Reze… that was an easy name to remember.
"Cael," he said, keeping his introduction simple.
He gave the soaking wet girl a quick once‑over before holding out his hand. Not for a handshake, nope, he stuck his hand in his pants pocket and started digging around.
Reze's eyes went wide in disbelief, like she'd just seen someone commit a crime in public, right there in the movie theater.
Could it be… was Cael really doing that in front of a bunch of strangers?
Was this how he expressed passion?
…Nope, he wasn't doing that at all.
"Found it," Cael said, pulling out a small packet of tissues and offering them to her. "Here. Not many, but you can use these to dry your hair so you don't catch a cold."
Reze exhaled in relief. So he wasn't a freak after all, just thoughtful.
"Thanks~" she said, taking the tissues without hesitation.
And then…
She didn't wipe her hair with them.
Instead, she carefully opened each tissue and stuck them all over her head like she was applying some bizarre face mask. Once they absorbed the water, they clung to her hair, turning her into what looked like performance art gone wild.
Cael stared, then let out a snicker.
Jesus… this looked like avant‑garde nonsense.
"Uh… Reze," he asked casually, "is this some new trend or something?"
As soon as he laughed out loud, her serious, focused expression melted into a warm smile.
"You look pretty good when you laugh," she teased, eyes bright. "I always thought you were the quiet type, didn't think you smiled much."
Huh.
Wait… she did all that just to make him laugh?
That was unexpected.
"How about I go get you a dry towel instead?" Cael offered.
She blinked and waved him off.
"No, really, don't go through the trouble," Reze said, smiling. "The movie theater's air conditioning is pretty warm. By the time the film's over, I'll be mostly dry anyway."
Yeah… given how warm it was so close to the vents, the tissues were probably overkill.
The movie had technically started, but Cael's attention was all on Reze and her handiwork.
"So uh," he asked, "why haven't you just taken the tissues off and thrown them away yet?"
Reze just stared at the screen with dreamy eyes.
"If they dry like this," she mused softly, "they'll look like paper scraps caught in my hair… like snowflakes and stars."
Snowflakes and stars?
Cael blinked.
Okay, that was… unexpectedly poetic.
"You an artist or something, Reze?" he teased.
She laughed — a genuine laugh — but right after, her face turned serious again, and tears began to well in her eyes.
"Reze?"
The sudden shift caught Cael off guard.
Reze took a shaky breath and said quietly, "I was just remembering something sad. My dog died. Two months ago, on a rainy day like this, he got hit by a truck…"
Cael listened, expression sincere and patient.
"Reze," he finally said softly, "I'm sorry."
He didn't brush it off like it was nothing. To him, losing a dog was real grief, just as losing something you love should hurt. Some people are lucky enough to have family, others find it in pets — and some lose both. He understood that feeling.
"It's okay," Reze said after a moment, wiping her eyes. "I'm okay now."
Silence settled as the movie rolled on. The plot was exactly what the title promised: a love story. Two people in love, torn apart by misunderstandings and life's harsh twists.
Cael was never big on mushy scripts, and this one felt like a cliché wrapped in sad music.
Ten minutes after it started, Cael left his seat. A minute later, he was back — two hot drinks in hand and a crisp sheet of white A4 cardstock tucked under his arm.
Reze had peeled off her tissue‑mask by then.
"Hot honey water," Cael said, offering her a cup. "Want one?"
Reze's eyes widened, a sly grin forming on her face. "If it's free, I'll drink it."
"It's not free," Cael snarked, "1,000 Yen a cup."
She jabbed the straw into her drink. "So expensive, Cael. You rich or something? Did you rob a bank or something?"
"Please," he said with a half‑smirk, folding that cardstock nervously. "I'm just a temp worker coasting through life."
"Liar," she said with a pout, "temps don't have money for fancy hot drinks."
Reze leaned over and watched Cael fidget obsessively with the paper, but didn't say anything.
"Honestly," she complained, glancing at the screen, "this movie is such a cliché. All those positive reviews must be paid shills."
"Yeah, I kinda agree…" Cael muttered.
Then, from nowhere, a small white Paper Bell appeared in his hand. Having nimble fingers was something Cael prided himself on — a basic skill for an Undertaker.
"Here," he said, offering it to her, "little trinket — burn it for your dog. With this, may he never get hit by a car again."
Reze's eyes widened for a heartbeat, and then she burst out laughing.
"Cael," she giggled, "are you actually that superstitious? You're like some kind of witch doctor."
Cael shrugged, unbothered. "Undertaker's job. If it were any other time, yeah — I'd probably charge for this."
"A Undertaker? That sounds scary…" Reze said, then smiled. "Well, it's free, so I'll take it for my dog."
Time passed, and the movie finally ended.
People around them were crying, sniffing, and sobbing over the sad ending. But Cael and Reze felt… nothing.
After the lights came up, Reze used her empty drink carton to scoop up trash around her.
"Cael," she asked casually, "why didn't you cry? Everyone else did."
"I can't cry," Cael said flatly, "and you didn't cry either, Reze."
Reze stretched and nodded. "Yeah… I only cry for my dog."
They walked out of the theater together.
Then Reze suddenly burst out laughing again.
Cael turned to her.
"What are you laughing at now?"
She just grinned.
"Just funny thinking about it," she said, eyes twinkling. "Cael and I, not moved by human sorrow — maybe we're just heartless devils ourselves."
===
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