Reiji and Tanaka were just a couple of small-time thugs operating in Kuoh. They usually stuck to petty shakedowns, running scams out of illegal gambling parlors hidden in the back of Tanaka's brother's restaurant. Their latest target? A woman named Shizuka—a nurse and single mother who lived alone. They'd been threatening her for protection money, knowing she was an easy mark. She was terrified something might happen to her child.
"All right, just like usual," Reiji said as they approached the house. "We throw around a few threats, look scary, take her cash, and then go have some fun."
"Sounds good," Tanaka replied. "Let's get this over with. I'm starving."
They expected everything to go like clockwork. They kicked in the front door and swaggered into the living room, expecting to see a frightened single mom cowering on the couch.
Instead, they found a calm-looking young man in a black suit and sunglasses sitting casually on her sofa.
"The hell are you?" Tanaka growled.
The young man just smirked. "Someone way above your pay grade, fellas. But don't worry, I'm here to deal with you since no one else seems willing."
They scoffed.
"Whatever, kid. Just tell us where the nurse is."
At that moment, a young woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail and soft brown eyes stepped out of the kitchen. She was carrying a glass of iced tea.
"Here you go," she said kindly, handing it to the man. "I hope you like tea."
"I do. Thank you very much, Miss Shizuka," he replied with a polite nod.
Then he handed her a thick wad of cash. "Why don't you take your child to the park and grab yourself some lunch? You don't want to be here for what comes next."
Without argument, she nodded, scooped up her son, and quietly exited through the back door.
"Hey—wait a second!" Reiji barked, moving to follow her.
But a massive silverback gorilla wearing a shredded delinquent high school uniform stepped into their path, blocking the way. At the same time, the front door slammed shut behind them.
They turned to see a small silver-haired girl locking it. She stared at them with amused, unblinking eyes.
Rowan sipped his tea and said, "Now, what are we going to do about this?"
The thugs were starting to sweat. Something felt... wrong. Very wrong.
They instinctively backed away—only to bump into the chest of the gorilla.
"You see, boys," Rowan said, setting his cup down, "a good mother will do anything to protect her child. Anything. And you two pushed her too far. You cornered her. She was too scared to go to the police, afraid you'd retaliate."
Reiji found his voice and sneered, "Yeah? So what? We took some money from a scared little nurse." He pulled out a handgun and aimed it directly at Rowan. "I ain't scared of you or your pet monkey. Call him off."
The gorilla—Bancho—growled protectively and took a step forward, but Rowan held up a hand, signaling him to stand down.
"Well," Rowan said calmly, standing up, "when people get desperate, they make all kinds of decisions. Some even make deals... with devils."
He lowered his sunglasses, revealing glowing crimson eyes.
Reiji's hands trembled. Still, he barked, "I'll shoot!"
"I'll even give you a free shot," Rowan said, spreading his arms. "Just make sure you don't waste it."
Reiji unloaded the entire clip into Rowan's chest.
Click-click-click.
The bullets crumpled and bounced off harmlessly, clattering to the floor.
Rowan took a step forward.
Then another.
Reiji and Tanaka were paralyzed with fear as Rowan gently placed his hands on their shoulders, his smile never fading.
"Now... you're going to give back every single yen you took from Miss Shizuka."
"...A-And what if we don't?" Tanaka stammered.
"Oh, that's easy," Rowan said, applying just enough pressure to make them cry out in pain. "I take your money. Give it back to her. And you two mysteriously vanish, never to be found again."
Tanaka broke first, handing over 50,000 yen. Reiji followed, offering 100,000.
"That's it?" Rowan frowned. "That'll cover some of her expenses, sure, but being a new mother comes with a lot of bills."
His gaze flicked to Reiji's wrist. "That's a nice watch. Gold casing, diamond inlay… tacky. Not my style. But it'll fetch a good price."
Reiji didn't argue. He yanked the watch off and handed it to Rowan.
"Mighty kind of you."
Just then, the front door opened. Sora stepped aside, and the two thugs bolted, running like the devil himself was on their heels.
They didn't stop until they reached a secluded alley, panting and drenched in sweat.
"What the hell was that?" Reiji gasped.
"I don't know," Tanaka said. "Let's just wait it out. When he leaves, we'll go back, take the money, and beat the answers out of her."
"Yeah... good plan. He's gotta leave eventually."
But then, a strange sound caught their attention.
"What's that creaking?" Reiji asked.
"Sounds like... ropes?" Tanaka looked up.
A massive grand piano was suspended above them by thick ropes—ropes that were beginning to snap.
"Aww, I was hoping you wouldn't see it coming," said a cheerful voice.
They turned and saw the silver-haired girl from earlier standing atop the building. With a mischievous grin, she slashed the final rope.
They barely had time to scream before the piano crashed down, flattening them both.
From the shadows, Rowan emerged. "Why did I let you watch Bugs Bunny again?"
Sora hopped down, dusting her hands. "Because it's hilarious, and you love it as much as I do."
"…True," Rowan admitted, "but it would've been funnier if they weren't just normal humans… and we hadn't, y'know, murdered them in cold blood."
Sora shrugged. "No one's gonna miss them. Besides, you gave them a way out. Just like you said—they didn't take it."
"Fair enough. Let's head back."
When they returned to Shizuka's house, Bancho was already repairing the door. The place was spotless. Rowan took a seat again, finishing his tea.
Shizuka walked in shortly after, pushing a stroller.
"Is it… is it over?" she asked nervously. "Mr. Devil?"
Rowan nodded. "They'll never bother you again. And don't ask. The less you know, the better—especially since, technically, I'm not allowed to kill on your behalf. That's one of the few restrictions in contracts like these."
He held up the pouch of cash and the watch.
"But I didn't kill them. You just… won't be seeing them again."
He handed her 500,000 yen along with Reiji's watch.
"That watch'll fetch a nice price," he said. "But I'm guessing it was stolen. Best move? Pop out the gems, melt the gold, sell separately. You won't get as much—but you also won't be caught fencing stolen goods."
Shizuka nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir."
She then handed him a rolled-up land deed.
"This is all I have to give in return… it's a vacant lot at the edge of town. It's not worth much—I was thinking of giving it away anyway."
Rowan looked it over and smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I'm sure I'll find a use for it someday."
He tipped two fingers in a casual salute.
"Our business is concluded. If you ever have more trouble, you know how to summon me. Until next time."
With that, Rowan vanished, leaving only the faint scent of tea and the lingering promise of protection.