Hanzo stands in front of 7/11 where he is currently working as a cashier. Gazing at the transparent glass from the outside, he saw his co-worker on the cashier serve a customer with a beautiful smile on her face.

 

'What a pleasing sight!'

 

Just like a fool, Hanzo stood frozen there and then, staring dumbly at his co-worker's face for a good dozen seconds or two. Only after a while did Hanzo realized that he was standing there idly and blocking the entrance to the shop. 'What am I even doing?' thinking so, Hanzo hurriedly moved out of the way and went inside.

 

---

 

Irene was serving customers as usual when one of the customers in front of her suddenly pointed outside the shop, "Hey miss, there's a weirdo outside staring daggers at you, should I call the police?"

 

Hearing that, Irene quickly shifted her focus from the goods in her hands to where the customer was pointing at. There she saw Hanzo standing foolishly as if his soul left his body; his eyes were glued to her face.

 

Embarrassed, a mischievous smile floats on her face. 'I'll tease you to death later', only after she decided to do so did she remembered that she was still serving a customer.

 

"Ah no, there's no need for that. I think he's pretty harmless anyway. But thank you for your concern." She smiled beautifully while slightly waving her hand in refusal.

 

"Well if you say so...Anyway, can I ask for your number?"

 

"Here's the receipt! Thank you for your purchase!"

 

"Your number—..."

 

"Thank you for your purchase!"

 

"...."

 

---

 

"Why did you look as if you saw Monalisa for the first time?" Irene teased with an 'I don't know what to do with you' expression on her face the moment Hanzo entered the store.

 

"Nah, Monalisa got nothing compared to you." He then glanced at her from head to toe.

 

"...."

 

"—Wait are you hitting on me right now?! I appreciate the thought but Gommenasai, I can't think of you in that light yet..."

 

Hanzo chopped her in the head. "Too wordy! Too noisy! And hey, you're Korean, stop speaking like a Japanese!"

 

"Tehee~... I'm just acting like my fav character... What, do you hate Iroha-chan?" Irene raised her head and stared at him with her big and mesmerizing eyes.

 

'Who would have thought a female otaku would be this annoying?' Resigned, Hanzo decided to spill his honest thoughts. "Fine, fine! She's also my favorite waifu, So stop looking at me with those puppy eyes!"

 

At first, she beamed after hearing that her senpai also loves her favorite anime character, but a moment later, her eyes suddenly widened. She flusteredly mouthed something like "uwuu wuu wuu" before hurriedly taking a few steps back and crossing both her arms on her chest.

 

"—Are you double-tapping me Senpai?! Saying you love Iroha-chan in front of an Iroha wannabe like me! Honestly, you made my heart skip a beat with your aggressiveness, but I'll have to reject you on the grounds of being so underhanded. Try. Again. Next. Time~"

 

"............Idiot~ how did you even came up with that train of thought?" Hanzo once again hit her in the head with a chop, this time with greater strength. "Also, You're overestimating me if you think I'll have the nerves to hit on you when I'm barely able to make ends meet...I hate spending more energy than necessary after all!" Hanzo raised his chin and thump his chest. "So don't expect I'll actively take up such a cumbersome responsibility!"

 

Irene turned silent for a moment. Then her eyes started looking at Hanzo as if staring at a piece of trash.

 

"Wahh Senpai! Your reasoning is just as sick as you are!" She then tilts her head as if guessing. "Normally, if boys were to reject my advances, that is only because they were aware of how unsuitable they are for me. At least that's what I think would happen."

 

"You really are a narcissist, aren't you? Actually,  I'm pretty confident I could be a good match with you."

 

Hanzo knew of his worth, and he won't ever downplay it.

 

He is 185 cm tall, just tall enough that he probably would be eligible to pass as a model. He has very sharp facial features, and he's confident that on a scale of 10 in looks, he would be a solid 8. When it comes to his body figure, due to his 3 years of living frugally and riding the bike from school to work, it gave him decent enough muscles. As for inner qualities, he believes he is good except for his lethargic nature.

 

Other than that, he is quite talented in many disciplines such as music and sports —seriously not just art— and lastly, he prides himself on being a low-key genius.

