Smile

"She then turned to me and asked me to kill her father instead. I stated that I couldn't be rehired during a mission unless the payment was more than what was offered. And I can't kill him before I made the contract, so I rejected the little girl once more."

"She started crying. I couldn't help but feel pity for her, to be born in such a cruel world with no one to turn to. So I took the risk and asked her what else I could do for her. I could kill the mother first and wait for another few days to kill the girl. She shook her head and wiped her tears away."

"I hope she had an ace up her sleeves. But judging by the circumstances, I highly doubt so," added Bryan, eagerly waiting for the conclusion.

"I wished as well, but it wasn't money that she offered me. It was her life. She asked me to kill her father after killing her. I hesitated since it was such a redundant thing to do. She then told me that she had stolen some precious gems from her father and handed them to me."

"I asked why she didn't just use the gems for the medicine she needed, and the girl said she couldn't live anymore. She was hated by life itself and wanted to die after her mother poisoned her. She thought I could be of some help, but I wasn't a miracle worker."

"I was, however, a person who has mercy on those who are victims of cruelty. The girl was so desperate to stop her father from hurting any more women that she'd put her life on the line to kill him. I found that amusing and heroic, despite her sad state of affairs."

"I agreed and took the gems as payment. When the mother returned, I asked if she could spare the older woman's life. She rejected it and asked me to get rid of her. Without any further words, I stabbed the woman and allowed her to bleed out in the bathroom."

"I asked the girl to play dead so that I could get her father to see that I had done the job without any fuss. After eating with the girl, I called the father to the area to tell him that I'd finished the job. He rushed over from his workplace."

"After some brief exchanges and counting the rest of the payment, I pulled out my knife. Killing that man was easy but looking at him begging for life wasn't. He cursed at me while trying to run away. But I was quicker than some sleazy old man and struck him in the throat."

"The girl was slowly dying as I told her I'd done the job. I embraced her in her final moments because I was off duty after doing two missions in a day. When she passed, the child had a smile on her face. That's when I finally knew why she looked so familiar."

"She was the girl that defended my brother in the playground. She had a smile on her face when she was playing with him. It was the same smile she had when she passed on. I wished that she could have played with other kids again."

I felt a sense of nostalgia as I told the story to Bryan. It wasn't the best ending, but it was one that I could give to the girl who was the victim of the world. At least, she got some form of closure and happiness in the end. She gave up her life so that no one else had to suffer from her parents.

The sad part was that she didn't have to since she could've gotten help sooner. But because I was afraid that things might get complicated for me, I didn't give it to her. She was still my target, after all. But I think she was beyond help in her condition, with me needing to feed her last meal.

"Your world and ours aren't too different either. I've heard of cases like this before, but I never accepted them because it was too heartbreaking for me. I had a family, but I've lost them because I foolishly ran away. I could never find them again."

"I pick the missions that have strong and interesting opponents. However, it's different for the Spearman Pillar. She willingly goes out to find these types of missions. And when she drags me along, I'd always put up a fight with her before going with her," explained Bryan, shaking his head.

I laughed as I heard the last line. Bryan sounded like a defeated boyfriend forced to go shopping for makeup with his girlfriend.

"What's so funny?" asked the Slayer.