"Hmm…" Letting go of my hand, Mikato heaved a tired sigh. "You'll die soon enough, not by any demon or their master, but by someone who does like whatever it is that you're trying to do."
Her words lingered inside the torch-lit tent as Mizuki and I stood there in silence. Trying to puzzle her words, I could only think of a handful of people who might already want me dead despite the new identity.
"Why? And who?" I asked, leaning against the table.
The globe of fortune telling rested on the same, beamed up bright as if threatening me to keep my distance. Placing my hand on top of it, I masked the light instead.
Crossing her legs, Mikato waved her hand in the air and the curtained entrance of the tent shut itself close. With a smile, she leaned against the table as well and brought her face real close to mine.
"I told you your future that concluded the service you purchased," sliding her hand forward on the desk, Mikato leaned back into her seat.
"Then I wanna hire you again, I need to know who's gonna kill me," even though the threat was very much real, the fact that I could die again just didn't feel real yet. It even seemed to cloud my judgment as I felt much calmer than I should've been.
"Forget it, I have no use for Malice, if I did I would be one of the workers as well," following Mikato's words, the girl with the pink hair brought her a bottle, and as she poured the wine into a glass Mikato turned her attention back to me. "So, hush-hush, go on, I have a godly desire for wine that needs satiating."
"Mikato, you bitch…" Moving closer to the desk, Mizuki snatched the wine bottle out of the girl's hand, but the very next moment a splatter of ferric blue liquid splashed across my face as well as the table. "Fuck!"
Turning around as Mizuki jolted back, what I saw left me baffled. Missing half an arm she was groaning in pain while also trying to stop the bleeding from her missing arm.
"Here, have it back," I heard the little girl mumble from the back, and the very next moment Mizuki was hit with her own arm that came flying right at her face. "And keep those hands to yourself from next time."
Turning around once more, I realized the true nature of the girl. Holding in her hands a string of flowing blood, she'd used her own crimson to whiff off Mizuki's arm. As for the bottle of wine, Mikato was casually pouring herself a glass as if nothing of note had happened at all.
"Haaa…" Taking a hit of the wine, Mikato heaved an exalted sigh. "Go tell the Nameless to patch up your hand, it's on the house Imp. And you young man, keep that rat on a leash or better yet chastise that succubus."
"Bitch!" Mizuki cursed from the back.
"Just go see the Nameless, I'll talk to her," I told Mizuki since having her there was only going to make matters worse.
"As if-" For the briefest of moments I heard her voice about to get louder but it never did, and when I turned around Mizuki was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't worry, I sent her to the Nameless by force," Mikato said, her voice muffled by yet another gulp of wine. "And now that we're alone."
Slamming the glass on the table, she looked me in the eyes. Picking the bottle back into her hands, the little girl began pouring the wine to her demon once again. Once filled to the brim, Mikato finally laid out what she had in mind.
"There's a man, who's a waste of air at best," sliding the wine glass in my direction, Mikato leaned to the side, her eyes bubbling with a playful look. "I need him gone, kill him and bring his body to me and I'll aid you to best your killer before he bests you."
'Still wants me to be her mercenary?' Even though I was considering that option, after seeing how lethal her human was and the temper she carried, I really needed some air before making that decision.
"Akane…She your lover? Or just someone you're working with?" Chuckling like a drunk, she laid her head on the back of her hands. Still staring at me with that weary look, she hinted with her gaze to take a shot of wine again. "Go on, relish!"
"She's not a lover," reaching for the glass, I only kept it in my hands. "A friend from the past, my best friend even."
"Is that so?" leaning her body to the side, Mikato snatched the bottle out of the girl's hands. "What about the girl Satori? I thought you were aiming to revive her? I can help you know, but…"
Keeping her eyes locked on me, she raised the bottle and began gulping it all down. Her fair throat pulsed with every gulp, and although I hadn't drunk a drop, I too began to feel a little drunk. Holding the glass tight, I had to fight the urge to vomit. Covering her mouth all of a sudden, the little girl seemed to be going through the same struggle as me.
"I'm going out!" Keeping her mouth shut with her palm, the girl rushed for the curtained exit.
"You wanna know why they call me the demi-goddess of overabundance?" Slamming the empty bottle on the table, Mikato's whole face was covered in a bright blush. "Because if you keep me happy, you will be as well. But if you make me angry, so will you be, and needless to say-Ugh!"
Letting out a hiccup, Mikato's words fell short, and not even attempting to complete them she simply spread her upper body across the counter. In a matter of seconds, I heard her snoring.
'I don't have a choice, do I?' I wondered, waiting for her to get up so I could accept whatever offer she had in mind.