With flames curling in his fists, Itoshi moved like a storm unchained, fury pulsing through every breath.
Anger and frustration surged within him, ignited by the sight of Kara once again crumpled in pain, her cry still ringing in his heart like a tolling bell.
"You dull creatures are getting full of yourselves..."
His steps pounded the earth as he dashed forward, eyes locked on the wind-type Seele dancing just ahead—graceful, untouchable.
But he was no longer a boy burdened by grief. He was fire incarnate, born of sorrow and wrath, and he would chase the wind until it burned.
Kara watched in awe as Itoshi struck, fire leaping from his fists. But her eyes told more than wonder—they held fear, pain, and something deeper still. In him, she saw both the fury of a warrior and the boy she feared she was losing to the flames.
~~~Eastern Side, Shioizaki Park~~~
As Kirashi battled the swarm of Seele, his strength waned with each strike. Still, he cut down half the earth-types that plagued the park, his breath heavy, chest rising like a tide.
Yet deep within, he knew—he had more to give. Sensing no more threats nearby, he sheathed his blade at his left hip.
The rest had already fallen, dispatched swiftly... by a very particular kunoichi.
"Your methods are..."
The kunoichi muttered, with a look of disgust etched on her eyes.
Her voice echoed through the night—soft, clear, and laced with quiet confidence. Kirashi turned, searching for the source that had pierced the haze of battle.
Then he saw her. Hoshi, poised atop the roof of a parked car that had somehow survived the chaos, sat with the moonlight draped across her shoulders.
Calm amidst ruin, she watched him with a knowing gaze, as if she'd been there all along, waiting.
Kirashi's mind raced.
"It's a woman!!!.. Those.. Those.. Those curves~~~"
The look of disgust on Hoshi's face was unmistakable, even with the mask concealing her features.
It was in the tilt of her head, the cold stillness of her gaze, and the silence that hung heavier than any words.
She didn't need to speak—her presence alone judged everything around her, and perhaps, Kirashi most of all.
"What the hell.."
She muttered under her breath.
Her thoughts stirred beneath the mask, sharp and silent. Kirashi, still catching his breath, believed he had done well—had protected enough, fought hard enough. But Hoshi's gaze told another story.
Even without words, it was clear: her standards were higher, her judgment colder. What he saw as victory, she saw as barely enough.
"He's happy with all that crap?.. What the hell is that expression on his face..."
She silently judged.
Hoshi sighed, the sound sharp against the stillness, like wind cutting through glass. Then she spoke—her voice low, firm, and undeniably commanding.
There was no warmth in it, only the weight of expectations unmet. Even through the mask, her tone left no room for praise, only instruction, as if every word shaped the air into orders.
"Your methods are inefficient. You won't survive in a longer fiercer battle. Don't get ahead of yourself.. Perverted man."
Hoshi warned as she pointed her kunai to Kirashi, still sat atop the parked car with pride.
"Ok!."
Kirashi smiled, a strange curve to his lips, the flicker of defiance in his eyes.
Hoshi was taken aback, her eyes narrowing as she processed Kirashi's expression. What she had expected was far from what she had encountered—there was no apology, no sign of regret, only a quiet defiance that unsettled her more than anything.
"What the hell... This squad is far more Hopeless than I thought."
In a fleeting instant, Kirashi felt the weight of Hoshi's words settle over him. The sting hit late, sharp and undeniable. His pride, once a quiet force, now roared to life.
He couldn't let this stand. No matter the cost, he needed to protect it—his pride was all he had left.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL YOU MEAN WOMAN!? I BEAT HALF OF THOSE UGLIES! DON'T GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF BY ACTING LIKE YOU DID EVERYTHING!!"
Hoshi smiled, a thin, satisfied curve of her lips. It was the reaction she had been waiting for, the one she knew would eventually come.
Kirashi's pride had finally risen to the surface, and she could see it—raw, unyielding, just as she expected. She chuckles before her soft lips spoke behind the dark mask.
