Amano Hiro pushed open the café door and stepped outside. The chill of the early morning rushed toward him.
He looked up at the sky, which was beginning to pale at the horizon, exhaled a breath of white mist, and was just about to head home.
"Hiro."
A gentle voice called from behind. Yoshimura had come outside at some point, habitually wiping his hands on his apron, his eyes carrying a trace of apology and emotion.
"This trip to Cochlea was not easy, was it?"
He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "I should have gone with you. But at the last moment, I hesitated. I suppose I am old. I no longer have the sharpness I had when I was young."
Amano Hiro waved his hand casually, a relaxed smile lifting the corner of his lips. "It was nothing. It felt like taking a stroll through my own backyard."
He turned slightly toward the direction of his home, warmth entering his tone. "Manager, I will head back first. Someone is waiting for me at home."
With that, he raised a hand in farewell. His figure blended into the thin mist before dawn.
Yoshimura watched the young man's departing back, a gratified smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
He murmured softly, as if speaking to the quiet morning itself.
"Youth is wonderful."
When he turned and pushed the door open, the bell chimed lightly, sealing the night's turmoil behind the warm aroma of coffee.
......
Amano Hiro returned to his apartment door and reached into his pocket for the key out of habit, only to find nothing.
He froze for a second and muttered under his breath, "Damn, forgot it."
With no other choice, he raised his hand and knocked. Knock knock knock.
After waiting a moment with no response, he knocked three more times with greater force. Knock knock knock.
This time, he finally heard the sound of slippers approaching from inside.
Rize's uniquely sweet and soft voice came through the door. "Who is it?"
"Me," Amano Hiro replied.
"Who are you?" The voice behind the door carried obvious amusement.
Amano Hiro narrowed his eyes. The little minx was acting up again. Suppressing his impatience, he asked back, "Who do you think I am?"
"I do not know." Her tone dragged out deliberately, like an annoying brat, being mischievous on purpose.
A flicker of heat rose in Amano Hiro's chest. More precisely, it was a mix of helplessness and a certain impulse.
Thinking to himself that she needed discipline again, he stepped forward until he was almost against the door and lowered his voice. "I am your man. Open the door."
"Oh. So my man is back." Rize's voice immediately brightened. "Wait a moment. I am opening it."
With a click, the lock turned. The door slowly opened, revealing Rize's smiling face.
She tilted her head, her eyes curved like crescents, a trace of triumphant mischief at the corner of her lips.
Without another word, Amano Hiro stepped forward in a single stride. His strong arm wrapped around her, pinning her against the wall of the entryway.
With a hook of his long leg, the door shut behind them with a dull thud.
He lowered his head and looked at the moist, glossy lips in his arms, about to take a bite, when a slightly cool small hand covered his mouth in time.
Like a sly little cat, Rize leaned against his chest.
Her delicate nose twitched lightly, sniffing from his collar to his neck. "Hmm. What is that smell? You have been through quite a journey."
She lifted her sparkling eyes and pushed lightly against his chest. "Go take a shower first."
Amano Hiro ignored her. Tilting his head to avoid her hand, he firmly kissed those enticing lips, producing a crisp sound.
Seeing Rize momentarily stunned, he smiled with a hint of wickedness. "Just wait. After I wash up, I will deal with you."
Rize's cheeks flushed from the kiss, but she refused to lose. She wrinkled her nose at him and nimbly slipped out of his embrace.
Turning toward the bedroom, her waist swayed and her skirt traced a tempting arc, leaving behind a string of silver laughter and a provocative sentence.
"Fine. I will be waiting. Let us see who deals with whom."
Five minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Amid the rising steam, Amano Hiro stepped out barefoot.
Crystal droplets rolled down his firm chest, traced over his well-defined abs, and fell from the tips of his still-damp hair.
He casually draped a towel over the back of a chair and walked straight toward the bedroom. Under the light, the smooth lines of his muscles formed a powerful silhouette.
When the bedroom door opened, Rize was leaning against the headboard. Hearing the sound, she looked up and let out a startled cry.
She instantly covered her eyes with both hands, yet her fingers were spread wide, her violet eyes shining brightly through the gaps.
Her gaze swept over his dripping black hair, down his rising and falling chest and abdomen, finally settling at the center.
"Y You are not wearing anything." Her voice carried a perfectly measured tremor. A blush spread from her earlobes down to her collarbone. "Pervert."
The scolding was entirely insincere. Her gaze did not shift in the slightest. Instead, it grew hotter and more intent, tracing every line of his body.
A faint smile curved at Amano Hiro's lips.
Before Rize could react, he suddenly exerted force and leapt forward like a leopard, launching into the opening move known as Crow Sits on Airplane.
He followed with Sleight of Hand, chaining directly into A into W outer edge strike, instantly driving Rize into blood rage.
In only a moment, the Rize who had been smiling brightly just before was reduced to critical health. Seeing the opportunity, Amano Hiro did not hesitate and finished her with a Guillotine, taking down the low health Rize in one blow.
The battle subsided, yet the air still carried the lingering scent of war.
Rize curled in Amano Hiro's sturdy embrace like a lazy cat, her slender fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his chest.
After a moment of silence, she lifted her head. The haze in her eyes had not fully faded as she asked softly, "This time at Cochlea. Did you run into danger?"
Amano Hiro raised an eyebrow and looked down at her with a teasing tone. "Should you not first ask whether your father was rescued?"
Rize immediately let out a light snort. "What is there to ask about him?"
Sensing her subtle emotion, Amano Hiro tightened his arm slightly. His warm palm slowly stroked her smooth back, as if soothing a sulking pet.
"There was no danger."
His tone was relaxed. "Most of the prison's main forces had already been cleared out by Aogiri Tree. I simply went to take advantage of the chaos.
As for your father. I did not find him. He probably escaped on his own."
Hearing this, Rize's tense body gradually relaxed.
She said nothing more and only burrowed deeper into his embrace, as if wanting to bury herself completely in his scent.
In the end, she responded with a barely audible murmur.
"Mm."
Within that soft sound lay unspoken dependence and peace.