"Thanks for the meal," Seijirou stood up from his seat, stretched lazily, and gestured for Rei and Haruka to follow him upstairs, his expression calm and unbothered as always.
Suzune looked over her shoulder from the sink and gave him a knowing smile, but didn't say anything as he led the two girls up the stairs.
She simply cleaned the table and washed the dishes.
When Seijirou and the two reached the second floor, he opened a door to a wide, dimly lit room that instantly drew their attention.
The air smelled faintly of new electronics and polished wood, the faint hum of machines filling the background as the purple ambient lights cast soft reflections across the glossy floor.
Rows of computers lined one wall, each setup equipped with high-end monitors and peripherals.
Against the opposite wall stood a massive TV flanked by consoles, including a PS5, with stacks of neatly arranged game cases.
In the center was a pool table, while in one corner, a small arcade section gleamed under the colored light, filled with retro machines that looked like they came straight out of an entertainment center.
A sleek mini bar occupied the far end, complete with a glass rack and bottles neatly organized on a black shelf.
Rei's mouth fell open.
She had expected Seijirou's house to be large from what she saw outside, but this… this was beyond anything she could have imagined.
The room alone could fit her family's entire apartment with space to spare.
She turned in slow disbelief, her wide eyes glimmering under the purple lights as she whispered,
"W-woah… this is amazing. I've only ever seen something like this on TV…" Her voice trailed off, filled with genuine awe.
Haruka, standing beside her with her usual detached calm, gave the room a single sweeping glance before speaking in that flat, measured tone of hers.
"This setup is impressive," she said simply, "but it is an unproductive use of space. If you converted this room into a study or a personal library, it would offer more long-term benefits."
Rei blinked, visibly startled by the blunt comment, but Seijirou didn't even flinch.
He had long since gotten used to Haruka's direct way of speaking, having been one of his favourite heroines in the game.
"I'll take it under consideration," he said, clearly humoring her as he walked toward one of the computers and pressed the power button.
The machine came alive with a soft hum, screens lighting up, casting faint reflections on his face.
"You can start first," he said without looking back, already focused on the monitor. "I have something I need to check."
Haruka's crimson eyes locked onto him immediately. Her tone remained polite, but the words carried quiet insistence.
"It would be far more efficient if we divided the tasks evenly from the start. Delegation is a sign of effective teamwork."
Seijirou turned slightly, meeting her gaze for a brief moment before replying evenly,
"I'll help out later. Just start without me." His tone made it clear the discussion was over.
Haruka said nothing more, only turning back toward the table with Rei, who awkwardly began unpacking their notes.
Leaving them to their work, Seijirou walked out of the gaming room, his expression unreadable as he descended the stairs.
The soft sound of the television greeted him as he stepped into the living room, where Suzune was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed, watching a drama with mild amusement.
She looked over her shoulder and grinned teasingly when she saw him.
"You know," she said, voice playful, "it's not a good look to leave your group mates working upstairs while you slack off down here."
Seijirou didn't answer immediately. He walked over to the coffee table, pulled out his phone, and placed it in front of her.
"Take a look," he said simply.
Suzune picked up the phone, her smile fading as she read the message from Shou. Her expression darkened, her brows knitting together sharply.
"Renji was beaten up?" she said quietly, though there was an edge of restrained anger in her tone.
Seijirou nodded once. "Yeah. Those bastards from the Hunter Gang who went after Rindou must've already found out that I was the one who interfered. So they went after Renji to get back at me."
Suzune exhaled slowly, her grip tightening on the phone.
"How bad is it?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay calm.
"Sakai and Shou found him before things got too bad," Seijirou answered, his tone steady but cold. "They managed to stop the bleeding and patch him up, but he was beaten pretty bad. Arms bruised, ribs probably cracked. He's resting now."
Suzune's jaw clenched, and she set the phone down carefully, though her hands trembled faintly from the effort of restraint. "When did it happen?"
"Early this morning," Seijirou said, looking toward the window where the sunlight was already spilling across the floor. "Before sunrise. He was out jogging near the park."
Suzune stared at him in silence for a few seconds, her eyes hard, sharp, and unwavering.
Seijirou met her gaze, his expression equally cold, a quiet understanding passing between them.
Neither spoke. They didn't have to.
The tension in the air grew thick enough to taste.
Finally, Suzune leaned back, crossing her arms, her lips curving into a tight, controlled smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"So," she said softly, "they really want to go against us, huh."
Seijirou's answer was simple, his voice low but clear, carrying the kind of calm that only came before a storm.
"Yeah," he said. "This means war."
Seijirou leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression calm but his tone firm as he began to speak.
"According to Shou," he said evenly, "the Hunters aren't just some random gang running wild on the streets. They're a small group that operates directly under the authority of the 24th District Leader. They handle the dirty work, the kind of jobs that others don't want to touch, and in return, they're given protection and money. That's how the District Leader keeps his pockets full. The Hunters are his main source of income."
Suzune frowned, her brows drawing together as she absorbed his words. The way Seijirou said it made it sound like an established system, one that had been running for years under everyone's noses.
Her first instinct was to question how something like that could exist without being noticed by the police, how law enforcement could ignore a gang that was practically operating in the open.
But as she opened her mouth to speak, her eyes flicked toward Seijirou, and she paused.
She remembered who she was talking to.
Seijirou. Shou. Renji. Sakai. Her friends. None of them were innocent. If the police ever decided to dig deep enough, their own records wouldn't look too clean either.
They had done plenty of things that could've landed them in trouble, some of which the school had quietly covered up because of Seijirou's family influence.
So instead of pointing out the hypocrisy, she exhaled slowly and shut her mouth, choosing silence over meaningless words.
Seijirou pushed himself off the wall, walking toward the window and looking out at the city.
His reflection shimmered faintly against the glass as he continued, his tone low and unshaken.
"Confronting the Hunters," he said, "isn't just about revenge anymore. It's the same as confronting the 24th District Leader himself. And by extension, the Bully Society. The so-called overlord of this entire region."
Suzune tilted her head slightly, studying him, a slow smirk curving her lips.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of challenge. Her eyes gleamed, catching the light from the television behind her. "Because if it is, it's not working."
Seijirou turned his head, meeting her gaze with a faint smirk of his own.
"Good," he said quietly. "Because we're not backing down."
His eyes hardened, his voice steady and absolute. "Before Renji recovers, we'll wipe the Hunters off the map."
Suzune's smirk widened, a quiet laugh slipping past her lips.
"You're serious, aren't you?" she said, though it wasn't really a question.
Seijirou nodded once, his tone cold but resolute. "They hurt one of ours. That's all the reason I need."
Suzune stood up from the couch, brushing off her skirt as her playful demeanor melted away, replaced by something sharper.
She looked at him, her expression calm yet filled with conviction.
"Then I guess we better start planning," she said.
The two of them stood there in silence for a few seconds, the quiet hum of the TV the only sound between them, before Suzune's lips curved into a smile once again.
War had already been declared.