"Mmh… h-huh…"
Ren grumbled, the warm tendrils of light creeping through the blinds and kissing his eyelids. He cracked one eye open, squinting against what he thought was the sun's stark brightness that flooded the room.
Dawn was normally a time he envied since it was when he could escape from the awful nightmares he continuously had. But for some reason, last night was different. He didn't know why, but for the first time in a long time, he wanted to retreat back into his slumber (It was for better, I guess).
Unfortunately, it was too late for that, as another morning had already arrived and began to remind him of his daily chores and housekeeping he had to do before his day really started.
He groaned, reluctantly pulling his head up from the recliner that served as his makeshift bed for the night. Wait, why was he sleeping on his living room chair? That sure was a good question.
He looked around, confusion etching on his face. He remembered some of yesterday's walk home, but everything after that was a total blur. He rubbed his temples softly as he tried to recall what happened, but the memory of last night remained elusive.
"Damn it," Ren muttered, pulling himself off the chair and stumbling towards the kitchen. The sight of unwashed dishes from his sisters' dinner greeted him, and he sighed.
"You'd think they'd do their own dishes every once in a while," he grumbled, rolling up his sleeves, "But maybe that's just wishful thinking." After all, they had other things to worry about. Or so he thought anyway. He wasn't totally sure what his sisters did or what they were involved in.
He began to fill the rusted sink with hot soapy water as he looked out of the window. The neighborhood was quiet, drenched in the soft colors of early morning light. It was a nice contrast to the nuclear meltdown that had been occurring in his mind for the last couple of weeks (if not longer at this point).
As the water filled the sink, Ren began to scrub the dishes. The rhythmic motion of cleaning, combined with the almost hypnotic glistening of the soap bubbles, started to soothe his frazzled nerves.
He had just about finished when the mundane quietness of the morning was chucked off a balcony by his phone erupting into a large buzz of vibrations against the wooden countertop. At that moment, he jolted, nearly dropping the final glass cup he was attempting to place back into its respective cabinet.
Deciding not to let his sisters be disturbed in their sleep, he quickly rushed to answer the phone.
"Hello, this is Ren–"
"You're late! Where are you at!?"
"..."
He hung up without even thinking.
Where was he? At home, of course, attempting to not get screamed at by a lunatic so early in the morning. The sudden berating caused Ren's mind to go blank for a moment. His phone rang again moments later, and Ren picked up again.
"Hello, this is Ren–"
"You just hung up on me, didn't you? Do you want me to come over there and beat your ass!?"
Now that wouldn't be ideal. Just who the hell was this person?
To be able to talk in such a way, cute but menacing, loud but vindictive. There was only one person he could think of...
"Emery…?"
"That's right, what were you doing? Don't tell me you're breaking your promise already! Do you even know what's going on?"
"How in god's name did she get my number?"
Ren doubled back on what she just stated.
"Promise? You can't be serious… its like 7 in the morning…"
"Didn't you say you'd obey me like a servant? You swore, didn't you? So, hurry up and come over! Now! Every day before school from now on until I say otherwise!"
"I was in a rush… and when I said I'd help you, I meant help you get closer to Kaito so you could interact with him more. Not me becoming your personal slave to fulfill all your needs."
"Tch!"
The phone shot back a very annoyed and irritated clicking sound of the tongue.
"You were the one that said you'll do anything! I don't care, just hurry up and come! You know I mean what I say when I say I'm going to do 'that'... as to what 'that' means, you should know already."
"Huh?"
In any sense, it seemed like she was in a really bad mood. Her voice sounded just like wailing demons from hell, which ominously vibrated the phone receiver and caused Ren's ears to shake. There was no point arguing further with her on the phone if she was going to continue to act like this.
"Alright shut up already. I'll come over, but I have no idea where you live."
"Go to your living room and look out the window."
"Huh? Outside my window? How is that going to help?"
"Just do it."
Taking his phone out of the kitchen and into his living room, he opened the blinds and looked out through the dim window. Ren could see the large window of his neighbor's adjacent condo across the street, and what he saw as he looked straight across into said window…
"Oh good lord… this better not be real."
Emery was standing in the window, holding her phone in her tiny hand while looking disgruntled.
"You bet your ass this is real! Now hurry up! I'm taking time out of my morning for you!"
"Oh, and I'm not?!"
"Poor you, I'll be there when I get there, now be patient."
"Why you—"
With that, Ren hung up the phone, letting out a long sigh as he lowered his gaze from the window.
She was his neighbor this entire time?
