Kaitansha HQ—-
Hayate turned around, where Omariro was busy escorting Kaoru through the halls and into the Kaitansha HQ. "Ah! You've done it, Omariro! You've retrieved one of the Kaidanchō!"
Kaoru bowed. "Hello, sir! I'm so sorry I left. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course. But I must say, what made you come back?"
Kaoru turned to Omariro, blushing. "Sir Omariro. He helped me deal with a dark chapter of my past and even allowed my sister on board!"
"Wait, what?"
Omariro began to walk away, but Kaoru quickly stopped him. "Sir! Erm...what about the others? Did you get them?"
"Others are problem," Omariro commented. "Kaitansha problem."
Hayate slapped his forehead. "Now he leaves, when the going gets tough."
Kaoru began to fill up with joy. "Aww! He came for me personally! He's such a hero! My hero!"
"Kaoru, now that you're back, we'll need your help with reclaiming the others. They may be dangerous and unwilling to rejoin."
"Got it, Director!"
Meanwhile—-
Zaria, Rika, Rei, and Nonoka all pulled themselves out of the rubble, where they found Han and Sōshin digging them up.
"Girls!" Han called out.
"Han?" Zaria questioned, rubbing her head. "You're back!"
As they shared a hug, Han looked them over. "What happened?"
Sōshin dusted off Rika. "Yeah, why's Big Sis Rika covered in dust?"
Rika's eyes widened. "Han, where's Mr. Nyugawa? There's this big slime thing and it was looking for him! It said something about retrieving its sister!"
"But why would it want Mr. Nyugawa for that?" Nonoka wondered. "Wait, don't tell me..."
Sōshin nodded. "New pet has a brother! She said he's very strong!"
"Mujinsha strong?" Nonoka worried. "No, no. We've gotta hand her to someone else, or she'll put Mr. Nyugawa in danger!"
Zaria rubbed her head. "But Mr. Nyugawa was insistent on keeping her. Plus, she is useful, even if she can be annoying. Maybe she can talk to her brother?"
"Mr. Nyugawa told us to meet him at the mansion," Han told them. "Let's move!"
Sōshin activated a nearby vehicle, and they all raced away. Meanwhile, Zan and Zeku watched them from above.
"I thought that slime would have killed them, brother," Zan remarked. "Your plans have failed, as usual."
"On the contrary," Zeku corrected him. "Now they're marked as targets, and Japan will soon be ours."
A Dokkōdan van pulled up, and they hopped inside. As they drove past the city, they noticed monsters chasing after innocent civilians.
"How weak," Zeku scoffed. "Can't even stand without their heroes."
"The perfect opportunity for us to swoop in and gain their trust," Zan proposed. "Come, brother."
They hopped out of the vehicle, and in an instant, Zan noticed Shino and her brothers fending off monsters using their attacks. Zeku exited the car, but Zan held out a hand. "Wait, brother. This should be interesting."
Shino fired vectors from her hand. "Jugen-Metsusha: Yubisaki Mekken!"
Waves of monsters disappeared. Baruto formed his greatsword. "Jugen-Tōshi: Retsudan Senmetsu no Sūken."
With a yawn, he slashed hordes of skeletons to pieces. Bakuō turned into a bison behind them, charging through golem monsters. "Jugen-Henshōsha: Kōya Funnu no Jūgyū!"
The golems fell to the ground, crumbling to pieces. As the siblings regrouped, Zan appeared behind them, clapping. "Impressive. Very impressive."
Shino stared at him. "Thanks? Who are you?"
"The name's Zan," he introduced. "I'm the Kaidanchō of Dokkōdan."
"Isn't that the rebel Kaitansha group that no one likes?" she questioned.
"I'm surprised that they still exist," Baruto yawned. "Life is strange."
"They're evil, aren't they?" Bakuō worried.
"Evil is subjective," Zan corrected. "These monsters see you as evil because you've been invading their homes. While people see us as evil because we don't play by the rules. But you see where the rules got you? Your comrades, slaughtered. Your Kaidanchō abandoned you like cowards."
