The door to Tomori's hospital room swung open.
Jayu stood at the frame, the pink-haired little girl waving goodbye while Tomori sat upright on the bed, a half-eaten bento still in her hands.
"I'll be back, Tomo-nee!"
Tomori waved, smiling.
"Take care, Jayu-chan!"
Jayu nodded, slowly pulling the door closed as she stepped into the hallway. Her footsteps echoed softly against the white walls, the faint scent of disinfectant clinging to the air.
A few nurses noticed her passing by—smiling, lively, a small spark of color in the dull hospital light.
"Hoh! Hallo!" one nurse greeted, amused by her cheer.
"Hello!"
Jayu replied with energy, her voice bright and unbothered.
"Where are you headed? Visiting a relative?"
The nurse asked.
Jayu nodded.
"Mhm! I'll be going home now!"
Two nurses were at the station—one friendly, the other quiet, watching Jayu with a hint of suspicion.
"Eh? All alone?"
The cheerful nurse asked.
"It's not safe to walk by yourself, you know... especially when it's this cloudy!"
Jayu shook her head, smiling.
"Mhm! I'll be careful! Besides, home's not far at all! I'll be alright. Thank you, miss!"
The nurse sighed, a little unsure but unwilling to press.
"Okay, okay."
Jayu waved goodbye, the bento wrapped neatly in plastic still in her hand as she walked away.
They went their separate ways. But as soon as Jayu disappeared around the corner, the quiet nurse leaned closer and whispered to her coworker.
"Isn't that... the demon child of Kaba?"
The other nurse froze.
"Hmm?!"
Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to glance back down the hall.
"No wonder she looked so familiar!"
Kirashi walked alone through the mountainous forest, brows furrowed, eyes squinted. Each step crunched against dry leaves, the sound echoing faintly through the trees.
His hands were buried in his pockets—relaxed, almost too relaxed.
Then, his pace slowed.
And stopped.
He closed his eyes, frustration twisting his face. The whispering wind around him seemed to mock him, carrying that irritation right back into his ears.
"Grr..."
He took a breath through clenched teeth.
"STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!!!"
In a flash, he dashed forward, hiding behind a tree before slashing through it with a single clean swing. The trunk split—and so did the Seele lurking beside it.
But it didn't last. The creature's body twisted, pulling itself back together, wind howling through its core.
Wind against wind. It wasn't working.
"Tsk!"
Kirashi clicked his tongue as the Seele escaped, rallying with others in the area. He gave chase, thoughts racing.
"How the hell am I supposed to buy time—"
Then paused mid-stride, realization hitting him.
"Wait... I already am!"
Elsewhere in the forest, Itoshi's story was different—louder, angrier.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!"
He shouted to the sky.
"AND WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS FOREST?! DOES EVERY SINGLE TREE BRANCH HAVE TO BREAK?!"
Miss Gigi's voice cracked through the comms, calm but edged.
"They're surrounding you."
Itoshi blinked.
"Oh—okay!"
He looked down again, straightening himself.
On Gigi's end, a vein on her forehead was about to burst. She was more frustrated than the two of them combined, rubbing her temples as she watched the monitors.
"These two..."
She muttered.
"You're wasting more time than you're buying. You're pushing the Seele farther away from the one ally who can actually take them down."
She sighed again.
"Are they this hopeless? Ayro?"
"Unfortunately,"
Ayro replied through comms, dry and tired.
Another sigh.
"Kirashi's buying time, but he's driving the Seele too far from Itoshi. And Itoshi... is completely blind right now."
The glow of her monitors lit her face as she leaned forward in the dark cockpit.
"Alright."
She switched back to their channel.
"Listen up."
Both Kirashi and Itoshi stopped what they were doing, voices sharp with attention.
"Kirashi—you're pushing the Seele away from Itoshi."
Kirashi blinked.
"Yeah? What's up?"
Gigi barked.
"ITOSHI IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN TAKE THOSE DOWN!"
Kirashi froze mid-run.
"Oh!" He clapped a fist into his palm. "Got it!"
And in the next instant, he was gone—vanishing into thin air.
From Gigi's point of view, his signal jumped straight in front of the Seele cluster.
"Good! Now listen carefully—this is just like herding sheep."
