Kaen followed Kurokawa out of the main building, taking a different door than the one he used to enter. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the main entrance wasn’t used as often. However, this other entrance was still pretty cool. They had taken the elevator down to the second floor, passing a few humans in lab coats. The humans looked at them strangely before quickly scurrying off. They had probably never seen a demon before he thought, or they were just scared. They rode on an escalator down to the ground floor. Kaen had ridden on an escalator before, once when Asahi had taken him to the shopping district where the rich demons lived. They weren’t able to buy anything, but it was still a memory that he held dear to his heart.
Kurokawa mentioned that he would be showing them their living quarters. As they walked outside, Kaen noticed the barbed wire fencing around the compound, which included the large building they were just in and a spacious parking lot filled with cars. Beyond that was a beautiful football field surrounded by trees and nature. It seemed odd to Kaen that a secretive organization would have such a thing in their backyard. But hey, maybe the agents liked to play football. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice beside him.
“Hi,” said the white and blue-haired boy now walking next to him.
“Hey, what’s your name?” Kaen asked, trying to start a conversation, since they were going to be working together it seemed like a good idea to get to know them.
“I’m Ren Watanabe, and you must be Kaen,” Ren replied.
“How did you know that?” Kaen asked confused.
“Well, you were the last one to arrive and some of the agents were bickering about you and the agent over there being late,” Ren explained as he pointed towards Kurokawa, who was a few meters away with the rest of the 3 demons following closely behind. Kaen took another look at Ren. He noticed something on his left cheek, it was a scar about 10 cm long, and it looked recent too. He almost asked about it but stopped himself. Kaen knew better than to bring up personal matters like that. As they continued walking, they fell into a comfortable silence. The lush green trees cast shadows on the pavement while the warmth of the dusk sun danced across Kaen’s face. Even without speaking, it didn’t feel awkward between them; something about Ren made Kaen feel like he wouldn’t be judged for anything he said or did. It was a difficult sensation to explain, but it was probably because Ren reminded Kaen of Asahi. They had the same look in their eyes, the same warmth. He could now see the place they were going to live, it was a concrete building with a big slide door to the inside. Outside the building was pavement, otherwise it was surrounded by trees. It didn’t look cozy in the least, but still, it would be a big upgrade from the prison cell. As if Ren could read his mind he said,
“That does not look like the other building,”
“Well we are still demons, guess they don’t want to spend their money on us,” Kaen added sighing a little as they approached the building. Before they went inside Kurokawa stopped them.
“At 6 am on the dot tomorrow I want you down on that football field, understand?” Everyone nodded.
“Great, go inside.” He stepped away from the door and started walking towards the main building again. The group hesitated for a moment before stepping in. The interior was surprisingly spacious for a block of concrete. Just past the entrance was a dining room with an old wooden table surrounded by five mismatched chairs. Sunlight streamed through three large windows, filling the room with warmth and light. From the dining area, two hallways branched off, each leading to different rooms.
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The girl with pistachio eyes quickly slipped through the hallway without a word, choosing a room and shutting the door softly behind her.
The silver-haired girl walked towards another room, glancing back with a grin. “This room’s mine now, see ya,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Ren turned to Kaen and gave a small smile.
“I guess that leaves us to choose,” he said, a gentle smile on his face that made the scar on his cheek tilt upward.
Kaen nodded. Ren moved towards the room on the left side of the hallway. He looked inside.
“I’ll take this one. See you tomorrow, Kaen,” Ren said before disappearing into the room.
Kaen then walked towards the last door at the end of the hallway, but just as he reached it, the green-haired boy appeared, blocking his path.
“Hey, I was here first. This room’s mine,” he said, crossing his arms. He was tall at least 10 cm above Kaen who was himself pretty tall.
Kaen felt a surge of frustration.
“No way, I got here first. Find another room,” he retorted, stepping forward.
The taller boy scowled.
“This is the only room left and I’m not sharing with some stranger,”
The tension between them was thick, each refusing to budge. Kaen was thinking about shoving him and then locking the door behind him before Ren stepped out of his room, looking between the two. Having seemingly heard what they were arguing about.
“Hey, hey, no need to fight. Kaen, you can share with me. There’s more than enough space for both of us,” Ren suggested, smiling calmly.
Kaen hesitated but then sighed.
“Fine. Thanks, Ren.”
The boy huffed but seemed satisfied with the outcome.
“Whatever,” he muttered, retreating into the room and closing the door. They both stepped inside, Kaen immediately taking in the modest accommodations. It was sparsely furnished with two single beds pushed against opposite walls. Between them stood a small, battered wooden nightstand with a dim lamp. On top of that, was a wide window that allowed light to filter in, casting a soft glow across the room. The walls were bare and painted in a white color that looked more like grey to be honest, contributing to the overall bleakness of the space. Kaen noticed that each bed had a thin mattress with plain white sheets and a worn blanket folded neatly at the foot. A small closet stood in one corner, offering just enough space for their belongings. There was also a shared desk against the wall, with an old chair that looked like it might creak if they sat on it.
“Not exactly luxury, but it’s better than the prison cell,” Kaen commented, attempting to find the silver lining.
Ren nodded in agreement. Seeming like he had been sitting in a cell before this too.
“I don’t mind sharing this room, especially since it has two beds for some reason.,” he added with a smile, trying to lift the mood. Kaen smiled back, feeling a bit more at ease. Despite the actual ugliness of their new living quarters, he felt a sense of relief knowing he at least was safe, if only for the moment. Ren walked over to one of the beds and flopped down onto it, testing its firmness.
“Well, this will take some getting used to,” he remarked, bouncing slightly on the mattress. Kaen chuckled and did the same with the other bed, feeling the springs creak beneath him.
“Yeah, but I guess we don’t have much of a choice,” he replied.
Ren sat up and looked around the room, his eyes settling on the window. He looked lost in thought, almost like he was reminiscing about something. Kaen would’ve also looked out the window but the orange light of the sun made Ren’s blue eyes sparkle, it was beautiful. He must’ve noticed him staring because he glanced over at him. Kaen, not wanting to seem weird quickly averted his gaze out the window. Looking out at the view. He could see the edge of the football field and the tops of the trees beyond the barbed wire fence. The sky was a beautiful blend of oranges and pinks as the sun set, casting a serene glow over the landscape. For a moment, they both stood there in silence, taking in the peaceful scene. Despite the uncertainty of tomorrow, for now, all he could think about was how absolutely stunning the sky was, with its soft orange and pink hues blending together like a perfect painting. It was the first time he had seen something like this. The feeling he had before, that the sky was too big, too endless, was long gone. Right now, it didn’t matter how small he felt; he felt okay. That night Kaen slept with a smile on his face for the first time in months.