CHAPTER 33: TO DIG YOUR OWN GRAVE

«Hello, have you decided what to order?» a young waitress asks politely, approaching Renji Kurotani, seated alone at a table in the Moonlight Club.

Renji shoots her a dark, irritated glare.

«Who the hell are you? Send Eliss Narkhalis to take my order!» he snaps, arrogant and presumptuous — an attitude that terrifies the young waitress. She’s a high school girl drafted in at the last minute to cover for Aoshi during his illness, and it’s only her second night on the job.

«I-I’m sorry, sir, but as the sign at the entrance says, you need a reservation to be served by Eliss. The reservation costs twothousand yen, and unfortunately she’s already booked until closing tonight,» the waitress replies hesitantly, tilting the tray slightly toward herself like a shield — instinctive, given Renji’s fierce, angry expression.

Two thousand yen just to be served by her? What kind of nonsense is that? And it’s even more absurd that so many people requested her if she’s booked solid until closing! But that’s nothing — I’ll get Miori back no matter what... Fuck, how I hate that filthy bitch — I’d kill her with my own hands, but her bastard father would then be capable of having me and my whole family killed... Aaah... cursed the day I let myself be enchanted by that snake — beautiful on the outside, rotten and wicked inside. She literally ruined my university life; no, I ruined it myself, indulging her for the popularity — the attention, the admiring looks I get every morning on campus. And yet I’d give it all up today to go back to being the anonymous loser I was before I met Miori. But you can’t go back and fix past mistakes, so all I can do is wait until graduation and hope she keeps her mouth shut about that thing.

Fortunately for the waitress, Renji’s reaction to her polite refusal isn’t violent at all.

With exaggerated flair, he pulls out his wallet — thick with ¥10,000 bills. He slides one out and waves it slowly in front of her eyes, holding it between his index and middle finger.

«Take this to your boss. I’m sure he’ll find a way to free up some time in Eliss’s schedule for me. And when she’s done serving me, I’ll leave another ten thousand as a tip — for you, if you manage to convince him,» Renji says, his voice calm and confident — the sound of someone who thinks he’s completely in control.

The waitress takes the bill from his fingers, gives a polite bow, and hurries toward Mr. Tobita’s office.

Not even five minutes later, Eliss herself appears at Renji’s table, her warm, enchanting smile softening her breathtaking face. A face Renji has never seen this close before — one that leaves him breathless, his mouth slightly open, for several long seconds.

«Hey, did you zone out or something? Answer me,» Eliss says gently after several attempts to ask what he’d like to order — words that go in one ear and out the other as Renji remains spellbound by her unreal beauty.

Although Eliss accompanies Aoshi to university almost every morning, she’s never had the chance to run into Renji, much less notice him among the hundreds of students crowding the courtyard each day. And since her attention has always been entirely on Aoshi, even if she had seen him once or twice, she’d have forgotten him a second later — which is why, to her eyes, Renji looks no different from any other customer.

Damn... this is supposed to be that loser Aoshi’s girlfriend?! Miori’s gorgeous, sure — but this girl... she’s on another level entirely. Even from afar she looked like a total bombshell, but seeing her up close... now I get why Miori’s so suspicious about those two. There’s no way a guy like Aoshi could be with a woman like her!

Perfect. Now that I’ve got her attention, all I have to do is make that idiot of a boyfriend look small and show her how much more handsome and confident I am. That’s what girls like her really care about. They don’t want politeness or respect — all nonsense!

Back in high school, when I was just a nobody, not a single girl ever spared me a glance. But I was still the same person — just less popular, less cocky. Now, I only have to snap my fingers and they line up. That’s the one thing I owe Miori — she opened my eyes to how people really work.

«Yeah, there’s something I’d like to order, but I can’t seem to find it on the menu...» Renji says, much more polite than before, almost subdued in front of Eliss’s overwhelming beauty, his eyes tracing slowly up and down the list of cocktails.

«That’s no problem. Tell me what you’d like — even if it’s not on the menu, we can still try to make it. Our bartender’s the best in all of Ueda. We’ll do everything we can to meet your request,» Eliss replies with a radiant, professional smile.

That smile makes Renji hesitate for a brief second, guilt tightening his throat. He clears it, straightens his posture, and forces his usual air of arrogance back into place.

«Well, since you said you’d do anything to please me... I’d like to order your pussy,» Renji grins, his gaze tracing every curve of Eliss’s body with shameless lust.

«I’m sorry, but we only serve cocktails here. For that kind of request, I suggest the red-light district in Nagano,» Eliss replies without hesitating, her professionalism and composure intact — the very response Mr. Tobita taught her the moment she started working at the Moonlight. It’s clear Mr. Tobita knows exactly the sort of customers who come to his place.

«What, you don’t like me? A little too picky to be someone who sleeps with a loser like Aoshi,» Renji sneers, staring Eliss straight in the eyes as if daring her.

Eliss clenches her fists, trembling with the urge to punch him in the face, but manages to hold back at the thought that such an action would certainly get her fired, disappoint Aoshi, and leave her facing serious financial trouble.

«If you have nothing to order, I ask that you free the seat,» Eliss says, her voice cold and composed, returning his stare with one far more intimidating.

This girl’s tougher than I thought. Fine, then — guess I’ll have to play a little rougher. I’ll make sure she understands exactly how weak and pathetic her boyfriend is compared to me.

«Quite the temper, huh? What’s wrong — feeling nervous about your precious Aoshi?» Renji says, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. «Can’t blame you. I heard he came home in pretty bad shape last night.»

His eyes narrow, and a malicious grin spreads wider across his face.

«But I guess you’re used to it by now, right? Must be routine for a wimp like him to get beaten up every other day.»

«Hey! Aoshi was hit by a car! And I’m warning you — for the last time — free the seat and leave, or I’ll have to call security!» Eliss hisses, barely managing to contain her irritation. Her restraint is the result of a full month working as a waitress — she’s heard all kinds of things from customers — but never someone who tested her patience like this. One thing’s for sure: if this had happened even a couple of weeks earlier, Renji would already be sprawled on the floor.

«Oh? So that’s the story Aoshi told you?» Renji laughs. «Pathetic. If by "car" he meant me, and by "hit" he meant my fists, then yeah — I guess you could say he got run over.»

He bursts into laughter, loud and cruel. «Must be frustrating, huh? Dating a guy who can’t even protect himself — let alone his woman. But there’s still time to fix that, sweetheart. Maybe you should start looking for a real man... Who knows — he might be closer than you think.» Renji grins, licking his lips with arrogance.

«So... you’re the one who did that to him,» Eliss murmurs with a calmness so absolute it catches Renji off guard — he wasn’t expecting indifference like that.

I knew it. I knew there was more to it — that story about the car always sounded suspicious. But now I’ve got the culprit right in front of me. Who even is this guy, anyway? And why would someone like him hurt my beloved Aoshi, only to come here and make a fool of himself thinking I’d fall for him? Even if he were the last man left in any world, I wouldn’t give in to a brute like him. Still... there’s only one way to find out.

Then, unexpectedly, a wide, dazzling smile spreads across Eliss’s lips — one so disarmingly sweet it freezes Renji in place.

«You’re right,» she says softly. «Maybe what I really need is a guy like you.»

Her voice melts into a tone of irresistible sweetness as she leans forward slightly, just enough to draw his eyes to her deep neckline.

«My shift ends in two hours. Wait for me outside — I’ll be more than happy to serve you your order then,» Eliss adds, lifting the hem of her skirt ever so slightly, like drawing back a curtain, revealing just a glimpse of delicate white lace underneath.