Chapter 54: The Beloved Child (2)

“What the—!?” My scalp went numb in an instant. I jerked my hand back and leapt backward, right hand instinctively flying to the hilt of the runic dagger at my waist, just a heartbeat away from drawing. “…Huh?” Suddenly, my vision blurred. I blinked hard, and when I looked again, the ghost-like child was gone. In their place stood Reiko Sakurazaki, still frozen in the pose of reaching for the flatbread, staring at me in stunned confusion. Booker looked like he had been about to step in…