A new day begins, and Raiko wakes up in high spirits. "What a nice day it will be today," he thinks as he walks to the window to take in the view of her neighborhood. The street is almost empty, with just a few people passing by. "How quiet..." he murmurs, enjoying the moment. However, that calm is interrupted when he witnesses a collision between a car and another vehicle leaving a garage.
"Hey, what are you doing, stupid?" shouts the driver who was coming out of the garage.
"What am I doing? If I was going normally down the track," replies the other.
"Well, watch where you're going! Can't you see I'm coming out?"
"How can I see with so many parked cars in the way? You'd better watch yourself before you go off so fast."
"I'm not going to pay for the damage!"
"But if this is all your fault!"
"My fault?!"
Within minutes, the altercation escalates and family members begin to come out from both sides, raising quite a ruckus. Raiko watches the scene from her window, sighs and reaffirms, "Yes, definitely, very quiet..." Then, he walks away to change her clothes. "I don't have any more clothes," he says with feigned tears as he goes through her limited closet. Resigned, he prepares for the day with the few clothes he has available and decides to go to breakfast. As he approaches the bag of bread, he discovers that there is only one piece left. He stands motionless, pensive. "What about the bread? ... I don't believe it." He finally remembers that he forgot the bread he bought in the evening, in the cafeteria and is disappointed in himself.
Trying to clear his head, he turns on his laptop to watch the news. He browses the headlines: "Accident... robbery... death... robbery... death... cinema... anime... video games... houses... video games... houses... accident..." Raiko sighs. "Same old stuff. Nothing new." Despite the monotony, he feels a mixture of sadness and determination. "Little by little, I'm going to end this loop of tragedies." Suddenly, he finds a news item related to what happened the night before:
"A person nearby saw a young man approach the injured man and then flee. Police believe he may be a fourth involved in the assault, separate from the others."
A witness nearby stated, "Yes, I saw one of them approach the wounded man and then run. He didn't help them; he probably wanted to check if they had more things to steal. I was the one who called the ambulance and the cops... come to think of it... a patrol car passed by the area, but it passed by-"
Raiko annoyed, closes the browser window with an alt+F4 and shuts down the laptop. "As if I'm to blame for everything..." he mutters. Suddenly, he remembers that he hasn't brushed her teeth. As he does so, he notices something strange in the mirror: her hair has returned to normal, and her red eyes stopped glowing. "But... it hasn't even been a day... has it?" he says in surprise, not noticing that the wound on his cheek has also disappeared.
Later, Raiko goes out into the street. The day is cloudy. As he walks, he crosses paths with her neighbor Guille, a retired man cleaning the outside of his house.
"Good morning, Raiko! How's your day going?" he asks him cheerfully.
"Same as always, Guille. Nothing new," he replies with a slight smile.
"Are you going to the cafeteria?"
"Yes, shall I bring you some bread?"
"I'd appreciate it. Here, one Glint"
Raiko catches the shiny silver coin as he ponders its origin.
"The Glint (GL), the main currency of Neonvale, is considered the most beautiful currency in the world, as it is made of a material that shines a little, its bright silver color is unique. Although three Glints is worth one dollar, that is why it is not the most valuable currency, but it still reflected the economic transformation in this city and country, led by WareNeon. Some say it brings good luck, but in truth no, it is quite the opposite. This change marked a superficial prosperity, but it also intensified the inequalities of the city, many could not access this new currency..."
"Thanks, Guille" Raiko replies, though he knows he'll need at least tree Glints to buy bread.
"See you, Raiko," the neighbor says goodbye as he continues cleaning. Raiko, meanwhile, hesitates between walking or taking the bus. "Walk... or take the bus? Yes, better by bus." He heads to the stop, but while waiting an incident occurs: a man steals the purse of a lady who was sitting nearby. "How cliché this is, isn't it?" says Raiko to the woman, but she doesn't take it seriously.
"Hey, my purse!" the woman shouts in desperation.
Raiko acts quickly. Without hesitation, he aims and shoots at the thief's foot with a concealed pistol. The man falls, drops the purse and pulls himself together to flee. The lady is stunned. Raiko picks up the bag, he realizes that seven Glints have fallen in the process. Handing it back to the woman, she tearfully thanks her. "Thank you so much for your help." Raiko nods silently.
As Raiko boards the bus, the woman looks through her bag and exclaims, "I'm missing two Glints!" Raiko, smiling, raises his hand, showing the coins. "It's the commission for my help." The bus doors close as the woman gapes.