The abandoned house creaked as the door opened.
Maru stepped in first.
Daichi followed behind her, stretching his sore shoulders.
Hikari quietly entered after them.
Then Rishiro walked in.
Kenta and Tatsuma stopped at the entrance for a moment, looking around.
The house was still old.
Still broken.
Cracked walls, worn floorboards, broken furniture.
But it didn't feel empty anymore.
It felt lived in.
Tatsuma blinked.
"…So this is where you guys have been staying?"
Maru glanced back.
"…Got a problem?"
"…Nah."
He scratched his cheek.
"…Just thought it'd look worse."
Daichi snorted.
"…What, you expected a cave?"
Kenta stepped in and clicked his tongue.
"…It smells weird."
A sharp voice came from inside.
"…Then get out."
They all turned.
Nando-baba stood near the stove, stirring a pot with an annoyed look on her face.
Steam rose into the air.
Something was cooking.
The smell filled the room instantly.
Warm.
Savory.
Real food.
Tatsuma froze.
Then pointed.
"…No way."
Kenta raised a brow.
"…You've got food?"
Daichi grinned.
"…Yep."
Tatsuma looked offended.
"…You guys are eating meat?"
Then he turned to Kenta.
"…Boss."
He pointed at the table.
"…We've been living on canned food. You really need to get stronger."
THWACK.
Kenta smacked him on the head.
"…Dumbass. Don't talk so much."
Tatsuma grabbed his head.
"…Ow."
Maru smirked.
Daichi laughed.
Even Hikari looked amused.
Nando-baba clicked her tongue.
"…If you idiots are done yelling, sit down."
Tatsuma stared at her.
"…Wait. That yokai cooks?"
Nando-baba turned sharply.
"This is my house!"
"If I cook in my own house, that's none of your business!"
Tatsuma straightened immediately.
"…Understood."
Kenta looked at Rishiro.
"…You live with a yokai?"
Rishiro shrugged.
"…She lives with us."
"I heard that!" Nando-baba snapped.
Soon, everyone sat down.
Rice.
Soup.
Cooked meat.
A few vegetables.
Simple food.
But after everything they had been through, it looked like a feast.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Tatsuma took a bite.
He froze.
"…Oh."
He took another.
Then another.
"…This is crazy good."
Nando-baba sniffed.
"…Obviously."
Daichi grinned.
"…Told you."
Kenta ate too, then looked away like he refused to admit it tasted good.
Maru noticed and smiled.
"…It's good, right?"
Kenta clicked his tongue.
"…It's edible."
Tatsuma pointed at him.
"…That's the face of a liar."
Kenta slowly raised his hand.
Tatsuma stopped talking.
"…Smart," Hikari muttered.
For a while, the room stayed warm.
The sound of bowls.
The fire crackling.
Nando-baba complaining from the kitchen.
For once, nobody was fighting.
Nobody was running.
It almost felt normal.
Then Daichi looked at Kenta.
"…Oi, Kenta."
Kenta didn't look up.
"…What."
Daichi smirked.
"…Where's your girlfriend?"
Kenta stopped eating.
Slowly looked up.
"…My what?"
Maru joined in immediately.
"…Yumi."
Tatsuma looked between them.
Then nodded.
"…Oh. We're doing this."
Kenta frowned.
"…I don't have a girlfriend."
Daichi grinned wider.
"…Then what about Yumi?"
Kenta clicked his tongue.
"…Nothing. We just gave her a place to stay. That's all."
Maru raised a brow.
"…That sounds suspicious."
"…It's not."
Tatsuma swallowed his food and casually added,
"…Though she did tell me she'd be leaving for a while."
The room went quiet.
Kenta turned.
Slowly.
"…What?"
Tatsuma blinked.
"…What?"
Kenta frowned harder.
"…What do you mean leaving?"
Tatsuma scratched his cheek.
"…She said she'd be gone for a while."
Kenta stared at him.
"…And you're saying this now?"
Tatsuma looked down at his bowl.
"…I forgot."
THWACK.
Kenta smacked him again.
"…Use your brain."
"…I do."
"…Not enough."
Daichi laughed.
Maru shook her head.
"…You two are hopeless."
Nando-baba muttered from the kitchen,
"…Annoying children."
That almost made Hikari smile.
But Rishiro had gone quiet.
He sat there listening.
Not joking.
Not smirking.
Just listening.
Maru noticed first.
"…Rishiro?"
He didn't answer.
The room kept moving around him.
Daichi teasing.
Tatsuma complaining.
Kenta looking more serious now.
The fire crackling.
Nando-baba grumbling.
But Rishiro stayed still.
Thinking.
Because in a world like this—
someone leaving quietly for "a while" didn't sound simple.
He lifted his bowl again, but his expression stayed unreadable.
The room was still warm.
The food was still good.
But something had changed.
And by the end of the meal, even in that small moment of peace—
Rishiro was already thinking ahead.
End of Chapter 44