After finishing the market stroll and riverside picnic, the sun was slowly setting.
The sunset dyed the sky red, and the streets gradually took on the mood of evening.
"Whew… We had a really good time today."
Denji said, stretching.
"Right? If I'd known it'd be like this, I would've suggested going out earlier in the morning~"
Reze poked Denji's side playfully as she laughed.
"Hey, I was busy getting ready too, you know!"
"Heehee~ I know, just kidding."
Bantering back and forth like that, the two headed toward the cafe where Reze worked.
The cafe was already quiet, with most customers gone.
Through the window, the sunset glow seeped in softly, adding a warm hue to the wooden furniture and gentle lighting.
When they opened the door, the bell rang clearly.
Ding-dang—
"Welcome… Oh, it's Reze and Denji."
Manager Kuzun looked up from behind the counter.
A familiar smile spread across his face.
"We just stopped by for a bit~"
As Reze greeted him brightly, Kuzun nodded.
"Good. It's getting toward evening, so there aren't any customers. Rest a while before you go."
Reze naturally began making coffee with familiar motions.
The soft hiss of steam and the fragrant aroma of coffee beans began to fill the shop.
Denji sat by the window and watched Reze.
While she was lively and playful during the day, her eyes held a serious focus when she was making coffee.
Watching her, Denji averted his gaze for no reason and looked outside.
Under the slightly lingering sunset sky, the quiet alley felt peaceful.
"Here you go~ One order of~ Denji Special Latte~"
Reze handed over the coffee, perfectly imitating a waiter.
"When did this menu item appear…"
As Denji laughed incredulously and took the cup, Reze shrugged.
"Today-only special service~"
Taking a sip of the warm coffee, it felt like all the noise from the market and the lingering sensations of the sunlight melted away.
The rich, smooth aroma went down his throat, taking with it the fatigue from the all-day date.
"Times like this… I really like them."
Reze muttered, sitting by the window and taking a sip of her coffee.
"Huh?"
"The market was fun, and the walk was nice too… but I like this best. Having coffee quietly in a cafe while we talk.
It's like… the feeling of living like normal people."
Reze's eyes gazed somewhere distant for a moment.
Her words held a trace of fleeting loneliness.
Denji watched her profile for a moment before speaking softly.
"…I like that too."
Reze turned her head slightly to look at Denji.
Their eyes met gently, and something unspoken permeated the air between them.
"Ehehe~ At this rate, I might really ask you for a market date every morning?"
Reze said playfully, brightening the mood again.
"Heh… That sounds pretty good too, though?"
At Denji's words, they both burst out laughing.
Inside the cafe, along with the coffee aroma, their laughter spread quietly.
Outside the window, night was slowly falling, but their time flowed on, warm and still.
The cafe was filled with the quiet scent of coffee, and the sky outside had grown completely dark.
Reze and Denji were still sitting by the window, with the small things they'd bought at the market placed on the table.
They sipped their coffee slowly, talking about what had happened during the day.
"Look at this, Denji. From the market today. Got it super cheap, right?"
As Reze proudly pulled out and waved a piece of cloth, Denji made a puzzled face.
It was a cloth piece with a beautiful pattern, about the size of a small handkerchief.
"What… do you need that for?"
"Huh? I just bought it because it's pretty~ Does there have to be a reason?"
At Reze's mischievous smile, Denji also let out a snort of laughter.
Their conversation was trivial, but that very triviality made the moment feel warm.
An ordinary, quiet moment they would never have felt if they were in Tokyo.
Reze wished this time would last a long, long time.
Then, Manager Kuzun, who had been moving quietly behind the counter, appeared.
"You youngsters look happy."
His voice was gentle but carried a strange resonance.
"Manager~ It was really fun today!"
As Reze waved her hand with a laugh, Kuzun nodded.
"Good… I hope these peaceful days continue."
He looked out the window for a moment.
Streetlight illuminated the alley, but his eyes were fixed somewhere far away, gazing at the far end of the alley.
A fleeting, hard-to-describe strange expression crossed his face.
As if he'd known something for a long time.
Reze noticed his gaze briefly and tilted her head.
"Manager? Is something wrong?"
Kuzun shook his head, wearing his usual gentle smile again.
"No, it's nothing. The night air is just unusually cold today. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Having said that, he slowly headed toward the back door.
And just before opening the door to leave, he paused.
"Reze, Denji."
"Yes?"
"You two… take good care of what's precious to you."
Kuzun spoke as if tossing out a casual remark, but his voice carried a strangely weighty feeling.
The door closed, leaving only the sound of wind from the back alley in the cafe for a moment.
Reze looked at Denji with a bewildered expression, and Denji shrugged and laughed.
"The manager says weird stuff sometimes, doesn't he?"
"Right… It's like he really knows something, you know?"
They bantered as if joking, but a subtle aftertaste remained in a corner of their hearts.
Outside, a soft night breeze blew, and within it, the presence of something unseen seemed to seep in.
Kuzun closed the door and walked slowly out into the back alley.
The night air was slightly cold, and streetlights cast long shadows.
He took a few steps along the familiar path, then suddenly stopped.
"…A crow?"
At the end of the alley, on a utility pole, a single crow sat quietly.
Its eyes reflected the streetlight, glowing red, mingling with the night sky and emanating an eerie presence.
Kuzun narrowed his eyes and looked straight at the crow.
His gaze held a mix of wariness, fatigue, and a very subtle 'understanding'.
"…It was you, after all."
The crow made no sound.
But the sensation that someone was watching from somewhere brushed coldly against the back of his neck.
As if the very air was stretched thin, giving that gaze a physical presence.
Kuzun slowly raised his head.
Beyond the crow's eyes, his gaze met with the 'something' hiding behind it.
That something—was a presence both all too familiar and unwelcome.
"…Makima."
His softly muttered voice was absorbed into the darkness.
The crow flapped its wings once, then flew up into the night sky.
A black shadow swept past the streetlight and vanished, leaving only silence in the alley once more.
Kuzun took a deep breath in and out.
His expression remained mild, but his eyes alone had sharpened, as if returning to his days as a Devil Hunter.
"…So she's still extending her surveillance this far. That's just like her."
He looked around the alley one more time, then turned his steps back to the cafe as if nothing had happened.
Inside, Reze and Denji were still engaged in their trivial conversation.
Their laughter was peaceful, but in the night air seeping through the door crack, an inexplicable tension lingered.