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Rain poured in sheets across Tokyo's neon-lit skyline, washing the streets below in shimmering reflections. Hoshiro and Kazuki moved through the narrow alleys of the lower district—away from watchful eyes and surveillance drones.
"She knew you," Kazuki muttered. "That girl—Ayame. You didn't say anything."
Hoshiro didn't reply at first. His mask hid more than his face—it hid the war within.
"She was my best friend," he said finally. "We trained together… before the fire. Before the Syndicate."
Kazuki fell silent. He'd seen Hoshiro fight, bleed, and save lives—but this was the first time he saw him… vulnerable.
They reached a rusted sewer grate hidden beneath an abandoned ramen stand. Hoshiro pulled it aside, revealing a tunnel.
"Where are we going?" Kazuki asked.
"Somewhere no hero's supposed to go," Hoshiro replied. "Beneath the city… there's a place the Crimson Syndicate uses. A lab. A prison. Maybe both."
As they dropped into the darkness, echoes whispered through the damp tunnels. Faint voices… humming… and something else.
Something breathing.
And then—a screech.
A creature lunged from the shadows. Not human. Not animal. Twisted by experiments. Its eyes glowed red.Kazuki raised his weapon in panic. But Hoshiro stood calm, aura igniting like a storm.
"Stay behind me," he said. "They've started creating monsters."
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