When life gives you lemons, one will often tell you to make lemonade. But me? I realized how much I hate lemons.

…

I woke after yet another restless slumber. The drafts that came through the walls in the shack I called home became bothersome, but I figured it'd be more trouble than it was worth to fix. After all, I wouldn't be in this place much longer.

Reluctantly I rose, sitting before my small wardrobe I'd gotten for free from Craigslist and brushing my hair with the same hairbrush I'd had since I was sixteen. Sure, I could get a new one that didn't have any bristles missing, but in all honesty I'd still use the old one out of habit. I pulled back the pale blonde, wavy hair that tumbled past my shoulders, securing it in a ponytail. I adjusted my bangs slightly, making sure the slightly longer strands wouldn't find themselves stabbing my green irises at some point later in the day.

I was out the door less than fifteen minutes later.

At five fifty-seven in the morning, I sat sipping tea that was just a bit too sweet as the tak-a-tak of the keys of my Chromebook were drowned out by the latest Broadway musical soundtrack blasting through knockoff Apple earbuds. When someone sat across from me, at exactly six o'clock, I couldn't help but giggle to myself.

"And the ever-punctual Star Editor makes his appearance." I said, pulling out my earbuds. "How are things, Mr. Stephen Bennett?"

"Things would be better if you discussed things with the press beforehand. You could have mentioned you had official movie graphics several months ago when we began printing." he said, grouchy as ever.

"Well, they could have listened to me when I told them I only wanted to release fifty copies with the official graphics. I offered to hand-sign each one, too."

"Well, Miss Anne Phoeis, I will be sure to make the printers aware of your offer. May I have the graphics and a written-"

I slid an envelope and a USB drive to him. "Both physical and digital, so nobody can complain."

He smiled. "If you made my job this easy all the time, I wouldn't be balding."

"Ah, but that would be no fun. You love me because I'm as asshole."

Angela, our regular morning server, greeted Stephen with his typical mug of plain black coffee. I smiled at her, offering her a hug before sitting back in my seat.

"So, what gender do you want it to be?" I asked.

"Well, I found out it's a boy at my last ultrasound."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, drawing slight attention to our table from the drowsy morning crowd. "Do you have a name?"

"No, not yet-"

"Baxter Ray Antin."

Angela looked at me, her soft, brown eyes squinted slightly. "How long have you been contemplating a name?"

"Ever since you told me you were pregnant. I would have suggested a girl's name be Elizabeth Mae."

She brushed her short, jet black hair behind her ear. "You and my husband are both like that."

I laughed. "Well, I do appreciate how well he cut your bob."

My editor cleared his throat. "Is this all for today, Miss Phoeis?"

"Oh, Stephen's mad." I turned to Angela, a twenty-dollar bill in my hand. "Keep the change."

She left with a smile and I turned back to my editor.

"The premiere is in a few days, so these need to be approved by tomorrow if they want to make an appearance there."

Stephen stood. "Yes, I understand full well the crunch you've forced us into." he pulled on his overcoat. "I will discuss how things go with the publisher at a later date."

"See ya, Steph." I said, waving him off. I closed my Chromebook and slammed back the rest of my tea, the sugar leaving a slight coating on my mouth.

…

I yawned as I strolled down the street, and just as I became aware of a barking noise, I was knocked back by a massive ball of floof. Wetness covered my face and arms, and only after the floof monster had been corralled by its owner did I see my Chromebook sitting shattered beside me.

"Ah, that sucks." I said, petting the dog. I looked up to the owner, who held him by the collar, and I was surprised to see another blonde person looking back at me.

"Are you okay?" the owner asked, reaching out his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, grabbing my laptop and standing without his hand. It was only after I stood that I noticed a man with black hair and glasses behind him.

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry! Your laptop is completely ruined." the blonde man said, observing the nasty crack on the outside shell. He turned to the man beside him. "Shiki. Give her the laptop."

I looked to the black haired man, who held a sleek-looking box in his hands.

The blonde man spoke again. "Allow me to apologize for Cerberus."

As the name fell upon my ears I felt as if I had been transported back to my sophomore year of college, and I felt the wisdom of a thousand gods flow into me as I remembered how the one course on greek myth inflated my ego so much I felt as if I could discuss the sacred tales until the end of time.

I looked down to the dog, who was admittedly rather large. "Well, Spot, I must say you definitely caught me off guard."

