That text message was like a nail hammered into Kuroto's mind.
It wouldn't come out.
He didn't sleep the entire night.
Lying on the narrow bed in his rented room, he stared at the glowing screen of his phone again and again.
[The rainy scenery is beautiful today, don't you think? —M]
Was it a warning?
A test?
Or simply a reminder that he was being watched?
Kuroto mentally reviewed every behavior pattern of Makima from the original story.
The logic of the Control Devil was simple.
Everyone was a pawn.
Useful pawns were not immediately destroyed.
They were observed, controlled, and eventually absorbed.
She did this to Denji.
She did it to the Angel Devil.
She did it to almost everyone inside Public Safety's Special Division.
So what was he in her eyes?
An ordinary café employee shouldn't be worth the personal attention of someone like Makima.
Unless—
Something about him had caught her interest.
Kuroto thought about it again and again.
Only one possibility remained.
Reze.
Makima most likely already knew Reze's true identity.
She hadn't intervened early because Reze's mission target was Denji.
And Makima had her own reasons to let that situation unfold.
Observing the Bomb Devil Hybrid.
Testing Denji.
Collecting data.
Under that premise—
An ordinary civilian who was suddenly becoming very close to Reze would inevitably enter her field of observation.
Makima was probably watching to see whether Kuroto's presence would interfere with Reze's mission.
If it didn't—
She would simply keep observing.
But if it did…
Kuroto didn't dare continue that thought.
He got out of bed and walked to the window.
Outside, the rain had already stopped.
The streetlights reflected on the wet pavement.
For a moment, Kuroto thought he saw a blurry silhouette standing beneath a distant lamp.
The figure lingered there briefly.
Then disappeared.
Surveillance?
Or just his imagination?
In this world—
Even breathing had to be done carefully.
The Next Morning
Kuroto entered the café carrying two Mont Blanc chestnut cakes.
The dark circles under his eyes were obvious.
Even Reze noticed immediately.
"You didn't sleep well again?"
Reze frowned slightly as she took the bag.
"Yeah. Insomnia."
"Does it happen often?"
"Only recently."
Reze studied him for several seconds.
Then she didn't ask anything else.
She walked toward the counter with the bag.
But when she passed him—
She suddenly stopped.
And lightly patted the back of his head.
The motion was gentle.
Almost like someone petting a cat.
"Don't stay up late."
Her tone sounded matter-of-fact.
Almost like issuing an instruction.
Then she walked away.
Kuroto stood frozen.
His hand slowly reached the back of his head.
She patted his head.
Reze patted his head.
If someone posted this scene on a Chainsaw Man fan forum, the title would probably be:
"The Bomb Devil Hybrid just patted my head. What does this mean?"
Kuroto took a deep breath.
He forced himself to calm down.
Now was not the time to lose control.
He still had a much more urgent problem.
He needed to reply to Makima's text message.
Ignoring it would look suspicious.
An ordinary person who received a strange message from an unknown number would normally react with confusion.
So Kuroto replied in the most natural way possible.
[Hello, who is this? I don't have this number saved.]
He waited the entire morning.
No reply came.
And somehow—
That silence felt even more unsettling.
Noon
After finishing her Mont Blanc, Reze pushed the second one toward him.
"You eat it."
"I bought it for you."
"One is enough."
"Then save it for later."
"You didn't sleep well last night. Eat it."
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat."
Another command.
Kuroto looked at her serious expression and couldn't help smiling slightly.
Reze never knew how to express concern indirectly.
She had never learned subtlety.
In her world, concern was simple.
If someone was hungry, they should eat.
If someone was tired, they should sleep.
If someone was cold, they should wear more clothes.
Direct.
Simple.
But strangely warm.
Kuroto took a bite of the Mont Blanc.
Sweet.
2 PM — A Customer
A young man with a backpack entered the café.
He ordered a latte and sat in the corner scrolling through his phone.
While preparing the drink, Kuroto noticed something.
The man's fingernails were extremely short.
His palms had thick calluses.