"But ma'am, I've never herded sheep before!"
Kirashi replied without hesitation.
Itoshi's laughter cracked through the line.
"Just listen!"
Gigi snapped.
"These kids..."
She muttered under her breath.
"Alright, Kirashi—left and right. You know those, right?"
"Yes! Basic!"
"Good. Follow my lead. Veer left! Now right!"
Kirashi moved, the Seele herd shifting with him.
"A bit left! Steady now!"
Branches whipped around him, the forest wind circling tighter as he guided the pack.
"Maintain that course!"
"Copy!"
"Now, Itoshi,"
Gigi continued,
"Stay put. The Seele don't see you as a threat. Those earth-types probably want to devour you, not fight you."
Itoshi clenched his fists, annoyed.
"You'll be doing the actual buying time. Hold your position. Don't engage. Wait for Kirashi."
He exhaled sharply, voice firm.
"Copy."
Miss Gigi cut off the comms and leaned back in her chair, letting out a long, drained sigh before switching channels.
"Ryujin? Report."
"They're here,"
Ryujin answered immediately, his tone clipped and steady.
"Alright. I'll handle your kids. Focus on your battle."
"Yeah. Thanks, ma'am."
The line went dead.
Gigi stared at the screens for a moment, the blue light painting her face as she muttered to herself.
"This squad... they're definitely different from the others."
A small smirk tugged at her lips.
"They're insanely good at solo fights. Just one of them could take on an average five-man team and still come out on top."
She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Hachi... your new 663 is something else."
Then she corrected herself with a soft laugh.
"No. Ryujin—you found monsters like you."
Her gaze drifted back to the live feed, the motion blur of Kirashi's wind and Itoshi's flame scattering across the screens.
"Though..."
She muttered, half-amused, half-annoyed.
"Their teamwork still needs tuning... And they're idiots."
A deep sigh followed. She leaned forward, tapping through the monitor displays, the edges of her mouth twitching upward.
"Well... at least they're making me a lotta money."
[Nagao Hospital]
Back in Nagao Hospital, Jayu slipped out through the back door.
Light and energy seemed to beam off her as she smiled, her steps light against the damp pavement. She looked up at the gray sky and muttered to herself,
"Maybe I should've brought an umbrella..."
She thought about it for a second, then shrugged it off and kept walking.
Crossing the small bridge behind the hospital, she turned back, squinting toward one of the upper windows. Her eyes narrowed, scanning—until they suddenly lit up.
"Hoh!"
Through the glass, she spotted Tomori.
Tomori stood by the window, waving both hands, her face bright and animated. Jayu grinned and waved back, the plastic-wrapped bento still in her hand.
For a brief moment, it felt like nothing in the world could be wrong.
Then Jayu lowered her hand and turned away, heading toward the apartment.
Tomori kept watching. She leaned closer to the glass, pressing her forehead against it as Jayu's small figure disappeared around the corner.
But then—something in her chest froze. Her smile vanished.
Her heart dropped.
Without a single thought, Tomori spun around and sprinted out of her room—still in her hospital gown, feet bare against the cold floor.
As water surged with his spear, Ryujin cut through two Seele with ease despite their massive forms—Größ class. His experience carried him effortlessly through the chaos. Each strike hit clean; the monsters evaporated under the force of his pressurized water.
Steam rose where droplets met their scorching bodies, the air hissing as the remnants splashed onto the grass.
Ryujin straightened, flicking his spear to clear the steam, his stance sharp and unwavering. His eyes—focused, unyielding—scanned the shifting forest ahead.
He closed them for a moment, listening. Another screech split through the trees.
His aura flared purple as he opened his eyes again. One beast crawled toward him. Another lunged from the side.
He leapt, spinning between them, and hurled his spear—nailing the side attacker through the skull and pinning it to the dirt.
"Tsk... not enough water."
The pinned Seele convulsed, then detonated its own head, spraying heat and ash as Ryujin landed. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets, calm again, even as four more Seele came barreling toward him.
Time slowed. His breathing steadied.
With his eyes shut, he weaved through the flurry of claws and jaws like a stream cutting through rock. Each movement was measured, deliberate—dodging, shifting, flowing.
