Here's a few Bonus Chapters for Valentine's Day.
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The Marines arrived all at once.
Not as a charge—too disciplined for that—but as a tightening net. Boots pounded stone in coordinated rhythm, rifles raised, blades drawn, voices sharp with authority and fear tangled together.
"Surround them!"
"Don't let them reach the docks!"
Ryu barely heard it.
Aira had one arm hooked under his shoulder, dragging him forward as his legs struggled to respond. Every step sent a jolt of agony through his ribs and side, blood soaking through his clothes and smearing across her sleeve.
"I can walk," Ryu growled through clenched teeth.
"Do it later," Aira snapped. "Right now, you're bleeding on my deck."
Kenji ran ahead of them, sword still in hand, blade dark with Armament residue and blood. His movements were uneven—his injured leg screamed with every stride—but he didn't slow.
Behind them, someone shouted Hale's name.
Another Marine cursed in disbelief.
Hale was down.
That alone had thrown the Marines into disarray. Captain Nezumi stood near the edge of the square, staring at the unconscious giant sprawled among broken stone and splintered stalls.
"What do you mean he's unconscious?" Nezumi barked.
A Marine swallowed hard. "Sir… he's breathing. But—"
Nezumi's gaze snapped to the retreating figures. "After them! Now!"
Gunfire cracked.
The first shot struck the stone near Kenji's feet, spraying shards across his legs. He twisted instinctively, barely keeping his balance.
"Left!" he shouted.
Aira swerved, hauling Ryu with her as another shot slammed into a wooden post, splintering it apart.
They turned sharply into a side street.
Ryu's Observation flickered weakly, overwhelmed by pain and exhaustion, but it gave him just enough warning.
"Dead end," he rasped. "Three ahead."
Kenji cursed under his breath. "Then we make an exit."
The Marines rounded the corner in front of them—four men, rifles raised, eyes wide.
They hesitated.
That hesitation saved them.
Aira surged forward, baton swinging hard and fast. She struck the first Marine's wrist, knocking his rifle aside, then drove her knee into his gut before shoving him into the man behind him.
Kenji was already moving.
He didn't slash.
He struck.
The flat of his blade crashed into a Marine's helmet, sending him down instantly. He spun with the momentum, slamming the hilt into another man's chest and knocking the wind out of him.
Ryu forced himself upright, leaning heavily against the wall. He raised one knife, Armament flickering weakly across it, and threw.
The blade struck true, burying itself in a rifle stock and pinning it uselessly to the wall.
"Move!" Ryu barked.
They ran.
Every alley felt longer than it should have been. The village blurred past in flashes of stone, wood, and shadow as Marines flooded the streets behind them, orders overlapping in chaos.
At the docks, more Marines poured in from the pier, cutting off the most obvious route.
Aira swore. "They're trying to box us in."
Kenji gritted his teeth. "Then we go through."
Ryu's vision dimmed at the edges, but he forced his focus outward, stretching what remained of his Observation.
"There," he said, pointing weakly. "Fishing nets. Narrow passage."
They veered sharply, diving between stacked crates and tangled nets. The space was barely wide enough to squeeze through, ropes scraping skin and catching at clothing.
Gunfire followed—but blind now, reckless.
A bullet tore through a net inches from Ryu's head.
Kenji reached the end first and kicked the final crate over, sending it crashing down behind them. It wouldn't stop the Marines—but it would slow them.
At the water's edge, their ship bobbed restlessly, sail half-lowered, ropes still hanging loose.
Aira nearly laughed in relief.
"Go!" she shouted.
Kenji vaulted onto the deck first, immediately grabbing a rope and hauling it in. Ryu stumbled after him, collapsing to his knees as Aira shoved him aboard and leapt after.
She cut the rope in one clean motion.
The sail snapped full.
The ship lurched forward just as Marines burst onto the pier.
"Fire!" Nezumi roared.
Bullets tore through the sail, ripping holes through canvas and wood alike. One shot grazed Kenji's arm, another punched clean through the railing inches from Aira's head.
Ryu dragged himself upright, hands shaking as he grabbed the rail.
"Starboard!" he shouted hoarsely. "Now!"
Aira spun the helm hard, the ship veering sharply as another volley missed wide and splashed uselessly into the sea.
The distance opened.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But it opened.
On the dock, Nezumi watched the ship pull away, jaw clenched so tight it ached.
Behind him, Marines gathered around Hale's fallen body, lifting him carefully, shock evident on every face.
Nezumi looked down at the unconscious hunter.
"…What did you get yourself into?" he muttered.
---
Out at sea, the adrenaline finally drained away.
Ryu collapsed fully this time, slumping against the mast as the pain caught up with him all at once. His breath came shallow and uneven, blood soaking into the deck beneath him.
Aira was at his side instantly, hands already moving, tearing cloth, pressing hard against wounds.
"Don't you dare close your eyes," she snapped. "You hear me?"
Ryu managed a weak grin. "Bossy."
Kenji sank down opposite them, sword finally slipping from his fingers and clattering against the deck. He leaned back, head tilted toward the sky, chest heaving.
"…That was close," he muttered.
Aira shot him a glare. "You think?"
Kenji laughed weakly—then winced. "Worth it."
Ryu turned his head slightly, eyes heavy but alert. "He's alive."
Kenji nodded. "Yeah."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The sea rolled beneath them, calm now, indifferent as ever.
Ryu stared at the horizon. "He almost lost control."
Kenji's jaw tightened. "He did lose control."
Aira glanced between them. "That thing back there… the pressure. What was that?"
Ryu didn't answer immediately.
"…Something rare," he said finally. "And dangerous."
Kenji closed his eyes briefly. "And unfinished."
They fell silent as the ship sailed onward, leaving Cocoyasi shrinking behind them—broken, shaken, but still standing.
Behind them, the Marines had their prize.
Ahead of them, the world had just been given a reason to look their way.
And none of them could pretend anymore that this was just about hunting criminals.
This—
Was bigger now.
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