With Itoshi's wall finally fallen, Tomori's mind—no, the kunoichi's mind—was at ease.
She'd gotten through him. The "final boss," the last wall, the barrier that had kept her from Kara's peace, was gone.
The squad had welcomed their new member, the cat herself—Tomori Hoshizaki, former kunoichi of Nagasaki.
Now she sat alone on her hospital bed while Itoshi walked away. A faint, genuine smile crossed her lips. Relief. Progress. A step forward.
"That's... that's a good step," she thought, eyes wandering to the window.
When the door closed, the only sounds left were the soft buzz of the light and the hum of the air conditioner.
Outside, in the sterile white hallway, Itoshi leaned against the wall beside her door. His long blue bangs hung over his eyes as he stared upward. Footsteps echoed faintly through the corridor while he stood there, teeth gritted and palms clenched.
His silence was broken by a voice — one he knew too well.
"Hoh! Koya!"
Itoshi turned his head to the right, back still pressed against the wall.
Kara was approaching, Jayu beside her. Both wore bright smiles that lit up the hallway.
Kara spoke first.
"How did it go?"
Itoshi exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders as his hands unclenched. He straightened up, meeting her eyes.
"I guess... not bad."
The door swung open again, and Hoshi's head turned toward it.
Kara and Jayu — as usual.
Jayu came in first, bursting with that same unfiltered energy, innocent in a way only a child could be.
Behind her, Kara gave a small wave to the man on the other side of the door before closing it, the click echoing softly. Jayu climbed onto the bed beside Tomori without hesitation.
Kara followed soon after, sitting on the edge of Tomori's bed while Jayu perched comfortably on Tomori's lap, flipping through her book.
"I heard it went smoothly,"
Kara teased, her tone light.
Tomori blinked, then smiled.
"I guess so..."
"How are you feeling?"
Kara asked.
Tomori brightened.
"Oh! My stay got extended because of new injuries—"
Kara chuckled.
"Pfft... not that! Haha!"
Tomori blinked again, pausing before the realization hit.
Her cat ears twitched into view as she finally caught Kara's meaning.
"Oh!"
She took a deep breath, gaze lowering as her eyes closed.
"I haven't felt it in a while..."
Kara shifted closer, sitting cross-legged in front of her.
Tomori gently patted Jayu's head as she spoke again.
"The feeling of... being satisfied."
She lifted her head, eyes meeting Kara's.
Kara smiled softly at the words leaving Tomori's lips.
"Is that so..."
~~~The Room That Observes All~~~
In a dark room lit only by the glow of monitors, seven thrones stood — but one sat empty.
Six figures watched as the world unfolded before them: every event, every story, every squad. Observing. Planning. Controlling.
Bao-Shi was the only one absent among the Seven Skulls.
From the shadows, a voice broke the silence.
"The so-called... seventh member of Squad Segment 663."
Another chuckled.
"Haha... Ryujin managed to gather five members in just five months. Our weapon's doing his job well."
A brief silence followed before another spoke.
"Too fast... it's all happening too fast."
A voice agreed.
"Indeed. Squads are built on trust. That kind of bond doesn't form overnight."
But one disagreed, scoffing.
"You still think that way? Look at their performance. They started three days late on the Collaborative Japan Cleansing — and now they're ranked second."
"Second..." the others murmured in unison.
A different voice cut in, critical.
"They're using Itoshi's flame rhythm to lure Seele. Unsafe. Reckless. It risks civilian lives every time."
Another spoke up — calm, commanding.
"We live in a world littered with monsters. There's always risk, even in silence."
The room fell quiet as he continued.
"We have a weapon and two potential guardian on our side. We should maximize both — as much as possible."
The others exchanged glances, silent agreement forming in the dark.
"In addition," said the figure seated at the center throne, "We'll follow Franz's suggestion."
All eyes turned toward him.
"We'll spoil the squad."
The room erupted — chatter, argument, dissent filling the air.
From a car somewhere in Fukuoka, Bao-Shi — the Skull of the Asian Continent — listened in on the chaos, amused.
