About 16 years have gone by since Reiji's life began outside captivity. At first, adjusting to this new life was very hard. Loner Tribe was simple and relatively peaceful. Recovery was still a long process. Reiji currently works full time as a maid/server in a cafe. Her friends are also leading their own respective lives as young adults.

Reiji's days were typically like this...

- ML

UPDATE 13 July 2024: Timestamp

UPDATE 27 July 2024: Timestap didn't align with Jackal's Diary. Oops

UPDATE: 29 December 2024: spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc

Chapter 1: Better Days

Year X820

A bright red sun crept over the red, sandy horizon of the world. The sky was blood red, and misty gray clouds surrounded the sun, threatening to cover it in its gloomy depths. Demon folks moved through the dirt roads of a quiet village, going to the local markets, laundromats, walking with their animal companions, going to work, on missions outside the village, or doing whatever it was that civilians tended to that morning. The village was surrounded by a dark, desolate forest inside of a massive barrier bordering the edges of the dense woods, which kept the dangerous predators, feral beasts, sandlstorms, and other common threats outside.

Nothing major ever occurred in this village. Some would even say the Loner Village was much like a sleepy town, save for the occasional crazy incident.

A small girl, Mikayla, sat with her four-horned mother inside a cafe, enjoying a miniature cake decorated with a chocolate figure and white frosting.

"Mum, I want Reiji to give me another one!" the little demon exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Mikalya, stop yelling," her mother gently scolded her daughter. She wiped the little one's mouth clean with a napkin.

"Reiji, more beer!" another demon, a female with wavy brown hair and dark blue, scaly skin, demanded.

"I'll be right there!" Reiji called as she stepped out of the kitchen.

The female demon wore a blue uniform with a white apron, ruffled at the edges. Her puff sleeves were new and rather clean for a server. She also wore black tube socks with black one-inch heels. Her dark green hair was partially tied in a bun, curls trailing neatly down past her rear. Her side bangs truly brought out her long ears and bright golden-bronze eyes behind rectangular glasses. As it turned out, blurry vision was not normal for one with average eyesight.

She smiled cheerfully while serving her tables. Luckily, having trained herself to use Hair Magic—or curse, she wasn't sure—she had multiple extra arms to assist.

Reiji set a small purple carrot cake before Mikalya. Jovial with the second serving, the little demon dug in. Mum thanked Reiji just before the maid went to serve the scaly demon another beer.

The sound of an opening door chimed a golden bell.

"Welcome to Mina's Cafe," Raiji politely greeted the new customers.

A young adult, Natsui, with messy pink hair and shy green eyes entered, followed iby a taller male, white hair in a loose hair tie, dressed mostly in black. The male was accompanied by whom Reiji assumed was his girlfriend. She had a black bob cut with natural blue highlights and the palest shade of brown eyes that Reiji had ever seen. Her eyes were quite beautiful, in Reiji's opinion.

I wonder how long this one will last, she thought while maintaining her polite demeanor.

The wavy-haired demon took a gulp of her beer, then scowled. "Reiji, this is warm! Get me another!" the customer demanded.

Another maid sat the trio down at a window table as Reiji went to tend to her dissatisfied customer.

"And could you add some ice to that, please?" she asked politely. She beamed as Reiji took the glass.

"My apologies, Miss Cani," Reiji said as she gave a bow. "I will refill this with ice right away."

"You're the best!"

Natsui looked on as Reiji disappeared inside the kitchen.

"Kojou, d-did you know Reiji was here today?" he asked the white haired demon. He practically hid behind his menu.

"Oh, her? I didn't know that freak worked here,"Kojou replied nonchalantly.

As she served the iced beer, Reiji sighed at the remark she overheard from Kojou. Even after all these years, some folks still fixated on her unusual body, too big in the worst places, with disgust. Unfortunately, her chest grew more than she had hoped, and so did her hips, thighs, and everything else that was too noticeable. Even her height grew about the average male demon at six-foot-three. The comments were not as bothersome anymore, but it was still mildly annoying. Kojou was one among many who just had to say something rude.

Reiji smiled at Natsui, waving to her much kinder acquaintance. Natsui's face turned red as he attempted to hide under the table. Kojou's girlfriend kicked his calf, urging him to behave. The pink-haired male returned to hiding under his menu instead.

Reiji then went to clean a table as the trios' actual server, Lunalu, came through with their drinks. "Three matcha green teas with light sweetener and no ice," the maid described as she set the drinks on little coasters.

