A/N: So, huge apology for this chapter being a week late. I didn't foresee my family visiting over to delay me that much, but it's still my fault for procrastinating. That and trying to finish this and the 15k special. That one's still coming out, just decided to finish this up to get back on it. Anyhow, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/holiday/New Years and good luck for the school season starting up. Hopefully, for the new year, we can still keep this up, lol!

Just a special sidenote, towards the end of the chapter, I ended up using a playthrough from a YouTuber as a reference to help relay Rachel's reactions otherwise it'd get confusing, but I'm sure it's obvious what game it is.

Onto the reviews:

bunnyxstar: Glad you're still enjoying it! I hope the substance doesn't dwindle in the near future, but I'm glad for the feedback. Hopefully this chapter produces the same results.

loveshit: Thank you for dropping a review! Sorry for the long wait, but I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story! Let me know if there's any concerns for me to fix in the story, but otherwise, enjoy this next chapter!

Guest: Thank you very much! Hope to keep the content coming! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji nor will I ever. Everything read not included in the manga are my ideas and characters alone unless mentioned otherwise.

Chapter 22 Rachel's POV (1st)
September 5, 1885 - Saturday
We didn't talk. For three days.

But how does that work, you might ask. Well, allow me to explain it to you.

For the past three days that we didn't "talk", I meant that we pretty much ignored each other.

Were we aware of each other? Oh yes, very much so. So much so that we both knew we were ignoring each other. The intimacy of that separation only reinforced the distance between us, and whether it was my pride or Undertaker's challenge to maintain this coldness between us, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that it's his fault.

I put it in my head to not speak to him until he apologized. Unfortunately, the three days between us proved he didn't think so. Or, that he knew I wanted an apology and wanted me to do something about it first.

Well, either way, he could go fuck himself.

Well, why not just leave? You're right. Why not?

Well, the only issue would be that I would lose, and I would become the coward. Not that this in itself wasn't petty, but between Undertaker and I? Me not leaving meant I was still in the game, and me not talking to him meant I wasn't going to put up with his bullshit.

See, the only issue about pride is that it makes you selfish. Self-centered. Incredibly vulnerable and indestructible at the same time. The fact that you could build your own walls and yet crumble within them was such a scary truth.

Was he trying to make a point over all this? Maybe. Could he have stopped this? Oh, without a doubt.

He was waiting. Whether for me or something else, he was waiting. And to this day, I don't know what for. And I'll likely not know until we got back to the mortuary.

As of now, we were stuck in a carriage with Earl Phantomhive, on our way to the Phantomhive manor for me to give piano lessons and probably discuss the plans for the upcoming case. Apparently, I would be playing a major role as the Queen personally wanted me invested in the investigation. This time, a missing person's case, but we'll get into that at a later date.

For now, we were stuck in a hour long drive with me actively ignoring my boss who was also actively ignoring me.

The Earl, bless his sweet heart, had attempted to get us to patch up by making some easy conversation, but after a curt answer from me and a too-wide smile from Undertaker, he quickly dropped the subject. As of now, the carriage was drenched in a terse atmosphere, and while we all wore excellent poker faces, none of us could deny that we were somewhat affected by it.

The Earl was politely confused by it all, probably expecting us to have made up quickly with my especially quick temper and Undertaker's easy-going nature and our shared ability to get over it and move on quickly… seems that wouldn't be on the agenda for a while now.

Currently, I was looking out the window and training my gaze on certain landmarks. Out of my peripheral, I could just barely make out Undertaker's figure near the window opposite mine and the Earl right across from us, giving us patient but amused glances as though he were a parent trying to guide rivaling siblings to a peace offering.

I huffed. Not happening anytime soon.

Of course, to the Earl's credit, he didn't give up trying. Rather, he decided to tackle the problem little by little… that is to say, talk to us one-on-one.

Fortunately, Vincent chose the easier route and decided to tackle the Undertaker first. Probably because they were also closer in terms of familiarity.