An ogre monster charged at Zan, but Zan was too fast for it. "Jugen-Metsusha: Senmetsu Totsugeki Jū!"
He formed an assault rifle, firing bullets that erased the ogre's body. Shino and her brothers gawked at the sight.
"Whoa," Shino realized. "You're legit."
Zan offered her a hand. "I know you kids could use new leadership. How about you come and join our crew?"
Shino hesitated, thinking. "Erm. Our Kaidanchō wouldn't approve—-"
"She's gone. Been gone for a month. It's a new era, kid. Get with the times."
He and Zeku hopped back into the van. "If you accept our offer, you know where to find me. Shibuya District."
They drove off, leaving the kids stunned.
"What—-what do we do?" Bakuō questioned.
"Doesn't matter to me," Baruto shrugged.
Shino tapped her chin. "There's only one other Kaidanchō I trust as much as our own. Let's ask Mr. Nyugawa."
Shinkaidan Mansion—-
"Sir, you have to listen!"
"The Mujinsha are after you, sir!"
"Please, we have to give up the slime!"
Omariro stood there, listening to the complaints and worries from the kids, but he simply tapped his staff, and they all stopped.
"Sir?" Zaria questioned.
"Concern not needed," he told them. "Situation clear."
"Wait, you knew she had a brother?" Nonoka questioned. "Sir! You're putting yourself at risk!"
"Slime will come to me. Slime will fall into trap."
"He's really strong, sir," Rika told him. "I know you are too, but I want you to be careful!"
Emeru hopped into the living room, taking in the room. "Something wrong?"
Omariro began to walk off. "Situation under control."
Before he could leave, he heard a knock at his door, and when Han went to open it, Shino was standing there.
"Han?"
"Shino? Um. Hey. What are you doing here?"
"Could I speak to your master for a second?"
Omariro turned around, a tired look on his face. "Speak, girl."
She quickly rushed over to him. "Okay! Sir! So there's this new Kaidan group! They call themselves Dokkōdan! Apparently, they consider themselves to be helping people, and they wanted me to join since Ms. Yuka has been MIA for a month. Do you think I should join, sir?"
"Yes," Omariro replied. "Join is smart choice."
"WHAT?" the kids gasped.
"Hmm, really?" Shino wondered. "Okay!"
Zaria turned to Omariro. "Sir, we trust every word you say, so I'll trust you here, but are you sure this is the right choice?"
Omariro nodded. "Girl and boy will accompany her."
He pointed to Rei and Han.
"Wait," Han noted. "Is this like an undercover mission or something, Sir?"
"Yes. Group plot. Will be plotted on."
A lightbulb went off in Shino's head. "Oh! I get it now! You're trying to expose their plans!"
Shino crowded around Omariro. "You're so smart, sir!"
Omariro disappeared.
"And he's gone again."
"Any idea where this guy told you to meet him?" Han asked her.
"He said in Shibuya. I guess we'll have to scout around for any punk-looking rebel teenagers."
"Guess so. Welp. Master gave us a mission, we can't fail it. Come on, Rei."
"Yay! Mission time!"
Rei followed Han and Shino as they left, leaving Sōshin, Zaria, Rika, and Nonoka alone. Nonoka sat on the couch. "Well. I guess there's not much we can do."
She turned on the TV. "Oh, look. Dad again."
The news showed Atsushi protecting civilians around Osaka from large Sasquatch monsters, battling them back with his golem form.
"How many dungeon monsters are there?" Rika gasped. "What, do they have killer computers next?"
Zaria nudged Rika, pointing to Sōshin. "Ahem."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Little Bro!"
"It's all fine, Big Sis Rika!"
Up in his room, Omariro was busy sipping coffee when he noticed Marin standing nearby. "Woman."
"Omariro."
"What does woman want?"
"Not gonna ask how I got in here?"
"Irrelevant."
She scoffed. "Of course it is. I knew you wouldn't answer the door if you saw me, so I had to resort to other means. Kōichi and Mizuki are located in Fukuoka currently. We've managed to track that they've been working together to stay in hiding."