Her dress was a bit shorter than Reiji's. It was mid-thigh and very frilly. It was still a decent fit for an older teenager. Her jet-black hair was twisted into three braids that were combined into one on her shoulder. Reiji pushed her glasses up as she attempted to listen to their small talk to no avail. Eventually, Lunalu took off with their food order.

But before she could take even a few steps, Lunalu tripped, falling against Reiji's chest at just the worst moment. Reiji yelped in alarm. Lunalu jumped back then scrambled to regain herself.

"I, I am so sorry!" the teenage demon stammered as she brushed the dark-skinned demon's shoulders and puffy sleeves.

The bob cut girl, Renee, burst with laughter at the awkward display. Kojou also snickered. Natsui simply hid himself from Reiji's view as much as possibke. Lunala ducked out of the scene, fleeing to the kitchen.

"I saw your foot. That was very rude," Reiji accused the light brown-eyed Renee. She rolled her eyes in response.

"It's not my fault that Bambi didn't watch her step. Maybe you should mind your business," Renee smirked. Reiji opened her mouth to speak, then briskly walked away. It was not her job to lecture every asshole, even if they deserved it.

"Lunalu," the dark-skinned demon began as she stood with her at the front counter. "Why didn't you stand up to her?"

"I was embarrassed," Lunalu whispered. "No one immediately recovers from diving straight into someone's twin peaks," she pouted meekly. Reiji defensively crossed her arms over her chest. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

"Next time, tell them to leave you alone, okay? You shouldn't put up with that," Reiji consoled her quietly. Once Lunalu fired their food order to the kitchen, she hugged Reiji for a moment, then went off to help in the back.

"You two are so cute!" someone exclaimed, catching Reiji off-guard.

Her manager and founder of the cafe, Mina, had snuck up behind her. The short, chubby demon took Reiji's hands in her webbed grasp, smiling brightly as her gold eyes glowed with the usual excitement.

"M-Mina, please stop surprising me with your muraculous appearances, it startles me," Reiji complained. Mina laughed.

"Oh, you! I only came to tell you something," she assured her maid. "I am planning a trip to the next town over to be a temporary manager at another restaurant business."

Lunalu poked her head out from the kitchen, her mouth gaped in shock. She rushed to the duo. "You're leaving? That can't be!" Lunalu cried. "Who's going to babysit the place?"

"Well, Reiji," she paused to smile whimsically at the puzzled femake demon. "I've trusted you since your first day, and you are very skilled even without your hair. I want you to take my place as manager for the time being," Mina replied. Lunalu stared at Reiji in surprise. Reiji couldn't believe her ears.

Me, an acting manager? That is impossible! It was too soon. Four years was too damn soon!

"Are you sure, Mina? I could mess up without your guidance," she mumbled doubtfully. Mina grinned, squeezing her hands a little.

"Of course I'm sure, dear! I trust you too much to give this position to just anyone. Besides," she paused again, lowering her voice. "Your positive presence and utmost beauty attracts many customers."

Reiji flushed red at the last part. Positive? Beauty?

"T-that is... so kind of you," Reiji smiled brightly.

The female demon laughed as she released Reiji's hands, then showed her a pair of identical keys on a key ring decorated with an antique key chain.

"After this afternoon, you will care of this like it's your own child," the boss advised her. Accepting the keys, Reiji flashed another joyful face, which dropped as Mina walked away.

I don't think I can handle this, she thought.

Then Reiji whipped up a customer service smile upon hearing a bell. The notorious three's order was up: a chocolate mint sundae with extra sliced strawberries, a plumberry shortcake with sprinkles, and an onion steak soup with extra green onions.

Lunalu took the dishes out at once on a tray, smiling as any maid would. Reiji watched as the young demon set each plate and bowl on their table, then probably asked if they needed anything else. Then, she walked away to return the tray to the kitchen. Natsui glanced at the observing Reiji, then smiled sheepishly as he averted his shy gaze.

"Reiji!"

The the dark-skinned demon whipped around to face the front door. Three battered folks rushed through the cafe entrance with one trailing behind casually due to his blindness.

If embarrassment could kill, Reiji imagined she would have died on the spot.

The two eldest male demons, Ryouichi and Shugo, were a few inches apart in height and had cuts and bruises all over their exposed skin. They laughed loudly at something, but Reiji did not know or care what it was.

