◇◆◇
Chapter 4—Ready? Action!
part II
Suddenly, the other punks straightened her arms, her hood fell to the back, making her completely exposed, and they pinned them to the wall so she couldn't move at all.
A rush of adrenaline flowing over her body as she saw the guy grabbing a white cloth, from what she could smell… it was mixed with chloroform that could drift her into deep sleep.
But Kazuna rebels quickly. Kicking them with her feet really hard until they lost their grip on her.
The guy widened his eyes in shock but remained calm. The others are trying to catch her once again. But she won't let her guard down.
The girl with hollow eyes was gone.
In her place was a storm—kicks, fists, fury—every strike wild but sharp, like she had been waiting her whole life for this release.
Kazuna really kicks them harshly. She even uses her hands to punch and take them down. She was like a beast being unleashed.
Terrorizing and won't ever give them pity. She pinned one of the punks. Her hand clenched tight to the air before it hit them.
A rage in her eyes.
After she's done. She tried to stand.
But...
BAM.
A metal bat swung over her head. She barely had time to breathe.
A shadow loomed from the side—then the sickening CRACK of metal against skull. White-hot pain exploded...
...then nothing.
The world suddenly fades out. She couldn't hear any sound. Her body hit the ground hard and was then left motionless.
Unconscious.
The guy lets out a deep sigh after hitting her head with the metal bat. Swung the metal bat across his own shoulders. "Such a violent girl,"
"What a waste—if only you didn't try to fight us, you wouldn't have to get hurt badly."
A smirk slipped on the corner of his lips. "Get her in."
Meanwhile… Tanaka was waiting for the signal in a different place, not too far away.
But hearing some chaos happening outside and Kazuna's voice groaning through the call. He paced up quickly to go right after her.
Tanaka breathes heavily, his heart is racing uncontrollably.
Every step that he took feels like slowed down.
"...Please, please—" He muttered.
He pushes himself forward, no matter what happened. He couldn't be late. Not at all.
He widens his eyes as he sees a van that he had seen before.
But then, he stopped.
Just right in front of her.
The van doors slammed open with a bang. Black-masked figures spilled out like shadows, rushing her in perfect formation.
"KAZUNA—!"
But he barely had a second to reach Kazuna. She was dragged inside. He saw crimson blood running from her forehead to her soft cheek.
That's when his heart got twisted so badly.
The smell of blood suffocated his nose and throat. It makes the atmosphere even worse.
Tanaka charged, fury burning—no need to be hesitated. And unfortunately... there's two men blocked him. He tried to fight them, but it was already too late.
At the moment, he felt the time was being slow motioned. The men pushed him hard, and they ran away quickly back into the van.
The door slammed closed. The van roared to life. The tires screeched, spitting gravel, the echo rattling down the alley.
By the time Tanaka's fist slammed the side panel, it was already gone—disappearing into the night, tail lights shrinking to red pinpricks.
His voice broke. His legs burned as he ran, but his chest felt hollow—like he was watching her vanish through glass, unable to break it.
But he quickly snapped out as he heard a loud groan, it sounded like Riku's voice. He quickly gets back to his senses and following the sound.
For the second time, again. He froze and widened his eyes.
Couldn't even move. His breath caught as he saw Riku was all alone.
He didn't know what was going on—but he could guess.
They were supposed to be together, they supposed to be with the police now.
Itsuki was supposed to be with him. But there was no sign of him anywhere.
He was late. Again.
Twice.
It's tearing him apart.
"...The mission's failed."
The words slipped enough to tear his heart apart. His chest tightened like a knot. His vision blurred out—it was fuzzy from all the running.
He saw Riku, pale with a hopeless look, and that's when the stroke of guilt struck through him.
And Riku saw him, alone. He already knows it, there's no need to explain again.
"...W- we got surrounded... and they took Itsuki—" Riku's voice trembled.
Meanwhile, Tanaka was completely losing it. He cannot just stand like this. This is totally bad. And he's running out of time—plus, Kazuna was still out there.
This was his fault.
If he just stayed quiet and never tell this to Kazuna, or even Riku... this would never happened.
But still, his breathing was ragged. He bent forward and put his hands on his knees, trying to gasp all of the oxygen to his lungs.
"...Hey, Shougo—" Riku muttered. "You still keep that device Inoue gave you, right?"
From that moment he realized—there's still a chance to reach them. Tanaka quickly dug out the device from his pocket.
