Mai's genuine smile was a more effective weapon than her stiletto. It disarmed Kaito completely. His anger over the public embarrassment at the supermarket evaporated, leaving only a profound weariness and a numb arm.
He glanced at the four grocery bags on the sidewalk. His original plan had been to hand them over and flee. Option 1, "The Sidewalk Drop-off," was screaming his name. It was efficient. It was minimum effort.
But Mai was still there, watching him with that gentle smile.
"I hate you," he repeated, but it sounded more like a complaint about the weather.
With a sigh that seemed to carry the entire weight of the world, Kaito readjusted his grip. He grabbed two bags in his numb right hand and the other two in his left. The plastic dug into his palms.
"Let's go," he muttered, his voice resigned. "I'll take them to your door."
He didn't wait for a response. He just started walking the fifty meters separating the supermarket from "Park Heights," the luxury apartment building where she lived.
Mai followed him in silence, her smile softening into something almost amused. She hadn't hugged him again, but he could still feel her phantom warmth on his arm.
"Kaito! Kaito! Look at the 'Bonds' bar!" Fia's voice exploded in his head, now cheerful and shrill. She had recovered her composure after her jealous fit in the supermarket. "It's stable at +10! You did it! You went from 'Hostile' to 'Neutral' in a single shopping trip! You're an apathetic romance genius!"
"Shut up, Fia," Kaito thought, concentrating on not dropping the bags. "I'm carrying groceries. This isn't romance, it's manual labor."
They reached "Park Heights." The contrast with Kaito's run-down building was stark. The lobby was all marble and glass. There were plants in expensive planters and a faint smell of… money.
A doorman in an impeccable uniform stood behind a mahogany desk. When Kaito walked in, the man looked up.
"Good afternoon," the doorman said with a professional nod. He looked at Kaito, at his rumpled clothes (his own, not the ones he'd lent Mai), and at the four grocery bags. His gaze lingered a second too long, as if he were cataloging him.
Kaito just nodded, too tired to care. He figured the doorman thought he was making a delivery. Which, technically, he was.
Mai walked right past the doorman, completely unnoticed. She went to the elevator and pressed the call button (though, to the doorman, it looked like the button lit up on its own).
Kaito followed her. The elevator arrived, its brushed-steel doors sliding open silently. They stepped inside. The interior was wood-paneled and had a mirror.
Kaito looked in the mirror. He saw his own exhausted figure, holding four bags. Next to him, there was only empty space. He could feel Mai there, but the mirror said he was alone. It was deeply unsettling.
The ride to the eighth floor was silent. The doors opened onto a carpeted hallway.
"It's here," Mai said. 804.
She stopped in front of the door as Kaito approached. He heard the sound of her keys, a click from the lock, and the door opened.
She was standing there, holding it open for him.
"Thank you," she said.
"Whatever," Kaito muttered. He stepped inside and dropped the four bags onto the floor of the genkan (the entryway). The relief to his hands was immediate.
"Job done," he announced, flexing his fingers. "Supply plan is active. See you… whenever. Next week."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
Her voice stopped him. He looked back.
Mai was standing there, looking a little sheepish. "I know you're tired. And… thank you for carrying everything."
"Yeah. Bye."
"But…" she bit her lip. "I'm still kind of… weak. Could you…?" She gestured to the bags. "Help me put them away?"
Kaito looked at the four bags. Then he looked at the spotless, modern kitchen visible from the entryway. It was more effort. It was going into her apartment. It was prolonging the interaction.
"No."
"Please?" she tried, that dangerous smile returning. "You're my 'assistant,' remember? It's part of the job. Besides, I'm exhausted. And you're the only one who can see where things will land… in case I drop them."
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Fia's voice was ecstatic. "IT'S THE 'ENTER THE GIRL'S ROOM' EVENT (LUXURY KITCHEN EDITION)! IT'S A CLASSIC! KAITO, YOU HAVE TO DO IT! THE POINTS! THINK OF THE BOND POINTS!"
Kaito closed his eyes. He could say no. He could just walk away. But that would probably lead to an argument. She'd try to guilt-trip him. She'd get upset. The affinity would drop. Fia would have another meltdown.
Arguing was more trouble than just putting away a few yogurts.
He let out the most defeated sigh of his existence.
"How… troublesome."
He slipped off his shoes, leaving them by the door, and picked up the bags.
"Where does the cold stuff go?" he asked, his voice flat.
Mai's smile turned genuine. "Victory," she whispered. "The fridge is right over there."
Kaito stepped into her apartment. It was huge. At least three times the size of his. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning view of the city. The furniture was modern, minimalist, and expensive. It was clean. So clean it looked like no one actually lived there.
"WOW!" Fia was doing flips in mid-air. "She's rich! Kaito, you have to marry her! The System approves of financially stable partners!"
Kaito went to the stainless-steel fridge and started putting away the milk, yogurts, and eggs. Mai began putting the dry goods into a pantry.
They worked in silence for a few minutes. It was strangely… domestic.
"So," Mai said, breaking the silence as she put away a can of soup. "What's it like? Being a… 'Reality IT Tech'?"
Kaito was putting the carrots in the crisper drawer. "It's annoying. The pay sucks and my boss is a loud-mouthed idiot."
"I am not an idiot!" Fia screamed, right in his ear.
"Thank you," Mai said, laughing softly.
As Kaito closed the fridge, something on the kitchen counter caught his eye. Next to a stylish knife block sat a digital picture frame.
The image changed. It showed a younger Mai, maybe fifteen, smiling and holding an award. Next to her, an older, stern-looking woman with a forced, professional smile had her hand on Mai's shoulder. The woman looked just like Mai, only older and colder.
Kaito stared at the photo. "Your mom?"
Mai stopped what she was doing. The smile vanished from her face. She looked at the picture.
"My mother," she confirmed, her voice cold. "And my manager. Or maybe it's the other way around."
Kaito had hit the nail on the head back at the train station. And now, the proof was right there in an expensive picture frame.
"She seems… intense," Kaito said bluntly.
"That's one way of putting it." Mai closed the cabinet door with a little more force than necessary. The light mood was gone.
"Kaito!" Fia's voice was urgent. "This is the root of the problem! You found it! The 'Paradox Source'! You have to press her! Ask about her! Solve the trauma!"
Kaito glanced at the photo, then at Mai, who now had her back to him, clearly shut down.
He could press her. He could force the issue, like Fia wanted.
But that was effort. That was drama.
"Whatever," Kaito said, turning away. He saw the last item that needed to be put away: the expensive shampoo. "Where does this go?"
Mai looked surprised that he'd changed the subject. "…Oh. In the bathroom. Second door on the left."
Kaito grabbed the shampoo bottle and headed for the bathroom.
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