Night had fallen over Shibuya.
Neon lights painted the streets in electric blue, pink, and red. The Scramble Crossing pulsed with life—people laughing, phones flashing, music leaking from arcades. Haruto walked slowly, hands in pockets, black scarf loose around his neck now. The card from Miya burned a hole in his pocket, but he hadn't called.
Not yet.
He turned down a quieter side street near Dogenzaka. Fewer crowds. More shadows. The kind of place where trouble liked to hide.
That's when he felt it again.
A different ripple.
Cooler. Smoother. Like water sliding over stone.
**[Instant Analyze – Passive Scan.]**
**[Individual detected: Awakened hunter. Rank: A (Low). Element: Water/Ice. Distance: 25m. Hostile intent: Low. Curiosity: High.]**
Haruto stopped under a flickering streetlamp.
Footsteps approached—calm, deliberate.
A young man stepped into the light.
Blue hair, almost glowing under the neon. Sharp turquoise eyes. White shirt under a dark blue jacket, sleeves rolled up. A small silver earring shaped like a droplet dangled from his left ear. He looked 19, maybe 20. Tall. Relaxed posture, but every movement screamed control.
Yuki Miyagi.
Haruto didn't need the System to tell him the name. The aura matched the memories flickering in—Haruto's old life had crossed paths with this guy once or twice. A rising star in Shibuya's hunter scene. Always around Miya. Always watching.
Yuki stopped a few meters away.
"You're the one Miya mentioned."
His voice was quiet, almost soft. But there was steel underneath.
Haruto tilted his head.
"And you are?"
"Yuki Miyagi." He smiled faintly. "You cleared an E-gate like it was nothing. No registration. No party. No fear."
He took one step closer.
"That kind of power… usually comes with a story."
Haruto's red eyes met turquoise.
"You here to recruit me too?"
Yuki chuckled low.
"No. Miya does the talking. I'm here to see if you're a threat."
He raised a hand casually.
Water gathered from the humid night air—droplets floating up, forming a thin, shimmering blade in his palm.
**[Skill: Water Blade – Low manifestation.]**
The blade spun slowly.
"I don't like unknowns near her."
Haruto didn't move.
"Her?"
"Miya." Yuki's eyes narrowed. "She's important. To a lot of people. Including me."
The water blade lengthened, edges sharpening into ice.
"If you're hiding something dangerous… I'll freeze it out of you."
Haruto felt the temperature drop. Frost crept along the pavement near his boots.
He exhaled slowly.
A faint crimson-black aura leaked from him—just enough to push back the cold.
**[Aura Fear – Lv.1 (passive).]**
Yuki's eyes widened slightly.
The frost retreated.
Haruto stepped forward.
"You're strong. I'll give you that."
He cracked his neck.
"But if you think freezing me will make me talk…"
He raised his right hand.
**[Black Chain Curse – Lv.1.]**
Dark chains erupted from the shadows under Yuki's feet—fast, silent.
Yuki reacted instantly.
**[Water Body – Activated.]**
His form dissolved into liquid, chains passing through harmlessly. He reformed three meters back, water swirling around him like a shield.
"Not bad," Yuki said. "But not enough."
He thrust both hands forward.
**[Cryogenic Freezing – Partial.]**
A wave of absolute cold surged toward Haruto—air freezing solid, ground cracking with ice.
Haruto didn't dodge.
He just clenched his fist.
**[Crimson Flames – Lv.1.]**
Red-black fire exploded outward in a ring.
The ice hissed, steamed, melted in seconds.
The flames licked toward Yuki.
Yuki jumped back, summoning a wall of White Ice.
The flames hit it—cracked it—but didn't break through completely.
Both stood still.
Breathing steady.
Yuki lowered his hands slowly.
"…You're not normal."
Haruto let the flames die.
"Neither are you."
Silence stretched.
Then Yuki laughed—short, genuine.
"Fine. You pass the test."
He walked closer, no hostility now.
"Miya thinks you could be useful. I think you could be trouble."
He offered a hand.
"But either way… we're going after that A-rank Gate tomorrow. You in?"
Haruto looked at the hand.
Then at Yuki's eyes.
He didn't shake it.
But he nodded once.
"Tell Miya I'll be there."
Yuki smirked.
"Good."
He turned to leave.
One last word over his shoulder.
"Don't make me regret this, Haruto Sasaki."
He vanished into the neon-lit alley, water droplets trailing behind him like stars.
Haruto stood alone under the streetlamp.
**[Quest "The Watcher's Invitation" – Completed (Contact branch via proxy).]**
**[Reward: 300 EXP, +2 Agility]**
**[Level Up! Level 3 → Level 4]**
**[Stat Points +2]**
He looked up at the sky—dark, but lit by the city's glow.
Tomorrow.
A bigger Gate.
Miya.
Yuki.
And whatever waited inside.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Finally."
The shadows around him seemed to deepen.
Tenebrae stirred in his soul.
The apocalypse was waking up.