The next day, a new mission was planned.
This time, the target was a lightly escorted weapons transport truck.
The plan was risky, but rewarding.
Once again, Yuhida played the role of the bait — the lost young woman, kneeling in the dust.
And once again, it worked.
The weapons were recovered, the driver tied up.
Juty, laughing, threw the crates into the stolen truck:
— "We're geniuses! Those idiots didn't see it coming!"
Another replied:
— "At this rate, we'll have a mansion in three months, hahaha!"
But Yuhida still did not laugh.
Her eyes seemed to search for someone among them. Someone who probably would never come back.
Juty approached, looking suspicious.
— "Hey, kid, you okay? You haven't said a word since yesterday. We won, damn it!"
She blinked, coming out of her thoughts:
— "Yes... yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Juty stared at her for a moment.
Something in her had changed.
She was no longer that lively and cynical girl he had raised.
Her once hard gaze now seemed tinged with a sadness he couldn't understand.
He sighed, shrugged, and went back to the others.
The third hit was supposed to be the most profitable.
An isolated house belonging to a wealthy collector.
Few guards, no dogs. A dream.
Yuhida was posted outside, tasked with watching the surroundings.
The night was calm, only disturbed by the wind and the sounds of the latch being forced inside.
But she no longer heard anything.
Her gaze was empty, turned toward the stars.
She remembered Bakuzan's calm face, his deep voice, his strangely delicate gestures.
She saw herself again in the living room, her hand cared for by that violet mana...
She shivered.
Then a roar of an engine tore her from her thoughts.
A blinding blue light.
— "Police! Don't move!"
The screech of sirens shattered the night.
Yuhida took a second to grasp what was happening. Just one second — and everything collapsed.
Cries erupted inside, the sound of breaking glass, boots hitting the floor.
Juty and his gang burst out, running with all their strength.
But two of them were thrown to the ground before reaching the fence.
— "Damn! Yuhida! You were supposed to watch!" Juty yelled, anger choking his throat.
But she, petrified, only managed to step back, eyes wide open.
Panic took over. She turned on her heels and fled into the darkness.
She ran without knowing where, heart pounding to breaking, tears in her eyes.
The screams faded behind her, swallowed by chaos.
When she finally arrived at her home, her legs trembled.
She collapsed against the door, gasping, breath short.
And only then, she cried.
For a long time.
From shame, fear, and regret.
She had ruined everything for the first time.
The next evening, someone banged violently at her door.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She startled.
— "Yuhida! Open up!"
It was Juty.
She hesitated, then opened, eyes red.
Juty entered like a storm, followed by two survivors from the gang.
He clenched his jaw, his gaze black.
— "Do you realize what you've done?! Because of you, four of ours are in jail!"
Yuhida stepped back, sobbing:
— "I... I'm sorry! I didn't see the police coming, I... I was distracted!"
— "Distracted?!" he yelled.
He hit the table with his fist, making her jump.
— "You've been weird for a while, Yuhida! Always daydreaming, always elsewhere! Have you lost your mind or what?!"
She shook her head, unable to speak, tears streaming down her cheeks.
— "I... I feel guilty, Juty... I swear I didn't mean to... I can make up for it, I'll do better next time, please!"
But Juty cut her short.
His look no longer expressed anger, only cold disappointment.
— "No. You had your chance. You're out of the game. From now on, you stay here. You don't get near our missions anymore."
— "Juty... no... I beg you," she sobbed, almost kneeling.
But he turned away, signaling the others to leave.
Before crossing the door, he said in a cold voice:
— "Rest up, Yuhida. Maybe one day you'll understand where you screwed up."
The door slammed shut.
Silence fell like a wall.
Yuhida remained alone, kneeling on the cold floor, fists clenched, breath trembling.
Her tears flowed endlessly.
She had no more gang. No more role.
And the one whose memory haunted her heart...
was no longer there either.
She lifted her head to the window, the moon faintly lighting her face.
— "Bakuzan... where are you...?"
And for the first time in a long time, she felt she had lost everything — except him, in her memory.
Yuhida cried all night long. Her sobs exhausted themselves naturally, leaving only a heavy and burning void behind her swollen eyelids.
When morning came, she laid there for a long time, unable to get up. Every thought reminded her of her fault, and with it, the fear that Juty would never trust her again.
In this trade, a mistake wasn't just a slip-up: it was a betrayal. And betrayal always came at a high price.
