The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly as Denji pushed his yellow hardhat lower and gripped his shovel.
A cloud of dust rose hazily from the ground, and the thick smell of melting asphalt wafted from somewhere nearby.
"Hey, Denji! Bring over some more blocks!"
Mr. Matsuda's voice rang out.
"Dammit… More blocks?"
Denji grumbled but moved immediately. As he lifted the heavy block, veins bulged in his arms and his lower back throbbed. Still, this weight was starting to feel a little familiar now.
Sweat streamed down, causing his shirt to stick to his back.
"Haah… Damn, I'm definitely having cola when this is over. Two cans."
Denji muttered to himself as he set the block down. The sound of machinery running was noisy next to him.
Clank, thud-thud, rattle—
Even though it was loud enough to make his head ring, he found a strange focus in it. It was different from when he was crossing swords with devils. Here, there was just the smell of dirt, stone, and sweat.
Suddenly, something Reze had said to him before came to mind.
— Denji, ordinary people don't make money fighting devils. The things that make people's lives comfortable… are things like houses or streets. It would be really cool if you built stuff like that, Denji.
Back then, he'd just laughed it off, but now, digging dirt and carrying bricks, he thought about it.
'Ah… So that's why I'm doing this now.'
Back when he was a Public Safety Devil Hunter, the money was good, sure. But just as many people died. Plenty of guys kicked the bucket before they ever got to touch the big money. Denji had seen that countless times with his own eyes.
He stopped shoveling for a moment and looked up at the sky. The sun glared down blindingly, and passing clouds drifted slowly by.
'Reze… I wonder what she's doing at the cafe right about now.'
A grin spread across Denji's face on its own.
"Denji! Stop daydreaming and fill in more dirt!"
Mr. Matsuda's yell came flying over again.
"Yeeeees—!"
Denji answered at the top of his lungs and tightened his grip on the shovel. Sweat streamed down past his eyes, but for some reason, his heart felt light. Even though it was hard, it felt like proof that he was alive right now.
A short break time arrived. As he sat in the shade after lunch, dusting off his dirt-caked hands, his phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, Reze's name was on the screen.
"Hello?"
A voice came through—a bit tired, but somehow reassuring.
"Denji, did you eat lunch?"
A tone as sharp as a laser, yet gentle at the same time. Denji's heart eased up at that voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Ate something tasteless, but… What about you, Reze?"
Denji's voice held a mix of tension and relief.
"Hmm, I'm a veteran, so no problems here. Didn't cause any trouble today?"
Though the tone was playful, there was genuine concern in it. Denji laughed, slightly flustered.
"Ack… Ah, no! Well… it was kinda minor…"
"Heh~ So you're off the hook for today~"
At Reze's teasing voice, Denji let out a momentary scream through the phone.
"Gwaaah!"
He could almost hear Reze laughing from the other side of the call. It wasn't really a big screw-up, but it was true there'd been a bit of trouble.
"See you later, Denji~"
After the call ended, Denji set his phone down for a moment and looked at the distant sky. The sunlight poured down dazzlingly, and the wind brushed his face, blowing away the swirling dust. It was a short call, but it warmed a corner of his heart. And somehow, it felt like he could endure today a little bit more.
When the end-of-work bell rang, Denji shook off his shovel, set it down, and took off his hardhat. His sweat-damp hair hung limply, but his footsteps were surprisingly light. In his pocket was the crumpled day's wages, and only one place came to mind. — The cafe where Reze was.
"Hey, Denji! Let's grab dinner together."
"I've gotta go see Reze, next time!"
The place he headed after work was already a routine that had become like a habit for Denji. People who'd worked a bit in this small town knew the rumor. That after clocking out, Denji would head to the cafe where his girlfriend worked. They didn't know for sure if she was his girlfriend, but it was clear he went there to see the woman who worked there.
Pushing open the cafe door, a warm vanilla scent instantly overwhelmed the smells of dust and oil. Even seeing Denji in his shabby work clothes, Reze simply smiled brightly, unfazed.
"Welcome, Denji. You worked hard again today."
She wore a white apron over a long-sleeved t-shirt, holding a cup still flecked with foam. Denji gave an awkward cough and plopped down into a chair.
"One cola. The coldest one you've got."
As Reze took a glass from the fridge and poured the fizzy drink, Denji silently watched her. It felt like a scene flowing in slow motion within the bustling cafe. As closing time approached, Reze straddled a chair.
"Wait a bit. I'll be right back after finishing cleaning."
At her words, Denji nodded and drained his glass.
The inside of the closed cafe was quiet.
Only the residual heat from the barista machine faintly warmed the air, and the streetlight outside cast long shadows through the window. Reze sat Denji in a chair and plunked down some paper and a pen.
"Okay, today's practice is calculating change. You're ready, right?"
"Ugh… I told you I'm really not friends with numbers."
Denji pushed his chair back unnecessarily and grumbled.
"Then you need to practice even more~"
Reze tapped his forehead with her finger and wrote down a problem.
"Coffee is 350 yen, the customer paid with 1000 yen. How much change?"
Denji rolled the pen, then said languidly.
"…Seven hundred fifty?"
"Wrong~"
Reze drew a big X with her finger and grinned.
"The correct answer is six hundred fifty! It seems Denji shouldn't go into sales."
"Tch… You can just use a calculator."
"A calculator can't think for you."
Reze pressed a calculator button and playfully leaned closer.
"Here, I'll teach you myself. Focus, Denji."
She placed her hand over Denji's on the calculator and pressed the buttons. The close distance, the feeling of her breath almost brushing his nose. Denji averted his gaze momentarily, his face flushing red.
"…You don't need to be this close."
Reze deliberately tilted her head further and whispered in a small voice.
"You have to be close to teach properly. Isn't that right? Besides… I said I'd teach you everything you don't know, didn't I?"
As she blew a puff of air like a breeze against his ear at the end of her sentence, Denji startled and pushed his chair back.
"Whoa! Stop! I'm not studying!"
Reze chuckled and snatched his pen.
"No escaping~ There's homework for tomorrow too, so be prepared, Denji."
Denji crossed his arms, fuming, but his face turned even redder from the warmth lingering at his ear. Reze watched his reaction with a mischievous smile, enjoying it. Outwardly it was studying, but really, it was just like a game for the two of them. Inside the quiet cafe, their laughter and grumbling spread in gentle ripples.