He chuckled.
"Heh... my fellows are getting into it."
In the vehicle's dim cabin, the seven-foot man sat cross-legged, grinning.
The man beside him spoke quietly.
"They're talking about 663, aren't they?"
It was Ryo.
Bao-Shi grabbed him by the hair, not cruelly — just enough to remind him who was in control. "Indeed."
Ryo's fingers dug into the leather seat as he gritted his teeth.
"Your Highness... where are you taking me?"
Bao-Shi released him, turning to the car window with a grin.
"You're coming to the Room That Observes All. With me. And the Skulls."
He paused, voice low.
"We have an assignment for you."
Ryo — the so-called hero — turned his dead, cyan eyes toward him.
"Copy that, sire."
"Eeghh... eighh!"
"EIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
In the sunny afternoon streets of Fukuoka, a strange man of strange origin clung to the side of a building.
"Eighhh! Almost there!"
It was Kirashi.
Pedestrians slowed, staring as he scaled the five-story wall like some unhinged stray. Phones came out. Photos, laughter, murmurs.
"Ain't that trespassing?"
"What the hell's he doing?"
"Black coat, tall, built... wait, isn't he from the squad?"
"Man, I thought fighting was the only thing those guys did."
Kirashi grunted,
"Eughh!" one final time as he hauled himself over the edge.
Standing proudly on the rooftop, he planted his hands on his hips and looked down at the traffic below like he'd just conquered a mountain.
His tongue stuck out slightly as he fished through his coat pocket.
"It's... right here..."
"Oh!"
He pulled something free — a photo.
In it, a place in Fukuoka. He compared it to the view around him, glancing between the two again and again before his eyes lit up.
"This is it!" he shouted, triumphant.
Kirashi dashed deeper across the rooftop, the photo still clutched in his hand as the crowd below watched him vanish from sight.
"Oh! He's gone!"
"He ran away... oh well."
The pedestrians eventually lost interest, their chatter fading into the city noise.
Meanwhile, Kirashi pressed on — his little mission clear in his mind: find Tomori's luggage.
He scanned the wide, empty rooftop. Nothing. No bag, no trace. Just the hum of the city and the wind tugging at his coat.
"But... it's definitely here..."
He muttered, squinting at the photo again.
He froze, deep in thought.
Then he pondered.
"Ah!"
An idea struck.
"She probably used magic to hide it!"
A thought bubble might as well have popped above his head — Kirashi's imagination painting a dramatic image of Tomori performing some secret concealment spell.
(She didn't.)
"She said it's on the rooftop!"
He declared.
"With my wind... it shall appear!"
He spread his arms, drawing in a deep breath before unleashing a gust that tore across the rooftop. Dust flew. Papers scattered. A few metal signs clattered against the railings.
Still no luggage.
[10 Minutes Later]
Ten minutes had passed. Still no bag.
Kirashi sat under the sunlight, sweating and exhausted.
"Uwogh... wugohhh..."
He squinted around.
"Where the hell..."
Then he shouted,
"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DUMB LUGGAGE?!"
An idea hit him.
"Oh! Ryujin!"
He grabbed his unregistered comms.
"Answer, answer!"
The hologram screen blinked as he prayed.
Finally, the line connected.
"Ryujin!"
"What the hell do you want? Found it?"
Ryujin's voice was dead flat.
"Haha! Nope!"
Kirashi said proudly.
"Just as expected."
Ryujin sighed.
"Where are you?"
"Right where the photo led me!"
"Impressive. You sure that's the place?"
"Yes! Positive!"
"Alright. I got no clue where the bag is. Call Kara."
Click.
Kirashi blinked.
"Oh yeah! I should've called her!"
At the hospital, Kara, Tomori, and Jayu were laughing when Kara's comms beeped.
"Oh? It's Kira-san!"
"Hoh! Is she awake?"
Kirashi asked.
"Oi! Don't you dare look into my stuff!"
Tomori barked.
Kirashi chuckled.
"Haha! Don't worry, haven't found it yet!"
