Miyu's Room
Itsuki sits beside her bed, his head slightly bowed, one hand holding hers. His thumb moves slowly across her pale fingers, tracing the faint warmth that still lingers there. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor fills the silence between his breaths.
Across the room, Miri and Aya are seated near the window. Aya's tone is soft but warm, asking small questions, trying to know Miri better. They talk about simple things school, food, anything that doesn't sound heavy. Miri smiles faintly, still shaken from earlier but grateful for the distraction.
Ken stands quietly against the wall, his arms crossed, pretending not to listen but his eyes keep drifting toward Miri. The way she tucks her hair behind her ear when she laughs, the way her smile fades when she glances at Miyu's still form.
Itsuki doesn't look at anyone. He just keeps his hand over Miyu's, whispering something too low for anyone else to hear.
The door opens and Hayato walks in with Nifumi right behind him, chewing on something like he'd just stolen a snack from the vending machine.
Hayato looks around and says calmly, "Everything's ready. Let's go."
Nifumi waves at Miri like a little kid, "Yo, Miri-chan~" he says with a grin. She sighs but waves back.
Itsuki stands up from his chair, still holding Miyu's hand for a moment longer before letting go. "Thanks, Hayato… for doing all this," he says quietly.
Hayato's about to respond when Nifumi steps in with a smug grin. "Well, isn't it a parent's duty to look after their kid? You're his child, right? Obviously, he'll do anything for you ain't that right, brother?"
Hayato gives a faint, awkward smile. "Yeah… something like that."
Itsuki's eyes widen slightly, his face turning red as he looks away, mumbling, "Shut up, Nifumi…"
Miri stands up, folding her arms. "Totally correct. I mean, technically, Hayato is his father."
Hayato freezes for a second, then scratches the back of his neck. "Ah—uh—the ambulance is ready! We should, uh, get going before they start charging extra."
Nifumi bursts out laughing while Itsuki hides his face, trying not to show how flustered he is. Aya giggles quietly, and even Ken cracks a small grin from the corner.
The scene opens outside a lavish white-and-rose-colored mansion, its walls gleaming softly under the afternoon sun. The garden is lined with trimmed hedges and cherry blossom trees, petals fluttering across the marble steps like something out of a memory.
Hayato stands beside a black car, arms folded, leaning against the door quietly as a soft breeze brushes through his hair.
The butler, dressed immaculately, steps out of the main entrance and bows slightly. "It's nice to see you again, sir."
Hayato nods. "Have the doctors arrived?"
"Yes, sir. They're setting up the medical equipment as instructed."
"Good. Give them the room close to where we'll keep Miyu. Everyone else can pick their own rooms."
The butler bows again. "Understood, sir."
Moments later, the ambulance pulls in through the gate, followed by Nifumi's car. The doctors step out, carefully moving Miyu on a stretcher inside. Itsuki and Ken follow close behind, faces tense but silent.
Nifumi parks right behind the ambulance. Miri's eyes go wide as she steps out, gazing up at the enormous mansion. "Woah… you were living in that old dump when you had this palace?"
Aya smiles faintly, equally amazed, while Nifumi shoots Hayato a quick glance but doesn't say anything.
"Why don't we check on Miyu-chan?" Nifumi suggests casually to Miri and Aya. Hayato nods silently and follows them inside.
A few minutes later, Miyu is settled into a sunlit room on the second floor. The doctors adjust her machines and quietly assure Hayato that she's stable. Everyone else waits outside in the hallway, the air heavy but calm.
Itsuki and Miri wander a little, stopping in front of a large framed photo a younger Hayato, smiling with a girl who looks bright and full of life.
Miri tilts her head. "Is she your girlfriend?"
Hayato's expression changes for a brief moment. His gaze lingers on the photo, then he turns away silently and walks upstairs without a word.
Miri looks down. "Did i… ask something wrong?"
Nifumi lets out a quiet laugh, though his eyes are heavy. "That girl's name is Hinata. She was Hayato's wife. This house… it was her choice."
He pauses, voice softening. "But she's long gone now."
Itsuki frowns, confused. "So… she left him?"
Nifumi turns his back to them, his tone barely above a whisper. "Yeah… something like that."
Miri's eyes narrow. She studies his face. "…She's dead, isn't she?"
Nifumi chuckles weakly, trying to shake it off but a single tear slips down his cheek. He turns away quickly, pretending to rub his eye.
"I'm sorry," Miri says softly. "I shouldn't have said that."
"It's alright nifumi says."
Itsuki looks at the photos again Hayato's bright grin, Hinata's gentle smile and something inside him twists. Hayato looked just like he once did with Miyu… before everything went wrong.
Ken, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smirks faintly. "Didn't think you could get like that, Nifumi. Guess you're not a demon after all."
Nifumi wipes his face and laughs, "Tch fuck off, brat."
Ken grins, and the hallway falls silent again everyone lost in their own thoughts.
Itsuki climbed the stairs and found Hayato standing in a quiet room, hands in his pockets, staring at the framed photos on the wall. The pictures showed Hayato younger, laughing with Hinata whose smile seemed to pull light out of the frame.
Itsuki cleared his throat. "You okay?"
Hayato turned, tried to hide his face. "Yeah. I'm alright."
Itsuki hesitated. "Why didn't you… why didn't you ever tell me about her? We were together all those years."
"We can talk about that later, Itsuki." Hayato's voice was soft, guarded. Before the room could get heavier, Nifumi appeared behind them, bouncing in with that crooked grin.
