Inside the van, as Hoshi's big sister slowly stopped resisting, the bald man sitting in the front seat calmly raised his hand, signaling his men to stand down.
Leaning back, he glanced over his shoulder, locking eyes with Hoshi's big sister.
"어서요... 그녀는 이미 저항을 멈췄어요... 더 이상 그녀에게 강하게 대할 필요는 없어요."
(Come on... She already stopped resisting... You don't have to go rough on her anymore.)
His men obeyed immediately, loosening their grip as the tension in the van shifted into an eerie calm.
The bald man's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, a twisted delight spreading across his face.
"Wise choice... Hoshizaki."
He whispered with quiet triumph.
In her big sister's eyes, everything had already faded. There was no one to help them now — no familiarity, no escape. At this point, only they could hold each other together.
Hoshi continued to struggle in the seat behind her big sister, her tiny hands desperately pushing against the men holding her. Her big sister turned back and gently called to her.
"Mori... it's alright."
Tears streamed down Hoshi's face, her sobs shaking her small body. But hearing her sister's voice, she slowly calmed down—though confusion lingered in her eyes.
"I cannot let her look behind her"
Her big sister thought, her chest tightening.
"Or else... she'll know what kind of life I'll be forced into once I'm taken away..."
Behind Hoshi, unconscious victims laid on the floor of the van. Their bodies were nearly stripped bare, tied cruelly with their mouths sealed shut with tape.
The dim light inside revealed bruises and fresh cuts across their skin.
"They must've resisted them... didn't they?"
Her big sister thought, her breath tightening as her heart sank even deeper.
She looked at Hoshi once more, forcing a soft smile through the tears slowly falling from her eyes.
"Tomori... come here,"
She whispered, loud enough for the bald man to hear.
The bald man chuckled, amused by her request.
"허, 그녀가 오게 하세요"
(Huh, let her come.)
He gestured for his men to ease their grip. The moment they did, Hoshi broke free, throwing a small punch at the man who had held her mouth shut.
She immediately leapt forward, diving into her sister's arms.
Hoshi huddled herself tightly into her sister's chest, her small body trembling as her big sister wrapped her arms around her protectively.
She took a deep breath, lowering her voice into a soft whisper only meant for Hoshi to hear.
"I love you... Tomori."
Kara's heart dropped as she heard Hoshi's big sister's words. In a flash, she was pulled back into reality. Her eyes still glowed a deep crimson as Kirashi slowly lifted himself up from over her.
The gunfire had ceased. Only the bald man's voice echoed across the empty deck, his words laced with mocking nonsense.
"Eh... Kara-chwan. Your eyes are glowing red again..."
Kirashi muttered under his breath, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
He glanced to his side where Jayu lay unconscious, her small body limp from exhaustion after all the healing she had poured into them.
"Nice work, Jayu-chan,"
Kirashi whispered with a small smile.
In the seat ahead, Ryujin slowly rose, his sharp eyes locked directly onto the bald man like a beast ready to strike.
Then the bald man's voice boomed once more across the deck.
"BRING THEM IN!"
The order rang out as his men shifted into formation. No one knew what exactly he meant—but they all instinctively braced for the worst.
Kara slowly closed her eyes again, whispering under her breath.
"Hoshi-san..."
Kirashi heard it. He glanced at her briefly, sensing the weight she carried.
With a quiet smile, he muttered softly
"I don't know what's happening with you... But you'll get through it."
Kara once again drifted into a sleep-like state, fading into the place of pure white.
There she saw Hoshi, floating alone in the empty void. She was curled up, her eyes closed, her body small, wearing her kunoichi uniform — the kunoichi of Nagasaki.
"Hoshi-san..."
Kara whispered.
"I am a failure... I'm a disappointment... I don't belong anywhere..."
Hoshi's voice echoed softly across the endless white, but her body didn't move.
"I belong with you.. Nee-san.."
Kara took a deep breath, regaining control of her body as she clenched her fists.
"H-Hoshi-san! Show me more!... Please!"
Her voice echoed into the void, but for a moment, there was only silence. Until she suddenly sensed a presence behind her—a faint warmth.
A woman's voice whispered gently
"Never forget."
