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Tokyo's skyline flickered behind them, alive with blinking lights and the pulse of city noise. Hoshiro didn't move as Kazuki circled him like a hawk eyeing a mystery.
"I've been tracking anomalies," Kazuki said, adjusting his glowing specs. "Your energy signature spiked two nights ago. Blue aura. Controlled aggression. Very rare."
"I'm not interested in being studied," Hoshiro replied coolly, folding his arms.
Kazuki raised a brow. "But you should be. Someone else noticed too."
That made Hoshiro pause.
"Who?"
"Ever heard of *Syndicate Zero*?" Kazuki's voice lowered. "They're hunting powered individuals. They don't recruit. They erase."
The name sent a chill down Hoshiro's spine. He'd heard whispers—vanishing students, untraceable assassinations, entire buildings blacked out.
Kazuki continued, "They already know about you. That stunt in Shibuya last week? You made their list."
"Then I'll just make sure they regret it."
Kazuki chuckled. "Typical lone hero attitude. But listen—fight alone, die alone."
A rumble echoed nearby—distant but violent. Sirens flared to life.
Kazuki's glasses blinked. "Explosion. District 9. Guess who's making an entrance?" Without a word, Hoshiro sprinted toward the ledge and launched himself into the night.
Kazuki smirked. "This is gonna be fun."
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