I could hear the faint chirping of birds as the first rays of sunlight crept through the cracks in the window blinds, gently waking me from my slumber.
The room was still dim, but the soft glow of morning was enough to bring me back to awareness.
I sat up slowly, my body stiff from sleeping on the floor, but my mind felt sharp and focused.
The apartment was quiet. Ryouko and Hinami must still be asleep in the other room.
I noticed a warm blanket draped over me.
'Ryouko...' I thought with a small smile.
I stretched my limbs, careful not to make any noise, and walked over to the window in the living room.
Peeking outside, it felt peaceful in its own way, as if the chaos of the world was held at bay for just a little while.
I placed my hand on my torso where the wound still remained, sealed only by a thin layer of flesh.
The dark magic that had caused it was still preventing my natural healing, but at least the bleeding had stopped.
I opened the system interface, hoping for some progress. But it was the same screen that was displayed yesterday,
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
HOST, SYSTEM IS UNDERGOING UPDATES. ALL SYSTEM FUNCTIONS WILL BE DISABLED INDEFINITELY.THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
GOOD LUCK, HOST!
NOTE: ACHIEVEMENTS, QUESTS, TITLES, AND REWARDS WILL STILL BE PROCESSED AND DISPLAYED AS USUAL.
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*sigh*
'Welp, Since I can't access the shop or any other stuff. I might as well craft something myself'
Then a soft shuffle of footsteps came from behind me, I turned to see Hinami standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Oni-chan, you're awake early?"
I smiled "Yeah Little Hina, I've got some things to take care of today."
"umm-hm" she nodded, absent mindedly poured herself a glass of water,
"be back by breakfast. Mom will get angry if you skip breakfast..." she said yawning and went back to sleep.
'breakfast..? wait, when is the breakfast hour??' I was confused, as she didn't mention the time.
I strolled into Kitchen, hoping to to find- 'boom, there it is,' I thought as i saw note mentioning -Breakfast at 8, Grey-
~She wrote the note for you? last night...?~ Ddraig said what I thought instantly.
"..this...its scary" i murmerred, for which Draig chuckled
I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note, stuck it under it
-Went for a jog, back by 8-
I quickly morphed my hanfu into something more appropriate for blending in, a hoodie and jogging pants.
'Celestial Silk baby...' I grinned,
Before stepping out, I let my shadows flicker, sending a few Shadowkhans to remain in the apartment as hidden guards.
With them watching over Ryouko and Hinami, I could keep track of any threats that might approach while I was away.
20TH WARD,
The morning air was crisp as I jogged through the quiet streets of the 20th Ward.
There were only a few people out at this hour, mostly early risers and shopkeepers preparing for the day.
My goal was simple, to survey the area .
Every alley, every corner had to be familiar to me.
Only by knowing this district inside out could I efficiently use my powers to protect Ryouko and Hinami.
And for other situations too.
Jogging with my physique felt effortless.
My stamina was leagues above a normal human's, allowing me to run for over an hour without breaking a sweat.
As I moved through the streets, I mentally mapped out the layout, streets, potential ambush spots, escape routes, everything I might need in case things got nasty.
After about an hour and a half of jogging, I decided it was time for a break.
A warm cup of coffee sounded like the perfect way to relax after scouting the ward.
Smiling to myself, I found a familiar name
Anteiku