S-2876 • L3 Sintoluna • D18 Libesi
"Sintoluna refines sky and path. Libesi releases the thread now ripe. The tide draws a silver curve. The story moves forward, steady in living rhythm."
Kurokawa.
A district on the edge of Kurayami no Sora.
A labyrinth of narrow streets.
Bound in a shadowed embrace.
Worn buildings displayed faded murals.
Old signs whispered forgotten stories.
Electric tension ran along the sidewalks.
Bars.
Brothels.
Neon lights flickered in lime green, magenta, amber.
They lured passersby.
Electronic music pulsed.
Heavy rock roared.
Alternative pop murmured.
Smoke, alcohol, and street food saturated the air.
Inoue sent Hikaru away.
He wanted time alone.
The nanoengineer brought Tanu along.
The robot grumbled endlessly.
"That old man too… always wanting his 'precious solitude.'
To hell with him. Another idiot."
Hikaru looked up at the sky.
The moon illuminated a frozen emptiness in the night.
Cold like Chiyo's gaze when she left him behind.
Why had he thought of her now?
Did she think of him before she…?
He stopped the thought.
He preferred not knowing the answer.
He stepped into an alley.
Eight gokudō waited.
No.
More.
Hundreds scattered across the surrounding buildings.
"Finally we're going to catch you, osuinu."
One laughed, revealing rotten teeth.
"Idiot. Do you know the trouble you've dragged us into?"
Tanu's eyes glowed red.
He advanced.
Components reconfigured.
His legs expanded.
Energy laser cannons unfolded.
"Baka, baka, baka!
MASTER IDIOT!
WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN US INTO?!
HE'S AN IDIOT,
BUT HE'S MY MASTER!
STAY AWAY FROM MY MASTER!!!"
Reinforced armor rose around his torso.
Nanoplates aligned.
His lenses darkened.
Targeting systems activated.
Combat drones slid from his back.
A spectacle of spinning gears.
Pulsing lights.
A war machine.
Then—
Disabled.
An electromagnetic shot cut through the air.
It struck the core.
Tanu froze.
Lights flickered frantically.
He collapsed.
His metal body retracting as it fell.
Returning to his original form.
Raccoon-dog.
"We prepared for that robot of yours, idiot.
Can't wait to try you out."
Hikaru drew his katana.
A dart struck his neck.
Darkness.
A wave of heat ran across his skin.
Every touch—fire.
His skin burned.
He shivered at the slightest contact.
His senses sharpened.
Intoxicating scents.
Vivid colors.
Seductive resonant sounds.
His heart pounded.
A primordial war raged in his chest.
Insatiable desires haunted his mind.
Provocative thoughts.
Euphoria.
Vulnerability.
Every emotion exposed.
Hikaru felt alive.
Intensely connected.
Chikushō.
He slowly opened his eyes.
A room.
Dim lights.
The bastards' laughter filled his ears.
He tried to move.
His arms and legs were tied.
His kimono hung loosely at his waist.
Skin exposed.
Tattoos revealed.
Across his back — a towering dragon.
Dark scales.
Piercing eyes.
Along his spine — stylized cats.
Cherry blossoms.
Waves.
A feline coiled around his heart.
Draconic patterns branched across his chest.
Forearms.
"We're just getting started, pretty boy," a sticky whisper brushed his ear.
Disgust and arousal poisoned his senses.
What had they done?
Why was his body betraying his mind?
"Kore nan da kuso?!
DA KORE KUSO?!"
Someone shouted.
"What the hell is this?!
DAMN IT, WHAT IS THIS?!"
Fury exploded.
Flashes of blood across the floor.
A limb was thrown through the window.
The man on top of Hikaru turned.
"What are you doing, Riko?"
A silver-finished android rushed him.
He had no time to defend himself.
The force pushed him back.
Glass shattered.
They both fell through the window.
Hikaru opened his eyes wider.
An intense aura surrounded him.
A man entered.
Hooded.
Long black coat.
He inhaled slowly.
Closed the door gently.
Slow steps through the pool of blood.
A tongue click echoed in the air.
Sliding through Hikaru's ears.
He placed his hands on the arms of the chair.
Leaned over him.
His citrus scent flooded Hikaru's senses with a strangely welcoming symphony.
It smelled far better than the nauseating filth of the others.
The hooded figure brushed a soft tongue along the nanoengineer's neck.
Tasting something like bitter chocolate.
"They gave you Erosen.
I hear it lasts ten hours."
His voice was hoarse.
Enveloping.
Resonant.
Hikaru's body reacted instantly.
Every hair from head to toe rose.
A soft moan escaped him.
Damn.
He hadn't meant to.
Rough fingers.
The cold metal of rings.
They lifted his face to meet theirs.
Amber eyes gleamed beneath the hood.
Devouring the nanoengineer.
The smile promised danger.
The gaze — pure debauchery.
Curious.
For the first time, he plunged into someone's eyes.
Into a soul.
Who truly was this nanoengineer?
All he saw there was fear.
Something that did not particularly amuse him.
Of course, he would never deny such a delicious sight before him.
He didn't even need to touch him.
The kitten twisted on his own.
The nanoengineer exhaled a scent of bamboo and metal.
The burning sensation only intensified it.
It penetrated deep within him.
He had never felt anything like it.
He dragged a chair closer.
Sat before Hikaru.
Lowered the hood.
Wavy strands fell over his forehead.
His hair — half dark brown, half white.
The same colors mixed in his lashes.
His eyebrows.
Bronzed skin.
He rested an elbow on the chair.
Legs spread.
Fingers brushing his smiling lips.
Golden eyes heavy with provocation.
Kuso.
Who was this man?
That gaze sent electric currents racing down his spine.
Resisting proved useless.
The pleasure returned with every second.
Bound to the chair, he twisted.
The voluptuous waves of Erosen devoured him.
Hot sweat.
Ragged breathing.
Hours dragged on.
The man feasted on the sight of Hikaru.
Hikaru resisted the erotic effects.
He wanted to sleep.
In vain.
That overwhelming presence.
Perverse.
Challenging.
Arousing.
Repelling.
Attracting.
Terrifying.
Fascinating.
Eleven hours later
The nanoengineer collapsed.
Exhausted.