The Residential Complex
The apartment was submerged in a heavy silence, as if time itself had stopped moving. Ren sat on the modern gray sofa, facing the beautiful girl he had rescued just minutes ago. The atmosphere felt strangely contradictory; the place that moments ago had been a scene of blood and chaos was now completely clean, as if no incident had ever occurred. The polished floor reflected the light from the white lamps, and the smooth walls, free from any trace of blood or magical circles, painted an image of suspicious purity. Even the heavy metallic scent left behind by blood had vanished entirely, leaving only a faint fragrance of cleaning agents, as if an invisible hand had wiped away the past entirely.
After disposing of Freed's corpse, Ren bent down quietly and picked up the scattered fragments of Excalibur from the floor. He held them in his fingers as if they were a rare treasure, fully aware of their value. They were not merely remnants of a sacred sword but bargaining chips that could prove very useful in negotiations with the church in the future, and perhaps even a tool to unlock doors he hadn't imagined.
Finally, he broke the silence with a low voice, calm yet filled with confidence:
"So, what do you say we start by getting to know each other?" – he raised his eyes to her, studying her pure features – "My name is Kurosaki Ren, and as you saw earlier… I'm a Shinigami. I currently live in the apartment next door."
His words were simple, but the truth behind them was heavy. Ordinary humans could not see Shinigami; they were spiritual beings stripped of physical form. Yet the girl before him seemed to see every detail of him clearly. Perhaps it was because she had been so close to death moments ago, an experience that temporarily opened her perception to the other world and granted her the ability to look beyond the veil separating humans from spiritual entities.
Despite her shock, the girl did not lose her composure. She sat up straight, her features carrying a mix of caution and gratitude, and her shining eyes reflected a faint glimmer under the room's light. She bowed her head slightly and replied in a soft but clear voice:
"I'm Shiina Mahiru. It's an honor to meet you… Kurosaki-san."
Her words were laced with refined politeness, revealing a good family background and strict upbringing, yet there remained a subtle tremor in her tone… as if she understood that sitting before a being like Ren could mark the beginning of a journey from which she would not return unchanged.
"There's no need to be overly tense or overly respectful… we're almost the same age. And even if I say I'm a Shinigami, it hasn't been long since I became one, and I still consider myself human most of the time."
Ren spoke his words calmly, accompanied by a simple smile, which he thought was friendly enough to ease the caution he could clearly see in her eyes. Yet he felt a strangeness regarding this silent reverence she showed, a mix of fear and respect he was unaccustomed to receiving from anyone in his everyday life.
Mahiru looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes examining his features as if searching for the truth behind his words. Confusion showed on her face, but it was not ordinary confusion; it was more like her human mind trying to comprehend the idea of sitting face-to-face with a being from another world. She took a short breath, then folded her hands in her lap and whispered:
"Strange… despite everything I saw today, I don't feel the awe I expected from you. On the contrary… you seem unnervingly normal."
Ren chuckled lightly, a short laugh that broke some of the heaviness in the room. He then leaned back on the sofa, resting his arm on its back while his eyes regarded her without restraint.
"That's because I don't like acting like a legendary monster or a messenger of death, as Shinigami are described in stories. In the end, I'm just a human who happened to become a Shinigami by pure chance… almost."
A short silence followed his words, broken only by the slow ticking of the clock on the wall. Outside, the night breeze slipped through the half-open window, carrying the faint scent of the rain gathering in the sky. The yellow streetlight reflected on the glass, casting strange shadows on the apartment floor.
Mahiru, having calmed her breathing slightly, lifted her head and looked at him with eyes now carrying a trace of curiosity instead of fear.
"But… why were you there? And why did you save me?"
"I told you I live in the apartment next door, didn't I?" – Ren said calmly, observing her reaction, then continued after noticing a slight nod from Mahiru confirming his words – "I was returning home when I smelled that heavy scent of blood, mixed with an irritating aura of holy power that couldn't be ignored. That's when I decided to see what was happening… and that's how I came across you in that situation, ending with your rescue."
He paused for a moment, then a small sideways smile appeared on his lips, as if to lighten the weight of the subject with a touch of humor:
"Of course, don't forget I made a small deal with you for that. That you'd cook for me. It's the first time I'm living alone, and honestly… I'm completely useless in the kitchen. The only thing I'm good at there is chopping ingredients, or maybe accidentally burning the pan."
Mahiru raised her eyebrows in surprise, then covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle a small laugh that escaped despite herself. The whole situation was so strange: an hour ago, she had been on the brink of death, and now she was sitting in a warmly lit apartment, listening to a Shinigami talk about his incompetence in cooking as if he were just an ordinary neighbor admitting his everyday weakness.
"This… is completely unexpected." – she said, her voice still slightly trembling, but her faint smile softened it – "I didn't think a being like you could struggle with something this simple."
Ren, noticing the change in her expression, felt a light relief he didn't openly admit. It was rare to be seen in such a natural way, without fear or exaggerated admiration. He shrugged mockingly and replied:
"I'm just someone trying to live, even if in a slightly different way. Being a Shinigami doesn't make me proficient at everything. In the end, no one is perfect."
Another moment of silence followed, but this time it was not oppressive. The atmosphere grew warmer, as if an invisible barrier between them had begun to melt. The rain outside started tapping gently against the window glass, giving the room a calm rhythm.
Mahiru, now driven more by curiosity than any other feeling, tilted her head slightly and looked at him with sparkling eyes:
"So… Kurosaki-san, does that mean I'll have to cook for you every day from now on?"
Ren smiled faintly, his eyes glimmering with a light touch of gentle sarcasm:
"Of course. Consider it the 'tax' for saving you."
...
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