Ten minutes before the collapse of White Place, Yume was escorting the prisoners outside.
«Come on, this way!» she shouted, motioning with her hand.
She was still carrying Kagura's unconscious body.
—Kaito… will you make it?— she kept wondering, clenching her teeth.
A few moments later, the group reached the Ai elevator, the same one they had used to get up to that floor.
«Listen carefully! We're taking the stairs!» she said firmly.
«Why don't we use the elevator?» a frightened woman asked.
«We'll never all fit!» Yume replied, pointing at the side staircase.
«And if it were to get stuck, we'd be trapped down there!»
She raised her voice. «Enough arguing! Move!»
She positioned herself beside the stairs, making sure no one was left behind.
—Good… so far, so good…— she thought, watching the prisoners run past one after another.
«Yume!» Toma called from behind.
She turned, noticing the anger on his face.
«What are you doing? Leave that Fuyumi here!» he snarled, staring at Kagura's body.
«You're saving an enemy! Do you really think she would have spared you if it were the other way around?»
Yume stiffened at those words. Her gaze slid over the injured girl she was holding.
—Maybe not… but that's not the point…—
«Toma… I understand what you mean,» Yume hesitated.
«But I can't pretend that all that time together was just an act!»
«Are you kidding me?» Toma's voice was low, heavy with rage.
«She wanted to kill you! She wanted to punish all of us!» His fists clenched tightly.
«Do you have any idea how that thing treated us?! Huh?! Do you have the slightest idea?!»
«I know…» she replied, almost whispering.
«And I know I might be wrong… but I want to give her another chance!»
Yume's gaze hardened with determination.
«Tsk!» Toma turned away, jaw clenched.
Without saying another word, he started down the stairs.
Yume watched him for a moment, then lowered her eyes to Kagura.
—I'll give you just one chance— she thought, holding her tighter.
She began to follow the group.
—My hands are stained with blood too. I'm no saint…—
Each step felt heavier than the last.
—To survive, and to protect the people I loved, I killed everyone Shirogane wanted dead.—
She swallowed hard.
—I still dream about them…—
The memory crossed her mind like a fleeting shadow.
—But Kaito said he didn't care about what I'd done…— she recalled his words on the train as she descended the final flight of stairs.
—He gave me a chance… I'll do the same for you, Kagura…—
With those last steps, Yume and the prisoners finally reached the hall of Tenshō Tower.
Everyone's expressions quickly turned to shock.
The main hall of the Fuyumi Tower was a mass of rubble.
«What does all this mean?!» Toma burst out, unable to hold back.
The glass walls had exploded inward, shards of glass carpeting the floor.
The ground was scarred with cracks and signs of recent combat.
Yume advanced slowly toward the exit, clenching her teeth.
But before she could reach it, a staggering figure approached her.
—That silhouette…— her body tensed instinctively.
Yume recognized him immediately: he was the same person who had separated her and Kaito just before the auction began.
—What is he doing here?!—
The man slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were filled with rage.
«Those damn bastards… they screwed us over this time…» he muttered, his voice hoarse.
Then he looked at her.
«You…» he hissed, and in an instant the air around them grew heavy, almost suffocating.
«Put her down.»
Reiji's gaze sharpened, fixed on the body Yume was holding in her arms.
«Are you talking about… Kagura?» Yume barely managed to say.
In that instant, Reiji moved.
He vanished from her sight and reappeared in front of her, just a few inches away.
—What?!— Yume reacted instinctively, lifting her leg to strike his face.
Reiji stopped the kick with the palm of his hand, effortlessly.
Then he disappeared again.
Yume spun around.
The prisoners, terrified, scattered, leaving her a clear space.
Among them, the Fuyumi man was already retreating, heading toward the stairs with his sister in his arms.
«Wait! What are you going to do with Kagura?!» Yume shouted, panicked.
She took a step forward, then stopped abruptly.
From the main entrance, new figures began to make their way into the devastated hall of Tenshō Tower.
«Let's finish cleaning up.»
A calm, authoritative voice echoed among the debris.
The figures advanced: they were the ones who had defeated the security guards and arrested the buyers fleeing from White Place.
Now, they revealed themselves openly.
«Y-you are…» her words caught in her throat.
«The Reikeitai!»
The assault unit counted at least fifteen members.
At the front stood a figure Yume immediately recognized.
—Akizame…?!— she thought, holding her breath.
At Akizame's side walked another high-ranking member.
Blue hair, an eyepatch over his left eye: his name was Tetsuya.
«Tetsuya, let's take care of the lower floors,» Akizame ordered calmly but firmly.
«All right,» the other replied, stepping forward.
He then turned to the rest of the squad.
«Okay! Akizame and I will deal with that Fuyumi member. You handle them!» he said, pointing at the shaken prisoners.
«And remember: treat them well,» he added, his tone stern but controlled.
«Yes, sir!» the agents replied in unison, immediately moving into formation.
Yume remained motionless.
—Akizame warned us… If we met again, he wouldn't hesitate to capture us— she thought, clenching her teeth.
A few moments later, their gazes met.
«You?!» Akizame's eyes widened in recognition.
«You know her?» Tetsuya asked, scrutinizing her closely.
«I don't have time for this,» Akizame replied, walking past her without another glance.
«If you're here, it means he is too.»
He said nothing more.
With a quick gesture, he ordered, «Arrest her.»
Two members of the Reikeitai moved toward her at once.
Yume stiffened, ready to react.
The two squad leaders left the hall.
«Akizame,» Tetsuya called out as they hurried up the stairs.
«You owe me an explanation.» His voice was firm, almost accusatory.
«There's no mention of that girl in the reports you submitted,» he added, openly suspicious.
Another tremor ran through the tower, the walls creaking.
Akizame didn't turn around.
«I know,» he replied quietly.
«But for now…» a brief pause, his eyes hardening.
«Let's finish this.»