The second shot came from nowhere.
No sound.
No warning.
Just impact.
The concrete beside Kaito detonated in a spray of dust and shrapnel, the shockwave slamming into his side and throwing him across the street. He rolled hard, pain flaring through his ribs as he skidded to a stop behind an overturned trash container.
Jun screamed his name.
— KAITO!
Ryuji moved instantly, stepping into the open as Kizuna-no-Kiri flashed into his hand.
— Stay down! he barked.
The rifle cracked again.
The bullet curved.
Ryuji twisted mid-step, blade slicing upward. The projectile split cleanly—but the fragments continued moving, tearing into the asphalt behind him.
Ryuji hissed as one fragment clipped his shoulder.
— It doesn't stop after impact…, he growled.— It keeps its intent.
Haneul dragged Jun behind cover, chain rattling as their pulse spiked.
— That weapon…, Haneul said through clenched teeth.— It's not just firing rounds.
The sniper was already repositioning.
High ground to high ground.Angles shifting.Distance maintained.
Kaito pushed himself upright, breathing hard.
The burn behind his left eye surged—but didn't stabilize.
— Damn it…, he muttered.
He tried to focus.
The mark didn't form.
Only a faint distortion shimmered before collapsing.
— Kaito! Jun shouted.— You can't do that again!
— I know, Kaito snapped.
Another shot.
This one slammed into the wall inches from Jun's head.
Ryuji roared.
— Enough!
He launched forward, blade humming as he cut through the air itself, severing the line of fire.
The next bullet passed wide—forced off-course—but still struck the street with enough force to crack the pavement.
The sniper's voice echoed faintly from above.
— You're adapting fast, Kagami.
Ryuji snarled.
— Show yourself.
A pause.
Then—
— Not yet.
The rifle fired again.
This time, three rounds followed the first.
Not simultaneous.
Sequential.
Each one adjusted mid-flight, correcting for Ryuji's movement, Jun's cover, Kaito's position.
— It's predictive!, Haneul shouted.— It's calculating outcomes!
Kaito's blood ran cold.
— No…, he said quietly.— It's choosing one.
The realization hit him like ice.
The sniper wasn't reacting.
They were committing to a future.
Kaito stepped out from cover.
Jun screamed.
— KAITO, DON'T—!
The world narrowed.
The burn behind Kaito's left eye flared violently, pain tearing through his skull as he forced himself to stay upright.
The sniper paused.
— …You're standing in my kill zone, the voice said calmly.
— I know, Kaito replied.
Another shot fired.
Straight at his chest.
Kaito didn't place a mark.
He couldn't.
Instead, he reached for something smaller.
Closer.
The air in front of him rippled—barely visible.
The bullet struck the distortion.
It didn't vanish.
It hesitated.
Just long enough.
Ryuji appeared in a blur of motion, blade cutting downward.
Steel met trajectory.
The round shattered, fragments embedding themselves harmlessly in the ground.
Ryuji landed hard, breath ragged.
— That was too close.
The sniper was silent for several seconds.
Then—
— That was new, they said softly.— You didn't erase the outcome.
— No, Kaito replied.— I denied the angle.
Haneul stared at him.
— You're learning how to fight around your limit.
Kaito's hands trembled.
— Or I'm running out of space.
The sniper finally stepped into view again—closer this time.
They stood on a mid-level rooftop, rifle resting calmly against their shoulder.
Their face was partially visible now.
Young.Sharp-eyed.Expression unreadable.
— You can't cover everything, the sniper said.— There will always be a dead angle.
They adjusted their stance.
— That's where I live.
The rifle's runes flared brighter.
Haneul gasped.
— That's not a shot—!
Too late.
The round didn't aim at Kaito.
It aimed at Jun.
Kaito felt something snap.
The burn behind his left eye exploded into white-hot agony.
— NO—!
He stepped.
Hard.
The ground cracked.
A partial mark burned itself into the asphalt—jagged, incomplete, unstable.
The world screamed.
The bullet froze mid-air.
Not cleanly.
It shook violently, vibrating as if reality itself was tearing it apart.
Kaito's vision blurred red.
Blood streamed from the corner of his left eye.
The bullet collapsed into dust.
Silence slammed down.
Everyone froze.
Even the sniper.
Their breath caught.
— …You placed it wrong, they whispered.
Kaito staggered.
Ryuji caught him before he fell.
— KAITO!
The partial mark shattered, lines ripping outward before dissolving completely.
The street returned to normal.
Too normal.
Kaito's knees buckled.
Haneul rushed forward.
— You almost—— You almost erased yourself!
Kaito coughed, wiping blood from his face.
— I know.
The sniper lowered the rifle.
Not in fear.
In thought.
— You broke your own rule, they said.— You chose someone else over stability.
They tilted their head.
— That's dangerous.
Kaito looked up, eyes burning.
— That's called being human.
The sniper was silent for a long moment.
Then they stepped back.
— You're not ready yet, they said.— But you will be.
They turned away.
— When you can place the mark without bleeding…,— I'll stop holding back.
— Wait! Jun shouted.— Who are you?!
The sniper paused.
— Someone who shoots futures before they happen.
Then they were gone.
No sound.
No trace.
Just the echo of possibility left behind.
Ryuji helped Kaito sit down.
— You can't do that again, he said grimly.— Not without consequences.
Kaito nodded weakly.
— I know.
Haneul wrapped their chain tighter around their arm.
— They weren't trying to kill us…, they said quietly.— They were measuring how far you'd go.
Jun swallowed.
— And now they know.
Kaito stared at the place where the partial mark had been.
It was gone.
But the pain remained.
— Then next time…, Kaito said hoarsely,— I won't hesitate.
Far away, the sniper reassembled their rifle with calm precision.
— He chose someone else over himself…, they murmured.
A faint smile touched their lips.
— Good.
They chambered a new round.
— That makes him predictable.