Ren began to recall the sight of the large moving truck parked across the street a couple of weeks ago. Considering he had never seemed to get along with any of his neighbors, he didn't care to know if it was his old neighbor moving out, or a new neighbor moving in. Now, he had his answer.
Life was already stressful enough with school, taking care of his sisters, and working his new 'job'. The last thing he needed nor wanted was a jackass neighbor with a demanding attitude. Still, Ren had made a promise to her. Granted it was a stupid promise, but it was still a promise. Plus, he had no intentions of getting his ass kicked by a girl today.
Ren quickly brushed his teeth, threw on his school uniform, and ran a hand through his hair. He took one last look at himself in his poorly lit mirror before stepping out of his condo, gently closing the door behind him.
***
The morning was still somewhat dark and chilly; the sky painted a seeping blush of indigo mixed with orange hues casting long shadows that signaled the imminent arrival of the sun. The normally noisy neighborhood was eerily quiet at this early hour, with only the distant hum of passing traffic and an occasional stray cat's cry disrupting the silence.
"Maybe this crazy girl scared everybody off!" Ren sarcastically remarked just before reaching the walkway to Emery's condo.
Squaring his shoulders, Ren marched up the uneven path that led to Emery's front door, his shoes crunching against the gravel beneath him.
He studied the well-worn wooden door coated in faded turquoise paint, with a rusty little fox-shaped knocker affixed at its center. Ren took a moment to appreciate the oddity of it all; an innocent, peaceful-looking door, similar to his own, guarding a fiery and explosive entity within.
He knocked his knuckles against the wood, his fingers brushing over the edges of the chipped paint. The echo of his knocks bounced across the silent street before dying out. He waited for a response but was only greeted by more silence.
Some balls she has, calling him over in a threatening way and then leaving him to stand here alone! What was he supposed to do if her family saw him? Especially her dad! Ren anxiously paced around the door as he contemplated his next move.
In his mind, he pictured various scenarios of explaining his presence to a stern mother or a suspicious sibling. There was still some time before school began, but his time was not unlimited! He was just about to turn around and leave when a final, desperate thought struck him. He reached for the doorknob and twisted it carefully.
He held his breath... and the door opened.
"So much for security, I guess."
Ren stepped inside cautiously, as if he was about to disturb a sleeping beast. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to take in as much of the interior as possible.
It was the smell that hit him first – a potent mix of stale air and dusty upholstery that hinted at weeks of neglect.
The wallpaper, a once vibrant shade of yellow, had started to peel away at the corners, revealing the crumbling plaster beneath. Ren winced as he noted the creaking floorboards and the worn-down carpets that greeted him.
The living room was a chaos of moving boxes stacked haphazardly in every corner. Some were opened halfway, their contents spilling out onto the floor - clothes, books, and personal mementos. Scattered amidst the jumble were pieces of modern furniture and a flat-screen TV covered in thick layers of dust.
What seemed strange was that there were plenty of chairs and a sofa, yet he hadn't seen a single person since entering. Speaking of which, where was her family?
He moved into what looked like the kitchen - a small extension jutting out from one corner of the chaos-filled living room similar to his own. The state of it was even more disastrous than he could have imagined – if that was even possible. Granite countertops cluttered with dirty dishes, overflowing garbage bins, and the not-so-subtle scent of rotting food… the yellow wallpaper in this room was a sickly green, peeling off in places and spotted with mold and mildew. The fridge stood lopsidedly to one side, its door hanging open to reveal a nearly empty interior.
Clearly, this girl had no concept of housekeeping.
Ren continued, pacing down a small corridor before finding a battered door with a blue star pinned to it around eye level.
"Is this her room?" He slowly pulled it open, revealing…
"...Ah... Bingo?"
Small beams of light pierced through the curtains hanging from the south-facing window. In the silent room, lying everywhere on the cream-colored carpet were fluffy one-piece dresses and name-brand articles of clothing thrown randomly about after having been worn. In the corner was a matching cream desk and chair, while in the middle of the room was a queen-sized bed with pink covers and pure white pillows.
At the center of the bed, under the covers, laid Emery. Her short hair was spread over her pillow, while she cuddled her arms and legs as she slept silently.
Her smartphone was placed at her side and beyond the curtains one could see nothing more than the adjacent condo 10 meters away.
Wrapped in her loose pajamas, her tiny arms and legs now looked even tinier. It was only at this moment that her calm face looked as clear as an ice sculpture, as though it was about to melt. Her small nose, slightly open little mouth, and her eyelashes extending downwards... if it weren't for her breathing, one couldn't tell whether she was alive or not. It was a nice contrast to the screams he had received from her over the phone.