She sighed, slowly sat up. There was nothing left to cry about. Her mind whispered to go beg Juty for forgiveness... but another voice, colder, dissuaded her.
So she stayed home.
The day passed, heavy, without sound, without warmth, without light — just silence.
Night fell, and the rain began to fall with an almost supernatural violence. Thick droplets like steel pearls hammered the ground, drawing liquid craters under the sky's fury.
Yuhida wrapped herself in her blanket, eyes empty. Thunder rumbled — Bam! — a lightning split the night, and the room plunged into total darkness.
For a brief moment, she stayed motionless... then got up, groped in the dark, and lit an oil lamp. The flame flickered, like her fingers.
Suddenly, a shiver ran through her.
A premonition. A presence.
Something outside was calling her, irresistibly.
She opened the door.
And her heart stopped.
In the deluge, a colossal dragon stood. A moving, scaly shadow, whose red eyes pierced the night like two fiery abysses. Nihlorgue.
And before it, standing in the rain, was Bakuzan — arm raised, as if he had just ordered the sky to be silent.
Yuhida was frozen. Her legs trembled, her breath caught.
Should she run to him? Or flee this impossible vision?
Bakuzan... The one who had left without a word, the one she had searched for in every dream for weeks.
But also the one whose gaze now seemed heavier than the storm.
Was he still the man she had known... or something older, something more terrible?
Emotions overwhelmed her.
She crossed the threshold, slipping on the wet floor, and shouted through the thunder:
— Bakuzan!!!
The dragon turned its head, its scarlet eyes pierced her, and Bakuzan slowly raised his gaze toward her.
Their eyes met. And it was as if the whole world had stopped.
Yuhida fell to her knees, splashed by rain and fear.
She wanted to speak, but no sound came out.
Then Bakuzan lowered his hand.
The dragon vanished in a breath of shadow, as if it had never existed. Then Bakuzan stepped forward, step by step, under the storm.
Each step echoed in the water, each thunderclap revealed his scars, his skin marked by old battles, and his gaze... that gaze heavy with memories and a silence even the rain could not wash away.
Yuhida trembled.
She didn't know if he had come to protect her... or to finish her off.
The rain still fell, heavy and gray, pounding the ground like a sad melody.
Bakuzan slowly approached her, each step splashing in the puddle at his feet. The shadow of the dragon had already disappeared, leaving only the echo of its presence in the mana-thick air.
In a calm, almost soft voice, he said:
— What are you doing outside, Yuhida? You're going to catch a cold...
The sound of his voice abruptly brought her back to reality. Her eyes widened, tears mixing with the rain on her face. It was really him. Still the same distant but strangely kind gaze, that reassuring presence that never judged.
She suddenly jumped to him, throwing herself into his arms.
— Where had you gone?! You... you disappeared without warning! I couldn't understand anything...
Her words broke between sobs. Bakuzan didn't answer right away. He only felt the distress in her arms, the trembling warmth of someone who had carried too much alone. He slowly placed a hand on her head, brushing her dripping hair.
— I had something to finish, he murmured.
She held him even tighter, forehead against his chest.
— You're done, right? Tell me it's over, please...
A slight silence, then the answer, calm, almost soothing:
— Yes... for now, it's over. Come on, let's go inside. You'll get sick if you stay out here.
She nodded, unable to speak. As they walked toward the house, Bakuzan noticed her scraped elbows, barely healed. Fresh marks, probably from her fall in the mud.
He raised his hand. A purple mist formed above his fingers, wrapping around the wounds. Yuhida's skin shivered — a soft, almost living warmth spread inside her. The pain disappeared, replaced by a strange feeling of inner calm, as if Bakuzan's mana had touched her very soul.
When they went inside, the electricity had just been restored. The pale light of the living room chased away shadows and the pounding rain outside.
Bakuzan sat on the couch, wringing some of his wet hair, while Yuhida stared at him, arms crossed but heart beating too hard.
She finally broke the silence, with a slightly trembling voice:
— It's strange... You weren't always here, and yet... I missed you so much. It's ridiculous, isn't it?
Bakuzan slowly lifted his head toward her. His black eyes shone under the ceiling light. He gave a faint smile.
— If I understand correctly... that means I really have no reason to leave here anymore, right?
Yuhida felt her heart tighten. She looked away, embarrassed by the quiet sincerity of his words.
The rain kept falling outside, but in the little house, the air suddenly seemed warmer, calmer — as if Bakuzan's return had restored some balance she no longer knew she had lost.