"Come on, Shiki. Hurry up." the blonde man said, ushering his companion towards me.

The man did not say anything, and would not meet eyes with me as he plopped the box in my hands.

"Oh, uh, you guys don't need to do this. Really." I said.

The black haired man finally looked at me. "Just take it." he said.

I looked down at the graphic on the box, and as I turned it over to see the specs, I nearly fainted. "Oh, my god. This is Prada's i9 refresh model. This laptop is literally six grand, considering it has the official mouse and the fancy leather case." I held the laptop out to the blonde haired man. "If this is just full of rocks and I'm being filmed for YouTube or something, that's cool and all, but I don't really want to carry around rocks."

"No, really, it's the newest edition of Prada's X Elite line. Please, take it. It's a gift from me to you."

I looked at the man, seeing if I could recognise him from any of the sporadic prank videos I watched, but as I gazed at him I had a strange thought. "You're not Haruhito Amano, are you?"

The man seemed surprised, a bright smile taking over his face. "So you know me! Yes, I am the owner of Prada, Haruhito Amano."

I wondered how the hell I had encountered this person and his dog just so happened to pick me to pummel, but as I felt the weight of the box in my arms I came back to my senses. "This is totally amazing, and I'm not trying to sound ungrateful or anything, but I don't have a reason to use this. I'm not in need of a laptop anymore, really. It'll sit in the box for the rest of its life."

The two men seemed to be getting a bit annoyed.

"Well, considering it is my gift to you I cannot tell you what to do with it, but I will not take it back." Haruhito smiled. "Enjoy the laptop, Miss."

I looked down at the laptop, contemplating whether or not just to keep it to make my life easier, but as I looked up to try one last time to return the ridiculously expensive and overpowered laptop to the owner, they were nowhere to be seen.

"...Today is starting off interestingly, to say the least." I said to myself, looking at the abundance of black feathers on the ground.

...

Close to noon, dawned in graduation robes I paid way too much money for and I cap I spent way too much time decorating, I arrived at the college campus I had spent the previous years of my life studying at. As the pre-summer ceremony began, I found myself standing behind the podium, clutching my diploma as several camera flashes for irrelevant local newspapers tried to get a good shot. I began as any valedictorian speech would.

"Hello, my fellow graduates. Many of you may not know me, but as I survey the sea of faces before me, I can only see many who I know will accomplish great things. In the many, many years I spent earning my PhD., I wondered if this piece of paper was worth it. I wondered if my field of study would lead me to success. I wondered if the tears, the all-nighters, and the excessive weight I gained from fast-food would be something I could look upon fondly. And I am here to tell you, my fellow graduates, that your degree may only be a stepping stone in your success. I hope your chest swells with pride knowing the work you put in, but never forget that there is always room to learn. There is always room to grow. And, most importantly, there is always room to improve. I wish you luck on your journey after post-secondary education, and though navigating college seemed tough, we will face many, many more challenges in the world that lie outside this campus. Never stop learning, my fellow graduates, and never forget what guides you. Hold onto your purpose and your drive, and never let go. Chase your dreams with the ferocity and hunger of a rabid flame. Laugh like it's the last time you will ever do so. Live knowing that you've accomplished something great already, and strive to be better than the person you are today." I smiled, looking up to the lights that shone down on me. "Good luck, graduates: we did it. Thank you."

A roar of clapping and light cheering came over the crowd as I descended from the stage back to my seat, and for the rest of the night I simply admired the journeys each person had to travel to share the same stage as me.

Absolute pandemonium swallowed the vicinity after the ceremony ended, and I definitely didn't feel like fighting my way through a crowd thicker than molasses, so I simply rested in my seat and intended to wait until the buzz of students and their families subsided. I was interrupted, though, by someone speaking to me.

"Sophie Thompson?" a masculine voice called.

I looked to the person before me, clad in graduation robes with an honor cord around their neck. They had brown hair and brown eyes, and through their robes I caught a glimpse of a tie clip in the shape of a skull.

"Can I help you?"

The man smiled. "My name is Kakeru Kamui. I'd like to ask if you have any plans for this afternoon."

I was confused. "I do, actually. Why are you asking me this?"

"Cancel your plans. I'd like to take you out to a movie and dinner tonight."

"...Excuse me?" I said, standing. "I'm not cancelling my plans for you. I don't even know you."

Kakeru held my hand in his, looking into my eyes. "I'd love to get to know you better."

