When he reached the plaza, it was already dazzling with lights. The prisoners' voices brimmed with passion, their enthusiasm and joy filling the entire prison with vitality.
Suddenly, rock music blasted through the air.
"Teri Teri!" "Teri Teri!" "I'll Teri Teri you away!"
A group of frenzied prisoners surrounded the stage, clapping out the beat.
"Teri Teri, hey!"
"Teri Teri, hey!"
"Teri Teri, hey!"
Squeezing into the crowd, Kosma nervously pressed himself between bodies, careful not to draw the attention of whoever was on stage.
His gaze locked onto it.
The prisoners performing were dressed in exotic costumes, like characters who had stepped straight out of a two-dimensional world.
At the very center stood a muscular man in pink gothic idol attire, wearing sunglasses. He sang, danced, rapped, and made finger-heart gestures, shouting in a tone so saccharine it raised goosebumps—yet somehow chilling at the same time:
"The magic of a burning heart—Teri Teri..."
The scene shattered Kosma's vision on the spot. The visual pollution was simply too intense, severely traumatizing his young mind.
Taking advantage of everyone being gathered in the plaza, Kosma quietly shifted backward, preparing to slip away.
Unfortunately, he was spotted by the supervising girl who was handing out what looked like "church uniforms."
The girl frowned and examined Kosma carefully with a measuring gesture. "Hm? You're not a prisoner."
Kosma's heart tightened. He thought he had been exposed and was just about to fight his way out, but the supervising girl simply put her hands on her hips and made a shooing motion.
"How many times have I said it? Kids aren't allowed to play at dangerous construction sites like this. And seeing that kind of... performance is extremely bad for your physical and mental health."
"..."
Kosma didn't know how to respond.
She wasn't going to arrest me even though I know about Godfather's conspiracy?
Was she, like me, an undercover infiltrator inside the prison?
Was she warning nearby children to stay away to prevent innocent people from getting involved?
The boy who was willing to risk his life sneaking into prison for the sake of protecting the orphanage suddenly revealed an unexpected weakness.
After all, he was skilled at fighting, killing, and stealth assassinations—but being treated as a child by the enemy was a first.
Especially by a pretty, well-endowed older sister. Until he figured out her true identity, attacking rashly would not be wise.
Seeing the boy fall into confusion, Vill-V mistook it for him being lost. She sighed, brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and in the gentle tone of a kind older sister said, "Come on. Where are your parents? I'll take you to find them."
No. She could be pretending to be friendly to lower my guard. Anyone around Godfather is bound to be despicable!
"Bad woman, back! Back! Back!" Kosma shoved her with all his strength.
"Hey—what are you doing..."
Caught off guard, Vill-V staggered and nearly fell to the ground. Fortunately, a hovering module steadied her.
Who would have thought this brat would be so mischievous? He pushed without any warning at all.
Thud. A book fell from her body.
"This is..."
Kosma picked it up. On the cover was a magical girl with donkey ears, dressed exactly like that Godfather. Below it were the large printed word: Teri.
"Ah, no! That's The Radiant Light Magical Girl Teriri's Manuscript from the Otherworld, Shining Like Countless Stars!"
"The World's Cutest Teriri Demon-Subjugation Record!" the girl cried out in panic.
"Give it back! Children absolutely cannot read that! If you read it, terrible things will happen!"
Seeing the supervising girl reach out anxiously to snatch the book back, Kosma instantly realized how important it must be.
Sure enough—this person was one of Godfather's trusted aides, holding his secrets.
This book—The Radiant Light Magical Girl Teriri's Manuscript from the Otherworld, Shining Like Countless Stars—must contain all of Godfather's conspiracies and utterly evil plans. He absolutely could not return it!
With that thought, Kosma decisively stuffed the book into his jacket, fired his grappling gun at the high wall, and swiftly escaped the supervising girl—who was still explaining how dangerous the Teriri spell was—before vaulting over the prison wall and fleeing.
Watching Kosma leap over the prison wall in one smooth, flowing motion, Vill-V blurted out in shock, "What the hell? Are kids' toys these days this outrageous?!"
...
On a moonless, wind-swept night, atop a Chicago skyscraper, a knight cloaked in shadow stood in silhouette, his outline flickering like a phantom. The wind howled, his cape snapping like dark wings.
His eyes gleamed coldly as he examined the manuscript that recorded Teriri's sins.
"Hah... I finally found it. Godfather's earth-shattering secret must be hidden within this forbidden book!"
"Let me see what kind of evil plan Godfather has devised."
Kosma pressed his hand against the book's cover, about to pry open this Pandora's box—
Suddenly, a warrior's instinct alerted him to a dangerous presence behind him.
"Little friend... Teriri's blessing is very dangerous. Hurry, give it back to me."
Kosma turned his head.
It was the supervising girl.
This was the rooftop of a twenty-story building. Without a grappling gun or gecko shoes, how had she caught up so quickly?
"No!" Kosma quickly hid the book behind his back, pretending to throw a childish tantrum.
Of course, he knew acting like a child was useless. The wicked woman before him was a bloodthirsty fiend who spared neither young nor old.
In truth, Kosma was buying time, secretly opening his equipment toolkit behind him.
Vill-V approached with a cheerful smile. "Be good and listen—hm? Wait... your appearance... Could it be Shadow ★ Shine?"
Vill-V had never intended to deal with Kosma in advance. She wasn't running a daycare center, after all—she wasn't about to take responsibility for every child she saw. Although Kosma was also a Flame-Chaser, she wasn't particularly interested. If he had been a cute girl, perhaps she would have considered it. But a bratty boy? Hard pass. Maybe after he'd gone through Kevin's education, she'd take a little interest.
Still, Vill-V wasn't completely unfamiliar with him. She had seen plenty of videos about Kosma online before, which was why she recognized him now.
Hearing her words, Kosma closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if swallowing the surrounding darkness and turning it into the power surging within him.
He bent his knees slightly and slowly extended his right hand, clenching his fist as though grasping the strength of the night itself.
He moved his left hand from his chest down to his waist, while his right hand shifted from his brow to his heart, as if injecting the power of darkness into it.
Next, he raised his left palm upward and pressed his right fist tightly against it, like a prayerful devotee.
Then he slowly lifted his head. His tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, shining with a frigid light.
In that instant, the darkness itself seemed to part before him. His gaze pierced through the endless night, aimed straight at the stars glittering in the sky.
He suddenly spread his arms wide, his cape unfurling like wings of shadow.
In a firm, low voice, he solemnly recited his resounding declaration:
"I am the shadow crawling through the gloom, the lightning that rends the night."
"I am the hunter lurking beneath the curtain of darkness, the invisible claw that strikes fear into evildoers."
"I am a hero—the radiant star within the pitch-black void—casting the light of justice upon this land shrouded in darkness."
"Shadow ★ Shine, appear!"