"Fufu. You killed the other half and you're already very tired. I could beat all of them without a sweat."
Kirashi tried to shot back,
"HOW CAN YOU PRO-!?"
Before he could, he noticed.
"Oh shit. It's true, If she fought the other half of those uglies, She'd get tired the same as I do... But.. What the hell.. She's not showing the slightest bit of tiredness in her body."
He paused, mid thought.
"I can't sense it either."
She scoffed, smile going through her mask.
"Hoh? You were saying?"
Kirashi tried to fight back.
"How can you prove that you fought those though?!"
He stuttered.
"There are f- fiee-"
"Field Men?"
She finished for him.
"That's right! Field Men in the area! They did the other half! You didn't have to correct me! Cocky Woman!"
"FuFuFuFu! You can't even remember the names of your allies. How dumb can you be?!"
Hoshi laughed softly, the sound almost cruel as it echoed in the quiet night. She leaned back, still perched on the car, her gaze fixed on Kirashi.
"The level of stupidity in your mind,"
She mused, amusement dancing in her eyes. To her, his reaction was as predictable as it was laughable.
The moment Hoshi's laughter ceased, a stillness settled between them. She raised her hand, and the air around her shifted—soft, almost invisible currents of wind swirling at her command.
She wielded the same power as Kirashi, but the difference in how they used it was unmistakable. Where his winds were raw, untamed, hers were controlled, like a whisper of the storm—precise, calculated, and far more dangerous.
"What the hell... That stability..."
Kirashi thought to himself, eyes wide and stunned.
"It's like... His.."
"See?... I thought wind users can sense other wind users. Your patheticness never ceases to amuse me."
She chuckled.
"How can you even call yourself a wind user if you can't sense my power?! HAHAHAHA!"
Kirashi clenched his fists, frustration surging through him. His wind powers were all he had—his strength, his identity.
The thought of them being belittled, toyed with, by someone like Hoshi ignited a fire inside him. He couldn't afford to let anyone strip away what little control he had left over his own abilities.
"Damn woman. You're Right."
All Kirashi could hear was the mocking laughter of the kunoichi in front of him, each chuckle like a dagger to his pride. The sound echoed in his mind, growing louder, drowning out everything else. In that moment, it wasn't just his wind power at stake—it was his very sense of self.
But hurting another wasn't part of his pride. Kirashi took a deep breath, mustering all the emotions swirling within him—anger, frustration, humiliation.
Instead of striking out, he released it in a massive shout, his voice ripping through the air, raw and full of defiance. It wasn't directed at her; it was a release, a way to prove that even in the face of taunts, he could hold on to his dignity without losing himself to violence.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! GOD DAMMMIT!!!!!!!"
Hoshi was once again shocked, her eyes widening for a brief moment. The sheer force of Kirashi's shout rattled her composure.
She had expected him to lash out, to fall into the same trap as so many others. But instead, he stood there, restrained—angry yet controlled. It was an unfamiliar reaction, one that both unsettled and intrigued her.
"What's with that reaction?... Aren't you gonna fight me after I ruined your pride?"
"Heh? Can't face the truth huh?"
She shot once more, baiting, waiting.
"I... I..."
Kirashi stuttered.
"Hoh?"
She sneered.
From clenching his fists so tightly, Kirashi suddenly relaxed. His shoulders slumped as he took a deep breath, the tension bleeding out of him.
When he spoke, his voice was calm, but the weight of everything he had just held back lingered in the air.
"You may be right. But..."
Hosh flinched as Kirashi continued.
"That ain't a valid reason for me to stop fighting nor stop me from getting better than everyone else."
Another shock rippled through Hoshi as she watched him. This wasn't the outburst she had anticipated—no rage-fueled retaliation, no wounded pride lashing out. Just silence, composure, and a calm reply.
For someone she thought she had figured out, Kirashi was becoming more unpredictable by the second.
"M-Marvelous."
She thought.
She smiled below her mask.
"Heh?~"
~~~To be Continued~~~