I shook off his hand, disgusted. "I'm sorry, I said no. I'm not going out with you."

He seemed to take offense. "What did you just say to me?" he said, becoming angry.

It was then I spotted my saving grace, and I called out to them. "Eli!" I called, grabbing the man by the arm. I kissed his lips, smiling as I said, "I missed you, Love. Come on, let's get out of here before this creep tries to hit on me some more."

Eli smiled, pulling me by the waist. He shot a glare back at the creep, who seemed confused, and I simply tried harder than I imagined I would have needed to in order to prevent bursting out in laughter. Once in my car, I erupted in belly-aching, bellowing howls as Eli sulked.

"Why does the hot transfer student hit on you on graduation night? I was gunning hard for him." Eli whined, his elbow sticking slightly out of the lowered window.

"Oh, was that the hotshot transfer student everyone was talking about? I was in such a caffeine-fueled daze I couldn't do much else but work on my thesis." I pulled him in close, saying, "This morning, you won't believe it, I got the i9 Prada X Elite because the owner's dog knocked me over and destroyed my Chromebook. I'm living to make you jealous today."

"Huh?" he exclaimed. "You slip under the radar from all the hot guys your whole life, and all of a sudden you're attracting them just to make me jealous? You're supposed to be my best friend!"

"Oh, relax you drama queen. I'm ninety-nine percent sure the guy was just wearing silicone inserts and giving people boxes of rocks. The boxes for those are being sold for like thirty dollars, so two or three to make a video and he'll make his money back if he's popular." I said, pulling my hair from its ponytail and letting it fall down my back.

Eli eyed me as I checked if I was clear, and as we began to cruise down the highway he rolled up his window. "So, nine o'clock sharp tonight?"

I smiled. "At the usual place."

After dropping Eli off I made a quick change of outfits at his house, grabbing a sleek black jumpsuit I had left there several days earlier and borrowing some of his gold jewelry. I slipped on a pair of black, strappy heels with a small gold buckle.

"Oh Lord, your cleavage!" Eli exclaimed, covering his eyes in an over exaggerated gesture. "Slay me now, queen!"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you suggest for hair? I'm going natural on makeup for the most part, but a minor contour just to look a little bit like I tried, you know?" I said, leaning over his makeup counter and applying a primer to my skin.

"I'll do your hair if you allow me to be in charge of eyeliner, lashes, and highlighter." he said, spraying my hair with something and running his fingers through it.

"You're the one that went to cosmetology school. I'll leave it to you." I said, beginning to blend the pigments.

I surveyed myself in the mirror, and as I glanced at Eli admiring his work, I felt inclined to ask a question. "Did I surprise you earlier?"

The look of pride faded from his face. "Honey. I've known you for fourteen years, and I've seen you naked more times than I can count on two hands. Nothing you ever do will surprise me."

I smiled. "Love you, Eels."

He smiled back. "Love you too, Soph."

…

The camera flashes were only slightly more bothersome than the ones at my graduation earlier in the day. They were much more frequent, but I had expected there to be a bit more hounding from reporters. Surprisingly, I had a bit of room to breathe.

The final celebration before the launch of my movie had amassed a larger crowd than I had anticipated, however, and in order to spare my fellow actors and other assistants I took it upon myself to leave from the front. They jumped at the opportunity to slip through the back, avoiding the paparazzi.

"Miss Thomson! Miss Thomson! Please, just a moment! How do you feel about your upcoming movie Iridescent? Do you feel it is a suitable adaptation of Anne Phoeis's recently released novel?" a silver haired reporter asked.

I met his eyes, and I felt as if he was either a brand new paparazzi interviewer, or that he was putting on an act. He wasn't as pushy as the real press, and I personally felt he was imitating the soft goons portrayed in movies.

I smiled. "Well, as we obviously couldn't draft, script, cast, shoot, edit, and final cut this movie in a mere six months, I assure you the events of the movie will accurately reflect the suspense and drama of the book while also providing an extra cut that the author did not have the opportunity to place in her book. We have worked closely with Miss Phoeis, and I can assure you that while the book has many instances of fabrication, our movie release will be the unadulterated, true story of someone very close to Miss Phoeis."

The reporter reached into a bag of his, offering an envelope. "Miss Thompson, we at Daily Mail would like to give you-"

I walked away from him, calling over my shoulder, "Sorry, kid. I don't accept things from press."

