~~~Fukuoka~~~
"Ryujin-san... squad on the way. Where you guys at?"
Aldrin hushed.
Through the comms, Ryujin's voice came clear:
"Good. Earth-types only in the area. Rest stay on standby. Miss Gigi's picking up a few more nearby — she'll guide you for now."
Inside the SUV, Itoshi sat relaxed in the passenger seat, legs resting up on the dashboard. Behind him sat Kirashi and Aldrin, keeping quiet as they reviewed the map data. At the furthest back, Kara sat beside Jayu, gently checking her equipment one last time.
The vehicle hummed as it cut through the early morning streets of Fukuoka, sirens still faintly wailing in the distance.
[Nakagawa]
Itoshi's team arrived at Nakagawa, where the Seele were already closing in — crawling forward on all fours, their grotesque limbs smashing into the pavement as they advanced. Thick slabs of concrete cracked under their weight.
Ten Earth-type Seele. Menschlich-class beasts. Heavy. Relentless.
Before the creatures could breach the city gates, the squad's dark vehicle screeched to a halt, skidding sideways across the asphalt, blocking the entrance.
"Miss Gigi... we have arrived."
Aldrin muttered, tightening his gloves as he eyed the approaching beasts.
The civilians in the nearby streets scattered in a frenzy, their terrified screams echoing.
"They're coming!"
"Get out of my way!"
"Run!"
Panic flooded the air as people shoved past one another, desperate to get away from the advancing monsters.
Miss Gigi spoke through comms
"Okay... only Kirashi gets deployed. They're all within your sight. Don't worry about it."
The squad nodded, all except for Itoshi, who simply squinted toward the approaching creatures.
Before Kirashi could step out, Miss Gigi muttered again on the line
"Jeez... if those two gets caught by U.W.D.S... I don't even know what kind of excuse I'm supposed to give."
The vehicle door slammed open. Katana resting at his side, Kirashi stepped out, cracking his fingers with a delighted grin.
"Heh? Ten of you, huh? Quite the handful."
Suddenly, he burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"HAHAHA! TEN! HAND-FULL!"
The rest of the squad stared at him in silence, blinking in sync, trying to process what just happened.
Itoshi deadpan, he muttered.
"Why the hell is he laughing by himself... what does he even mean?"
The driver, still sitting calmly behind the wheel, answered without missing a beat
"There are five fingers in each hand. Put both together, ten fingers total. Ten Seele equals 'hand-full.'"
Silence once again. But then—
A soft little "pfft" slipped from the back seat. It was Jayu, unable to hold back her giggle.
Itoshi turned his head back, exasperated.
"You guys need help... but not the kind we can provide.."
Kirashi wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter finally faded.
"Jeez! Hahaha... okay, enough jokes."
He drew his katana with a soft metallic swish, the blade catching the pale light of dawn.
Ahead, the ten Earth-type Seele lumbered closer, their heavy limbs smashing the cracked pavement beneath them.
The city was still waking up, but the approaching beasts brought chaos before sunrise.
"Come on, you bastards..."
Kirashi muttered, stepping out alone, the cool morning breeze swirling faintly around him.
Behind the gates, the squad watched quietly, eyes fixed on Kirashi as he prepared for the fight.
[Hakata Port]
Meanwhile, in Hakata Port, Ryujin sipped his early morning coffee at a quiet café, eyes scanning the bustling docks through the window. He leaned closer to Ayro.
"Still no sign of him?"
Elsewhere, Ayro moved like a shadow through Hakata Port's vast warehouse. He slipped between crates and machinery, eyes sharp as he searched for the bald man.
"Nope... nothing so far."
He crept along a metal wall, then silently climbed to the second floor, gaining a clear view over the wide, busy warehouse.
Workers went about their usual tasks, loading and unloading crates without noticing the unseen watcher.
"Hmm... nothing here."
Without a sound, he shifted swiftly to another wall, his footsteps muffled on the metal bridge as he pressed forward.
Ayro climbed higher, perching among the warehouse's steel beams near the roof. From this vantage point, he had a full, clear view of the entire space below.
"Seems like he isn't here."
He shifted slightly, eyes locking onto the eight gates of the warehouse as trucks continuously moved in and out.
Suddenly, one of the workers glanced upward, spotting a shadow on the beam. Ayro froze, then quickly dropped to all fours, blending into the darkness.
"Hmm, maybe it was just my imagination..."
The worker muttered to himself.
Ayro let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. As he looked forward, body low and cautious, his eyes suddenly widened.
There — crawling silently on all fours — was the kunoichi. She stared right back, just as shocked.
"What the hell?!"
She silently muttered.
Ayro chuckled softly.
"You're definitely fired now."
Along with his tease, Ayro was struck with a realization.
"Why didn't I sense her wind?.."
She rolled her eyes and scoffed before crawling along the beam, staying low beside Ayro.
"What are you doing here?"
Ayro whispered.
The kunoichi crawled further, positioning herself opposite his direction.
"You already know why."
Ayro didn't answer but couldn't help but wonder.
"How did you know?"
The kunoichi responded, slightly annoyed.
"Shh! Questions later. For now—work with me!"
Ayro rolled his eyes, then pressed a finger to his comms.
"Guess who's here, Ryujin."
The kunoichi froze, turning her head back sharply, muttering through gritted teeth:
"Stop talking!"
As she stopped crawling, Ayro kept moving forward — not realizing she had paused — and his face bumped straight into her rear.
The kunoichi jolted in place, flustered, her face burning red beneath the mask. Her mind screamed:
"WHY DID I STOP!?!"
Ayro pulled back, whispering:
"Ah, sorry about that."
The kunoichi stiffened, waving a hand dismissively without turning around.
"I-It's dark! It's fine! He probably didn't see anything—right?! Right?! It's too dark!"
