The door clicked open with a low beep as Raito stepped inside, his arrival as casual and silent as always.
Raika sat cross-legged on one of the beds, a pillow hugged to her chest. Yumi had been brushing out her hair near the mirror, but both girls immediately looked up when they saw him.
"Took you long enough," Raika huffed, tossing the pillow aside. "You ditched us on the bus."
"I didn't ditch anyone," Raito replied coolly, closing the door behind him as he slipped off his shoes. "I had some work to do."
"Right," Raika muttered, unconvinced. "Work."
"I'm here now," he said, shrugging off his coat and hanging it over the back of a chair like he was in his own villa. "That's what matters."
Yumi blinked at him, trying to gauge if he was joking—but of course he wasn't. She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Wait…" she said slowly, glancing around the hotel room for the first time with a more critical eye. "Is this… the only room?"
"Yeah," Raito replied, already pulling his bag toward the nightstand. "One room. It's free. I'm not paying for another."
Yumi froze. "Wait—so we're all staying here?"
Raika blinked. "You didn't realize?"
"I—I thought there'd be more space, or—I mean, three adults and a baby in one room?"
"It's a big room," Raito said, as if that explained everything.
The girls glanced around. Big, yes—but there were only two beds.
A thick silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Raika's brain immediately imagined Raito getting into bed beside her like it was no big deal—his cold, unreadable face inches away on the same pillow. Her face went pink in an instant.
Yumi, meanwhile, had the horrifying thought that Raito might suggest she sleep beside him. She stared at him, her cheeks warming, her heart suddenly thudding in her ears.
Raito, of course, noticed neither of their reactions.
Instead, he grabbed Emi—who had already dozed off inside her little carrier—and set her gently on the empty bed, adjusting her blanket.
"You two can share a bed," he said plainly. "I'll take the other one. I'll take care of Emi, too, so don't worry."
Raika blinked. "Oh."
Yumi blinked. "O-oh."
Both girls awkwardly looked at each other, and then at the bed nearest them. It made sense. It was the most logical setup. Still, the fact that they both thought Raito might share a bed with them individually was enough to keep their faces hot with secondhand embarrassment.
Yumi cleared her throat and sat down on the edge of the bed beside Raika.
"I mean… that's fine," she mumbled, trying not to sound weird.
"Yeah, totally fine," Raika echoed. "Normal. Not a problem at all."
Raito looked at them with a raised brow. "What?"
"Nothing!" they both said too quickly.
He shrugged and finished unbuttoning his shirt sleeves, rolling them up casually before walking to the sink and rinsing his hands. He moved with the same calm, efficient rhythm no matter the situation—whether facing down criminals, making dinner, or settling in for bed in a cramped hotel room.
By the time he'd returned, he'd already switched into his usual sleepwear: plain black shirt, loose sweats. He grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and laid it neatly over his side of the bed, then checked on Emi once more before turning off the light on his side.
"I'll wake up early and go for a walk," he said. "Don't wait for me."
"Of course you will," Raika muttered under her breath.
Yumi chuckled softly, then covered her mouth when she saw Raika stifle a yawn. She reached over and turned off the lamp beside their bed, leaving the room lit only by the pale blue glow of the nightlight Raito had brought for Emi.
A soft hush settled over the room.
Emi snored faintly from her carrier. Raito laid flat on his back with one arm behind his head, already still and silent. Across the room, Raika and Yumi lay side-by-side, back-to-back, the awkward tension still thick in the air.
"…I really thought he was going to suggest I sleep next to him," Yumi whispered into the dark.
A long pause.
"...Hey," Raika mumbled. "His bed is pretty close to ours."
"I swear if you say one more word," Yumi said, face burning.
Raika rolled over and buried her head under the covers, mumbling, "Stupid Raito."
Meanwhile, the man in question had already closed his eyes, deep in thought.
He wasn't thinking about room arrangements. Or bed proximity. Or the two girls whispering about him across the room.
His mind was elsewhere—calculating distances, terrain, possible rituals, possible threats.
He would investigate Kurai's sister properly.
And if she ever woke up, she'd learn very quickly that Raito Yakamura was not someone she could afford to underestimate.