Day 18.
Less than twenty-four hours remained before the Fate Correction Force the system had warned about would arrive.
Kuroto had been preparing since early morning.
Not preparing to fight.
He was still just an ordinary human. His combat capability was practically zero.
The last time he faced the Shadow Devil fragment, he had been nothing more than a moving target.
So this time he prepared routes.
He spent the entire morning mapping Tokyo's streets.
Escape routes.
Crowded areas where devils would hesitate to attack.
The operational range of each of Reze's safe houses.
If a devil attacked, his job would not be to fight.
It would be to guide Reze to the most advantageous location.
In other words—
He was acting as a human GPS.
The kind that held the map while the real fighters did the work.
Humble.
But necessary.
The café had more customers than usual today.
After days of rain, Tokyo finally had a clear afternoon.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, making the café warm and bright.
Reze stood behind the counter grinding coffee beans.
The sunlight fell across her profile.
Her eyelashes cast a thin shadow across her cheeks.
Today—
There was a flower tucked into her apron pocket.
Not the hydrangea from yesterday.
That one had already wilted.
This was a small white daisy.
Only half the bud peeked out from the fabric.
When Kuroto saw it—
His heart skipped.
That detail would never appear in the original story.
A Bomb Devil hybrid wearing a daisy.
The image was absurd.
And yet—
Beautiful.
"What are you staring at?"
Reze asked without looking up.
"The flower."
"The one in your apron."
"You think it looks ugly?"
"It's beautiful."
Her hand paused briefly on the coffee grinder.
Then she began grinding faster.
"The beans today aren't very good."
"The grind might be a little rough."
The conversation turned abruptly.
Kuroto wisely didn't push further.
Around 11 AM, a young couple entered the café.
The man looked like a junior office worker.
Rolled-up sleeves.
Loosened tie.
The woman wore a floral dress.
Her smile revealed two dimples.
They ordered a latte and a caramel macchiato.
Then sat by the window with their heads close together, occasionally laughing at something on their phones.
After finishing the drinks and handing the tray to Kuroto, Reze glanced at them briefly.
Only for a few seconds.
But Kuroto noticed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
She wiped the counter.
Then the coffee machine.
Then suddenly asked:
"Is that what a normal date looks like?"
Kuroto almost dropped the tray.
"What?"
"I mean…"
"For ordinary people on a date."
"Is sitting in a café looking at phones considered a date?"
She sounded genuinely curious.
Not sarcastic.
Not teasing.
She genuinely didn't understand.
"A date doesn't have to be anything special."
Kuroto thought for a moment.
"It's just two people spending time together."
"Doing whatever they want."
Reze stared out the window.
"Does yesterday count?"
"What?"
"Yesterday we went to the park."
"To see the flowers."
She didn't look at him.
"Does that count as a date?"
The question hit like a small nuclear explosion.
Kuroto's brain processed the situation for three seconds.
Then he answered honestly.
"If you want it to count."
"Then it does."
Reze immediately bent down and began wiping the counter.
Very aggressively.
The counter was already spotless.
But she kept wiping.
"Who said I wanted it to count?"
"I was just asking."
"Oh."
"Really just asking."
"I know."
"Don't laugh."
"I'm not."
"Your lips are twitching again."
Kuroto quickly picked up the tray and turned toward the tables.
He used it to hide his face.
If he stayed there one more second—
He might actually explode.
When she asked if yesterday counted as a date—
His heart rate probably exceeded three hundred.
Who could survive that calmly?
By 3 PM, most customers had left.
Reze sat on a tall stool behind the counter, lazily spinning a pen between her fingers.
Kuroto finished wiping the final table and sat opposite her.
"Bored?"
"Not really."
"Want to play a game?"
Reze raised an eyebrow.
"What game?"
"We ask each other questions."
"One question each."
"And we have to answer honestly."
"That sounds childish."
"If you think so, forget it."
Reze spun the pen twice.
