Aki makes the seat comfortable for Tanya. Tanya sits on it, 'We could have done lunch at the office. I brought lunch.'
Aki didn't want to have lunch there, 'Oh! I didn't notice.'
Or because Nora won't be comfortable to have lunch with me.' Tanya asked Aki.
Aki smiles, 'It's not like that.'
'Why lie when you don't have to. You know I don't mind being hated.' As Tanya said, Aki stared at her.
Tanya did too. These two have been like this since they came back.
'What would you like to eat?' Aki starts looking at the menu chart.
"Does he really not remember that we met here last time? Did the erasing really work?" Tanya was doubtful.
'Azusa Aki?' A voice called Aki with his full name.
Some office workers came to lunch here. They were about to leave when they saw Aki. Aki was not pleased to see them yet he smiled when they asked. Tanya noticed that. She leans back. They looked at her too.
Aki asked with a fake smile, 'How have you been?'
'We are good. See! I told you it was him.' The childhood friend poked another friend of Aki's.
'Ya! You really didn't change at all, Azusa.' the second one said.
Aki didn't seem comfortable and Tanya observed that.
'I see…' Aki answered them.
They looked at Tanya and asked Aki, 'Your wife?'
'His girlfriend.' Tanya corrected them with a smile.
'Oh! I see you are expecting so I thought…' They thought Tanya was pregnant so she might be his wife.
'It's normal.' Tanya didn't mind.
'I'm Sota Natsu. This is Nozomi Kei and Rei.' They introduced themselves.
Tanya looked at Aki hearing the name Rei. Aki was listening to them while his eyes were fixed looking down on the table.
'Kei and Rei.. Are you two brothers?' Tanya asked while looking at Aki.
'Yes! We don't look alike but we are twins.' Rei said.
Again Tanya looked at Aki. She was trying to find a reaction from Aki. But Aki was blank.
'We used to fight a lot back in school...Aki and us. We were rivals.' Nozomi said.
Tanya acts as if she was surprised, 'Really?'
'Ya! He beat Rei so much that he broke his leg.' Kei said.
Aki now spoke up, 'Guys…'
Rei smirked, 'Why? Are you ashamed of your past now?'
'Don't be...We are just letting your girlfriend know more about you. I bet she only loved your good side.' Nozomi mocked
Hearing them, Aki sighs, 'Fine! Continue...See! If you can change her mind.'
Aki gave up and leaned back. They were surprised. They looked at Tanya. She smiled, 'I am the one who proposed senpai and I'm not being forced. He never once forced me even if he is a peculiar guy and he was very loyal to me.'
Tanya's eyes followed to see Aki's reaction again. Aki was hitting the pen with his index finger to make it roll.
'I know all about him...So don't worry. I will only leave when I want to leave.' Tanya said and Aki looked at her.
Those friends were disappointed.
Nozomi tried to act normal,' Ya, sure!'
'I guess you are the same kind as him.' Kei comments.
'You got that right. I'm also an aberrant.' Tanya grins.
Aki smiles softly with his eyes. Tanya was startled to see Aki smile so genuinely.
Rei tried to change the topic, 'It's getting late for us. We have to get back to our job.' Aki said with concern, 'Sure! We wasted your time.'
Nozomi was surprised, 'No! No! We were really happy to see you. It just took us back in days. Let's meet again later. This is our card.'
Aki stood up and received them politely. Gave them his card too. Their eyeballs were about to pop out.
'You are the owner and CEO of Zine publication?!!' Aki couldn't understand the cause of their surprise.
'I am…'Aki answered with hesitation.
'Aren't you the president of the SA group? How is Zine yours?' Nozomi was really surprised.
'I was…but I started my own business.' Aki said.
They couldn't keep their surprise hidden. They closed their mouths and bade goodbye.
Nozomi asked, 'Is this real? I have only heard this publication was popular, they have an entertainment agency too, na?'
'Ya! Never thought our Aki would be the owner.' Rei said.
Natsu said, 'Well, he never liked being monitored…so maybe a regular job wasn't perfect for him'
'He also has a yakuza family backing him.' Rei told them.
Kei yelled at him, 'Stop spouting nonsense. They only tried to recruit him and he refused, right in front of me.'
Natsu said with confusion, 'But his father is friends with one.'
Rei agreed with Natsu that he also saw that too, 'Aki's mother has some sort of relationship with those Yakuza.'
Tanya could still hear them as they were talking while they were sitting far away in their place.