"Brother," Nifumi said. "I want to talk."
"Sure," Hayato answered.
Nifumi glanced at Itsuki. "Go fetch Ken upstairs, yeah?"
Itsuki left without a word. Once the door shut, Nifumi sat on the edge of a nearby chair and folded his hands together. "While you two were off doing the hospital run, some old friends of ours— Injin — stopped by. Not their usual move."
Hayato's expression tightened. "What did they want?"
They said the kings are upset with alot of their men keeps dying and the incident at docks their business is getting hurt. You left no traces behind while killing all those fuckers obviously. But nagumo is looking for itsuki. Nifumi's tone turned flat. And Injin's suspicious of me too. War might break out. You ready for that?"
Hayato's eyes were cold. "We can't go all out now. Itsuki isn't ready. We can't take the whole underworld with just the two of us. We need to bring them down slow. One by one."
Nifumi nodded and then leaned forward, eyes bright. "Yeah. I've got news. I found out who fucking attacked Miyu-chan."
Itsuki's voice came from the doorway. "Who did it?"
Nifumi's face stayed calm, but his eyes flashed. "Hold it. We're discussing. Come on, both of you up on the roof."
They moved as ordered; Ken joined them, rubbing his jaw, Nifumi didn't waste time. "The fucker who did it is one of the Kings. The fifth King, to be precise. He was at the park that night not much of a fucking boss back then, just a nasty ass creep. Rape charges, assaults and what not."
Hayato's jaw clenched. "How do we get at him?"
Nifumi shrugged. "Not easy. First we have to deal with Injin. They're the dogs of the Kings always at their side. If we go straight at any of the Kings, we run into fifty national levels and hundreds of low level thugs and S ranks in the hideout. Impossible."
Itsuki says so let's take out whatever injin is?
Only nifumi and I can take those three on Hayato says voice low.
Nifumi lights his cigarette and says "If we go after injin first the war will breakout and everyone will die, We have to hit when injin's not around. Hayato and I can take those 50 national level hunters and still come out breathing Nifumi says with a grin, But he looks at itsuki you can't take on multiple S ranks for now. You're not strong enough his voice cold"
Itsuki glared at Hayato. "I'm not strong? You put me through hell for years, and he's still saying I'm not strong?"
Hayato's tone was calm but firm. "You have strength, Itsuki. But you lose control easily. Look at you ready to explode. You can't fight the underworld like that. You need balance."
Nifumi smirked. "Let's test it." He stood, motioning toward the rooftop. "Come on. If you can touch me even once, you're ready."
Itsuki's mouth curved into a small, savage smile. "Piece of cake."
Hayato and Ken followed as the two faced off under the sunlight. Nifumi shoved his hands in his pockets. "Try me."
Itsuki moved like an SSS assassin blur-quick, practiced. For a heartbeat he seemed to be everywhere at once, a living shadow lunging. But every strike clipped nothing but air. Nifumi didn't flinch. Ken's shout tore at the roofline.
"Bring the ghost out!!" Ken yelled, voice raw.
"What ghost?" Itsuki panted.
Nifumi watched him with that same amused look, then vanished in a breath. In the blink of an eye he was behind Itsuki and struck harder than anything Itsuki expected. Itsuki hit the ground, blood slicing from his lip as he lay groaning.
Nifumi dropped down beside him, voice deceptively gentle. "Calm your mind. Let it out. But do not lose control. You'll feel like dying but don't fucking pass out." He rested one hand against the concrete like a man comforting a dog.
Itsuki pressed his hands to his temples, felt the rage and the pain and the grief everything he'd pushed down for so long rising. He screamed it out. The sound was raw, animal; the rooftop echoed it back at him. Hayato's voice cracked from the edge.
"Nifumi don't go too far!"
The scene curled back toward the docks in Ken's head: the giant, the blood, the way Nifumi had played with itsuki like a toy. The memory pushed at him like a live thing.
"Are you in control, nephew?" Nifumi demanded when the scream faded.
Itsuki pressed his fingers into his skull and said through gritted teeth, "Ye—s." His voice was ragged.
Nifumi's grin widened. "Better than the last time. Now fucking come at me."
Itsuki launched forward with killing intent, the world narrowing to a line. Nifumi slipped his hands out of his pockets like a calm man drawing breath, and then suddenly he moved.
Itsuki's speed doubled; he felt light, faster than thought. But with every swing, every step, control slipped: his movements thinned, swelled, became stormwind. Nifumi dodged easy, almost bored and at one point he kicked Itsuki clean off his feet. The body slammed into the wall.
A strange stillness fell. Nifumi closed his eyes for a second, breathed, then opened them. His eyes were black that swallowed a dark, empty well.
Itsuki stared, breath caught. "What the—"
Nifumi moved like the last whisper of a shadow. Itsuki could not see him; he could only feel the air slice. In the instant before he'd been able to hope, Nifumi's hand flicked Itsuki's forehead.
The shock rolled through him. Muscle, bone, breath all pushed toward the wall. Itsuki's body crashed against the concrete with a sick, brutal impact. He dropped, stunned and bleeding, mouth open in a ragged curse: "You son of a bitch."
Nifumi sat back on the rooftop casually, as if they'd been playing a child's sparring match, and said, flat and cool, "You let it out. Did you keep control?"
Itsuki lay there, head ringing, tasting copper. Ken and Hayato watched, the rooftop silent except for the labored sound of Itsuki's breathing.