Chapter 5: Hunting an Orphnoch

Raven walked along the cold, dim streets, bringing Yuka back to the apartment.

He immediately set about making a meal. He had bought a lot of beef, pork, and eggs at the supermarket, along with some hot pot base.

He quickly cooked up a rich and generous dinner.

"Here, eat as much as you like, don't be shy."

Raven handed the bowl and chopsticks to Yuka.

He picked up his own chopsticks, took a large piece of cooked beef, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Mmm..."

He finally felt alive again. With the large intake of protein, the intense hunger sensation immediately lessened.

Yuka Osada subtly marveled at the side. Raven had bought so much meat, yet not a single vegetable.

She simply thought he had a big appetite and was purely a carnivore.

She then joined in the meal. Having been kicked out of the house, she was freezing outside and quite hungry.

Fortunately, Orphnochs evolved from humans, so their dietary needs hadn't changed, unlike Raven the Amazon, who was only interested in protein.

After dinner, Yuka voluntarily took on the task of washing the dishes, a small smile finally appearing on her face.

She felt like everything that happened tonight was surreal. First, she was driven out of her home, then she met such a kind person in Raven.

Once the dishes were clean, Yuka wanted to personally express her gratitude to Raven.

"Mr. Raven..."

But when she walked into the living room, she heard a faint sound of breathing.

Raven was lying on the sofa, covered by a blanket, already asleep.

The bedroom door was open, and the bed inside was neatly made, clearly set aside for Yuka to sleep in.

Yuka's eyes welled up.

She was clearly touched. In all her life, she hadn't felt much warmth outside of her birth parents.

"Thank you."

Yuka whispered softly.

Not wanting to disturb Raven, she tiptoed into the room and fell asleep peacefully.

She slept soundly that entire night.

The next morning.

Sunlight shone onto Raven's face through the living room window.

He finally opened his eyes.

Checking the time on the wall, it was already 8:00 AM.

Getting up from the sofa, Raven went to quickly wash up.

He found Yuka busy in the kitchen.

"Mr. Raven, you're awake! This is the breakfast I made," Yuka greeted him with a sweet smile upon seeing him.

After a night of reflection, Yuka was immensely grateful to Raven.

She was even more certain that he was a very good person.

"Um, thank you for your hospitality, but I should be going now..."

After preparing everything, Yuka told Raven, somewhat hesitantly.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked.

"I have to go back to school."

Despite being kicked out, Yuka, as an academically excellent student, didn't dare skip class.

"After everything that happened, are you sure you want to go back?" Raven knew what would happen when she returned to school.

Knowing Yuka was kicked out, the students who usually bullied her would assault her again.

This would lead to Yuka going berserk.

And committing her first murder.

"I can't keep bothering you, can I? If I go apologize, maybe my uncle and aunt will cool down and forgive me in a few days," Yuka was still naïve at this point.

She intended to take the blame in hopes of being allowed back home. After all, she only needed to hold on for one more year until graduation; then she could live the life she wanted.

"You can treat this place as a safe harbor. If you run into trouble, you can always come back to me," Raven didn't say too much.

He knew that the current Yuka had a degree of self-defense capability. Normal humans could no longer harm her.

"Thank you, Mr. Raven." Yuka was deeply moved upon hearing this and couldn't help but step forward and hug him.

Feeling the soft, fragrant warmth in his arms, Raven's mood brightened.

Yuka truly was one of the most beautiful women in the entire Rider series.

Kaido in the original series must have been completely blind. To be chased by such a beauty and still act disgusted—that indirectly led to Yuka's tragic fate.

But Raven wouldn't let that happen again.

He watched Yuka leave.

Raven then began to enjoy the breakfast she had personally made for him.

Perhaps knowing Raven liked eggs and meat, the breakfast thoughtfully included several boiled eggs and consisted mostly of meat.

Even the kitchen and bedroom had been cleaned. It was spotless.

Such a gentle and considerate woman would really make a wonderful wife.

Raven's mind couldn't help but wander.

But he quickly snapped back to reality.

He didn't even know what his plans for the future were yet, so why was he thinking about such frivolous things?

Right now, he was living hand-to-mouth.

The money he got from the apartment's original owner was spent, and the food in the fridge would only last two more days before he needed to restock.

Raven was worried. How was he supposed to live next?

A job?

Working for someone else wasn't going to happen; not in this lifetime.

Besides, without ID, he couldn't find a legitimate job. He'd have to do black market work.

That left only one option: robbing the rich to help the poor.

But he was a law-abiding young man, raised on compulsory education. He could do that once or twice, but he couldn't make a habit of it.

Ding!

[System Quest issued.]

[Hunt the first Orphnoch.]

[Quest Completion Reward: A café, and legal identity documentation.]

"What?"

Upon hearing the quest reward, Raven's eyes lit up immediately.

The System really was a timely relief.

As for the quest requirement, hunting an Orphnoch?

That was almost too easy.

So, after finishing breakfast, Raven couldn't wait to leave the apartment.

The moment he opened the door, he saw a group of people waiting outside.

They looked menacing.

"Is this Yuichi Yamada's place?"

The leader, holding a steel baseball bat and sporting dyed green hair, asked Raven, who had opened the door.

"Yuichi Yamada?"

Raven paused for a moment before remembering that was the name of the unlucky guy he had killed.