When he opened his eyes again, all five charged him at once. He stepped forward. Water coiled around his right arm, shaping into a gauntlet.
He swung upward, driving his fist into a Seele's chin, blasting it skyward. Its lower head dissolved midair from the impact.
Without stopping, Ryujin sprinted for his spear. He tore it from the ground, leapt onto the rising beast, and aimed.
The spear plunged through its eye, pinning it down once more. Steam burst as he slammed it again, forcing the spear deeper until the creature went still and evaporated beneath him.
Three down. Four to go.
He exhaled through his nose, gripping the spear tight.
"Come and get me."
Itoshi, on the other hand, was still stuck in his own battle—waiting. Waiting for the whispers crawling through the dark to finally show themselves.
The longer it dragged on, the more his patience burned out.
Finally, he snapped. Blue flames burst from his palms, licking across the sides of the trees. Shadows scattered as the forest floor lit up—and there they were. Dozens of Klein-class Seele, swarming like insects.
"What the hell—"
He muttered, barely finishing the thought before the screeching began.
The horde split apart, some scattering into the trees, others charging straight for him. He dodged out of instinct, but one got too close. He kicked it away—then froze.
"G-Gah!"
The thing clung to his leg, melting into his boot like tar.
"The hell?! Get off!"
He shook his foot violently, but it didn't budge.
"It's eating through me."
His heart dropped as more of them started to close in, crawling over the dirt, their eyes flickering like embers.
Another leapt. He raised his fist and smashed it midair—only to feel the same pull. The creature clung to his arm, its heat biting through his skin.
"What the hell...!"
He hissed through his teeth as the flood of Seele came rushing in from every direction.
"What the hell is going on!?"
"Itoshi!?"
Miss Gigi's voice crackled through the comms.
"Miss Gigi!"
He called back, still trying to steady himself.
"What's happening!? You're slowing down!"
Her tone was sharp, urgent.
"My foot and hand— they hurt! It burns! The Seele are stuck on me!"
He heard her suddenly suck in a breath.
"Shit!"
"Miss Gigi?"
He grunted, the pain searing up his leg.
"Calm down, Itoshi! Hold on just a little longer! Kirashi's coming!"
"O-Okay!"
He panicked, shaking his arm—only to realize it was already too late. His hand was practically fused to the creature.
Silence pressed down around him. His legs burned. His arm felt like it was melting. Sweat dripped from his temple.
"Shit... more are still coming..."
He muttered, his voice shaking.
Then his eyes widened as the forest darkened again—those crawling shapes emerging from every direction.
"W-wait..." his thoughts spiraled as his body weakened.
Just before everything went black—
FWOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHHHHHHH—
Wind roared through the forest. His eyes snapped open, barely catching sight of the familiar figure in fancy clothes—the homeless man he's familiar with.
Kirashi.
[Kirashi's Side - Earlier]
The comms flared to life again. His breath was taken, still herding the monsters closer to Itoshi. His comms suddenly blinked as he ran.
"Kirashi! Abort! Itoshi's in danger!"
Miss Gigi shouted.
"Wait, what?!"
He barked back in his rough accent.
"He touched the Seele!"
Without hesitation, Kirashi's eyes sharpened. He whipped his arm forward, bursting through the forest with a violent surge of wind.
Trees bent as he tore past the swarm he'd been herding, racing straight for Itoshi.
Itoshi fluttered his eyes open, his legs and arms limp. He lay on the grassy dirt, breath shallow, watching as Kirashi faced the swarming Klein-class.
Wind lashed out like whips cracking at the air — every motion of Kirashi's body slicing through the beasts that lunged in the dark.
Itoshi's chest heaved. His vision swayed. The world blurred into streaks of green and blue flame. His pulse thundered in his ears.
He tried to lift his arm, but it barely twitched. Sweat rolled down his temple. His breath stuttered out in ragged bursts.
"What... the hell... happened..."
He blinked, eyes unfocused.
"Why did they... stick to me..."
His throat tightened. The burning pain crawled under his skin — less fire now, more numb.
"What the... hell..."
His voice trailed off as the sound of Kirashi's wind faded into a low hum. The forest melted into black.
Silence.
Then, through the dark — a faint whisper brushed against his ear.
"Itoshi-kun..."
~~~To be Continued~~~