Chapter Eleven - [World: Mob Psycho 100]

I didn't really care all that much, to be honest. Food was food, and what was the worst she could order? Clams? Here? Nah.

"Yeah, I'm alright having what you're having," I said with a yawn.

Tsuyu gave me a smile and nodded, relaying my order to the receptionist. From there, we went and took a seat at one of the tables. It had a lovely view of the orange skies outside. If the woman in front of me wasn't an assassin, this would almost seem like a nice date.

"I've decided, Fim. I'll take the Blink ability. Though, I thought I already had a teleportation power?"

"Ah. That one would only allow you to move objects. This one would let you move people. An interesting difference, isn't it?"

His voice rang in my head.

"You like to do that a lot," Tsuyu suddenly pointed out. "Looking off into space as if you were having a conversation in your own head."

How the- she was a sharp one. I guess it came with the job. Any dull assassins would probably end up dead, after all.

"Just thinking about something," I said dismissively. "I'll probably have to head home soon."

What was it that Fim said again? Time passed almost one for one in this place and I'd already been here for almost two days. I'd have to get back to work or maybe call in tomorrow, which meant probably leaving tonight. It was a tall hike up the mountain…

"Oh?" Tsuyu's voice had a hint of eagerness in it. She leaned closer and gave me a curious look.

"That sounds exciting. How soon do you think?"

I rolled my eyes. She'd really helped me out. By this point, I'd be a real ass if I left her behind. But I still wasn't sure. There was always that little voice in the back of my head telling me she'd jump at the first chance she got to put a knife in between my ribs.

"Not sure. I'm still thinking, right?"

She blew a sigh and gave me the most innocent smile she could.

"I-"

"Your foods here!" A friendly waitress came up with a chipper grin on her face. "Sorry for the wait, but we're a bit busy today."

"It's alright, "I said with a smile, scooting back a bit so she could place our food on the table.

Grilled sandwiches. Cheese and a bit of ham. It had my mouth watering. I turned and gave Tsuyu a questioning look.

"What?" she asked with a pout I could definitely call cute. "Did you think I was going to give you fried pickles or something?"

I nearly gagged at the mental image. Why would anyone fry pickles?!

"Maybe," I said with a small chuckle. "Not something that bad, but I wasn't sure what I'd get. The possibility was always there, though."

Tsuyu rolled her eyes.

"Than maybe you should pay attention next time," she said with a giggle. "Habit is our weakness. It's why you should try to never visit the same shop every day, or even every month. A favourite meal is just another easy way to strike at your life."

"Yeah, I've seen a few movies that say stuff like that."

With no reason to keep pushing it back, I reached down and took a bite out of my sandwich. It was delicious!

"Either way, I'm glad you liked your meal," Tsuyu said with a smile. "Though, do you prefer this to my cooking?"

Really? Did she just-

"Assuming there's nothing nefarious going on with it," she added a second later. The teasing smile on her face was anything but funny.

God, she really liked to push my buttons…

"I guess yours is better," I replied with a shrug. It really was. I'd probably like it a lot more now if I didn't have to worry about it being drugged. But, oh well.

"You know, I'm not going to have a place to live when you take me with you," she mused. "If you'd be willing, I wouldn't mind trading my cooking services for a warm bed and a roof over my head."

It'd be a good deal. She'd be close where I could keep an eye on her and I'd get home-cooked meals. But then again, it ran into the issue of trust.

"I'll think about it," I said with a nod and continued munching down on my sandwich.

It was so good!

—————

By the time we reached Tsuyu's house, it was already night. Thankfully, there hadn't been any distractions on the way back. At least none that really worried me. Sure, she stopped by a random flower shop and bought some kind of purple flowers. "Iris" she called them.

"I think I'll take them with me," Tsuyu said with a smile as she placed them in a tiny vase.

I was sure there was more to her words, but it all just flew over my head.

Aside from that small stop, we found ourselves just relaxing by the couch as the minutes ticked by. At one point, Tsuyu went up to take a shower. This left me alone with my thought.

It was now or never. I had to make a choice whether to take her with me or not. The latter would be a massive betrayal, but it would also be the "smarter" choice. Carrying her home was by far the riskiest thing I'd done in my life, well, aside from trusting Fim.

Could I really do something like that again? But at the same time, I knew I'd feel horrible just leaving her here after everything I'd said.

At the end of the day, Tsuyu didn't seem like an evil person. She was just a flawed human, like me. Her life had been one of strife and danger. Since she broke free, every day had been one of looking over her shoulder for the next person after her life.

