The Starchaser

by FireMonkeyDragon

One moment he was fighting an alien invasion, the next he found himself stranded more than a decade in the past. With no way back but forward, Adam takes this opportunity and sets his eyes on changing history for the better. With the universe as his stage and the stars as his audience.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - First Snow in Autumn VI

---

Several days had passed since the Cultural Festival. However, there were some leftover traces of the festival loosely scattered around the school, like a random string of lights on a tree that someone forgot to take down. The excitement had significantly calmed, and Chiba Academy returned to its usual schedule as the students continued studying for the upcoming midterm and final exams.

However, the heavy atmosphere over Nagazora had yet to dissipate. While the Academy Festival did help ease the minds of the citizens and served as a great distraction. Its effects could only last so long, and the whole city's weariness had returned as they worriedly watched and kept up with updates from Massive Electric Corp regarding their recent break-in. Or, as the media dubbed it: 'The Raid of M.E Tower.'

Security drones and squadrons of armed police still patrolled every inch of the streets. Schools across the city were encouraged to let their students out early to avoid the unseen dangers in the dark. Companies were similar as they had banned overtime to ensure the safety of their employees. Nagazora's bustling nightlife had also gotten quieter during the span of a few days, and the citizens' fear and paranoia were growing fast.

Fortunately, when Raiden Ryoma announced that a press conference would be held within the week, the fear rippling through the city began to settle slightly.

Narrowly avoiding the eyes of the landlady of his apartment, Adam stealthily slipped inside his unit. He wasn't lying when he told Mei he was a month behind the rent. The runner-up prize money that he had earned during the festival's tournament had yet to be transferred to him, and until then, he made it his mission to avoid any interaction with the landlady. While she was a friendly and reasonable middle-aged woman, he wouldn't take any chances.

He kicked off his shoes and instinctively made a beeline to the kitchen, gathering snacks and preparing his convenience store-bought sandwich before he began to do his homework.

Just when he got comfortably seated at the mini coffee table in the middle of his small living room, the notifying chime of his phone caught his attention.

[ MASSIVE ELECTRIC SECURITY DIVISION - THIS IS A MASS TEXT. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY ]

[ To those who have received this notice. You have been selected to safeguard and patrol the premises during the M.E Corporation press conference tomorrow. All M.E Branch Heads will be in attendance, so we expect you all to do the best that you can and not let your guard down under any circumstances. The address is the Hazakura Hotel, Conference Room 1, Central Nagazora. The conference officially begins at 10 am, but all security units must be on location and geared up by 7:30 am. The approximate finishing time is 3-4 pm, but it could be extended depending on other circumstances.

Final thing: Violent force is permitted to apprehend suspicious individuals and/or groups.

See you tomorrow,

Massive Electric Security Division ]

After reading the text, Adam put his phone down and began eating his meal.

"Since when was I a part of the M.E Security Division?" he thought to himself with a mouthful of food but stopped chewing when he soon realized, "Wait… Since I'm Mei's bodyguard, and I did sign a contract. Then I guess that technically does make me a member of their security division. Though I would've thought that Raiden Ryoma would separate his company's guards and his personal ones…but perhaps it's easier to manage this way,"

'Tomorrow is a school day though… Should I send a text to the CEO to ask?' As soon as he finished his line of thought, another message was delivered to his phone.

[ Good afternoon, Adam-kun. I am sure by the time you see this, you would've already seen the notification. If not, please read that first. If you have, then I am aware that you have classes tomorrow. Worry not; I have already informed the faculty that you will be absent tomorrow. You have done well these past few weeks, and I expect you to keep up your progress.

Raiden Ryoma ]

The black-haired teen stared down at the screen for a few more seconds before continuing to eat.

"Welp, don't know if that was pre-planned or not, but that was convenient,"

---

The following day arrived quicker than anticipated, and Adam had woken up several seconds before his alarm.

He glanced at the time, and with only an hour to get ready and race to the conference venue, he leaped out of bed and hurriedly completed his morning routine.

Unsure of what to wear since the text said nothing about the dress code, the teen opted for an all-black look with a hoodie and pants. He rushed past his neat stack of convenience store-bought face masks before taking two steps back. Looking at the small pile of masks, he contemplated whether he should take one before deciding against it and headed out the door.

He took a quick peek around as he entered the open hallway of the apartment building. Not many of his neighbors were out and about that early in the morning, and they were more likely to be indoors, still eating breakfast and getting ready for the day.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Adam closed and locked the door quietly behind him before speeding down several stairs until he reached the ground floor. He took a few steps before ducking behind a wall.

The landlady was tending to the flowers outside of the complex.

So the black-haired teen watched, observing the middle-aged woman's every move until he was granted an opening.

When she turned to water another side of the garden, Adam took his chance and vaulted over the fence.

Only to come face-to-face with a long, pristine, black luxury car that looked oddly familiar parked on the street right outside the apartment building.

'...Isn't this the same model as the one I dented?' Adam thought, scrutinizing the vehicle.

The tinted passenger window suddenly slid down with an electronic hum, startling the boy. A man in his early to mid-twenties, with beige hair tied in a short ponytail and wearing a suit and sunglasses, slightly poked his head out the window.

"Are you Adam? M.E Employee ID: 2S31W79K5?" the man asked.

"Yeah, that's me," the teen replied, confused at the sudden situation.

"Good," the car's windows closed before the door swung open, "Hop in. We're going to the conference,"

Adam eyed the open car warily until a familiar voice extinguished all suspicion.

"You can trust him, Adam-kun," Raiden Ryoma spoke up inside the vehicle, tilting his head to the side just enough for the black-haired teen to see him sitting in the back, "We were passing by, so I thought it'd be nice to pick you up along the way,"

The black-haired teen rubbed the back of his neck, taken aback by the gesture, "I appreciate it, but you didn't have to go out of your way for me, sir. I would've been fine taking the train,"

"Nonsense," Ryoma dismissed his concerns with a quick flick of his wrist, "You've been working hard as my daughter's bodyguard, so if it really bothers you, then just consider this a small reward. Now come on, hop in,"

"If you insist. Thank you, sir," The boy bowed before entering the luxury car.

"Going to school so early today, Adam?"

The black-haired teen froze before he could close the door. He looked up to see his apartment's landlady standing before a row of peonies and lilies with a watering can in hand, smiling at him.

"Ah…yeah," he replied, improvising a quick, believable lie, "I have some assignments that are due soon that I need to complete, so…,"

The landlady nodded with a smile, "Is that so, well, I just wanted you to know that—"

"Oh, right, yes, about the rest of the rent," Adam quickly cut her off and averted his gaze in a panic, "I promise to get it to you by the end of the week,"

"Hm? That's not—"

"I'm sorry, but I've got to get going now. Don't wanna be late," the black-haired teen closed the door while waving, "Have a good day, ma'am,"

He took a deep breath of relief as soon as the car door closed and automatically locked before equipping his seatbelt. When he looked up, he saw Ryoma and the beige-haired driver giving him weird looks, and all he could do was sheepishly chuckle and awkwardly look away.

"Are you sure you don't want to listen to what your landlady has to say?" asked the CEO, "It could be something important,"

Adam shook his head, "It's fine. She's been asking me about rent every time we see each other, so it's probably just that again,"

"All right then," Ryoma shrugged before nodding toward the driver, "Let's get going,"

Seeing his boss's signal in the mirror, the driver started the car and drove off.

It was a relatively quiet ride into the Central District. Soft jazz music played on the radio as Ryoma was going through some files on his tablet, and the driver was also focused on the road. Adam didn't mind the silence and looked out the window the entire way.

The sun peeked over the cluster of skyscrapers, allowing them to cast their long shadows across the city, signaling the city's morning cycle to begin. As nightclubs and bars closed, restaurants and other stores opened, while twenty-four-hour convenience stores simply turned off their lights but remained ever-inviting. Even this early in the morning, the subway, bus, and train stations were beginning to fill with people.

Soon, the car began to slow as it approached a large, luxurious tower. An artificial waterfall within a garden of sakura trees was displayed by its grand doors, and next to it was a sign that showed the name of the building.

Hazakura Hotel.

A famous five-star hotel and Nagazora's best.

But instead of driving up to the entrance, the car took a turn and entered the underground parking lot, stopping once it descended to the bottom third floor.

"We're here," said the driver, parking the vehicle by a set of double doors guarded by two tall, bulky bodyguards in suits.

Ryoma opened the nearest door and gestured to Adam, "After you, my young friend,"

The black-haired teen dipped his head in gratitude as he stepped out, with Ryoma following shortly after. Looking around, he noticed that almost the entire floor was filled with similar black cars and dark vans while several more security vehicles had begun to pull into the car park. Even more men in suits exited the vehicles and congregated near them.

"Sir," they all simultaneously and respectfully greeted the CEO with a bow.

"Thank you all for coming," Ryoma nodded, "If you would all head up first, I'll be there shortly,"

"Yes, sir," the bodyguard army replied in unison before marching up the stairs with trained discipline.

In a span of a minute, the entire basement car park was empty aside from the three males by Ryoma's car.

"Tomo," Ryoma waved the beige-haired driver over, "Get the newest member of your team his suit,"

The man nodded before making his way over to the boot of the car, popping it open, and extracting the professional-looking garment.

"Suit?" Adam quietly repeated.

"Of course. I know that your unique commission has given you a less restrictive dress code. However, you're a member of the Security Division, Adam-kun. Best look the part, especially at these functions," Ryoma told him.

"Don't worry about the size. We got the measurements from the household's headmaid," said Tomo, handing the black-haired teen his new 'uniform.'

"Thanks," said Adam, receiving the suit.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Ryoma perked up and snapped his fingers, "Before I forget, I still haven't introduced the two of you, have I?"

"No, sir," the beige-haired guard replied as Adam wordlessly shook his head.

"Well, as they say, better late than never," chuckled the purple-haired man.

"Adam-kun, this is Kaedehara Tomo. Head of the Security Divison for both the company and the household. As his junior, you'll be under his guidance for today, and all of your tasks will be set by and reported to him,"

The teen's brows furrowed, 'Kaedehara?'

"Tomo, this is Adam. I would continue, but I'm sure you've already done your research,"

Tomo nodded and simply replied, "I did,"

"Great, then I'll head up to the venue first, and I'll leave him in your care," said Ryoma, spinning around and heading up the stairs.

Once the CEO's footsteps had grown quiet, Tomo looked back at Adam and gestured to the staircase with a tilt of his chin.

"Let's go,"

Before long, they arrived on the ground floor of the hotel.

Marble floors and quartz pillars greeted them. Artistically pruned Sakura trees had been planted in certain areas of the ground floor to give it a more aesthetic design, not to mention the fragrant aroma the flowers produced. White leather couches and sleek, modernistic coffee tables inhabited the lobby as the natural light from outside poured into the hotel, giving the entire ground floor an elegant shine.

But amongst the luxurious atmosphere, dozens of security personnel had already taken up their positions, keeping a vigilant watch by every entry and exit, performing security checks on all visitors and hotel staff, and doing group patrols throughout the perimeter. They made sure to pass by every corner, especially locations the cameras could miss.

Adam couldn't help but notice that the guests, staff, and even some of the hotel's own security team looked intimidated by their presence.

"You can get changed in there," Tomo pointed to a door with the word 'staff' painted on it, "I have a few things to check, but I'll come back to get you in ten minutes,"

Without another word, the head of security headed off, stopping only to briefly exchange words with a patrol before continuing on his way.

The black-haired teenager shrugged and entered the staff room. He quickly put on his newly given suit and put his other clothes inside one of the lockers before leaving. But when he stepped out the door, he froze in his tracks.

"No way,"

"Yo," Leaning against the wall, equipped in a similarly designed suit. The familiar face of Kazuha greeted him with a short salute, "At long last, after three thousand years, we meet again,"

"We saw each other at school less than twenty-four hours ago," said Adam, walking past him.

"But for a mayfly, that is an entire lifetime," replied Kazuha, pushing off the wall and following his classmate back to the lobby.

"What are you talking about? Wait, what are you even doing here?"

"Ah, I thought you'd never ask," Kazuha ran a hand through his hair before performing a suave bow, "I, Kaedehara Kazuha, am an official member of Raiden Ryoma's personal guard,"

"..." It took a few seconds for the new information to register in Adam's head, but when it did, his jaw dropped, "What!? How, when… Wait! Hold up. I thought you did modeling!"

An amused grin stretched across Kazuha's features, "I do. This is just my side job,"

"...Protecting the CEO of the largest and most influential tech-based company in Asia…is a side job?"

"I mean, yeah, well, it's not like I'm the only one on the team. The boss knows that I have school and my other career. But it's fine as long as I show up to these types of events," explained the beige-haired teen.

"Aren't you worried that people might recognize you? Your face is pretty well known in Nagazora,"

"Ha! That's what this is for," Kazuha reached into his suit's inner chest pocket and pulled out a mask, then shot Adam a teasing smirk, "I'm sure you're familiar with these...Tracksuit Guy,"

The black-haired teen instantly choked on his spit as his eyes widened, and quickly slapped his hand over Kazuha's mouth. He whipped his head around to see if anyone heard before confronting his classmate.

"You knew?" he quietly hissed, a little frustrated that his disguise didn't quite work out as intended.

"Of course, I knew," said Kazuha, peeling Adam's hand off his mouth, "The others might've not noticed, but my guy, did you really think you could hide your identity from me with a tracksuit and a mask? Being observant is a necessity and a guaranteed byproduct in this line of work. Which I'm sure you can relate to, considering your 'special' contract,"

"You know about that too?"

Kazuha shrugged and glanced over Adam's shoulder before gesturing in that direction with a slight nod, "I guess being the Head of Security's brother has its own set of side effects,"

The black-haired teen turned around and saw Tomo heading their way, now with a tablet in hand and sorting through some files as he approached them.

"Kazuha, Adam," he greeted, lowering the tablet by his side.

"Onii-chan~," the younger brother chirped as he pranced in for a hug.

Only for the elder sibling to grab his face, stopping him in his tracks, though the younger sibling's arms were still outstretched and waving to embrace his brother.

Tomo shivered, looking down at Kazuha judgementally, "What are you, seven?"

Before flinging him over his shoulder. A double thud was heard from Kazuha's collision with a nearby pillar, then the glossy marble floor. But that didn't stop the beige-haired teenager as he got up, somehow unharmed, and jogged to his brother's side with a wide and, for some reason, proud grin.

Seeing them side by side, Adam could spot the similarities between them. While both of their genetic features were of the same color palette, such as their shared scarlet eyes, Tomo's beige hair was longer and noticeably darker compared to Kazuha's, and it also lacked the red streak in the younger brother's hair, which now that Adam thought about, was most likely dyed. The older sibling was also taller and more muscular, filling out the suit he wore well. His head shape was sharper than Kazuha's, and his facial expression was more serious than the younger sibling's relaxed look.

If Adam had to compare the two in the simplest way possible, then Kaedehara Tomo looked like he belonged in a shoujo manga or the male lead of a webcomic about a female isekai protagonist who was reincarnated in a fantasy royal family. In comparison, Kaedehara Kazuha looked like he belonged in a shonen manga or any genre that includes a high school setting.

