Arc 3 Devica Part 12
1323 Words
Devica PART 12
“That’s all for today.”
Nephrite quickly collected his things and left the room. Their cafe’s first event was only a few days away and Mary asked everyone’s help to ready the things they would need.
Most of the students were also pouring out of their classrooms, each headed to their own destinations.
Just as he was about to pass one classroom’s doorway, a shoe poke out of it. Nephrite skipped over it in the nick of time.
“You missed kissing the floor.”
Nephrite looked back, only to see one of Raven’s cousins. “Cain.”
“I’m amazed you managed to pass the entrance exam. Did you cheat?”
“Are you questioning the University’s system?”
“No,” Cain smiled, “But who knows what else you use to pay in order to get in here.”
Cain said it aloud, making a few of the other students look in their direction.
Murmurs started to spread around them. Cain’s smile grew wider.
The real Raven would have exploded already at this point
“Think what makes you happy,” Nephrite said nonchalantly. He had no time to waste. Though the vessel wanted to *face-slap this person and his twin the most, Nephrite really did not like wasting too much time on unnecessary things. If he could do it in one go, then why spend excess energy.
(A/N: *revenge)
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“Wow, these standees and those posters looked so good.” Nephrite praised. They were checking the decor for the event that he and Marcus picked up earlier.
“Woah! I’m an avid fan of Knights of Zodia but I’ve never seen these Kaizer and Fianna’s designs before!!!” Rei exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. “Boss! How did you get these?”
Nephrite noticed Mary’s face red.
Mary cleared her throat, flustered. “R-Right.”
Marcus chuckled, “She has connections in the artist circle.”
“Yes!” She patted Rei on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, when they get a chance to visit, I’ll tell you.”
They brought all the decorations into the backroom.
After work hours, they held a short meeting.
“The day of the event, we would open the shop earlier so we have enough time to decorate,” Xion said.
Marcus, “We’ve got a lot of reservations. The event-only menu we prepared did a lot of help in the promotion.
“Well, every reader and fan would love to taste the food their favorite characters ate. It gives a sense of fantasy as if you also entered your favorite character’s world.” Nephrite explained.
“Alright. My friend will deliver all the costumes tomorrow. As long as you guys did not lose or gain weight since we had our body measures taken, everything would be a perfect fit!” Mary cheered, “Let’s do our best, we worked hard for this!”
Nephrite was already on his way when Mary caught on to him, “Raven!” She panted, “How can you walk this fast? Goodness, are you not tired? You even had classes this morning, right?”
Nephrite chuckled, “If I walk fast, I’ll be able to reach home sooner. Anyway, where are you heading to?”
“Oh, I’m gonna buy a cake for a friend at the corner restaurant! Let’s walk together.”
Mary continued, “It’s rare for him to get some free time. He was so busy with his businesses that he rarely even showed his face outside his properties.”
“Seems like a workaholic.”
“Definitely.”
Silence emerged for a while.
“The shop came out really nice,” Nephrite said out of the blue. “And everyone is having fun working.”
“Well, isn’t it supposed to be like that?” she grabbed Nephrite’s arm. “Next time, it will be even better.”
“Boss, are you the artist behind Knights of Zodia?”
She moved away, flustered. “No! Ahh,” she hesitated for a bit. “Well, I guess I can trust you. No, I’m really not. But I'm the author of the original novel.”
“Boss, I didn’t know you’re that awesome.”
“Of course! I know I’m—Wait! What did you mean you don’t know!’ Mary slapped his shoulder jokingly.
Nephrite burst into laughter. “Okay, Boss. Sorry haha. Don’t get so worked up.”
“Oh right, you’re taking an art course, right?” Nephrite nodded. “Then I’ll introduce them to you when they visit the shop.”
“Boss, thank you. I will remember your kindness.”
“No need, ah!” She snapped her finger. “Right, I’ll mention you to my friend. If he agrees, I’ll introduce you to him, too. He’s not working as an artist but he has connections and all.”
“That’s too much, don’t bother your friend about it. Plus I’m still a freshman right now.”
“It’s not a big deal, alright. Oh, we’re here. You can go now. He will pick me up from here.”
Nephrite glanced at the dark alleyway with a few people passing by. He felt unsettled for some reason. “I think…I should wait with you till your friend arrives. Go and get the cake. I’ll wait here.”
“Alright then.” Mary did not make a fuss anymore. Nephrite moved on the other side of the pathway while waiting.
Nephrite fiddled on his phone. He hadn't treated Vio and Camilla to a proper meal yet. They had fun the last time but he was unsure if those two would like to visit the cafe. They’re from a well-to-do family after all and Nephrite was still unsure of their preference.
As he contemplated whether to invite his two friends, a notification from an unknown number popped on the screen.
[Unknown Number]: Do you know what happens to dirty flies who mess around?
Before Nephrite could even realize the meaning of the message, he received another one.
[Unknown Number]: swatter.gif
Nephrite felt a terrible chill run down his spine as he saw the gif image, repeatedly swatting a fly. But instead of the dead insect, a puddle of blood appeared on the screen as soon as the swatter lifted up. A lump of hair in the middle of the white and red background reminded Nephrite of a popular horror movie back in his real world that caused him nightmares.
Nephrite instantly paled. His hand and back sweated cold as he stared down his phone, an ominous feeling sweeping around him.
“The f*ck is this,” he cursed under his breath, his hands shaking as he sent a screenshot to Lin Ye.
He heard the sound of the shop's door swinging open. Mary waved at her. "I've got it and my friend is already nearby."
Nephrite sighed in relief, "Alright. Let's waitㅡ!"
Before Nephrite could utter another word, his body already moved in reflex upon noticing a sudden movement from above.
Mary felt Nephrite’s arms on her back and head as he jumped on her. The dizzying movement brought her to confusion, both their vision spun and their perception blurred.
Loud crashes and screams followed one after another but none of the two could recognize the noise.
“Mary!”
A voice from somewhere penetrated Mary’s ears, turning louder as seconds passed.
She pushed herself up from the cold ground, weakly. Slowly regaining her senses despite the woozy feeling.
Mary felt the heavy arm holding her. Trying to sit completely, she placed her hand on the ground, only to feel the sticky wetness under her palm.
Her eyes snapped open as the situation completely sunk in. A faint scent of iron spread in the air as red liquid flowed on the ground, freezing the bystander’s own blood in fright.
Mary’s shriek echoed under the starless sky.
- Writer
