Villain Retirement

"The only danger in this restaurant is the flavor of our food, we make it…

…as if it will be the last meal you will ever eat in your life."

"What the…" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just blink a couple of times as she heard Riley's words. But before she could even say anything else, the guests and diners started clapping and raising their glasses at Riley,

"...These people are crazy."

"So please," Riley then once again started playing the piano, "Enjoy, because who knows…

…it might truly be your last meal."

And with those words, the diners once again continued with their meal. As for the man who attempted to stain the name of their new restaurant, he and his friends were escorted out of the restaurant by Esme.

***

"Damn it!"

The sound of a bin being kicked resounded in a dark alley as the man with the fly screamed out his frustration. His friends, also shaking their heads as they just stood there in defeat.

"Why would a restaurant like that even be here!? And why are their prices so low!? Are they trying to throw us out!? Their food is almost the same price as ours!"

"...You have to admit, though — those were some damn good fish."

"Whose side are you on!? We need to find a way to have them shut down, or we're done! 200 years, 200 years we've built our name here… and then suddenly all our customers are going there!?"

"Maybe… we should start lowering our prices?"

"No!" The man pointed at one of his friends, "You think I will let myself get bullied by a Class 7 entity!?"

"Class 7 Above. He's… basically a god — we should just let this go, Pat."

"No! He's a Class 7 Above, which also means that he is being watched at all times and is not allowed to hurt us at all. We need to—"

"Perhaps I can help you with your problem, everyone."

"What the!?"

The group could not help but just huddle together as they heard a familiar voice approaching them from the dark parts of the alley.

"Y…you!?" The man backed away along with his friends as he pointed at the white-haired man who emerged from the shadows.

"Yes, me," the welcoming smile on Riley's face very slowly turned ominous as his lips reached from ear to ear,

"I did not appreciate you bringing a fly to my restaurant."

"That… We didn't do—"

Riley raised a finger, locking the lips of the man, "And I definitely did not appreciate you putting a fly in my soup — it is very disgusting, and not to mention very disrespectful to the ingredients and the hands who made it possible. The broth we used, you see, has been simmering, not boiling… simmering for an entire night, controlled to ensure we maximize the flavor, but not too much as it would ruin the taste of everything else…

…and you wasted that."

"We… we just put it on our plate, man! It's—"

"Blasphemy," Riley sighed as he raised a finger.

"What are you—"

"!!!"

And before the man's friend could finish his words, they watched as the shadow behind Riley started to move and crawl closer toward them.

"That…"

Revealing that they were not shadows at all… but millions of dead flies clustered together. And before they could even react, the millions of dead flies then flew straight toward the man, or more specifically, through his mouth.

"Let me help you finish your meal, then," Riley breathed out as the man's friends watched as the man's entire body started to convulse; the flies, just endlessly entering through his mouth to the point that his cheeks started to bloat, and soon, his stomach followed suit.

It grew, and it grew… until it just exploded and burst; his guts, flesh, and the flies were just blown straight to the group's faces.

"You—What have you done!? You're… you're a Class 7! You shouldn't be doing this!"

"Help… help us!"

The only thing the group could really do was quickly run away…

"What… what is this!? What is this!?"

…Only to find that their way was blocked by an invisible wall.

"I have to very much admit…"

The group could not help but flinch and freeze there and then as they heard the sound of Riley's footsteps just screaming through their ears,

"...This feels like the first few times I started killing people before I even became Darkday. And it's…

…It's very fun. Intimate."

"Wait… wait, don't kill us! Please! He was his idea, we were… we're just following his orders!"

"Yes," Riley took in a long and deep breath as he let the men's screams just enter his ears, "This is it… the screams, and knowing I will be the last person to hear them in the entire universe."

"No…"

"Yes."

"…No!"

And with a smile on his face, Riley rushed toward the screaming and panicking men — before ripping off their limbs directly by hand.

"I will let all of you feel it, then…

…what it's like being simmered overnight."

***

"The Dark Alley Butcher."

"...I tend to disagree with you, but I think that's the only way we can call whoever is doing this."

"Oh, I didn't make the name — I just heard our men call it. Wait… I need to barf."

Dorothy and Jake were now once again in a dark alley. And once again, body parts were laid down like a painting on the walls of the alley.

"What do you think this one is, Suarez?" Dorothy asked as she took a step back to get a better look at the crime scene, "Doesn't it… look like they were arranged to look like an insect?"

"A fly," Jake wiped his lips, "It's a fly."

"Huh…"

"But Adams…" Jake then whispered, "...Are we not going to talk about your white hair?"

"What's there to talk about? Probably just hair that I didn't remove back before we all turned immortal."

"No…" Jake shook his head, "...I also noticed a few growing on my wife's head. And I searched the internet, and it's not just you two…

…those who were at least 35 or 40 above before the Blink happened, they've also noticed strands of white hair on them."

"Are you saying…" Dorothy whispered closer to Jake, "...Our time is moving again?"

"I don't know. But shouldn't it be on the news?"

"...Let's just let someone else handle that and focus on what we can," Dorothy then shook her head and sighed as she once again looked at the painting of death in front of her, "The restaurant owner, Zero…

…we should check on him again."

"Are you still going on about that…?" Jake sighed, "But fine, I think my wife's friends were dining in his restaurant at the time of these poor souls' deaths, I'll ask them about it."

"Hm…" Dorothy nodded as she walked away, "...While you do that, I'll go pay our chef a visit."

"...Can you grab me something from them?"

"Last I heard they don't offer takeouts," Dorothy chuckled, "Our restaurant's gaining quite a traction on the internet."

"That's what I keep telling you…" Jake sighed, "Why would a man as busy as that even bother being a serial killer?"

"I hope you're wrong, Suarez. But…" Dorothy took one final glance at the crime scene,

"...I have a very bad feeling that we are dealing with more than just a serial killer here."