"I've assigned the others their duties for today, and you two are the only ones left," said Tomo, "I know that Kazuha doesn't shut up when he's around friends and acquaintances, so I'll be separating the two of you,"

"Aw," pouted his younger brother

Ignoring him, Tomo continued, "Kazuha, you'll be taking position by the eastern entrance of the balcony overlooking the conference room with a couple others. You'll have a full view of the whole room throughout the entire duration of the conference, so you'll be responsible for spotting any potentially suspicious individuals,"

"Got it," saluted Kazuha.

"Adam, you'll be following patrol route eight, which will be taking you from the ground floor up to the second," the head of security then handed him a folded sheet of paper, "I've highlighted that route on this map. But it's best if you can memorize it quickly,"

"Understood," nodded Adam, receiving the map.

"Oh, and I have one more thing for you," added Tomo, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box, "Here, you'll be needing this,"

The black-haired teenager opened the box and retrieved the item inside, "An earpiece?"

"Standard issue for the ME Security Division, works just like it does in the movies," commented Kazuha as he drew his own from his pocket and equipped it.

"They were developed by the company too. Each one has a built-in tracker so we can locate you in case you need backup," said Tomo.

"Neat," Adam fiddled with the gadget as he put it on, 'It's a little old-fashioned when compared to the ones at Schicksal, but it can't be that bad if it's made by ME,'

"I suggest the two of you get to your stations, especially you, Adam, so that you can get familiar with your patrol route. The remaining ME Branch Heads, journalists, other media outlets, and police assistance will arrive any second now. If you need me, I'll be in the temporary command center in Room 101, or just triple-tap your earpiece,"

"Got it," Adam and Kazuha nodded together.

"Good, then I'll be going now. Stay focused you two,"

With that, Tomo strode to the elevators that took him to the command center.

"...Welp!" Kazuha clapped his hands together, "Time to get to work,"

"Yeah,"

---

As the minutes turned into hours, the hotel lobby was flooded with various news agencies, both domestic and from across the globe, not to mention the crowds of onlookers outside trying to peer inside but were blocked by the tinted windows. The security units placed by the rowdy entrances certainly had their hands full, to say the least.

The long-awaited press conference regarding the break-in was now only several minutes away from starting.

Away from all the excitement, Adam strolled alone through a wide hallway. He had memorized his set route an hour ago, and walking around in this continuous loop was getting boring much quicker than he had expected. There were only a few times one could walk past a gym, an indoor swimming pool, and multiple hotel restaurants before getting tired of the scenery.

Thus, he decided to make a small detour off his designated path. Surely Tomo wouldn't mind; the main event of the day was yet to begin, and besides that, it wasn't like he was the only person patrolling route eight. There were several others doing so, too.

Soon enough, he opened a door and found himself on one of the two balconies overlooking the conference room. To his side, Kazuha, who had been assigned this location, looked at him, and confusion briefly flashed across his features.

"What are you doing?" the beige-haired teen asked.

Adam stepped forward and leaned on the railing as he slowly scanned the bustling atmosphere below, "I got bored and curious,"

"Deadly combination," commented Kazuha, joining his friend at the railing, "I'm guessing you wanted to see what all the fuss is about,"

"It's my first time doing something like this. Guess you can say that I want the full experience,"

"Well, I'm not one to snitch. Just don't let my brother catch you slacking. Trust me, you'll never hear the end of it,"

A few minutes of silence passed as the two boys simply observed everything that was going on. From the media and journalists setting up their cameras, microphones, and notebooks. To the police and ME security force working together to keep everything in order. At the end of the room, there was a long table covered by a sheet of white cloth, and behind it were five chairs. Raiden Ryoma was off to the side, chatting with two middle-aged men in suits who weren't part of the security team, nor did they look like journalists.

"Hey, Kazuha," Adam spoke up.

"Hm? What's up?"

"What's with the four extra seats? I thought only the CEO would be speaking,"

"Ah, that," Kazuha straightened his posture, "Those are for the other Branch Heads,"

"Branch Heads?" echoed Adam.

The beige-haired teen nodded, "It's not strange that you don't know about them yet since you're still relatively new. But being Mei's exclusive bodyguard, you were bound to find out about them sooner or later,"

"So, who are they?"

"They're exactly what their titles are: Massive Electric Corporation Branch Heads. When the company got bigger and bigger, it got more chaotic and messy, with all the different departments running around inside a single building. So Raiden Ryoma decided to divide all of its projects into separate branches to further their focus and work efficiency. Now there are five branches in all, including the main branch, and their leaders were hand-selected by the boss himself," explained Kazuha, "Well, that's the short version of it. My brother says there's more to it, but none of it's my problem, so I never bothered asking any further,"

"Then those two talking to Raiden Ryoma right now,"

"Yeah, those two are Branch Heads," confirmed Kazuha, "From the Kannazuka and the Yashiori Groups,"

"And what are they in charge of?"

"Kannazuka specializes in manufacturing, innovating, and distributing daily appliances like fridges, microwaves, lights, TVs, and cameras, things like that. That new game console that's coming out soon, the PixVolt, is also made by them," explained the beige-haired teen, "They're tied being the second largest branch below the main one,"

"What about Yashiori?"

"Yashiori's main focus revolves around cyberspace security along with the production of electronic chips and circuits. All the software used by ME employees on a daily basis was developed by them, as well as the company's exclusive antivirus network. They also have a whole squadron of white-hat hackers too,"

Kazuha then pointed to a woman in her late twenties to early thirties on the other side of the conference room, talking on her phone.

"You see her?"

Adam nodded.

"That's Sangonomiya Kumi, Head of the Watatsumi Branch. International Relations is what they do, and they're the smallest and newest of all the branches. They've had a few rumors about them in the past when they were just starting up since they're the odd one out of all the units, as they're the only branch that doesn't manufacture anything. Not to mention that they were kind of just randomly formed overnight,"

"What sort of rumors do they have?" asked the black-haired teen.

"There's several of them, but the most popular one is that they're apparently a secret task force hidden in broad daylight, and every member of the Watatsumi was hand-picked by Raiden Ryoma himself,"

"You think it's true?"

"Maybe, maybe not," shrugged Kazuha, "Again, none of that's my problem, and even if the rumors are true, then they'd be on our side anyway, so I don't think we should worry about it,"

"Fair enough,"

"And finally…," Kazuha pointed to a man with short, crimson hair and an unamused expression. Standing next to him was another man, slightly taller, rough-looking, with slicked-back yellow hair and a scar across his nose, "Amakumo Ryuuji, the new Head of Seirai, and Kawanami Kenta, his right-hand man and supposedly also his childhood friend,"

"What do they specialize in?"

"Weapons and other kinds of military equipment," said the beige-haired teenager, "Even these earpieces we're wearing now were developed by them,"

Kazuha shifted his position to lean back against the railing before continuing, "They're the ones who rival Kannazuka for the position of the second largest branch in ME, and like Watatsumi, they have a decent amount of rumors circulating them as well,"

"You're going to tell me even if I don't want to hear it, aren't you?"

"Of course, we might be classmates, but I'm basically your senpai in this company. The least I can do is educate you on all the latest bits of juicy information leaking out,"

"Fine, go ahead,"

"So, rumor has it that the Seirai Group is secretly forming their own private army in the shadows to overthrow the Main Branch,"

Adam tilted his head in confusion, "Why exactly?"

"Because the Seirai used to be an independent organization a few decades ago," revealed Kazuha, "They used to be ME's main competitors until fifteen years ago when they suddenly signed an agreement and were subsequently made a part of ME. After the former head of Seirai died, his son took his place, and it's an open secret that he despises the main branch and considers joining them an act of humiliation to his family. All the higher-ups know that if there's a chance to go independent, he'll take it. So the rumor about starting a private army to commit some good old-fashioned mutiny isn't too far-fetched,"

"So why would Ryoma make them in charge of weapons? If those rumors are true, then it almost feels like he's taunting them," said Adam.

"It's because he most likely is," replied Kazuha, "And because they work on military equipment, the security around them is much higher than all of the other branches minus the main one. There are eyes in and around their building 24/7, regular check-ups, drone patrols every night, and even the hackers from Yashiori routinely poke around their network. Ryoma has them in the palm of his hand, and they know it,"

"I see," the black-haired teen mused, "Wait, what about the Main Branch? What's their specialty?"

"I was waiting for you to ask," chuckled Kazuha before responding.

"Well, the Main Branch's official title is the Narukami Branch, but that's only for the official documents; everyone just calls it the main. Their primary focus is on robotics and AI. All the drones flying around the city right now and the mechs guarding the ground floor at night were constructed by them. And the security protecting the main tower is the best in the country, on-par if not better than the government's, which, if you ask me, makes the recent break-in both terrifying and impressive,"

"Any new updates regarding finding the culprit?" asked Adam.

The beige-haired teenager sighed and shook his head, "Nothing. Straight up zero. Whoever did it slipped in and out almost perfectly if it weren't for their last-minute alarm trip up,"

"So you're saying they somehow avoided every single camera, guard patrol, drones, mechs, motion sensors, all of that and more?" enquired Adam.

"Yeah," Kazuha responded, "We theorize that either the culprit is an exceptionally advanced hacker or they were working with one. And or they were equipped with some type of next-level stealth equipment that can bypass the current military-grade security systems with ease,"

"So how's Raiden Ryoma going to reveal this to the public?" asked the black-haired teen, "If he reveals the truth, then the reputation of the company is going to crumble, and the citizens will only get more paranoid,"

"I don't know," confessed Kazuha, "The boss always has a plan for everything that happens to the company, so he knows what he's doing. All we can do now is trust him,"

"Right,"

[ Hello? Hello. Good morning everyone. Please settle down and find your seats. The Massive Electric Press Conference will begin shortly. Repeat. The conference will begin shortly. Thank you. ]

"Looks like that's your cue," Kazuha laughed lightly.

"Indeed it is," Adam pushed off the railing and began heading towards the door, "I guess I'll see you later or tomorrow at school,"

His classmate nodded, "Yep, you know where to find me if you need me, though,"

"Yeah,"

"Oh and…," Kazuha reached into his pocket and pulled something out before tossing it at Adam, "Here,"

Adam caught it and looked down at the object in his hand, "A mask?"

"You should wear one, y'know,"

"Why? It's not my face that's on the cover of magazines,"

"Yeah, but we're still high school students. It's best to keep our identities hidden…just in case,"

Adam looked down at the mask, contemplating for a second before opening the small plastic bag and putting it on.

"Fine," he adjusted the positioning of the mask until it was comfortable before leaving, "I'll get back to work,"

---

The sun had now climbed to the middle of the sky, delivering its warm rays down upon the autumn-chilled city.

Steam slowly rose from a cup of piping hot coffee, flickering as it ascended.

Inside his hotel room, Takeshi carefully picked up the mug, bringing it close to his lips before blowing on the dark-brown drink to cool it off.

Almost a week had passed since he moved into Room 802 of the famous Hazakura Hotel. At first, he was cautious, perhaps overly so; after all, he had been hunted by the higher-ups of his former company for almost a month now. They had seemingly halted their chase or perhaps put less attention on it and focused back on that project, which Takeshi didn't know how to feel about.

On the one hand, he was relieved that he could now spend less time looking over his shoulder, but on the other hand, the nature of the secret project he was assigned to work on was rotten to the core. The memories of the things he witnessed there were enough to give grown men nightmares and kept him up for many nights. Guit clawed at his conscience, but he was determined to do his best to put a stop to it, which did make the weight of that guilt lessen slightly.

He knew by himself he would stand zero chance against the Seirai Group, But now he had unexpected help in the form of a mysterious stranger who went by the codename [ Macaque ] and his equally enigmatic organization that dwelled in the shadows. The very hotel he was staying in was also owned by said company, which did make him feel a little safer than all the capsule hotels and small-time inns he slept in while on the run. True to Macaque's word, the hotel offered all the services he needed to survive. Food, water, shelter, and enrichment, the only thing missing was the warming presence of family, but he knew it was best to stay away from them until everything was resolved.

For all their sakes.

However, Takeshi would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't growing anxious.

Five days had passed without any updates from Macaque. He couldn't help but wonder if the masked young man had forgotten about him and gone ahead by himself to confront the Seirai Group. There was no way of knowing, no way to contact him either, as he had explicitly told him that they would be the ones to initiate the call or message.

With too much on his mind, Takeshi gulped down the rest of his coffee and grabbed his coat before leaving his room. A good stroll could clear any stressful thoughts. He went through the hallway to the elevators and waited for one to arrive. Soon enough, a set of doors opened behind him, and he entered the elevator, bowing a quick greeting to the janitor inside, who was holding onto a trolley of fresh quilts before he pressed the button to ascend to the rooftop.

Soft jazz music played for several seconds until a chime signaled the doors to open. Takeshi allowed the janitor out first before following after. Only when the elevator door closed behind him did he realize he had gotten off on the wrong floor. He failed to realize that the elevator was already descending when he got on and prioritized the janitor's destination before his. He huffed in annoyance and ran a hand through his magenta hair, but he didn't mind it for long.

While it wasn't the famous scenic rooftop, the second floor was labeled as the 'Recreation' floor and still had many things to do to pass the time and destress. He made it a habit to visit this floor at least once daily since he started living here.

As he strolled through the wide, stylish corridor, looking for something to do, he walked past multiple men and women in suits with serious expressions, geared up like they were secret agents. Every time they would glance at him, their gazes lingered on him for a split second longer than usual, as if they were scanning him to asses if he was a threat or not.

Takeshi had to admit. It was slightly unnerving.

From what he had seen, they weren't the regular security team of the hotel. Perhaps there was some kind of event happening that he didn't know about, or perhaps some important guests were staying, which wasn't too much of a surprise considering the hotel's famous reputation.

Either way, it didn't have anything to do with him.

At least, that was what he thought before he passed by one specific suit-wearing individual.

Takeshi didn't pay attention at first, but his eyes widened in realization before he whipped around to do a double take.

"Excuse me," the magenta-haired scientist called out as he jogged up to him, "Excuse me!"

"Hm?" the black-haired individual turned around. A mask covered half of his face; all Takeshi could see were his amber-golden eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"W-What do you mean?" stuttered Takeshi, baffled. With a wave of his hands, he gestured to himself, "It's me,"

"...," The black-haired young man raised a brow, "...Okaaay?"

"Why do you look so confused? Weren't you the one who told me to stay here for the time being? Or did you forget?"

"...Ah, I think I know what's going on now," the black-haired male nodded to himself and pulled down his mask, revealing his youthful face to the older man, "Sorry, but I'm not the person you're looking for. You've gotten me confused with someone else,"

Takeshi blinked before sheepishly rubbing the back of his head and slowly taking a few steps back, "O-Oh…Y-Yes, you're correct. My apologies. I did indeed mistake you for another person,"

"It's fine," the teenager replied as he pulled the mask up, "I hope you find them soon,"

"Y-Yes, thank you. Sorry for bothering you," Takeshi bowed.

With that, the younger male continued on his way.

Takeshi sighed and rubbed his face, muttering, "Of course, it wasn't him. Maybe I'm just becoming too jumpy or impatient to the point where I'm seeing things. I should just get lunch. My brain isn't working right without fuel,"

As the magenta-haired man traveled through the hotel, he began noticing the growing sound of chatter and the number of people walking around. While it wasn't initially all that strange, considering that this was a well-known hotel. It was puzzling why there were so many guests here when the next vacation season was still a few months away. As far as he could remember, no significant festivals or events were occurring in Nagazora at this time of year besides a few school festivals. But those weren't anywhere near important enough to warrant an influx of tourists.

