By Zephyria 
Why the hell is that bastard here?
For a moment, my mind went blank, but it soon began to race frantically. There was only one answer, and it didn’t require deep thought: get out of here. I absolutely could not run into that man. He probably wouldn’t be tactless enough to acknowledge me in a place like this, but the mere fact that he might notice my presence was overwhelming. There was no need for me to reveal my sexual preferences in such a manner. Especially not to that man.
“Where the hell are you looking? You little shit, today I’m going to—”
Without warning, I threw a powerful punch straight at his face. The man, who had been shouting and cursing, let out a short scream and recoiled. Taking advantage of the moment his grip loosened reflexively, I shook him off and hurriedly pushed through the crowd.
“Excuse me, sorry. Please move, just a moment…”
I repeated the same words over and over as I made my way out of the bar, occasionally shoving people aside quite roughly, but they only expressed brief annoyance before returning to what they were doing. The only thought in my head was that I had to leave this place immediately. Quickly, fast, before that man caught me.
Phew.
Avoiding Nathaniel Miller, I headed for the back door, barely managed to open the small exit, and let out a deep sigh. The noise that had been dizzying me now sounded faint beyond the closed door, and the surroundings were silent. The acrid smell of cigarettes was gone. In its place, the unpleasant stench of filth from the back alley hit me, making my face contort instantly.
Why on earth did that man come to a place like this?
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Who could have possibly imagined that I would run into that man, of all people, here, at this exact time?
Sighing once more, I checked the watch on my wrist and let out a curse. It was already well past midnight. It was too late to go to another club to find a partner.
“Damn it, bloody hell, fuck, piece of shit!”
I kicked the filth-covered wall and poured out a torrent of curses. Only after I had managed to calm my rage to some extent could I stop my outburst and catch my breath. There were no other options left. Other than going home.
I muttered more curses as I walked toward the main road to call a taxi. It would be difficult to find time like this again until the trial was over. That was why I had intended to let loose today, but of all things, the man I managed to hook was a married man with three children, and on top of that, I had to see Nathaniel Miller.
“Dammit.”
It was just as I gave the ground a frustrated kick. I heard the sound of a door opening and closing behind me, followed by rapid footsteps. The moment I instinctively looked back, someone suddenly grabbed my arm. The momentum sent me crashing against the wall. Dazed by the sudden impact, I could only blink for a moment before a coarse voice reached my ears.
“You little shit, where do you think you’re running? We have to finish what we started.”
Barely managing to focus my vision and identify the man, I let out an involuntary groan. The man who had chased after me was looking at me with a face flushed red.
“Seriously…”
A sigh escaped me out of sheer absurdity. I straightened my posture and brushed back my hair.
“Did you not understand what I said earlier? I told you I don’t do this with people who have partners. Stop wasting your time and find someone else. I’m sure there are plenty of trashy people who’ll sleep with anyone regardless of such things. Just like you.”
It would have been better to leave the last part unsaid. However, since I felt absolutely terrible, I didn’t bother restraining my expression and snapped at him as I pleased. The man’s face, distorted with rage, turned as red as strawberry jam, but I ignored him and turned away. I tried to leave, but the man wouldn’t leave me alone.
“You fucking piece of shit!”
With a curse, he swung his fist. It would have been great if I could have dodged it, but my reflexes weren’t that good. At best, I only managed to avoid a direct hit to the chin; instead, I was struck in the cheekbone and slammed hard against the wall.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped me. My vision spun, and I felt dizzy. As I blinked rapidly to regain my senses, another fist flew toward me. This time, it hit squarely. I collapsed pathetically onto the ground.
“Urgh…”
As I lay there letting out weak groans, I saw a blurred image of him hurriedly lowering his pant zipper and pulling his member out. Then, the man scrambled to strip off my pants, his genitals swinging, fully aroused from his anger.
The man had only one interest. Perhaps he judged that I had completely lost consciousness. But that would never happen. I didn’t miss the moment he let his guard down and kicked with all my might toward that filthy thing.
“Oh… ack…”
The man made a choking sound as if he were suffocating and slammed his head into the ground. I quickly stood up and mercilessly kicked the collapsed man. I kicked his curled-up body, rolling him half a turn, and then stomped on his exposed genitals again. I heard a scream mixed with sobbing from below, but I felt no pity whatsoever.
“Ugh, urgh, ugh…”
With a face smeared with tears, snot, and saliva, the man limped away, fleeing the alley. He looked absolutely pathetic, clutching his crotch and staggering away as if terrified that I might chase him.
He already has three kids, so he doesn’t need to have any more.
Thinking this, I spat on the ground. A mouthful of blood came out and landed on the cracked pavement. As I instinctively frowned, I suddenly caught a faint, acrid scent of cigarette smoke.
I suddenly felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. A chill ran down my spine, and my body shuddered reflexively, my eyes widening.
…No way.
Even as I told myself it couldn’t be, my instincts already knew. The faint sweetness mixed with the unpleasant smell of cigarettes seemed to prove it. I had definitely smelled this scent before.
It took a great deal of courage to confirm it with my own eyes. Fighting against the part of me that wanted to deny reality and run away in ignorance, I slowly turned my head. Suddenly, a shadow flickered at the edge of my vision. In the dark and filthy alley where even the few existing streetlights were broken, the clouds covering the sky happened to clear, and the eerie moonlight illuminated the scene.
Not far away stood a man of immense height, completely out of place in the shabby back alley. The very man I had tried so hard to avoid was, futilely, looking down at me. My face contorted, and I let out a low groan.
We simply stared at each other in silence. Nathaniel Miller, just as he had been the last time I saw him, held a cane in one hand and a cigarette between his lips. His deep purple eyes directed at me, and the sweet fragrance mixed with the cigarette smoke, remained unchanged. Even that strange, mocking sneer.