The Sorcerer Killer's Third Chance (JJK x Re:ZERO)

Negotiation in the Slums

"I don't know who you are, but don't call me by the name of the Witch of Envy! What are you thinking?"

Toji's brow furrowed, his mind still tangled in confusion. "What?" he asked, his tone gruff, cutting through the tension.

The girl's eyes hardened, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. "I'm asking you what you're thinking. Speak up," she demanded, her words sharp, pushing past his vague response.

Toji's eyes narrowed, trying to understand what had just flipped this interaction on its head. "Huh?"

Her patience was wearing thin. "I'll ask this once more. ―Why did you refer to me by the name of the Witch of Envy?"

Toji stared at her, still not quite processing how they'd gotten here. "But isn't that your name?" he said, his confusion palpable, but his voice edged with irritation, as if daring her to prove him wrong.

"I don't know who told you that, but that's in very poor taste. You're at fault too for going along with it. ―The Witch of Envy, the symbol of all things taboo, merely mentioning her name is frowned upon. To think you'd actually call someone by that name."

The silver haired girl's voice was sharp, the irritation in her eyes unmistakable. Her words left Toji more bewildered than before, as if the ground beneath his feet had shifted without warning.

The crowd that had gathered around them murmured in agreement, nodding at her declaration. Their silent approval confirmed that, in some way, she was right, and Toji was... wrong. But why? What had he said that was so offensive?

He didn't get it. He'd only said her name. The name she had introduced herself with. Yet, she was reacting like he'd committed some unspeakable crime, and the people around them seemed to share her sentiment.

"What the hell is going on...?" he muttered under his breath, his usual composure starting to fray. The situation felt off, and it was pissing him off that he couldn't understand why.

"―If that's all, I'll be on my way. I don't have time for this."

Her tone was curt, cutting off any attempt at further conversation as she turned away, her silver hair catching the light as she moved. Toji stood there, frozen. He wanted to call out to her, stop her from leaving, but the name caught in his throat. If he called her that again, it'd only make things worse.

So, what was he supposed to call her?

In the end, he just watched her walk away, frustration boiling beneath his calm exterior, unable to do anything to change the situation.

"―!"

A soft gasp cut through the air, coming from somewhere above the canopy of a nearby stall. Toji's eyes snapped up just in time to catch a glimpse of something—someone—moving at incredible speed.

The figure leapt, and gravity pulled them down gently, but just as quickly they accelerated, riding the wind as if it had been guiding them all along. Dirty clothes, golden hair streaming behind—a fleeting image of the wind personified. Toji's eyes narrowed as he tracked her movements, the way she weaved through the crowd with effortless grace, her arm darting out to slip inside a white robe adorned with a hawk.

It happened in an instant—barely a moment of contact, but more than enough. The robe fluttered, and in the next breath, the wind was gone, the girl already turning away with a glint in her eye.

"Don't tell me―!"

The silver-haired girl's voice, now sharp with surprise, echoed across the market as her hand dove into her robe, frantically searching for something. When she came up empty, her eyes snapped toward the retreating figure, widening in realization. The wind had stolen something precious, and it was already vanishing into the crowd.