Rain poured down in sheets, drumming furiously on the ground and kicking up the earthy scent of wet soil.
In the distance, it splashed against the surface of the sea, sending ripples across the horizon.
Wearing a mask and a cloak enchanted to conceal his presence, Kane took shelter beneath the wide canopy of a tree, shrugging off his rain-soaked coat.
“This rain is seriously weird… Why does it keep getting heavier and lighter all of a sudden?”
After leaving the dungeon beneath his home, Kane had headed straight for the black market.
He needed to stock up on items—specifically, something that could suppress Enya.
Kane was under no illusions.
He knew full well that the control he currently had over Enya was temporary at best.
As a deeply concealed yandere, Enya was likely equipped with countless tricks to break free and turn the tables on him.
Right now, he might seem to have the upper hand (although… did he really? He certainly didn’t feel like he did).
What he needed was a method to permanently suppress her.
Thankfully, he still had the money that dimwit Taliya had thrown at him.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the means to visit the black market.
Still…
“Will the black market even have what I need?”
Kane crossed his arms and leaned against the tree, gazing out at the curtain of rain as he muttered helplessly.
Honestly, he didn’t hold out much hope.
Everything he was doing might very well be for nothing in the end.
And if even the black market turned up empty…
“Then I’ll just have to run for it.”
If he couldn’t win, at least he could escape.
As long as he still had the freedom to move, Kane believed he’d eventually find a way to control the yandere.
But if he got caught again—if he lost his freedom—that would truly be the end.
“Looks like this rain isn’t stopping anytime soon.”
The downpour grew even heavier.
The wind howled, and Kane spotted several of the rain canopies he’d sold earlier now flying through the air like discarded tissue.
It was like the world itself was being uprooted—grass, soil, and all.
With his measly first-tier strength, Kane figured he’d be sent flying like a kite the second he stepped into it.
“Might as well eat something first.”
The sky was still dark, but it was nearly 8 a.m.—the time when wage slaves across the Empire dragged themselves to work.
Kane hadn’t eaten much the night before, too busy plotting a clean, untraceable way to poison Enya at point B. He’d been on the road all night, and now he was starving and parched.
He gathered a few dry pine branches, found a relatively dry spot, and lit a fire with a flint.
Then he pulled out a half-eaten, now-cold roasted chicken, skewered it on a stick, and placed it beside the fire to reheat.
Kane never compromised when it came to food.
No matter the situation, he refused to mistreat himself.
In the damp chill of the rain, the roast chicken sizzled as its skin blistered and released aromatic oil.
The breeze carried the scent straight into Kane’s nose.
What a heavenly smell. Like… Enya.
“It’s ready.”
The chicken had already been cooked, so it didn’t take long to heat up.
Kane licked his lips, rubbed his hands together, and eagerly lifted the chicken toward his mouth.
—Thunk.
It hit his mask.
“Right. Forgot about that.”
He touched the mask on his face and glanced out at the unrelenting rain.
The black market was still a ways off, and this was the middle of nowhere.
Surely no one would be wandering out here in weather like this.
With that thought, Kane reached up to remove his mask.
“…Huh? Is that… the scent of roses?”
A sudden, fragrant floral aroma flooded his senses, wave after wave surging into his nose.
Then, roses—dozens, hundreds—came cascading down from the sky like a celestial rain, giving Kane a surreal sense of déjà vu, as though reuniting with someone he hadn’t seen in two and a half years.
Wait… roses? No way…
“Your eyes are as dazzling and beautiful as these crimson roses. Not even wind or rain could mar your beauty. We must be bound by the red thread of fate, my dearest Lady Kun’er.”
…She appeared.
The moment Taliya’s cornflower-blue hair entered his field of vision, the roast chicken in Kane’s hand launched itself into the air as if of its own volition.
“My chicken!”
Kane shrieked in horror.
A dark blur shot overhead.
Taliya leapt into the air with a graceful 360° spin, slicing through the rain like a bolt of lightning, and snatched the chicken mid-air.
She landed lightly, cradling the chicken like a precious gem.
Not a single drop of rain had touched it—it was still perfectly crispy.
Wearing twin swords across her back, Taliya stood tall in the rain, swept her soaked bangs to the side with a dramatic flick, bared her silver-white teeth, and smiled:
“Don’t worry, babe. Your 🐔 is safe.”
“……”
Kane’s expression darkened.
There were no words to describe what he was feeling right now.
In short—
“Give me back my chicken.”
He snatched it out of Taliya’s hands.
“Tsk tsk. What a feisty little wildcat.”
Taliya wasn’t the least bit upset by Kane’s rudeness.
In fact, she was thrilled.
Just the faint brush of his ring finger against her chest had made her knees weak with excitement.
But then—
“Strange… Your voice sounds different than before, Miss Kun’er.”
Her voice?!
Crap!
Kane immediately turned his back and clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Kun’er, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Taliya ran up in concern. But just before she could touch his “delicate” waist, Kane held up a hand to stop her—one over his mouth, one to block her.
“Munch munch… No, no, it’s nothing. Kun’er was just a little startled.”
After a few exaggerated chewing and swallowing sounds, Taliya finally heard the familiar loli voice she so adored.
Ah~ her Kun’er.
Her Kun’er had finally returned.
“Miss Kun’er, to think we’d meet again like this… Please accept this humble bouquet.”
Behind her, thousands of roses bloomed once more.
Taliya plucked a bunch and knelt gracefully on one knee, offering them up to Kane.
“…Th-thank you.”
Kane forced a polite smile as he reluctantly accepted the bouquet.
To think the only two times he’d ever received roses in his life, both had come from this lunatic… His feelings were complicated.
“Well, I’ve got some things to do, so I’ll just be going—”
Kane turned on his heel. He didn’t care about manners or explanations—he just needed to get away.
Taliya was a walking time bomb.
He didn’t know when she might explode, but staying near her was never safe.
“Wait, Kun’er!”
Having finally reunited with one of her life’s great loves—one of them, anyway—Taliya had no intention of letting her go.
But the moment she stepped forward—
—Thud.
With a heavy thump, Taliya collapsed face-first.
Kane instinctively stepped forward and caught her light frame in his arms.
Though she looked tall and graceful, she was light as a feather in his arms.
If not for the two swords on her back, Kane figured he could tuck her under one arm and walk off.
“Are you alright?”
It was the first time he’d seen this indomitable peacock looking so frail.
Had he caused some kind of butterfly effect and ended up hurting her?
As Kane stood there puzzled, Taliya weakly raised her hand, her parched lips barely able to form words:
“I… I… I’m… so hungry~ Kun’er~ quick, quick… feed me mouth to mouth with your juice💧… It’s the only way I can recover…”
Kane: ……