𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐅! ᵏⁿʸ ˣ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

四

【 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 | 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 】
ᯓᡣ𐭩ᯓᡣ𐭩

Upon arrival at the hotel, you were surprised to see Tengen back in the room. It was a quick exchange for information before you went out to the night once more, except this time, you left Guoba at the hotel. In hopes of finding the demon before it can cause any more damage, you search through every corner of the city that you can think of. You even checked the alleyways of the city you passed earlier in case the thing decided to attack, even though your luck hasn't been great recently.

The hours pass by slowly, each growing closer eventually leading to sunrise. When you saw people going out to the city, you decided it was time to take a break. And so, you went back north. You suddenly remembered what the chef told you:

"—He has his bakery in the centre of town, right next to the market where we buy our ingredients."

That's right, Aorenji-san had a bakery. If you remember correctly, it would open at five o'clock sharp today. You were quite early so it shouldn't be a problem to catch a glimpse before it opens. Besides you had nothing better to do than rest so you might as well. And besides, you could always ask the shopkeeper for directions afterwards if you were too tired and just go walk back to the inn.

As you approached the market he was talking about, you heard a few vendors talk about a topic that made you roll your eyes.

"Demons? What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Don't tell me you believe in that stuff, we all know it's a fairy tale."

Oh how wrong they were. You gave a glance at the group before going into the bakery. Something you could describe the bakery, it was very...blue. The wind chime above the entrance tinkled as you entered, alerting Aorenji and a young woman who was sitting behind a counter at the moment. The woman was holding a teapot. You greeted the two as politely as possible.

"Good morning," The woman immediately greets you upon entrance. "Welcome to —"

"(Last Name)-san..." A shocked Aorenji mumbles, gaining both of your attention.

"Good morning, Aorenji-san." You greeted. "I was just about to rest after doing my work,"

You paused, eyeing the pastries displayed on the display shelf and pointed towards the baked goods. "Is it true that you sell fresh bread and cookies, Aorenji...?" You asked as the woman followed your gesture.

"Ah... yes," Aorenji answers as he turns towards you with a confused look. Why do you seem to be interested in these things? Although, he didn't mind of course.

"May I please get one...?"
A grin appears on his face as he nods, "Please do so."

With a soft 'thank you,' you placed some bills on the counter and paid for the bread before heading to the exit.

"Oh, so you're the officer who's looking for our daughter?"

The woman's tone of voice made you pause on your heels.

"Yes." You turn to look at her and she was smiling warmly at you.

"It's so nice to meet you. My name is Amari Kureko, I'm Kenji's fiancé!" She introduces herself cheerily as she bows to you. "It makes me so happy to know that an officer took Kenji's words and started looking for our daughter.  I hope  you find her."

"... Thank you." You returned the warm greeting, wanting to go already but the woman had another favor for you.

"I hope this isn't too much, but...Could you please give this box of goods to this address?"