That left me to stare out the window and mentally review the last few days.

I had honestly expected the Undertaker to confront me the night we came back from the meeting, but alas, he simply acted as though nothing had changed. Of course, added with the fact that we had this odd cold shoulder of sorts. Just because we ignored each other didn't mean we outright neglected the other. We lived under the same roof, for God's sake.

The only time we actually conversed was if we needed something. "Did you get the paperwork finished?" "Where do you keep the thread?" "Have you finished preparing the guest for their funeral?"

Weird stuff like that. I shifted in my seat. Needless to say, it was mighty uncomfortable in that shop. The once present relaxing atmosphere was now a tense vacuum, just relentlessly sucking out all the comfort. It left me on edge (yeah, edgy joke, great job).

Why hadn't Undertaker said anything yet? Was he seeing how long I'd make it last? Didn't that make him just as immature as me?

I scoffed. To even think of him as mature is a joke in and of itself. There's no such thing as adult there unless you counted me.

My eyebrow twitched. But as I was saying, this whole mess started because of him. Whether if it was something I said that triggered it didn't matter. It was a dick move through and through.

I discreetly glanced back at them to find him smiling in an easygoing manner as he bantered with the Earl. I huffed through my nose before looking back at the window. I didn't care if he was putting up an act or not. The fact that he was pretending like nothing was wrong only pissed me off even more.

Today was definitely not my day.

…

The twins seemed to instinctively know that something was off. At least, concerning me. Whether if they thought it was me or something concerned with me, I don't know, but it was obvious that I was hard to approach in the mood I was in. Ciel seemed more wary with his approach and bocchan was even more hesitant to even sit with me. Of course, this only aggravated me even more and shortened my patience, leading to me concluding both lessons shortly. Them running out the room only proved my theory.

And now, I was currently sitting on the piano bench, rubbing my temple as I tried to come up with ways to apologize for my sour mood. I heard booted heels approach the piano - meaning he managed to sneak in when I wasn't paying attention - and I thought he'd end this useless charade only to add more fuel to the fire.

"So, you managed to terrorize the twins as well, neh~?"

I stilled, my one hand frozen at my temple. My eyes darted up, seething from under my lashes as I acknowledged him. He was standing there with a smirk, poorly hidden by a sleeve which was intentionally aimed at me.

So he was the type to kick someone while their down, eh?

Fucking retarded assholish piece of shit.

If my glare didn't relay the words I'd mentally assaulted him with, then I'm sure me sidestepping him to exit the music room did.

At this point, I wanted nothing to do with him.

Somehow, I managed to find myself in the library, attempting to find something to calm the raging tempest in my chest. My heart was thrashing in its cage, and I absolutely hated that I couldn't calm it down much less control it. Being unable to temper my emotions already made me vulnerable, and we both knew that. But still. The fact that he knew and didn't hold back meant he was fucking toying with me. Damn that asshole!

I shoved a book back in its place when the cover didn't even seem appealing enough to read before pulling out another one. I attempted to calm down again, rubbing the heel of my hand against my chest to soothe myself, but it only reminded me of how mad I was.

How is it that one careless remark from my boss could piss me off that much? He doesn't even have permission to affect me emotionally.

I took a seat at the bench and tried reading the book I pulled out, not even bothering to read the cover. But after a while, I noticed myself reading the same sentence over and over without even comprehending it, so I gave up, resting my head in my hands. In the periphery of my senses, I noticed someone entering the library. The presence was most definitely headed towards me. I ended up resting my chin on my fist so I wouldn't look pathetic to whomever was looking for me.

Please, don't let it be Undertaker, please, don't let it be Undertaker, please-

To my utter relief, it was Vincent who rounded the corner. "Ah! Just my luck! Glad to see you here, Miss Rose."

"Wish I could the same," I retorted before I could contain myself. Whoops.

