Chapter 42 Chapter 42- The Red Rose Day
The cafe was on one of the popular streets of the city where most entertainment facilities are located. It was one of the few areas in the city that were made especially for that purpose.
When they reached the cafe, it was oddly quiet, Kai's eyebrow raised for a second before he looked at Eva.
"Did you…"
Eva's eyes immediately averted as she murmured with a hesitant tone. The words Kai said to her a while ago were still resonating with her deeply so her mind would even overthink the smallest of actions she does.
"This place is always full so I rented the place for a few hours just so that you can feel comfortable. D-Did I make a mistake? S-Should I not do that?" She asked as she looked down like a sad puppy.
Kai stared at her for a few seconds before he shook his head.
"No, I knew you will do that. It's better than waiting in line and not finding where to sit." Kai replied which made the girl sigh in relief and the two then walked inside.
Immediately, a man who looked like the waiter ran toward them and bowed down with a nervous expression.
"Welcome to our humble cafe, Miss Eva! P-Please, follow me to your seats."
The way the waiter was treating Eva showed clear fear and respect. His boss had just called him and told him to close down the place since a very important guest was about to pay them a visit and they must show them their best service possible. The reputation of their cafe relies on that.
Eva simply nodded her head briefly before she walked after the waiter with a cold expression with Kai in toe. His eyes kept wandering around, examining every nook and cranny of the place as if it was a museum.
This was a habit Kai learned in his days of being a hitman. Whenever he entered a new space whether it was a room, a house, or a hall, he would always examine it thoroughly and then create a three-dimensional map in his head in case he needed one.
This allowed him to always be ready in case something happened.
The trio reached the stairs that led to the second floor which was also a part of the cafe. The second floor was an open area that viewed the city from above. The tables here were very expensive and yet always full no matter what time of day it is.
However, this place now only had one table and two chairs close to the edge for the best view possible.
"P-Please make yourself comfortable while I bring the menu." The waiter said before he excused himself and walked away.
The two then sat down and instinctively looked at the world around them. Although the city they lived in was small, it was by no means unpleasant to look at. In fact, since the city was small and was near a forest to the west, the view was quite amazing from a high point. Coupled with the fact that the time was evening and the sun was on the horizon, burning its last embers before vanishing for the day. The orange color took over, tainting anything and everything in its shades.
Kai's eyes turned a degree warmer when he examined the sight. In the past few years, Kai grew fond of looking at the world from a window. There was a certain charm about it that he could only get attracted to. Maybe it was because he had never had the opportunity to appreciate it when he was drowning in the blood of his own victims.
Meanwhile, Eva's eyes shifted to her beloved and her breathing suddenly halted. For some reason, Kai's silhouette was now more captivating than ever for her. His aura, his calm expression, his rather gentle purple eyes. It was akin to looking at a piece of art drawn by a godly artist and colored with the shades of a divine palette. A swirl of emotions filled her very soul like raging waves.
"So beautiful…" Two words leaked out of her mouth without her noticing which made her eyes widen slightly and then went silent, hoping Kai didn't hear her. Immediately, she felt so embarrassed because she let herself say something so shameless.
A few minutes passed in a comfortable silence until the waiter came back and gave them the menu. The mood finally returned to normal as Kai examined the choices before he looked at the waiter.
"Black coffee, two spoonfuls of sugar, no milk, and a tiramisu, no toppings," Kai said in a precise tone as if he knew what he was going to choose from the start.
"Get me the same thing," Eva added before she gave back the menu.
"Tiramisus are still your favorite dessert?" Eva asked with a fond smile to which Kai nodded briefly.
"It doesn't taste bad." He added.
"I see…" Eva noted down that detail for the future before she finally moved to the main topic.
"So, what did you want to tell me this morning? I've been thinking about it."
The boy's aura turned a little colder. Kai was still annoyed by this matter but he had to get down to the bottom of it if he wanted to get rid of any potential problem that could arise.
"When I left your house the other day, I located the chaser and was able to extract some information from him. The most important one is… There is a very high chance that a High Officer put a bounty on your head."
Eva's eyes turned immediately sharp the moment she heard the two words 'High Officer.'
"Why would a High Officer target me? I don't have any connection with the guild's highest members. Not a direct one at least."
"Odd… Do you not recall anything you did that could've pointed their interest at you?"
"No. I haven't visited the HQ for a while."
Kai's eyes turned sharper as he realized that the matter wasn't as simple as he thought. No, it was far more complicated now that he asked Eva.
'A renowned hitman is now a target of an unknown High officer. The reasons are unknown and even the ones that accepted the task are unknown. Tsk…' Clicking his tongue, Kai had no other choice but to play along with this mysterious manipulator so he can drag them out of their hiding spot.
"The Red Rose Day… It's coming soon."
Eva's face frowned when she heard those words. The Red Rose Day, three words that would make any hitman from the guild shudder from simply hearing them.
During that day, the top 100 hitmen in the guild will sit around one table to discuss certain important matters like the current rankings of the guild, the new rules that might be added or retracted, and many other major events that were happening in the underworld.
However, that part wasn't the worst thing about the Red Rose Day but what comes after that is the thing that made hitmen despise that day. That day was simply important enough to change the rules of the underworld every single year when it happens and even shift the balance of power.
"Yes, it's in a few more months," Eva replied.
"That's a good opportunity to reveal the person behind this. I'm certain that if they were really after you, the Red Rose Day will be the perfect day to execute their plan. Or, in this case, they will take the bait."
"But, what are their intentions? I never did anything that could make them target me."
This was the question that bugged Kai the most. What was their goal? Killing Eva will only carry troubles to the Guild since the Lavine family was heavily involved with them.
"Something that is worth antagonizing one of their most prominent families for. What could it be?" He murmured as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
However, nothing came to mind.
"Sigh, it's pointless to keep thinking about this matter. Just keep an eye out in case any other hitman targets you and try to find any potential leads you could get. When the time for the Red Rose Day approaches, we will see what happens."
For a predator to catch his prey, patience is important and Kai's prey wasn't any prey, it was someone that could easily destroy his peaceful life forever.
Maybe it's not Eva that they are after. Maybe it's something completely different. Something that Even Kai can't guess or fathom.