[Ding! The host has killed the Earthquake Devil and gained 328 attribute points.]
[Absorbed the Earthquake Devil's ability, Fissure Quake. The power of mountain and sea collapse. The host can trigger powerful vibrations within a radius of Constitution multiplied by 10 meters.]
[Attribute points: 1190]
Cael landed with Asa, carefully finding a relatively clean spot to stand.
One rotten detail could ruin everything.
Even though the Earthquake Devil was nothing special, it had already reduced the entire area to chaos. Buildings were wrecked, the streets were a mess, and plenty of people had died just from the aftermath.
What pissed him off the most was the shop.
A few months ago, the funeral home had been damaged by the Fox Devil, but it was repairable back then.
This time, it was completely crushed. Flattened like it never existed.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got.
"That bastard died too easily…"
If he had a way to reach Hell right now, he would go down there just to kill it again for fun.
Snap.
Something warm wrapped around his hand.
Asa.
She looked straight at him, calm but firm. "It's fine. As long as we're alive, we can rebuild."
"Yeah."
"Oh, right." Asa frowned slightly. "I should call Reze. She left early this morning to deliver ashes. With a quake like that… I hope she's okay."
Cael let out a quiet breath.
Good. That saved him the trouble.
This was how things should be. As long as they got along, even a messed up world like this could feel… decent.
Beep.
The signal was weak, the base stations must have taken damage. It took a while before the call finally connected.
"Reze, are you hurt?" Asa asked.
"Nope, I'm fine," Reze replied. "The ground started shaking out of nowhere. If I wasn't a good driver, I would've ended up in a ditch. Oh, and I saw a huge Devil. What about you and Cael?"
"We're okay, but the funeral home got destroyed."
"Huh?!" Reze's voice immediately turned anxious.
She might fool around with Cael behind the scenes, but officially she was still just an employee at the funeral home.
Now the place was gone.
Her job, her excuse to stay, all of it.
Her tone softened instantly. "Boss Lady… you're not going to fire me, right?"
"Fire you?" Asa sounded genuinely confused. "Why would I do that? You're not just an employee, you're our friend. Stop worrying and come meet us."
"Yay!"
Cael quietly let out another breath.
Crisis avoided.
Unfortunately for him, Asa noticed.
After spending so much time around him, she could read his mood from the smallest details. The way he breathed, the way his shoulders moved, even the timing of his reactions.
That little sigh of relief?
Yeah, she caught it.
So her guess was right.
Cael and Reze definitely had something going on.
They thought they were subtle.
Cute.
Never underestimate a girl in love.
The way Reze looked at him, no matter how much she tried to hide it, it only made it more obvious. Feelings like that didn't stay buried.
Love always leaked out eventually.
Which meant the real actor here was Asa.
Cael and Reze might fool Yoru, but not her.
Still, she didn't feel angry.
Strangely, she felt… okay.
Reze was amazing. Pretty, capable, polite, quick to learn. The kind of girl who would stand out anywhere.
And yet she gave up everything to follow Cael and work around corpses.
That kind of choice only came from one place.
Love.
Asa thought about it carefully.
A girl like Reze deserved someone worth it. And honestly, the only person who fit that standard was Cael.
If they couldn't be together, that would be a waste.
Besides, Asa liked her too.
And even with Reze around, Cael had not treated her any worse. If anything, he was even more attentive than before.
Maybe guilt, maybe instinct.
Either way, she benefited.
That alone was enough.
Japan might insist on monogamy, but in a world like this, rules were already falling apart.
And in the end, both she and Reze liked Cael.
That was what mattered.
If things went further someday, she would not mind sharing.
That was her stance as the main one.
Of course, for now, it seemed like they had not crossed the final line yet.
Good.
As long as Cael had not made it official, she could pretend not to know.
And make him try harder.
A small privilege for being the main one.
That afternoon, Cael drove from Ota Ward to Setagaya Ward.
The car radio crackled.
"We interrupt this program for an emergency broadcast. Due to the influence of the Earthquake Devil, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck areas centered around Kanagawa and Chiba Prefectures. The quake lasted one minute and twenty five seconds. Numerous buildings have collapsed. The confirmed death toll has reached 1,603, with many still missing. The number continues to rise. Residents are advised to avoid unstable structures. We repeat…"
Click.
Cael turned it off.
He was not in the mood for depressing news.
He had enough money saved electronically to rebuild the funeral home without trouble.
Right now, the priority was simple.
Find a place to stay.
The sky was getting darker.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Cael frowned slightly and pulled over near a convenience store.
He glanced back at Asa and Reze.
"I'm grabbing food. After that, we'll find a place to sleep. What do you want?"
"As long as it's not fish or sushi, I'm fine," Asa said.
Same answer as always.
Reze blinked, smiling. "Candied fruit and kvass, please, Cael."
"Got it."
He stepped out and headed inside.
Once he blended into the crowd, he pulled out his phone.
"Yeah? What's up, Makima?"
He had set a custom vibration for her calls.
Taking that call in front of Asa and Reze felt like asking for trouble.
Better to handle it privately.
Makima's gentle voice came through.
"I'm sorry, Cael. I was busy with work. I didn't expect Aldo to cause something like this and destroy your shop."
Cael let out a small laugh. "Why are you apologizing? Not your fault. Don't take the blame for someone else's mess."
"…You're right."
"So, why call?"
There was a short pause.
"Cael… staying in a hotel would be uncomfortable, wouldn't it? The environment is dull, people come and go, the air is stale, and there's always the risk of being watched."
Cael picked up a pack of candied fruit, amused. "What choice do we have? We can't exactly sleep under a bridge."
On the other end, Makima sat quietly, twirling a strand of her hair.
"There is another option. My place is quite large, and I live alone in the entire building. It's private, quiet, and clean. The dogs are well behaved too."
She paused, then added softly,
"If you don't mind, you can bring Asa and Reze over. The four of us can live together."
___
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