[ It's only going to get worse better when he eventually canon updates himself next year and acquires his own electricity.

And fish telepathy.

That's going to be a trip. ]

...I think I understand.

[ Instinctively, Kaito smiles. Instinctively, he does understand. That untiring work ethic, born from a desire to be needed, to be wanted.

To belong.

His Shadow has its own opinions, but it's satisfied to know that despite his best efforts to be useful to the other Restless, and even after soulbinding, Kaito still feels out of place. ]

I was a negotiator. When conflicts arose between idiot mortals and irate divines, I was there to bail one side out without cataclysmic consequences. I protected salarymen from angry fortune gods, booted exorcists out of a peaceful spirit's haunted house, and climbed many trees to help bring cats down.

[ There's a distinct fondness in his voice as he recalls some of his past clients. The nostalgia helps against the reality of his current predicament, but he knows the relief is only temporary. ]

And that was my night job. During the day, I cooked ramen.