After finishing their mission, Rem and Himeno headed to a bar. Since no restaurants were open for Rem to grab some cheesecake, Himeno suggested it. Rem was against the idea at first , he hated the smell of those places — but in the end, he gave in.
Now, Rem sat cross-legged at a floor table, drinking beer from large mug. He'd downed ten already evident by the empty mugs in his side while Himeno barely managed three before passing out, her head resting on the table.
"Oi, wake up. Kishibe and Quanxi aren't even here yet and you're already out cold? Shame on you " Rem muttered, nudging her arm.
"I don't want toooo~" Himeno whined, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "Leave me alone."
"You heard the girl… leave her be, Rem," a calm, feminine voice called from behind him.
Rem turned his head, narrowing his eyes at the source. A tall girl with white hair and an eyepatch over her right eye stood there, flanked by a red-haired girl whose dangling eye and half-exposed brain gave her a grotesque look " Halloween! " she said ?
Rem sneered. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? And what's that thing behind you? Kill it" he growled, pointing at the devil that hid behind her once she saw him point at her
Quanxi's expression darkened. "That's a bit rude of you" she said coolly, brushing a strand of white hair from her face. "Calling my girlfriend a thing."
Rem's eyes widened. "Girlfri—pfft… Bwahahahaha!" He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "Out of all the women out there, you went for a filthy devil? Bwahaha! Guess it makes sense though — you're a half hell monkey yourself "
Quanxi let out a tired sigh. "Did you drag me all the way here just to run your mouth? And did you forget I'm not a devil hunter anymore ...I can kill you right now, don't you?"
Rem's expression darkened into a scowl. "Then do it."
Their eyes locked, the air between them thick with tension. Quanxi's hand moved behind her back, fingers closing around the hilt of a knife. Rem's muscles tensed, ready to lunge the moment at any moment.
Neither of them blinked.
Then...
RING RING !
The bell above the door chimed as Kishibe stepped inside. He casually hung his coat and hat on the rack by the entrance, raising ten fingers toward the old bartender, who gave a silent nod in acknowledgment.
Without a word, Kishibe glanced toward the room, his eyes briefly landing on Quanxi and the girl beside her before he moved past them. He dropped down at a floor table, snatched Rem's beer mug, and took a long swig.
"Hey, that's mine!" Rem protested, reaching to grab it back — only for Kishibe to shove him aside with his free hand.
Quanxi and her girl quietly made their way over, settling near Himeno.
"Alright, fine. Choke on it," Rem grumbled, slapping Kishibe's hand away in frustration.
Quanxi gave Himeno a glance, then turned her attention to Rem. "What's her name?"
"No idea," Rem replied with a shrug.
Without warning, he gave the girl a light slap on the head, making her jolt upright, dazed. She glanced around, confused — until her eyes landed on the red-haired devil sitting nearby.
"Halloween!" the devil grinned.
"Eeeek!" she yelped, scrambling back in fright. "What the hell is that thing?!"
She stared at Rem, who calmly raised his hands, made a scissor gesture with both interlocked them, then pointed at Quanxi — and mimed gagging, as if about to puke
Quanxi frowned at him
"Ooooh! You must be Senpai's former partner," she grinned, raising a hand toward Quanxi for a handshake " Nice to meet you my name is himeno "
Quanxi took it with a firm grip. "You don't look half bad. Why don't you ditch these clowns and come work under me? I'll treat you better."
Rem let out a tired sigh, resting his head on the table. "You know, Quan… being a lesbian doesn't make what you said sound any less creepy."
" that's funny coming from you " quanxi scoffed
"whatever .... Stick to fucking walking corpses, Quan. Leave fucking the living for us — ain't that right, Kis—" Rem started, patting Kishibe's back. But Kishibe was already on his seventh cup, gulping it down like tomorrow didn't exist. "Or… guess it's just for me then."
"Pfft," Himeno covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.
Rem shot her a look, eyebrow raised. ' What's so funny?' Then his gaze shifted to the devil standing near Quanxi — the one who quickly hid behind her back when she noticed him staring.
"What's your name?" Rem asked.
"Ha—Halloween! (M--My name's Cosmo.)" the devil blurted.
"What kind of name is Cosmo? Did she name you that?" Rem asked, pointing at Quanxi, who stared back in disbelief.
"You can understand her?!" Quanxi said looking genuinely shocked.
Rem tilted his head slightly. "You took her as a girlfriend even though you don't understand what she says!?"
"I get it through her emotions," Quanxi defended, her tone firm.
Rem's gaze sharpened. "And how is that any different from treating her like a pet you read moods from?"
Quanxi and Rem locked eyes for a moment.
"Anyway — congrats on finishing your first mission, Himeno-chan," Quanxi said, glancing at Himeno
"Thank you very much," Himeno replied with a slight bow.
"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Quanxi said casually.
"I turned twenty just last week."
"Oh, still young" Quanxi nodded. "Be careful around those clowns… especially him." She shot a glance at Rem. "And if you ever change your mind about joining me—" she handed Himeno a card, "—call me."
Rem watched in silence, eyes drifting to Kishibe who lay passed out nearby. 'Didn't even bother saying a word to him…' he thought. 'Can't blame her though. That'd be awkward as hell.'
"Well — it's been fun," Quanxi said, dusting off her clothes as she stood. "Let's hope we don't meet again."
"Wait," Rem called after her.
Quanxi stopped, giving him an impatient look. "What now?"
"Would you consider changing your sexuality so Kishibe could join your harem?" Rem asked, deadpan.
"..."
A long pause.
"…Die" Quanxi muttered, walking off without another word.