Masato winced a bit as the six-foot giant received a scolding from his petite mother.  It might have been comical to anyone else watching -- actually it was sort of humorous to Masato, and he couldn't help chuckling afterwards.  "I'm sorry, mom," he said with sincerity.  "You don't have to worry -- I was just hanging out with some people from school.  But I promise I'll call if it looks like I'm going to be late."<br/><br/>After hugging Sayomi goodnight, he stayed up with the intention of watching television at an almost non-existent volume.  They had two bedrooms, but the walls were almost as thin as plywood and anything louder than a whisper could be heard anywhere in the apartment.  Unfortunately, Masato couldn't concentrate on the programming -- the day's events and discoveries replayed over and over in his mind.<br/><br/>Monsters were real and they lived in another world -- one like ours but darker and far too close for comfort.  They sometimes preyed on humans.  His gaze floated to the door to his mother's bedroom.  He had never felt that the world was particularly safe, but he at least had figured that humanity didn't have to worry about creatures in the shadows sometimes picking them off and eating them.<br/><br/>... or raping them.<br/><br/>He grit his teeth.  With this new knowledge, he became far more concerned with Sayomi's well-being.  He did not see her most of the day -- anything could happen!  And his own self-promise to protect her would be completely meaningless.  He didn't know how, but he had to figure out a way to prevent anything from happening to her ever again.<br/><br/>Masato was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice when midnight came.