Takeshi deduced that it could only mean one thing: a seminar of sorts going on within the building. Many companies and institutes nationwide would rent out the hotel's halls for their conferences and gatherings. So if this were the reason, it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary.

When he entered the lobby, the number of people had increased by almost double the amount. From hotel workers to the unknown security guards, reporters, their camerapeople, and a heap of people in business suits all mingled together.

Keeping himself to the walls, Takeshi shuffled his way to the receptionist, who was busy working away on a computer.

"Excuse me," he began, catching the receptionist's attention, "If I may ask, what's going on here?"

"Hm? Oh, this? Haven't you heard? ME Corporation is holding a conference today regarding the recent break-in incident," she replied.

After hearing her explanation, Takeshi turned and slowly scanned the crowd. Now that he had a moment to look around, he did notice several familiar faces. Former co-workers, seniors, and alums alike.

"There's certainly a lot of people here today," he commented.

"Yes, perhaps it's because all five ME Branch Heads have shown up together in public for the first time in three years," said the receptionist, "Maybe they're going to announce something big, and no one wants to miss it?"

Takeshi suddenly stiffened, "...Did…did you say all five branches?"

The receptionist nodded, "Yes, Narukami, Kannazuka, Yashiori, Watatsumi, and Seirai. Why do you ask?"

His eyes grew wide, and his blood instantly ran cold. The burning heat of fear began to radiate from his head, down his spine, spreading all across his body. Sweat seeped out the skin on the back of his neck, trailing down at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Are you okay, sir?" the receptionist asked.

Takeshi took in a deep breath and responded, "I…I'm fine. Thank you,"

Heading away from the hotel reception, he didn't even take two steps before the haunting sensation of being watched overtook him.

Snapping his head left and right, Takeshi desperately and cautiously searched around the crowd to check whether his mind was playing tricks on him or not.

Unfortunately for him, it was very real.

It felt like the world had slowed down. Only several feet away, separated by a group of people, a familiar set of slicked yellow hair and scarred face seemingly slipped out of the shadows of the crowd.

Kenta smirked, staring at Takeshi like a wolf targeting a helpless rabbit.

The magenta-haired man stumbled back, and his dried-up mouth dropped in shock before he took off. He pushed and ducked through the crowd, causing the people to glance at him and shoot him looks of annoyance and confusion.

Meanwhile, Kenta pressed his earpiece.

"I've located Asakura Takeshi," he reported, "He's trying to leave the lobby as I speak. What do you want me to do, Ryuuji? Should I catch him?"

[ What?! He's here?! Whatever, yes, but do it quietly. Transfer him to my car once you do. We'll deal with him after the conference. ]

"Understood,"

On the other side, Takeshi finally burst out of the cramped lobby, gasping for air as if he had resurfaced from the water.

He whipped around, checking to see if Kenta was following him, and much to his dismay, he was. The tall, dirty-blond hair cut through the crowd like a shark fin weaving through the sea of people toward his target.

Without a second thought, Takeshi bolted, sprinting down the hall toward the elevators. Like a madman, he repeatedly jabbed the button while checking over his shoulder every two seconds.

"Come on, come on," he uttered. He quickly glanced up and saw on the screen that this elevator was slowly descending from the top floors. All the other ones were also too high to be called down in time.

With no other choice, Takeshi made a dash for the closest fire escape. He even crashed against the door at the speed he was going before yanking it open and slipping inside. It was just in time as Kenta began quickening his pursuit.

The magenta-haired scientist's loud footsteps echoed as he ran up the stairs. He kept his ascent until he heard the creak of the first floor's door opening, followed by a set of frighteningly fast footsteps. Takeshi wasn't going to take the chance of outrunning Kenta. He knew that man was physically superior to him in every way, and being stuck inside the fire escape with him would prove to be a grave mistake.

So with his first chance, Takeshi left the fire escape and entered an unknown floor. Not that he cared what floor he was on, as long as he could escape from the Seirai second-in-command.

He took a couple of seconds to regain his breath and looked around to see if there was anything to barricade the door. There were a few decorative statues along the luxurious corridor, but Takeshi knew there was no way he could move them, so he stuck with his most efficient plan. To run.

The old him would've fallen over in exhaustion by now, but fortunately, when the Seirai had been chasing him for the past few weeks, his stamina had increased significantly. But it wasn't enough, and he could feel his flanks beginning to sting and his legs starting to tire. Not to mention his sprained ankle, which had only recovered slightly, was flaring up again.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an arm looped around his neck, and a hand shot out from behind, covering his mouth, muffling any noise he made.

Caught off guard and nearly out of energy, Takeshi didn't even have time to react as he was dragged into the shadows.

---

1 HOUR EARLIER

World Serpent.

The secretive third faction that participated in the war against the Honkai. Unknown to most but infamous to the few who knew.

Though their current level of firepower was less than Schicksal and arguably Anti-Entropy, that didn't mean they didn't have their own strengths that surpassed the other two organizations. While all three of them had near-equal progression in both technological advancement and wealth, where the shadowy syndicate really excelled was, ironically, influence.

It was not an understatement to say that they played a part in almost every event. Whether it was a major or minor role, in the past or the present, they were there observing and listening, analyzing whether or not the repercussions of their intervention would be helpful in their lifelong cause.

They had eyes and ears in every corner of the world. Agents in every government, institution, and anything else they could infiltrate, including the other two Honkai-combating organizations. It was nearly impossible to differentiate between an average person and a member of the World Serpent. The cashier at the local convenience store could be one of them, a professor teaching at a prestigious university could also be one of them, a beloved singer, a general in the military, and while the chances were low, it wasn't out of the question that one's own family or best friends were members of the enigmatic syndicate. The school one went to, the company one worked at, the shopping mall one frequented, their apartment complex, and even the hospital all had the possibility of being owned by World Serpent.

They were master puppeteers, holding the strings of the word that they manipulated in their favor. All the intel they needed and the resources they required were always well within their grasp. Like the metaphor that a simple flap of a butterfly's wings could create a devastating hurricane, the insignificant and trivial act of a mere twitch of their fingers would bring about immense and deadly results.

All the while remaining unseen, hiding in plain sight.

One of their agents, Macaque, was currently on the second floor of a popular cafe, sitting at the table in the corner. As usual, he donned his black cap and mask, though the mask was pulled down below his chin. Instead of the long-sleeved white shirt, he changed into a white hoodie, and the gray track pants were swapped for a black pair while his dark sneakers remained the same.

Warm sunlight poured in through the tall window panels, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted all around. The cafe's bustling sounds became ambient as he focused on the MOBA game on his phone.

His golden eyes were glued to the screen, not leaving for a moment even when he went to take a sip of his milk tea.

Whoever this [ Alloy_Bron ] player was, it was undeniable that they were very good at this. He only wished they were on his team instead of the randomly matched, ragtag squadmates he was forced to carry throughout the entire round.

And soon enough, a large red sign saying [ DEFEAT ] materialized on his screen. The World Serpent agent released a light, annoyed exhale through his nose and placed his phone on the table before cracking his fingers to release the stiffness caused by the twenty-minute match. Macaque removed his cap and ran a hand through his jet-black hair before putting it back on, absentmindedly gazing around, allowing his eyes to take a break.

The humming vibration of his phone brought his attention back to it, and he picked it up, expecting it to be a notification for a rematch.

Instead, it was the circular snake insignia of their organization blinking in the corner of the screen.

Instinctively, Macaque's eyes flicked up to ensure that no one was paying attention to him before drawing earphones from his pocket and putting them on. He got up from his seat, acting as naturally as possible while he left the cafe into the busy streets and tapped the flashing symbol.

"Macaque online," he reported, pulling up his mask.

[ We've finished analyzing the data chip you sent us. ]The cold, synthetic voice of one of the Gray Serpents responded.

"What are the results?"

[ It is as we predicted. The Seirai group has gained access to one of our projects. We ended our partnership with them last year as they failed to meet our expectations, yet they still behave as if we're still allied. It is clear that they never received the news of the termination of our cooperation. Someone has betrayed us for their own profit. ]

"Any idea who it is?"

[ We have narrowed down all potential suspects to two highly likely individuals we believe are working together now. The first is Azar, one of Jackal's higher-ranking subordinates. Though he worked under her for six years, it's an open secret that the only thing he desired was to be promoted and become equal to or surpass her in rank. ]

Macaque heard a light beep from his phone. He looked down to check, and a new image was displayed on the monitor. It was a bespectacled, middle-aged man wearing a lab coat. His hair, mustache, and beard were disheveled and graying, along with dark circles under his veiny, hazel eyes.

[ The second is "Bison." ]

The masked teenager paused briefly, eyebrows twitching in surprise before continuing down the path.

[Former associates, I believe? ]

"As if you need to ask that," Macaque quickly glanced both ways before lowering his voice, "You're the one who formed the Wild Hunt,"

[ Technically, that was 75. I am Gray Serpent 86. Anyway, I wanted to check if I needed to send you his photo. I take it you still remember his appearance? ]

"Yeah," confirmed the masked agent, "But why is he a suspect? I always thought he was one of the more loyal members of World Serpent,"

[ He was. Or perhaps it was all a facade. Nowadays, it seems like he's more loyal to himself. That man is dangerously ambitious. He was the one who was tasked to inform the Seirai group that we were terminating our partnership, but as we can now see, that notice was never delivered. He has also ignored orders, completed missions that weren't for him, and changed the objectives midway to acquire different results. He claims it's all for the cause and World Serpent, so we've always turned the other way as long as he remembers his role. However, lately, he's been acting increasingly out of line. Strutting around as if he is the Sire. ] There was a chilling, venomous tone in the android's voice, more so than usual.[ We have been too lenient. ]

"Are you suggesting that Bison is using World Serpent's name for his own goals?" questioned Macaque.

[ It is highly possible. Gray Serpents 63, 77, 81, 50, and 99 also speculate that Bison plans to create his own splinter branch and start an insurrection against us. ] replied the hooded android.

Macaque snorted, "What? Like some sort of Anti-Entropy knockoff? What are they gonna be called, Global Snake? Anti-Serpent? Mongoose?"

[ Who knows? Either way, your assignment has now been updated. ] Gray Serpent told him.

[ One: Investigate the suspects, Azar and Bison, and uncover evidence of their potential betrayal and if they are cooperating to form a splinter faction. Two: Find out which of our projects they and the Seirai are working on and end it. ]

"Understood," stated the masked teenager, "Do I need to eliminate both of them?"

[ No. Not until they have been proven guilty. ]

"And the Seirai Group?"

[ …Once you're done with everything else… No loose ends. Only the ones who have had contact with World Serpent will die. No unnecessary assassinations. ]

"Right,"

[ Any questions? ]

"How long do I have?"

[ The Network has unanimously agreed. One month. That should be enough time for someone of your skill. ]

"Got it," Macaque stopped, standing in the vast patch of shade cast by a certain tall building before him. His golden gaze traveled up the towering hotel, and he replied, "I'll get started then,"

[ Very well. I'll leave you to it… Wait, one more thing. Gray Serpent 75 sends his regards. ]

The masked teenager could almost hear the eye-roll in that specific Serpent's voice, eliciting a light chuckle from the field agent. The android hung up a second later, and Macaque removed his earphones, slipping them back into his pocket.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" he said to himself quietly, adjusting his cap and mask as he approached the hotel.

Only to be blocked by the massive, noisy cluster of onlookers and media companies before he could reach anywhere near the entrance. The crowd of overly curious civilians and nosey reporters were trying to gain entry while the security guards successfully held their ground, only letting authorized people inside.

'Ah…Crap, right, I completely forgot that this ME thing was happening today,' he mentally admitted, scrunching his nose in annoyance.

'Let's just hope Takeshi didn't get himself captured,' he thought while discreetly scouting around for another access point.

As he circled the perimeter, he quickly discovered the entrance to the underground car park. The only problem was it was also protected by a squadron of guards who were even better equipped than the ones stationed at the hotel's main entry.

No matter, it was a minor obstacle. He wasn't one of World Serpent's best infiltrators for nothing.

When an opportunity presented itself, the masked teen dashed forward and expertly avoided the eyes of the oblivious armed security team while simultaneously slipping past the cameras before silently stepping into the dimly lit car park.

Though there were still some patrols underground, sneaking past them was child's play compared to all the other high-tech, major institutes he had broken into in the past.

Before long, he had dashed up the stairs and to the ground floor of Hazakura Hotel. Upon arrival, he noticed the constant flow of formally-dressed people streaming back and forth between the lobby and one of the larger conference rooms. There was no doubt that was where the day's main event was taking place.

When a group of chattering guests crossed his path, the World Serpent agent moved forward and joined them at the back. While he kept a bit of distance, he did successfully blend in with the crowd.

Suddenly, a familiar set of magenta-colored hair rushed past him in the wide corridor leading to the lobby. He blinked and did a double take as it didn't even take him a minute to locate Takeshi. The random coincidence almost felt like a children's Saturday morning cartoon.

Not even half a minute later, a tall, blonde, rough-looking man pushed through the packed lobby crowd and paced after Takeshi.

Both of them had wholly ignored the baffled masked teen who remained rooted to his spot as they sped past him like he was part of the wall.

Macaque watched as the one being chased and the chaser disappeared after turning a corner. Without another word, the infiltrator quietly tailed them.

He watched the door to the fire exit open and close twice as Takeshi dashed inside, followed by his pursuer. Just as he was about to follow, he heard the chime of an elevator opening to his left. A couple of guests walked out, and the masked teen took one more glance at the fire escape before deciding to slip into the elevator, traveling up to the sixth floor.

Upon arrival, he swiftly made his way to the fire escape and carefully opened the door, ensuring not to make a sound. It was just as he had predicted; the rising footsteps of Takeshi echoed loud and clear through the stairwell. Before long, he could hear the huffing of the scientist and spotted his signature magenta hair as he ran up the stairs.

As Takeshi burst through the door, Macaque stepped back and hid behind a nearby decorative statue. The middle-aged man gasped for air, hunching over with his hands on his knees as he looked around for a few moments before taking off down the hallway, although he was noticeably slower.

Not long after, the tall blonde man kicked open the door. Like Takeshi, the rough-looking man took a few seconds to glance around in search of his target.

The masked teen saw a chance to divert his attention and dug around his pockets, eventually pulling out a coin. With a simple flick, the coin shot out of his grasp and smacked into a door further down the hallway, opposite a fleeing Takeshi.

The noise instantly drew the pursuer's attention, and he marched toward the sound.

Macaque left his hiding spot and proceeded to swiftly but silently catch up to Takeshi.

As he advanced, he took note of the open door a few paces ahead of them; the trolley outside indicated that one of the housekeepers was currently working inside. Then he looked over his shoulder and saw that the blonde man was about to finish inspecting the diversion he created and was just about to turn around.

Thinking quickly on his feet, the masked teen raced up to Takeshi, grabbing him from behind and covering his mouth as he dragged him into the nearby open room.

As soon as they were inside, Macaque somewhat closed the door with his foot before putting Takeshi down against a cupboard. Free from the World Serpent agent's grip, the older man was about to retaliate before his eyes lit up in recognition.

"You—!" he started but was cut off by Macaque, who raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence.

The masked teen peeked out of the room and saw that the man from the Seirai group was heading their way.

"Into the bathroom," he ordered, pulling back into the room, "Now,"

Takeshi nodded and crawled into the bathroom, ducking behind the wall.