Kara spun around, only to find herself pulled once again into Hoshi's memory—inside the van.
She watched silently as Hoshi's big sister sat there, cradling young Hoshi tightly in her arms.
"There's a sharp turn just down the road... maybe..."
Her sister's thoughts played out clearly in Kara's mind.
"Are these... your big sister's memories?.."
Kara whispered to herself.
"Can she make it?... It's too risky... but I have no other choice... I can't let her fall with me..."
Her big sister thought desperately.
As she held Hoshi close, her eyes glanced toward the handbrake just ahead, counting down the seconds to the sharp turn.
She briefly looked behind her where one of the bald man's men sat—close enough to grab her if she made any sudden move.
"I guess... there truly is no chance for me."
She lowered her gaze to little Hoshi, her thoughts softening even as her tears continued to fall.
"But you still do... Tomori. You're still small... nimble... and super cute."
As she held Hoshi tighter, memories flickered in her heart—how excited she had been the moment she learned she would have a baby sister. She had waited eagerly for Tomori's birth.
"That's right... how long has it been already? Tomori... this world still has so much to offer you... You don't have to fall with me. I'm so thankful... I got to become your big sister."
Her tears grew heavier as she silently broke inside. She didn't let any of these words escape her lips, but Kara could hear them all.
"Sorry, Tomori... in the end, I couldn't become the big sister you deserved."
Then suddenly, the present-day Hoshi's voice echoed from within the memory.
"You're wrong."
Her sister's thoughts continued:
"Sorry I couldn't protect you in the end... Ever since they disappeared... I promised I would raise you right, Tomori... Sorry I failed.."
"Y-You're wrong! Nee-san!"
Hoshi's voice cracked.
"Sorry... if we had to let go of each other with me disappointing you..."
"T-that's not true! Disappointed about what!? Nee-san! You did nothing wrong!"
Hoshi pleaded.
Her sister's final thought whispered in deep sorrow:
"Sorry... I was a failure... Dad..."
And with that, she whispered aloud one last time, voice shaking.
"I love you... Tomori."
In one motion, her grip around Hoshi loosened. Just as the van entered the sharp downhill turn, she pulled the handbrake.
The van skidded violently under the pouring rain, tires screeching as the whole vehicle swung sideways.
In the chaos, her sister flung open the sliding door just enough for Hoshi to fit.
Young Hoshi's eyes widened — she couldn't even process what was happening.
In a blink, she found herself falling into the dark forest as the van slammed into the roadside safety barrier, jerking to a stop.
Through the open door, Hoshi caught one last glimpse of her sister's face—soaked in tears—as one of the men behind her seized her waist, pulling her back inside.
The door swung shut by gravity.
But the van didn't move.
"N-Nee-san?.."
Young Hoshi's voice trembled in her head.
Back in the van, the bald man shouted furiously.
"소녀를 찾아라! 놓치지 마!" (FIND THE GIRL! DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!)
His face twisted with rage as he pointed at his men seated behind him.
"너는... 너는 쓸모없는 놈이야." (You... You're fucking useless.)
The men seated on the third row quickly exited the van, rushing toward the roadside.
They peered down the steep slope, their flashlights slicing through the rain—but all they saw was a pitch-black abyss. The forest below swallowed everything in its darkness.
Meanwhile, as young Hoshi fell, her small body crashed through the decaying roof of an abandoned house hidden deep in the forest. The old wooden beams shattered beneath her weight, breaking her fall but leaving her bruised and disoriented.
She landed on the dusty, cold floor of the lonely house, rainwater dripping through the hole above her. The distant echoes of thunder rolled across the sky as heavy raindrops pattered against the broken roof.
Her vision blurred, her body weak and trembling.
The soft light of the third full moon of 2154 filtered through the broken ceiling, shining down on her innocent eyes one last time as consciousness slowly faded from her.
"Nee-san..."
The whisper escaped her lips before everything went dark.
"Ever since that day... I never saw you again, Nee-san..."
Present Hoshi muttered softly, her voice trembling in the endless white.
She paused for a moment before scoffing bitterly.
"Hah... That was so long ago... yet, nothing has changed."
