Rhyme was walking home from school, as usual. Beat, Neku, Shiki, and Joshua were all at an afternoon club, so she walked alone. She turned a couple times, walked safely through A-East, and ducked into Ramen Don, where Rhyme and her friends usually ate and did homework.

As soon as she walked into the little ramen shop, the owner greeted her.

"Irrasshai! May I ask where your friends are today?" Ken Doi, the owner of the shop, asked.

"They're at school clubs," Rhyme said.

"Ah. I presume you want the usual, then?"

"Yes, please," Rhyme said, sitting down at the bar area. She started looking through her backpack for spare yen so she could actually pay for her meal when...

"I'll pay for it," a man said. She was surprised; she hadn't even noticed him there. She looked over at him. He was fairly tall, and had bright orange hair that towered above his head with a few x's forming a headband near his forehead. He wore bright orange sunglasses that matched his hair, a skeleton hoodie, and tan pants that seemed to have a chain attached to them. He looked out into the kitchen vacantly, drumming his fingers on the counter next to what appeared to be a finished bowl of ramen.

"Thank you, sir," Rhyme said. The man looked over at her.

"You're welcome. I'm Koki Kariya. And you?" Kariya introduced himself.

"Raimu Bito, but you can just call me Rhyme. It's nice to meet you, Kariya."

"It's nice to meet you too, Rhyme," Kariya said in a soft voice, looking at her. Rhyme could barely hear him, and she wondered why he was speaking so quietly with her.

"One bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen, Miss," the owner announced, placing the hot, steaming, salty bowl of ramen in front of Rhyme. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you, sir," Rhyme said. She started to dig into her ramen, and Kariya payed for her meal.

"So...I'm assuming you're from around here?" Rhyme asked.

"Yep. I've been here for a while, actually," Kariya said, staring out into space again. He's so quiet, and he seems...maybe upset? Hmm...

"Is everything okay?" Rhyme asked, putting another spoonful of ramen into her mouth.

"I guess so..." Kariya sighed. "I'm thinking about work, that's all." He twirled a lollipop, which he had just unwrapped, in his mouth. Rhyme proceeded to get a sinking feeling that she knew this man, from somewhere...somewhere...but where, exactly? Not school, not from her neighborhood...and then she remembered something. Something that she didn't want to remember, but remembered anyway.

It was from when she was in the Reaper's Game. She noticed that noise below her brother's feet, and went to push him out of the way. That's when she saw two people: one with blindingly pink hair, and one with bright orange hair, both reapers. She figured that they were the ones who sent out the noise. And now, the orange haired reaper himself was sitting next to her.

"You...you..." Rhyme said, trying to figure out how to say those words. "You killed me...in the Reaper's Game, right? You were the one who tried to erase Beat, right?"

Kariya looked over at her, and then nodded quietly. "Yeah. That was me and Uzuki, alright."

"I see..." Rhyme said, taking another bite of her ramen. The ramen shop was quiet for a while, two minutes of unbroken silence. Then, Rhyme spoke again.

"I forgive you."

"Excuse me?"

"I forgive you. You were just doing your job, right? You really didn't mean anything by it, you weren't spiting anyone, you were just doing what it took to survive. I probably would have done the same if I was in your position. I don't think Beat would forgive you though," Rhyme explained, laughing a little at the end. "You might not know this, but-"

"He's as stubborn as a bull, isn't he? Your brother, I mean," Kariya interrupted.

"Yeah, that's Beat, alright," Rhyme laughed.

"I figured as much, what with how hard he tried to get you back," Kariya sighed.

"What?"

"Didn't your brother tell you? He was in the Reaper's Game for two weeks, and he was also in the Reapers for about a week too, all to get you back," Kariya said. "Seriously, your brother is-"

"Overprotective and loves me way too much, I know. He's my brother, and one of the best and most stubborn people I know, so of course he is," Rhyme said.

"Right," Kariya said. Then, his phone rang. "Kar-" Kariya started, before the person on the other side of the line started yelling, chewing the orange haired reaper out for something. Eventually, Kariya said, "I'll be there in a sec, Uzuki," and hung up.

"I'm guessing that was your friend?"

"More like my uptight partner with anger issues...I've got to go, Miss Rhyme."

"Okay, then. I'll see you later, Mister Kariya!" Rhyme said. Kariya looked shocked for a second, then smiled.

"I guess I'll see you later, then," Kariya sighed, walking out.