Ryouichi had wolf ears and a wagging, bushy tail in his Aegean blue hair color. He was a Beast Soul, one of many uncommon Demon races. Shugo, unlike any demon Reiji knew of, a self-taught Jade Dragon Slayer. The petite Ushizumo wore a brightly colored dress, decorated with a few rips and dirt, and white, spotted boots, the only clean part of her appearance. Her long ginger hair was styled into one messy braid, a few tiny twigs and leaves stuck to it. Ryouichi wore a plain blue t-shirt and ripped jeans, a typical style of his. Shugo's suit and tie, minus the jacket, were also somewhat filthy and torn by his minor. Takeshiro, the shortest in the back, was the only clean, unscratched demon. His hair was spiky and the darkest blue short of black. He practiced magic he only referred to as Telepathic Order.

"Rai-tara!" Ushizumo beamed as she leaned on the counter. Reiji sighed in defeat, knowing they only came for free food. The ginger continued, ignoring Reiji's silent signals.

"You know that one forest spirit demon that was terrorizing deforestation units on the countryside of that one city I forgot the name of, up north?" she asked.

"Not really, Zumi," the dark-skinned demon replied softly. "What did you find?"

"Well, we—" Ryouichi shoved her aside, an excited glow in his eyes.

"It was epic!" he exclaimed. "The demon is an actual spirit, a pure being living it up in Purgatory! We had to fight it, obviously," he boasted, doing the finger-over-the-lip motion; Reiji smiled blankly, knowing he was going to exaggerate and brag, again.

"... So, I totally beat him up and sent him running with his lizard tail between his legs," he droned on, grinning. "He was so terrified of us that he hardly put up a fight!"

"Oh, really?" Reiji asked, pretending to show interest. Then, Shugo kicked him in the leg.

"That is not what happened!" the Dragon Slayer retorted. "I was the one who sent him off when Zumi here was tossed into a tree!"

"What!" Ushizumo blurted, stomping up to him. "I'll have you know it was you who got me thrown into that tree."

"Just face it, Zumi, you'll never be as good as us at fighting without natural Curse or Magic energy to work with," Ryouichi taunted her with a smirk. Takeshiro nudged his way to the counter.

"All of you are wrong."

The trio gawked, most likely at Takeshiro's betrayal of the group's fantasy of the mission. Reiji chuckled, holding her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. Takeshiro continued.

"Ryouichi charged headfirst at the creature, tussled, but lost as he was thrown downhill, hence the cuts and light bruising." Ryouichi crossed his arms, grunting. "Shugo charged right behind him; he had better luck but lost as he was also thrown off the hill." The Dragon Slayer growled, turning away in embarrassment. "Ushizumo was caught in the crossfire, then stumbled when hit with a spell from the spirit, falling down a different hill that landed her at a shorter tree." Ushizumi huffed, crossing her arms as well.

"I chose to take a more calm approach to the mission and talked to the spirit; she was only protecting her land from destruction and pollution, which she was quite good at. In conclusion, nobody won any fights and deforestation in that forest was cancelled. We received our payment of 25,000 Luba and came to give you your share," the shorter demon finished, giving her an envelope. Reiji raised her brows in surprise, taking the brown envelope.

"Are you sure? I wasn't even there," she murmured. Takeshiro smiled softly, nodding. Ryouichi looked at the table of three, then Natsui. The rose haired demon was blushing red at something Renee had said. She laughed heartily as her boyfriend snickered.

"So, Rai-tara, does this mean we can have free-"

"No," Reiji deadpanned.

Ushizumo whined as her older brother Shugo dragged her from the counter.

"No, please! I want sugar!" she pleaded as they left. Their dirty footprints were all over the floor. Lunalu handed her a mop.

"Here you go, boss!" she smiled brightly, then trotted off.

Reiji hung her head in defeat. "Why do I always clean their messes here?"

The store was cleaned and locked for the night about an hour ago. Reiji sttod behind the bar counter, serving herbal tea, leftover steak soup, and egg rolls to her friends. She let them have it on the house, even though she tried to say no. Although her friends could easily go on easy missions for quick money, the food would have otherwise gone to the trash that night.

Takeshiro walked from the bathroom and sat on a stool next to Ushizumo. With no sight, he certainly had a way of getting around without any guidance.

Because the group had left six hours prior, they all had time to clean up their looks and changed into more presentable clothing. As usual, Ushizumo's definition of presentable was a bit bizarre: the same boots, neon yellow leggings, a dark red skirt, and a light blue sweater. On the polar opposite side of fashion, her brother Shugo wore black sweatpants and a long sleeve grey shirt. Ryouichi wore the same pants from earlier, but with a grey tank top. Takeshiro wore the same khaki shorts and blue t-shirt.