A valet opened the car door for me, and I blew a kiss at the cameras before the door closed and the car pulled away from the scene.

…

I figured since Eli took the time to do my hair and I was already dressed well, I'd invite him to dinner and allow him to catch a glimpse of the 'Charisma Chef' he had been swooning over for some time. As I waited for him to arrive, staring blankly into the Shirley Temple I had ordered several minutes prior, I heard a voice that made me want to shoot myself.

"So you decided to show up after all. Did you cancel your plans?" a certain Kakeru Kamui said, seating himself at my table.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you a stalker or something? Why are you here?"

He feigned hurt. "A stalker! I simply wanted to take you on a date to a nice rest-"

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I didn't particularly want to be around a stalker so I stood and turned my back. "Eli, where are you? I've been here for fifteen minutes and now a stalker-"

"Miss Thompson." Kakeru said, standing directly behind me.

His arms wrapped around me, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I could be intimidated enough by him into being scared.

Kakeru took my phone from my hand, hanging up on Eli who could be heard yelling across the line. I felt rage boil in my chest at his entitlement, but just as I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind someone spoke up.

"Pardon me! Sorry to ruin the moment."

"You mind reading the mood a bit?" Kakeru hissed as he released me, adjusting his tie. It was different from the one he wore at graduation.

I turned to see the Charisma Chef in the flesh, holding something in his hands. "I've brought you a special cake creation! When I saw this fine lady, I had a flash of inspiration." The chef revealed the cake to me. "What do you think? I haven't felt this kind of inspiration in quite a while."

"A scythe is a bit of dark imagery for a white, fruity cake, isn't it?" I asked, somewhat caught up in the drama of the situation.

The chef leaned in close to me, whispering, "Well, when I caught glimpse of you, I simply wanted to reap your heart with a scythe."

I recalled a similar line etched somewhere deep within my memory, etched into the bio of the edgiest, cringiest MySpace walls of emo middle schoolers who were way too into the show 'The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'. "That's… awful." I said, audibly.

Kakeru seemed to buy into it, obviously not hearing my comment. "Sorry, but I'll be the one harvesting her heart."

I slammed my hand onto the dining table, the glasses and tableware clinking loudly enough to catch the attention of the room. I removed it, leaving a fifty-dollar bill on the table. "I will be leaving now, gentlemen. Excuse me." I turned on my heel, the eyes of the restaurant on me, and I began to walk.

"Sophie, wait-"

I turned and glared one of the fiercest looks I could at Kakeru. "Do not follow me, you creep." Then, without another word from them, I left the restaurant.

…

I licked my fingers, brushing the pizza crust crumbs from my shirt as Eli loudly and drunkenly complained about how much he hated some contestant on Big Brother. His pizza box still had several slices in it, so before he could knock it over and cry about the grease stains on his new carpet, I packed it up and placed it in his fridge. By the time I returned, he was snoozing on the couch.

"Alright big guy, no more Rosé for you tonight." I said, recorking the bottle. I pulled him up onto his couch and turned off the TV, straightening up a bit before throwing my lazy clothes into his hamper and dressing myself with real people clothes before trekking home.

The clock showed about nine forty-five when I arrived home. I felt a bit bad about spiking Eli's Jell-O shots with higher alcohol content liquor, but I had a bad feeling about the upcoming event and I didn't want him getting caught up in something I couldn't protect him from. I moved to my closet, and as I pulled on the skin-tight black suit I wore for jobs, I felt something in my pocket.

I pulled out a letter, and its contents made me smile.

'In ten days, I will kill you.'

With the letter was an Ace of Diamonds.

"I'll be waiting." I said, folding up the note and putting back in my pocket along with the card. I slipped on a necklace with an attached USB drive, containing a deadly computer virus that ate terabytes of files in seconds. The second USB I kept in a secret pocket sewn into the combat boots I typically wore. That one was for stealing the important files before planting the virus. After grabbing a pre-packed black backpack from my foyer, I set off.

I parked my car almost a mile and a half from where I was supposed to be. Of the several cars in the lot none were especially close to me, and from what I could see nobody was near me. Each of the cars were empty, most of their riders taking advantage of the park-and-ride system. I had learned of the small section of corner spots to which the security cameras had no footage, and I took that to my advantage.

