The Setup

Seoul, Outskirts – Midnight

The night was quiet— too quiet.

Kairi stepped forward, flanked by a dozen armed men, their faces covered, weapons primed. The building ahead—a grimy hideout—belonged to a rival syndicate that had been stupid enough to challenge her reign.

She came to a halt at the entrance, her crimson eyes glinting under the neon lights.

Kairi: "I'll handle this."

Her voice was calm, almost gentle. But her men knew better— when Kairi spoke like that, it meant carnage was coming.

Without another word, she walked inside.

The air reeked of cheap cigarettes and sweat. Inside, a group of men sat around a table, laughing, drinking, gambling—completely unaware of the nightmare that had just stepped into their den.

One of them—a **broad-shouldered thug with a scar running down his cheek—**noticed her first.

Thug: "The hell—"

Kairi moved before he could finish.

Her katana unsheathed in a blur of silver. The first slash—clean, calculated— tore through his throat.

Blood splattered across the table.

The others barely had time to react before she lunged forward.

The second man reached for his gun—too slow.

Kairi grabbed his wrist, twisting it until she heard the wet crack of bone snapping. His scream lasted for half a second before her blade pierced through his skull, pinning him to the wall like a grotesque painting.

Another thug charged at her with a bat—big mistake.

Kairi sidestepped, grabbed his collar, and **slammed his head against the table—once, twice—**until the wood cracked and his face was nothing but pulp.

The last man standing dropped his weapon, hands trembling.

Thug: "W-Wait! We can work someth—"

Kairi plunged her katana through his chest, twisting the blade.

Kairi: "You bore me."

She let his body slump to the ground, her expression completely indifferent.

Stepping over the corpses, she wiped her blade clean on one of their jackets before turning on her heel and walking out.

As she exited, her men looked at her expectantly.

She didn't say a word—she simply nodded once.

Behind her, the building exploded into flames.

No loose ends. No survivors.

As Kairi walked away, the fire's glow casting her shadow long against the street, she felt nothing.

No regret. No hesitation.

Just the familiar, comfortable numbness.

Seoul, Ryouma & Souta's Home – 6:30 AM

The alarm blared, jolting Ryouma awake.

Ryouma: "Why is suffering the first thing I experience every morning?"

Souta, already up and halfway dressed, threw a pillow at him.

Souta: "Get up, dumbass. We're gonna be late."

Ryouma groaned, burying his face into the blanket.

Ryouma: "What if I just… stayed in bed and let the world figure itself out?"

Souta smirked.

Souta: "Then you'd fail school, disappoint our entire bloodline, and become a pathetic burden on society."

Ryouma lifted his head slightly.

Ryouma: "…Is that supposed to motivate me?"

Souta shrugged.

Souta: "It worked, didn't it?"

Ryouma grumbled curses under his breath but dragged himself out of bed, tripping over his own feet in the process.

Ren, already sipping coffee in the kitchen, heard the commotion and smirked.

Ren: "You two sound like you fight wars every morning."

Souta grabbed a slice of toast from the counter.

Souta: "Because we do."

Mio, flipping eggs in the pan, sighed.

Mio: "I swear, this house has more energy at dawn than it should."

Ryouma stuffed a rice ball into his mouth, muffling his words.

Ryouma: "That's what makes us great."

Mio stared at him.

Mio: "…That's what makes you annoying."

The morning routine continued in its usual chaotic but oddly functional manner.

By the time they rushed out the door, barely making it in time for the train, Souta and Ryouma had no idea that today would change everything.

As Souta and Ryouma walked toward their usual route to school, they immediately noticed the flashing red and blue lights illuminating the early morning streets. A cluster of police officers and firefighters stood near the remains of a collapsed building, smoke still faintly rising from the debris. The sight made them pause, exchanging a glance.

Before they could investigate further, a sharp voice cut through the morning air.

"Souta! Ryouma!"

They turned to see their aunt, Katarina, marching toward them, her police uniform crisp and her expression a mix of relief and irritation.

"Do you two have any idea how dangerous it is to just waltz past a crime scene like this?" she scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "You should have hurried straight to school instead of gawking at a damn disaster zone!"

Souta scratched the back of her head. "Well, to be fair, we weren't gawking. More like… observing with intense curiosity."

"Observing?" Katarina narrowed her eyes. "You sound like your uncle when he tries to bullshit his way out of trouble."

Ryouma held up his hands. "Hey, we're fine, aren't we? We didn't do anything sketchy."

Katarina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Get in the car. I'll drive you to school."

Souta and Ryouma groaned in unison but knew better than to argue. As they slid into the back seat of her police car, Souta muttered, "You know, this could ruin our street cred."

Katarina shot her a sharp look through the rearview mirror. "You don't have street cred. You have a last name, which is the only reason half the punks in this city don't try and rob you."

Ryouma snickered. "Well, there was that one guy who tried."

Katarina frowned. "What guy?"

Souta quickly nudged Ryouma before he could say anything more. "No one! Just a hypothetical guy."

Katarina gave them another suspicious glance but chose not to press further. Instead, she sighed and focused on the road ahead. "Listen, you two need to be more careful. There's a lot going on in the city right now. People are disappearing, buildings collapsing, and crime is spiking. Just promise me you'll watch your backs and stay out of trouble."

Souta and Ryouma exchanged a look before nodding.

"We promise," Ryouma said.

Katarina didn't look convinced but let out another sigh as she pulled up to the school's entrance. "Alright, get out. And if I hear anything about you two getting involved in some nonsense, you're going to wish you had just walked."

As they hopped out of the car, Souta grinned. "Thanks for the ride, Auntie Chief!"

"Get to class before I arrest you both for being annoying," Katarina shot back before driving off.

As soon as she was gone, Ryouma stretched and exhaled. "That was close."

"Yeah," Souta agreed. "But… did you notice how serious she was? Like, she wasn't just mad about us being late—she's actually worried."

Ryouma frowned, glancing back at the lingering police presence in the distance. "Yeah. Something's up."

They both stood there for a moment, the weight of their aunt's words lingering in the back of their minds. Then, as if on cue, the school bell rang.

"Shit, we're late again!" Souta shouted.

"Run!" Ryouma yelled, and the two sprinted through the gates, narrowly avoiding detention for the third time that week.