Macaque turned around and faced the housekeeper, a short middle-aged Japanese woman with her hair tied up in a bun. Strangely, despite their sudden interference with her work, her face was utterly blank.

The masked teen retrieved a jet-black card from his pocket with the insignia of the World Serpent emblazoned in white on both sides and held it up to her eyes.

Suddenly, the housekeeper's dark irises glowed bright green with a mechanical buzz and flickered for a few seconds before returning to normal.

[ Welcome, Rank 6 Macaque, to Safe House #741 - Hazakura Hotel. ] said the housekeeper with a synthetic undertone in her voice, [ How may I be of service? ]

"There's a man wandering the halls outside. He has yellow hair, is roughly 1.8 meters tall, has a scar across his nose, kinda looks like a thug, and wearing a suit. Distract him and lead him away from the floor," Macaque told the android servant, "For at least half an hour,"

"It will be done," the housekeeper replied, her voice shifting to that of a human's and bowing before setting off to complete her new set of orders.

As silence fell upon the room, Takeshi stepped out of his hiding place with an astonished look painted clear on his face.

"What the heck was that?" he exclaimed.

"Standard World Serpent caretaker android, why?" casually replied the masked teen.

"Are those things all over the hotel?!" questioned Takeshi.

"Pretty much," Macaque nodded, "They're a lot easier to maintain than human workers,"

"So you're saying I've been served by robots this past week?!"

"Maybe?" the teenager shrugged, "This place has human staff too. But I'm not the one who manages this place, so I don't really know,"

"Why are you so surprised about androids anyway?" Macaque continued, "You worked at ME Corp. They specialize in robotics,"

"Because at least they looked like robots. I thought your androids were humans up until now," Takeshi retorted and marched up to the younger male, "And speaking of M.E! Why didn't you tell me they would have this big conference here at the hotel?!"

"Would you believe me if I said it slipped my mind?"

"Slipped your mind!?" Takeshi hissed, "How does something like that just slip your mind!?"

"Calm down, calm down,"

"Calm—?!" The magenta-haired man threw his arms up in disbelief, "I almost got caught just then! Do you know what they'd do to me if they did?! To my family!?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," the masked teen cooly replied, "At best, they'll simply kill you. At worst, you'll go from the one experimenting to the one being experimented on,"

His words silenced the former scientist, and the younger male continued to speak as he leaned against the edge of the room's compulsory table.

"But I need to ask, why didn't you know about the conference? Social media has been raving about it for the past week. Surely you should've seen something, at least?"

"I…I destroyed my phone when I realized they were using it to track me," confessed Takeshi.

"And you never turned on the TV and watched any of the news channels?"

Takeshi shook his head, "I only watched movies. The news always makes me stressed, which is something I don't want or need right now,"

"Fair enough,"

The older man inhaled deeply, controlling the remnants of his former outburst before taking a seat on a nearby bed, "So… I suppose you've come to update me on something? You wouldn't be here if there weren't,"

Macaque wordlessly pushed off the table and walked to Takeshi's side. He took out his phone, bringing up the side-by-side pictures of Azar and Bison before flipping his device around to show Takeshi.

"Recognize them?"

---

*BAM*

Kenta's fist slamming into the mirror reverberated throughout the bathroom. A web of cracks stretched out from the point of impact as smaller splinter pieces of glass fell to the ground with a light clink.

The blonde man retracted his hand from the mirror, leaving a small stain of crimson mixed into the shattered glass. He breathed as he washed the blood and glass specks off his knuckles. Turning the water off, the man checked his hand for any damage. As expected, it was minimal—nothing but a few scrapes and broken skin.

His skin had turned as rough as an elephant's as a result of his training and skirmishes through the years. As the second-in-command of the Seirai Group and the chairman's personal guard, as their company's sword and shield. It was vital for him to become essentially a living weapon that could be used to eliminate anything that threatened their power.

Which is why it infuriated him that Asakura Takeshi, a mere scientist working under their research department, was able to slip through his grasp, not once, not twice, but continuously since his defection.

Today was the closest he got to catching him since their hunt began, and the man simply vanished into thin air as if he was just an illusion conjured by his own desire to end this dragged-on pursuit once and for all.

But he knew for sure that the man he saw running away in the lobby was Takeshi. He had seen him around their facility plenty of times and talked to him a few times before he ran away from the company. To put it nicely, that man was physically average. He even heard him heaving for air as they dashed up the fire exit staircase. There was also no possible way for him to outrun him, especially with the leg injury Takeshi had sustained during one of their earlier chases.

All of these close-call escapes only solidified his suspicions that Takeshi had found allies that worked in the shadows.

The only problem was he had no idea who they were.

When Takeshi defected, he stole an important data chip containing all the results of their research and experiments, including images and videos. Though it was slightly outdated now due to recent breakthroughs, it was still enough for any outside source to comfortably leech off of. So, whoever Takeshi was currently working with must have seen some value in their data chip.

This narrowed the options to…no one, as Kenta couldn't think of any rival companies of the Seirai Group. Massive Electric used to fill that slot, but ever since the handover more than a decade ago, their company was now but a branch of a bigger tree. There was no way Takeshi was working with any of the other ME branches either; the fact that Seirai still stands is proof of it.

No matter which branch he ran to, information traveled as fast as lightning in the corporation, and news of their secret research and experiments would reach Ryoma in no time. That man was known to be chivalrous, and the moment he found out what they were up to, no doubt he would bring the thunder and destroy the Seirai Group.

The same thing would've happened if Takeshi had gone to the police.

It had to have been someone outside of the reaches of ME, outside of Nagazora, perhaps even outside the country.

Perhaps they were someone like their own benefactors.

'Impossible!' Kenta mentally spat, cutting that possibility out of his mind, 'There's no way in hell that guy could have connections with monsters like them. He's but a drop of water in a winding river, an unnoticeable addition to a larger system, and monsters like them don't pay attention to people like him, people who are at the bottom of the food chain, the prey of larger prey,'

With an annoyed click of his tongue, Kenta exited the bathroom. This was another loss he had to accept, but he swore he would end this hunt for Takeshi himself.

And it was as if fate was smiling upon him that day. He had only walked for about a minute through the hallways of the first floor when he spotted a familiar set of messed, magenta hair in the distance facing away from him, and a victorious smirk stretched across Kenta's lips.

Without wasting more time, Kenta charged his target like a frenzied bull. His footsteps echoed loudly in the now empty corridor, and like a startled rabbit, Takeshi jolted and whipped around.

His eyes grew wide in a mix of terror and shock, but unlike before, it was as if his feet had grown roots and were embedded into the ground. The sight of Kenta rushing at him sent a paralyzing pulse throughout his body as the world around him seemed to slow down.

The tall blonde enforcer of the Seirai closed the gap between them in a matter of seconds and lunged, reaching out to catch Takeshi.

Takeshi gasped. He was as vulnerable as a seal pup in front of a large shark, and his life flashed before his eyes before he could utter the word 'help.'

Suddenly, Kenta's hand froze mere inches from the maroon-haired man's face.

Both men's eyes snapped toward the hand tightly gripped onto Kenta's wrist before their gaze slowly traveled up the arm to view the identity of the interferer.

A white hoodie, a black cap, and an even darker mask were all they saw. Even the cap was pulled down to cover the top half of the newcomer's face until he raised his head to leer at Kenta with his piercing golden eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Kenta growled, though the masked individual gave him no answer. Instead, he continued to stare at him with an unreadable gaze.

The blonde man tried pulling back, but it was as if he was tied to the spot. His body would move, but his arm wouldn't budge.

'The hell is with this kid!? His grip is like steel,' he thought before snarling, "Let. Go. Boy,"

To his surprise, the white-clad stranger released him, and Kenta stumbled back a bit before regaining his balance. The Seirai second-in-command massaged his wrist as he glared venomously at the newcomer.

"You're back," Takeshi exhaled in relief.

"Sorry. The bathroom was a lot further than I thought," said Macaque before jabbing a thumb at Kenta, "Who's this?"

"I should be the one asking you," Kenta replied, straightening his posture to look more imposing, "You're interfering with official Seirai Group business. It'd be best if you moved along,"

Whilst the intimidating act had an immediate effect on Takeshi, the masked teen was utterly unfazed.

"Official Seirai Group Business?" he echoed, "Oh, I've heard of you guys. You're that offshoot of Massive Electric that specializes in military tech,"

"What about it?" Kenta retorted with a snort.

"Nothing much, just wondering what type of business from such a notable company requires you to almost chokeslam my uncle to the ground," Macaque shrugged, nonchalantly inserting a lie into his words as he moved in front of Takeshi to block the maroon-haired man's confused expression from being seen.

'So he had more family in the city that we didn't know about,' Kenta mentally noted, 'Although at the same time, we dug far into Takeshi's background, and there were no records of other relatives in Nagazora. Perhaps this kid came from Osaka…or perhaps this could be a lie. I need to play my cards correctly,'

"Are you sure you want to know? It might change your perspective of your uncle forever," the blonde man asked.

"I'm interested. Go ahead," the teen agreed with a nod.

"Asakura Takeshi is a traitor who stole a data chip containing important files from our system before running away and plans to sell them to competitors or worse," said Kenta, "As you know, we're the military division of ME, and if those files end up in the wrong hands, it could be disastrous for the world. I've been assigned to retrieve those files and apprehend Takeshi. So if you would kindly move aside,"

"How interesting. My uncle said he left due to unfair treatment, high hours and low pay, and blatant nepotism," Macaque tapped his chin and lightly laughed as he shot the older man an eye smile, "I wonder which one of you is telling the truth,"

"I don't have time to play games, kid,"

"Neither do I. I'm on holiday 'till the end of the week, and my uncle said he'd show me around Nagazora today, and this is really taking up our time," the masked teen responded, sliding his hands into his hoodie's pockets and taking a few steps closer to Kenta until they were face to face, "So…if you would kindly move aside. Then we can all continue with our day,"

"Is that a threat?"

"Only if you deem it to be,"

Kenta stared down at the golden-eyed teenager for a moment before he snickered, "You got guts to approach me like this, kid. What's your name?"

"Sorry, I'd rather keep my information private to strangers," the teen pointed to his mask, "This isn't just a fashion statement, you know."

"Well, if we properly introduce ourselves, then we wouldn't be total strangers anymore, would we?"

"True, true. But if this is your attempt to bring me to your side, then I'll tell you right now that it's not going to work,"

"What a healthy imagination you have, as expected for someone so young," Kenta then leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "You're not his nephew, are you? So why don't you cut the act and tell me where you're from and what you need out of Takeshi? Perhaps we can come to a compromise,"

"What an intriguing suggestion," Macaque whispered back, "Unfortunately, I really am just a distant relative. You'll have to find the answers to your questions somewhere else,"

Kenta chuckled, choosing not to believe the masked teenager's words, and continued, "What are you? Yakuza? Triad? Some other rich, shady organization looking to steal Seirai property to boost your own reputation and power?"

"Huh…That third option certainly sounds a bit like what the Seirai Group itself, don't you think?" Macaque retorted, earning a harsh scowl from the blond man.

"You little," Kenta snarled, stepping back and cracking his knuckles.

"How feisty," calmly commented Macaque, watching the older man pull back his fist.

"Watch out!" Takeshi yelled as Kenta launched his punch.

However, Macaque withdrew one hand from his pocket and raised it to effortlessly catch his attack. A loud smack resonated through the hallway.

"What?!" Kenta's jaw dropped, not at all expecting the shorter and younger adversary to simply parry his punch. He quickly shook the initial shock away and prepared his next strike.

Just when the masked teen was about to counterattack, a booming voice interrupted their scuffle.

"What's going on here?!"

All three people turned to see Kaedehara Tomo, the Head of Massive Electric's Security Department, marching toward them with what seemed to be a black-haired rookie wearing a mask in tow.

"Tomo, of course," Kenta said under his breath as the Security Head stopped by their side.

"I don't like to repeat myself," Tomo eyed the blonde man judgementally, "So tell me, why is the second-in-command of the Seirai Group picking fights with hotel guests?"

Meanwhile, on the other side, the masked rookie's eyes widened slightly as he recognized Takeshi from their brief previous encounter.

"Hey, it's you,"

"Huh?" the middle-aged scientist turned his attention towards the black-haired rookie, "...Wait, aren't you?"

"So, did you find the person you were looking for?" he asked.

"Ah? Oh, yes, I did," Takeshi confirmed.

"That's good,"

"And this must be my cue," the hoodie-wearing male stepped into their conversation.

"So you're the—" the rookie's golden eyes suddenly narrowed, "Wait, you look kinda familiar. Have we met before?"

"Wow, I didn't think you would actually remember me. But yes, we have indeed…," Though he was masked, one could hear the teasing smirk forming on his lips, "...Tracksuit Guy…wait, or is it just Suit Guy right now?"

Adam's mask blocked his parted mouth as the realization flooded the front of his brain, and the astonishment in his voice was clear as day.

"You're the Mystery Vending Machine Guy!"

A bead of sweat rolled down Macaque's head, "That… You certainly have an interesting aptitude for naming things,"

"Sorry, that was the first thing that came to mind. I name things better when I'm inspired," admitted Adam, somewhat averting his gaze, "Which is, y'know, a little hard right now,"

"Understandable," nodded Macaque, "Well, tell me, did you win? The tournament, I mean?"

"No, I came second. But I don't really mind, and I still get the runner-up prize money,"

Macaque stared at Adam for a moment before looking away, "That's good,"

"So let me get this straight: you suspect Asakura Takeshi, a former employee under the Seirai Branch, of stealing an important data chip from your HQ and selling it off to another organization for profit and power? And that this young man here is a member of the said organization who tried to deceive you into believing that he is actually Takeshi's nephew so they could escape the premises? And you attacked because you saw right through their act and were going to take the chip back and bring them to justice?"

Tomo furrowed his brows as he summarized what Kenta had told him.

"Yes,"

The beige-haired man sighed and massaged his temples, "Kenta… You do realize how…scripted this sounds, right?"

"That may be so. However, it's the truth," the blond man jabbed a finger at Takeshi, "That man there is a traitor to Seirai and, to an extent, a traitor to ME Corporation. If that data chip gets out, the country, no, the world, will be in turmoil. As the Head of Security of the entire company, surely you'd do something about this, wouldn't you?"

"Even if what you're saying is the truth, there's not enough evidence before me for the Security Department to do anything major," retorted Tomo, "I can't just take your word for it. As you know, that'd be going against protocol,"

"So you would rather risk the lives of civilians?"

"No, I wouldn't. But the Seirai are the second largest branch after the Main, so I'm sure you'll gather evidence of Asakura Takeshi's betrayal in no time," said Tomo, "Once you do that and present it to the Security Department, then we will act immediately. But until then, the best we can do is keep an eye on him,"

"Hmph…guess I expected too much from you," grumbled Kenta.

"I must say, I'm surprised that you would ask for our help in the first place," the Security Head continued, casting a side-eye at Kenta, "You Seirai people always go on and on about independence, so I thought you had the capability of dealing with internal issues yourselves,"

Kenta scrunched his nose and matched Tomo's eyes with a glare of his own, "We do,"

"Then prove it. Actions speak louder than words, Kenta. I expect this issue to be dealt with in one month. Surely that's within the realms of possibility, is it not?"