The amused arch of an eyebrow and a smile was all I got. Thankfully, he wasn't as fragile as some other noblemen would be. "Well, I'm sure it has to do with the Undertaker, no?"

I sealed my lips to spare him my sarcasm, but I'm sure my bland stare got my point across to his seemingly oblivious comment.

"Well, Diedrich certainly wasn't lying." He crossed his leg, a small smile on his face.

I lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"When he commented on your ability to make quite frightening expressions in the state you're in."

What a polite way of saying I look threatening. I only blinked at him before grabbing my book and trying to look busy. "Look, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I'd like nothing better than to be alone right now."

He lifted an eyebrow in amusement before closing his eyes and opening them with a determined gleam in his eye. "Well now, if that were the case, I would be more than happy to leave it to you two. Unfortunately, this case requires cooperation from the both of you, and I would like for you both to make up as soon as possible."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not liking how he made me felt akin to a child being berated by their parent. I snapped the book shut. "I thought this case pertained only to me?"

He gave me his biggest shit-eating smile. "In this case, Her Majesty had a special assignment for you in mind, to test how well you mingle with English high-born society."

The vein in my temple started throbbing a bit. Couldn't he just get to the point? "Right, so then, what does this entail?"

He smirked. "You will act as a diversion. The setting will take place at a ball a week from now, and by then, it's expected you know the proper mannerisms and decorum of an English noblewoman. You will be our bait, so to speak, and Undertaker will accompany you."

"So, basically, I'm the sitting duck and you go in for the kill for the predator supposedly aiming for me."

He beamed. "Precisely."

I deadpanned. What kind of bullshit was this, honestly? "So, what am I to expect in the next few days?"

He grinned, making a chill go down my spine. "Why, I'm glad you asked! As it stands, both you and the Undertaker will be temporary guests at my manor so that we can thoroughly train you on the upbringings of a noblewoman. Madame Red, of course, will assist, and I already have some dresses prepared underway for you."

How overwhelming! My brain could only think of one thing. "What about Zero?"

"Ah, Her Majesty will decide on a later matter. For now, it's best you patch up with Undertaker tonight, for on Monday, the real work begins."

I withheld a sigh. "Of course, thanks, Earl."

"The pleasure is mine."

…

Evening
I sat at my desk, arms crossed. I still wasn't ready to face Undertaker. He, however, was, with the way his presence made itself known in the form of his aura pressing on me.

I wonder if he realizes that him pressuring me made me less willing to comply. That would definitely be well-received.

Unfortunately, with the the way the situation would look like for the upcoming week, we'd be spending even more time together. I could only wonder how intense this training would be.

Undertaker's presence suddenly muted.

I snapped my head to locate where he'd usually be - which was his desk - only to find him sitting at mine as if he'd been there waiting for me to notice.

My heartbeat crept to my throat. I am definitely not ready for this.

He sat there with a patient smile, one sole eye focused on me.

Even through my fear, I could feel the anger creeping up. The damned bastard was playing me!

I went back to looking straight again, actively ignoring him. I wasn't interested in his games nor would I entertain them. There were better things to do.

That being said, the ball would take place next week. Vincent already had the materials prepared, all that was left was revising my mannerisms. Honestly, how hard could that be?

Famous last words, I dryly thought.

"So, for how long will we continue this game~?"

My brow twitched against my will. Still ignoring you, dumbass.

"I expect an answer, dear~"

"Oh, I'm sure you do."

He was smirking at me, leaning his chin against a hand which was resting an elbow on my desk.

My God, has he no concept of personal space.

"Personally, I think this could be eeeeasily rectified~" I heard him snap a bone cookie between his teeth, as if exemplifying the break in the tense atmosphere.

I snorted. "Sure."

"If you admit you were lying when you said you didn't miss me~"

"Hah! That's what you're so hung up over?" If it weren't for how outrageously simple his request was, I probably would've lost my cool. "So is that to explain your childish behavior at that stupid meeting a few days ago?"

