Sekoyoma was not like other cities. It was located in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a dense forest. A near-impenetrable bounded field protected it with the front gate being the only way in. The gate was guarded by two golems who let no one in, and no one out, for this city was to remain top secret. This was because Sekoyoma was a city magecraft, with people not needing to hide anything, using magecraft in their daily lives.

While it may sound like a paradise for mages, in reality, it was anything but. Sekoyoma had a reputation for being hell on earth. Under the rule of the five gang lords, the crime rate was really high, and the presence of magecraft just made things worse. Killers, thieves, rapists, and even a few dead apostles made their home here. There were only two ways to stay safe in this city, was one, stay indoors and hide, or two, be just as dangerous yourself.

However, there was one person even the most hardened of criminals feared, and that was the 16-year-old alleyway terror, Naru Kaminari. He often spent his days picking fights picking fights with thugs in the alleyways, leaving his opponents with deep cuts covering their bodies, hence his street name: the Sekoyoma Ripper.

Naru walks down the street with his hands in his pockets. As he walked, people went around to avoid him, worried that he might hurt them. However, they were overreacting, since murder was the last thing on Naru's mind. Despite having the word "ripper" in his street name, Naru never actually killed anyone. He thought killing people was immoral and unjust. If he did kill people, he would be no different than the other murderers and psychos that lived in this rotten city.

Naru then went into a store called Izo's Department Store, and inside was the owner of the building: Mr. Izo, who had grey hair with a mustache and a scar over his left eye.

Izo: "Ah, hello Naru. How are you doing today?"

Naru: "Hi Mr Izo. I'm doing fine I guess."

Izo: "Did something happen out there?"

Naru: "You're not going to believe this, I ran into yet ANOTHER copycat!"

Izo: "Seriously? Again?"

Naru: "Yeah this is the fifth one this month."

Izo: "That does sound quite frustrating. Also, how many times do I have to tell you not to wear your mask in my shop? It's scaring away my customers."

Naru sighed. He took off his skull mask, revealing his boy-like face for everyone to see. Naru did not like showing his face in public because people often described his face as being cute, which he didn't like because it made him less intimidating.

Naru: "Can I just go to a random corner and wear my mask there?"

?: "Aww come on! Don't be like that! The ladies like seeing your face Naru!"

Naru turned around and saw a familiar face standing behind him. It was another boy the same age as him with beige hair, gold eyes, a white shirt with brown pants, and ten gold rings on his fingers. His most unique feature by far was his teeth. They had been filed down to sharp points, looking as if he had These features belonged to Rei Odakyu, Naru's best friend.

Naru: "Yeah well, "being cute" doesn't exactly help with my situation."

Rei: "No, but it will help you get laid!"

Naru: "I'll say it again: once every thug has been cleared from the alleyways, maybe, just maybe, I'll consider getting a girlfriend."

Rei: "If you keep up with that plan, you'll be 35 by the time you get one! Anyway, the boss is calling us to make our reports. I still don't understand why we need to make these stupid reports."

Naru: "Apparently Taro needs them to keep track of our territories to make sure they don't get claimed by other gangs."

Rei: *Sigh* "If he says so"

Naru and Rei walked into the basement of the store, which functioned as the secret base of The Infinite Path, the gang that both Naru and Rei were a part of. Inside the basement were the other members of the gang.

In one corner was a girl with long, blue hair and pink eyes with slit pupils like a cat. She wore a white tank top with a small black jacket and blue shorts that went down mid-thigh. Her name was Yui Nagamitsu, the gang's resident demolition expert.

In the other corner was a tall man with white hair and red eyes. He wore a plain black long-sleeved shirt paired with black leather pants. He was a homunculus simply called "Zero." He never spoke. He mostly stood still and observed.

At the center sitting at a table was a man in his early 20s. He had black hair with bangs covering his green eyes. He was dressed more professionally than the other two, wearing a white tuxedo with matching white pants and white shoes. This was Taro Higeki, leader of the Infinite Path and one of the five gang lords. He was looking at a map of the city and was marking their territories with a pencil.

Yui: "Taro, Naru, and Rei are back from patrol."

Taro: "Hm? Ah, Naru, Rei, you're back. What do you have to report?"

Rei: "Nothin' on my end aside from a few kids egging a man's car."

Taro: "I pity him. Those eggs tend to freeze up during winter making it hard to clean up. What about you Naru? Anything happen on your end."

Naru: "You're not going to believe this, I ran into yet ANOTHER copycat attacking a woman in an alleyway."

Yui: "Another one?"

Taro: "That's the fifth one this month!"

Naru: "I said the exact same thing to Mr Izo."

Taro put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Naru could tell Taro was disappointed. He had been trying to claim territory from the other gang lords to make the streets safer. Taro wasn't like the other gang lords. Unlike the others who wanted to rule Sekoyoma, Taro wanted to save people by lessening the crime in the city. So far, they hadn't made much progress.

Taro: "I see. You are both dismissed. You can take the day off."

Naru knew Taro was going through a lot, but he decided not to question it further since he respected his friend's privacy. In the meantime, he had a day off to enjoy!

Now that we've met most of the side characters, it's time for the story to ACTUALLY start!