A few hours after Raizen first arrived at the cat cafe, he walked through the rain with Professor Eiden at his side.

The sun had already set, leaving the world a darker shade of gray. Ukai's lights glowed softer through the downpour, blurred by water on glass and thin mist in the air. Their umbrellas tapped steadily as rain struck them, and the sound felt strangely comforting now.

Raizen didn't realize how much tension had left his shoulders until he noticed how easy it was to breathe.

Eiden walked at an even pace, hands calm, posture relaxed. He didn't look like he carried the weight of secret files and hidden identities for a living. Right now, he just looked like a tired man enjoying a quiet walk after a long day.

Raizen glanced at him. "Thanks"

Eiden raised an eyebrow. "Ha? For what?"

"For helping me with the prototype, of course!" Raizen said. "I didn't realize you'd… think about it that much."

Eiden waved it off lightly. "Science is my thing, if you didn't realize."

Raizen smiled faintly. "You said "minor refinements." That was a whole project execution."

Eiden's mouth curved. "You're passionate. I enjoy seeing that in youngsters. You and Saffi both."

Raizen blinked. "Saffi?"

Eiden nodded. "You saw her around machines..."

Raizen chuckled under his breath.

Eiden looked ahead as he spoke, voice quiet over the rain. "I was like you when I was younger."

Raizen turned his head. "You were?"

"Yes" Eiden said, as if it was obvious. "I mean… Kind of. I used to break toys and remake them into abominations. Occasionally slightly useful scrap. My mother always shouted at me for that."

Raizen stared. "You?"

Eiden glanced at him, amused. "What? I was a kid. I had hands. I had boredom."

Raizen laughed softly.

"It didn't do much better later on, either" Eiden chuckled. "Even before I went into hiding… After the incident, I made prototypes and blew up test rooms until Alteea shouted at me too."

Raizen's laugh faded into something smaller. He didn't ask about the arm. He didn't ask about the incident. He didn't want to pull the conversation into that place.

So he just nodded and let the rain's sounds fill the quiet moment.

They reached the front door.

Eiden slowed down first, and both of them instinctively lowered their voices as they approached the door.

Raizen opened it carefully.

Inside, dim and calm, the room looked exactly like he left it.

The blanket blob on Saffi's mattress was still there. Still sleeping. Still hidden.

Raizen closed the door gently behind them.

Eiden leaned in and whispered, "Kenzo still isn't back, is he?"

Raizen whispered back, "Nope."

They moved quietly through the room. Eiden took off his wet coat and hung it carefully. Raizen set his umbrella down near the door and tried not to make a sound.

Eiden glanced around once, then nodded toward the small cooking area.

"Uhhm… I think I'll cook something" Eiden whispered.

Raizen's head snapped toward him. "You can cook?"

Eiden looked at him like Raizen asked if he could breathe. Then he smiled quietly.

"I cooked everything since we came here" Eiden answered. "The host supplies groceries. Every day."

Raizen stared, then let out a silent, exaggerated sigh. "Ah. The privileges of being a member of the Echelon. Daily supplies."

Eiden's eyes twitched with amusement. "Be grateful that you don't have to go buy them"

"Hey, I'm not complaining" Raizen leaned closer, still whispering, playful now. "But if you cooked everything… That means you're one damn good cook."

Eiden lifted his hand and gave a quiet thumbs-up, as if accepting praise was an ordinary thing.

Then he paused, as if he remembered something.

He stepped back to his hung coat, slipped a hand into an inner pocket, and pulled out a deck of brand new cards.

Without a word, he tossed them toward Raizen.

Raizen caught them with one hand.

Eiden whispered, "In case you're all bored."

Raizen blinked, surprised. "Thanks, I guess…"

Eiden nodded once and returned to the cooking area.

Rain kept tapping the roof like it wanted inside.

Inside, the little house stayed warm. Not because it was too comfortable - it was, indeed, luxurious. The place was cramped though, the furniture felt untouched, and nothing felt quite like… Home.

But after all, Home is anywhere your favourite people are.

Raizen sat at the table with his slate in front of him, shoulders relaxed for the first time in days. His hand moved steadily, drawing lines, erasing, redrawing. The sketches were rushed, and didn't look too pretty. They just needed to work, for now.

A harness outline. Anchor points. Padding zones.

He paused, pressed the slate stylus to his lip, and stared at one corner of the sketch where the line met the rib section. The angle was too sharp. Too much pressure there.

He adjusted it.

From the cooking area, Eiden moved without hurry. The soft clink of metal and ceramic came now and then - a pot set down, a spoon tapped once, a knife scraped lightly against a board. Nothing dramatic, just the steady rhythm of someone who didn't treat cooking as a crisis.

Raizen didn't look back. He didn't need to. The sounds alone made the room feel… Safe.

He kept scribbling again, then stopped and flexed his fingers. His ribs still complained when he shifted in a wrong position, but the ache stayed distant enough. Manageable.

A few minutes passed like that. Maybe more, but time doesn't flow right when Raizen's focused like that.

Then the blanket blob on the mattress (also known as Saffi) moved.

Raizen noticed out of the corner of his eye. It was subtle at first - a little twitch, then a slow rise and fall like the blanket tried to remember where it was.

The blanket lifted slightly, and a sleepy face peeked out.

Saffi's hair was a mess. Her eyes looked half-open, unfocused, and she stared at Raizen like she didn't fully believe he was real.

Raizen kept his voice low, instinctively gentle. "Morning, Blanket Blob."

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