A cold breeze swept through the city as the pale moonlight slipped into the hospital's treatment hall.
The doctor observed Takeshi's hands—his left, previously stabbed by a thief, and his right hand and wrist, freshly injured by Shido.
The doctor grabbed Takeshi's right hand and moved it suddenly.
"Does this hurt?"
he asked, though Takeshi's expression alone made the pain obvious.
On the other side, Loren sat on a chair observing the situation, and beside her Koji stood with hesitation before saying:
"Excuse me, I'll be right back!"
He moved away and left the room.
The doctor headed toward a shelf full of medical items on his right and pulled out a strange hollow cube-shaped device, large enough for an entire arm to fit inside. Inside the upper part was a green crystal.
He placed the device on the table, its opening facing Takeshi.
"Put your hand inside."
As soon as Takeshi placed his hands inside, the crystal lit up with a bright green glow. The doctor quickly connected the device to another machine resembling a printer, which produced a sheet showing Takeshi's bones and other details.
He grabbed the page and said:
"This is truly strange… There are signs of a recent knife puncture in your left hand, but the injury seems almost healed. However, your right wrist has a slight fracture…"
The doctor set a splint on Takeshi's right hand, then pulled out a paper from his desk containing various details: the patient's name, the doctor's name, the treatment, and the cost. He handed it to Takeshi, who froze in shock after reading the price.
"Three gold coins…"
In one of the hospital's patient rooms, the room was filled with stuffed toys and artificial flowers. At its center was a medium-sized bed with a chair beside it. Lying under the blanket was a young girl with short brown hair and small eyes full of gentleness.
She stared at the ceiling with a gloomy expression until the door slowly opened, drawing her gaze.
"I'm back, Hana!"
It was Koji, wearing a genuine, soft smile. Hana's gloomy face transformed into a bright smile and a sparkle lit her eyes.
"Brother!!"
Hana couldn't get up, but Koji hurried to her and embraced her.
"Sorry… I couldn't bring you a gift today…"
He sat on the chair beside the bed. She replied with a wide smile:
"There's no need for gifts. You coming here is the best gift I could ever receive!"
Behind Koji's optimistic expression, his mind was drowning in heavy thoughts.
'What am I supposed to do if we succeed in taking down the gang? I'll be broke and unable to help my sister or fight her illness unless I resort to stealing… And if we fail… we'll be executed without mercy… tortured until we die…'
Visiting hours came to an end. Before Koji left the room, his sister told him with a cheerful voice:
"Once I recover, we'll go hunting again, brother!"
Koji barely held back the tear forming in his eyes. He bit his lip and said:
"I'll come back soon… and I'll bring you a big gift…"
Koji left and closed the door behind him as the many options he once had—each relying on risk—began disappearing from his mind…
"Koooji!!"
Takeshi and Loren were in the same hallway. They walked toward him, and Koji quickly wiped the lingering tear from his eye.
"Takeshi, did you finish the examination?"
Takeshi raised his right hand once he stood in front of Koji.
"There's just a light fracture, nothing painful—"
Loren pressed hard on Takeshi's splint, sending a sharp jolt of pain through it. Takeshi gritted his teeth and pulled his hand back.
"What are you doing?!"
Loren replied with a faint smile.
"Sorry—"
Koji interrupted them, his face full of confusion.
"I know this sounds rude, but… how do you two know each other?"
Loren tapped Takeshi's chest and said with a wide grin that nearly split her face:
"I grew up with this idiot for years. But fate separated us four years ago."
Takeshi cut in:
"You mean four years, ten months, two weeks, and one day… ugh… even after all that time, I still can't forget your stupidity—"
Loren responded sharply, still smiling:
"Don't forget you're the main reason I abandoned my dream of finding a cure for all diseases… because your stupidity has no cure."
Takeshi didn't get the chance to respond, as Koji cut in:
"Sorry, Takeshi… I need you for a moment."
After paying for the treatment, Koji pulled Takeshi aside into an empty corridor.
"I'm sorry…"
Koji spoke with his head lowered, his body drenched in sweat.
Takeshi looked confused and asked:
"What do you mean, sorry?"
Koji bit his lip, shut his eyes, and said in distress:
"I can't continue with you in the plan to bring down the King's Skull gang!!"
He raised his head, tears mixing with the sweat sliding down his forehead.
"I'm scared… that's the reason."
Takeshi patted Koji's shoulder.
"I know. You're afraid—afraid for your little sister's life."
Koji was shocked by Takeshi's intuition, but it didn't hide the fact that he was also afraid for his own life. He said:
"I can't tell you where our hideout is right now… but you can interrogate our members. If you find five thieves working together, then it's very likely they're part of our gang!"
Takeshi turned his back to leave, raising his hand with a smirk.
"Thanks, Koji. I'll try to forget your name—and you'll become my enemy. So be ready for what's coming!"
As soon as Takeshi left, Koji leaned against the wall and collapsed to the floor.
"I'm a coward! That's all I can say!! But… when I see her smile, I can't risk her life for a plan like this!"
He turned his head toward a nearby window, gazing at the twinkling stars as his eyes slowly overflowed.
At that same moment, traders were closing their carts and shops as they prepared to sleep—including the young merchant, Sota.
He hid his goods inside his small cart and pulled a few silver coins from his pocket, saying in deep frustration:
"This is everything I earned today? I'm such a failure—"
"Help me!"
He stopped scolding himself when a cry for help reached his ears. He turned to see what was happening.
Usually, he would hear merchants yelling after a thief, but this time he saw five people in white robes lying on the ground, blood scattered around them, unable to move. One of them struggled to scream for help.
"Help… me!!"
Sota hid behind his cart in fear, whispering faintly:
"What's going on…?"
In the middle of them stood a man wearing pale dark clothes, holding a bloodstained sword that resembled Takeshi's. His expression was pale and grim, his hair black and messy, and his deep eyes pitch-black as well.
The trembling injured man shifted his gaze toward him and said:
"You… you're a monster—"
With a single swing, the man finished him off. He stepped on the corpse and continued walking with heavy steps slicing through the silence as he sheathed his blade.
"I'm not a monster… I am Renzako!"