The Seirai second-in-command held his gaze on Tomo for a few seconds before swapping to Takeshi, who flinched when they made eye contact.

"...Fine. I'll show you Seirai's capability," he relented with an irritated scoff and moved aside. He gestured to Takeshi and Macaque with a lazy hand flick, "For now, the two of you can go,"

"Great. Let's get going then, uncle," the masked teenager joked as he lightly smacked Takeshi on the back before looking back at Adam and giving him a two-finger salute, which the black-haired teen returned, "See you around, Tracksuit Guy,"

As the duo passed the tall blond enforcer on their way out, Kenta scowled at them and quietly threatened, "This isn't over, Asakura Takeshi. I always catch my prey,"

Takeshi gulped but did his best to pay him no mind and continued walking down the hall to the exit.

"That goes for you too, kid," Kenta added with a low growl, causing Macaque to halt, "Watch your back. You're a target now, too,"

"Hehe," the hoodie-wearing young man chuckled, "Sure,"

With that, they were gone.

"You should return to the conference room," Tomo spoke up, breaking the momentary silence, "I'm sure your chairman would feel safer with you there,"

Kenta said nothing and stormed past the Head of Security, purposely shoving him aside with his shoulder as he did so. Tomo ignored the gesture and followed after him, as insurance that the Seirai second-in-command wouldn't slip around and chase after the two guests who had just left the hotel.

Which left Adam standing there, slightly confused about what he should do. Ultimately, he brushed off the minor incident that had just occurred and continued patrolling his given route until, finally, the conference came to an end.

---

Now dressed back in his usual clothes, Adam stepped out of the hotel, and as the orange glow of the setting sun washed over him, he yawned and stretched his arms.

"Finaaaally. We're done,"

"At least you got to move around," Wearing a zipped-up jacket with the same color palette as his hair, Kazuha trudged to his side and began to roll his stiff neck, "I had to be a statue for the whole day. I don't know how my brother does this…I don't know how I used to do this,"

"You're one of the personal guards of the boss, and yet standing up for seven hours destroys you?"

"Need I remind you that this is more of a side gig now? I'm rusty,"

"Ah, yes. Because being in the elite guard of what is essentially Nagazora's royalty is something so casual that you can make it your part-time job," Adam deadpanned.

"Bitch please, like you can talk," Kazuha sassily shot back, "Going by your terminology, you quite literally protect the crown princess for a living,"

"I…," the black-haired teen pondered for a while, trying to think of a comeback, but unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind, "...Shit, I have nothing to say to that,"

"Welp, now that this is all done, wanna get something to eat?" suggested Kazuha, "After all, we didn't get a lunch break,"

Adam nodded, "Sure, I'm down. But what about your brother? Is he gonna tag along? You guys are going home together anyway, right?"

"Pssh, him?" Kazuha dismissed Adam's worries with a wave of his hand, "That guy most definitely still has business to attend to. Heck, last I checked, he's still in there talking to the boss about a few things, so I doubt he's leaving any time soon. Besides, it's not like there's only one key to our apartment,"

"Fair enough," shrugged Adam, "Where should we go?"

"I don't have a preference as long as it's tasty. What about you?"

"Depends on the price,"

"Fried chicken it is!" Kazuha beamed, spinning around and pointing his finger randomly like an excited child.

"Isn't fried chicken dangerous for your skin, y'know, considering your modeling career," mentioned Adam as the duo began walking through the streets of dusk time Nagazora.

"It's fine; I told my agency that I'd be focusing on my education for the rest of the year, so they're probably not gonna give me any more jobs for a while," explained Kazuha, "And now, I can eat as much as I want…within moderation,"

"Ah, okay,"

Soon, the pair were walking through the streets of Nagazora, with the bustling ambiance of the evening accompanying them along the way.

With the rush-hour crowd growing increasingly prominent as they headed into the busier city districts, the two teenagers took a shortcut through some alleyways that Adam had remembered, thanks to his former delivery job when he first arrived in the city months ago.

Thankfully, the sun hadn't fully set, and there was still some semblance of light in the alleyways, which made navigating the compact path easier. Though the sounds of the city transitioning to night were still audible, it was less noticeable and granted the two boys some quiet as they made small talk on the way to their destination.

"You think we missed anything at school today?" asked Kazuha, hopping over a fallen trash can.

Adam brushed away an empty wine bottle from the path with his foot, "Probably. But it's a Friday, so I don't think they'd assign anything major,"

"True, true. We do have those mock exams coming up, so they might want us to study for those instead,"

"Ugh, we also have that essay due next week," groaned the black-haired teen, "I haven't even started yet,"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah,"

"You might wanna hop on that soon; the word count is like—"

"Ten thousand. Yes, I know, please don't remind me,"

"You've started researching your chosen topic, right?"

The duo paused and exchanged glances.

"...,"

"...,"

Adam whipped around and stomped away, "New rule! No school talk from this point on,"

Kazuha laughed, quickly catching up, "Okay, okay,"

Suddenly, the moment they arrived at an intersection, a shrill scream reached their ears.

"You heard that, right?" asked the beige-haired teen, a severe expression overtaking his usual jovial face.

"Yeah," Adam confirmed with a nod.

Kazuha pointed down the alley to the left, "I think it came from down there,"

Adam raised his brow and pointed in the opposite direction, "Really? It sounded more like this way,"

"Only one way to find out,"

"...We're splitting up to check it out, aren't we?"

"Yeah,"

"Isn't this how horror movies always start?"

"Yeah,"

"...Alright then," shrugged Adam, 'I've faced worse than a serial killer anyway,'

"Let's hurry up. If that person really is in trouble, I don't want to arrive too late," said Kazuha, turning to face the direction he pointed in.

"Never thought I'd see the day you decide to play hero," the black-haired teen jokingly commented as he mirrored his companion's movements, now standing back-to-back.

Kazuha laughed lightly, "What can I say? It's every healthy boy's dream to rescue a damsel in distress,"

"Y'know, I've never told you this, but you really remind me of an old friend of mine," Adam chuckled in response.

"I'm honored. I'd like to meet them someday,"

"Yeah, well, that might take a few years,"

"Sure," the beige-haired teen smiled, "Hey, if you find anything, call me, alright?"

Adam nodded, "See you in a bit then,"

Dust flew off the concrete pavement as the two boys took off in their respective directions, searching for the scream's source.

The black-haired teenager flew past dumpsters, piles of trash, cardboard boxes, and the back doors of many stores as he rushed through the dim, winding trails of Nagazora's alleyways. He was expecting this search to last at least a little while, but to his surprise, only a minute or two later, he stumbled upon the scene of the crime, where the path was noticeably wider but no less filthy.

"Let her go!"

A familiar head of long, dark pink hair dressed in the uniform of Chiba Academy rushed forward with an arm outstretched.

"Onee-chan!" a young, high-pitched screech echoed as the little girl was being forcibly carried away by a large, rough-looking man towards a black van.

Another man wearing a cheap Hawaiian button-up shirt rushed forward and caught the older girl. He harshly pinned her to the cold, coarse ground with his hand on the back of her head and his knee on her spine. Several other similarly dressed individuals crowded around them, ensuring that neither of the girls escaped.

'Miyuki?' Adam's golden eyes widened, 'Wait, that means!'

"Sora!" Miyuki yelled, squirming under the weight of the aggressor.

Adam instantly took action, speeding forward, somersaulting over the wall of thugs, and landing a solid kick to the kidnapper's jaw.

The man was sent flying through the air faster than a bullet before crashing through both of the van's front windows and colliding into the ground on the other side, rolling and bouncing off the ground multiple times until he slammed against a dumpster, forcing his body to come to a stop.

The entire series of movements took only a second, and everyone there aside from Adam needed a moment for their brains to process what had just happened.

Meanwhile, the black-haired teen crouched down to the level of the lilac-haired child and looked her over, checking for injuries.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Sora stared at the boy in shock, adrenaline still pumping through her veins until she recognized the familiar face and beamed a bright smile.

"Onii-chan! It's you!"

"Yeah, it's me," Adam confirmed, ruffling her hair and standing up, shielding her from the gang who had realized the situation before them and were now slowly approaching with heavy scowls, circling them to entrap them.

"Stay behind me, alright? I'll go get your sister, and then we'll get out of here,"

"R-Right," Sora nodded, gripping Adam's leg tightly and peeking out from behind.

"...S-Sora, I can't fight properly if you grab onto me like that,"

"R-Right," the lilac-haired girl repeated, letting go and shuffling back a few steps.

A large, scarred, hulking man wearing a beanie and leather jacket stepped forward from behind the line of men, and with the way they parted to make way for him, Adam suspected him to be the leader of this bunch,

"And who the hell are you?" he questioned, keeping his voice a low growl and arrogantly shoving his hands in his pockets.

"A friend of these two," replied Adam, examining the situation. Miyuki was still quite literally in their hands, and if he timed his attempt to retrieve her wrong, it would expose Sora, putting her in danger instead. So the black-haired teenager decided that unless he had no other choice, he would try to resolve this peacefully.

"Look, I don't know what aggregated you to attack two underage girls like this, but surely we can talk this out, right?" suggested Adam, "I mean, all of you are grown adults. You outnumber them by, like…a lot. Don't you think this is a little low?"

"As a matter of fact—" the leader began, pulling out a cigarette and holding it in his mouth, then lighting the tip, "—I do,"

A puff of smoke trailed out his mouth as he continued, "But we had no other options left. We gave them many opportunities, and the talking stage lasted for months, but in the end, they still couldn't keep their side of the deal. The contract was breached,"

"Contract?" Adam echoed.

"The Asakura family needed money. We lent them the money. They agreed to pay it back within ten months, and now ten months have come and gone," the leader explained, "Now we're simply getting back what we're owed. One way or another,"

"So you're loan sharks?"

The man didn't answer straight away; instead, he took another puff of his cigarette before answering, "I prefer the term businessman,"

"Ah, yes, because extorting minors is such a great way to gain profit," Adam snarked, "Can't you just give them some more time? I'm sure eventually—"

"No eventually," the man cut him off, "It has to be now,"

"Come on, man, You've been young before. Balancing part-time jobs and schoolwork is hard, and it doesn't help that part-time worker pay is minuscule. Surely, you understand this, right?"

The loan shark leader snorted agitatedly, blowing hot air and smoke through his nose. He spat out the cigarette before confronting the black-haired teen.

"Are you done? If you are, I advise you to leave, lest you want to get caught up in this mess. I don't want unneeded blood on my hands, so I'm giving you ten seconds to turn around, walk away, and forget what you've seen here. That is unless you want to pay their debts for them,"

"Have I heard this before? I feel like I've heard this before," said Adam to himself.

"Fuck! It's him!" Someone shouted from within the crowd of loan sharks.

"Hey!" Adam shot back as he quickly spun around and covered Sora's ears, "Watch your language; she's seven,"

"Actually, I'm eight," Sora clarified.

"Eight!" Adam corrected himself before he looked down at the child, confused, "...Wait, you heard that?"

The lilac-haired girl looked away, rocking on her feet and feigning obliviousness.

"Oi! Don't ignore me!" A skinny-looking gangster with amateur-dyed blonde hair pushed to the front of the crowd and trotted up to the leader's side.

"Boss, that's the guy who jumped me and the boys at that convenience store last month," he pointed out.

"Wait! That's him!" Another thug, this one younger and sporting the look of a classic delinquent, burst through the crowd and marched up to the gang leader's other side while thrusting a finger toward Adam.

"Big bro! That's the dude who defeated me and my crew last month! I was just about to get the money back from that bitch too, but he just had to step in! Like he's doing right now!"

The black-haired teenager narrowed his eyes, staring at the two newcomers in confusion, "I'm sorry. Have we met?"

"BITCH!" the two thugs exclaimed at the same time.

"You pressed a bottle to my throat and threatened me!" the first one yelled.

"You smacked me in the head with a tub of ice cream!" the other one followed.

"...Wait a minute…" Suddenly, Adam's golden eyes flared up in recognition, "You! You're the reason why my ice cream was all melted when I got home!"

"Oh, so noooow you remember me,"

"You know how much I spent on that tub?! It was a limited edition flavor, too!"

"Hah! You deserve to slurp the slimy ass texture of melted, watery, preserved milk, you prick!" the delinquent barked back.

"How dare you! It's not ice cream unless it's frozen. Ice is literally half the name!"

"So!? The other half is cream, and cream is creamy, so enjoy the cream!"

"I'm about to cream your ass if you don't take back what you said!"

"But melted ice cream is the best part. It's like soup, but it's actually tasty," Sora innocently added from behind Adam.

"Shh, the adults are talking," the black-haired teen said as he reached back to pat her on the head.

"But you're only seventeen," Sora replied with a tilt of her head.

"..."

"..."

"Damn it, you're right,"

"ENOUGH!"

The leader's booming voice bounced off the walls, causing all of his underlings to flinch and freeze.

"I don't care about your past relations or your stupid food takes! We're here on official business! You! Boy!" the man jabbed a finger at Adam, "This is your last chance. Leave, or you will be shown no mercy,"

Sora whimpered under his sudden outburst and hid behind the black-haired teen, sticking close to his legs.

At the same time, the thug pinning Miyuki to the ground had loosened his grip upon hearing his leader's roar, allowing the dark pink-haired girl an opportunity to escape. However, it was short-lived as another gangster quickly took notice and caught her by the arms, twisting them behind her, eliciting a yelp to escape her mouth.

"Take her and go!" Miyuki yelled at the top of her lungs, "Get Sora out of here! Please!"

"I'm not leaving you here, Asakura-san," Adam responded, "Just hold on; I'll figure something out,"

"You can't! You won't! These people can't be reasoned with! They're nothing but a bunch of Yakuza-wannabe criminals!"

"Shut it!" the gangster holding her in place snarled as he stomped on her legs, causing her to fall onto the rough pavement on her bare knees. Her pale skin was now stained with soggy dirt and blood as the crimson liquid trickled through her reddened, torn skin.

"Onee-chan!" Sora cried out with concern, tears pooling up in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Sora," said Miyuki, looking up at her younger sister. Despite her situation, she still carried a warm, comforting gaze and tone as she attempted to quell the younger girl's worries, "Go with Adam-san for now; I'll catch up, okay?"

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Sora! I'll be right behind you, I promise,"

Adam shifted his stance, standing side-on, and glared at the leader of the gangsters, "Alright, this has gone on long enough,"

"I agree," the larger man said as he pulled out spiked brass knuckles and slipped them onto his hands.

"Boss, let me handle him!" the scrawny blonde thug exclaimed, stepping forward, "I've been training day and night for this moment,"

"Me too, and now it's time for my revenge," the delinquent added and mirrored his fellow gang member's actions.

"Fine with me," said the black-haired teen while cracking his knuckles, "This will only take a few seconds anyway,"

"Don't underestimate us!"

"We're not the same as before!"

"...Riiiiight,"

Fueled by anger and the desire for vengeance, with a loud battle cry, the two gangsters sprinted full speed at their target.

They expected to win, to land a hit, or, at the very least, put up a good fight. They were confident in their victory, and their training would prove to be fruitful. But if they were going down, they would go down swinging.

They did not expect a flying metal pipe as the last thing they saw before getting knocked out.

"Didn't I tell you to call me if you found anything?" a familiar voice called from behind.

Adam looked back to see his beige-haired classmate standing on top of the van with a hand on his hip.

"Kazuha? When did you—?"

