Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[Chuuya xR] A new world (1/2)

He didn't really know what had made him enter this particular bar, of all the ones at his disposal. Maybe because of the calm and distinguished atmosphere that came from the sign, with its elegant charcoal and gold-colored scrolls, and the facade with its lightly smoked windows, who knows.

A chime had sounded when he had pushed the double glass door open, and a roasted scent had reached him almost immediately, far from being stifling, with a few hints of alcohol here and there. The bar was decorated in dark, sober tones, starting with the black oak floor, passing through the iron chairs and tables of the same color, and ending with the wooden bar, a little lighter in color than the floor.

Lights scattered their warm, subdued glow over the entire room, and some plants provided a discreet and welcome touch of freshness. A few customers were seated here and there, in a serene calm as he had rarely experienced in the other bars he had visited.

The aroma of coffee and alcohol filled his nostrils, and he immediately felt transported to a whole new world, far from the chaos that was his daily life. Here, he felt that the blood on his hands and the atrocities in his eyes were a distant memory.

Slowly, almost as if he feared the magic of the place would fade if he took the next step, he walked over to the counter, looking at the chalk-covered slates to see what the establishment had to offer.

While the prospect of a glass of wine was all that had brought him into this bar, he decided at the last second to change his mind. As a man with greying hair and a virtuous moustache came to greet him and ask what he wanted, he finally opted for a coffee.

The waiter told him that he could sit at one of the free tables, and that his order would be brought to him directly. The young man threw his devotion on a place apart from the others, in a quiet corner along the smoked window giving on the street.

There, he discarded his jacket and hat on the chair facing him, sitting down on the other one and breathing a sigh of relief. Looking at his watch, he noticed that it was now a little after 1:30 in the morning. He was used to working nights, with his job in the Mafia, but he was much more exhausted than he usually was. And yet, he had even finished much earlier than usual today.

Fortunately, as soon as he thought about it, he was pleasantly surprised to see, out of the corner of his eye, someone coming towards him with a tray in their hands. However, instead of the waiter from earlier, whom he had expected to see, a completely different person was now facing him.

A girl, who couldn't have been more than his age, with a beautiful smile. So beautiful that he felt his cheeks become slightly red, so much he did not expect such an expression from the stranger, nor even such thoughts coming from himself. He was certainly much more tired than he thought at first...

The waitress was dressed in an elegant black, with a jacket, a tie and a skirt, which came a little bit above her knees dressed in tights, accompanied by a white shirt and dark shoes. Her hair was tied back, so that nothing would obstruct her vision as she served her customers.

"And here's your coffee!" she said with a sweet smile that radiated joy. "Thank you for waiting!"

"T...Thank you..."

He didn't have the opportunity to add anything else, too busy trying to control the blush on his cheeks to do so. Fortunately, the orange lights of the ceiling lamps were not strong enough to betray his sudden weakness.

"Oh! Is it yours?"

The young man turned his attention back to the waitress, who was pointing at the chair in front of him, where his things were placed. Without understanding, he nodded his head up and down, one eyebrow raised.