Parliament
Ryo Hoshino was leaning against the marble wall, his hands tucked casually in his pockets, when the quiet solemnity of the Parliament building was shattered.
"Where's the President! I need to talk to him now!" A furious businessman, his face blotchy with rage, stormed through the stately corridors, shouting disrespectfully toward the executive offices.
Ryo's lethal gaze followed the man as he strode toward the President's private door.
Ryo slowly turned his head, cracking his neck. He then cracked his knuckles, waiting for the man to close the distance.
A smile touched Ryo's lips as he suddenly stretched his leg, launching a kick high toward the man's face. It was a calculated miss, the sole of his boot never made contact, but the sheer force he channeled into the move launched a powerful energy wave that slammed into the man's face.
The businessman stumbled back, his features contorted in disbelief.
"What do you want?" Hoshino asked, his smile wide and unsettlingly pleasant.
The man froze, instantly understanding the sheer, devastating power behind that deliberate non-contact kick. 'That was just the air under his foot. What would an actual strike do?' he thought frantically.
"Well, I need to talk to the President!" he shouted again, attempting to regain control.
Hoshino shook his head, the smile faltering slightly. 'This man is utterly stupid,' he thought.
"Get lost!" the businessman yelled, directing the command at Hoshino, finally pushing Ryo's limited patience to its limit.
"Enough, man," Hoshino said, his voice flat. He snapped a powerful kick toward the man's neck. The blow instantly sent the man flying sideways, crashing through a nearby glass wall. His head slammed against the shattered edge, momentarily stabilized by the force of the impact before his body slumped.
Ryo pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Hello, send an ambulance to the Parliament. You'll find a rather stupid being lying on the ground. Take him away." He hung up abruptly, already walking. He had a mission. "I'm coming, Renji Kurozawa."
Kyoto: Kawaramachi Street
In a quiet corner of Kawaramachi Street, within a cozy spot called The Silent Brew Coffee Shop, Renji and Hikari were seated, sipping coffee. They were talking quietly with another man, a Hunter Hikari knew. Renji needed to stay in Kyoto for a few days to achieve his goal: clearing the four remaining Gates and growing stronger. To do that, he needed to join a local Guild.
Takayama, the Hunter, calmly and gently sipped his coffee, observing Renji over the rim of his cup. "An E-Rank Hunter, huh?"
"Is there a problem with that?" Renji asked, taking a smooth sip of his own cup.
"Well... No big deal, really. Every E-Rank Hunter's main role is to carry the loads," Takayama said with a light, patronizing smile.
Renji just watched the man closely. He didn't argue; he already had his own secret plans.
"Fine. Then I will join it tomorrow. Three hundred dollars, right?" Renji confirmed.
"Yeah. Deal."
Takayama stood up to exit the coffee shop, but the door suddenly burst open. Four masked men, clearly armed robbers, appeared, brandishing guns. Renji merely smiled, having sensed their presence minutes ago.
"Hey! Sit down!" one of the armed men shouted at Takayama. With guns pointed directly at him, Takayama had no choice but to sit back down.
Hikari's anger flared instantly. She jumped up, clenching her hands into tight fists.
"Hey, you f**king sons of a b*tch!"
The robbers instantly turned, glaring at the defiant girl. One of them raised his gun and fired a round.
Before the bullet could travel even half the distance to Hikari, Renji was standing in front of her. He caught the bullet with his bare hand.
"Silly. Where are your manners?" Renji said, remarkably, still holding his glass of coffee in the same hand.
This time, all four robbers raised their firearms, pointing them directly at Renji.
He simply smiled, his eyes scanning each man, calculating.
"Fine," he said calmly, finally setting his coffee cup down.
In the blink of an eye, the hands of all four robbers that held their guns were severed. Their hands dropped to the floor, spurting blood like ruptured streams.
"Aargh! My hand!" the men screamed in shock and agony.
They tried to run, but in another flash of Renji's blurry speed, their legs were also cut off, and they collapsed onto the floor in a sickening heap.
"Who is this guy?" Takayama muttered, his eyes wide and narrowing behind his spectacles. "Is he truly an E-Rank?"
When Takayama looked back, Renji was already sitting in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, calmly sipping his coffee as if nothing had happened.
All eyes in the coffee shop were wide with shock, mouths agape.
After Renji finished his coffee, he stood up, gave Takayama a slight look, and smiled faintly.
"Hikari, let's get going."
"And also, call the police to take these wastes from the shop," he added before walking out with Hikari, leaving everyone in The Silent Brew completely frozen in place.
That was a powerful display of Renji's new strength and cold demeanor!
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"Wow! How did you do that?" Hikari asked, her voice filled with incredulous awe as she gestured wildly, trying to mimic the impossible speed Renji had used at the coffee shop.
"Hahaha, you will become strong one day," Renji replied.
Hikari's smile instantly faded, and she clenched her hands into tight fists, the silent image of avenging her dead parents hardening her gaze.
"Why?" Renji asked, noticing the swift change in her expression.
Hikari's hands tightened further. She managed to force a small, practiced smile and walked ahead, dismissing Renji's question by simply saying it was nothing—she just missed her parents.
"Hmm, Mom, I hope you are doing well. One day I will see you again," Renji whispered silently to himself looking at the sky before following Hikari.
Renji rented a small house near the main street. He decided instantly that his new, immediate responsibility was taking care of Hikari.
When they entered the house, Hikari dropped onto the couch, feeling totally exhausted. Renji looked at her and knew it would be far too dangerous for her to constantly follow him. He made an immediate decision to enroll her in school.
"Hikari," Renji called out, sitting down on the cushion next to her.
"Yes?" she responded, sitting upright, ready to listen to what he had to say.
"Listen," he began.
"Okay."
"The thing is, you have to go to school. You can't follow me every day."
Hikari's head drooped, immediately saddened. All she wanted was to become a Hunter to avenge her parents' deaths, and this felt like a massive setback.
"Look," Renji continued, his voice soft but firm. "I know you want to become a Hunter, but you have to learn and graduate first. You're like a little sister to me now."
Hikari found she had nothing to say, but tears began to spill. She lunged forward, fiercely hugging Renji tight and crying into his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered, clinging to him.
"It's okay. Stop crying. Tomorrow I will take you there. And when you are back home and I'm not around, lock the doors," Renji said, hugging her back with the genuine warmth of an elder brother.
Hikari nodded slowly, already falling asleep against Renji's shoulder, utterly drained.
Renji gently carried her to her room and placed her carefully on the bed.
As he turned to leave, Hikari mumbled in her sleep, "I love you, brother."
Renji paused, a rare, tender smile gracing his lips. He covered her with the blanket and quietly exited the room.
The Next Morning
Hours passed, and it was now morning. Renji was sitting in the living room, staring silently into the small, electric fireplace.
Hikari came out, freshly bathed. "Good morning, Renji," she said, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist.
Renji spun his head to look at her, then instantly spun back away, his composure cracking slightly. "Oh, morning! Go and put your clothes on, and let's head to school."
Hikari happily jumped and ran off to change.
"Oh, gosh, I even forgot," Renji muttered under his breath. "Today I have to join that guild."
A short time later, Hikari emerged, looking gorgeous in her new clothes, as beautiful as always.
Renji couldn't retrieve his lost composure. He simply stared.
"Let's get going, brother," she chirped.
"Oh, okay," he managed to reply.
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Meanwhile, far away, near the bus station that connected Tokyo to Kyoto, Ryo Hoshino stood, smiling, his hands pocketed.
"Ha! Welcome to Kyoto," he said, deeply inhaling the city air. "Hahaha. Renji Kurozawa, wait for me."