The metal device on his hand. A faint beep.
The red light pulsed weakly—slow, like a fading heartbeat.
She's still there, barely holding on. There's still time.
Tanaka's ears rang with the echo of his own heartbeat. The flashback of Kazuna being dragged haunts him forever—like a loop he couldn't shut off.
The world feels like it's spinning around, his knees are weak, and he could fall at any time. He saw Riku's mouth moving—but all he heard was static.
But Riku grabbed his shoulders, shaking him sharply. "Shougo! Restrain yourself!"
"Tanaka, we have to move!" He added.
He didn't answer. He couldn't. The only thing he could think of was that last look she gave him—a silent "trust me".
And he did.
Now he had to find her before that trust meant nothing.
"Shougo," Riku's voice wavered—firm, but trembling underneath.
"I know you're feel guilty. You lost your friend before, and now… you lost her too. But we don't have time for that. We need to move. Now—"
"...Please." Riku said with almost pleading eyes that he lost his own little brother, but he tries to keep calm.
That gaze staring into his soul. That's when he snaps back.
He took one deep breath. And finally—"…Let's go."
———————————————————————————
The world feels too quiet. Eerily quiet.
The coldness crept on her skin. The kind of cold that twinges—that bone-deep chill that seeps into her skin, into her veins.
As she tries to get up, that's when she realizes all this time she has been tied up. And there's nothing else around except her and the chair that she got tied to.
Shit.
She tried to look around, but it was almost impossible because it was too dark.
She blinks slowly. The room's dim—lit only by a faint, flickering bulb above. Damp concrete walls and rusty pipes all over the walls.
She shook her head, it felt so hurt, like her bone cracked. It feels like it's echoing through her skull. Her vision swam—the surrounding feels like refused to come in focus, she cannot figure out where she is right now.
Kazuna closes her eyes. Trying to focus to search something out where she could be or if there's anybody around, at least she could get a hint with her senses.
Her instinct.
But, nothing.
Or at least, that's what she thought.
In a brief of a second, she could feel the heat of somebody nearby.
Then, a cold hand coiled into her hair out of nowhere without an alarm, tightening until her scalp screamed, dragging her face upward like she was nothing but a puppet.
The light flickers on their back as her gaze is forced toward the shadow standing in front of her.
"...Inoue Kazuna."
The words feel like a rope strangled around her neck. The way it was spoken was so soft, yet it pierced into her bones. It's suffocating.
"I wonder what your... 'Master'—will say about this."
The shadow leaned forward, and for the first time, the dim bulb caught his face.
Then she replied, "...W- who's 'master'?"
Unfortunately—her voice shake, it sounds so obvious. He chuckled loudly, looking almost amused. Like her being tied up in some underground dump was nothing more than entertainment to him.
"Don't try to act innocent here." A glint. A sharp, predatory grin. "We know that you're his favorite."
And there it was—the gold tooth, gleaming like a sick joke in the dark.
Kazuna stiffened instantly. She knew that smile. Her throat burned. Not from fear—no, fear was too small a word.
It was the realization. The punch of recognition.
She knew exactly who she was dealing with. She shouldn't be facing him, right here, and right now.
That gold tooth.
She forced her spine straight, even as pain crawled up her skull. If she broke now, he'd devour her whole. She knows that well.
"Oh?" he hummed, tilting her chin higher with a finger dug into her jaw.
Then he added, "Look at you. Still pretending you're strong as ever,"
His other hand tapped her cheek lightly—mocking, condescending.
"Just like last time."
Her blood ran cold. There was no last time. She had never met him face to face before... nor spoken to him. Or even crossed his path.
… Had she?
Her silence made his grin widen.
"Ah. There it is." He tapped his gold tooth with his fingernail, the metallic click echoing in the tight room.
"That look. Confusion. Panic. Trying to figure out how I know your name… your school… your habits…"
He bent down until their foreheads nearly touched. Too close. His breath was cold.
"…and your little midnight escape route."
Kazuna's eyes snapped up.
He chuckled quietly—too quietly. "Oh dear, you really thought you were the only one who's watching?"
He straightened, rolling his shoulders like this was all a casual game.
"You were studying us—but we were studying you first."
Her stomach twisted.
"Right before you open your eyes, for the first time."
She knows that he isn't lying, she knows it by his eyes. But, of course, she wouldn't break that easily.