There was a small, forest like area surrounding the laboratory. I crouched in the brush, waiting until exactly five past ten when the last living person locked up the building. Once his car turned on and began its path down the restricted road, disappearing into the thick forest, I made my move.

One could say I dabbled in lockpicking, but I prefer to say I had a useful skill set that allowed me to accomplish the necessary functions of my job. The door opened with ease.

I had two functions in the laboratory. One was to snatch some files for a client who had his research stolen, and the second was to steal separate research for my own agenda. The first thing I needed to do was disable security cameras, and instead of sneaking into the security office I decided it would be much easier this time around if I just wore a mask that covered my face and hair.

I strolled through the halls, double-checking several bits on info from my client to make sure I grabbed the right things. Once I reached a specific door I was pleased to find it had been left unlocked, and I only needed to sift through a couple file cabinets to get what I needed. I shoved the client's files in my bag, and proceeded to the upper floor.

As I reached my destination I was displeased to find a biometric lock on the door. Obviously I didn't have the researcher's fingerprints, and I wasn't stupid enough to subject my own fingerprint to be recorded into their database. Instead, I took the lock apart using a screwdriver, and for the parts that didn't cooperate with me, a hammer.

The lock clacked on the ground, a gaping hole in the door from where the handle should have been. Lastly I unscrewed the lock frame, prying it out with my hammer, and the comedically long and thick lock clacked beside the biometric sensor.

I pushed open the door, observing the large monitor that had been turned off hours prior. I pulled the hard drive out from under the desk and powered it on, prompted to put in a password on the opening screen. I put in a couple passwords just to see if they worked, but the one that unlocked it was the one that had unlocked hundreds before. 'V340N!C4', which struck a bit in my heart.

The desktop opened to a disgusting amount of files, but I simply needed the files associated with 'The Sophie Project'. I copied the massive file onto my USB drive, ejecting it and tucking it safely back into my boot before uploading the destructive virus. I watched it's progress for a moment, catching glimpses of file names I now had stored in the drive I kept. I took this time to scoop out files from drawers and cabinets, shoving them into the bag I kept.

Sometimes I wondered if I did too much by blowing up the laboratories I robbed, but when I considered what research they did and for what purposes, I didn't mind all that much. I set the timer for five minutes, checking, double checking, and triple checking everything was done correctly before making my escape.

I stood outside the laboratory, nearly four minutes left on the timer, but just as I went to message my client that the job was complete, a familiar ball of floof bit my arm and began pulling me. Why the dog was there I didn't know, but from all the time I spent watching dog videos on Facebook, I knew that you followed them when they wanted you to.

Just as we reached the beginning of the forest, the building exploded with an intensity my explosives could never hope to reach. Glass shattered and rained down, structural pillars crumbling under the force of the blast. The entire building collapsed, and as the dust settled I wondered why the bomb went off after only ninety seconds.

"Thanks, Spot." I said, rubbing the dog's head. "But why are you here?"

"Aah, who messed up?" a masculine voice said. I eyed the person, and I couldn't help but think that I recognized him.

"Hey, what are you doing hanging around here?" another man asked, who I immediately recognized as Kakeru.

I contemplated the possibility that I had been watched and targeted by assassins, and that they tampered with my explosives.

"My plan is ruined thanks to you. You were supposed to be toast after that explosion." he said, walking towards me.

The first man approached me as well. "Blown to smithereens, burnt to a crisp… toast. Do you understand, Sophie Thompson?"

I recognized the first man as the Charisma Chef, and the likelihood of this being an assassination attempt shot up exponentially. I figured the owner of Prada and his friend would be involved, possibly using the laptop as a means to track me back home. I was not sure of anyone else who could have been involved.

"Sophie Thompson… you died in an explosion of your own doing while trying to infiltrate and destroy a laboratory. At least, that was the plan."

I turned to the new voice, and as I had expected, the owner of Prada had appeared. "Sorry, I'm not that easy to kill. Tampering with my explosives is a bit complicated though, no?" I said, watching as Cerberus made his way over and sat next to him.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" a new person said. I recognized him as the man who stood with Haruhito earlier. "Don't you get it? Just hurry up and get this over with so I can go home and sleep."

Kakeru laughed. "It's not just her that's an idiot, Shiki. It's the entire human population."

I pulled my mask from my face, returning it to its proper scarf-like function. "Well, I must admit that I didn't contemplate the idea of you all tailing my movements. I don't have much experience with groups of assassins, but I must admit I'm impressed."

