Chapter 18 - Chase

The ride started off quiet, just the faint hum of tires on asphalt and the occasional slurp from Detective Aikawa's coffee. Raito sat stiffly in the passenger seat, grocery bags balanced between his legs, silently counting down the seconds until he could return to the relative chaos of his own home.

"So…" Yumi started, eyes on the road. "What's with all the food? Stocking up for winter or just feeding an army?"

"Something like that," Raito muttered, staring out the window.

He could feel her glance sideways at him, like she wanted to pry more, but thankfully—

Bzzzt.

Her phone buzzed against the dashboard, screen lighting up with a message. She gave it a quick glance. Her expression sharpened instantly.

"Damn it. Hit and run just a few blocks from here. Black sedan. Speeding through intersections like a lunatic." She flicked her turn signal and veered suddenly down a side street.

Raito gripped the door handle. "What are you doing?"

"Chasing them," she said, already accelerating. "Sorry. I'll make it up to you, promise. And I'll make sure you don't get hurt."

"Let me out of the car."

"No time."

He looked ahead—and sure enough, a black car was weaving recklessly between lanes up ahead, nearly sideswiping a truck as it sped through a red light.

Yumi hit the sirens. "Calling it in," she said, voice suddenly all business as she grabbed her radio. "This is Detective Aikawa—visual on the suspect vehicle from the hit-and-run near 5th and Hoshino. Black sedan, four male occupants. Requesting immediate backup."

Raito frowned. He knew how this worked. Backup was never immediate. Not when it mattered.

The sedan skidded around a corner, and Yumi was right behind them. Raito could already feel the shift—the sharp tug in the air, the unmistakable pull of violence closing in.

When the black car finally screeched to a halt in an empty alleyway, Yumi followed and parked at a safe distance. She threw the door open and stepped out with her badge raised.

"Police! Out of the car—hands where I can see them!"

The response was almost too fast. All four doors opened at once, and four men emerged—grimy, agitated, and absolutely not in the mood to cooperate.

Raito stayed seated, eyes narrowing. Four against one. Yumi's stance was solid, but she was alone, and those men didn't look like they were going down peacefully.

"This is bad," he muttered.

From the depths of his mind, Kurai whispered, her tone unusually grim.

You're not going to sit there and watch her get torn apart, are you?

His jaw clenched.