"So, she went back to sleep? I did all that rushing around for nothing… the audacity…"
Ren moved further into the room, lightly stepping over the clothing-strewn floor. Approaching the bed, he gained a light sense of tranquility. She looked so serene and innocent in her slumber, the furrowed brow and guarded expression that usually marked her features were nowhere to be found.
Ren gazed at Emery for a bit longer before deciding to risk his life then and there by waking her up.
Gingerly, he sat on the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight. His heart pounded against his ribs as if it were trying to alert him to the danger he had just put himself in.
"Emery," he called softly, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.
No response.
He tried again, this time reaching out and lightly shaking her shoulder.
"Emery, wake up."
She stirred lightly in her sleep but didn't wake. Ren contemplated for a moment. Should he just let her sleep? After all, this was the most peaceful sight he had ever seen of this little demon. Did he really want to ruin this blissful scene—?
"Ugh… h-huh…?"
And suddenly, Ren now found himself in a peculiar situation.
Emery's violet eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to adjust back to the morning light. Upon seeing Ren sitting by her side...
"AHH! GET OUT!"
Ren's eyes widened as a pillow flew past his head, barely missing him. Emery had now sat up, her face burning red with embarrassment and anger.
"What are you doing in here?! Did I say you could come in my room?!" She shouted, clutching her blanket to her chest like a shield.
"W-what do you mean what am I doing here? You called me here, remember? … And when I break my back to get here, you're just... sleeping!"
"I... I didn't think you'd actually come," she murmured, her volume significantly reduced to a point where it seemed like she was talking to herself.
"Well, here I am."
Ren tilted his head and peered at her through half-lidded eyes. "As if I had a choice after all that screaming."
Emery scoffed, rolling her eyes, and crossing her arms over her chest. "I hate you," she muttered.
"Same."
"H-huh?"
"Now get up, we have thirty minutes before school starts."
Emery's eyes widened. "Thirty minutes?!" She sprang out of bed, nearly tripping over the tangled sheets and knickknacks scattered all over her floor. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier!" She shrieked as she darted into her bathroom. The door slammed shut and Ren was left in silence for a moment.
With that, Ren stood up from the edge of her bed and maneuvered his way out of her bedroom and into the living room, being careful not to step on anything important... or breakable. The sight of Emery's room was enough to give him a headache, let alone the rest of the house. Clothes were scattered everywhere, along with makeup products, textbooks, and snack wrappers…
Yet he found himself being hypocritical. His living situation had not been much better until recently. It was only after his first bounty check that his condo started to look livable again. It was like the money had been motivating him to keep up with the house, knowing that now he would be able to manage it for a lot longer than he originally anticipated.
To him, at least, he was getting the opposite impression from Emery. She had all the expensive and modern home appliances he could only have dreamt of while looking through catalogs, yet they were all covered in thick layers of dust and looked like they hadn't been touched since at least her first arrival.
And for her family, well…
Ren had spotted a few picture frames leaning against the wall in the hallway, but they were either empty or contained images of only Emery herself, with some having been torn in odd places. There seemed to be no sense of 'family' anywhere.
"Are you done yet?"
"Shut up! I'm almost done!"
"Almost" took another ten minutes, but eventually, the bathroom door creaked open, and out stepped Emery. She was dressed in their school uniform now, a simple blue blouse and blue skirt, coupled with an oversized red ribbon hanging from her neck.
"Finally."
With a roll of his eyes, Ren stood up, brushing off the dust from his school trousers. Emery's cheeks flamed up again, but she stubbornly held her chin high.
"Whatever," She retorted. "Let's get going."
"Now hold on a damn second, why did you even call me over here!?"
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Emery said as she brushed him off and continued out the door.
"Are you serious?"
Ren scowled as he followed after her.
"Oi! You didn't answer my question!"
Emery turned her head slightly to look at him.
"Didn't I tell you!? You'll be coming over every day from now on. You're my servant now, aren't you? It's only natural that you follow your master's orders. And don't forget that you still have to help me at school, so don't even think about trying to get away!"
"For the last time, I only agreed to help you get with Kaito, nothing more!"
Emery abruptly stopped in her tracks, causing Ren to almost topple over her. She spun on her heel to face him, her twintails flying out behind her.
"What?" she snapped, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you going back on our agreement now?"
"No, I'm just trying to clarify that-"
"Good," she said, cutting him off. Her icy tone had melted into a sickeningly sweet one, a bright smile plastered onto her face. "Then there's no problem. Let's hurry, we're going to be late!"
