Chapter 28
Hayakawa residence.
As always, Aki woke up very early.
The alarm hadn't rung yet—he was already awake.
He checked the time: three minutes left on the alarm. He'd set it fifteen minutes earlier than usual, which meant eighteen minutes total.
Aki had no habit of lingering in bed. The first thing he did upon waking was pull open the curtains and open the window.
Letting the crisp morning air flow into the room wasn't just for ventilation—it was his way of sharpening his mind.
At the sink, eyes slightly lowered—looking half lost in thought, half deliberately blank—he brushed his teeth and rinsed with cold water.
Gurgle gurgle.
After spitting out the last mouthful, Aki had already turned on the faucet to adjust the temperature ahead of time.
Water rushed loudly. Aki cupped his hands under the stream, using the rebounding splashes to wet his face with warm water.
He took the facial cleanser, squeezed a small amount into his palm, set the bottle aside, rubbed his hands together to lather, then patted it onto his face—quick circular massage with fingertips and palms.
Rinsed his hands thoroughly, switched the faucet back to cold, medium flow.
Aki leaned forward slightly, hands braced on the sink edge, letting the icy water cascade over his cheeks and chin—droplets sliding along his jawline.
Finished, he straightened up, took the white dry towel from the nearby rack as usual, pressed it to his face, and dried that slightly weary yet sharply contoured face. His gaze gradually regained its firm focus.
After washing up, Aki faced the mirror and carefully tied his hair back—tilting his head left and right, inspecting the small ponytail at the back, even touching it a few times to make sure it was neat.
Then came the core morning ritual—
Grinding beans, hand-brewing, savoring coffee.
After finishing the first two steps, Aki walked to the door and slipped his fingers into the mailbox.
As expected—empty.
He opened the door, habitually scanned the surroundings, then looked down at the doorstep.
Sure enough, the morning paper was stuck halfway in the slot again.
Aki pulled it out with practiced ease. Just as he was about to close the door—
He thought he heard extremely faint, almost imperceptible noise from next door.
They're up this early?
Aki returned inside, newspaper in hand.
He pushed the door shut behind him—a single casual slap, the closing sound slightly less firm than usual.
Coffee was ready.
Aki carried the newspaper under one arm, coffee pot and cup in hand, and walked out to the balcony.
He always liked reading the paper while drinking coffee—this was one of the rare moments in his day that belonged solely to him.
For some reason, the finger resting on the table kept lightly tapping—rhythm growing faster and faster.
He finished the coffee quickly. The newspaper was only half-read.
He picked up the pack of cigarettes from the table, took one out, lit it.
In the swirling smoke, he gazed at the distant scenery, organizing his thoughts for the day's work.
Today's main task—unless something unexpected happened—would be taking the two newbies out.
The Blood Fiend and that strange, oddly distinctive guy… Denji, was it?
"Hm… even the name is weird."
Aki summed up with that single comment, then casually stubbed out the remaining cigarette in the ashtray.
He turned and went back inside, resuming his morning routine.
In the ashtray, one half-smoked butt still trailed thin wisps of smoke.
After quickly tidying up the housework, Aki began preparing lunch boxes.
No idea what they like to eat…
After a moment's hesitation, he settled on the safe, all-purpose rice balls.
Since he didn't know their appetites, he made several extra.
After finishing, he looked at the pile and felt something was off.
So many… if no one eats them… whatever. Can be lunch. Leftovers can be reheated tomorrow.
After eating his own breakfast, he packed the extra onigiri neatly.
Sat down. Checked the time.
Compared to his usual schedule at this hour, he was now twenty-eight minutes ahead.
Aki sat in the chair—suddenly idle—and felt oddly restless.
But he didn't know what to do. Didn't feel like finishing the newspaper either.
So he simply waited, occasionally glancing at the clock, not entirely sure what he was waiting for.
After an unknown amount of time.
"Need to leave at least eight minutes early… so I'll go remind them then. That's twenty-two minutes left…"
Aki muttered to himself—content unclear.
Right then, a knock came at the door.
Knock knock.
"One moment."
Aki walked to the door.
Opened it.
"Morning, Aki!"
"Oh, morning."
Aki hadn't expected Denji to be so casually familiar—calling him by name right away.
So his response came with a slight delay while he processed.
Denji lifted the breakfast in his hand, showing it off.
"I made breakfast. Try some."
Aki froze for a second, then shifted slightly to the side.
From this angle he could see the dining table—several neatly packed onigiri still sitting there.
He meant to indicate he'd already eaten.
"Ah—that's for me and Power, right? Looks tasty."
Denji said "surprised" and cheerfully stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.
As he passed the stunned Aki, he casually shoved the breakfast he was holding into Aki's hands.
Aki caught it reflexively. After glancing at the very well-presented sandwich in his grip, he turned his head back toward Denji.
By now Denji had already unwrapped one onigiri and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Oh, tastes good~"
Sure enough—still that familiar flavor. As expected of Aki—everything he cooks tastes perfectly "standard."
Aki genuinely didn't know how to describe what he was feeling right now.
He thought:
"How can someone be this overly familiar? The complete opposite extreme from the newbie Himeno-senpai brought!"
But hearing Denji praise his food still felt… kind of nice.
After hesitating over who-knows-what thoughts, Aki finally opened the sandwich in his hand and took a careful bite.
While chewing, the corners of his mouth—previously so cold and rigid—curved into the faintest hint of a smile.
Tastes pretty good, huh.
He thought.
A little later, Denji—carrying the remaining onigiri—and Aki arrived at Denji's front door.
"Power already ate. The rest can be lunch."
"Mm."
Aki had indeed made too much—the leftovers were more than enough for three people as lunch.
These had originally been prepared for Denji and Power, but hearing Denji say that, Aki reflexively took the remaining onigiri from Denji's hand again.
Damn it! Why do I keep getting led around by this guy?
From his own door to Denji's doorstep—just those few steps—and Aki finally realized something was off.
This guy definitely has issues!
Aki mentally added another tag to Denji's impression file.
The moment the door opened—
A crisp snap sounded from inside.
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