Chapter Text
Decim’s eyes were still a little red when he brought Chiyuki to the elevators. Although she was still going through some of her own trauma from the events in the basement, Chiyuki was happy that the stoic bartender cried. She felt comforted that someone was going through the same emotions as herself. It made her feel less lonely. Chiyuki was also glad that she could comfort and reassure Decim in return. His new found vulnerability brought the pair closer than ever and now they were more confused than ever.
Unfortunately, there was no time for the two to sort out any feelings. Both Decim and she knew that it was time for Chiyuki’s judgment. Not just because it was Decim’s job as an arbiter, but also because the dead girl’s dummy was quickly falling apart. And once it did, she would disappear forever.
“Are you glad that you lived?” Decim asked. Still stoic, but Chiyuki noticed his tone was slightly warmer than before.
“Yes” Chiyuki replied as she nodded and flashed one of her signature smiles.
While Decim always found her smile fascinating, this one sent his heart a flutter and he didn’t understand why.
“That is wonderful. I hope to be the kind of arbiter whose guests leave here saying the same thing” he said.
Chiyuki was a little caught off guard because he sounded almost… passionate. It intrigued her, but there was still something missing.
“In that case, I think you should do something about your face” She said
“Huh?” Decim didn’t think there was anything wrong with his face.
“Can’t you smile or anything?” Chiyuki wondered and then gave him an example with her own smile.
Decim had never tried smiling, but he had seen it many times from guests and even fellow arbiters. It just never occurred to him to actually do it. He was willing to give it a shot. For her.
“L-Like this?” Decim asked through his forced smile.
Chiyuki laughed, “Forget it.”
“I am terribly sorry.” He was a little sad to have disappointed her.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough” She just wished that she could stick around to see that happen.
The elevator doors opened and startled both of them.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye.” Chiyuki could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She wished this goodbye didn’t have to be so hard. Rather, she wanted to stay.
“Yes, I bid you farewell Miss Chiyuki.” It took most of Decim’s energy to keep his voice calm. He almost felt like he was going to cry again, but he held it back. He wanted her to stay and he felt so selfish for thinking that.
“Bye-bye.” She internally cringed at such a lame goodbye. She tried to give her best smile to make up for it.
At the sight of Chiyuki’s smile, Decim thought of his fond memories of this girl. This momentary joy bubbled up in him and caused a slight smile to appear on his face. He was surprised, but also glad he figured it out before she left.
Chiyuki was not expecting him to smile, let alone smile with such warmth that she could feel it radiating in her own heart.
This caused two things to happen.
The first; Her tears immediately spilled over her face.
The second; She stepped out of the elevator and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. She had done this many times before, mostly out of anger or frustration. But this time Chiyuki brought the arbiter’s face to hers and kissed him.
She kissed him with all her might, like her life depended on it. With her right hand still tight on his collar, her left hand moved up to grab his beautiful white hair. Her eyes were shut tight, her heart was beating a million times a second, and her stomach was filled with so many butterflies, she thought she might explode.
Decim was confused and in shock as Chiyuki kissed him. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was the last thing he was expecting.
His confusion left him paralyzed. One part of him wanted to caress her face, run his fingers through her hair, hold her close, anything to reciprocate her kiss. Another part of him wanted to run away. He didn’t understand what was going on and that scared Decim. So instead of doing anything either way, he stood there wide eyed and frozen.
Chiyuki felt a piece of her dummy skin fall off and it jolted her back to reality. She knew time was up. She gripped Decim as hard as she could then reluctantly ended their kiss and let him go. Decim’s face was a cocktail embarrassment and confusion.
“I am terribly sorry” Chiyuki muttered as she stepped back into the elevator.
Her face was red and the tears kept flowing. Chiyuki gave him an apologetic smile and wave as the doors shut. Decim managed to wave back feebly, but his face still looked like he was in a trance.
Oh no, I broke him, she thought. She wasn’t really planning on such a weird goodbye, but she knew they would both forget about it soon enough. That both relived and saddened her. As the elevator moved up, Chiyuki closed her eyes and tried to prepare herself for whatever would happen next.
Suddenly, the elevator came to a screeching halt.
BANG!
What’s going on? She thought. Before she could investigate, her vision faded and she lost consciousness.
After the doors closed, it took Decim a minute or two to realize he was still waving. He moved his hand to his lips, still in disbelief that she kissed him. He could feel new emotions stirring up inside him, but he couldn’t place what they were. As he waited for Chiyuki’s body to return, he replayed the kiss over and over again, trying to make sense of it.
He jumped a little at the ding of the elevator. He couldn’t tell if it took longer than normal for her body to return or if he was just lost in thought.
Decim used his wires to move and reassemble her body. He dressed her in the crop top and skirt outfit he was so used to seeing her in. He set her in a chair behind the bar and looked her over to make sure everything was right. He still didn’t know what he was feeling or why she kissed him, but he knew one thing. Decim never wanted to forget his time with Chiyuki. The thought of forgetting her sent him through another wave of sorrow.
At that thought, he quickly walked to the phone and dialed a number.
Riiiing………Riiiing……… Riiiing ………Riiiing……… Riiiing
She usually answered right away. Decim could feel himself getting impatient.
Riiiing ………Rii—
“Hello?” said the young female voice on the other end.
“Miss Nona, this is Decim. I have an important question to ask you.” Decim paused, unsure how she would react to his request.
“Go on dear.” She said.
“M-May I keep my memories of Miss Chiyuki?” He finally said.
Nona gave a small laugh, “I was actually already planning on that.”
“Oh.” Was all Decim could say at first. He really wasn’t expecting that. “Thank you very much”
“Don’t worry about it, but just keep it a secret for now, alright dear?”
“Of course.” He replied
“Thank you, we’ll talk again soon.” She said and hung up the phone.
Decim was relieved and confused. What was Nona planning? Whatever it was, it was not his concern at the moment. He was just glad he would get to keep those precious memories of the girl he...spent time with? Found interesting? The girl he admired? While those were all true, Decim didn’t think they truly captured how he felt.
Even though Chiyuki would be reincarnated and never remember him again, Decim made it his goal to figure out his feelings for her.