Ryujin stood with his arms crossed, his brow slightly furrowed.
He glanced sideways at Ayro, his voice low but pointed.
"So? What happened?"
Ayro let out a deep breath, his gaze steady as he finally spoke.
Ayro's voice dropped to a murmur, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Everyone faded... I was the last one standing."
The weight in his tone made the room grow still. Even Ryujin didn't interrupt.
[Back In The Warehouse in the Previous Night]
Everyone fell unconscious one by one. Ayro was the last to remain standing, his eyes locked on the man's back as the stranger spoke into his comms.
"Yes, sir. I'll be taking this one now. I broke her finger—she's been resisting. I apologize."
Ayro's mind raced.
"Who is this man? A seller, isn't he?"
Suddenly, the man flinched and slowly turned his head.
"Hoh?"
he muttered, eyes narrowing.
"You're still awake?"
Ayro immediately shifted into a guarded stance, muscles tense, ready for whatever would come next.
The man's smile twisted wide, cruel and mocking.
"You... you have no gift, don't you?"
He said, voice dripping with scorn.
Ayro's mind raced, cold fire sparking inside.
"He has no idea about my dark..."
The man spread both hands, as if inviting or daring.
"What're you doing here? In the U.W.D.S.? You don't belong in their world."
"This is not the world we non-gifted belong in. Join me in my conquest. Join me in my stage play!"
Ayro smirked, his voice laced with teasing defiance.
"Nah... I'm pretty happy with my squad. Now piss off."
The man erupted into a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Hahaha!" He shook his head.
"Must be nice, hanging around in your little comfort bubble—fucking spoiled kids. What a boring way to live."
He sneered, voice dripping with contempt.
"Your little show? Boring as hell. I'll give it a horrible rating."
Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from outside. The warehouse doors burst open as the silhouettes of field men flooded in, rifles raised and boots pounding against the ground.
"Move! Move! Move!" one of them shouted. "Secure the area!"
The sudden commotion caught the man off guard. His head snapped toward the entrance, just for a moment—but that was all Ayro needed.
In a swift, silent motion, Ayro pulled Hoshi away using his dark powers. A shadowy force wrapped around her and drew her into his arms. The man didn't even register what had happened until she was already gone.
"Hoh?... You're fast"
The man muttered, now turning to face Ayro, a flicker of interest in his eyes.
Ayro didn't respond. His arms tightened around Hoshi, and his body braced—but a powerful force blasted through the warehouse, slamming into them both.
They were hurled through the side entrance, crashing outside onto the concrete. Dust scattered, debris rained.
Hoshi's mask slipped from her face in the impact, skidding across the ground.
Ayro's heart jumped.
Without a second thought, he lunged forward, snatched the mask, and pressed it back over her face. His breathing was sharp. Controlled.
He looked up.
The man stood just a few meters away, stepping into the moonlight. His face was finally visible—metal gleamed where flesh should have been. His left eye glowed faint red, scanning.
Ayro's breath caught in his throat.
"He's... a cyborg..." he realized.
The man smiled as if savoring the moment.
But then—gunfire.
Blinding flashes lit up the darkness. The field men had opened fire.
The cyborg didn't flinch.
With cold efficiency, he turned on the soldiers. In the span of seconds, he dodged, weaved, and retaliated—ruthlessly.
One by one, the field men fell to the ground, taken out before they could even process what they were dealing with.
Ayro shielded Hoshi, gritting his teeth.
"He's not just some thug... he's built for this."
The smell of smoke and the metallic scent of blood filled the night air as the chaos raged on.
The man watched the last soldier fall with disinterest, wiping a smudge of blood off his metal knuckle.
"Damn this pest,"
He muttered, narrowing his eye at Ayro, who remained crouched protectively over Hoshi.
Suddenly, a sharp voice crackled through the comms in his ear.
"Vin. Fall back,"
The voice ordered with cold authority.
"Leave those performers. They're not the targets."
