The Beginning of The End

Kairi's eyes cracked open.

The first thing she registered? A stiff couch.

The second? The smell of food.

Her senses sharpened instantly as she sat up, groggy but alert. The hideout looked different in the daylight—if you could call the dim glow leaking through boarded-up windows "daylight." The space had an almost bunker-like feel, but there was life in the details.

A makeshift kitchen sat in the corner, with a rusted stove, a dented fridge covered in random sticky notes, and a counter stacked with an absurd amount of instant ramen cups. Near the back, there was an armory section—racks of rifles, pistols, and melee weapons neatly arranged like they belonged in a museum of organized violence. An old punching bag hung from the ceiling, worn out and barely clinging to life.

And then there was a radio setup near the main table, crackling with faint static—no doubt used for listening in on police chatter or plotting whatever hell Jin and Celeste had in mind.

But the real sight?

Jin and Celeste.

They were casually eating breakfast at the table, as if they weren't criminals planning to take down an entire household.

Jin sat back, lazily drinking from a chipped mug, his dark hair messy but still managing to look effortlessly composed. A plate of rice, eggs, and what looked like fish was in front of him.

Celeste, however, was the real problem.

She was hunched over her food like some feral beast, aggressively devouring a bowl of cereal. Milk dripped from the side of her mouth as she shoveled spoonfuls of what looked like expired cornflakes into her mouth like she was on a timer.

Kairi blinked. "The hell am I looking at?"

Celeste barely glanced up. "Breakfast."

Kairi sat up fully, rubbing the back of her neck. "You eat like the cops are about to bust down the door any second."

Celeste swallowed, pointing at her bowl with the spoon. "I gotta finish before it gets soggy."

Jin sighed, sipping his coffee. "You realize if you ate at a normal pace, that wouldn't be a problem."

Celeste ignored him.

Kairi, still adjusting to reality, eyed the food. "You guys didn't think to wake me up? Or were you gonna let me starve?"

Jin shrugged. "You looked comfortable."

Kairi glanced at the couch. She absolutely was not comfortable.

Celeste motioned toward the stove. "There's rice left if you want some. If not, I think there's—" She paused, opening a cabinet. "Uh… some canned meat. And ramen, obviously."

Kairi stood up, stretching. "Ramen it is."

As she walked to the kitchen, she side-eyed the ridiculous amount of weapons in the hideout. "So… you guys are just fully stocked for war, huh?"

Jin leaned back, casually nodding. "You never know when you'll need to kill someone."

Kairi stopped mid-step, turned to him, and raised an eyebrow.

Celeste, still chewing loudly, chimed in. "Or a lot of people."

Kairi stared at them for a long moment before finally letting out a small laugh. "You two are insane."

Jin smirked. "And yet, you're here."

She scoffed, grabbing a ramen cup and filling it with hot water. "Yeah, yeah. Keep talking, Mr. Edge."

Jin just chuckled, and for the first time in a long while, Kairi almost—almost—felt something resembling peace.

If only it could last.

The hideout felt colder.

Jin leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the edge of the table, slow and deliberate. His smirk was gone—his expression now something far more menacing.

Kairi noticed the shift immediately. She sucked in a deep breath, resting her chin on her fist. Something about this moment felt… heavy.

Finally, Jin spoke.

"The first to die is Ryotaro Arakawa."

Silence.

Not a single sound.

Celeste exhaled, crossing her arms. "The true monster of the Arakawa family."

Jin flicked open a thick, weathered file, spreading out several photos on the table. Each image was gritty, taken from the shadows, capturing a man whose presence alone seemed to distort the air around him.

Ryotaro Arakawa.

A face carved from steel. Deep-set, predatory eyes that held no warmth—only calculation, power, and the cold detachment of a man who had built an empire off blood. His slicked-back, silver-streaked hair gave him an almost regal presence, but there was nothing noble about this man.

Even in a still image, he exuded absolute control.

Jin's voice was low, but there was something venomous behind it.

"He's the reason Kayd exists."

Kairi glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"The hell does that mean?"

Jin took a slow breath. "Kayd Arakawa is a spoiled, psychotic little bastard. But Ryotaro? He's a goddamn devil." His fingers tapped against the table again, this time with a bit more force. "Kayd's violence is erratic, childish. Ryotaro's is precise. Planned. Nothing he does is without purpose. He doesn't kill for sport—he kills to maintain order. To make a statement."

Celeste leaned in, resting her chin on her hand. "The man has no weaknesses. No vices. He doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't gamble. His only loyalty is to power. That's why every major crime syndicate in Japan bends the knee to him."

Kairi narrowed her eyes, exhaling. "So we're dealing with the final boss first?"

Jin actually smirked at that. "No. We're dealing with the god that every boss bows to."

Kairi ran her tongue over her teeth, thinking. She'd killed monsters before. But this one?

This one was on a whole other level.

She tapped the photo of Ryotaro, glancing back up. "What's the play?"

Jin turned to another page in the file.

A blueprint.

Celeste grinned. "That's the fun part."

Kairi arched an eyebrow, staring at Jin as he leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. His smirk returned—but this time, it carried weight.

Like he knew something she didn't.

Celeste, still skimming through the blueprint of Ryotaro's estate, didn't even look up before Jin spoke.

"Call the others."

Kairi's eyes narrowed. "…The others?"

Celeste pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a slow flick of her lighter. She exhaled the smoke through her nose, lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Yeah, Kairi. Did you really think it was just the two of us?"

Kairi straightened up, suddenly more alert. Her grip on the table tightened slightly, an unspoken tension hanging in the air. She thought she had this whole situation figured out—but now?

Now she felt like she'd been playing with only half the deck.

She glanced between the two of them. "…How many?"

Jin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a sleek black flip phone. With a lazy flick, he flipped it open, pressing a single button before putting it to his ear.

A pause.

Then, he grinned.

"Yo. It's time."

Kairi didn't even hear the response before Jin shut the phone with a sharp snap. He glanced over at Celeste, nodding.

Celeste exhaled another slow breath, then turned her head slightly, eyes flickering toward Kairi. "Six."

Kairi's fingers twitched slightly. Six?

She masked her confusion with a small scoff, leaning back against the couch. "Tch. And here I was thinking I was special."

Jin let out a chuckle, but his eyes were sharp. "You are. But this job? It's bigger than just us."

Kairi didn't like that.

She didn't like feeling like a piece in someone else's game.

Her expression darkened, lips pressing into a thin line. "So who the hell are they?"

Celeste grinned, tapping ash from her cigarette. "Oh, you'll see soon enough."

And just like that, the air in the room shifted.

Something was coming.

Something big.