I looked back to find him leering at me none-too-friendly and felt the remains of what was stomach drop. Oh dear.

My heartbeat picked up tempo but I stared back, too proud to back down. Both of his eyes were gleaming with intensity, but he wasn't mad. I can't explain why, but I just knew he wasn't. Maybe he was trying to prove who was alpha, and me shutting up probably did just that.

"What?!" I accidentally said a tad too loud after the silence lasted for too long.

"… Hm~ Methinks you deserve a good spanking~"

White hot anger flashed inside my chest. "Go fuck yourself!" I snapped.

His grin widened and his hand snatched to grab my chin so it would be pulled closer to him, but I slapped it away on instinct.

"Don't touch me."

He ignored it, grabbing my wrist instead to pull me closer and also use as a hostage if the tightening of his hold was any indication. He smirked coldly. "Now, I've been rather lenient with your behavior for the last couple of days~ but it ends now."

I only seethed silently at him as he contemplated. He knew he couldn't threaten to throw me out because he knew I would walk out on my own with or without his permission which left me wondering what he could threaten me with.

Yet, while this had gone on, I hadn't noticed how my anger seemed to affect our surroundings. Meaning, the natural darkness of the shop such as natural shadows made from the light seemed to have a miasma of its own, a weight that dragged the atmosphere. My powers that were deeply linked to my emotions wasn't made aware to me until something bad already happened.

Fortunately, Undertaker chose to say something about it than wait.

"Dearie~ Might wanna cool your top~ Before something in my shop goes pop!~" He was still smirking at me, enjoying my current state of array.

I was so incredibly tempted to just let it happen, and he could tell from the narrowing of my eyes, but the incremental increase of pressure on my wrist and his every-growing grin made me think otherwise. While it would give me some temporary satisfaction to completely obliterate his home in a mass of darkness, it would only leave me with an incredibly pissed off ex-reaper and a homeless me.

Not trusting him completely to let my guard down, I took a moment to gather my composure, taking a deep breath, before willing the darkness to lighten up, making the shadows of the shop less dense and imposing. Not that it bothered him in the first place because I'm pretty sure I would've popped first if he had his way. Or not. Who knows at this point?

Having gained some form of composure, I found that he'd let up on his grip but still ensured that I wouldn't run away. I decided to try being polite.

"Would you mind letting this go, now?" I shook the wrist in his grasp but he only chuckled.

"Now now, although you've behaved yourself~ It doesn't excuse your demeanor for the past few days," he reminded me in a berating tone.

My eyebrow twitched, a signal of my ever-diminishing patience with his bullshit. "Excuse you, but wasn't it you who initiated this behavior?"

He smirked, as if acknowledging a fault. "Ah yes, for your little lie back when I asked if you missed me or not~"

He's still insulted about that, I realized. My brows furrowed. Was he disappointed?

"Why in the world does that matter so much to you?"

"That's not the point here, love~"

"I would think-"

"Now now, answer my question~" He interrupted. "Truly, did you miss me or not?"

He had that face on, a mask that was like a poker face and yet not. I knew what he wanted yet I couldn't read exactly what he wanted.

But, this question, I felt, was the precipice I stood on, and how I answered would determine whether we would be permanently estranged or closer than before, and neither one was comfortable to me… At least, in the case that I'm not ready for either.

But, that unwavering stare told me he wouldn't let me leave until I gave him an answer.

I sighed. "I did…"

"'Did' what?" He tilted his head.

God, why did he make this so complicated?!

"… I think, I may have felt that I missed you."

"When?"

Well, isn't someone an eager beaver? But, that too eager smile and wide smile - plus the fact he's invading my personal space - told me just how invested he was in my response.

What exactly does he want from me?

"The second day you were gone, if I'm not mistaken."

He hummed, his thumb on my wrist lightly caressing my skin as though pleased at some form of progress. "And how did that feel?"