Then slammed it down.
"I'll go first."
"Alright."
"Where are you from?"
"Tokyo."
Kuroto answered with the background he had prepared.
"I grew up here."
"And your parents?"
"That's the second question."
"My turn."
Reze clicked her tongue in annoyance.
But didn't argue.
"What's your favorite color?" Kuroto asked.
"Blue."
She answered instantly.
"Why?"
"That's another question."
"Fine, fine."
"Your turn."
Reze thought for a moment.
Then asked something strange.
"If you weren't an ordinary person…"
"…what would you want to be?"
Kuroto paused.
The question carried layers.
She was testing him.
But she also genuinely wanted to understand him.
"If I wasn't ordinary…"
He considered carefully.
"I'd want to be someone strong enough to protect the people I care about."
"Very cliché."
"Cliché."
"But honest."
Reze twirled the pen again.
"Your turn."
Kuroto hesitated.
Then asked something risky.
"Have you ever thought about…"
"…what you would do after your mission ends?"
Reze's pen stopped spinning.
"The mission… ends?"
"Yes."
"If one day you didn't have to carry out missions anymore."
"What would you want to do?"
Silence.
Long silence.
Kuroto thought she wouldn't answer.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Go to Hokkaido."
"To see the lavender."
"And then?"
"…Get a cat."
"What kind?"
"The orange stray outside the café."
"And after that?"
"You ask too many questions."
"Just one more."
Reze bit the pen cap.
Thinking.
Then said quietly:
"I'd open a shop."
"A small one."
"Selling sweets."
"Dorayaki."
"Taiyaki."
"…things like that."
When she said it—
Her expression changed slightly.
Not hopeful.
Not sad.
More like a child saying,
"When I grow up, I want to be a superhero."
Impossible.
But still fun to imagine.
Then—
She smiled.
A real smile.
Her lips curved.
Her eyes narrowed.
Even the tip of her nose wrinkled slightly.
"You're smiling."
Kuroto's voice sounded hoarse.
"No."
"You're smiling."
"Reze."
"You're smiling."
"I said no!"
She turned away.
But Kuroto had already seen it.
The smile lasted only two seconds.
But he would remember it for the rest of his life.
His phone vibrated.
He ignored it.
He didn't want to ruin the moment.
But ten seconds later—
It vibrated again.
And again.
He checked.
System notification.
[Fate Deviation Value: 28%]
[Target Reze's psychological defenses weakening]
[Future imagination now linked with genuine emotional desire]
[Fate Correction Force activated early]
[Demonic reaction approaching target]
[Estimated arrival: 6 hours]
[Threat level: 2 B-rank devils / 1 A-rank devil]
Six hours.
Two B-rank.
One A-rank.
The Shadow Devil fragment from before had been only C-rank.
Reze handled it easily with partial transformation.
But A-rank devils were completely different.
And now—
Three were coming simultaneously.
Kuroto's fingertips went cold.
He glanced outside.
The sunset was beautiful.
Six hours later—
It would be night.
Devils were strongest in darkness.
He closed the phone and looked at Reze.
She was still spinning the pen.
The trace of that earlier smile still lingered.
"Reze."
"Hmm?"
"Don't go home alone after work tonight."
The pen stopped spinning.
Her gaze changed instantly.
Sharp.
Calm.
Battle-ready.
"You saw it coming?"
"Soon."
Reze stood up.
The daisy in her apron swayed slightly.
"How many?"
"Three."
"Two B-rank."
"One A-rank."
"A-rank…"
Her expression grew serious.
She didn't ask how he knew.
At this point—
She had chosen to trust him.
"You're coming with me tonight."
Her tone wasn't a suggestion.
It was an order.
"Okay."
Reze walked into the kitchen and removed her apron.
Before hanging it up—
She took the daisy from the pocket.
Looked at it quietly.
Then opened the wall calendar.
And pressed the flower carefully between the pages.
Page eighteen.