 

All those together and one could see where his confidence is coming from.

 

"You're calling me a narcissist when you are one yourself."

 

"I'm just stating facts~ Anyway,  you sound as if you've never experienced being rejected before."

 

"Are you an idiot senpai? Do you think I would ever found myself confessing to a guy? It's only natural for them to confess to me, but the other way is simply unacceptable. Is there anyone worthy enough to make me confess?"

 

"Yes, yes... You're the campus goddess after all~"

 

"Waah?! You're doubting me?!"

 

Thinking that he didn't believe her, Irene's cheeks swelled up while her fair nose flared. Looking at her childish expression, Hanzo smiled wryly.

 

'I seriously can't imagine how this pouting girl in front of me is the same person as that Middlemist Camellia no man could ever reach...'

 

Shaking his head, he stopped himself from reminiscing over her campus status, lest he spoke words that would make the girl's head bigger.

 

"Let's drop this topic shall we?" He patted her in the head to appease her. Then, he took out the remote and opened the 35-inch flat-screen tv in this unusually high-tech 7/11 branch. "Let's watch some movie instead. There are almost no customers after all."

 

---

 

"Why are they so tense? They got a whole box loaded with guns in the basement, how come they didn't even thought of fighting back? If I were there, I'd hurry to the basement and then come back to finish off that bitch!"

 

Irene who had just fetched 2 cans of Coke rolled her eyes before giving him one and then opening one for herself to drink.

 

"Yes, yes... My senpai is way smarter and braver than them... If ever we got stuck in such a situation, will senpai protect me?"

 

"Of course! But I doubt you'll ever be visited by ghosts."

 

"Eh? Why?"

 

"I heard ghosts and other supernatural beings stay away from idiots..."

 

"All kinds of idiots?"

 

"Yeah, all kinds!"

 

"Then—"

 

Suddenly, Irene approached him. Without having enough time to react, he found Irene's body nearly plastered to his.

 

"What—"

 

From below, Irene slowly raised her head. Her amber eyes were now fully directed at Hanzo's own. He then noticed the plump and sweet-looking moist, red lips of the maiden. Due to their close distance, he could smell a refreshing sweet fragrance from her body.

 

'Was it perfume? Or was it her natural scent?'

 

As he marveled at the enchanting features of the beauty almost hugging him, he noticed the gradually closing distance between their heads.

 

Temptation and his manly pride urge him to move his head forward and not shy away, 'it's her who started this first, she can't blame me'. But abruptly, he felt a tug from the depths of his subconscious.

 

"—No, wait!"

 

He promptly took a step back and then hurriedly placed his hands on top of her slim shoulders before he gently held her away.

 

"Fufufu~ I guess you won't ever see one yourself in this life, senpai~"

 

At those words, Hanzo's rattled emotions calmed instantly. He couldn't help but glare at this mischievous lady.

 

'I was had!!'

 

Without minding Hanzo's look as if wanting to eat her whole, Irene gently returned to her place at the counter, leaving the fuming Hanzo behind. On her way, she couldn't help but gaze at Hanzo's unusually seen pouting expression.

 

She was now having a hard time repressing her slender shoulders from trembling hard. In the end, no longer able to hold herself, her melodic giggling rang in all corners of the stores.

 

Infected by her, Hanzo also let out a burst of wry but hearty laughter.

 

"Ohh by the way, how did you do with the latest test-"

 

-Huh?

 

Suddenly, Irene was flabbergasted when the heartily laughing young man in front of her suddenly disappeared right before her very eyes.

 

"Senpai?"

 

"Hey what was that?! Where are you?! Hey! Hanzo!!!"

 

Panicked, she hurriedly checks every corner of the shop, yet no signs of the young man were found.

 

*

 

On that day, a very hot topic made its way to the news and all social media platforms. It was all about the disappearance of about 100 people by some inexplicable method. Some of them even disappeared right in front of their acquaintances.

 

But that was only the beginning. Because for every year that will come from now on—until the date that all the chosen were seized, more and more people would mysteriously disappear.