Chapter 14 - A Unwanted Responsibility

Raito stood at the doorway, blinking at the sight before him. A teenage girl—probably in her late teens—stood nervously with a baby nestled in her arms. The infant blinked up at him with wide, curious eyes, while the girl simply stared, as if waiting for him to say something first.

Before Raito could speak, a second figure approached from behind. A much older woman, stern-faced and composed, stepped up beside the girl. Her eyes locked onto Raito with familiarity, and something else… urgency.

"We need to talk," the older woman said plainly. "Privately."

Raito glanced around the neighborhood. Despite being quiet, it wasn't ideal for conversations like this. "Inside," he said, stepping aside and motioning for them to enter. "Let's not cause a scene."

Once they were seated in his living room, with the low hum of the TV providing background noise, Raito sat across from them with arms crossed, waiting.

"I'm Mei," the older woman began, gesturing to the girl beside her. "This is Raika, and the baby is Emi. They're the daughters of a man you worked closely with in the past—Ryu."

Raito feigned confusion. "I think you have mistaken me for someone else."

The woman smiled. "Cut the act, Raito, or should I call you Ashura?"

Ashura had been his codename during his time as a mercenary. The mere mention of it invoked awe from the others in the business.

He let out a deep breath before responding back calmly. "I don't know who or what you're talking about."

Mei ignored his words and continued. "In any case, he's gone missing. No word, no sign of him. We don't know if he's dead or just disappeared."

He leaned back, face unreadable. "And what does that have to do with me?"

Mei's expression hardened. "Before he vanished, he left instructions. If anything ever happened to him, you were to protect Raika and Emi. Until it's safe."

Raito scoffed. "No. Not my problem."

Without missing a beat, Mei reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed envelope. "He said you might say that. That's why he left this."

Raito took the letter, broke the seal, and scanned the contents. His jaw tightened as he read.

It was short, but sharp—laden with a quiet threat. If Raito didn't cooperate, Ryu had arranged for certain truths about his identity to reach some very dangerous ears. People who would love to settle old scores that would prevent him from ever getting a normal life, much less a quiet life.

It also contained a piece of paper that said, "I Raito Yakamura pledge to return the favor you have done for me" with his signature on it.

He had written that in return for Mr. Ryu helping him get out of the business, thinking there would never be a use for it since that rich old man always had other mercenaries he could rely on.

Raito let out a low sigh and folded the letter carefully.

"That geezer prepared for something like this from the start, huh?" he muttered. As he turned to them and replied sharply, "Fine. I'll do it. For now at least."

Raika looked down, biting her lip. The baby, Emi, gave a soft coo, completely unaware of the weight of the conversation.

Raito glanced at them both and frowned.

"Just don't make me regret this."