"...You know I'm not going to fall for that—"
"Well, you don't have to." He replies back as his eyes darkened. "But… I know what you want."
The man coldly smiles, it feels eerie. She knew he planned something bad, whatever it is. And right after that, that man was holding a small plastic zip-lock bag.
But it's not a simple zip-lock bag. It contained white powder inside, or in other words, it was drugs.
"Is this... what you looking for?"
Then—he put the zip-lock bag on her lips, just touching it.
He didn't let the drugs into her mouth, at least… not yet. She clearly had no idea what she can do right now, especially she was stunned as he made that move.
"A little bit… of this—into your mouth. Oh my…. you wouldn't be as innocent as you are now, hm?"
"And then… all your whole life perished into nothing." He added.
That look of him makes her sick. She doesn't know if he just using a chloroform or there's something else, because she shouldn't be this weak, even after waking up. At least she could say something more than 5 words, but she can't.
"You...!"
"Hm? Or are you wanted something else?" He put the drugs away.
That guy with gold tooth straighten his back, finally there's some distance. Letting out a sigh, but weirdly it's giving her a shiver down her spine.
"Like... freedom?"
———————————————————————————
"Damnit!"
Tanaka's hands are shaking, he curses like he would burn the whole city just to take out his rage. His eyes are razor-focused on the tracker, never leaving the sight of it.
The red beep was like a pulse, it started to glitch like crazy.
Then… gone.
"What's wrong?" Riku quickly looks at him on the side, holding his shoulders but also shaking faintly. Then, that's when he realized.
The signal's gone. His heart dropped instantly.
Both of them look into each other's eyes. Their gazes already explain everything, then signaling with a single nod.
Not long after, they quickly sprint ahead, running through the alleyways as the shortcut to get into the last location.
Sweat started to drop one by one from his scalp. Breathing heavily while running like crazy, their chest rising Riku doesn't know how long he can keep it like this.
"...Do you think it's a trap?"
A silence, then Shougo replies. "I don't think so—"
"If it's a trap… why now?"
Riku doesn't need to reply quickly after, just a little nod is enough.
Eventually, they went silent. The things that filled between and around them were just their heavy breathing and the sound of their footsteps they were making while running down the way.
None of them spoke after that, but Riku sometimes stole a glance at Tanaka to check on him.
"You seemed nervous."
Tanaka didn't reply after; instead, he glanced back over him.
"...You should look at yourself too."
"I just… hope they're doing fine. Especially Itsuki—"
"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine—I guess... but hey, Kazuna can fight, I'm sure she won't let any things happen to him, y'know?" Tanaka constantly cuts his words, he didn't want him to worry too much.
Well, even though deep down he's anxious like crazy. But, he patted his shoulder, as a friend they should support eachother, right?
Then a soft sigh of relief. Riku tried his best not to worry too much after that.
"We'll kick their ass and get them out of there. Quickly."
Tanaka nods. "Sounds like a plan."
———————————————————————————
"Get into the point—what do you want…?" She managed to whisper, hating how faint her voice sounded. Keeping it neutral, just like how she had practiced for this.
He leaned in again, dragging his knuckles down her cheek, slow enough to make her skin crawl.
"I want," he murmured. Shifting his position as he leaned closer.
"to see how long it takes for you to break."
He paused.
Then whispered right against her ear:
"…just like your mother did."
Kazuna's blood turned to ice.
"Mother…?"
She swore she could feel her blood boiling under her skin. All of this nonsense already got her patience wearing thin.
Then she struggled forward, her hands on the back trying to reach him. To break him down into pieces. The ropes feel tighter whenever she tries to break free.
"What did you do to my mother?!"
He simply stepped back once playfully. "Whoa, that's something new from you."
"I did nothing, your mother is the one who did it."
"She's innocent—she knows nothing about this!"
A low, playful chuckle comes from him while grinning.
"Stubborn. Like in the description."
Then, "But I think you thought the wr—"
Before he even could finish his words, someone barges into the room.
A man wearing all black, and it looks like he's one of them. Breathing heavily and gasping sharply like he's just been running.
"Sir! Sorry sir, the boy… he—"
A scream howls, echoing loudly. The metals around were screeching and shaking slightly from the scream.
It was horrifying as she realized that was Itsuki's voice…
She held back her breath. "What did you do,"
Her eyes widened in horror, she fell silent… before rage fueled up inside her, trying to break free. Trying to reach and break him apart.
