"Mom, onii-chan just fell on the floor!" a cute childlike voice chirped, climbing on top of Satoru who was still groaning from being smacked earlier.
"Well, let's eat," Miss Tarou said cheerfully, as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Thank you for the food!" everyone shouted in unison.
Shiki sat stiffly, confused. He had tried to kill Satoru not long ago, and now he was being dragged into family dinner like he was some old friend. He glanced at the steaming food on the table, then at Satoru, who was glaring at him with menacing eyes that seemed to say: You better eat, finish, and get lost quickly.
"Huh… o-okay." Shiki forced a smile, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat. The food was warm, almost too good, and the atmosphere around the table was surreal. Why am I here? Why didn't he finish me off? Shiki thought, each bite filling him with guilt.
The meal ended, and Shiki stood up awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, thank you for the food…"
"Oh, don't worry," Miss Tarou said warmly. "I hope to see you next time."
"Eh?" Shiki blinked. Next time?
"Oh, Sato, why don't you walk him out?" Miss Tarou suggested.
"Why should I?" Satoru complained, arms folded.
"What did you say?" Miss Tarou's tone suddenly turned sharp, her aura more terrifying than any assassin.
Satoru paled. "Oh, nothing! I was just getting ready." He quickly moved to the door, practically shoving Shiki outside.
They walked a few steps down the quiet street before Satoru stopped.
"Big bro Sato…" Shiki lowered his head. "Thank you… for sparing me."
Satoru shrugged. "Whatever. Just get going."
"Wait." Shiki held out his fist.
Satoru frowned but sighed, then lightly bumped it. Shiki smiled faintly, then turned and walked away, muttering under his breath, "There's no way I'll ever be able to defeat him…"
But before he could take more than a few steps, a black car screeched to a halt beside him. The door burst open, and rough hands dragged him inside.
---
Shiki woke to darkness. His wrists were bound to a chair, and a single light swung above him. Shadows shifted as a tall figure stepped forward.
"What do you think you're doing, Shiki?" the cold voice echoed. "What a useless piece of trash you are."
Shiki's eyes widened. "Leader…"
"You couldn't do it, could you?" the man sneered.
"Leader, please—"
"Don't give me excuses!" the man slammed his fist into the table. "Tarou Satoru betrayed the organization. He broke our code. He must pay."
Another voice from the side added, "He abandoned the underworld. If we let this slide, everyone else will think they can walk away."
Shiki's heart twisted. He remembered the dinner table, the laughter, Satoru's family treating him like one of their own. He clenched his fists.
"Please… just let him go," Shiki pleaded. "He has a family now. Don't drag them into this."
The leader's eyes narrowed. "And why should we care? He chose to walk away. That means he dies."
"No…" Shiki whispered, trembling.
"What did you say?"
"I said no!" Shiki suddenly pulled out his gun, his hands shaking but steady enough to aim. "If you won't leave him alone… then I'll kill you myself!"
"You dare point a gun at me?!" the leader roared. "Kill him now!"
Bullets erupted.
Shiki dove to the ground, rolling behind a stack of crates as the light bulb shattered above him. Sparks rained down. He gritted his teeth, peeking out to return fire.
Bang! Bang!
Two men went down, but more rushed forward. Muzzle flashes lit the dark hideout. Shiki dashed behind a metal pillar, reloading. His breaths came short, adrenaline pumping.
"I've only got one round left…" he muttered. "Tch. Damn it."
A thug charged from the side, swinging a knife. Shiki kicked a chair into his gut, then pistol-whipped him across the face, sending him crashing into a wall.
Another rushed with a shotgun. Shiki ducked, grabbed the fallen knife, and hurled it into the man's arm, forcing him to drop the weapon. Shiki rolled, grabbed it, and fired point-blank.
BOOM!
The recoil nearly dislocated his shoulder, but the enemy was blown back across the room.
The leader snarled. "You think you can fight us all, Shiki? You're a fool!"
Gunfire rained down again, shredding the crates he hid behind. Shrapnel nicked his cheek.
"Damn… damn it…" Shiki hissed, blood dripping down his face. His body trembled, but his resolve didn't break. Big bro Sato… I won't let them touch you…
From the ceiling above, a faint creak echoed. None of the gangsters noticed.
Satoru crouched silently in the rafters, eyes sharp, marbles in his hand glinting under the dim light.
"…Time to clean this up," he muttered.
---
The gunfight raged, Shiki pinned down and bleeding, but still fighting. Just as one of the men raised a rifle at him, a marble zipped through the air—CRACK!—shattering the rifle's sight and knocking the man out cold.
"What the—?!" one shouted.
Another marble flew, striking a grenade on someone's belt. Smoke filled the room as chaos erupted.
Shiki coughed, eyes wide. "Big bro…?"
Satoru dropped silently behind the enemies, moving like a shadow. With effortless precision, he struck down one after another, using marbles, makeshift weapons, and sheer martial skill.
Within minutes, half the gang was on the floor, groaning.
The leader backed away, sweat dripping down his forehead. "S-Satoru…"
Satoru's eyes glowed with the cold aura that once made him feared worldwide. "You made a mistake coming after me."
The leader tried to raise his gun, but Satoru's marble cracked it in half before it could fire.
Then Satoru appeared in front of him in a blink, grabbing him by the collar.
"Touch my family again," Satoru's voice was low, dangerous. "And I'll erase your entire organization."
The leader trembled, unable to move.
Behind them, Shiki leaned against a wall, bleeding but smiling faintly. Yeah… he's still the legendary assassin…