Kara stood there, unable to speak, her heart heavy as she listened in silence.
"No matter how many times I tried... I tried harder, and harder, and harder... but nothing changed."
Her voice cracked as she forced a bitter smile.
"Nee-san... You were the only one I needed. Only us... against the world... right?"
"I cannot do anything right without you... If it's up to me... things always go wrong..."
Present Hoshi's voice trembled as her words echoed through the endless white void.
"Even back when I was younger... my stupid decisions got us into trouble so many times... Yet, you never blamed me for any of it..."
She paused, her breath shaky.
"Nee-san... everything fell apart the moment you disappeared..."
Kara continued to watch silently as Hoshi's present voice blended with flashes of her painful past.
In front of her, young Hoshi slowly woke up, her small body trembling as tears poured from her wide eyes.
"Sorry... I was so stupid..."
She sobbed, her voice shaking.
The young girl wandered through the quiet school grounds, her tiny feet carrying her back to their broken home. The once warm and lively room was now cold, empty, and covered in dust.
"I am so sorry... Nee-san..."
She collapsed onto the wooden floor, curling into herself as her sobs filled the empty house.
Later that morning, as sunlight poured through the cracked windows, a few teachers from the school discovered her lying unconscious. They rushed her to safety, but something inside her had already broken.
On a hospital bed, her body covered in bandages and bruises, young Hoshi stared at her hands in confusion.
"H-How... did I survive?.."
She blinked, trying to piece together the fragmented images in her mind. But everything was hazy—only flashes of the dark forest, the crashing fall, and her sister's tearful face remained.
"I didn't deserve to survive that day..."
Hoshi's voice trembled as she spoke, but her words were sharp, clear — cutting straight into Kara's heart.
For the first time, Kara could move again.
She slowly stepped forward through the endless white, her breathing unsteady as she reached out toward Hoshi — not as the kunoichi in uniform, but as herself, wearing her usual hoodie pulled over her head.
"Hoshi-san..."
Kara whispered, voice quivering, but Hoshi continued, lost in her spiral.
"I was never meant to see you ever again, wasn't I?.."
Her voice was hollow, distant.
Kara's hands trembled as she inched closer, desperate to reach her, to pull her out of the crushing weight she carried.
"I've got no use in this world... Without you... I'm nobody..."
Tears slowly slid down Kara's cheeks as flashes of Hoshi's lonely life flooded her eyes—
The moment she slipped away from the hospital unnoticed.
The cold nights she spent wandering alone.
The day she secretly took the kunoichi outfit, swearing to continue what her sister dreamed of.
The day she first discovered her gift.
The days she lived in constant survival — no warmth, no comfort — just endless motion.
"There's a chance... that you're no longer in this world..."
Her voice cracked, almost like a silent scream inside Kara's chest.
"Yet... why am I still here? If you were the only reason I wanted to live..."
Kara's breath caught, unable to hold back her tears. She clenched her fists, fighting through the weight of Hoshi's sorrow.
Kara took a breath, her voice trembling but firm.
"You're wrong... Hoshi-san."
Finally, her words reached Hoshi. But Hoshi's reply was cold, hollow.
"That's right. I am always wrong, Kara-san."
"No! That's not it!"
Kara's voice cracked, but it carried something she hadn't shown before—hope.
"That's not it!... Hoshi-san, you don't have to isolate yourself... This is not the life your big sister wanted for you!"
Hoshi slowly opened her eyes, meeting Kara's gaze for the first time. Her tone remained cold, but there was pain buried beneath it.
"Oh? Then what kind of life did she want me to live?"
Kara froze. The question stabbed into her. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn't know how to answer.
Hoshi lowered her head once more as Kara stood behind, her voice growing quieter but heavier with every word.
"Kara-san... Thank you for helping me but... You just wasted your time."
She scoffed bitterly, forcing a dry smile through her pain.
"Looking back now, after seeing these memories again... Maybe there truly is no place for me in this world."
Kara's heart squeezed tighter. But Hoshi wasn't done.
"I became the kunoichi... because I never wanted anyone to experience what happened to me."
Her voice cracked faintly.
"I thought... that's what Nee-san wanted me to do. That's why I kept going. But maybe I was wrong about that too."
