Raito leaned against the wall of his room, arms crossed as his thoughts swirled with uncertainty. Kurai's revelation about her sister still lingered like a bad taste in his mouth. A demon, just as strong as her—maybe stronger—who had chosen a different path. A guardian, she said.
He didn't like the sound of it.
"Where is she now?" he finally asked aloud, his voice low and steady.
"Who?" Kurai responded, feigning ignorance.
"You know who. Your sister."
"Oh, her," Kurai sighed. "Must we talk about this again? She's irrelevant."
"She's not irrelevant if she's as powerful as you say she is. Where is she?"
"Somewhere far away. Not here. Not your problem."
"Kurai."
"What?"
"Where is she."
A long pause followed.
"…You're so annoying sometimes."
"I get that a lot. Now talk."
Kurai groaned like a child being dragged out of bed.
"Fine. If you must know, last I checked, she was sealed—or dormant, I guess—in some stupid ancient shrine in the mountains. North of the city. Some overly spiritual nonsense by humans who thought they could trap her 'evil' or whatever. They barely succeeded."
"Is she still sealed?"
"How should I know? It's not like I'm checking on her every weekend. All I know is, she's been quiet for a long time."
Raito frowned. "Why was she sealed in the first place?"
"Because she pissed off the wrong humans trying to play savior. She wanted to 'help' one too many people, and those people got scared. You know how humans are—kill or bind what you don't understand."
Raito absorbed the information quietly. Another demon like Kurai, trapped in a shrine up in the mountains. He wasn't sure what bothered him more: the idea of something like Kurai being out there… or the idea that this one might be trying to protect people.
And sealed or not, things had a way of waking up.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the bedroom door.
"Hey, Raito," came a sweet, teasing voice from the other side.
He blinked. That voice was unmistakable.
Akemi.
He stood up, cleared his throat, and walked over to open the door. As expected, there she was—Akemi Inoue, standing with one hand on her hip and a knowing grin on her lips.
"You didn't call," she said simply, tilting her head. "You said you would."
"I might've said maybe," Raito replied coolly, already in defensive mode. "And I misplaced the phone number. Somewhere."
Akemi let out a soft, melodic giggle. "You're a terrible liar, but I'll let it slide… for now." She pulled out her phone and held it toward him. "Give me your number. This time I'm saving it."
Raito sighed, pulling out his phone and typing his number into hers without much protest. He could feel Kurai cackling in the back of his mind.
"Ooooh, look at you, giving out your number to girls now. So grown up."
Shut up, he thought.
Akemi slipped her phone back into her purse and beamed at him. "Anyway, we're having dinner downstairs. Raika insisted. And her friends are excited too. You are joining us, aren't you?"
Raito stared at her for a long moment.
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. She was clearly enjoying this.
"…Fine," he muttered, defeated.
Akemi clapped her hands together. "Perfect! I'll save you a seat, mister maybe."
She turned and headed back down the hall, leaving Raito standing there, feeling somehow like he'd just been cornered by a professional negotiator in cute clothing.
He turned back into the room, rubbed his temple, and mumbled, "I'm too tired for this."
"And yet you said yes," Kurai cooed. "You're slipping, Raito. First the baby. Now dinner. What's next, friendship bracelets?"
He slammed the door shut on his way out.