"Turns out the direction I went led to a dead end, so I ran back and followed the same path you took," he explained as he hopped off the vehicle. He stepped between his black-haired friend and the leader of the gangsters and picked up the metal rod that he expertly threw, swinging it around before resting it on his shoulders. "Seems I arrived at just the right time,"

"I could've taken them down alone," stated Adam.

"I believe you. I'm just here to lighten the load," Kazuha replied with a playful smirk, "So what's the plan anyway?"

"I break through their human wall, grab Miyuki, and come back. While you protect the little girl behind you from attackers," said Adam, "Then we escape,"

"Simple and to the point, I like it,"

"Will! You! Stop! Talking! Whoever shuts those two up for good gets a bonus and a promotion!" the leader suddenly roared, and the assault began.

A chorus of battle cries echoed through the evening alleyways of Nagazora.

"Tsk, tsk, how feisty," commented the beige-haired teen as he watched the wave of gangsters rush at them. To his right, he suddenly felt a burst of wind, and Adam had disappeared, reappearing directly in front of the gang leader.

Adam raised one hand, an open palm, and hovered it over the leader's chest.

The leader snickered and pulled his weaponized fist back, "How foolish to charge directly at me! Do you honestly think you stand a cha—!?"

[ Taixuan Style - Stone Shatter ]

With the force generated from a sharp twist of his hips, his palm slammed into the man's chest. A loud, clear crack was heard by all nearby before the leader flew back, barreling into a few of his men, knocking them over as he continued until he crashed into a wall. The bulky leader dropped from the wall like a sandbag, leaving several fractures across the brick structure.

His lackeys stared at him in shock and fear as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and blood leaked from his mouth.

"Don't worry, he isn't dead," Adam told them, "Just a cracked sternum, some broken ribs, and probably a bruised organ or two. If you get him to the hospital in time, he might just live,"

The lower-ranked thugs grit their teeth and look back at the black-haired teen. Some had a look of rage in their eyes, while others held terror, and a few even had a mix of both.

"Why you…," one of them hissed before they pounced, and others followed, "This is for the boss!"

Adam groaned, "I just gave you guys another chance for a peaceful way out, and yet you choose to… Y'know what? Fine, have it your way then,"

And it was over almost instantly.

Over ten men dropped to the ground like flies, with the black-haired teenager standing in the middle of a messily splayed-out pile of bodies. Fresh blood stained his knuckles, and Adam was unsure whether it was his or the injuries he inflicted on his opponents. A quick flick of his wrists and the blood flew off, proving it was the latter.

The teen looked to his side and saw the only remaining gangster backed up against the wall with Miyuki in a chokehold. With a trembling hand, the man drew a knife from his pocket and pressed it up against the girl's throat.

"S-S-Stay back!"

In the blink of an eye, Adam sped forward and grabbed the man's face before slamming him against the wall. The small metal weapon dropped to the ground with an audible 'clink' followed by the thud of the man's unconscious, limp body.

At the same time, Miyuki stumbled out of his grasp and was just about to trip over if not for Adam catching her just in time.

"You okay?" he asked, clearing his throat and awkwardly pulling away as he remembered the first time they met when the dark-pink-haired girl shouted at him for trying to help her up.

"I'm fine," Miyuki nodded and also took a few steps back, wincing from her injuries. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she frantically looked around, "Where's Sora?"

On cue, a youthful voice cried out, followed by a flurry of footsteps.

"Onee-chan!" The little girl ran up to her sister and leaped into her arms.

The siblings held each other tightly before Miyuki pulled back and began looking over her sister, checking for injuries, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Sora shook her head and smiled brightly, "I'm okay. Wind Boy protected me,"

"Wind Boy?" Adam and Miyuki simultaneously repeated with visible confusion.

"Say my name, and I shall appear~," Kazuha announced, strolling up to them in dramatic fashion.

Behind him lay the bodies of over a dozen gang members, all knocked out cold. Some were stretched across the ground while others were stacked into a pile or shoved into dumpsters, and even one of them was somehow lodged into the side of the van with their feet dangling out.

"Huh, would you look at that," said Adam, peeking over the beige-haired teen's shoulder, "You actually did a lot better than I originally expected,"

"I'll take that as a compliment,"

"But really? Wind Boy?" the black-haired teen continued, casting Kazuha a judging side-eye, "You couldn't think of anything better?"

"Oof, I don't know," Kazuha sarcastically shrugged, "This is coming from mister Tracksuit Guy."

"Hey, I created that name with the purpose of being lame and inconspicuous,"

"Well, considering that videos of Tracksuit Guy in the tournament have gone viral this past week, that didn't go as planned, did it?"

"...Alright then! Change of topic," said Adam, clapping his hands together and turning to Sora and Miyuki, "Let's get out of here. What do you say?"

"Yeah," Miyuki simply replied, avoiding the two boys' eyes.

"Should we walk you home just in case more of them come?" suggested Kazuha.

Miyuki responded similarly as before, adding a nod and softly saying, "Thank you,"

As the excitement from the scuffle died down, Adam and Kazuha led the Asakura sisters out of the twisting alleyways of Central Nagazora with the black-haired teenager at the front and the beige-haired one bringing up the rear.

---

"Well, here we are," said Adam.

The four of them stood before one of the countless suburban houses in the neighborhood; only this one had a plaque next to the door that said [ Asakura ].

"Home~," Sora happily chimed as she skipped to the door. She spun around and eagerly beckoned the group of teenagers over with a giggle and a wave. The black-haired teen had to admit that, similar to her future self, her positive energy was astounding as always. It was almost as if her almost getting kidnapped half an hour ago had never happened at all.

Miyuki took a few steps forward before she bowed deeply to the two boys, "Thank you both for walking us home. I really appreciate it,"

"It's nothing. We're all classmates here; we should help each other out more often," replied Adam, offering a kind smile.

"He's right," Kazuha nodded in agreement, "You never talk much in class, Asakura-san, but nevertheless, you're still one of us. A member of the illustrious Class 2-C,"

"Oh, and try to stay vigilant of your surroundings next time, alright? And try not to go out after dark, too," added Adam, "Especially when Sora's with you,"

"I know, I'll do my best,"

"Welp, the sun is going down, so we'll be taking our leave first," said Kazuha, leaning his elbow on Adam's shoulder, grinning, "That fried chicken ain't gonna devour itself,"

"We'll see you on Monday then, Asakura-san," said the black-haired teen.

"Yeah, see you on Monday," Miyuki echoed.

With that, the two boys turned and retreated out onto the street. At the same time, the dark-pink-haired girl unlocked the entrance to her house, and without a second thought, her little sister dashed in as if she were a wind-up toy cranked to a hundred and suddenly released.

At the entrance to her home, Miyuki stopped to think for a moment. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Adam and Kazuha's chattering silhouettes disappearing behind a wall.

"Hey, Sora!" she called out.

"Yes, Onee-chan?" the little girl replied, poking her head out from the doorway to the kitchen.

"I'm going to go to the convenience store for a bit. Is there anything you want?"

Sora thought for a while before gleefully exclaiming, "Mochi ice cream~!"

"Of course," Miyuki said quietly as she let out a soft giggle before raising her voice, "I'll be back in a bit,"

" 'Kay~,"

"Stay inside, and—"

"—Don't answer any door knocks or doorbells, and lock all windows, and call the police if there's any trouble and call you directly after. Yes, I know,"

"At least you remember," Miyuki huffed, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Then she stepped out onto the street, spotting the two boy's figures slowly shrinking as the distance between them gradually widened.

Without hesitation, the dark-pink-haired girl ran up to them, her knees almost buckling from the cuts and scrapes she suffered earlier.

"Wait!" she cried, getting the duo's attention as they stopped and turned around.

"Is something wrong?" Adam asked.

Miyuki shook her head, ignoring the urge to wince from the stinging pain in her injuries.

"N-No, it's just…," she hesitated, finding it hard to find the right words and second-guessed if this was the right thing to do. But Miyuki shook away those thoughts and inhaled deeply before looking the black-haired teen in his golden eyes, "Can I talk to you?... In private?"

"Uh…," Adam and Kazuha briefly exchanged glances.

"Go ahead," Kazuha encouraged with a light tap on his friend's back, "I feel like what she has to say is a bit more important than us getting fried chicken. That store isn't going anywhere, and on second thought, I need to go home to rest my legs after all that standing around today, so…"

Miyuki blinked and averted her gaze sheepishly, "O-Oh, s-sorry, if you two already have a planned schedule for the evening, I can—"

"It's fine," Adam interjected, "He's right. I also have a feeling that what you need to say is more important. Besides that, I think it's also time for us to finally talk,"

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right about that," Miyuki agreed.

"Well then, I'll leave you two to it," said Kazuha before performing a theatrical bow, a pirouette, and skipping off into the sunset, "See you both on Monday~,"

After watching their beige-haired classmate disappear behind a street corner, Adam looked down at the shorter girl and asked, "So are we gonna talk here or…?"

"Let's go to the park nearby," replied Miyuki, "It's usually rather quiet there at this time of day,"

"You mean the same one where we met up that day to buy art supplies for the class?"

Miyuki nodded, "Yes, that one,"

"Then please, lead on,"

---

By the time they arrived at the park, the soft, warm-toned rays of the setting sun plunged the once lush, green grass into a comfortable orange. Much like the leaves of nearby trees, though, in their case, it was more due to the transitioning of seasons.

Miyuki's words proved true; as they walked along the pathway, Adam noticed that there was barely anyone in the vicinity. There was an older couple leisurely strolling on the other side, a small trio of college students jogging that just went past them, and most of the younger children were now being escorted out by their parents.

Eventually, the two of them settled on a swing set in the middle of a now-empty playground. For a while, an air of silence filled the space around them. Only the chirping of birds, the rising call of cicadas, the whistling of the breeze, and the creaking of the metal chains of the swings they sat on reminded them that they were still present in reality.

"Sora and I used to come here a lot," Miyuki suddenly said, breaking the awkward, silent atmosphere.

Adam looked at her quietly and saw her expression painted by nostalgia. Her pink eyes shimmered with memories of better days, and a small sentimental smile graced her lips as she slightly rocked herself on the swings.

"Our Mom or Dad would usually accompany us, but they were usually busy with work, so it was always one or the other. Never at the same time, and eventually, we started coming on our own," continued the dark-pink-haired girl, "Sometimes, when we had a bit of pocket money, we'd go buy some bread and feed the crumbs to the birds, or the ducks and koi at the pond,"

"One time, when Sora was feeding some ducks, one of them landed on her head and pooped in her hair," Miyuki let out a wistful giggle, "She was so upset, but I couldn't hold back my laugh, and so she didn't speak to me for a week. Honestly, I feel like part of her still hasn't forgiven me for that yet,"

Adam merely hummed in response, not knowing what he should say or if he should say anything at all.

"You know, Sora also talked about you a lot recently,"

This caught the black-haired teen off guard, "She does?"

Miyuki nodded, "I have to admit it was weird for the first few days; she was always going, "Onii-chan did this," or "Onii-chan did that." It was honestly quite annoying. I didn't even know who this 'Onii-chan' was, but somehow, in the back of my mind, I had a hunch it was you,"

The boy chuckled sheepishly and scratched his cheek, "Haha…yeah, sorry about that,"

To his surprise, the pink-haired girl shook her head, "Don't be. If anything, I should be thanking you. You were there for my sister when I couldn't be, and I also haven't seen her that happy in a long time. Actually, now that I think about it, there are a lot of things I should be thanking you for, but I just, for some reason, couldn't bring myself to do it. So now that I have the chance…,"

Suddenly, Miyuki sprung up from the swings and bowed a full ninety degrees at Adam, startling him as he instinctively got up from his seat.

"Thank you…for everything!"

"Wait, no, no, no, you don't—" the black-haired teen's ears flared red with embarrassment as he hurried to push Miyuki back up, but the girl was relentless in her gesture. Adam whipped his head around, checking to see if anyone was watching, and thankfully, the park was still empty.

"Please, you can get up. There's no need for this," he urged.

"Yes, there is!" Miyuki insisted, still keeping her head down, "You saved me once, and I repaid you by screaming in your face. Even though it was most likely the teacher's orders, you still came by to check up on me afterward, and again, I repaid you by screaming at you. We agreed to work together on the class's cafe project, but I ditched you midway. You took care of Sora for an entire day when you didn't need to and wouldn't get anything in return. And finally, you saved me, no, more importantly, you saved Sora from a fate worse than death today,"

"I only did what I thought was right," Adam argued, his voice carrying a warm tone as he finally brought Miyuki up. His eyes widened when he saw the tears trailing down her cheeks and heard her sniffling.

When their eyes met, they paused before both realized that their faces were only a few inches apart and how close they had gotten to each other during their minor scuffle. Close enough for Adam to notice every detail of Miyuki's delicate face and for her to notice his.

Immediately, they spun around and took a few quick steps away to build some distance. Adam's ears burned, but he tried to shove that recent picture in his mind away as he began patting himself down for some tissues. However, aside from his phone and that one random mask he had worn earlier, his pockets were empty.

At the same time, Miyuki hurriedly wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her uniform. Her flushing face was slowly revealed as she lowered her hands.

"Asakura-san, are you okay?" the black-haired teen asked, still looking away from her.

"Eh? Y-Yes, I'm fine," Miyuki answered.

"That's good," Was all Adam could say in a weird attempt to comfort her.

Just like that, the awkward air from before filled the gap between them again. Only this time, they were still facing away from one another, not knowing if the other had moved or not, but if the silence was to be trusted, then neither had shifted and were still rooted to the ground.

Eventually, the two of them found their way back to sitting on the swings, viewing the waning sun as night's deep blue began to trickle into the sky.

"You must care a lot for Sora," the black-haired teen suddenly said. Now, it was his turn to break their silence.

"I do," Miyuki answered, fiddling with her sleeves, "How can I not? She's my precious little sister,"

"Y'know, that day during the festival, she was kinda complaining about you,"

"Did she?" a solemn look overtook the dark-pink-haired girl's features, and she sighed, "She's right. If I were in her shoes, I'd be complaining about me too. I know I'm never at home because of school and work, so she must always be feeling lonely, which is why I'm honestly grateful that you accompanied her that day. I know it mustn't have been easy …and I understand if she hates me now…even if it's just a little bit,"

"Hate is a strong word," said Adam, "Sora might not see you as much anymore. But more than annoyed; she's more worried about you,"

"Worried?" Miyuki looked over in a mix of curiosity and shock.

The black-haired boy nodded, "She asked me if you're doing well at school. If you have any friends? Or if you're getting bullied? But the thing I remember the most is that she said you look tired all the time,"

Adam mischievously grinned and pointed to the spot under his eyes, "I can see it now, too. You have some obvious eye bags, actually,"

"E-Eh? I-I do?" Miyuki stuttered as she hastily pulled out her phone and checked with the camera.

"Relax, I'm kidding… Well, I mean, yeah, you do, but it's not really obvious unless you pay attention,"

"Geez. Don't scare me like that," Miyuki exhaled in relief, putting her phone away but not before taking another glance.

"I guess you're a pretty normal girl after all, huh," the boy teasingly chuckled.

"Shut up," she grumbled but couldn't deny the small smile tugging at her lips.

Despite the chilly autumn draught, the atmosphere around them had grown ever so slightly warmer. By now, the sun had fully dipped below the horizon, and the artificial luminance of the street lamps and nearby buildings had now replaced the natural light it had offered. The uncomfortable silence that plagued them from before had now transformed into a comfortable stillness.