Her mind spiraled as she tried to refocus, cheeks burning beneath the mask.
Then, suddenly, a loud buzz echoed through the entire warehouse. A sharp, industrial alarm that momentarily cut through the usual hum of machinery.
But... nothing changed in front of them. No unusual movement. No shift in the workers' patterns. The forklifts continued to load crates, workers carried on as if the sound didn't matter.
Ayro and the kunoichi both froze, instinctively lowering their bodies even further against the steel beam. Their eyes narrowed, scanning every subtle detail below for any signs of unusual activity.
The workers moved like clockwork. Calm. Normal. Too normal.
They stayed still, muscles tensed, watching for the first hint of what was really going on.
[Nakagawa]
Back in Nakagawa, five Seele remained. Kirashi stood in the center, surrounded, his breathing heavy, but his wide grin unfading.
"Heh..."
The beasts snarled, their grotesque jaws snapping as they closed in. Then—together—they lunged forward.
Kirashi's eyes darted, tracking all of them in a single sweeping glance.
In an instant, he shot upward, propelled by a gust of wind, narrowly evading their strikes.
Floating briefly in the cool morning air, he took a sharp inhale through his mouth, holding it for a split second as his blade lifted higher.
"You guys just made this easier for me,"
He thought.
The air around his katana condensed rapidly, spiraling into focused streams of cutting wind. Then—without hesitation—he plunged downward like a falling spear, slamming into the ground as a powerful blast of compressed wind erupted outward.
The Seele shrieked in unison, their thick armor splitting as the wind carved through them. The force sent debris scattering across the pavement.
Kirashi landed hard, stumbling slightly as his breathing grew fast and uneven. Sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Too potent..."
"That attack took a little too much from me,"
He admitted to himself, steadying his breath as the morning breeze swirled gently around him.
As Kirashi finished his fight, a sudden continuous beeping rang sharply through the squad's comms — loud enough that even Ryujin and Ayro heard it through their earpieces.
Miss Gigi's voice came through immediately, quick and firm,
"Seele incoming! Twenty-seven kilometers from the east — fast movers. For some reason... their trajectory is heading for the port!"
The squad froze for a moment, shocked by the sudden shift. But Ryujin, calm as ever, simply took another sip from his coffee, eyes still lazily scanning the harbor.
Back at Nakagawa, the SUV screeched into a sharp turn, tires burning as Kirashi sprinted toward it. The door was already wide open. He leapt in, landing heavily on his seat as the vehicle sped away.
Inside the warehouse, Hoshi glanced at Ayro, noticing the quick flinch when the buzz reached his ear.
"Hmm? Buzzing scare you?"
Hoshi teased as she whispered.
Ayro shook his head, deadpan.
"No. Seele are coming here."
Hoshi's eyes widened.
"FREAK!"
She blurted out a little too loudly, immediately slapping a hand over her mouth. Thankfully, the loud industrial buzzing drowned out her slip.
Ayro side-eyed her with a small smirk.
"Good job staying subtle."
"S-Shut up!"
She hissed back in embarrassment.
Through Ayro's ear, Miss Gigi's voice came through once again, sharp and focused:
"Aldrin, you're twelve kilometers from the port. I'll redirect you toward Mount Iimori. The Seele will breach before you arrive — we'll slow them down, Intercept them there to minimize city damage. Don't let them get through!"
Her tone shifted slightly, addressing one specific person
"Itoshi — put on your Crow. Prepare your entrance."
Inside the speeding SUV, the squad gave a collective nod, fully synchronized with Miss Gigi's command.
Itoshi, who had been sitting comfortably in the front passenger seat, suddenly swung himself over the center console, sliding into the back of the SUV.
He passed by Kirashi and Aldrin, then crawled toward the rear seats where Jayu and Kara were sitting — right where his scarecrow outfit was stored.
"Ugh... not again,"
He muttered as he began slipping into the unsettling, stitched costume.
Jayu blinked as she helped hand him a few parts of the outfit.
"You'll be okay, right?"
Itoshi flashed a faint smirk beneath the mask as he adjusted it into place.
"Yeah. Don't worry. Just another showtime."
As the buzzing finally stopped, Hoshi let out a long sigh.
"Well... that didn't hurt my ears at all," She muttered, eyes closed briefly.
Turning to Ayro, she whispered
"Let's go. Follow me."
"You got any leads?"
Ayro asked, voice flat.
"Nope. Just my gut."
Ayro exhaled heavily, following her as they both crawled along the beams.
"We're kinda on a timer, you know."
Hoshi kept moving forward, her voice calm but determined.
"Same here."
The two shadows silently continued along the rafters, their steps perfectly balanced on the thin beams above the oblivious workers.
As the two crawled silently through the beams, Hoshi spoke again in a hushed tone.
"Hmm... after this, what will you guys do?"
Ayro answered immediately, without hesitation.
"We'll continue our job as a squad."
She smiled faintly beneath her mask.
"Ah... must be nice."
"You kno—"
Ayro suddenly froze mid-sentence.
His instincts flared — something was incoming. Fast. Not as quick as a bullet, but dangerous.
"WATCH OUT!"
He shouted.
He lunged toward her, but too late. The small dart struck Hoshi directly in the side of her neck. She gasped softly before collapsing onto the beam.
Ayro caught her just in time, quickly checking her pulse and neck.
"A tranquilizer?!"
Down below, the scene had completely shifted. The workers were gone. In their place, black-suited men flooded into the warehouse, heavily armed, eyes locked upward.
Several of them pointed directly at the two in the rafters. One of them stepped forward, raising a shoulder-mounted RPG, aiming steadily at Ayro's position.
Without hesitation — the man pulled the trigger.
~~~To be Continued~~~