Tokyo Lights Through The Eyes of an Immortal (3)

Yoshi noticed the woman come in another 4 times that week. Usually alone, but sometimes with a scrawny pale kid who hovered around her as if she was light itself. However, it wasn’t the boys fault. Yoshi himself couldn’t help but feel strangely attracted to her.  The woman had an angelic aura which attracted even the worker of the devil.

Each time she ordered an earl grey tea and each time, Yoshi panicked on whether or not to add  poison to her drink. After some consideration he would decide against it and bring her the tea. She would chug it and then observe him.

At first, Yoshi thought she was just fangirling over his good looks, but the intensity of her observations made Yoshi feel self conscious about his actions. He became nervous and clumsy under her glare, making simple mistakes with orders and the recipes. After a few hours, the woman would gather her things and walk out of the door with a smirk. She was a woman of little words, so when she said things, they were concise and on point. Conversations, if you could even call them that, usually went like this with her:

“Your tea, ma’am.”

“Thanks.”

“Can I get you anything else? Our croissants are out of this world.”

“No.”

“Perhaps some kind of milk with your tea? We have oat, almond, whole, and 2% milk.”

“No.”

“How about a scone or-”

“I’m fine.”

At that point, he would nod, slightly bow, and go to take someone else's order, hoping to rub out that awkward interaction. Although Yoshi did not want to admit it, her presence was slowing down the number of sinners he was able to take out. He had already received two letters from upper management asking if something was wrong. After such a surge in numbers the past few weeks, these last couple of days were not providing optimistic results. Yoshi was concerned that the woman would become suspicious at how many times he slipped into the bathroom and might follow him.

Unfortunately, his mysterious customer always came during rush hour, when the cafe was at its fullest and the number of sinners was too. All of those menaces were slipping through his fingers and it was all because of her. So, when he noticed that she didn’t come in during rush hour on Friday, Yoshi felt excitement swell up in his heart. He worked twice as fast, poisoning sinners left and right. Once the final customer left, he was reminded of the feeling of exhaustion after a hard day at work, which he had missed greatly.

When he walked back into the main hall, he was shocked to see the woman's emerald eyes staring into his.

“The regular,” he heard her say as she fiddled with a pen.

“Of course. Anything else?” he sighed, already predicting her answer.

“A croissant.” Yoshi was taken aback by the sudden change in her order and his face showed it.

“What’s with the state of shock? You said they were good, didn’t you?”

“Yes...no...sorry,” Yoshi stammered, “Our croissants are really good. I was just a little surprised, that's all.”

“Still planning your murder, I see,” she remarked, eyeing the unfinished book on the counter.

“Can’t find a place to hide the bodies,” Yoshi joked, a little close to home.

“I would imagine, the cafe isn’t that big after all,” she laughed, and a blush flooded Yoshi’s cheeks and ears. The tea kettle whistled, warning Yoshi that the water was boiling. While Yoshi was preparing the tea, he noticed her zone out as she stared at the mesmerizing city lights.

He took the liberty to observe her himself. Her sharp jawline led to full lips and her flawless skin was untouched by makeup. Wavy brown hair covered half her back and her dreamy expression balanced out her feisty personality. Her head snapped towards him, but Yoshi averted his gaze just in time.

“Your tea and croissant,” Yoshi said, setting her drink and food down in front of her. Closer up, he could smell the scent of perfume and see a few strands of silver hair slipping out behind her ear. As she sipped at her tea, her eyes looked at Yoshi and the seat across from her, indicating that she wanted him to sit down.

“Have you worked here for long?” she asked, sipping at her tea.

“Yeah, a few years now. What brings you to Tokyo?”

“A little bit of detective work.”

A little uneasy but intrigued, Yoshi pressed, “What for?”

“Nothing you should concern yourself with,” she said dismissively.

“I guess…” he said, suspiciously as she finished her tea and stood up.

“I’m Niko, by the way. I’ll see you around Yoshi,” she said, leaving the cafe.

The coffee maker sat at the table for a few more minutes. In front of him sat an uneaten croissant and a cup drained of tea. Yoshi furrowed his eyebrows trying to remember when he gave her his name.

After locking the door, Yoshi made his way to his apartment a few blocks away.  The cool autumn air sent a shiver through his body which had grown accustomed to the warm embrace of the cafe. When he finally got home, the cool air had calmed his mind and he was able to think straight. He couldn’t wrap his head around his peculiar customer. Her strange ordering habits, her hidden silver hair, her ability to drink scorching hot tea, and her strange power to attract those around her all added to her enigmatic personality. Not to mention, the unsolved mystery of the purple light that sat unchecked on top of her head.

Yoshi’s curiosity had twisted into frustration and worry. It was unlikely that Niko had any idea of what he was doing at Cafe Afterlife, but she was still an unpredictable risk. Her constant observation was not causing nothing but trouble. With all of this in mind, Yoshi finally made the decision he should have made when he first met her. A smile tugged at his devilish face as he went to bed, excited to see Niko for the last time the next day.

***

Unfortunately for Yoshi, Niko didn’t go to the cafe for a week after their last encounter. Every time the door opened and Yoshi swung his head over to see who it was, he was disappointed.

By next Friday, Yoshi had completely given up on his diabolical plan and was just grateful she was gone. However, an unpleasant surprise awaited him as he walked out of the storage room.

“Long time no see,” Niko called out from the same table as last time.

“The regular?” he asked, filled with excited jitters.“Yes please,” she answered.

As the tea brewed, Yoshi asked, “How have you been? It’s been a while since you stopped by. Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just a family emergency. Everything is okay though.”

Yoshi nodded, not wanting to push any farther into personal matters. The tea looked about done, so Yoshi reached for the “whole milk” canteen that contained the flavorless poison. He measured out ½ teaspoon and added it to the earl grey tea.

“Here you go, Miss,” Yoshi said, placing the poisoned tea in front of her. Just like always, she drank it remarkably fast, despite its temperature. Just like always, she stood up. Just like always she made her way to the door. But this time her hand wobbled mid air as she reached for the door handle. This time her knees began to tremble below her as her stomach grumbled.

Yoshi felt a small smile form as she leaned against the wall to steady herself. He folded his arms in front of himself and leaned back on his chair, admiring his unfolding plan. Finally, Niko collapsed against the wall, sliding down it until she hit the floor. Yoshi strolled over to the body and picked up the dead woman. He checked for a nonexistent pulse before hoisting her up and carrying her bridal style to the storage closet.

Opening the body disposal slide, Yoshi inspected her. The wig on her head had slid to the left, revealing more silver hair. He slid her legs into the slide, taking one more look at her peaceful face.

“Don’t worry Niko, Hell isn’t as bad as they say it is,” Yoshi said, pushing the rest of her body through and closing the door. He stood up and dusted off his hands. “It's worse,” he finished with a sadistic chuckle.