to the orphanage. They usually remain on their own or find distant relatives to stay with, even if they have to work for it. This Smith guy didn't try any of it and came here straight. And he's getting quite popular for his looks and outgoing nature, specially with the guys. I don't question his attractiveness. He sure is handsome with that dashing smile of his. But he's nothing compared to what I've seen.
I munch on my chops, sipping on my mango juice every now and then. A sound of pulling the chair is heard beside me. I don't bother to see who it is, assuming it was the over-friendly new arrival. To my surprise, it was Kurugane Akuma.
You know those kids who exist just to make you feel useless, insecure and jealous? The ones who are good at everything, smiling every time you see them and are loved by everyone? Well, that is who Kurugane Akuma is in this place. He is a little older me and also arrived before me. He is old enough to get out of the orphanage but the authority loved him so much they offered him a decent work here to make him stay. He stayed back and is doing an amazing job in teaching the younger kids. His perfection is blinding as it reflects on his face and body proportions. But as I said, I have seen better and in comparison to the better I know, Kurugane Akuma was too tainted.
"I love how you eat so well, Adora," Akuma says, taking the seat beside mine. I stop munching for a second before resuming, not giving much of a reaction. He organizes his plate and glass neatly before starting to eat like a pig. He wasn't bothered about my nonchalance. This is what puzzles me a bit about Akuma. He doesn't look at me the same way as others. His voice doesn't shake while talking to me. He doesn't give me a quizzical look when he sees me in my white night gown at the dead of night, walking in the balcony. He doesn't even blink too many times when I ask him some unusual requests. His easy going nature doesn't sit well with me. Oddly enough, he is currently the person I trust the most in this lonely abode of mine.
Akuma doesn't start a conversation as we both eat together. He finishes his meal, puts his things together after wiping his face with a handkerchief like a gentleman. He thanks me for accompanying him during his lunch and bids me farewell. As he walks towards the kitchen, he stops a few times to greet our teachers slash supervisors by politely bowing like the Japanese origin he is. Even after coming across this salutation for so many times over the years, everyone is stunned and mesmerized. I don't know if it is because of his humbleness or his handsome face. I smirk alone, thinking of the time when they realize that beauty is not the only similarity Akuma has with Lucifer.
The chutney-scented custard made me want to vomit. I see Benny, the one responsible for my ruined dessert. I get up and walk towards him.
It's funny how his face whitened when he saw the notorious cursed girl approaching him.