Kaito didn't wait. In one swift motion, he yanked her back up and tossed her onto the balcony floor. She crumpled, landing on her knees—
Rika was already there, rushing in, catching Ayame in her arms as the girl sobbed against her.
Kaito stood over her, his voice ragged — but unwavering.
"Life's gonna knock you down. Doesn't matter how hard. What matters is that you don't give up."
Ayame froze.
Those words—
She'd heard them before.
From Hiro.
Kaito didn't pause. Didn't soften.
He turned away from the balcony, blood trailing in slow drips behind him.
"You don't get to throw yourself away because it hurts," he growled, voice rough, fading with every word.
"Stand up. Keep moving. Rise again."
Ayame's breath caught.
Out of the corner of her eye, something shimmered in the light.
There—on the floor. Just beside Hiro's old coat.
The phoenix idol.
She had placed it there herself, only minutes before.
Now, it stared back at her—
Wings outstretched.
Rising from flame.
Her eyes widened.
And then—
Kaito stumbled.
One foot dragging.
The blood loss finally catching up.
He collapsed.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the chamber like a dropped stone.
9:17 AM — Monastery, Main hall Chamber
The room was dim, a few shafts of light piercing through the high windows. The air was thick with incense and hushed voices. Monks moved between rows of the wounded, dressing wounds. The main hall where the fight took place was now turned into an infirmary.
Kaito opened his eyes.
He blinked up at the wooden ceiling, groaning as the pain ran through his ribs. Bandages wrapped tight across his torso and shoulder. His sword lay beside him.
Beside him, a familiar figure reclined on another mat — Urashima, his jaw swollen to the size of a melon, an absurd straw poking out of his mouth from a cracked coconut.
Kaito grunted.
"...Tch. You look like hell."
Urashima slurped.
No response.
Kaito's gaze shifted forward.
A small group had gathered on the far side of the chamber — Rika, Ayame,Soen,Kagen and a few senior monks. Their voices were too soft to catch, but the tension hung thick in the air.
Kaito frowned. Then turned to Urashima.
"That girl... Mizukawa."
"Is that what this is all about?"
(pause)
"Is that why Nexus wiped them?"
Urashima with a firm gaze answered as the straw bobbled.
"She's the Boshin heir."
Kaito's eyes snapped back to the girl across the room.
"...What?"
Urashima exhaled heavily through his nose.
"Hiro's daughter… married into the Boshin household. That girl was born on the night of the massacre."
Across the Hall —
Ayame sat awkwardly opposite the group. Her eyes were downcast. Rika sat beside her, arms folded, jaw tight.
Soen and Kagen sat across from them, along with two other senior monks. In the center lay a small wooden suitcase, open — bundles of zen stacked neatly inside.
Rika blinked at the cash. "You're… giving us this?"
Soen said. "Nexus has eyes everywhere. You'll need bribes, new clothes, fake names. This might not be enough — but it's a start."
A Kagen leaned forward, placing a small black pistol on a folded cloth.
Rika's breath caught.
"Please take back your gun," he said.
Soen continued to say "Please—there's no time to waste. You need to leave for Yokosuka. Now."
he glanced toward the far side of the room.
Two long shapes lay wrapped in white cloth.
Still. Silent. The bodies of the dalton and matilda agents they'd killed in the earlier attack.
" We have already taken out two of their top operatives, Nexus isn't just gonna sit back and accept that, there will be more coming."
Kagen exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing.
"We have no idea how far they'll go from here."
Before anyone could respond, a younger monk — perched at the edge of the room with a cracked tablet on his lap — suddenly paled.
His voice cut through the tension.
"…They placed a bounty."
All heads turned.
"What did you say?" Kagen barked.
The monk didn't look up.
He scrolled frantically, eyes wide.
"On her. Ayame. A public listing. It went up fifteen minutes ago—live. Active."
The hall went silence.
"Wait—there's not just one…but multiple listings." he added. "Different names. Different companies."
He rattled a few off.
"Murata Group… Helix Freight… Delta-Kan International…"
Soen froze.
"Those are all affiliated with Nexus. Shell companies. Sub-orgs."
Kagen cursed softly under his breath.
Then—
A voice cut through
"They're crowdsourcing it."
All eyes turned towards it.
Kaito stood near the back wall, tender coconut in hand, a straw between his lips.
Next to him, Urashima sat hunched, still sipping through his absurd straw, face bruised and swollen beyond recognition.
Kaito paused his slurp. His eyes still looking at the monks in front of him.
"…You sly old man," he muttered under his breath. "How many more secrets do you still have tucked away?"
Urashima didn't answer. Just slurped louder.
Kaito stepped forward, letting the coconut drop from his hand. It hit the floor with a soft, dull thud, rolling gently across the wooden boards.
"This isn't just a hit," he said. "It's an open bounty pool. Multiple shells. No central contractor."
He exhaled, jaw tight.
"It won't just be Nexus anymore. Freelancers… gangs… bounty hunters… washed-up mercs itching for a payday. Every scumbag with a gun and something to prove is about to come crawling out of the cracks."
A beat of silence.
Then Kaito gave a dry, almost disbelieving chuckle.
"Tch. I can't believe they'd actually go this far…"
He looked up.
"They're following the protocol."
A longer pause. Then, with finality:
"…It's Neroro."
Meanwhile, Nexus global eastern administration base.
A sleek, cold room — lit only by a massive digital screen pulsing red.
NERORO PROTOCOL: ACTIVE
TARGET ID: AYAME MIZUKAWA
CLASSIFICATION: UNREGISTERED BOSHIN HEIR
CROWDSOURCE INITIATED
CURRENT BOUNTY: ¥500,000,000
[Time active: 00:15:27]
A smaller screen beside it flickers on:
DALTON – STATUS: DECEASED
MATILDA – STATUS: DECEASED
Silence.
One executive leans forward, voice low and clinical.
NEXUS OFFICER 1:
"We could've made use of her Nero potential."
Another crosses his arms, eyes locked on the rising bounty counter.
NEXUS OFFICER 2 (dryly):
"She made her choice."
A beat. The number climbs.
¥506,000,000... ¥510,000,000...
NEXUS OFFICER 1 (flat):
"Then let her brace for impact."
He looks to the display — face grim, impassive.
NEXUS OFFICER 2:
"We've opened the floodgates."
Back at Yama district monastery.
Rika cursed and grabbed Ayame, and started marching forward.
"We need to leave for the port. Now."
She turned, motioning toward the exit.
"We'll come," Soen interjected. "Let us escort you—" kagen added, as they knelt.
But a voice cut through them all.
"Two old monks with broken swords aren't going to cut it."
All heads turned. Even rika and ayame looked back, while ayame clinged close to rika.
Kaito stood behind them, stretching one arm lazily behind his head, like he'd just woken from a nap.
Ayame's eyes flicked up — startled.
Her breath caught.
For a heartbeat, the chaos, the noise, the weight of everything… it all dulled.
She didn't smile. Didn't speak.
But her shoulders eased.
As if something steady had just entered the room.
And for the first time in days—
She felt safe.
Then Kaito stepped forward, eyes locked ahead.
"I'll escort them to Yokosuka."