Day 12.
A persistent drizzle hung over Tokyo.
The sky was dull and gray, the entire street soaked in cold rain. Pedestrians hurried past with umbrellas, unwilling to stay outside for even a moment longer than necessary.
The café's business was worse than usual.
Only two customers had come in the entire morning, both simply seeking shelter from the rain.
Reze stood beside the window, watching the rain fall.
Her finger traced the droplets sliding slowly down the glass.
Behind the counter, Kuroto ground coffee beans, occasionally glancing at her.
In these twelve days, the relationship between them had clearly changed.
Reze no longer greeted him with just a perfectly practiced smile.
Sometimes she revealed other expressions—
Mild disdain.
Curiosity.
Speechless disbelief.
And occasionally, a faint anticipation she herself probably didn't even realize.
Every morning when she pushed open the door, the first thing she looked at was no longer the coffee machine.
It was the bag in Kuroto's hand.
The moment was always brief.
But Kuroto noticed every time.
"The rain is heavy."
Reze spoke suddenly.
"Yeah."
"Did you bring an umbrella?"
"No. It was sunny when I left home."
Reze glanced at him.
"Then how will you get home after closing?"
"I'll just run back. Getting wet won't kill me."
"You'll catch a cold."
"I'm healthy."
"You said you had a sore throat last week."
Kuroto choked on his words.
She remembered that.
Even he had nearly forgotten it himself.
"…Did you bring an umbrella?" he countered.
Reze didn't answer.
She simply continued watching the rain outside.
But in the reflection on the window, Kuroto saw the corner of her lips curve slightly.
Afternoon — 4 PM
The rain only grew heavier.
No customers remained in the café.
Reze sat beside the window flipping through an old magazine she had found somewhere.
Across from her, Kuroto pretended to scroll through his phone while secretly watching her.
The magazine opened to a travel section.
Lavender fields in Hokkaido stretched across the page.
Reze's finger paused on the photograph.
One second.
Kuroto saw it clearly.
"Want to go?" he asked.
Reze flipped the page.
"No."
"Hokkaido's far, but the scenery is amazing."
"You've been there?"
"No."
Her tone remained indifferent.
Kuroto knew why.
Reze had been imprisoned in a Soviet experimental facility since childhood.
Later, when she was sent to Japan as a Soviet agent, she only moved between safe houses, training facilities, and mission locations.
Travel was a concept that didn't exist in her world.
"Let's go together this summer."
Kuroto said it casually.
Like he was discussing tomorrow's lunch.
Reze stopped turning the page.
"…What?"
"Hokkaido."
"Summer is the best time. The flowers bloom everywhere."
"We can take the Shinkansen."
"Rent a car and drive around."
He spoke naturally.
Too naturally.
Reze looked at him strangely.
"You're asking me to go on a trip?"
"It's just a colleague trip. That's normal."
"…That's not normal at all."
"What's not normal? If you don't want to go, that's fine."
"I didn't say I didn't want to go."
The moment those words left her mouth—
Reze froze.
The air went silent.
For three seconds.
Kuroto fought desperately to keep his expression steady.
If he laughed now, everything would collapse.
"Then it's settled."
He said casually.
Reze didn't reply.
She returned her gaze to the magazine.
But she flipped the pages much faster now.
And—
She was holding the magazine upside down.
5:30 PM — Closing Time
Kuroto finished locking the cabinets in the back room.
When he came out, Reze was already standing by the door.
Outside, the rain still poured relentlessly.
In her hand was a small transparent umbrella.
Just large enough for one person.
Kuroto stepped beneath the eaves and looked at the sky.
"Leaving?" Reze asked.
"Yeah. Want to walk together for a bit?"
"Which direction do you live?"
"South."
"What a coincidence."
"I live south too."
Reze glanced at him.
Her expression clearly said:
You're lying.
Kuroto's apartment was actually north.
And Reze's observational ability would never miss something like that.
But she didn't expose him.
"Let's go."
She handed him the umbrella.
"You hold it."
"I can get a little wet—"
"Hold the umbrella."
It wasn't a request.
It sounded almost like an order.
Her voice was quiet, nearly swallowed by the rain.
Kuroto opened the umbrella.
It was too small.
Standing beneath it together meant their shoulders were nearly touching.
Reze walked on his left.
Half her shoulder remained outside the umbrella.
"Come closer."
Kuroto tilted the umbrella toward her.
"No need."
"Come closer."
Reze looked up and glared at him.
But after a second—
She stepped half a pace closer.
Their shoulders touched.
Through two layers of clothing, Kuroto could feel her body temperature.
Lower than normal.
Not icy.
Just slightly cool.
Like the first breeze of autumn.
Neither of them spoke.
The rain was heavy.
The streetlights were dim.
Almost no pedestrians remained.
It felt as if the entire world had shrunk—
Until only two people and a small transparent umbrella remained.
After five minutes of walking, Reze suddenly slowed down.
"What's wrong?" Kuroto asked.
"…I'm a little sleepy."
Kuroto was surprised.
Sleepy?
A devil hybrid like Reze possessed physical abilities far beyond humans.
Fatigue shouldn't affect her this easily.
Unless—
She wasn't tired.
But simply relaxed.
Perhaps this quiet moment was something her body had never experienced before.
"Then let's walk slower."
He reduced his pace.
One minute later—
Reze suddenly rested her head on his shoulder.
Just lightly.
Like a leaf drifting down.
Kuroto froze.
Her hair brushed his neck.
It carried a faint scent of ordinary shampoo.
Nothing expensive.
Just the typical supermarket kind.
"…Reze?"
No response.
Her eyes were closed.
Maybe she was truly resting.
Or maybe she was pretending.
Kuroto didn't know.
And didn't dare confirm.
He only adjusted the umbrella slightly—
Ensuring the rain would not touch her.
His right shoulder was already soaked.
He didn't care.
At this moment, the chaotic world of Chainsaw Man felt far away.
Devils.
Makima.
Fate.
The system.
None of it mattered.
He only wanted the quiet beneath the umbrella to last a little longer.
Eventually, they reached a crossroads.
Reze straightened up as if suddenly waking.
Her expression returned to normal.
"We're here."
"Mm."
"Take the umbrella. My place is close."
"No. It's still raining."
"I don't mind getting wet."
She pushed the umbrella into his hand and turned toward the rain.
Within seconds, her figure blurred behind the falling water.
Just before disappearing, her voice reached him.
"Kuroto."
"Hmm?"
"Tomorrow…bring that chestnut."
Chestnut?
Kuroto thought for a moment.
Mont Blanc chestnut cake.
He had brought it three days ago.
Reze had eaten two pieces.
The most she had ever eaten.
She remembered.
And this was the first time she had ever requested something herself.
Kuroto stood in the rain, gripping the transparent umbrella still warm from her hands.
He couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
"Okay."
He said softly to the empty street.
His phone vibrated.
It wasn't a system notification.
It was a text message.
An unknown number.
The message contained only one line:
[The rain is beautiful today, don't you think? —M]
Kuroto's smile froze.
M.
Makima.
He suddenly looked around.
Rain blurred the entire street.
No one was visible.
But he knew.
Somewhere beyond the curtain of rain—
A pair of golden eyes was watching him.
She saw him.
She saw everything.