Himitsu glances behind him and sees the Black Surge. He startles as Daru extends his hand, and Himitsu mirrors the gesture. Daru swiftly pulls Himitsu in and slams the door shut.
Himitsu: (Breathing heavily) Th-thank you, Daru.
Guy 1: (Angrily) You're insane! Didn't anyone tell you to be in your house by 12:00!?
Zodiac locks eyes with the man.
Zodiac: Back off.
The man, now a bit intimidated, steps back.
Guy 1: Just make sure it doesn't happen again, or I'll take it to Froog.
Kono rushes over to Himitsu.
Kono: Are you okay?
Himitsu: Yeah… I'm fine.
Akira: Where the hell were you!?
Himitsu: Uh—I was, um…
Akira: Spit it out!
Himitsu: (To himself) What am I going to do? I can't tell them I was with a girl, can I? No, I can't. Daru and Zodiac will kill me! Even Akira will!
Akira: If you don't start talking, I'm going to punch you until you really can't speak.
Daru: Alright, calm down. We'll discuss this in the morning.
Himitsu: (To himself) Whew! That was close! Too close.
Daru: But—
Himitsu: (To himself) Crap!
Daru: I want answers from you, Himitsu… and you better have them because if you don't, I'll let Akira do what she wants.
Himitsu: Ugh—Yes, don't worry! I'll tell you everything in the morning. I just need a good night's rest.
Akira: Sure! I smell something on you. I just don't know what it is yet. But I'll figure it out soon enough.
Daru: Alright, let's head to bed.
Zodiac: When did you become the boss around here?
Daru: It's called being a leader because obviously, you can't do it; all you think about is killing people.
Zodiac: At least I get things done and don't let them get away just to do it again.
Daru: Listen, I don't care what you think I am, but I'm the only one in this crew that cares about people's safety!
Kono: I—I care too…
Zodiac: You better watch your mouth before you lose it, you overgrown orc!
Gram: This seems to never stop.
Himitsu: Yeah, I know.
Kono: (To himself) He's right; he is a leader…
Gram: Well! I'm going to bed. Goodnight!
Akira: Finally, some peace and quiet!
Gram: I heard that.
Akira: You were meant to, idiot!
Ohma approaches Zodiac and Daru.
Ohma: Guys, I think we should head to bed, clear our heads, and start fresh tomorrow.
Zodiac: You should be telling that to him, not me.
Daru: No, you need it because you can never clear that bloodthirsty brain of yours.
Zodiac: You're seriously asking for it!
Daru: And you're always asking for it!
Froog: (sniffles) Is everything alright here?
Kono: Oh no! It's Froog!
Daru and Zodiac exchange glances at Froog, accompanied by six bodyguards, and cease their argument.
Daru: Yes, we're fine.
Zodiac: Yeah, what he said.
Froog: Good. (sniffles) Because I do not tolerate any violence in this tower. Is that understood?
Daru: Yes…
Zodiac: Yeah, loud and clear…
Froog: (sniffles) Thank you. Last time people wouldn't stop arguing, I fed them to the Black Surge.
Gram: You did what? Y-you killed them for arguing!
Froog: Yes, I did. So don't argue, or I'll feed you to the Black Surge.
Gram: Y-yes, sir!
Gram turns to Zodiac and Daru.
Gram: (whispers loudly) STOP ARGUING!
Zodiac: (whispers loudly) Shut up!
Froog: Well, it is time to sleep. You all should head to bed and get some rest.
Gram: Don't have to tell me twice!
Ohma: Okay!
Kono: Yeah, we all need a good night's rest.
Froog: Have a good night, everyone. (sniffles)
Froog departs with his bodyguards to his room.
Daru: I don't like that guy at all.
Zodiac: Yeah… me neither.
Gram: Well, you heard him. Let's go to bed!
Akira: Would you shut up already and go to bed? Holy crap, you talk too damn much.
Gram: (shocked) You know, Akira, I used to like you, but not so much anymore!
Akira: Whatever!
Gram proceeds to the guest lounge, followed by the others. Everyone retires to their rooms and settles in as night transitions to day.
Himitsu: (yawns) Man, that was a good sleep!
He rises and heads to the bathroom to freshen up by brushing his teeth and washing his face. Suddenly, he remembers he needs to inform the others about his findings and activities.
Himitsu: CRAP! I forgot I need to tell them what I found! What am I going to say? If I lie, Akira will sense it and beat me up. If I tell the truth, Daru will let Akira beat me up! What am I going to do?
A few moments later, Himitsu hears a knock on his door.
Himitsu: Uhhh! W-who is it?
Gram: It's Gram! Can you open the door, please?
Himitsu: (Whew) It's just Gram. Alright.
Himitsu opens the door to find Gram standing outside with some clothes. Himitsu looks confused.
Gram: I know Daru told us not to buy stuff, but this looks so good! I got some for you too!
Himitsu: Ugh… Okay.
He walks inside and shuts the door.
Gram: Alright, try these on.
Himitsu: What? Right now?
Gram: Yes, right now.