Emery pivoted back around and resumed her brisk pace, forcing Ren to scramble after her. He ran a hand through his jet-black hair and sighed deeply. This was going to be a long morning.
As they briskly walked to school side by side, a fierce battle developed between them. The two made a commotion all along the sidewalk as they strode beneath the radiant cherry petals of the roadside trees. They were first-rate nuisances.
"Stop following me so closely!" Emery complained, moving further away from him.
"Hey! Stop zigzagging and walk straight! You're going to knock someone over!" Ren countered, trying to maintain a straight line.
Suddenly Emery halted, causing him to take an elbow right to the gut.
"D-don't just stop like that, you idiot!" he complained, foul-tempered and painfully close to fainting. But Emery's gaze wasn't directed at Ren at all.
"Ren! Morning!"
It was then that he caught sight of Kaito.
"Oh… I see."
Emery stuttered something unintelligible, her gaze fixated on Kaito. The latter chuckled warmly.
"Hey, have we met before? Oh, and good morning to you too," he greeted while flashing a handsome grin towards her.
Emery's blush deepened, and she could only nod in response, unable to form a coherent sentence. A gust of wind sent cherry blossom petals swirling around them like an anime-styled romantic dream sequence.
"So… I'm guessing you guys are close?"
Taking advantage of Emery's flustered state and her obvious inability to process the situation correctly, Ren decided to make use of this opportunity to get away from her.
"Nah, not really… we just live close by, so we just happened to run into each other."
"Really?" Kaito asked, his green eyes focusing back onto Ren. "Huh, small world I guess."
Emery was left flabbergasted, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish on land as she tried to deny the claim. But the words just wouldn't come out. Her face shone redder than the ribbon around her neck.
"Alright, well, let's get going then Kaito. I heard they installed one of those new high tech vending machines in the lounge and I want to be one of the first to get to it."
"Ooh! I wonder what they have?"
"I'm not sure… well, only one way to find out!" Ren said, picking up his pace and motioning for Kaito to follow.
"Hey wait up! Oh! and see ya around, it was nice to meet you!" Kaito waved casually to Emery, falling into pace with Ren and heading off with him.
Emery watched them disappear around the corner before she finally managed to snap out of her daze. But by then, it was already too late to catch back up to them.
"W-What the hell? Did he just–?"
***
"I'm telling you, orange is far superior! Grape is just...well, meh!" Kaito insisted, sticking a coin into the machine. The mechanical drone echoed through the hallway as his orange soda fell down the chute.
"Speak for yourself," Ren shot back, pulling out a coin of his own and grabbing the grape soda from the basket down below.
"The grape is just so much more refreshing, it's got that tart yet sweet flavor that cleanses the palate! Orange is just too much. Too sweet, too tangy. You've got no balance."
"If one tastes like fresh oranges, while the other tastes like cough medicine, which one do you think I'd choose?"
"Cough medicine huh? I guess I like the taste of cough medicine then."
"This is an interesting shift in preference, though, wouldn't you say?" Kaito interrupted, popping open his can. He took a large gulp before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I thought you had always been a cola guy."
Ren clicked his tongue while gripping his soda tighter. "Guess I'm diversifying … or my tastes are changing. Something like that."
"Do tastes change or do people change?"
"Both?"
They both shrugged before exchanging gulps of their respective sodas.
Ren had found himself in a good mood today. Despite looking like he was going to pass out any moment (and the fact that the stupid vending machine was not useable until the break period), he learned the news that his grades were steadily climbing. It was living proof that he was able to manage himself if given enough time. It also proved to him that he was more than capable as a person when he wasn't stressing over money or his excuse of a love life.
Speaking of which, he had even got Akari to acknowledge his hand signals today – a victory on its own! It felt like a nice pat on the back after all the times he'd been sighing over her from the corners of his life.
Yep, everything was going great.
But unfortunately for him, this 'high' he had been riding through the day so far was about to come crashing down real quick as the darkness of his morning reemerged to torture him once again.
"Ren!"
Immediately recognizing the shrill voice, Ren turned around fast enough to spill his grape soda all over himself.
"God damnit…" he groaned as he looked down at his now-sticky shirt. But Emery was hardly fazed by his annoyance.
"You...you idiot!" she exclaimed, her hair bobbing with each syllable while her eyes were ablaze with fury. "Where have you… Where were you?!"
"I was right here, yelling with this idiot about the virtues of grape soda." He gestured over to Kaito leaning against one of the vending machines.