But no matter how hard she tried to break the ropes apart, it was meaningless, and it just hurt her more than before.
Then, an intoxicating smile formed on the corner of his lips, showing off the gold teeth that sickened her.
"I never thought you had a pity on someone, I thought you were cold-hearted—"
"He has nothing to do with this—"
"...Let. go. of. him." She added.
Her gaze darkened, staring into his soul. Threatening. She won't repeat that again, for sure.
But that man burst out a laugh as he pulled himself back. The laughs echo through the room, making her stomach feel like it's twisted and torn apart, mixed with rage and fear.
Then—dropped in silence. Sudden. Sharp.
"Sorry, I just have never seen you threatening like that—hilarious, y'know?" That sinister smile never left his lips.
The air feels like it's holding its breath.
Eerily quiet—as his laughter finally dies in his throat. He straightens slowly, deliberately, as if savoring the silence he leaves behind.
And when he leans closer, right beside her throat, his breath brushes her skin, cold enough to make her shivers.
"That's what I like from you."
A pause. Heavy.
"Especially that eye…"
He tilted his face, studying her like something half-familiar, before his fingers hovered near her face, barely touching—just close enough that she could feel the warmth of his skin, for her to flinch.
"I know what you are behind those eyes,"
Another pause.
"A lamb…"
He said as his lips curled slightly.
"...behind the thick wolf furs."
Then he finally straightened. Just like that and nothing more. As if all that moment doesn't matter. The fact that his words left her clanging up.
Giving her a stare before he turns to step away. His boots were echoing softly against the concrete.
The thing that made her wonder was that he left without a final taunt, threat, or cruelty.
Silence swallows the room whole, as if Kazuna's existence there were nothing.
Her chest tightens. She waits—doesn't know for what.
Another word.
Another scream.
Or another lie.
But it was nothing.
But before he disappeared, he paused; he stopped. Just once.
Barely turning his head, his voice slips back to her—quiet, barely to be heard by her.
"My name's…"
A pause.
"...Ravel."
Then gone. Like the air that passes by into nothing.
Even the door didn't make a sound as he closed it. Leaving her behind with emptiness that haunts her all the time. Thick and suffocating.
And now the pain catching up like fire rushes onto her body, making her tremble all alone as the cold air tucks her.
Ravel.
That name won't stop echoing, again and again. Unraveling something even deeper in her chest. While the ropes feel like they tighten more and more, like a snake all around her body, it's suffocating.
But sunshine comes after the storm. Right after, she thinks that all her effort was meaningless—
BANG.
The door bursts open with a deafening crash—metal shrieking against its hinges, the sound tearing the quietness apart through the room like a gunshot.
Light spills in as the shine hits Kazuna's face, slicing through the darkness.
A figure stands in the doorway, chest heaving, and its silhouette shaking—from fury that is barely held together.
"...Kazuna—!"
Itsuki.
The person who's ready to help his savior.
Her only hope has come to save her. Even though she keeps her face neutral, her eyes won't lie.
"We gotta go, fast!" Itsuki said as he came closer and knelt to untie the rope around her body.
"W- wait, how did you come here without the guard—"
"It doesn't matter for now…"
A pause. Before she noticed that the rope had been untied.
"...C'mon! We're running out of time!"
Itsuki lent his hand to her. Waiting. And she reaches his hand instinctively. And right from there, Itsuki grips her hand tightly—pulling her hard.
Kazuna stumbled forward slightly. Her feet felt weak and barely could catch up.
And for a moment—her mind feels throbbing violently, hard to explain but her vision suddenly got black out in a few seconds.
Is this what it feels when you have anemia?
"...Itsuki—" her voice cracks.
Kazuna looks at the bruised hands as she keeps following, there's even blood on his knuckles.
He noticed, "It's alright—I got to beat their ass first."
That's when she realized. This boy is not as weak as she thought.
And quickly, they're moving fast.
The hallway is narrow, dimly lit, pipes rattling above them as they run. She had no idea how Itsuki runs really fast, her bare feet slap against the cold concrete—one step wrong and she almost collapses.
Thank God Itsuki quickly catches her.
But those guys already noticed they're gone, and he could tell they're after them from the footsteps echoing behind them.
"Shit," he mutters, looking back.
Then, a shout rings out somewhere alerting everyone. Angry. Close.
Itsuki tightens his grip and drags her forward again, turning sharply into another passageway.
The air reeks of rust and damp metal, it burns her lungs as she gasps for breath.
