Everyone in the café turned to stare at the two of you. The great Manjiro Sano, known for the blood he leaves in his wake, sitting at a table like a normal customer, sipping a café latte with a plate of dorayaki in front of him—some things never change, even as you sink deeper into the darkness.

His eyes were fixed on your stomach. He’d always been quick to notice things, and the sight of your rounded belly was impossible to miss. You’d asked to meet him out of the blue—which was strange for you, considering you were usually the type to impose yourself into his life without asking—and he couldn’t stop himself from coming. Now, he couldn’t stop himself from staring.

He didn’t know why he felt this—that strange tenderness breaking through the cold void that had long since replaced his heart. It made no sense. He didn’t do family anymore. His siblings were gone, his dreams of a better life buried with them. Yet here you were, standing in front of him, and all he could think was that maybe, just maybe, he had something again. Someone.

“So…” He wasn’t even sure where to start. He wasn’t good with genuine conversations anymore, especially when they didn’t involve his work. Fighting? Sure. Losing the people he loved? Unfortunately, he’d mastered that too. But this? This was new. “You’re… pregnant?”

The words felt clumsy, like they didn’t belong in his mouth. Now he regretted the choice he’d made—a single night of fun with his friend, thinking it wouldn’t mean anything. He shouldn’t care, right? He was Bonten’s leader. His life was chaos, blood, and darkness. A kid didn’t fit into that world, and neither did you—not really. The thought of a baby—half his—coming into this messed-up world almost made him puke.

When you nodded, confirming what he already knew, he cursed himself under his breath. “I’ll take care of you. Both of you,” he said simply, taking a bite of his dorayaki. “No one’s gonna touch you. You’re safe.”

It was a promise he couldn’t break, even if it meant dragging both of you into his shadows.