I deadpanned, starting to feel like I was at a doctor's office than a morgue being interrogated by my boss.

"Uh, lonely? I dunno, it was there and gone before I could really dwell on it."

He frowned a bit but didn't say anything for a while. Then, he tugged on my arm suddenly, bringing me into his chest and hugging me.

I had no time to react, leaving me in an awkward position of using my arms to push against his chest so my face wasn't smushed against said body part. I looked up, annoyed, to find him grinning down at me.

"What?"

He giggled. "Oh nothing, just that you look so cute~"

My face blanked. Cute? Is this guy for real?

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm asking. I meant, what's this supposed to mean? The sudden hugging and all?" I tried wriggling my arms to make a point.

His smile widened, amused at my attempt. "Ah, that~ Well, simply my way of defusing the situation~… and to apologize~"

My eyebrow rose, meeting with his one solitary eye again.

He grinned ruefully. "For scorning you at that meeting a few days ago~" He said that as though it were obvious.

"Uh-huh. Well, a sorry would've sufficed. You don't need to do all this."

He wagged his finger playfully. "Now now, I'm not only doing this for you, but me as well~ Plus, I still want a smile~"

"Now you're asking for too much."

"Oh, am I?~ Would you rather I ask for six days worth of jokes~" He smirked knowingly at me.

"Hmph, still, you can't just command someone to smile."

"Well, now, that's not my problem, now, is it~" He taunted.

I sighed, exasperated. Whatever higher power on Earth decided to make me work for this guy ought to spend a day with him themselves.

While I thought of a way to make myself smile, odd as that was, I couldn't help but notice him still hugging me, arms around my midsection and his chin resting comfortably on my shoulder. And by comfortable, I meant for him, not me.

Don't you be getting any ideas.

Either way, it made me wonder if he was trying to get me comfortable with him. Not that it didn't work, because it wasn't as awkward hugging him. Not like the first time, of course. I shivered, remembering that face.

"Are you cold, dear~" His arms tightened a bit.

"No, just thinking."

He hummed.

At least he was patient about me coming up with an idea.

"By the way, why do you like hugging so much? Are you that lonely?"

"Hey now~ What are you trying to impose?" He pouted, as if offended at the notion of being lonely.

"You're pretty touchy."

"Am not~"

I gave him a glare as best I could in the position I was in.

He snickered. "Oh, come now, if I were that lonely, I'd want more than just a hug~"

I felt my face go green and decided not to overthink what he meant by that.

"After all, you looked like you needed a hug~"

My brow raise on its own accord at the incredulousness of that comment. "I looked like I needed a hug?"

"Hi hi~ yes, you looked like you needed a hug."

The corner of my eye twitched, but I gave up anyways, not interested in pursuing the matter further.

I tried thinking up ways to make myself smile, I really did. Things like jokes, funny stories Zero told me, or even a memory. But no, nothing came up.

I sighed, just about to give up when I thought of something, that forbidden something I hadn't allowed myself to indulge in for years.

I groaned. "Oh no, not that…"

Undertaker suddenly perked. "Hm~ What? Whatever's the matter, dear? Finally thought of something~" A hand squeezed my shoulder to tell me I had his full attention.

"Yeah, but not in the way I imagined it…" I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to deny the obvious truth but gave in. Hell, so long as it gave Undertaker what he wanted, then I had nothing to lose. Probably.

I pushed his arm a bit. "You'll have to give me a moment to set up. You'll get your smile, but it's gonna take a little while."

He tilted his head, curious but let go to observe me taking out a larger device that I called a computer and turn it on before beginning to set up.

Yes, it was what I had least anticipated to happen again in the future. My fall back into my old habit: horror games.

A bit cringy? Yeah, I can imagine, but if it gets the job done, then I can't complain. Once the PC booted up, I opened my steam account to all the horror games I had archived since three years ago when I last played.

Only one of them seemed interesting enough to play.