"There's no point in me being here... Kara-san... let me go..."
Kara gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
"Where my Nee-san is... is where I belong... Right now, she's far away from me... I need to reach her."
Hoshi's voice trembled slightly, but her words were filled with painful resolve.
"Or... maybe... I'm wrong again.. What if Nee-san never wanted to see me again?.."
The weight of those words struck Kara like a blade—but she didn't hesitate. She moved quickly, stepping closer and dropping to her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around Hoshi. Hoshi stayed curled up, her hands still clutching her own arms, trembling.
"Sorry... Hoshi-san..."
Kara whispered softly, her voice filled with emotion.
"I've seen your memories. The love you share with your sister... You know she wouldn't want to see you like this, right? You wouldn't want her to see you like this either."
Hoshi stayed quiet for a moment before her voice broke through, bitter and hollow.
"Then?.. What do you want me to do?.."
She scoffed, a sad, hollow laugh escaping her lips.
"Ain't it funny? I got obsessed with my sister... even though I haven't seen her in years. Have I only been living because of her?.. Have I ever even had a choice?.."
Kara closed her eyes briefly, then inhaled deeply as she tightened her embrace.
"Of course you did, Hoshi-san... You survived all alone. All by yourself."
"You no longer relied on your Nee-san ever since she disappeared... Just the fact that you chose to keep living for her sake — that's already a choice you made."
"Then?.. Where did that bring me?.."
Hoshi asked, her voice cracking softly.
Kara smiled weakly through her own tears.
"It brought you to me... and Jayu... Hoshi-san."
Hoshi's lips quivered, her eyes welling up once more.
"But... we've barely known each other..."
"That's true."
Kara nodded gently.
"But that doesn't mean we weren't thankful for your existence."
"No one ever said it out loud, right?.. No one ever thanked you for protecting Nagasaki... for protecting us girls... because you lost something you never wanted anyone else to lose."
The words hit deep.
Hoshi's hands trembled. Her chest tightened as a lump formed in her throat. For the first time, Kara's words reached beyond the surface — deep into her heart where that wound had always remained open.
As Kara's words sank deep into Hoshi's heart, she trembled, her tears falling quietly beneath the shadow of her hoodie. Her thoughts whispered in despair:
"Is it really okay... to lean on someone else other than Nee-san?.. It was always supposed to be just me and her against the world... right?.."
Then, softly — like a distant melody — a voice echoed inside her mind. A voice she hadn't heard in so many years.
"Yes, Mori. It's okay."
Hoshi jolted, her head snapping up.
"Nee-san?!.."
But there was nothing. No one was there. Only the endless white space surrounding them.
"Just my imagination..." she whispered weakly.
Kara gently shook her head, her own voice warm and firm.
"No... she's here, Hoshi-san."
Hoshi finally looked at Kara — really looked at her — their eyes locking for the first time since this began. The weight inside her chest began to loosen.
Her voice wavered, but there was a small spark inside it now.
"Mum used to tell me... even if you're separated from the ones you love..."
Kara reached out, softly placing her hand over Hoshi's chest.
"Even if they've crossed to the other side... they're always here."
Her hand gently tapped Hoshi's heart.
"Right here."
The tears returned, but this time, they weren't born of despair — they carried a different warmth. Hoshi's lips trembled as she whispered back:
"Right here... That's right.. She's here.."
"Ah.. That's right.. I also promised you.. Nee-san.."
The light of the bright white place slowly consumed Hoshi in Kara's eyes ay they both smiled at each other like the past never lingered in their mind.
Hoshi was sent back to reality, Still held captive by the bald man.
The bald man, who had been watching from afar, narrowed his eye.
"Hoh? Welc—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Hoshi's voice rang out with absolute clarity:
"RYUJIN!!!"
Her voice echoed loudly through the deck, breaking the tense rhythm of battle. Ryujin, locked in combat against the Seele, immediately turned his head toward her.
Their eyes met.
"TAKE ME WITH YOU!! TAKE ME WITH YOUR ADVENTURES!"
Hoshi shouted with fierce determination, her voice slicing through the air like a blade.
For a moment, silence.
~~~To be Continued~~~