Himitsu: Don't girls usually do this?
Gram: What?
Himitsu: You know, trying on clothes and stuff?
Gram: Hey! We're brothers! It's not weird! Plus, I'm not seeing you naked; only girls do that. But we're men!
He walks to the mirror, licks his fingers, and smooths his eyebrows.
Gram: (Chuckles) Handsome men, to say the least.
Himitsu: Y-you're right! We're brothers, right?
Gram: Uhh, yeah, that's what I said.
Himitsu: So if I told you something important, you wouldn't tell anyone?
Gram: Uhh (laughs) Himitsu, yes, of course! Do you have something to tell me?
Himitsu: M-maybe…
Gram: What! Bro, you have to tell me now!
Himitsu: I don't know.
Gram: Come on! I said we're broth— Wait, is it about a girl?
Himitsu starts blushing.
Himitsu: W-what? NO! What makes you say that?
Gram: It is about a girl, isn't it?
Himitsu: Uhhh! Yes… it is.
Gram: Oh man! You have to tell me everything!
Himitsu: Okay, but you can't tell the others! None of them! Especially Ohma, because you remember what happened at the club.
Gram: Yeah… You don't have to remind me about that. Okay, tell me! Now!
Himitsu: Okay, okay. While I was searching for clues, I saw these two guys banging on someone's door. I intervened and stopped them. Then this girl stepped out, and she was beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous!
Gram: Man… (Laughs) I know those situations, trust me… then what happened!?
Himitsu: Then she told me her name was Kana.
Gram: Kana… Wow, now that's something!
Himitsu: Gram!
Gram: Right, sorry, go on.
Himitsu: Then she invited me into her house.
Gram: And you said no, right?
Himitsu: W-what? No, I said yes.
Gram: What!
Himitsu: What did I do?
Gram: You can't just walk into someone's house that you don't know!
Himitsu: But Ohma did it.
Gram: Yeah, but Ohma is dumb!
Himitsu: Well… I went in, and she gave me some water.
Gram: But you didn't drink it, right?
Himitsu: No, I drank it!
Gram: WHAT!
Himitsu: What!? What did I do now?
Gram: You can't just drink something from someone you've never met. What if she was a murderer or something?
Himitsu: But she wasn't!
Gram: Himitsu, how do you know? Did she even tell you what those guys wanted from her?
Himitsu: Well, I did ask, but we got interrupted, and I forgot to ask again.
Gram smacks his forehead.
Gram: Himitsu, man! You gotta be careful! We're on a mission, and we can't trust these people; we don't know what they're capable of.
Himitsu: But she's different. I can feel it! I even went hunting with her!
Gram: Okay… I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.
Daru knocks on the door.
Daru: Himitsu.
Himitsu: CRAP! IT'S DARU!
Gram: Listen, don't tell him what we talked about! Okay?
Himitsu: R-right!
Daru: Himitsu, are you in there?
Himitsu: Y-yeah, I am.
Daru: Okay… Well, can you open the door?
Himitsu: Oh, right… yeah.
He opens the door, and Daru is standing there with his arms crossed.
Himitsu: Hey, Daru… how's it going?
Daru notices Gram.
Daru: What the hell is he doing here?
Gram: Oh, hey, Daru, I was just, umm (drops to the ground and does push-ups) doing push-ups!
Daru: Hmm… Right. Anyway, what'd you find last night?
Himitsu: (Talking to himself) Crap! What do I say?
Himitsu glances back at Gram, who nods. Himitsu takes a deep breath and looks back.
Himitsu: I didn't find anything. I checked around for traps like you said.
Daru observes Himitsu for a few seconds as he begins to sweat.
Daru: That's smart… good to make sure I didn't miss anything. Good job.
Himitsu: (Nervously laughs) Yeah, just had to make sure!
Daru: Anyway, let's meet downstairs in ten minutes.
Himitsu: Uhh, yeah… w-will do!
Daru walks away as he shuts the door. Gram gets up and rushes to Himitsu.
Gram: You did it, man!
Himitsu: (In shock) Yeah, I did!
Gram: Awesome! But I need to get ready and head to my room so I can be down there on time. But Himitsu...
Himitsu: Yes?
Gram: Just don't tell this Kana girl too much; we don't know if we can trust her yet, okay?
Himitsu: I promise I won't.
Himitsu and Gram finish in the bathroom and proceed downstairs, where everyone is gathered in the kitchen, enjoying breakfast.
Kono: Good morning, Gram! Good morning, Himitsu!
Himitsu: Good morning, everyone!
Gram: (sniffing) Something smells good.
Ohma: It tastes good too! Kono made it, and it's called bancakes!
Akira: It's called "pancakes," you fool!
Ohma: Yes, pancakes!
Gram and Himitsu join everyone at the table, glancing at their plates.
Himitsu: Oh, you made eggs too!
Gram: I can't see how you could mess up making eggs.
Gram takes a fork and serves himself some eggs, putting them in his mouth.
Kono: Do you like it?
Gram: (chewing) It's a bit burnt, but surprisingly good.
