Chapter 8: A Woman's Needs
Luffy pushed through the restaurant door without knocking. The main dining area was empty, tables still overturned from where Rika had crashed into them. Broken plates littered the floor. No one had cleaned up yet.
"Hello?" Koby called out hesitantly.
"Back here." Ririka's voice came from the rear of the building.
They followed it through the kitchen and into a small living space. A bed sat against one wall, simple but well-maintained. Rika lay on it, eyes closed, while her mother dabbed at the cut on her forehead with a damp cloth. The blood had been mostly cleaned away, leaving only a thin red line that would probably scar.
Koby rushed forward. "Is she okay? Do you need bandages? Medicine? I can go find something!"
Ririka glanced at him, surprised by his eagerness. "There's a cabinet in the kitchen. Second drawer. Clean cloths."
Koby nodded and ran back the way he came.
Luffy stood in the doorway, watching. His expression had settled into something calmer than the fury from earlier, but his eyes kept drifting to the cut on Rika's forehead.
Ririka finished wiping the wound and pressed a clean cloth against it. "She'll be fine. It looks worse than it is. Head wounds bleed a lot."
"I know," Luffy said quietly.
Koby returned with an armful of cloths. Ririka took them, selected one, and began binding it gently around Rika's head. The girl stirred but didn't wake.
"That should hold." Ririka sat back and looked at Luffy. "Thank you. For catching her before. And for... what you did to Helmeppo."
Luffy shrugged.
"You know there will be consequences." Her voice was flat. Matter-of-fact. "He'll tell his father. Morgan will come looking for you."
"I know."
"And?"
Luffy met her eyes. "I'll face it. Soon enough. On my own."
Ririka studied him for a long moment. "You're either very brave or very stupid."
"Bit of both, probably."
She almost smiled. Almost.
Koby shifted awkwardly. "I can... carry her to bed? If you need to rest?"
Ririka nodded. "Upstairs. First door on the left."
Koby carefully lifted the girl, surprised by how light she was. He carried her out of the room and up the narrow stairs, leaving Luffy and Ririka alone in the small living space.
Silence settled between them.
Luffy leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes traveled around the room. Modest furniture. Worn but clean. A woman's space, running a business and raising a child alone.
"So," he said finally. "The father. Where is he? Shouldn't he be here protecting you both?"
Ririka's expression didn't change, but something behind her eyes went flat. "He disappeared. Years ago. Before Rika was even born."
Luffy waited.
"He ran away." She said it simply, without self-pity. "Couldn't handle the responsibility, I suppose. Or maybe he just didn't want it. Either way, he's gone."
Luffy nodded slowly. "So no man in your life, then."
Ririka's eyes sharpened. "What?"
"If he ran off, that means there isn't a man around. Here. With you."
She stared at him. "If there was a man in my life, do you think I'd be desperate enough to keep this restaurant from drowning? I spend every waking hour either working or taking care of my daughter."
Luffy pushed off the doorframe and took a step closer. "So most of your time is the restaurant and Rika. But what about your needs?"
Ririka blinked.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"Are you flirting with me?" Her voice rose slightly. "Right now? With my daughter upstairs bleeding because some bastard's son threw her into a table?"
Luffy didn't flinch. "Rika will be fine. It was a flesh wound."
"A flesh wound?" Ririka's laugh was sharp and disbelieving. "Do you know how old I am? How old do you think I am?"
"Age is just a number."
"Are you serious right now?"
"Look." Luffy stepped closer again, close enough that she could see the absolute lack of humor in his face. "Don't look at me and see a small boy. See a man who can satisfy your needs for at least one night. And secure your daughter a brighter future, if you're interested."
Ririka's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long, exasperated sigh that turned into a dry, humorless laugh.
"What would you know about satisfying a woman's needs? Or securing my daughter's future?" She dropped her hand and looked at him. "You're just a boy."
Luffy smiled.
He reached up and removed his straw hat, revealing his messy black hair underneath. In the lamplight, with the hat gone, there was something older in his eyes. Something that didn't match the young face.
"Tell you what," he said quietly. "If I can save this entire town from that idiot Morgan, what would you think of that? Would that make your daughter's future safer than it is right now?"
Ririka started to laugh again, a reflexive response to the absurdity of it. But the laugh died in her throat.
He wasn't joking.
There was no hint of a joke on his face. No smirk. No wink. Just absolute, unwavering seriousness.
She looked at him. Really looked. The scrawny frame. The young face. The eyes that didn't match any seventeen-year-old she'd ever met.
"If," she said slowly, "you can get rid of that sick bastard and save this town... then we can talk about a woman's needs."
Luffy's grin returned, wide and sharp.
He put his hat back on.
"Let's go, Koby!"
His voice carried up the stairs. A moment later, Koby came clattering down, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Rika's asleep," Koby reported.
"Good." Luffy picked up his hat, settled it on his head, and turned to Ririka.
He winked at her.
Then he walked out the door, Koby scrambling after him.
Ririka stood alone in the quiet room, staring at the empty doorway.
After a long moment, she pressed her hand to her face and laughed again. Different this time. Softer.
"What the hell just happened," she muttered to the empty air.