Vin clicked his tongue in irritation, his eye twitching slightly.
"Tch. Always at the best part..." he muttered.
With a final glare toward Ayro, he straightened up, brushing invisible dust from his coat. His smirk returned.
"Enjoy the encore, kid," he said lazily.
Then, without warning, he leapt upward, disappearing into the moonlit sky with impossible grace, each step landing silently on nothing but air. In mere seconds, he vanished from sight.
The battlefield fell quiet, save for the crackle of burning debris and the faint moans of wounded men.
Ayro remained still, panting, arms wrapped tight around Hoshi.
"He's gone..." he whispered.
But the weight of that encounter lingered like smoke in the air—cold, heavy, and impossible to ignore.
[Boys Room]
"After that... Kara came to me,"
Ayro continued.
"I asked her to take care of Kunochi. But never remove her mask."
"Ehh? Why can't we see her face?"
Itoshi asked, leaning forward.
"Yeah, that's right, that's right!"
Kirashi chimed in with curiosity.
Kara remained calm, her hands folded on her lap.
"It's a kunoichi's vow,"
She explained.
"Their face is their final secret."
There was a short silence before Ryujin finally spoke, arms crossed.
"So how long is she gonna stay?"
Kara looked down for a moment, then up again.
"I'm afraid... not that long,"
She said quietly.
Then she glanced toward Ryujin with a small smile.
"You really want her in the squad, huh?"
Ryujin gave a nonchalant shrug.
"I didn't say that. Just... curious, that's all."
But the look in his eyes said otherwise.
Itoshi hesitated before speaking, his brows furrowed.
"What about those ladies? What happened to them..? Why were they even there? And... why were they h-half naked?"
Ayro's expression darkened. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Right now, they're alright," he answered quietly. Then he turned his gaze to Itoshi, his voice steady and serious.
"Itoshi... do you know how this country has managed to keep its economy going all these years?"
Itoshi looked confused.
"No..No.. I didn't really took the time to know.. It's boring for me."
Ayro let out a slow, heavy sigh.
"This country made a deal with the United Korean Federation,"
He began.
"A country built after the Korean War. UKF's economy suddenly skyrocketed, becoming a massive hotspot for business—legit and otherwise. But in addition to that... it became one of the biggest red-light districts in the world."
The room fell silent.
Itoshi, Kirashi, and Kara were all visibly shaken.
"The deal was simple,"
Ayro continued.
"The Government would select and sell chosen beautiful women to the UKF. Once there, they'd be forced into god-knows-what kind of sexual activities—auctioned, branded, consumed."
His voice grew colder.
"If the woman carried a child, The child would either stay in the UKF... or be granted freedom and returned here."
"And the parent?.."
He looked up at them, his eyes hard.
"She'd be executed."
Kara covered her mouth in disbelief.
Kirashi's eyes were wide.
Itoshi looked horrified.
"Executed...?!" Kara whispered.
"To erase all evidence,"
Ayro said.
"They call it 'resetting the ledger'... keeping everything clean for the records."
Silence tightened around them like a noose.
Ayro's tone darkened further as the room stayed quiet.
"And it's not just Japan,"
He added grimly.
"Other parts of the continent do it too. Countries with economic struggles or corrupt governments... they sell off their women to the UKF for survival money."
He glanced between the others, watching their disbelief solidify into horror.
"The United Korean Federation isn't touched by international powers. No one dares. They're too economically important. Too tied into everyone's pockets. So they get away with it—every time."
Kirashi clenched his fists.
"That's just sick..." he muttered.
Itoshi sat down slowly, stunned.
"And the girls we saw... they were about to be sold?"
Ayro nodded.
"Some already were."
Kara looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't form the words. Her hands trembled on her lap.
"That's the kind of hell Hoshi was about to be put in."
The weight of that sentence crushed any lingering doubt in the room.
Would you like this to lead directly into Hoshi's or Kara's perspective
~~~To be Continued~~~