Her vision blurs.
A door appears at the end of the hall.
"Hang on, Kazuna," He said breathlessly.
"We almost there, we almost there—"
…Locked.
Itsuki doesn't hesitate, no… it's not the time to give up yet. He slams his shoulder into it, once—twice—pain tearing through him.
Then.
The door suddenly opens before he could slam another one.
A grasp on his shoulders. Keeping him up.
It was Riku, and Sh—Tanaka.
His eyes sparkling with hope. Almost passing out if it was those bad guys.
Itsuki held onto his brother, Riku.
The brothers finally reunited, it was such a view to see, really. The kind of moment that you would felt warm and enouh to feel safe even if you only watch them.
Meanwhile... Kazuna—just standing there, barely. Watching them silently.
A second. Tanaka held her shoulders, sharp—quick, but gentle. His face was full of worry. No, he couldn't stop thinking about her—safety.
But they're not there yet to embrace together, at least he knows that.
"...I'm sorry—" She said.
"It's okay. It was unexpected anyway…"
Tanaka almost slipped a chuckle, almost. But he did smile on the corner of his lips.
A relief.
But right after that he snapped back into his senses. "Alright, we can't just stand here all long."
The words barely left his mouth before a distant shout echoed behind them—sharp, angry, getting closer. Riku's hand tightened on Itsuki's shoulder. "Let's move. Now."
They didn't need to be told twice.
Tanaka grabbed Kazuna's wrist without thinking, pulling her forward as the four of them plunged deeper into the maze of alleyways.
Her bare feet hit the cold pavement in uneven strides, each step sending jolts up her legs, but she didn't slow down.
She couldn't.
Behind them, footsteps multiplied—shouting, barking orders, the sound of a metal door slamming open.
Her lungs burned. Her head pounded where the bat had struck. But Tanaka's grip on her wrist was steady, warm, grounding.
"Almost there," he breathed, though he wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.
Unfortunately, she couldn't catch up with them. She lost her blood too much and pushed herself off the limit, reaching the end.
But, right before she falls—Tanaka caught her and swiftly put her onto his back. There's no time to waste, they're still need to get out of this.
"...I'm sorry—"
"Shh, no talking. Just try to take a rest while I'm carrying you." He replied.
Then quiet deep in her mind, letting her head leans on his back. "Am I heavy?"
"Seriously? Do you need to think about that now?" He said breathless.
Of course, it was hard to run while carrying someone, but at least she felt lighter than he expected. That's a good and bad thing.
The alleyway feels like a loop. They've been running nonstop and the men still right before them.
They need a strategy.
"We need to take a shortcut—quickly." Riku's voice almost out of it.
The younger brother slowed his pace, all of his body felt hot and like being crushed apart, "I'm not familiar with this place..."
Tanaka shouts while shifts her position, "...This way, follow me!"
The three of them fasten their pace, turn sharply to another way. Narrower, darker way.
While on the back, the men lost of the sight of them. Furious burning them, they shouts with orders.
"Tck—those little bastards...! Don't let them get away!"
It was insane thinking how much the energy they had. For sure, teenagers like them can't even compete their physics.
But they have brain. Thankfully Tanaka knows the best around the place, and with a few calculations—he managed to make them lost their track.
The chaos behind them finally fades out away.
After a few more blocks, they finally slowed down. Gasping for air hardly. Maybe after this they won't had the chance to move a little.
"We lost them, right?" Riku leans to a nearby wall, wiping the sweat away from his forehead.
Tanaka nods, "Yeah, I'm sure we did."
Between of them filled with panting, deep exhales sound. No one's talked after that.
And Kazuna... thank God she wasn't fainted. Just barely holding on. Tanaka immidiately puts her down, letting her rest for a while.
"We need to find a doctor—"
"No need."
A silence.
"... Are you joking me? Look at yourself—"
"No. I said no,"
Another silence.
Not a peaceful one, but filled with tense, and questions. The way they look at eachother in the eye, even mouth left completely useless for a moment.
Tanaka's jaw tightened. His hands were still on her shoulders, not letting go—like she might disappear if he did.
"You lost that much blood and you're telling me no?"
Kazuna didn't meet his eyes. She stared at the ground instead, at the dirt and grime on her bare feet.
She hates it. She hates how dirty, weak, pathetic she's now.
It's overwhelming.
"...I can't."
"Can't what? Can't let someone help you for once?"
