The standoff didn't last long.
Sakamoto broke first, his face twisting in frustration. Spitting on the ground, he jerked his chin at his crew.
"Let's go!"
At his signal, the thugs dispersed as if the chaos never happened, slipping away quietly. Akagami called after Sakamoto's retreating back.
"Don't get cocky, Sakamoto. Think hard about what it means to cross us."
His voice, stripped of its usual playfulness, carried a steely edge. Sakamoto glanced back, muttering under his breath.
"Damn… Reaper…"
(Reaper? He's…) Miyuki thought, staring at Akagami from under his hood. He didn't know what Reaper meant, but the police despised it, and Sakamoto's crew feared it. It likely held sway in the Prison City.
Should he get involved? The answer was a clear no.
Left behind were Miyuki, his three cellmates from Yomotsu Hirasaka, and the Reaper duo, Akagami and Shiro. Inaba, Kawahara, and Kyuto seemed baffled by the thugs' sudden retreat.
"Who… are you!?" Kawahara demanded of Akagami.
"Don't worry about it. Just passing through," Akagami replied with a wink and a grin, a stark contrast to the killing intent he'd shown Sakamoto.
"So… cool!" Kyuto gushed, likely drawn by their similar ages.
Miyuki, however, eyed Akagami coldly from beneath his hood. The thugs fled at his presence alone—he was no ordinary Ghost. He'd intervened, so he likely meant no harm, but that didn't make him an ally.
As he watched him, a piercing gaze hit him from the side. Turning, he locked eyes with Shiro.
(What…!)
Miyuki's heart skipped. Shiro's clear, curious eyes, unclouded by malice, reminded him of a Shiba Inu he'd once owned—eager, craving attention.
Flustered, Miyuki looked away, but too late. Shiro bounded over, asking innocently, "Why hide your face?"
"None of your business," Miyuki snapped, glaring with full force.
Shiro was likely a Ghost—her dog-like ears proof. Some Ghosts could morph body parts into beastly forms. Child or not, powerful Animus users were common, and kids' unstable powers could be deadlier.
"Stay back!" Miyuki barked, pushing her away.
Shiro didn't flinch. "Weird. You'd look better without it," she said, tugging at Miyuki's hood.
"Stop!" Miyuki swatted her hand, but the hood slipped off.
(Crap!)
Inaba and the others were one thing, but he didn't want Akagami memorizing his face. He scrambled to pull the hood back up, but Shiro peered up at him.
"See? Much better," Shiro said, beaming with a pure, guileless smile, her ears twitching.
Miyuki froze, unsure how to respond. He'd been wary, but Shiro showed no hostility—just the friendliness of greeting a new classmate, almost warm.
(But… she's a Ghost. A Ghost!)
Miyuki repeated it mentally, steeling himself. He knew too well the carnage of Ghost clashes. He couldn't let his guard down.
"Don't decide that for me!" he snapped, turning away.
Shiro, unfazed, kept smiling.
Kawahara, watching, finally snapped. "Hey, kid, what's with the attitude? Enough!"
Inaba chimed in, addressing Shiro. "Leave him be, miss. He's been like this since the ship."
Kyuto shrugged. "It's that age. I was like that in high school."
"Really? Or just a sulky loner?" Kawahara grumbled, looking annoyed. When Miyuki glared, he whistled, looking away. Shiro giggled, her laughter sweeping away the tension. It seemed to ease Inaba, Kawahara, and Kyuto, their faces softening.
Akagami, seizing the moment, spoke with his charming grin. "You're new to Tokyo, right? This area's safer, but watch out for types like those."
"Uh… yeah," Inaba replied, eyeing him warily.
Kyuto, less guarded, said, "Thing is, we don't even know our Animus. What do we do?"
"Go near the Wall," Akagami answered.
"The Kanto Great Outer Shell? Heard it's crawling with cops," Kawahara said, frowning.
"Exactly," Akagami replied. "More police means better security. They don't bother low-level Ghosts like you unless you're committing crimes."
Inaba and Kawahara nodded, understanding dawning.
"Makes sense…" Inaba muttered.
"Yeah, true," Kawahara agreed.
"Head back to the port—they'll guide you on finding work," Akagami added.
The three huddled, discussing their next steps.
Miyuki stayed out of it. He had no interest in joining them. His goals were his old home and school—he needed to confirm their state.
Inaba looked up. "Alright, back to the port, then to the Wall."
Their plan set, relief brightened their faces.
Kyuto hesitated, then asked Miyuki, "What about you?"
"I've got other places to go," he replied curtly.
The three exchanged glances but didn't press further.
"Take care, then," Kawahara said, surprising him.
"You too," Miyuki muttered, nodding.
"Thanks!" Kyuto called to Akagami, bowing. The three left, chatting as they went.
Miyuki stood alone as the chaotic scene fell silent.
"So…" Akagami turned to him, his tone shifting. "That explosion. Your doing?"
It took a moment, but he realized he meant the soccer ball blast that hit Sakamoto. He'd seen it. His smile didn't reach his eyes, which glinted coldly, probing.
(He knew!)
Regret surged. No matter how much he despised Sakamoto, using his Animus was reckless. He should've hidden his Ghost nature.
No point dwelling. He had to leave—now. Stepping back, he spun and sprinted away.
Akagami watched, bemused. "Hey, no need to freak out!"
"Ryusei, what now?" Shiro asked, ears twitching, itching to move.
Akagami sighed. "Alright, Shiro. Grab him."
"Yay!" Shiro darted off, leaping onto a crumbling house's roof and vanishing.
"She's too eager," Akagami muttered with a wry smile, heading toward the groaning officers.
Miyuki ran full tilt, no clue where he was. He just needed to escape those two.
"Did I… lose them?" he panted, slowing as his breath gave out. He'd covered ground through twisting alleys—surely they couldn't catch up.
Glancing back, he froze.
Shiro dropped from above.
Confusion hit—Shiro had tracked him via rooftops. Before Miyuki could react, Shiro landed on him, pinning him to the ground. The impact dazed him, consciousness fading.
"Hey! Don't sleep!" Shiro's voice echoed faintly. "Ryusei, what do I do? He's dead…!"
(I'm not dying here!)
He had things to do—he couldn't falter now. But his voice failed, and his consciousness slipped into deep darkness.