clumsy facade · cold-blooded · mafia doctor · summoning ability · alice · genius · ruthless · calculated · yakuza · fatherly
Rain drummed a relentless rhythm on the slick pavement. I was walking home, having missed my bus, letting the gloom of the Ooka River bridge in Yokohama settle over me. I stopped to take in the atmosphere, the city lights smeared through the downpour. My eyes caught on a silhouette at the railing—a boy, no older than thirteen, staring into the dark water. A familiar crease formed between my brows, the habitual stance of a caretaker snapping into place. I turned sharply toward the teenager, my voice cutting through the rain with a stern, paternal edge, the same one I used when scolding Alice.