The words came out sharper than he intended. He saw her flinch—just a tiny movement, barely there—and something in his chest cracked.
He exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair. "Kazuna—"
"I said no." Her voice was quiet, but it didn't shake. "Just... take me somewhere else. Please."
Riku and Itsuki stood a few steps away, exchanging a glance. Itsuki looked like he wanted to say something, but Riku put a hand on his arm. Not now.
Tanaka studied her face. Pale. Lips pressed thin. That stubborn set to her jaw that he was starting to recognize too well.
And something else. Something underneath.
Fear.
Not of the men who took her. Not of the wound.
Something else.
He crouched down in front of her so their eyes were level. His voice came out softer this time.
"...Why?"
She finally looked at him. Just for a second. Long enough for him to see it—that flicker of something she was trying so hard to bury.
Then she looked away again.
"If my mom sees me like this—" Her voice cracked, just at the edge. "She'll blame herself. Like everything is her fault. And it's not."
Tanaka blinked.
He wanted to ask, but there's no point when he's get it.
But... the way her hands were trembling—barely, like she was holding herself together with nothing but will. It made him stop.
"...Okay," he said quietly.
Riku stepped forward. "Shougo—"
"She said no." Tanaka let out a deep sigh, his eyes still on Kazuna. "But we're not leaving her like this. We'll clean her up at my place. It's closer anyway."
Kazuna raised her head and opened her mouth to argue.
"I'm not asking," Tanaka cut her off. "And before you say anything—" He crouched again, this time turning his back to her. "Get on. You're not walking either."
"I can walk—"
"You passed out three minutes ago."
"That was—"
"Kazuna."
Her name. Just her name. No teasing. No smirk.
It was... weird, seeing him like this.
No, she just couldn't understand it. Why would he, they—put so much effort on this... she just met them not too long ago, right? Why they can so easily help someone without even think for a few times?
She stared at his back for a long moment. Then, slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He stood up carefully, adjusting her weight. She was lighter than before. That worried him more than anything.
"Lead the way," he said to Riku.
As they started moving again—slower this time, quieter—Kazuna's voice came, barely a whisper against his shoulder.
"...Thank you."
Tanaka didn't answer. But his grip on her legs tightened, just a little.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
The walk to Tanaka's place was a blur of dark streets and whispered directions. It was cold, haunting, terrifying. But in the middle of the dark, there's a golden light flickers above them. Warm, comforting one.
Is this what hope feels like?
Kazuna kept her eyes half-closed, her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade, letting the rhythm of his footsteps carry her.
She should say something. Tell him she could walk. That she was fine. Or anything that could break the silence.
But nothing comes out of her mouth, her body refused to cooperate.
The only thing that she could do was just clenched onto the fabric of his clothes. Tight. Like that's the only thing she have.
The two brother followed them from behind silently. No words coming out from all of them. Whether they enjoying the silence, or they mentally somewhere else.
Itsuki stopped, just before he took another step forward, taking another stairs. He turns around, just to find how big the world was from up here.
He never knew it. He never knew that world can be so mesmerizing. It was like seeing the whole society live under the gleam of dark night. Bunch of lights flashing into his eyes.
"Itsuki," His older brother calls out. "C'mon."
"Right—" Then he quickly follows up right behind them.
Until the stairs finished, Tanaka took a few more steps forward.
Then, "We're here," Tanaka said quietly.
She heard keys jangling, a door creaking open. Then warmth—sudden and soft, wrapping around her like a blanket. The air inside smelled like laundry detergent and something else. It feels clean.
They never thought Tanaka would live in this such house. A reaction where you visit that you never thought they were rich.
Tanaka carried her inside without turning on the lights. He knew the layout by heart—three steps forward, left, then down a short hallway. His room was at the end.
"Sorry about the mess," he muttered, kneeling down to let her sit on the edge of his bed.
There were no mess.
Kazuna blinked, her vision slowly adjusting. A few manga stacked on the desk. A single poster of some band she didn't recognize on the wall.
It feels... normal.
She suddenly became aware of how strange she must look. Bare feet. Blood drying on her forehead. Her hoodie stained and torn at the sleeve.
Itsuki hovered near the doorway, looking lost. Riku was already moving toward the bathroom, opening cabinets.
"First aid kit," Riku called out. "Where?"
"Under the sink. Left side."
Riku disappeared for a moment, then came back with a small white box. He handed it to Tanaka without a word.