Reiji was cleaned the last of the beer mugs with a white cloth.

"Are any of you going to start looking for new jobs tomorrow?" she asked, attempting to break the silence.

"Too exhausted," Ryouichi muttered.

"Tired," Ushizumo lazily chimed in.

"I need a few days off," Shugo shrugged, then slurped up a mouthful of noodles.

"I'm going to look for something to do tomorrow," Takeshiro replied, sipping his soup. Reiji smiled a little.

"You must like working alone, considering how much you do it. You make it look so easy," the dark-skinned demon conversed. Takeshiro nodded in agreement. "Yup, it's way more peaceful." Ryouichi was first to take offense.

"I can be peaceful!" he protested.

"I've met foxhounds much quieter than you and Shugo combined."

"Hey, don't rope me in with the actual dog!"

The Beast Soul demon grabbed Shugo's head, swiftly preparing to shove his face straight into his soup. Reiji swapped the soup with a hand made of her hair to catch the ginger's head. With a free hand, she flicked Ryouichi in the forehead.

"Ah, fuck!" he hissed, rubbing the sore spot. Shugo and Ushizumo laughed at his expense.

Takeshiro looked at Reiji. Even though closed eyes, she knew exactly what he said with that look.

See what I mean?

Of course she did!

.

The night soon ended, fortunately for Reiji. She washed the dishes left behind, cleaned the counter and seats, and anything else that was not quite clean enough.

Just before departing, she made sure every door and window was locked. Reiji barely remembered separating from her friends one by one, having been too spaced out and tired to talk much. They said their evening goodbyes and good nights, then they were off to their homes.

Raiji turned toward her street, Sunset Valley Avenue, where her apartment rested.

"Reiji, wait up!"

The dark green-haired turned to see Natsui gasping for air to keep up with her long, quick stride. Reiji raised a brow. Natsui was rarely out at this hour.

"L-let me... I'll walk with you," he panted, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Reiji gave a light chuckle.

"You want to walk with me?" she affirmed.

"Mmhmm," he replied. She shrugged, waiting patiently for him to relax.

Natsui and Reiji walked in silence. She rarely felt calm in the presence of demon folk outside her inner circle. She constantly worried about what they thought of her, what she might do wrong, and everything else there was to overthink.

She had also dealt with so many situations of looking at males whose sexual gazes looked at some piece of her that she also looked at herself in pieces.

But Natsui was different from other males. He never looked at her that way. His eyes were gentle and kind, like he had no cruel intentions with anyone he befruended. Reiji always longed for more folks to look at her with such normalcy.

Reiji's apartment overlooked a river that passed straight through the avenue. It was a peaceful community, perfect for equally quiet folks. The duo had made it to her apartment door on the second floor in no time.

"Thank you for walking with me," she said with her usual warm smile.

"N-no need to thank me," he laughed nervously. Reiji tilted her head to the side. He definitely wanted to say something. Nevertheless, she feigned ignorance.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I, I actually wanted to say something. A, um, confession," he replied, avoiding her gaze. He shuffled his feet. "I, um, I like you, a lot."

... Damn it.

Reiji's eyes widened, blushing lightlt. Like? He is attracted to me? No, someone must have put him up to this....

"A-are you sure?" the dark-skinned demon asked carefully, too shocked to come up with a better response. Natsui silently nodded, glancing up at her. She relaxed her posture, believing him instantly.

I'll just let him down easy.

"That's really nice, Natsui, but I cannot return your feelings," she responded, to Natsui's dismay. His sad expression filled her with guilt. She bit inside of her lower lip nervously, looking away. "I'm sorry, I'm just not meant for something like that right now."

"Is, is that so?" he murmured. "Um, I understand. I guess should go now. See you tomorrow?" he questioned. Reiji nodded.

"Yes, and we can still remain friends," she reassured him, patting his shoulder.

A shoulder pat?! Nice one, she thought sarcastically.

Natsui turned a way, then walked back down the street. The dark green-haired female went into the apartment, then closed and locked the door. After taking off her shoes, she sighed, dragging her feet to her room. That moment hardly lasted a minute or two, but it was one of the most awkward moments that week. Natsui is a wonderful person, one among a few who actually respect her, and she just broke his heart.

Reiji rolled onto her back, straightening her glasses. It was not the furst time she had rejected someone, so it wasn't so nerve wracking anymore. It was just another normal, boring day. They were still friends and everything would be fine. Nothing else will take an awkward turn or be ruined by the wrong words! As acting manager, she had to keep it together.

Little did she know...

— ML