Chapter 17 - A Familiar Face

Raito woke up at precisely 7:00 a.m. The villa was quiet—no crying, no sarcastic remarks, no demonic voices in his head. Just the gentle hum of early morning silence. For a moment, he almost forgot the chaos that had invaded his life.

Almost.

He rose from bed, stretched, and began his usual routine with brushing his teeth, taking a cold shower, dressing in clean, dark clothes that blended into the morning haze. As he adjusted his coat, he glanced at the fridge and grimaced. It was still pathetically empty, aside from the lonely ramen packets and an unopened bottle of hot sauce.

"I need to go shopping huh," he thought to himself, grabbing his keys.

He decided to walk to the store hoping the morning breeze would make him feel calmer.

The streets were just beginning to stir with life. A soft chill clung to the air as he made his way to the local grocery store. It didn't take him long to fill the cart with necessities—baby food, formula, fresh produce, rice, meat, milk, and more coffee which he didn't like but decided to buy it for Raika or otherwise she would throw a fit probably while he got some tea for himself.

As he stepped out of the store, bags in hand, he noticed a small café across the street. And standing there, cup in hand, was someone he really didn't want to run into this morning—Detective Yumi Aikawa.

He immediately turned away, adjusting his collar like a man trying to make himself invisible.

No such luck.

"Raito Yakamura?" Her voice rang out, crisp and unmistakable.

He froze, then slowly turned around. "Detective Aikawa."

Yumi took a sip of her coffee and walked toward him, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Didn't expect to see you out and about this early. You look... better."

"Sleep does that," Raito said coolly, trying to maintain his usual aloof expression.

She tilted her head. "Something weird happened yesterday. Those guys who hit you? They turned themselves in."

Raito raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said, eyeing him. "They looked like they'd seen a ghost—or worse. Kept muttering nonsense, twitching like they'd been through hell. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

He shrugged. "No idea. Maybe their conscience kicked in."

Yumi snorted. "Unlikely."

She studied him for another moment, then added, "You could file a case, you know. They did hit you with a car."

"It's not necessary," Raito said. "I'm not interested in dragging things out."

"Suit yourself," she said, then took another sip. "You do you."

He gave a small nod, hoping the conversation would end there, but of course, it didn't.

"You walking back with all that?" she asked, motioning to the bags in his hands.

"I'm fine."

"You look like you're hauling supplies for a small army," she said, already heading toward her parked car. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"I said I'm—"

"Don't argue with me. Just get in before I change my mind."

Raito was hoping she would do that but it didn't look like she was going to take no for answer.

So reluctantly he said okay, then sighed and followed her to the car.

From the shadows of his mind, Kurai's voice whispered with a chuckle. Aw, how sweet. A ride from your favorite detective. Should I be jealous?

Raito didn't respond. He just sat in the passenger seat, clutching the groceries tightly, and stared straight ahead, silently praying this detour wouldn't lead to even more complications.