The sun was in the middle of the sky when the bus finally stopped.Jack and Yuki stepped down slowly, as if every step reminded them of the weight of last night… both exhausted, silent, dragging their feet without energy.
And in front of them… the face of Koraishi City.
There was no screaming, no chasing, no black shadows hunting them.Just a small quiet town, clean, with people walking without hurry, and shops open as if the world wasn't falling apart somewhere else.
The sound of cars was rare, and above it… birds chirping, something Jack had never heard in his life.
He said in a tone he wasn't sure was relief or confusion:"It feels like what happened yesterday… was a dream."
Yuki didn't answer.Her eyes moved quickly between the calm faces around them, as if searching for a tiny point of safety… but nothing felt familiar.Only the exhaustion pulling her body downward.
They passed by a group of children playing ball in front of a bakery, and an old man sipping his coffee outside a small café, reading his newspaper with a peace that caused a strange ache inside.
Yuki slowed her steps, holding her aching shoulder.Jack asked:
"Are you okay?"
"Yes… just tired."
They stopped in front of a small grocery store, bought two bottles of water, then sat under a nearby tree.Yuki stared at the street and sighed:
"I thought Koraishi was quiet… but it's even quieter than I expected."
Jack replied, in a soft steady tone:"Quiet… is the best thing we can have right now."
Then he added with a short smile:"This city… is nothing like the night we just went through."
Yuki nodded, then suddenly stopped as if a thought hit her:
"Jack… the shop."
She tried to remember the name with difficulty:"What was it… Agiovity… Agiovity 90. We have to find it. Gyomi said… we have to tell the man there everything."
Jack nodded.Yuki stood slowly:
"Let's start asking."
They asked a vegetable seller… then a woman holding two bags… then a street cleaner…But no one knew the shop.
Until Yuki stopped in front of an old flower shop.The smell of jasmine gave her a brief moment of peace before she asked the old woman behind the table:
"Excuse me… do you know a shop called Agiovity 90?"
The old woman lifted her head slowly, her eyes narrow with curiosity.
"Agiovity? And why are you looking for it? Do you want flowers first?"
Yuki smiled despite her exhaustion:"No… we just need to know where it is."
The old woman stared at them for a long time… longer than she should have.Then she said in a strange tone, not hostile… but not friendly either:
"And what do you want from that rude… cheap… suspicious old man?"
Yuki froze for a moment:"We just… have a friend who dealt with him, and he asked us to ask him something."
The old woman stayed silent another moment… then said:
"It's at the end of this street.Walk to the end, turn right… and you'll find it on the left."
But her expression changed suddenly, as if old memories passed through her mind.She leaned forward and whispered:
"But… don't bother him too much."
They thanked her and left.
As they walked further, the city seemed to change.The buildings were older, the windows dusty, the walls cracked…No danger, no threat… just age and fading.
While they walked, Jack noticed a black car parked by the side of the road.Its windows were completely tinted.
He didn't say anything… but he watched it for a long time.
"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked in a low voice.
"No… just a car." Jack replied.
Yuki whispered:"This place… feels like it hasn't changed in twenty years."
Jack lifted his shoulders with a light smile:"Hahaha… honestly, I don't even know how the world used to look."
They finally reached a faded wooden door,Its sign half broken, but clear:
Agiovity 90
They exchanged a look… then entered.
Inside was like a small storage room:Shelves filled with old tools, batteries, equipment, wires, lamps…Old things, but still usable.
Jack walked a step forward and said:"Is anyone here?"
…No answer.
They moved slowly between the shelves.The silence filled the place… so much that the echo of their footsteps sounded loud.
Then—
A light step behind Yuki.Just a quick glimpse… before something cold pressed against her head.
"Don't move."
Yuki froze.A man's voice behind her, rough, very close.
Jack turned instantly…But another gun was pointed at his head from behind.
The second man spoke in a sharp low voice:"Don't try it… you look like you need a bullet too."
Yuki tried to speak, her voice shaking:"W–we just—"
The first man yelled:"Talk! Who are you? And who sent you?!"
Yuki tried to hold herself together:"G–Gy… he…—"
But Jack suddenly cut her off, his voice sharp, strong, unwavering:
"369."
The two men fell silent.They exchanged a look… heavy tension rising in their faces.
The man behind Jack tightened his grip on the gun, his voice trembling slightly:"Who are you?!… and what does that number mean?!"
Yuki didn't move.Jack took a slow, deep breath…
End of Chapter.