SACRIFICE: [Ghoul Levi x Reader]

Chapter: [1] Staying late

A ray of light breaks through from under the door crack and weakly illuminates a dark room with no windows. Only the rhythmic sound of muffled measured steps breaks the silence. The door leads to a small room, illuminated by bright fluorescent lamps in the ceiling, which usually can be found in hospitals, or, as in this case, in fridge rooms. A  raven-haired man in a suit consisting of a dark-blue button-up shirt, black trousers and a leather belt puts on a long apron, protective gloves and a face mask. He then opens the drawer and takes out a knife, reflecting the cold light of the room with its sharpness, as well as several dozen of small zip bags and puts all of this on a small table standing near the surface with the lifeless body of a middle-aged man lying on it. The man carefully removes all the clothes from the body, folding them neatly on the counter next to him. He takes the knife with his right hand and starts cutting the body methodically and skillfully into small fragments, putting each of them one by one in zip bags. With one last cut, a drop of blood flies up to him and falls on his cheek.

"Tch."

*** 

Walking briskly through the university hall to the exit, I hope that I still have time to run home and leave my books and notebooks there. Light excitement spreads all over my body - it's the first day of my new part-time job at the coffee shop! I have been looking for a source of additional income for a long time, and finally finding a position with a flexible schedule and a close location to a university dormitory turned out to be great luck. Endless free coffee comes as an additional and very pleasant bonus.

After leaving my bag and quickly fixing my hair and makeup, I leave the building and head towards the cafe without slowing my pace down. It's only a few blocks from the university dormitory. Thank God, I don't have to take the bus. Finally reaching it, I stand outside for a bit to admire the view. It looks cozy and nice, with white flowers planted in pots on the cafe windows, a couple of tables standing by both sides of the entrance door, and glass windows with the cafe's name written on them: "Hime: coffee shop & bakery".

"Hime" I think "Princess. Beautiful name for a cafe!" I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders and go inside.

I've already introduced myself to my manager, Hiroshi-san, at the job interview, so now it's time for my tour around the cafe and kitchen and meeting my colleagues. Hiroshi-san introduced me to the other barista/waiter who will mentor me through my first couple shifts.

"Hey! I'm Jean!" A tall light-brown haired young man approaches me.

"Hey! I'm L/N Y/N. Nice to meet you!" I smile brightly "Looking forward to working with you here. I promise to not bother you with too many questions, heh."

"Nah, it's fine, ask as many as you need to. That's how you'll get to learn everything fast." Jean says, sending me a quick friendly wink.

Hiroshi-san nods approvingly. "Alright, I think we're done showing you around, now you can change into your uniform and get to work. Your shift for today lasts until 9:30 PM. Then we'll arrange the schedule in a way that won't interfere with your university studies. I'll get going. Good luck and have fun!" He said, leaving the cafe through the main door.

***

Work has been good. I didn't know I'd enjoy being a waitress and making coffee that much. Although sometimes my introverted nature dominates, giving me social anxiety vibes, the majority of the time I enjoy being nice and serving people. Hime radiates cosiness and it's not surprising that many people come here to relax from the frenzied rhythm of Tokyo.

I've already worked several shifts and got pretty much familiar with everything. The relationship with co-workers got warmer and I also met other people who work here. I was mostly given shifts with Jean, since he was assigned as my mentor and still needed to keep an eye on me. The other girl that works here part-time as a baker, Hinata, even taught me how to make cupcakes.