"You think it'll snow soon?" Adam asked, a tiny wisp of vapor escaping with his breath as he gazed up at the starless sky.

"Possibly," Miyuki replied, breathing into her hands and rubbing them together, "It is a little colder than usual this year,"

"How are your knees?"

The dark-pink-haired girl looked down at her knees. The scrapes from before had stopped bleeding a little while ago, "They're fine. I'll clean it up when I get home,"

"Does Sora know?"

"Know what?"

"Your injuries, and you getting assaulted on the street,"

"Yes to the first, no to the second," admitted Miyuki, "I want to protect her innocence, so I just tell her they were caused by accidents at work,"

"And just to let you know, I don't get attacked as much as you think, okay?" the girl quickly added, "If we include today, it should be around the fourth time,"

Adam furrowed his brows, "That's…still not okay,"

Miyuki sighed briefly, "Would you believe me if I said I'm starting to get used to it?"

"That's even worse,"

"Haha, yeah…it is," Miyuki agreed and peered up at the night sky, "But if it's to protect Sora, I'm willing to take any sort of beating,"

"Why were they after you? If you don't mind me asking,"

"That…," the girl hesitated and began playing with her sleeves again.

"Hey, if it's hard for you to say, then you don't need to say anything," Adam reminded her, "I'm like a cat. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me,"

"No, you've already helped us out multiple times, so I think it's right for you to know now. And besides, you heard it from the leader of the loan sharks already,"

Miyuki took a deep breath before she began, "My family isn't originally from Nagazora. We moved up from Osaka when I was seven because my dad got a job at M.E Corp. Sora was born two years later. We weren't well off or poor, just an average middle-class family. Everything was as normal as can be up until last year. That's when everything changed,"

"Long story short, there were some issues and betrayals within our extended family. My parents tried to mediate everything, but we lost more than we gained. Before we knew it, we were struggling financially. Eventually, they fought over what their next step should be. They argued all day and night, but it never got violent, and I knew that even though they both threw cusses at each other, there wasn't any meaning behind them. But still, it was emotionally tiring. Then, one day, my dad suddenly vanished. Only recently did I find out that he'd been recruited to be a part of a secret project that Seirai Group is working on—"

'Seirai Group?' Adam narrowed his eyes. That was a familiar name. Kazuha's words from earlier in the day came to the front of his mind.

…

"And finally…Amakumo Ryuuji, the new Head of Seirai, and Kawanami Kenta, his right-hand man and supposedly also his childhood friend,"

"What do they specialize in?"

"Weapons and other kinds of military equipment. Even the earpieces we're wearing now were developed by them. They're the ones who rival Kannazuka for the position of the second largest branch in ME, and like Watatsumi, they have a decent amount of rumors circulating them as well,"

…

"—However, at the time, Mom thought he ran away from the family. Perhaps the pressure had finally gotten to him, or maybe he found another woman. Either way, she was furious and saddened thinking that he had abandoned us," Miyuki continued, and Adam put his focus back on her, "We were still struggling. I planned on getting a part-time job, but my mom disagreed, telling me to focus on my education. Eventually, I was able to enter Chiba Academy through a scholarship, but unbeknownst to me back then, Mom had already made an agreement with the loan sharks. Then, coincidentally, her company offered her a spot in their American branch, so she left to earn more money. Before I knew it, it was just me and Sora in a cold, empty house,"

"That's…rough,"

Miyuki nodded, "Yeah. I didn't find out about the debt until April this year when I found a letter addressed to us talking about money that was due. I thought it was a scam, so I threw it out, and that angered them. And…that basically started it all. Always having to look over my shoulder when I go out of the house. Always having to look out the windows when I'm inside. Always making sure every entrance is locked at all times. It wasn't long before they found me outside alone…and I guess you know how that ended up,"

"They…didn't go past beating you, did they?" the black-haired teen asked, concerned.

He was relieved when the girl shook her head, "They might be gangsters, but I guess they still had some type of code,"

"Well… at least now I know why you work so much," murmured Adam.

"Yeah, I need to pay off the debt quickly, and I wanted to do it before Sora could find out. Mom would occasionally send money back to help, but recently, the debt has risen higher than before, and it just keeps going up," the dark-pink-haired girl gazed down at her feet, "If this keeps up, I might even have to drop out of school,"

"Have you ever tried contacting the police?"

Miyuki scoffed, "At the start, yeah. Nothing came of it. But let's be real as if they would care for situations like this. It's probably too much work and not enough excitement for them,"

To her surprise, a phone suddenly came into view. She looked up to see Adam holding it out to her.

"What are you—?"

"Add me to your contacts," he simply told her, "I might not have that much money, but I'll try to help as much as I can. At the very least, I can keep those guys off your back if they ever return,"

"You don't need to," Miyuki replied, pushing his phone away, "You've already done so much. I don't want you to get involved and for them to target you, too,"

Adam shrugged and pushed back. "Too late. They know my face now, anyway. I'm already involved,"

"No, I can't. Do you know how bad I'll feel if I find out someone else got hurt on my behalf?"

"If not for you, then at least for Sora,"

"...,"

"I can at least help you protect Sora, can't I? I've already done it before, so I'm willing to do it again," declared Adam, "She's a good kid. I don't want to see her smile gone either,"

The black-haired boy could see the conflicting thoughts swirling around in the girl's rose-pink eyes. She bit her lip before snatching his phone with a huff, mumbling something incoherent as she entered her details and shoved his device back so aggressively that she might as well have thrown it.

Upon getting his phone back, the teen tested the new contact in his list, and in a matter of seconds, a cute ringtone could be heard coming from Miyuki's pocket. The girl pulled it out and showed the ringing screen to Adam, looking away to hide the slight blush and vexed expression as she did so.

'To think this kid is the first guy I gave my number to,' she mentally groaned.

Adam smiled contently and hopped onto his feet, "Welp, that's one way to get a girl's number. Kazuha, you can come out now!"

"Hey!" Miyuki yelled as she sprung to her feet.

The black-haired teen laughed at her reaction and shot her his usual teasing grin, which he now realized he had been doing more than usual recently. Probably because he'd been hanging around Kazuha too much and that Mei had a weird unconscious habit of leaving herself open to teases, which Adam one hundred percent took advantage of every time. What could he say? Her reactions were always S-Tier, even if it meant getting pinched in the side or smacked in the shoulder a hundred times.

"Hahaha, I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he reassured her as his laughter began to disperse, "I swear I was just playing,"

"You better," Miyuki mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Well, shall we leave unless you have anything more you want to say? The night is only going to be colder," Adam suggested.

Miyuki responded with a slight nod, "I think I've said everything I wanted to,"

"Shall I walk you home then?" the boy offered.

"You don't mind?"

"Nope," Adam shook his head and playfully pumped his fist in the air like a superhero, "The Sora Protection Squad sticks together!"

"What the heck is that?" Miyuki rolled her eyes and giggled at his antics before striding away, "Whatever, let's go—Ah! Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I told Sora that I'd be going to the convenience store, so it'd be weird if I went back empty-handed," confessed Miyuki.

"Aaand how far is the closest one?"

"Not far, actually,"

"Let's go then,"

"Are you sure it's not a bother to you?"

"Surprisingly, no. I was planning to get something at the convenience store near my place because I'm too lazy to cook tonight," Adam admitted.

Miyuki shot him a side-eye, "...Boys,"

"Oh, hush. Laziness transcends all genders. I'm tired. I was walking around all day,"

"Wait, that reminds me, why weren't you and Kaedehara at school today anyway?" the girl asked as they began their trek to the store, "You guys didn't look that unwell at all,"

"Oh right, yeah, Kazuha volunteered for a convention and dragged me into it," Adam replied. He wasn't wholly lying; the ME Conference was technically some kind of convention.

Miyuki eyed him with doubt but then shrugged and paced ahead, "Fine, keep your secrets,"

Soon enough, they entered the store, and a few minutes later, both came out carrying small bags, though Adam's was noticeably fuller than Miyuki's.

"Hey," the pink-haired girl began as they made their way to her house.

"Hm?"

"I really am sorry for behaving the way I did to you. You were just trying to help,"

"Don't mention it," Adam waved, dispelling her worries, "I get it. You had to remain vigilant. I probably would've done the same, honestly,"

"Still, though. I kind of feel bad,"

"Then I should've had you pay for my stuff earlier," the boy joked, waving his bag of snacks around.

"I really should've," the girl responded thoughtfully.

"No!" Adam panicked, "If I allowed that, knowing your situation. Then that would just make me a pile of unrecyclable trash, "

"Well, I need to do something. I don't want to live my entire life feeling the need to pay you back,"

"We'll talk about that once your debt has been paid off,"

"If it ever gets paid off," Miyuki sighed.

"It will," stated Adam.

Hearing the tone of his voice made the dark pink-haired girl's eyebrows raise as she looked up at him. His voice had an inspiring determination and a fiery spark in his golden eyes that made it sound like he was the one in debt.

Which, unknown to Miyuki, was true.

And so, two teenagers, who both owed someone a tremendous amount of money, walked down the quiet, lamp-lit streets of suburban districts of Nagazora together.

A short walk later, they arrived in front of the Asakura house.

Adam decided to stay on the street and watched as Miyuki approached the door. Before inserting the key, she spun around and gave him a short bow.

"Thanks for walking me home tonight and for listening to me," she said as she straightened up, "I know the topic might've gotten a little heavy and intense. I hope you didn't get too uncomfortable,"

Adam smiled, "It's fine. Don't worry, I've heard crazier things,"

"Anyway, stay safe over the weekend. I'll see you on Monday, Asakura-san," the boy waved and began his journey home.

"See you then," Miyuki waved back, watching the black-haired teen walk away.

"Hey, wait!" she suddenly called.

Adam backtracked until he was in front of her again, "Yeah?"

"Just call me Miyuki. Asakura-san makes me sound old,"

"Haha, sure, then you have to drop the honorifics with me as well,"

Miyuki nodded, "No honorifics between members of the Sora Protection Squad,"

"The…You know that was a joke, right?"

The girl shrugged, "Yeah, but I like it. I'm keeping it,"

"Heh, fine," Adam turned and gave her a small salute before he took off, "See you at school, Miyuki,"

Without waiting for her response, the black-haired boy was already halfway down the road.

Miyuki gazed at the empty spot where he once stood.

In what felt like centuries, a genuine, soft, relaxed smile once again graced her lips.

"See you at school, Adam,"

---

By the time he returned to his apartment, it was already seven. Honestly, he didn't expect the walk to take that long, but he'd prefer that than cramming himself into the packed public transport.

He walked into the building, past the broken elevator, and politely greeted fellow tenants heading out.

He hiked up the stairs all the way up to the seventh floor and strolled across the corridor until he stopped in front of the door that had a small metallic plate next to it that read, [ 705 ].

The door unlocked with a click, and Adam entered his quaint little apartment. He kicked his shoes off and only took a few steps before tripping over something.

'What the—?' The boy quickly regained his balance and looked back to see what he had stumbled on.

His face scrunched in confusion as he picked up the object.

It was a shoe—sneakers, to be exact. A pair of them, one in his hand and the other on the ground, and they were in the classic black and white color combo.

Adam didn't own any pairs of sneakers. He only had his school shoes, his usual running shoes that he had just taken off, and the boots from his battlesuit that he stored away in his closet.

Even if he did own sneakers, these were definitely not his size, as they were noticeably smaller when compared to his shoes.

"Weird," he murmured, dropping it back to the floor.

When he entered the kitchen to put away the items he had bought, he immediately sensed something was off. Even if it was a minuscule change, something had shifted since he left the apartment in the morning, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

His suspicions rose even higher when he noticed that one of the drawers, the one containing the cups and cutlery, was left half open.

'I swear this was closed,' he thought as he pushed it back in.

Next was the fridge. It was already relatively empty before today, but now it was just barren. He picked up a carton of orange juice; the lightness of it surprised him, and he shook it a bit. Nothing, just air.

"Didn't I still have half left?" he asked himself.

Then he noticed the glass with leftover orange juice on the counter next to him. A clear lip stain was visible on the edge of the cup. Adam picked it up and scrutinized it momentarily before realizing what had happened.

"Intruder," he said under his breath.

Placing the snacks away was no longer his priority as the black-haired teen began scouting around the apartment, looking for more signs of a break-in.

There were several open and empty snack wrappers on the coffee table… 'several' was generous; more accurately, all his remaining snacks had been opened and devoured.

The TV remote and some cushions had left their original positions.

Then he entered his bedroom. The first thing he saw was that his futon had been slept on. The neatly arranged quilt and pillow were now messily splayed out.

"Who the hell invaded my place?" whispered Adam, "Goldilocks?"

He moved around his futon, resisting the urge to fix it, and opened his closet. Surprisingly, there was no change, at least at first glance. Adam brushed away his hanging jackets, hoodies, and shirts and reached for the back. He felt the solid exterior of a case and slid his hand along until he felt the handle before pulling it out.

Adam quickly unlocked the code on the case and popped it open. For the first time in months, the Labor of Olympus greeted him in its dormant black, red, and gray state. The teenager closed the case and put it back before digging around and pulling out another one.

This one was more rectangular, unlike the elongated container that contained his blade. Inside was his old battlesuit, neatly folded and untouched from the day he put it there.

The black-haired teen was puzzled. If the intruder wasn't here for the most valuable items he owned, then why were they here at all? There were also security cameras across the corridor outside, and the front door showed no sign of breakage, so how did they get in? Through the window via the balcony?

Adam shook his head, 'That can't be possible. I locked the windows. And who's stupid enough to climb seven stories? Anyone can see you, especially the guys who live in the building right next to us,'

Putting his old equipment back in their hiding place, Adam returned to the living room. He glanced at the balcony window and stared at it briefly.

'...Just in case,' he thought as he approached the transparent sliding door, and it was exactly as he thought. Locked.

And so his mind thought of the next most possible thing.

'Ghost?!'

It was a stretch. But he's fought aliens before, and there was also that one-time Overseer Theresa disappeared for a few days and suddenly returned talking about Vampires, so as far as he knew. The supernatural exists in some form or another; usually, it is in the form of some type of Honkai Beast, but the universe was mysterious, so all cards could still be on the table.

"Aunt Senti once talked to me about fighting ghosts," Adam murmured and folded his arms as he tried to recall the words of his master's eccentric doppelganger.

…

"Haahahahahahahaha~! Scared of ghosts and worried that they'll be coming after you this year during the Hungry Ghost Festival!? Then look no further than my ultra cool store that provides every exorcising tool in the universe that'll send any scary spirit straight into Nirvana! For $10,000,000, I offer you this Sword made of 110% authentic Peach Wood, made from the wood of a 5000-year-old Plum Blossom tree and carved by the Phoenix 250 years ago to slay the Nian Beast! Hahahahahahahaha~! Convincing, right, kid?"

A young Adam looked up at the Herrscher of Sentience with an ice cream in hand. A perfectly timed crow flew past their heads and cawed three times before flying away.

"Shouldn't a sword made from Peach Wood come from a Peach Blossom? Not a Plum Blossom?" he asked.