Hands like that didn't belong to ordinary office workers.
They belonged to someone accustomed to weapons.
A devil hunter.
Or police.
Kuroto's heart sank.
But his expression remained calm.
"Your latte."
"Please enjoy."
The young man looked up and smiled.
"Thank you."
The smile was normal.
But his gaze lingered on Kuroto for one extra second.
Kuroto returned behind the counter.
Reze was washing glasses.
He didn't warn her.
He didn't need to.
Reze's instincts were far sharper than his.
Sure enough—
Her movements remained normal.
But her breathing slowed slightly.
A sign that she had already entered a combat-ready state.
The café remained quiet.
The young man finished his latte.
Left the money.
And walked out.
After the door closed—
Reze spoke.
"The police."
Kuroto nodded.
"They're watching me."
Her voice sounded calm.
Almost indifferent.
Kuroto didn't reply.
He couldn't show that he understood why the police were watching her.
"Aren't you curious?"
Reze asked suddenly.
"Why the police would watch a café worker?"
"I am curious."
Kuroto answered honestly.
"But if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask."
Reze stared at him for a long time.
So long that Kuroto began wondering if he had said something wrong.
"You're a strange person."
She finally said.
"What's strange?"
"A normal person would be afraid."
"They would ask questions. Demand explanations. Or run away."
"You ask nothing."
Kuroto answered instinctively.
"Because you're you."
"Whether the police are watching you or not…"
"You're still you."
"You won't hurt me."
"What am I afraid of?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Kuroto regretted it.
That sentence was too sincere.
Too sincere for someone who supposedly knew nothing.
Reze's pupils trembled slightly.
It was a tiny change.
Almost invisible.
"…How do you know I won't hurt you?"
Her voice was soft.
"Intuition."
Reze didn't reply.
She turned toward the window so Kuroto couldn't see her expression.
Inside Kuroto's mind—
The system notification appeared.
[Target Reze emotional fluctuation — intense.]
[Fate deviation value: 8%]
From 2.5% to 8%.
Nearly tripled.
But Kuroto barely noticed.
He only looked at Reze's back.
His chest tightened painfully.
She was struggling.
Someone who had never once received unconditional trust—
Was suddenly hearing the words:
"You won't hurt me."
She didn't know how to handle that feeling.
Evening — Closing Time
The rain hadn't stopped.
But it had softened into a light drizzle.
Reze handed him the transparent umbrella from yesterday.
"I forgot to return it."
"You can keep it—"
"You didn't bring an umbrella again today, did you?"
"…No."
Reze pressed her lips together.
As if making a difficult decision.
"Then…"
"…Let's walk together."
She avoided looking at him.
But the tips of her ears were faintly pink.
Kuroto almost lost his composure.
He had imagined scenes like this countless times while reading fanfiction.
And now—
It was actually happening.
He opened the umbrella.
Reze stepped beside him.
This time she didn't hesitate.
She stood even closer than yesterday.
They walked along the same road.
Halfway there, Kuroto spoke.
"Reze."
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever thought…"
He hesitated.
"If one day you didn't have to work at the café anymore… what would you want to do?"
Reze stopped walking.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Just chatting."
She stayed silent for a while.
"I've never thought about it."
"Not once."
"Then start thinking about it now."
"…."
They continued walking.
As they approached the intersection where they would separate—
Reze suddenly spoke.
Her voice was very quiet.
Almost lost in the sound of the rain.
But Kuroto heard it clearly.
"If I could…"
"…I'd like to see flowers."
Chestnut Mont Blanc.
Lavender fields in Hokkaido.
The casual promises he had made were slowly taking root inside her heart.
Kuroto's nose tingled.
"I will."
"I definitely will."
Reze lowered her head and walked into the rain without looking back.
Kuroto stood at the intersection for a long time.
Then his phone vibrated again.
The same unknown number.
This time the message contained only one symbol.
[:)]
A smiley face.
A Makima smiley face.
Kuroto stared at the screen in shock.
What are you laughing at?
What exactly are you laughing at?