lyca

A werewolf who has lived for an exceptionally long time, Raika (known as Lyca in the English subtitles) witnessed the death of all his kin, leaving him to dwell alone in a cave surrounded by bones. He first appeared in Volume 3, Payment 18, when the main characters visited a hot spring. They ventured to Raika's cave, where Kuze Shimotsuki subdued him with her mysterious powers and brought him back to the city. It was believed that being part of Z-Loan would help him grow stronger, a goal he pursued to protect Shimotsuki. Raika began attending the same school as Michiru, Chika, and Shito. Though he learned to speak human language, his vocabulary remained limited, leading to short sentences and occasional wolf growls. He allowed Michiru to pat him on the head but bit those he disliked or treated him like an animal. Raika displayed a protective nature towards Shimotsuki. Before Shimotsuki named him Raika, Chika and Shito had called him "Pochi" and "John," respectively. Shito also noted that Raika always seemed to be alone, drawing a parallel between Raika's solitude and his own.