"Ahh, my back is killing me," Rena sighed, scratching through her fluffy brown curls before slumping into her chair. The office was finally quiet, only the sound of machines could be heard. She had spent the entire day buried in account logs, typing until her fingers went stiff. Now that she had finished, she stretched, her shoulders sagging with relief.
Outside the wide glass windows, the sky had already turned dark, city lights blinking. She quickly clocked out, grabbed her bag, and hurried to the subway, just making it before the train's doors slid shut.
As the subway car sped along, she sat quietly, gazing at the reflections in the window. From an outsider's view, it was an ordinary ride. Men and women in work suits dozed off, checked their phones, or muttered into headsets. But to Rena, the how they looked was different. With her special eyes, she saw past the human disguises, fox ears twitching, scaled hands gripping newspapers, others having fluffy ears. Demi-humans, the so-called "supernaturals," lived alongside humans. No wars, no fights, just purely coexisting. Though some people purely cause trouble they are easily handled.
Rena's lips curled into a small smile as she kicked her legs lightly under her seat. 'What should I cook for Luka tonight? Maybe his favorite stew... or maybe something sweeter? Our anniversary is coming up soon after all…'
Rena herself looked no different from a normal young woman. Twenty-two years old, with warm brown skin, soft eyes hidden behind round glasses, and fluffy curls framing her round cheeks. At only 151 centimeters tall, she was often teased for her height, but the site ay she carried herself made her seem very mature and cool.
___
"Ehhh, what's got you grinning like that?" a voice teased.
Rena blinked and raised her head s she was now in the convenience store near her home.
Standing before her was Vance, the store clerk she always ran into after work and chats with whiles buying her groceries. He was in his twenties too, handsome in a way that turned heads, with bright golden eyes and long black hair tied neatly at his back. His tanned skin made him look almost like a model, if not the fact that he was working in a grocery store.Though for Rena eyes saw what most couldn't see, the two fluffy ears twitching on top of his head, and the dark tail happily swaying behind him.
"It's almost our anniversary!" Rena said cheerfully, her smile widening. "I can't wait to surprise Luka."
"Oh, him," Vance muttered with a scoff, his expression hardening.
"What's with that face?" Rena asked with a pout.
"I'll just say it straight," Vance replied coldly, his golden eyes narrowing. "I don't trust that man. Be careful with him."
"Oh, come on, Vance," Rena laughed lightly, waving off his words. "Luka's a good man. He works hard, he loves me, he…."
Vance cut her off, his voice colder than usual. "I saw him. This afternoon. He entered your house with another woman."
Rena froze, her smile vanishing. "W-Wait… what?" she stammered, her heart thudding in her chest.
"Let me guess," Vance tilted his head, studying her. "He didn't tell you, did he?"
"No…" she whispered, her grip tightening on the straps of her office bag. She forced a nervous laugh. "Maybe… maybe it was his sister?"
Vance's expression darkened. "She was far too clingy to be a sister. And she didn't look anything like him. Rena, listen, if I were you, I'd act carefully. Pretend you're going on a business trip or something. Just… test him."
Rena's throat tightened, her chest aching as her thoughts raced. She didn't want to believe him. Luka wouldn't… he couldn't.
"Stop looking at me like I'm lying," Vance said firmly, leaning closer. His golden eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her shrink back. "In the three years you've known me, have I ever lied to you about something this serious?"