"Uncle Crow?"
Reina's sweet yet stiff voice brought me back to my senses. I looked at her, giving her a reassuring nod before shifting my attention to two people standing before me.
Regaining my composure, I spoke with a calm tone.
"Yes, I'm Ian Crow. And you are?" I said, my eyes moving to look at Nuria and Ember simultaneously.
Both of them were different from their original appearances. The crimson red hair had been changed to a bright, light blonde color.
Nuria slightly lifted up her sunglasses.
"Can we talk somewhere more comfortable?"
And her blue ocean eyes winked at me.
…
The night in Octagram City which was known as the most advanced in the world was a spectacle to behold. The city's tall buildings dominated the skyline and streetlights illuminated the roadway below.
The sun was already set by the time we arrived at a cafe bustling cafe. The cafe was nestled in the heart of the city, surrounded by towering skyscrapers that lit up the sky with their neon signs and bright LED lights.
"Please, let's have a drink first."
Sitting opposite me were two beautiful creatures. Nuria and Ember, they took off their sunglasses and carefully hung them in their breast pockets. Beside me, Reina was eating a pancake.
Staring at my drink, a vanilla latte, I took a sip and tasted it.
I looked around the cafe, taking in the diverse group of people around me. A group of friends laughed and chatted at a nearby table, while a lone figure sat in the corner, typing away on their laptop. Couples cozied up together, lost in their private worlds.
"Mas– Uncle, I want to watch my favorite show," Reina said, breaking the silence at our table.
I smiled and handed her the tablet I had hidden under my coat.
Nuria glanced at Reina briefly, while Ember had her eyes locked on her.
"Such a sweet child," Nuria complimented.
I just gave her a silent smile and said, "So, what brings you two, the crimson here?"
Both their eyes widened as I said that.
"So you already know…"
"Ah yeah. It's hard to not recognize the smell of ash which is so familiar," I said, making up things. "No offense."
Nuria chuckled.
"Well, that will fasten things up," she spoke, her finger flicking a sound.
Immediately, I could feel a barrier of mana forming around our table. Judging by how the barrier was formed, I guessed this was to isolate sounds inside the barrier from leaking out.
"Now, let's get straight to the point. Is this you in the video?"
Nuria leaned forward, placing the photos and a video player on the table.
Examining them, I found out that they were photos of me. The portrait of my face was printed there, blue eyes shining in the darkness. Playing the video player, it showed me footage caught by a drone camera filming my action, killing the student whose real identity was a demon in disguise in the night after Neophyte Nexus a few months ago.
Of course, Nuria had no idea about the student's identity. Or was she?
I sighed and leaned back on my chair.
"Huft. You finally figured it out. It took longer than I had expected."
Nuria's expression turned serious and stern immediately as I admitted that was me in the video. Her once warm eyes suddenly emitted a cold aura.
Reina flinched as she felt Nuria's cold gaze at me. She instinctively hissed like a cat at Nuria.
Though Nuria seemed to ignore and was unbothered by that. Ember, on the other hand, found herself jumping back in her chair upon seeing Reina's reaction toward her grandmother's action.
"Looking at how you entered the campus ground undetected by our defense system, I must say you're quite skilled. But, why did you do it? Are there reasons for killing that student?"
I crossed my arms across my chest, still composed.
"I think you might already know the reason. Two months of investigation are enough for you to figure out everything, right? My identity, my motive, the student, and his secret."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Then, let me change my question. How do you know about them?"
I took a deep breath before answering.
"Believe it or not. I've been in the demon-hunting business since ten years ago. My family was killed by them, you see. And I want to get my revenge. As for why I killed your student–"
"Because he's a demon. But, how do you know if he's a demon?"
"Let's say I have connections that help me gather information about their whereabouts and activities," I lied.
Nuria leaned back on her chair, her expression softening a bit.
"I see. How much have you killed?"
I glanced over the window. A steady stream of vehicles zooming down the busy street, their highlights casting a warm glow over the pavement. People bustled along the sidewalks, their faces lit up by the soft glow of their gadgets.
Turning my attention back to Nuria, I replied. "Only two."
"Two?" Her brows arched, and curiosity spread across her face. "Ten years of hunting and you only managed to kill two of them?"
I cleared my throat.
"Correction. Ten years of planning. According to the intel, they recently started to be active, appearing this year. Expect the worst."
Nuria glanced at Ember, and Ember gave her a nod. Then, she stared at me for a while before throwing out a question again but I cut her off, my phone to be precise.
Ring—!
I reached for my phone and read the caller's name, it read 'Duck'.
A few minutes ago, while we were on our way to the cafe, I had asked for his, the third party help to dial my number at the designated time. The reason was so I could use that to excuse myself from this conversation.
Looking at the clock on the phone, it was already the time when he was supposed to dial my number and thankfully he did what I asked him.
I looked at Nuria with an apologetic smile, "Something comes up, I'm afraid I must take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality, Nuria Crimson."
She looked hesitant to let me go but eventually, she gave up when Ember clutched her clothes and whispered something.
"I understand," Nuria said with a sigh.
I lifted Reina who was lazily curled up on the chair and carried her. While I did so, I purposely dropped a piece of paper from my coat side pocket.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed Nuria's eyes were looking at the piece of paper that landed on the table.
As I headed to leave the cafe, I took one last glance at her table. She took the piece of folded paper, unfolded it, and read it.
With that, I left the cafe and disappeared into the sea of people wandering the city.
***
As Nuria and Ember read the note written on the paper, their eyes widened in confusion.
The note read: [Observing the sky at the new year.]
"New year?" they said at the same time, looking at each other.