Emery's eyes widened, her gaze snapping toward Kaito as if she had only just noticed he was there.
"I...uh..." She stammered on her words, the usually fiery spark in her eye flickering under Kaito's relaxed gaze.
"Oh hey! You're name's Emery, right? From this morning? What's up?"
"Um…" she began, twiddling her fingers nervously while avoiding eye contact. "Nothing, really. I just..." she trailed off, glancing over at Ren with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.
"I...uh...need to talk to you, Ren!" she finally blurted out, grabbing him by the wrist and forcefully dragging him away from Kaito and the vending machines.
"Hey! What the hell are you—agh!" Ren tried to protest, but he was dragged away into an empty classroom before he could finish his sentence.
"See you guys later … I guess?"
The door shut with a harsh slam, echoing around the four corners of the room. Ren ripped his hand from Emery's grasp while gently massaging his wrist.
"God, are you trying to take my hand off!? And what was that about just now?"
Emery just stood there while avoiding eye contact and blushing up a storm.
Ren took notice, facepalming as he began to realize what this was about.
"I... I just..." Emery stammered, her cheeks flashing a deep shade of red. "I don't...I don't know how to...with Kaito."
"Huh? Speak up will yo—"
"I-I don't know how to talk to Kaito! What do I d-do…?"
She spoke like she was on the verge of tears, catching Ren off guard. This Emery was the complete opposite of the person he was just talking to a second ago. There was no more hostility coming from her, only genuine sadness and disappointment that signified that she could be lost mentally. Was he actually starting to feel bad for her?
"Look, the best way to do this is to just go up and talk to hi—"
"NO! No…no, I can't j-just do that!"
"But… why?"
"It's because...because..."
"Uwah… It's just too embarrassing!"
"Too embarrassing...?"
Ren raised an eyebrow at Emery's admission.
"Oh, come on! You're really letting something like a little embarrassment hold you back? I mean this is Kaito for god's sake!"
Emery shot him a defensive glare, her fists clenching at her sides.
"That's not the point!"
"What IS the point then?"
"I...I don't know! I just... can't…"
"Alright, you know what? Fine," he shrugged, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes. "Here's another idea. Kaito loves sweet things."
Emery blinked at him, her pacing slowing down.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Think about it," Ren said, opening one eye to look at her. "Kaito has a serious sweet tooth. Maybe you could... I dunno... make him chocolate… or something?"
"Me... make chocolate?" she questioned dubiously, not looking particularly convinced. "But I can't cook to save my life..."
"Who said anything about cooking?" Ren corrected her quickly, sitting up straighter and opening both his eyes now. "All you need to do is melt some store-bought chocolate, pour it into a mold, let it cool, and that's it! How hard can it be?"
"Haven't you ever heard of disaster kitchens? I have one!"
"Ugh, don't remind me…"
"Besides... what if he doesn't like it? Or worse, what if he... rejects it?" Emery suddenly looked very small, her purple eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Trust me, he definitely wouldn't reject it. I mean, it's chocolate! The guy would eat cardboard dipped in sugar if he could."
"But..." Emery started, her voice a whisper, "What if he rejects… me?" The last words were barely audible as she hugged herself tightly.
Despite Ren realistically having been forced into this situation and originally wanting absolutely no part in anything involving Emery, he did know for a fact that the sooner she got together with Kaito, the sooner he would be free from her. And so, he decided to make a questionable decision.
"I'll help you make it then."
Emery's head shot up, her eyes wide in surprise. "Y-You would?"
Ren sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do…"
That was obviously a lie. Ren had plenty of things he could be doing: taking care of his sisters, handling schoolwork, working out… his 'job.' Right, his 'job.' It wouldn't be too long before he would have to complete a new target contract.
Yet, for some reason, deep in his heart, helping her felt as if it was also important. Not just because he wanted to be free from her, but also because of a little thing called 'human empathy,' something most people would say he lacked.
"…we also don't have to do this right away, you know. There are some other things on my play sheet that I think might work."
Emery let out a relieved sigh which quickly morphed into a suspicious smirk as she stared back at him.
"Huh, as expected from my faithful servant! You better not fail me! Or else!"
Emery's tone had gone from vulnerability back to audaciousness in a matter of seconds. Her small frame seemed to grow with newfound confidence and the familiar cruel glint returned to her eyes.
He should've expected as much.
"Of course…" Ren muttered under his breath, turning to the door with a resigned sigh.
"Good! Now hurry up! Class is about to start!"