Night was approaching, and inside an old abandoned warehouse, dimly lit by a few lamps, one of the thugs from the tavern was violently slammed onto the floor. His breathing was labored, his face twisted in pain.
In front of him, a young man with white hair and dark green eyes stared at him with disdain. He wore a black jacket and pants, and his hands were covered with gloves adorned with metal spikes.
"Please, Shirogane...!"
The young man didn''t respond immediately. He slowly stepped closer, his gaze cold.
"I told you to go get her," he said, his voice calm but menacing. "And what did you do? You let yourselves get beaten up by a kid?"
One of the other men, still on the ground, tried to explain.
"Boss, you have to understand! That guy was a monster! And besides… we didn’t know that girl was the one we were looking for!"
Shirogane stared at him, then slowly nodded.
"You''re right."
A cold smile spread across his face. For a moment, the thug seemed to relax. But before he could say another word, Shirogane''s hand moved with terrifying speed, piercing through his chest.
"Gah...!"
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Blood splattered onto the floor. The man trembled for a moment before his body collapsed, lifeless. The other two remained frozen in terror.
Shirogane slowly turned toward them.
"If you don’t want to meet the same fate, go to the tavern," his voice was icy. "Tell Yume that Shirogane wants to see her."
He glanced down at the corpse.
"And this time… don’t attract attention."
---
The Next Morning at the Tavern
The sun filtered through the window. Kaito’s bed was empty.
Yume climbed the stairs with a tray in hand and knocked lightly on the door.
"May I come in?"
No response. She slowly opened the door—and froze.
Kaito was in the middle of the room, doing push-ups.
For a moment, Yume stood still, her eyes wide.
"E-oh! Sorry, sorry!"
She quickly turned around, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Kaito stopped his workout and calmly put his shirt back on.
"Don’t worry about it. If anything, I should apologize."
"N-no, it’s fine! I brought you breakfast… I hope you like it!"
She placed the tray on the nightstand, avoiding looking at him directly.
Kaito sat on the bed and took a slice of bread.
"Thanks. Anyway… how are you after what happened yesterday?"
"I’m fine. People like that don’t worry me."
Kaito watched her closely. (Too calm… she''s hiding something.)
After finishing breakfast, he went downstairs.
The bartender looked nervous.
"Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."
The bartender looked up, visibly worried.
"Oh, hey Kaito… I just found out the supply truck broke down. I’m running low on stock."
"I can go, if you show me the way."
"Really?! I’d really appreciate that! Yume, can you go with him?"
Yume nodded.
"Of course!"
The two left the tavern and turned right. The street was quiet.
Kaito noticed a group of children playing with a ball, while their mothers watched from afar. But he also noticed something else: the road was gradually becoming more isolated and empty.
Suddenly, Yume turned to Kaito.
"I know we’ve only known each other for a short time... but I’d like to know what led you to travel so much. I mean, you look like a traveler."
Yume spoke hesitantly.
Kaito stopped and turned toward her.
"I have my reasons for traveling from city to city."
Kaito’s gaze was filled with anger and hatred, but it quickly returned to normal.
"Rather… how long did you plan to keep up this act? You’re not taking me to the truck, are you?"
At that moment, Yume’s expression changed, twisting into a sinister smile.
Behind them, the s
ilhouette of a warehouse loomed.
Atop the roof, a figure with white hair watched them.
It was Shirogane.