Zodiac: Yeah, very surprising.
Kono: Huh?
Zodiac: Nothing…
Akira: Forget that. Himitsu! What took you so long to return?
Himitsu: W-what!?
Daru: It's alright; I already asked him a few minutes ago. He was doing the same thing I was.
Zodiac: That still doesn't explain the delay.
Akira: I'm calling bullshit.
Himitsu: (nervously) I-I wanted to look around the city to gather as much information as possible. I totally lost track of time.
Zodiac: So you couldn't tell what time it was while you were outside, watching the sun go down?
Himitsu: W-well, I—
Daru: Look, all that matters is that Himitsu is safe. But you need to be more careful next time. Got it?
Himitsu: Yes, Daru, I promise I will be more careful next time!
Akira crosses her arms and turns her head away.
Kono: Now that we've cleared that up, we can continue our search.
Gram: What clues do we have so far?
Zodiac: The only real clue is Daru finding those holes outside the city.
Daru: Yes, and regarding the black surge, it seems they travel underground.
Ohma: If they're traveling underground, then they must be coming from somewhere.
Akira: No kidding, genius.
Kono: True, but I don't see any connection between the black surge and the person we need to stop.
Himitsu: Actually, I found a detail during my research.
Daru: Oh yeah?
Himitsu: I spoke with some people about the black surge, and one mentioned it has been happening for a few years.
Akira: (scoffs) Really? I don't see how that helps us find this person.
Himitsu: I know it's not much, but it's a start.
Daru: (rising) Well, let's not waste any more time and continue where we left off.
Everyone finished their meal, prepared themselves, and stepped outside the tower once again.
Gram: Are we splitting up again?
Daru: If you want. I'll be going alone and—
???: Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit!
Kono: What the?
Everyone turns to see a man pacing back and forth in a state of panic.
Man: I messed up! I messed up!
Akira: What the hell is wrong with him?
Ohma: I don't know, but maybe we should ask him.
Daru: I think we should.
They approach the man to ascertain the situation.
Man: (Biting his nails) What do I do!? What do I do!?
Kono: Umm, hey there, sir.
The man jumps in surprise at their presence.
Man: W-what the!?
Himitsu: We overheard your distress, and it sounds like you're in trouble.
Gram: Is something the matter?
Man: Oh no, I'm fine, thanks for asking!
Daru: You don't look fine. You're sweating.
The man touches his forehead and feels the moisture on his hands.
Kono: You don't need to be scared. Just tell us what's wrong.
Man: It's nothing serious. I just lost something, that's all.
Gram: You lost something?
Man: Y-yes. It was a special ring of mine.
Ohma: A ring?
Daru: Where did you lose it?
Man: I lost it in a cave outside the city.
Akira: Really…
Man: Yes! I was cave diving alone when, suddenly, these creatures attacked me! I quickly fled back to the city, but I must have dropped my ring in there.
Daru: So why didn't you go back for it?
Man: What!? I'm not going back in there with all those creatures!
Kono: Hold on just a second. Did you lose your ring today?
Man: No, it was yesterday. But I couldn't go back because of the black surge. I'd love to get it back, but I'm too scared.
Akira: No kidding.
Daru begins to contemplate.
Daru: Fine, we'll help you get your ring back.
Man: W-what?
Zodiac: Um, no. This is a waste of time.
Daru: (Looking at Zodiac) This isn't about wasting time; it's about doing the right thing.
Zodiac: Yeah, that won't get us anywhere.
Kono: (Smiling) It's okay, sir! We'll help you get your ring back.
Man: No, no. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine without it.
Daru: I don't care. We're getting that ring back, and that's final.
Man: U-uhhh, okay then. If you follow me, I'll show you where it is.
The man begins to lead the group outside the city, while Zodiac shakes his head in disapproval.
Zodiac: This is pointless…
Kono: I know you don't want to do this, Zodiac, but even if we're keeping a low profile, we should help those in need.
Ohma: I agree!
Akira: This is stupid, but whatever.
They continue to follow the man as they exit the city.
Gram: Hey, I have a question for you.
Man: You do?
Gram: What were you cave diving for? Exploring or looking for something specific?
Man: I was searching for something.
Gram: I see. What exactly were you looking for?
Daru: I have a better question. How much do you know about the black surge?
Gram: Hey! I asked him a question first!
Man: The black surge? I only know what everyone else knows. It comes out at night and kills people.
Daru: Is that it? You don't know anything more?
Man: No, it's just a strange phenomenon that randomly appeared.
Daru: I see.
Kono: How big is the cave we're heading to?
Man: It's not very big, but it's not small either. We should be getting close.
After a few more minutes, they spot a cave in the distance.
Himitsu: Is that the cave over there?
Man: Yes, that's the cave I was in.
Zodiac: You mentioned there were creatures inside. How many?
Man: There were six that attacked me. They stand on two legs and possess sharp claws and teeth.
Akira: It doesn't matter what they are. I'll kill every last one of them.
Ohma: Don't worry, mister! You have nothing to fear!
Zodiac: Let's just get this done.