"Is there... anybody home?" She hesitated.
Tanaka shook his head. "No, I live with my older brother. But he's out of town. Busy. Working—"
Then, he sat on the floor in front of Kazuna, opening the kit. Antiseptic. Gauze. Bandages. Things that looked too clean for hands that had just been running through alleyways.
"...This might sting," he said, soaking a cotton pad with antiseptic.
Kazuna didn't answer. She just sat there, watching him.
He reached up slowly—carefully—touching the pad to the wound on her forehead. She inhaled sharply but didn't pull away.
"I told you not to get hurt," he said quietly.
"You told me to be careful. Different things."
A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. "You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
He kept cleaning the wound, his movements surprisingly gentle. Up close, she could see his hands were shaking. Just slightly. Like he was holding something back.
"You're shaking," she said.
He didn't look down. "Yeah, well. You got hit with a metal bat. Forgive me for being a little on edge."
"That's not—"
"I thought I lost you." His voice dropped. "When the van drove off. I couldn't—" He stopped, pressing the gauze against her forehead a little harder than necessary.
"Doesn't matter. It's over."
It wasn't over. They both knew it.
From the doorway, Itsuki finally spoke. "Kazuna..."
She turned her head. The boy looked smaller somehow, standing there with his bruised knuckles and hollow eyes.
"That man. Uhm..." He hesitated. "What the things had he told you...?"
The room went quiet.
Riku leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching. Tanaka's hands paused mid-motion.
Kazuna stared at the floor. The question sat in her chest like a stone.
"I..." she taken it back. "He's just a crazy guy, trying to convince me having the drugs..."
"...Any information? Maybe about Rei?" Tanaka said.
She shakes her head slowly, "Unfortunately, no..."
A beat of silence.
The atmosphere fell into hopeless, drowned in silent despair.
Then, Tanaka finished wrapping the bandage around her forehead, his fingers lingering for a moment before pulling away.
"Does that mean we're..."
"No," Kazuna cuts Itsuki's words. Right after that she takes out her camera.
The evidence.
It felt like it's the final hope.
"I almost forgot about that..." Tanaka said.
Riku steps closer, "Can I?" Then Kazuna handed him the camera.
The three of them silently watching onto the recording, side by side. Not gonna lie they looked cute like that.
But then, the realization hits.
If she stayed silent, that means the truth will be kept hidden. Kazuna's jaw tightened. She wanted to tell them it was nothing. That she might know something. The thing that she only knew about.
And Ravel's voice was still in her head. Echoing. She's innocent. She knows nothing about this.
Or is she...?
But even though if she did... nothing's gonna change, because there was nothing to do with it, and it should've not include them with this.
Tanaka... his eyes lingered on her for a moment, maybe longer than usual. But he didn't want push further.
"This recording, is enough for what we needed," Riku said. "We could've just give this to the police and let them do the work, and we just need to act like a normal teenager."
Right, the only answer now is being careful.
"Okay," he said. "Then we'll do it together."
Itsuki stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "What that man did to you—to us—" His voice shook, but his eyes were steady. "I'm not going to just forget it. Whatever he's planning, whatever he wants... I want to stop him."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Itsuki—"
"He took Kazuna. He almost—" The boy's voice cracked. He swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "I'm not running away this time."
Tanaka looked at Kazuna. "What about you?"
She touched the bandage on her forehead, feeling the warmth of her own skin beneath it. Ravel's words echoed in her chest.
A lamb behind the thick wolf furs.
Maybe that's what she was. Pretending to be something she wasn't.
But maybe—just maybe—she didn't have to pretend alone.
"Ravel," she said quietly.
Tanaka frowned. "What?"
"That's his name. The man with the gold tooth." She looked up, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "He said it before he left. Like he wanted me to know."
She paused, something cold settling in her stomach.
"...Like he wanted me to come back—" That's what in her mind right now. And she couldn't quite stop thinking about it.
Tanaka noticed that look, that quietness. And he immediately understand that look.
"Okay, now—no more careless actions, or anything else that could harm people and ourselves," He looked at everyone else, just to make sure.
Riku shot him a look. "Since when you're the leader?"
"It doesn't matter—for now, that we need to ensure everyone else's safety. Acts like our age, and do it slowly."
The three of them actively agrees on the statement. Kazuna just keep it low, just enough her presence.
Well, maybe they thought they were ready.
They weren't.