Samael's mind froze for several seconds after hearing that revelation.
After all…
No one expected to stumble upon a song they genuinely liked.
And even less expected to meet the singer herself on the very same day.
The coincidence was absurd even for him.
Do I secretly have some kind of Fate-related attribute or something…?
Haru silently observed his reaction while taking another drag from her cigarette.
Bluish smoke slowly rose toward the night sky.
"You discovered my music today… so meeting me probably isn't that big of a deal."
Her voice remained soft.
Almost lazy.
Samael blinked several times before immediately responding:
"Of course it is."
The sincerity in his answer came out far too naturally.
"I'm genuinely happy to meet you."
For a brief moment, Haru looked slightly surprised.
Then she let out a small nasal laugh.
"I see…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Then tell me… what exactly did you like about that song?"
Before Samael could answer, she continued:
"Do you know why it has so few listeners?"
Her blue eyes met his.
Deep.
Beautiful.
Dangerously empty.
"Because only broken people can truly connect with it."
Samael immediately understood what she meant.
She was not talking about the song.
She was talking about him.
Or rather…
The cracks inside him.
But instead of hesitating, Samael simply shook his head.
"I disagree."
Haru slightly raised an eyebrow.
For the first time, she seemed genuinely curious.
"Oh? And why?"
Samael remained silent for a brief moment before calmly replying:
"Because if only broken people liked this kind of music… then it would be the most listened-to music in the world."
The night breeze gently swayed his pale hair.
Then he continued:
"This song is beautiful precisely because so few people are capable of noticing its beauty."
Silence.
Haru stared at him for several long seconds.
Then she smiled.
A small smile.
But strangely melancholic.
"You're an interesting person…"
She slowly exhaled cigarette smoke toward the moon.
"After all… you defended the music before defending yourself."
As she spoke, she slowly began walking toward him.
Step by step.
Until she stopped dangerously close.
The faint fragrance surrounding her resembled blue lilies drenched in rain.
Then Haru tilted her face slightly.
"But you still haven't answered my question."
Her blue eyes met Samael's golden ones directly.
Two different abysses staring into one another.
"What kind of crack do you carry inside you?"
And at that exact moment—
All the despair Samael felt toward America vanished.
Simply vanished.
As though someone had forcibly ripped that weight out of him.
His chest suddenly felt light.
His mind quiet.
Even his breathing relaxed involuntarily.
Samael's eyes widened slightly.
What…?
The night breeze grew warmer.
The scent of blue lilies became stronger.
Then Haru moved even closer.
Close enough for her voice to brush directly against his ear.
"Your despair was too intense…"
she whispered softly.
"I couldn't hold myself back."
Samael's heart accelerated.
"Thank you for the meal."
Those words should have sounded terrifying.
But strangely…
Haru looked more tired afterward.
More exhausted.
As though she had absorbed something poisonous alongside that despair.
At that moment, Samael felt that she resembled an absurdly beautiful blue flower…
One that attracted every pest toward itself simply to keep them away from other flowers.
Even if the process destroyed the flower itself.
"You're an Awakened…"
His voice came out low.
Genuinely impressed.
Earlier, when he had searched for Haru online, he had found absolutely nothing connected to the Nightmare.
Haru let out a small tired laugh.
"Unfortunately… yes."
There was real melancholy in that answer.
Then she slowly began walking back toward her house, still holding the cigarette between her fingers.
"It's not exactly safe for a lady to talk alone with a stranger in the middle of the night."
she commented casually while climbing the small steps toward the entrance.
When she reached the door, Haru paused briefly.
Then looked back over her shoulder.
Her long blue hair glowed softly beneath the moonlight.
"When things become too heavy…"
She smiled faintly.
A small smile.
Tired.
But absurdly beautiful.
"You can come find me, lost boy."
…She got my gender right.
That tiny detail alone made his heart even more vulnerable to the roots of that beautiful rose growing deeper inside it.
And then she entered her house.
The door slowly closed.
But Samael remained standing in the middle of the street.
Motionless.
Silent.
With a strangely unsteady heartbeat.
As though he were still intoxicated by that woman's magnetic presence.
Or perhaps…
Samael silently walked through the streets toward his apartment,
trying to suppress the roots that blue rose had left inside his heart and mind.
—
Samael slowly entered the apartment.
The silence inside the house felt even emptier without Mister Fool's presence.
By instinct, his eyes still searched for the little white cat atop the couch.
But no one was there.
Only silence.
Samael slowly walked into the living room before sitting down on the sofa.
His thoughts remained trapped in that conversation.
In that woman.
Honestly…
He wanted to talk to Haru again.
He wanted to understand who she really was.
Wanted to hear more of that melancholic voice.
Wanted to look once more into those absurdly deep blue eyes.
But at the same time…
He also wanted distance.
Because some instinctive part of him felt that getting too close would eventually destroy both of them.
It was contradictory.
Uncomfortably contradictory.
Samael slowly closed his eyes.
Maybe this is still the influence of her Aspect…
After all, that sudden emptiness inside his chest was not natural.
Haru had devoured his despair.
And somehow…
The absence of that weight seemed to have been replaced by equally dangerous emotions.
Curiosity.
Comfort.
Fascination.
Dependence.
As though his heart were desperately trying to fill the empty space left behind after the pain had been forcibly torn away.
Samael leaned his head against the sofa while letting out a tired sigh.
This poison is far too sweet…
And that was exactly what frightened him.
The danger surrounding that woman did not feel monstrous.
Did not feel violent.
It felt gentle.
Warm.
Welcoming.
And perhaps that was precisely why it felt so intoxicating.
After several minutes of silence, Samael finally stood up.
He needed to recover his own mind before the mission.
Needed to organize his feelings.
So he slowly walked toward the apartment balcony.
Moonlight softly illuminated the sleeping city.
Samael sat down on the cold floor.
And began meditating.
Trying to push away the emotional influence Haru had left behind.
Trying to silence his thoughts.
Trying to prepare himself for the hell awaiting him.
And so…
That night slowly came to an end.
Beneath the silent moonlight, Samael remained motionless while the gears of fate continued turning slowly.
And on the other side of the ocean…
The tropical hell was calling them closer and closer.
Slowly consuming everything around it.
Including…
The beautiful blue rose that dared to interfere with the path of that abyss.