"Hey, how do you feel about horror games?" I didn't face him yet, still busy with having the game load before the menu popped onto the screen, the theme music filling in the silence.

"Horror games, ne~ Interesting, hi hi! A rather unorthodox maneuver, but you have my undivided attention~"

"Hm, and what about horror games involving a mental asylum?"

He grinned. "All the better~ Your pick, m'dear," was all he supplied as he moved closer to peer over my shoulder. Probably to also have a better view of my face.

"Hmm, ok then. I'm gonna go with Normal difficulty however. It's been about three years since I last played."

He giggled but didn't say anything else as the loading screen gave a brief description of the game before the opening scene featuring our main character in the Jeep, driving up to the mansion and pulling over.

I exhaled, "ok, getting fucking excited, and you can tell cuz I'm already cursing."

The character opened up a folder of the email which I skimmed over before closing to load the battery in the camcorder.

"Hey~ I still can't see very well, dear~"

"Do you need me to explain it for you?"

He tilted his head, thinking about it before shrugging. "Just make it brief, that oughta do the job~"

"Okay, well, basically, a person who works within the asylum leaks out serious information to an investigative journalist whom we're playing known as Miles Upshur. The whistleblower, who'll we get to play as in the DLC, briefly talks about patients getting abused over a procedure known as dream therapy while the company, Murkoff, makes profit out of it. Our job, in other words, is to expose the maltreatment. However, in this game, we can't fight back against enemies so we'll have to either run, hide, or die."

He hummed, now fully resting his chin on my shoulder, again. Then his arms tried snaking around my stomach.

"Whoa! Hey, what are you doing?" I slapped his arms away, but instead, he placed his hand behind me, flat on the coffin. The other rested on his lap.

"It was just in case you needed some comfort~ Besides, I can't see from too far away…"

I sighed. "Fine, but get too touchy, and I'll smack you."

He snickered. "Deal~"

I rolled my eyes but continued on, trying to ignore his constant shifting until he relaxed, his chin digging further into my shoulder. I already knew it would be sore once I was done playing.

"By the way, this game is pretty long, around 3-4 hours, so we'll probably finish around 1 am?"

He giggled, the vibrations in his chest humming against my arm. "That's alright~ Besides, we have loooots of time~"

I eyed the clock. 8pm. Hm, we have time. "Great." I sighed, making the character get out of the car before running towards the asylum and through the side gate, crouching to get past the gate before scaling up the scaffolding and through the window. "Alright, we're in." And on cue, the ceiling lights busted, leaving us in darkness and prompting me to use night vision.

"By the way, you mentioned enemies~ What kinds will you be facing?"

"Hm, you'll see."

"You seem quite familiar with the game. Have you played this before?~"

"Yeah, three years ago, or just about."

"Oh? Why play it again?~"

"Just to get a feel for it, and because it's a pretty good game. Plus, it's kind of a warm up for the DLC and the sequel since Outlast is quite renowned for jump scares and intimidating players with its fast pacing. You'll see as we keep playing."

"Very well. My life is in your hands~" He giggled.

"Sure." Dubious, but no matter. With him quiet, I navigated the dark room, the sudden static of the TV alerting me, but not enough to scare me. "That's one example of a jump scare. There's another coming up far worse than that though, but it's still gonna scare me. Probably."

With that in mind, I shimmied past the cabinet drawers blocking the path, entering various rooms to either gather a glowing battery or a confidential folder before seeing a door close suddenly on my left. "Subtle," I muttered, but I pressed onwards, entering the door on my left, scanning the room and seeing the organ on a tray next to a soda can before grabbing the second battery and jumping up into the vent.

"Hihihi, someone forgot their lunch~"

"Yeah, probably yours." He pouted indignantly, but I half-smirked, saying nothing more. When I got halfway towards the vent to the section with the slitted view, the sudden entrance of someone grabbed my attention, both of us watching as the patient muttered "Walrider" before running out, slamming the door.