Senti cleared her throat, "Ah…Yes, you're right; Plum and Peach Blossoms are actually the same thing. It's just depending on which province you're in, the name differs. I just like to use both since I never know where my customers are from,"

"But they are different," Young Adam stated matter-of-factly and pointed to a couple of trees in the courtyard, "Master Hua taught me. That one's a Peach Blossom, and that one's a Plum Blossom; we have so many of them in our yard; how do you not know?"

"...Ahaha, yes! You're right again, kid. Well done for seeing past my very, very obvious trick. I was obviously just testing your intellect. I can tell that you'll never be scammed in the future by anyone! Truly my number one disciple. Aha…ha…ha~!"

Senti ruffled the child's hair, "Keep studying under me, and you'll be smarter than me…second smarter…in no time!"

"Not a high bar, honestly," the black-haired boy blankly replied and licked his frozen treat.

"BOY!" Senti screeched before gathering herself and taking deep breaths, "I'm a grown woman. I don't fight children. I'm a grown woman. I don't fight children. I'm a grown—"

"Hey, what's this?" Adam paid her no mind and crouched down by the assortment of random items and poked one of them.

It was a small, round, rabbit-looking thing stuffed in a red satchel.

Senti's face suddenly paled as she rushed forward, "Wait, don't touch—!"

*BOOOOOOOM*

…

"Ahh, good times," Adam smiled warmly, nodding and reminiscing his childhood before his expression instantly went cold again, "Anyway, that doesn't help,"

Then, in the silence of his pondering, the black-haired teenager picked up the sound of running water.

'How did I not notice this before?' he asked himself, sneaking up to his bathroom.

Placing his ear against the door, he confirmed that the familiar sound of the shower was coming from inside, along with…humming.

'The perpetrator's inside,' Adam looked around and spotted a mop nearby.

Careful with the noise of his steps, he moved over and picked it up. He didn't want to blow up half the apartment with the Olympus, and he returned the broken bamboo sword that Mei had lent him, so honestly, this was the next best thing.

After a quick twirl, Adam held the mop behind him as he approached the bathroom door.

'The best time to strike is when the shower is still running since they're less likely to hear my actions. I should probably call the police first so they can get here in time, but I guess knocking them out and then calling the police works, too,'

He placed one hand on the handle.

'Alright… Wait, the shower. It's stopped! Damn it, it's now or never!'

Without wasting another second, Adam threw open the door and charged in.

Through the thick steam, he could see the silhouette of his target.

"Freeze, intruder!" he roared, pointing the mop at the person's head.

"Eh?!"

"...Eh?" A bewildered Adam echoed.

The last thing the black-haired teenager expected was a youthful, feminine gasp of shock.

As the steam cleared, both parties could finally see one another clearly, and simultaneously, their eyes widened to the size of plates.

Standing before him with a towel covering her front was a girl who looked around his age.

Droplets of water still stuck to her milky-white skin. Her long, silver-white hair was weighed down by the moisture, with water still dripping from her soaked hair to the bathroom floor, and her small face was messily framed with strands of wet hair.

Her large, bright blue eyes clashed with the opposing color in the form of Adam's amber-golden gaze.

Both of them blinked, and a second passed before they came to their senses.

A combined shout of surprise emanated from the bathroom.

"Who the hell are you!?" Adam started. Despite the situation, he still had his priorities in order.

But the girl ignored him entirely and wrapped herself tightly with the towel, covering all her privates before grabbing a nearby soap bottle.

"Pervert! Die!" she shrieked and flung the bottle with astonishing speed at Adam's head.

The black-haired boy ducked just in time, but the mop wasn't so lucky as the bottle of soap tore clean through the handle and continued out into the living room until it crashed through the window.

Adam looked back at the broken glass panel, "Hey! That was—!"

Before he could continue, the white-haired girl launched a kick, aiming for his head yet again.

But this time, he was ready and blocked her foot, though he was still surprised when he found himself sliding back and out of the bathroom from the force of her strike.

"Alright, fine. I tried talking, but it seems that's not your style. Have it your way then," the teenager growled as he entered his fighting stance, "I was planning on knocking you out and dragging you to the police station anyway,"

"Hmph! I was thinking the exact same thing!" the girl declared, storming out of the bathroom and grabbing one of the broken mop handles along the way, "But not before I beat you into a pulp!"

"Brave words for a lousy home invader," Adam beckoned her to come at him, "Bring it,"

The girl gritted her teeth and, with a battle cry, kicked herself off the floor, speeding toward Adam.

Using the broken handle like a baseball bat, the white-haired girl swung the weapon around, switching grips and hands every now and then to mix up her attack pattern in an attempt to confuse the black-haired boy.

However, despite her efforts, he was able to duck, weave, and block each one.

Their fight traveled all across the apartment. Adam tried to find an opening to disarm the girl, but she never gave him one and was unrelenting in her assault.

In the corner of his eyes, Adam spotted his school backpack, but taking advantage of this moment of distraction, the girl leaped into the air with the handle raised behind her head.

"Take this!" she yelled as she brought the handle down.

Adam reacted quickly, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her over his shoulder. The girl let out a yelp as she crashed through the door leading to the bedroom.

During this small moment of stalemate, Adam ran over and rummaged through his bag, searching for something he could use. From within, he drew out a small umbrella. He nodded to himself and prepared for round two.

With a flick of his wrist, his newly acquired weapon extended, and the umbrella reached its maximum length.

Simultaneously, the white-haired girl reappeared. Only now, she had gotten rid of the towel and was wearing…one of his shirts—a white T-shirt. It was a little too big for her and, in any other situation, would actually look cute, but this wasn't one of those moments.

Instantly, their fight began once again.

The mop's broken handle clashed repeatedly and fiercely against the convenience-store-bought, 300 yen umbrella.

As they continued their bout, they failed to notice the police sirens blaring outside.

Using the wall, the white-haired girl ricocheted off and whipped her leg across in a midair roundhouse kick.

Adam immediately snapped out his own kick, a spinning hook kick, and successfully latched onto the girl's leg, bringing her down to the cold timber floor.

She cried out in pain as she hit the ground hard but didn't allow it to deter her for long as she used her other leg to sweep the boy off his feet. He also hit the ground with a short yelp.

Their handheld weapons had now flown to opposite ends of the apartment.

The girl quickly recovered and flipped onto her feet. Adam quickly followed suit. The two stared each other down as the bell for round three rang in their heads.

With another battle cry, the white-haired girl rushed in with amazing speed.

She pounced, flying through the air, and before Adam could react, she latched her legs around his head.

The girl stretched back and down until her hands touched the ground in a handstand position. Utilizing her trained core muscles and grip around the boy's neck, she tossed him across the room.

Not one to be taken by surprise for long, Adam twisted himself around in midair, positioning himself to bounce off the wall and immediately back into the action.

"Enough of this!" he roared, shooting forward like a bullet.

The white-haired girl barely had time to gasp as he grabbed her neck and leaped into the air, taking her with him as his black hair brushed across the ceiling.

The girl released an alarmed cry as he pulled her back and prepared to choke-slam her into the ground.

"POLICE! FREEZE!"

As soon as he heard those two words, Adam rerouted his attack and instead threw the girl into the couch, flipping it and the girl over.

The white-haired girl massaged her neck as she got up just in time to see a pair of police officers, a man and a woman, rushing into the apartment, holding their batons in one hand while hovering the other hand over their pistol holsters.

Adam assessed the situation. The apartment was a mess; one window was broken, and with all the chaotic noise that came from within, it was no surprise that a neighbor or a passerby called the cops.

Not wanting to get into any more trouble, he raised his hands.

"Finally, you're here," the girl piped up, "Quick, you have to arrest this perv! He kicked my door down while I was taking a shower!"

Perhaps it was the adrenaline pumping through his veins, or maybe he was still frustrated at the fact that the home invader was trying to act innocent. Either way, her words lit a fuse in Adam, and he retorted.

"Me? You're the one who broke in. Ate all of my food, messed up my room, and even wasted this month's water!"

"Hah!? What? I broke in. You're the one who clearly barged into my apartment!"

"Are you listening to yourself?! This place is clearly mine. The key is literally still in my pocket!"

The two officers exchanged glances, not knowing who to believe, as the two teenagers continued to argue back and forth.

It hadn't even been a minute, and their shouting already affected the two adults as the female officer yelled, "Shut it!"

The two of them quietened down and looked at the police.

"We'll take you both down to the station. Then we can settle this in peace," the male officer stated.

"What?!" the white-haired girl started.

"Are you serious!?" the black-haired boy finished.

"Oho~ What's going on here?" a new voice entered the room.

Adam looked up to see the familiar face of the landlady, and a look of relief washed over him. Little did he know, the girl he had just fought with had the exact same expression.

"Granny! / Furuta-san!" the duo exclaimed simultaneously before shooting each other a look.

The two police looked back to see the landlady walking into the apartment.

"Hoo~," she whistled, looking around at the damaged surroundings, "What happened here?"

The two teenagers instantly pointed at each other, "It was him/her!"

"Aah," the landlady nodded, "I think I know what's going on now,"

"With all due respect, Furuta-san, we need to take these two down to the station," the male officer informed her.

The female officer backed up her partner, "We need to bring them in. After all, they were reported by several callers for public disturbance, and we still need to question them regarding possible domestic violence,"

"No need," the landlady waved them off.

"But—"

"I said…," the landlady sent a chilling glare at the two police officers, freezing them in place as they felt tendrils of ice crawling up their spines, "...No. Need,"

"I may have retired, but I'm still your senior, or would you rather me have a talk with the captain? You know, he used to be my apprentice," the older woman chuckled as the cold aura dissipated.

"Furuta-san, what if these delinquents start fighting you?" the female officer questioned worriedly.

"They won't," the landlady brushed off her worries, "I know they won't. And they're not delinquents. They're good kids caught up in a whirlwind of misunderstanding,"

"If you say so," the male officer relented and gestured to his partner, "Come on, let's go,"

"Are you sure?" the female officer asked the landlady again.

"Positive," the landlady nodded, "Now run along now. The rest of the city needs you,"

"Understood," the two officers saluted the senior woman and left the apartment.

The landlady then faced the two teenagers and offered them a warm smile, "Now, now. Why don't we go to my unit and talk this out peacefully? I baked cookies,"

"Cookies?!" the white-haired girl repeated as her blue eyes glistened.

"Mhm," the landlady nodded, "Oh! And Kiana-chan, you left your suitcase at my place after you signed out your forms earlier. You can come and retrieve it now,"

"So that's where it was," the white-haired girl giggled and rubbed the back of her head, "I thought I left it at the train station or something,"

"Hold on a minute, Furuta-san," Adam interjected, "I'm all for cookies, but I feel like I'm missing a whole lot of context here. I mean…,"

He gestured to the girl beside him.

"Who's this? And why is she in my apartment?"

For once, the girl agreed with him as she nodded and pointed back, "Yeah, who's this creep, and what's he doing here?"

The landlady sighed but then simply shrugged, "I was going to tell both of you once we were all settled, but it seems like the hot blood of youth these days can't wait that long. Fine, if it puts your minds at ease, I'll tell you now,"

"Adam, this is your new roommate—"

"Kiana Kaslana,"

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Chapter 8 - First Snow in Autumn VI

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…

…

…

SHE'S FINALLY HERRRRRREEEEEEE!

The Tuna herself has finally debuted in Starchaser!

( I did kinda tease this in the omake in the previous chapter didn't I?)

OK. So I will admit. I did not expect this chapter to take so long to write. I started all the way back after I uploaded the Chapter 7 and it took this long…

Not gonna bore any of you with a speech on where I was. So let's just sum it up to university assignments, exams, and work. BUT! Good news is, my finals are almost done which frees me up for more time to work on Starchaser. So HOPEFULLY, Chapter 9 should come out MUCH, MUCH sooner.

There's actually something else that I wanna talk about here that I thought about a lot. And that's chapter length. As you all know, the average chapter of this fic is like 10-15,000 words. This chapter, if we remove the Author's Note, is around 23,000. SO! It has come to my attention. That I need the opinions of you loyal readers.

Shorter Chapters VS Longer Chapters?!

Shorter Chapter Pros: Faster update rate.

Shorter Chapter Cons: Less content per chapter.

Longer Chapter Pros: More content per chapter.

Longer Chapter Cons: Slower update rate.

Guys and girls, voice your opinions please. You can message through the PM or I'll just put a poll on my profile for a bit and check the results the next time I update.

BUT ASIDE FROM THAT!

A lot happened in this Chapter.

We got a bit of Macaque. A bit of Takeshi. A bit of Adam… a bit of everyone really.

World Serpent has begun to move via Macaque. The Seirai Group has begun to move too. And old Takeshi is stuck in the middle.

I have big plans for Macaque. He'll be around for a long, long time. He actually does have a real name, and after I reveal what that is, I'll begin referring to him by that name in the A/Ns instead of his codename.

Some more scenes with Kazuha too. Honestly, he was originally just gonna be a Chapter 7 exclusive character, but idk, I kinda like writing him so he'll probaby stay for a while. ( I already have a plan for him lol ).

Miyuki and Adam finally had a normal conversation…kinda normal(?) I swear figuring how to write their interaction was one of the more difficult moments of writing this chapter. Idk, I'm happy with the final product so…

( I think I said before that this universe's Miyuki is vastly different from her GGZ manga counterpart since there's not much character to build upon in the original source. Like a tldr version of her manga variant is that she just licks Kiana and dies… Anyway! Hope you guys will enjoy this version of Miyuki tho. )

Moving on.

NOW! Speaking of Kiana! Look! She's here! For real!

Now I'm not gonna lie. I originally planned for Adam to walk in on Kiana and just cut the chapter on a cliffhanger there.

BUT!

I was listening to the Mortal Kombat OST while writing that segment, and so I was adrenaline-pumped and musically motivated. Aaand so we got that fight between Adam and Kiana.

That was actually supposed to happen at the start of the original Chapter 9 but now that's not going to be the case since that fight is at the end of this Chapter.

The Present Timeline Protagonist has met the Future Timeline Protagonist.

And if that fight was more intense than it should've been… It's because of the Mortal Kombat OST.

But yeah, they're roommates now. ( I did not throw this in last second. This was planned since Chapter 1. )

Now that Kiana is here, Mei still being his friend, and Miyuki finally being on good terms with him. The stage is finally set and all the leading girls of the Nagazora Arc have finally shown up.

Actually as of this chapter, ALL major characters of the First Half of the Nagazora Arc have appeared one way or another.

I'll post a proper character profile for the new characters at the A/N in Chapter 10. Why 10 and not now? Because I feel like that's a good milestone. ( And I need to finalize a few of their details. )

Anyway, Adam and Kiana's interactions are gonna be fun and crazy. Weeell that's if I pull it off the same way I imagine it.

…So is this also a good time to bring up character ships? This A/N is already so long though. Ugh, whatever let's talk about it. CHARACTER SHIPS! [ DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT THAT GOOD AT WRITING ROMANCE ]. Last time I checked anyway, but I've been diving into romance manga, anime, webtoons, and shit even K-drama this entire year so let's hope that I've absorbed some knowledge from all that romance. ( Wait does that even sound right? )

If any of you readers have any tips for writing romance, tell me.

But I do have some ships confirmed in my mind. You guys can guess, I won't confirm in the story until we reach that part so have fun speculating. (o)

But yeah…I think that about concludes everything in Chapter 8.

If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a follow/favorite/review. They're all greatly appreciated and a source of motivation to continue writing [ STARCHASER ].

Thank You For All Your Support! Until We Meet Again!