Bitter Coffee

Richard strolled over to a vending machine, the fluorescent lights casting an glow on his face as he inserted some yen into the slot. The machine hummed to life, dispensing three cans of coffee. With the metallic clinks, Richard retrieved the cans, heading towards the parking lot adjacent to the Miamoto's apartment building.

"Here," Richard said, handing a can of coffee to Julia, who, along with Sasaki, perched on a safety fence. Julia accepted the can, and Richard offered another to Sasaki. "Thank you," Sasaki uttered in a monotone voice as they all cracked open their respective cans and took a sip.

"I don't get why I'm the one paying, considering you're the one that attacked me," Richard stated, glaring at Julia, who casually shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not the one who's loaded with cash. Also, don't act like you didn't provoke me. I just wanted to ask questions," she explained, meeting Richard's annoyed expression with indifference.

"Blah, how do you two drink this? It's so bitter," Sasaki commented, seemingly oblivious to the tension, as he lived in his own world.

"Anyway, you're a Monster of Humanity, right?" Richard probed, a straightforwardness in his tone as Julia casually took another sip of her coffee. "Yeah, I am. Thought you already knew." she replied with a hint of indifference, her silver hair glinting under the artificial lights.

"It's just that you seem... normal? Well, not normal. You did try to kill me. But you don't seem, let's say, touched in the head like a certain someone," Richard remarked. Having encountered only two other Monsters of Humanity, Sasaki and the one he killed, both of whom exuded detachment and stoicism, Julia's demeanor struck him as distinct.

"Oh, that's because my monster species aren't just beasts like Sasaki's. My kind is more akin to something like orcas in terms of intelligence, while Sasaki's is closer to a tuna, so I'm more used to complex emotions" Julia explained matter-of-factly, prompting a raised eyebrow from Richard. "What's wrong?" Julia inquired, noticing his contemplative gaze.

"I didn't expect you to actually answer," Richard admitted, causing Julia to sigh. "It's not like it matters. You already know a lot more than you should. Jesus, I'm so dead if someone finds this out."

"Why the hell did you attack me then!? I thought your whole deal was, 'Our organization is a secret, and anyone who finds us out is dead.' That's why I thought you attacked me!" Richard exclaimed, his voice betraying a mix of frustration and confusion. While he had a penchant for the occasional deadly fight, (Fucking insane), he didn't relish getting hurt for no apparent reason. "Don't yell," Julia replied, unfazed, before taking another sip of her coffee, further irking Richard. "I attacked you for several reasons. One, you pissed me off. Two, you looked like you were going through the Miamoto's trash, which made you suspicious. And three, after you killed one of us basically alone, I thought you might be a hunter," Julia explained, each reason delivered with a matter-of-fact tone.

As she spoke, she noticed Richard's eyes light up. *Oh god, no.* She braced herself as Richard bombarded her with questions. "What's a hunter? Are they some secret organization that hunts MoH'es? Have you seen any? What do they look like? Have you killed—" Julia raised her hand, signaling Richard to shut up.

"Good lord, why do you want to know this so badly? Seriously, what's wrong with your head?" Julia asked with a sigh, her patience waning. Sasaki, in his characteristic monotone, added bluntly, "I think he's just a pervert." The comment hit Richard like a well-aimed arrow, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"Anyway, Julia-san, why did you come here?" Sasaki asked, handing his barely touched coffee to the slightly stunned Richard. Julia turned her gaze briefly to Richard before emitting another sigh. "Screw it, if he knows, he knows," she mumbled, then faced Sasaki. "You'll have your first fight tomorrow. You're all healed up, right?" Sasaki's face showed a hint of surprise, or at least, as much surprise as he could muster. He nodded, "I am, but I only got qualified yesterday. Why am I fighting so soon?"

Julia finished her coffee before explaining, "To protect your friend here. I told the others that you killed Hideki, and because of that, they want you to fight earlier than usual. They think you have bloodlust."

"So, do you guys just fight for the sake of it, or what?" Richard interjected, still very much present in the conversation.

"No, they're getting selected for something like a tournament. Don't ask me; I don't know the details," Julia replied with a shrug.

"Who will I be fighting?" Sasaki asked, seemingly unconcerned about the reasons. "You will be fighting Isamu-kun, the one you met during the introduction, remember?" Julia replied. Sasaki tilted his head slightly, seeking clarification, "He's the one from Okinawa, right?" Julia let out a sigh, "One of the people from Okinawa, not the one from Okinawa, but whatever, you at least know him."