It was maddening way to live.

I sucked in a breath.

Tsuyu… I-

A choice had to be made, but what was the right one? Tsuyu… I'd be lying if I said she didn't help me. I sucked in a breath and got up, walking towards a nearby mirror. Most other guys would probably have their minds full thinking about what Tsuyu was up to in the bathroom. She really was a beautiful woman but she was more of a femme fatale. She could kill a man with just a flick of her wrist. Hell, she didn't even have to be in the same room as them to do her work.

I sighed. She was trouble, that was for sure, but I couldn't just leave her behind. And that was the heart of the matter. My choice had been made long ago and I was just bad at coming to terms with it. There was, however, a few things to discuss.

I moved away from the mirror and took a seat back down on the living room couch. It didn't take very long for Tsuyu to finish her shower and come back out, towel wrapped around her body. Wait… was she naked under- no. No, she wasn't.

I blew a sigh.

"Are you trying to mess with me?" I shot back at the woman who just loved to tease me.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a grin. "I forgot my clothes, so I'm going upstairs to get them."

I shook my head.

"Look, I decided to take you along, alright?"

That had her biting her tongue. The smirk on her face was wiped off real fast.

"Really?" a hint of her true self broke through the veil. The hope and relief in her voice were palpable.

"Yeah, but we need to talk about something, so go get dressed."

She raised a brow and dropped her towel. Just like I thought, she was wearing her clothes underneath. What a damned tease.

"So what do we need to talk about?"

I sucked in a breath and tried to calm myself.

"When we head back, what's your plan?"

She blinked, clearly caught off-guard by my question.

"I honestly didn't think about that," she mused. "I guess I'd have to find a job."

Her eyes travelled across the large, furnished house.

"You said there was a version of Japan in your world, right? I'll probably take all the money I can and try to cash it in over there. Then again, there's no guarantee that it'll work."

A scheming look crossed her face.

"Best to take jewelry instead. That sells for a decent amount everywhere."

"If you want, I'd be willing to let you stay at my place," I offered. It was what most would call a "dumb" move, but It still felt like the best choice. I'd get to keep an eye on her and she didn't have to go kill someone to take their house or something.

"That's mighty generous of you," she said with a small laugh. "And you're doing all of this out of the goodness of your own heart?"

I blew a sigh.

"We both know you're too dangerous to just leave alone. With this, you get a house to live in and I know you're not killing people or something. At least when you're with me."

"So you're saying I'd be like your pet? You won't let me out of your sight and the moment I do something wrong you'd 'discipline' me?"

…

"If that's what you want," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Look. I'm not asking you to tell me every time you need to use the washroom or whatever."

"But what If I wanted to?"

…

"Please don't…"

She giggled, a huge grin spreading across her face. Unlike the normal ones she wore, this one had genuine joy to it. The laugh that burst from her lips a second later was full of that same emotion.

"I have to admit, I thought I'd need to try a bit harder to convince you," she said after taking a moment to calm herself. "Here I was, ready to give my heart and soul just so you could carry me away to a place free from trouble."

"I wouldn't call it free of trouble," I shot back. "I'm sure showing up without any I.D in a world you know nothing about is hard enough as is."

She leaned forward a bit.

"Then I guess It's a good thing I have you to help me out," she said with a wink. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to pay you back in full for all the help you've given me."

Yeah, sure.

"What about all the stress you made me feel?"

Seriously!

"You drugged me, tied me to a bed, and then tried to stab me."

A devilish smile spread across her face.

"You know, a lot of people would kill for two of those things."

Yeah, well I wasn't one of them!

"Anyways, I want to get back home by tomorrow morning. Honestly, I think I'll call in sick tomorrow."

Going back to work after everything I'd done today felt like a bit much.

"You could take the whole week off," she gestured to herself. "If you're letting me stay with you, I wouldn't mind paying rent."

A small, sly grin tugged at her lips.

"I have several caches of jewels here and there. I could go get them and let you have a few."

While that sounded amazing it would also leave me in her debt.

"You're going to grab them even If I say no?"

She nodded.

"I'll need money for myself. I won't be able to bring everything I want, but it'll be a good start."

I blew a yawn and nodded. It was getting pretty late. If we were going to head out so I could get home by morning, it'd be best to go to bed right now.

That did leave one thing up in the air, though. Was I ready to leave? Honestly, probably not. There was a lot I could still do here, but sticking around any longer would probably have a few too many heads turning my way.

There really wasn't much I could do about that. Anyways, it was time to sleep.