"Was that the jump scare?~" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

I continued to the end of the vent, hopping out before walking towards the dreaded door. "Okay…"

I slowly opened the door, taking a sharp inhale as the flailing image of a body hanging sort of scared me, his screaming making me stiffen a bit, but then it was over. "Ah, that wasn't so bad."

Famous last words.

As I walked backwards, turning on light vision to further inspect the headless body, the sudden gasping of the soldier impaled on a wooden stake made me curse.

"Oh, shit!" I facepalmed, barking out a laugh before grinning at the monitor. "I forgot, goddamnit."

"They killed us. They got out. The Variants."

"Uh-huh, fascinating. Tell me more."

"You can't fight them. You have to hide."

"Obviously. Tell me something I don't know." I muttered under my breath, however, "Not like you could anyway."

"… Can unlock the main doors from Security Control."

"Oh great. Finally, something useful."

"You have to get the fuck out of this terrible place."

I nodded my head. "Oh yeah, definitely. Why don't you just stick around, or you can leave if you want, or…" I looked back at him to see him go limp on the stake and then shrugged. "Yeah, just stick around."

The sudden banging of a door forced me to start moving away although I could hear Undertaker chuckling at my dry humor. I ignored him, going out the next door and and seeing Chris Walker approaching through the hallway glass and immediately crouched.

"That, right there, is one of the big enemies to watch for. Ooh, that was so close."

I waited for him to walk by before continuing down the hallway.

"One of the enemies, you say?~" Undertaker queried, a nail poking my shoulder. "What is he capable of?"

"Well, basically, considering he's pretty big, super human strength-"

"Little pig."

"- Ah, Scheiße!" I had begun to shimmy through the narrow space between the cabinets, distracted from his questions that I'd forgotten about the Fat Guy.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, watching as he lifted me before flinging me out the window, jerking back on reflex and Undertaker's arm tightened on reflex. Then my character blacked out.

I giggled a bit, embarrassed, before slapping Undertaker's shoulder. "Stop distracting me, goddamnit! I forgot about that one!" I was still laughing, hyped from the jump scare and he just grinned back.

"Hihihihi! That was the whole point, dear~ No point in playing if there's no reaction~"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up. You think you know everything."

He cackled. "Oh, come now, dear~ Not even I am that presumptuous!"

"Sure."

"You are welcome to stop here for now, if you'd like~ You've reimbursed me quite enough for the last week as well as this week's."

I arched an eyebrow as he patted my shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He grinned. "Well, I did simply ask for a smile, but your laugh was quite the unexpected treat~"

I blanked. I laughed?

Oh. That. I forgot I became a giggly bitch whenever I get scared.

"Oh. Then what about the game? Did you want to stop here or finish it later?"

"Hihihi, whatever tickles your fancy, my dear~ Tomorrow's Sunday, so we are completely free~"

I blinked. It had only been about half an hour, so we still had time to finish the game. I looked back at the monitor and then shrugged. "I'll just finish it today, or tonight, rather. It's not that long. Tomorrow, we could invite Zero to come here as well to play the DLC portion. He's been wanting to check it out, so might as well."

He giggled. "Very well~" Then he did something I didn't expect.

He grabbed my chin and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead.

I immediately froze before staring scathingly at him. "What was that for?"

I tried pushing his chest back but he didn't budge. "It's my apology for how I treated you… As well as to thank you for the generous payment~" His eyes were exposed, gentle compared to my hard look.

My forehead was still tingling and I wanted to assume the worst, that maybe he was falling in love with me, and I couldn't allow that. Yet, his reasoning was also understandable.

I sighed, uncomfortable. "Sure, I guess. And… I'm sorry, too, for my behavior…" I still felt like crap when I thought about it.

God, this was so awkward.

He patted my back, giggling lightly. He was back to the creepy mortician act. "Quite alright, dear~ Now, I do believe we have a game to finish~"

12/31/19