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1096 Words
Dante didn't bother arguing. "Man, that guy just looked at you like any regular dude seeing a pretty girl. No need to suspect him of being a demon. I don't think he's a clue."
Baldwin shook his head. "You seriously didn't notice the way his eyes lit up when Mr. Phedra raised his arm? Looked like he was about to drool."
Dante wasn't in the mood to argue. "Whatever. Let's just focus on finding that coffin."
Phedra Henry trailed silently behind the two, texting Beatrix Henry on the team channel.
Little Bell: We're looking for the coffin. Do you know where it is?
Beatrix Henry: "We"? You're going with those two cowards?
Little Bell: We're looking for the coffin. Do you know where it is?
Beatrix Henry: Not afraid of demons?
Little Bell: ...I'm a wanderer, remember?
Beatrix Henry: And how is that any different from traveling alone?
Phedra Henry looked up at Dante and Baldwin, thinking if they saw these texts, they'd probably be a little hurt.
He frowned and continued to type in the group chat.
[Little Bell is typing...]
He didn't even finish when the screen blinked with a new message.
Beatrix Henry: I'm working on something. Don't wander around. Wait for me to take you.
Phedra Henry turned off the screen.
Dante turned back. "Why'd you stop?"
Phedra Henry said, "No. 3 knows where the coffin is. He told us to go home and wait."
Dante actually looked relieved, glancing around just in case. "Makes sense. There's too many people searching right now, we'd just draw attention to ourselves."
Phedra Henry suddenly asked, "You two really aren't scared of demons?"
Dante got goosebumps. "Why are you bringing that up again?"
He puffed out his chest, trying to sound confident. "It's morning, and there's three of us. Why should we be scared?"
Phedra Henry just looked at him and didn’t say anything.
He turned to Dante: "Mr. Tin, do you remember what the demon looked like yesterday?"
Dante got flustered. "Why do you keep asking about that monster?"
"Just answer me. Did you sleep last night?"
Dante hesitated. "Uh... I slept a bit."
Phedra Henry and Baldwin both stopped, waiting.
"Well?" Phedra Henry prompted.
Dante thought hard for a minute, then sighed. "I did manage to sleep some last night."
Baldwin frowned. "And that's it? That’s all you did all night?"
Phedra Henry pressed, "Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
Dante gulped, nodding. "Yeah, actually. I slept in bed and didn't even have a nightmare. Why?"
Baldwin muttered, "Maybe your nerves are shot."
Dante just stared at him, unconvinced.
The air grew heavier.
Phedra Henry and Dante looked at each other. Finally, Phedra Henry said, "Try to remember last night. I have a hunch it's important."
Dante frowned, concentrating, trying to reconstruct the events.
After almost ten minutes, Dante scratched his head in frustration. "I can't! I just can't remember!"
Phedra Henry sighed. "Forget it."
He kept walking back toward the safe house, thinking, ‘It’ll probably show up again tonight.’
Dante looked nervously at Phedra Henry. "Hey... you're not actually going to look for it, are you?"
Phedra Henry didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
Dante stared in shock. "No way, man…"
Phedra Henry replied calmly, "Relax. You don't die just by looking."
"And how do you know that?"
Phedra Henry smiled, not looking back. "You're still standing here, aren't you?"
Dante fell silent, thinking about it.
The so-called "wait for me, I’ll take you there" from No. 3 dragged on until it was almost dark before they finally saw him.
Beatrix Henry got home before the landlord and his wife locked the door. Ika was already eating alone in the kitchen. The couple was just about to lock their bedroom when Beatrix Henry returned.
Phedra Henry, after finishing up his own stuff, was bored and played chess with Baldwin. Dante sat on the side, sometimes chiming in with commentary.
The landlord and his wife liked chess too, so all five of them gathered together, heads bent over the board, playing enthusiastically.
Beatrix Henry came home quietly, heading upstairs to change without much fuss.
Phedra Henry asked the landlady for a bottle of wine. Seeing how helpful and polite he was, she liked him and let him have whatever he wanted.
Phedra Henry had three cups, the alcohol warming his face and making him a bit tipsy.
He waved at Beatrix Henry at the stairs. "Come here, finish this game with me."
Beatrix Henry, rarely annoyed, glanced at Dante as he passed. "You guys think this is a vacation?"
Phedra Henry pouted. "What’s your problem?"
Beatrix Henry took the bottle, handed it to Ika to return to the landlady.
Ika hugged the bottle, looked like he wanted to say something, then muttered under his breath, "Am I a bum?"
Phedra Henry rubbed his eyes, mumbling, "Where did you come from?"
"The Mountain Spirit," Beatrix Henry replied dryly.
That answer caught Phedra Henry off guard. He looked up at No. 3, who was tall even when sitting.
A flicker of surprise showed in Phedra Henry's eyes. He smiled, reached for Beatrix Henry’s wrist. "Might as well drink a bit more, huh?"
Beatrix Henry lowered his head, just as the younger man leaned in.
Phedra Henry didn’t wear any perfume, but there was a cool, clean scent about him.
He leaned closer and whispered in Beatrix Henry’s ear, "Don’t move."
Beatrix Henry froze up, black eyes suddenly a little dazed.
Phedra Henry moved in, warm breath tinged with alcohol brushing Beatrix Henry’s cheek.
Beatrix Henry just stared.
With that look, Phedra Henry tipped back a mouthful of wine, closed his lips, then leaned even closer.
At that moment, Beatrix Henry thought the kid was going to mouth-feed him the wine and actually laughed out loud.
Beatrix Henry’s gaze tracked a droplet of wine as it slid down Phedra Henry’s chin, down his neck, lighting up that elegant curve of throat.
Almost without thinking, Beatrix Henry leaned in and licked the wine away.
Phedra Henry pulled away, staggering up. "Ika, give me the bottle."
Ika squinted, lifted the bottle out of reach with one hand, blocking him.
Phedra Henry made a move to jump for it but was scooped up by Ika and tucked under his arm like a sack of potatoes.
Phedra Henry rolled his eyes, leaning into Ika, and promptly threw up.
Ika: "..."
Dante, Baldwin, Beatrix Henry: "..."
The landlord and wife: "..."
The landlady hurried over: "Someone help him to bed already!"
The only person available was Beatrix Henry, his roommate.
- Writer
