The sound of metal rang out—clang!
Ichika froze, her heart stopping for a split second. She turned just in time to see the glint of a knife aimed at her neck.
"Tch—!"
But before the blade could reach her, another knife flew through the air, intercepting it with pinpoint accuracy. The attacker's weapon was knocked aside, embedding itself into the pavement.
"Got you," Takeshi muttered, already at Ichika's side. Without hesitation, he scooped her onto his back and leapt away, putting distance between them and the shadowy assailant.
Ichika clung tightly, breath trembling. "Takeshi…"
Behind them, Rikuu had already engaged. His movements were sharp, efficient. The man lunged again, but Rikuu countered with brutal precision. A stab to the foot. A slash across the shoulder. Finally, a swift strike to the neck. The enemy collapsed, lifeless.
Rikuu crouched, cutting through the man's coat with his blade. "Another code…" he muttered, pulling out a dog tag etched with cryptic numbers—similar to the ones they had found before.
Before anyone could speak, a roar ripped through the night.
From the shadows, a lion charged straight toward Takeshi and Ichika.
"—!" Takeshi gritted his teeth, dodging at the last moment. He set Ichika down gently. "Stay behind me."
"I'll take care of this one," Rikuu said, stepping forward. His tone was calm, but his body was trembling. Hunger gnawed at his strength, and exhaustion weighed on his limbs.
The lion lunged. Rikuu met it head-on, blade flashing. Each slash was slower than the last, his stamina draining rapidly.
"Rikuu!" Ichika cried.
"I can't lose. Not here. Not while she's in danger…" he thought, pushing his body further.
But his legs buckled. The lion's fangs bared, ready to finish him.
"Not so fast!"
A small vial shattered against the beast's snout—an alchemical concoction exploding in a cloud of choking gas. The lion gagged, stumbled, then collapsed, suffocating on the fumes.
Akari stood several steps away, her hand trembling, a second vial ready. But even as the lion fell, she inhaled a trace of the gas. Her body weakened instantly.
"Akari!" Rikuu staggered to her side, catching her before she collapsed completely. "Don't push yourself…" He pulled her upright, supporting her weight. "Let's get out of here before more show up."
But fate was not done with them.
Another roar. This one louder. Heavier.
A second lion—larger, more muscular—emerged from the darkness, blocking Takeshi and Ichika's escape.
They exchanged a look, silently agreeing. Neither had a blade left. Only fists.
The beast pounced. Takeshi ducked, throwing a punch to its jaw. Ichika followed, kicking its side. The lion stumbled, but its counterattack came fast—fangs snapping at Ichika's throat.
She slipped.
"—Ichika!!"
Time slowed.
But before the beast could sink its teeth into her, a kick slammed into its skull with monstrous force.
THUD!
The lion collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Rikuu stood above it, his leg extended from the finishing blow. His chest heaved, sweat dripping down his forehead.
His voice was low, but it cut through the silence like a blade.
"Defeat me… before you even think of touching her."
Ichika's eyes widened. For a moment, everything else—the blood, the danger, the gas in the air—faded. All she saw was Rikuu, standing like a wall between her and the world.
⋯
Takeshi crouched by the fallen lion, eyes narrowing as he noticed something glinting at its neck. Another dog tag. The same code as the dead man earlier.
He frowned. "This isn't random. They're marking their pawns."
But there was no time to investigate. They ran.
As their footsteps echoed through the night, Akari glanced at Rikuu. "How… how did you defeat the bigger one so easily, when you almost lost to the smaller one?"
Rikuu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Simple. Against the first, I didn't have time to gather power in my legs. This time…" He clenched his fist. "I made sure to put everything into one strike."
Ichika hugged herself, shivering. "I think… I'm being targeted."
"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked.
She hesitated. "When I was sparring with Akari the other day, I noticed someone watching us from the woods. A man, hiding. But I was distracted… things got emotional, and I forgot about him." She pointed at ehr leg, "That's also when this leg reacted to the Akari's alchemy."
"—!" Ichika gasped, gripping her leg.
Rikuu grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. "Stay calm. Control your breathing. Don't let it take over."
The glow subsided. Rikuu exhaled, relief flooding him. He patted her head gently.
"I'll say it again. They'll have to defeat me before touching even a single strand of your hair."
Ichika's chest tightened. She bit her lip, then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. Her thoughts whispered silently in her heart.
"I love you…"
⋯
Back at their apartment, the tension finally loosened. They sat together around the table, eating the food Ichika had bought earlier, savoring the warmth of a normal meal.
For a while, it almost felt like they were ordinary teenagers again. Laughing. Teasing. Sharing snacks.
But the illusion shattered when Akari collected the trash.
"Hm?" She unfolded the crumpled receipt from the bag. Her eyes widened.
Scrawled across the back in harsh letters were the words:
"You'll never escape, Ichika Katou. We'll get you. – Kaosu"
Her blood ran cold.
Akari rushed to Takeshi and Rikuu, handing them the note.
Takeshi's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Kaosu, huh…?" His voice dropped into a growl. "Try us."
⋯
The next morning came quietly. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, though the weight of last night lingered.
Takeshi stretched, yawning, before realizing Rikuu was already awake in the living room. His laptop glowed faintly as his fingers typed furiously across the keyboard.
"Coding? Out here?" Takeshi blinked. Rikuu usually worked in complete privacy, locked in his room.
"Interesting…" he muttered, before rushing to wake the others.
"Akari, Ichika! You've got to see this—he's actually coding in the open!"
Akari rubbed her eyes, stumbling into the living room. Ichika was slower, still half-asleep, but her heart stopped when she heard his words.
"You have to see this. It's once in a lifetime."
Her breath caught. The phrase echoed—familiar, but not from Rikuu.
A memory clawed its way to the surface.
⋯
-FLASHBACK-
"Ichika, you have to see this. It's once in a lifetime," said a warm voice.
Her biological father, Kato Kosuke, stood smiling. Beside him, her mother, Kato Sakura, held two dirty piglets, laughing softly.
Ichika had only been two years old. She barely remembered their faces, but the warmth remained.
Kosuke lifted her in his arms. For a moment, in the haze of memory, she thought it was Rikuu holding her.
"Look closely," her mother said, holding out the piglets. Ichika giggled, reaching out with tiny hands.
The memory twisted.
Police stormed into the house, shouting accusations. "You two are under arrest—for rape and robbery!"
Ichika's small body shook as she watched her parents dragged away.
"You'll receive the death sentence!" the officers barked.
Her scream echoed through the house.
An hour later, Akihiko entered, tears streaking down his face. In his hands was a letter Kosuke had left behind.
It was a plea.
"Please adopt Ichika. Raise her as your own. When she turns four—tell her the truth."
⋯
The flashback faded, leaving Ichika trembling in her sheets, the words echoing still.
"Once in a lifetime…"
Her heart ached, torn between past and present.
And Rikuu's voice, promising to protect her, overlapped with her father's, blurring the line between memory and reality.