Chapter 43: Midnight Raid

The sound of heavy boots crunching gravel jolted Hotaru awake. Her heart slammed in her chest as she reached instinctively for the knife under her pillow. In the dim light of the warehouse, shadows flickered against the walls — too many shadows.

"Wake up!" she hissed, shaking Mira first, then Tora, Sai, and Ryuuji.

Kuro was already awake, his eyes glowing faintly as he crouched near the entrance. His tail flicked side to side, signaling danger.

"What the hell—" Ryuuji's whisper was cut short when a metallic clang rang out, echoing through the warehouse. Someone had tripped one of the old, rusted alarms they'd set up — a metal can tied to the door handle with wire.

"Company," Sai muttered, his voice calm but sharp.

Within seconds, they were all armed — knives, pistols, and Tora's custom EMP grenades.

Hotaru crouched low, signaling for silence. Her ears strained to catch the footsteps outside. At least six…no, eight men. Trained. No unnecessary noise, no shouting. Kurogane's assassins.

"We can't fight here," Mira whispered. "This place is falling apart. One wrong blast and the whole roof will cave in."

Tora grinned wickedly. "Good. Let it."

Before anyone could question him, he pressed a button on his wristband. All around the warehouse, hidden charges flickered to life — old explosives Tora had scavenged and modified just in case.

"You mad genius," Ryuuji whispered, half in awe, half terrified.

"Let's give them a warm welcome," Tora smirked.

The first assassin kicked the door open. A blade flew out instantly — Hotaru's hand already moving before her mind fully registered the target. The man dropped, clutching his throat.

That was the only silence they got.

Gunfire erupted, the sharp cracks echoing off the metal walls. Hotaru dove for cover, Mira right beside her. Sai moved like a ghost, slipping into the shadows and reappearing behind an attacker, snapping his neck with brutal precision.

Ryuuji, of course, went loud. Dual pistols blazing, laughing like a maniac as bullets sparked off walls and crates. "Come and get me, you Kurogane dogs!"

Kuro leapt onto one assassin's face, claws digging into his eyes. The man screamed, stumbling back straight into one of Tora's charges.

Boom.

The explosion ripped through the side of the warehouse, the roof shuddering violently.

"Time to go!" Tora yelled, grabbing his laptop and bolting for the back exit.

Hotaru and Mira covered each other, moving in sync, slicing through anyone who got too close. Sai took the rear, his blade slick with blood, eyes cold and empty.

They burst out into the night, smoke and fire painting the sky behind them. The warehouse groaned, metal twisting and collapsing under its own weight.

"Well," Ryuuji panted, hands on his knees. "Guess we need a new base."

"Good thing I have a backup," Sai said calmly.

Hotaru raised an eyebrow. "Of course you do."

He gave a rare smirk. "I'm not a total idiot."

As they disappeared into the darkness, Kurogane's assassins lay buried under the rubble — and Hotaru knew this was only the beginning.

The hunt was on, and this time, they weren't the prey.

End of Chapter 43