Kakeru seemed insulted. "Get it through your thick skull, human. We're demons, and we're here to take your soul. Once we have your soul, we'll recycle it in to a new human. It's eco-friendly."

If the group before me hadn't been assassins, I would not have been able to contain my laughter. "Recycle… okay. Well, sorry to inform you, but I have some things I need to do so unfortunately your assassination today will end unsuccessfully. Though I'd be interested to know who hired you."

Kakeru raised his arm, and in an instant the flames disappeared.

I looked at him, as well as the others before me. A new, silver haired person stood out to me, who I recognized as the strange reporter. I turned back to Kakeru. "So you want me to believe that you're all demons and I was supposed to die?"

"You can't change destiny. We don't have the power to alter people's life spans." the reporter replied.

"We made you happy today. Aren't you satisfied?" Haruhito asked.

Kakeru didn't wait for my answer. "Let's get this over with. Stand still."

"Can you give me ten days?" I asked, my arms crossed over my chest. "You can have my soul or whatever after that. I just need ten days."

"Sorry." Kakeru replied, grabbing my wrist.

"Aw, come on. It couldn't hurt, right? Her time and cause of death have already changed. The angels are going to file a claim over this anyway." the reporter said, stepping closer to Kakeru.

"If we finish it now, no one will have to know about our mistake. I don't want to have to do this, but... Don't struggle. I'm going to take you to Heaven." Kakeru replied.

"Oh, this isn't what I expected would happen today." I said, looking at the men's faces.

The chef patted me on the head like I was a child. "Sorry. It's so sad to turn a pretty little thing like you in to toast."

The reality of the situation started to weigh on me, and a deep regret clawed at my heart. "Man, this sucks. I was so close to doing what I needed to do."

"You don't have to be so sad. The angels resurrect all the souls we collect in to new bodies. It's the circle of life." the chef continued.

I looked at his smile and felt a twinge of guilt. "...I guess we'll see about that."

"Ugh, will you just shut up already? Whatever, you're toast." Kakeru snapped.

"Yeah, we're only getting more off schedule by the second." Haruhito added, looking up at the sky.

"But wasn't your dog the cause if this, Haruhito?" the reporter asked.

"He's right. It's that dumb dog's fault our plan got messed up." the man who I believed to be named Shiki replied.

"Keep your voice down. The angels might hear us." the chef said.

The gears in my head started turning. "So, you're saying I didn't die because you made a mistake?" I asked.

Kakeru replied, "Yeah. This has never happened before. That dog messed it all up at the end. Why are you aski-"

"ANGELS!" I screamed.

"What do you think you're-"

"Angels! They messed up! I'm still alive!" I screamed.

"Cut it out! I don't want this to take any longer than it already has."

"Ange-mmph!"

"Are you trying to threaten us?" Kakeru snarled, his hand clapped over my mouth.

I bit his finger and his hand retracted from my mouth. "I'll do whatever it takes to finish this." I replied.

"She's got guts. I'll give her that." Shiki said.

"Even if we give you 10 days, that won't change that you're toast." Haruhito added.

"That's all I need. You can kill me after that."

"Why don't we just give her the 10 days? She said we can have her soul after that." the reporter said.

"We'd have to hide from Heaven that whole time, you know? There's no way we can hide a human for a whole 10 days." the chef replied.

"But..." the reporter protested.

"...Fine. I'll give you the 10 days. Just don't yell for the angels again. I hate angels. The last thing I want right now is a lecture from them. Plus..." Kakeru grabbed my jaw and forced me to face him. "A woman who makes a deal with a demon... For a human, you're pretty interesting."

I jerked my head back from him and said, "Don't touch me, you creep."

"Well, if Kakeru says it's okay then I won't say anything. This is your responsibility though." the chef said.

Kakeru pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know. We can't just have you wandering around, though. You're supposed to be dead. One of us is going to have to keep an eye on you for these 10 days. We'll be watching you 24 hours a day."

"Of course, that includes showering and sleeping." the chef added.

"Lay off, Satoru." Kakeru snapped. "Anyway, enough joking around. Pick who you want to watch over you. Sophie Thompson... Who do you want to watch over you?"

I looked back at the demons and asked, "Can I choose tomorrow? I need to secure my schedule. After that I'll choose whoever is most convenient."

"Whatever. Come on, we should get out of here before the angels come to investigate..." Kakeru said.