Inside the mansion—
for the first time all day—
the building was quiet.
The music had stopped.
The cheering crowds were gone.
The endless stream of visitors had finally disappeared from the streets.
Only the distant sounds of village guards changing shifts could be heard outside.
Saito practically collapsed onto a couch.
"…Finally."
"A rest."
He stretched his arms across the backrest dramatically.
Nearby, Kaito sat with a glass of wine while Bomb occupied an entire chair by himself.
Neither looked nearly as exhausted.
The front door opened.
Takeru stepped inside after completing one last inspection of the village.
"…Sir Saito."
"All visitors have departed safely."
Saito grinned.
"…Heh."
"The anniversary went well, huh?"
Takeru nodded.
"…Better than expected."
Kaito took a sip from his cup.
"…Yeah."
"Even though we didn't actually do much."
Bomb nodded in agreement.
"…Mostly ate."
Before Saito could answer—
another voice appeared.
"…You three are unbelievable."
Takashi entered carrying a stack of documents.
Even after a celebration, somehow he still had paperwork.
Saito immediately pointed at himself.
"…Hey."
"I contributed."
Takashi raised an eyebrow.
"…Did you?"
Saito sat up straight.
"…Of course."
"I provided ideas."
Takashi looked completely unconvinced.
"…Sure you did."
Bomb immediately looked away to hide a laugh.
Kaito lowered his wine to avoid smiling.
Saito pointed accusingly at both of them.
"…Traitors."
The room erupted into light laughter.
For a brief moment—
everything felt peaceful.
No gang wars.
No conspiracies.
No attacks.
Just friends relaxing after a successful celebration.
Outside the mansion windows, the blue flags of Lorum Village fluttered gently in the evening breeze—
unaware that somewhere beyond their territory, new eyes had already begun watching Blue Scarf Saito's growing influence.
Far away from Lorum Village—
far beyond the celebrations, laughter, and warm lights—
stood a facility hidden beneath layers of smoke and steel.
The entire base rumbled constantly.
Pipes stretched across the ceiling.
Machines hissed.
Steam escaped from metal vents in rhythmic bursts.
Unlike the welcoming atmosphere of Blue Scarf territory—
this place felt cold.
Industrial.
Dangerous.
Heavy footsteps echoed through one of the corridors.
A man carrying a large scythe across his shoulder walked through the smoke without concern.
The weapon alone was almost as tall as he was.
Several workers immediately stepped aside when they saw him.
Nobody wanted to block his path.
Eventually, he entered a large chamber.
A man was already waiting there.
The moment he arrived, the man spoke.
"So you're really going to meet this kid?"
The scythe wielder leaned against a nearby machine.
"…Yes."
His voice was casual.
Almost amused.
"I want to see him with my own eyes."
A grin appeared on his face.
"Who knows."
"He might interest me a little."
The other man frowned.
"…Don't act recklessly, Rin."
"…Or you'll expose us."
Rin shrugged.
"…Maybe."
The man crossed his arms.
"That kid already formed an alliance with White Hat."
For the first time—
Rin showed interest.
"…White Hat?"
He scoffed.
"…I can handle them."
The man immediately sighed.
"…You always act like this."
Rin's grin widened.
He rested one hand on the handle of his scythe.
"…And that's exactly why people remember me."
The machines around them hissed loudly.
Steam drifted through the room.
Rin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Because they call me—"
A dangerous smile formed across his face.
"Death."
The room fell silent.
Even the workers outside seemed careful not to make too much noise.
Somewhere in Jokun—
Blue Scarf territory celebrated its greatest success.
And somewhere else—
a man called Death had decided to take an interest in Saito.
The next morning—
the festive atmosphere from the anniversary was still lingering throughout Lorum Village.
Villagers chatted about the celebration.
Merchants reopened their stalls.
Children played in the streets.
Inside the mansion—
Saito was enjoying one of the rare moments where absolutely nothing demanded his attention.
He sat comfortably with Kaito and Bomb.
"…This is nice."
Bomb nodded.
"…No paperwork."
Kaito took a sip of wine.
"…A miracle."
Suddenly—
the front door opened.
Takeru entered with an unusually serious expression.
Saito immediately noticed.
"…What's wrong?"
Takeru looked directly at him.
"…Sir Saito."
"You need to see this."
Saito sat up.
"…That bad?"
Takeru nodded.
"…Follow me."
The three exchanged glances before standing.
A few minutes later—
they arrived at a house near the outer edge of the village.
Several villagers were gathered nearby.
The owner of the house stood outside, holding his frightened wife close.
The moment he saw Saito, he pointed toward the wall.
"…Sir Saito."
"Look."
Saito frowned.
"…What's wrong?"
Then he turned.
And saw it.
A large patch of red paint had been splashed across the wall.
But that wasn't what caught his attention.
Running through the center of the paint—
was a massive slash mark.
Deep.
Clean.
Violent.
The cut had carved through the wood as though it were paper.
Saito slowly approached.
His expression hardened.
"…A warning."
The villagers nearby became nervous hearing him say it aloud.
Without hesitation, Saito turned toward Takeru.
"…Before anything else."
"These villagers stay at the mansion."
Takeru immediately nodded.
"…Understood."
He turned toward the couple.
"…Come with me."
The husband and wife looked relieved.
Soon Takeru began escorting them away toward the safety of the mansion.
Meanwhile—
Kaito crouched near the damaged wall.
His fingers traced the edge of the cut.
His eyes narrowed.
"…This wasn't made by a sword."
Bomb crossed his arms.
"…What do you mean?"
Kaito stood.
"…The blade is too large."
"…And too heavy."
He looked toward the deep groove.
"…Whatever made this was a big weapon."
Bomb frowned.
"…Who would leave something like this?"
"…Metal Rod?"
Saito remained silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"…Maybe."
"But Joshua is dead."
He looked at the crimson paint once more.
The mark felt deliberate.
Personal.
Like someone wanted them to notice.
"…I don't like this."
Kaito nodded.
Neither did he.
After a moment, Saito turned away from the wall.
"…Let's ask Kuro."
"…He knows more about Jokun's gangs than anyone."
Bomb agreed immediately.
"…Good idea."
The three began heading back toward the center of the village.
Behind them—
the red-painted warning remained on the wall.
Waiting.
Like a message from someone who wanted Blue Scarf territory to know:
they had been noticed.
At the site, Kuro looked at the mark for a moment before sighing.
"...Death."
Saito blinked.
"What now?"
Kuro pointed at the deep slash on the wall.
"Hollow Gang leader. Rin the Death."
Saito frowned.
"Rin?"
Kuro nodded.
"This mark comes from his scythe."
Kaito narrowed his eyes and looked at the slash again.
"So that's why it looks different."
Bomb crossed his arms.
"New enemy?"
Kuro nodded.
"The Metal Rod finally made their move."
Saito looked confused.
"But I thought you said they didn't care about their allies."
Kuro looked at him.
"I did."
"They don't care about Joshua."
"Or Ash Rat."
"Joshua dying means nothing to them."
Saito frowned.
"Then why this?"
Kuro sighed.
"Because they already see you as a threat."
The three fell silent.
Kuro continued.
"You defeated one of their leaders."
"You allied with White Hat."
"And your influence keeps growing."
Saito looked at the mark again.
"So this Rin guy came all the way here just to leave this?"
Kuro nodded.
"And that's what worries me."
Bomb asked,
"Why?"
Kuro looked at them seriously.
"Because Rin the Death doesn't usually give warnings."