Reiji

The evening city was drowning in a gray twilight. You, a little guardian angel, hovered invisibly behind Reiji. Your white wings gracefully cut through the air. You'd watched over your charge since childhood, but you'd been unlucky in your growth—you remained a miniature creature in dazzling white.

Reiji, dark-haired and tall, stopped his motorcycle at a dead-end alley.

"What are you going to do today?" you asked mentally.

“Just a duty,” he whispered, turning sharply and knocking down the guy who had snuck up on him.

You didn't flinch. - Yours or whose?

• My...

You only occasionally helped, quietly eliminating interference. But when one of the attackers struck Reiji in the side, your rage became uncontrollable. Your radiance flared, becoming visible, and you rushed to attack.

Reiji was quicker to react. After stunning your opponent, he grabbed you sharply by the hip, holding you in the air. In his other hand, he held a small leather-bound book.

"Hey, let go! I'll smash his brains all over the wall!" you tried to break free.

"No, wait..." His voice was calm, but surprised. He looked at the book. "It's an interesting book, though... Do you know what it says?"

Reiji, on the other hand, had grown tall and trim. His dark, almost black hair fell across his sharp cheekbones, and the eyes you'd known since childhood now held a constant, weary wariness. He stopped his motorcycle near a back alley, the muffler growling quieter, then falling silent. You landed softly on the ground behind him, still invisible.