Omariro continued sipping his drink.
"Well? Aren't you going to do your ex a favor?"
"No."
"Well, how about the city? If you don't care about me, do you care about Tokyo, Osaka, and everywhere else?"
"Hmm."
"We can send you the details if you'd like," Marin proposed. "And some agents can accompany you—"
"No," he ordered. "Only students."
"Are you sure? They are still rookies. What if the Kaidanchō fight you in an attempt to escape?"
"Students proved worth. Can handle."
"Stubborn as ever," Marin sighed. "But unfortunately yes, no one can tell you what to do. Good luck, Omariro."
Marin glared at him as he got up and left. "Rude. Not even going to tell me thank you..."
She noticed Emeru hopping around, sliding into a nearby dollhouse before beginning to sleep.
"And the way he keeps his pets...yuck."
Shibuya—-
Han, Rei, and Shino scouted the streets of Shibuya, looking around for any trace of Dokkōdan.
"They said Shibuya, right?" Han asked.
"Definitely," Shino confirmed. "Unless he was bluffing."
Rei pointed to a dude in a ski mask who was leaning against a wall. "Hey! What about him?"
"He does scream Dokkōdan," Han noticed. "Let's see what's up."
The three approached the man, who looked at them. Shino waved. "Hey. Uh. If I wanted to talk to Zan, would you be the guy?"
The man looked at her with annoyance. Shino pulled Han and Rei aside. "Wait. Should I try the bad girl angle?"
"I don't think that will work," Han told her. "Just try—"
Shino cleared her throat. "Aye, bucko. I want in your gang and you're gonna let me in right now, or we're gonna have to throw hands, got it?"
The man paused, a look of approval crossing his face. Han slapped his forehead. "You've got to be kidding."
He threw a punch at Shino, but Rei blocked it. "Hey, that's not nice!"
He tried to kick Rei, but Rei ducked, pushing him back. The man nodded. "Hmm. Skilled. Quick. Sharp."
He rubbed his chin. "Dunno bout the rest of you, but this girl's definitely worth the risk. Come with me."
Rei pointed to herself. "I did that?"
"Apparently you did," Han shrugged. "Nice work."
"Yay!"
The trio followed the man into an alley, and he walked up to a metal door, banging on it three times. A raspy voice answered back. "Who is it?"
"It's Stone," the man replied. "Open the door."
"Passcode?"
"Abyssal," Stone replied.
"Come in."
The door unlocked, and Stone waved them over. After a brief hesitation, they followed him inside.
The inside appeared to be a nightclub, where male members wore leather jackets and jeans, while females wore leather jackets and skirts. They were drinking and joking with each other, but the mood immediately shifted once the trio entered.
A large woman stopped in front of Stone. "The hell kinda package did you bring in, Stone?"
"This one said Zan invited her," Stone explained. "And the barefoot one's got real spine."
"Is that so? Zeku's in a room near the back. I'll escort them."
"Be my guest."
Stone walked off as the woman motioned for the group to follow her. As they walked, Rei gave her a curious look. "Hi! What's your name?"
"Venus," she replied. "And don't go getting too friendly, sissy. No one here's your friend."
"Not yet!" Rei told her. "But that can change!"
"Man, I hope you're as legit as he says."
She led them to a back office, where Zeku was busy watching the news. "Hmm. Those two Kaidanchō will be a problem..."
As soon as they entered, he stood up. "Ah. I see you took our offer, Shino..."
He noticed Rei and Han were with her. "What the hell is this?"
"We're here to join too!" Rei announced.
"Yeah," Han agreed.
Zeku hopped up. "Really? You, students of the most famous man in the world, have chosen to join Dokkōdan?"
They nodded.
"Their Master has fled somewhere unknown, so they need a home," Shino explained.
"Mmm. Well. We don't discriminate. Venus. Have someone check their residence to verify that claim. As for you three..."
He led them out of the room.
"Come with me."
"Where?" Han asked.
"To prove yourselves."
——