Tomori sighed, half relieved — until she snapped again.
"HURRY UP AND FIND IT ALREADY!"
"Where exactly did you hide it?!"
"By the rooftop!"
"I am at the rooftop!"
"Eh?"
Tomori frowned.
"I can't see shit!"
"You sure that's the right building?"
"I am!"
A pause. Then Tomori clicked her tongue.
"Wait—ceiling of the balcony. Empty room. You'll see it."
Kirashi grinned.
"Got it!"
He leaned over the edge, scanning balconies.
"Nope... nope..."
Then he froze mid-peek.
"No—WOHOI!"
Wrong window. A woman showering.
She screamed.
"KYAAAAA! THERE'S A PERVERT!"
Kirashi nearly fell off the roof, blood trickling from his nose.
"I'm definitely getting closer..."
He wiped his face.
"Sorry, miss, you're very hot, but I still have a mission."
He checked balcony after balcony—until, finally,
"Hoh!"
He jumped down. There it was. The luggage, tied up and stuck to the ceiling with a kunai.
"UWOOOOOGHHH! THE LUGGAGE!"
He tried jumping. Nope. Tried wind. Nope.
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT UP THERE?!"
A pause.
"She threw it and pinned it mid-air... damn it."
He sighed.
"Whatever. Fuck it."
He gathered wind at his feet and blasted upward. The tie ripped. He fell on his back, clutching the bag.
"Got it!"
Then he froze. The kunai was falling—right toward his head.
"Eep! Don't fall!"
It fell.
Instinct kicked in. He rolled away just in time. The kunai embedded itself beside his head.
"That was close..."
Kirashi took a long breath, chest heaving, then raised the luggage high above his head.
"I GOT IT!"
He shouted to the open sky.
The sound echoed off the nearby buildings, birds scattering into the air as he laughed to himself, exhausted but proud.
He crouched down, staring at the kunai still buried into the floor. With a grunt, he pulled it out and pointed it accusingly.
"You almost got me killed, you little bastard."
He wiped the sweat off his forehead and stared at the luggage for a while, smiling.
"Now... time to bring this back. I'll just follow where I came from."
For a second, he looked over the city — sunlight glaring off the windows, cars moving below like tiny insects.
Then, he adjusted his grip on the bag, crouched, and leaped down from the roof, disappearing into the light breeze that carried the sound of his laughter.
Unbeknownst to Kirashi, a man was watching from the other side of that window.
His eyes were wide, yet his tone stayed calm — steady, almost too steady for what he'd just seen.
It was the Ronin.
Back in the apartment, the mood was different.
Itoshi sat on the couch, relaxed but thoughtful. Outside, cars passed on the street below. The silence wasn't sad — just... heavy with thought.
"How do I fix this..."
He muttered.
"How upset is Ryujin with me..."
A sudden click broke his reverie. The door swung open slowly.
It was Aldrin.
Carrying food supplies, he noticed Itoshi immediately.
"Oh! Itoshi! Why are you all alone in here?"
He chuckled as he switched on the lights.
"You've been awfully gloomy these past few days."
He set the bags down carefully.
"I'm just... thinking of a way to talk to Ryujin,"
Itoshi answered.
Aldrin sighed, unloading the items.
"What you chose to do wasn't wrong. You had the right to worry and protect Kara."
He paused, inspecting a vegetable.
"After all, she's the one you trust the most, right? Ugh... this one's no good."
He continued, softer now.
"But he also had the right to worry. As our leader, he worries about all of us — our safety, the mission, especially Kara and Jayu, the ones who can't fight."
Itoshi listened, eyes fixed on Aldrin as he spoke.
A chuckle slipped out.
"I thought you were an idiot too."
Aldrin shrugged.
"I am."
"I already know all of that! And I definitely deserved what I got... I'm just trying to rest a bit."
Itoshi assured him.
"Ok, ok... crow,"
Aldrin said, closing the conversation gently.
Itoshi stood, stretching.
"I'm gonna go get some more air."
~~~To be Continued~~~