She continues to eat. Aki's appetite is becoming less day by day. He eats only one item. When it's fish, it's only fish, when meat, the item stays only meat.
'Your diet lacks nutrition. How are you gonna survive?' Tanya comments.
Aki tried to seem concerned as well, 'Oh! You are right. I will change it later.'
Tanya aside about his friends, 'They seemed close with you.'
'Did they? I haven't seen them since high school graduation.' Aki smiled but there was no emotion in the smile.
'Did Mei help you on this too?' Tanya asked.
'Yes!' Aki seemed a bit
Tanya finished eating. After that, they went to the hospital. Tanya sat outside. Beside her Aki. He hands over her a water bottle, 'Are you comfortable?'
'Pretty much.' Tanya nodded.
A lady enters the room. Aki stood up and offered the seat to her.
'Thank you.' the lady thanked him.
'It's alright.' Aki goes outside from there.
'Your husband is very handsome.' She said to Tanya after Aki leaves from there.
'He is…' Tanya wanted to deny and became upset.
'Thanks.' She thanked the lady instead.
'He must be very caring towards you.' The lady said with a smile.
Tanya stopped denying that and stayed quiet.
Aki heard her as he was standing leaning on the wall, just outside the door. He sighs. A transparent body was peeking through the door and Aki was beside him.
'What are you doing?' The transparent body was stupefied.
He stayed like that. As Aki was not moving his lips it got confused. Aki kept staring at him.
'Nothing...I was just strolling. Can you see me?' the soul said
'What's your name?' Aki asked.
'I...I don't remember…' The soul said.
Aki was confused because its face is still detectable though, so Aki thought the soul might be in a coma. He looked up and saw some people in black suits going in different directions. He frowned, 'Follow me.'
Aki went into the elevator. The body followed him. Aki gets down on the floor. He saw a man in formal attire standing in front of a door. He greeted Aki in a slightly nodding gesture. Aki did too.
A transparent body without a face came out from the patient's cabin. It followed the man.
'They always take them somewhere. They tried to take me but I didn't go. Why do they want to take me? Because I'm lost?' the soul asked Aki.
'You are not lost, not yet...and they take souls to the Soul Desert, if you enter there you won't be able to return to your body after getting purified.' Aki said.
Aki was checking the rooms. He found a similar scent. He looked inside. A boy in his teens was lying unconscious. He had a similarity. The mother was sitting next to the boy. Two men came and stood afar, seeing Aki there.
'Who is he? What is he doing here with a human soul?' One asked the other.
'No idea!' The other reaper was surprised.
Aki looked at them. He turned to them and asked, 'Why are you here?'
The reaper asked Aki, 'That's my question.'
'This boy still has time so why are you diverting him?' Aki was interrogating them.
'We didn't.' They said but Aki didn't believe them and said, 'Don't lie!'
They were baffled to see Aki scolding them.
'I saw your team taking someone who still had time. Did you mess up? Your duty is not only to take the deceased but also to guide them when they can't recognize their body.' Aki explained them.
'Strange! Who the hell are you to remind us of our duties?' they sounded angry.
Aki too became irritated suddenly, 'I am someone who can beat the shit out of you.'
The reapers were left dumbfounded, 'What the hell!!? This kind of insult to a…'
'Ruan Rigil?!' A voice called Aki and Aki frowned while turning back to see who.
'Ah! Jarvi, long time!' Aki smiled.
Jarvi seemed a bit surprised at the unexpected meeting, 'Ya!'
'We need to talk.' Aki said to Jarvi. While going, Aki said to the soul, 'Hey kid! That's your body. Go!'
The boy entered the room.
Jarvi's face showed the surprise to see Aki, 'It's really. You?'
Aki smiled, 'Yes, It's me. You are confused...then how did you find out?' Aki couldn't sort out why Jarvi recognized Aki if Jarvi was not sure.
Jarvi said while walking with Aki, ''Your aura seemed familiar…and there is none like yours…'
'You guys leave.' Jarvi asked the reapers to leave.
The two subordinates followed the command.
'Holy shit! He is the 'Odd-eye'.' One reaper screamed in shock.
'The Nonpareil Jinn necromancer...The blessed-one?' the other reaper wanted to be confirmed.
'Ya!' He was still in shock.
The reaper said, 'I just thought he was some ordinary half Human-Jinn. To think he is a betrayer…'
The other one stopped his mouth, ''Shhh! Don't say that ever…'