"So, where is this fight happening?" Richard blurted out, not bothering with subtlety. Julia shot him an unimpressed look. "Do you think I'm stupid? If I tell you, it's a one-way ticket to you showing up there," she retorted, waving off the question. Julia was already treading on thin ice with the information she had shared; if she told Richard where the fight was going to happen, it all but guaranteed her death.

Richard nonchalantly shrugged. "Well, whatever. I know a fight's going to happen, so I'll find it on my own," he declared confidently. Julia, clearly exasperated, asked, "Do you not care about your own life?" She massaged her temples, already weary of Richard's antics.

"Of course, I do. My life is above the lives of others, after all," Richard replied casually. Julia rolled her eyes as Richard continued, "But all of you are worth risking my life for. You're all so damn interesting."

"You manage to make us seem normal by comparison," Julia remarked, and Sasaki nodded in agreement.

Then, out of the blue, a beep interrupted the conversation. Julia swiftly reached into her coat pocket, retrieving a phone. "What is it now?" she muttered, reading a message on her phone. After a moment, "For fuck's sake!" She exclaimed in frustration, startling both Richard and Sasaki. "What's wrong?" Sasaki asked as Julia stood up, putting her phone back into her pocket. "I have to go hide another body," she sighed, sounding tired. The casual mention of hiding a body momentarily flew over Richard's head.

"Another body?" Richard questioned, his mind catching up. "Yes, another body. Do you think we just leave corpses lying around or something?" Julia retorted, slightly exasperated. Richard shrugged, replying, "I don't know how you weirdos function. Actually, I wanted to know what happened to the body of the guy that I killed." Sasaki interjected, explaining, "Julia-san is the one who hides bodies, well, one of the people who hides bodies."

"The man you killed was Hideki. Learn his name before asking about his corpse," Julia said, a sigh escaping her lips. Richard responded with an uncaring shrug. "Why should I bother to learn the name of someone so far below me?" he said with a grin, eliciting another sigh from Julia. *That seems to be her quirk,* Richard thought, observing her.

"Whatever. I hid his body, so don't worry. You won't be any trouble even if the police find it."

"Well, that's that mystery solved, I guess," Richard remarked as Julia gazed down the road. "Listen, it's been awful chatting with you, but I have to go now," she said, starting to walk down the road. "Sayonara, Julia-san," Sasaki bid farewell with a wave, displaying as much enthusiasm as he could muster (which was minuscule). Julia paused to look back at Richard and Sasaki.

"Yes, goodbye, Sasaki, and you," she pointed at Richard before continuing, "You better not pop up at the fight tomorrow because not only will you be killing yourself but also me. Understood?" Richard didn't say anything, only offering her a toothy grin. Julia sighed before turning around again and began to leave, not forgetting to add, "Don't stay out late, both of you." Soon, she vanished from sight as she walked down the road.

"Well, that sure was neat, wasn't it, Sasaki?" Richard asked, turning to Sasaki, who also sat up from the safety fence. "Was it? I just learned I will be fighting someone, maybe even to the death," Sasaki replied, though he didn't express much concern.

"Obviously it was! I learned so much about all of you," Richard said, his tone exuding excitement. Sasaki tilted his head and said, "Okay? But that does cancel our plans for tomorrow." Richard waved him off, "Who cares? You can hang out with me whenever you want, but a showdown like those MoH fights? That's rare, right? Or is it common? I don't know, actually. How often does it happen?" he asked, to which Sasaki shrugged, saying, "I don't know. I'm still new to the whole organization." Richard nodded, then put his hand to his chin, "Now I just have to figure out how to get to this fight." Sasaki tilted his head, asking, "You're actually going?"

"Hell yeah, I am! There's no way in hell I'm missing out on something like this!" Richard declared as Sasaki just shook his head before walking away. "Where are you going?" Richard asked. Sasaki replied, "Home, and you should too; it's getting late," before he walked away from Richard, heading up the stairs of his apartment building. Richard watched him go, saying to himself, "I guess I should be going. I'm hurting pretty bad, and I'm going to need all my energy for tomorrow anyway." With that, he began the long walk back to his house, thinking, *Can't wait for tomorrow!*