Chapter 24: Unfinished business

The silence in the room didn't last long.

BANG!

The front door exploded off its hinges, flying across the room and narrowly missing Ryuuji, who yelped and dove behind the counter.

"What the hell?!" Tora shouted, scrambling to his feet as a squad of masked assassins poured into the room like a flood of nightmares.

Hotaru's instincts kicked in before her heart could catch up. She grabbed the closest chair and hurled it at the first intruder. It shattered against their chest, buying just enough time for her to draw her dagger from her boot.

Sai was already moving, cigarette still between his lips as he flipped a nearby table to block a flurry of bullets. "They found us faster than I expected."

"Oh gee, wonder why!" Mira shouted, throwing a frying pan at one of the assassins. It bounced off their helmet with a loud clang, stunning them for a moment.

Kuro leapt into action, literally, launching himself onto an assassin's face, claws digging in viciously. "For the ramen, you bastards!" the cat screeched.

Tora's fingers flew across his tablet, hacking into the building's ancient security system. "I'll cut the lights—"

"No!" Hotaru snapped. "They have night vision. We don't."

"Oh right. Good point." Tora shrank back slightly, then grabbed a wrench instead. "Plan B: violence."

Jin, the old chef, calmly walked out of the kitchen holding a massive butcher's knife. "This reminds me of my younger days," he said with a terrifying grin.

"Can everyone please focus?!" Hotaru shouted, blocking a blade with her dagger and kicking her attacker straight through the nearest window.

Glass rained down, mixing with smoke and the smell of old ramen broth.

Sai took out two attackers in quick succession — one with a knife throw to the knee, the other with a brutal uppercut — but even he was breathing hard. "They're Kurogane elite. We need to get out, now."

"Great idea. One problem!" Ryuuji yelled as he swung a mop like a spear, whacking another assassin into a shelf. "They're blocking the exits!"

Hotaru gritted her teeth. "Then we make our own exit."

Without hesitation, she kicked over the gas stove in the kitchen, flames licking up the wall. "Tora, trigger the fire suppression system on a delay."

"Oh-ho! I like where this is going!" Tora grinned wickedly, fingers dancing over his tablet. "Three-second countdown—run!"

The team bolted for the back wall. Sai and Hotaru kicked it at the same time, the weakened wood giving way with a loud CRASH, opening into the alley behind the shop.

The assassins rushed after them — but at that exact moment, the fire suppression system activated, flooding the whole shop with thick foam and sending everyone slipping and sliding into each other.

"Slapstick comedy saves the day!" Ryuuji cheered, narrowly avoiding slipping himself.

They didn't wait to watch the chaos — they ran.

---

The alley was dark and wet, rain starting to drizzle from the sky. Hotaru could hear her own pulse pounding in her ears as they sprinted through the maze of backstreets, Kuro clinging to Sai's shoulder, soaked and furious.

"My fur!" Kuro hissed.

"Priorities, buddy," Sai panted.

They didn't stop until they reached the next district — a quieter, shadier corner of the city where streetlights flickered, and no one asked questions.

Mira doubled over, panting. "So… that's our new base gone."

"Again," Tora added.

Hotaru wiped rain from her face. "Sai, tell me you have another hideout."

Sai gave her a crooked grin. "I might know a guy."

"No more ramen shops," Jin muttered.

"Agreed," Hotaru sighed. "But first—what was that squad? Kurogane never sends elite units unless…"

"Unless they know exactly who they're after," Sai finished grimly.

There was no denying it anymore — Kurogane wasn't just after Hotaru. They were after all of them now.

Ryuuji stretched dramatically. "Welp, if we're all doomed, at least we're doomed together."

"Shut up," everyone said in unison.

As they walked deeper into the shadows, Hotaru felt a strange sense of relief — the weight of her past with Sai was still heavy, but now, at least, she wasn't carrying it alone.

And the fight was far from over.

End of chapter 24