Three years ago—-
"Sis, I don't think this is safe!"
Riku was atop their family's three-story home, while Rika recorded him from below. "Stop worrying! I'm a healer! If you take any damage, I'll just heal it away!"
"A—alright!"
Riku took a leap of faith, and his sister recorded as he hit the grass face-first with a sickening CRUNCH.
"Ow…"
Rika turned the camera toward herself. "Now, my lovely fans, watch as I heal my brother in an instant!"
She placed a hand on his back, and he sprang to life, jumping up. "Whoa! I feel good as new!"
"Told you," Rika scoffed. "Now enough standing around! I've got fans to please!"
"Fans?"
"You won't get it. Follow me!"
Rika dragged him to the next area: an electrical transformer. "Don't be shy! Touch it!"
"Isn't this dangerous?"
"Don't you trust your big sister?"
Riku hesitated for a moment before reaching out and pressing his hand to the wires, and he instantly received a powerful shock, convulsing on the floor.
"Now," Rika announced. "Can I heal this sizzling goofball? Duh!"
She pressed her hand to his forehead, and he sat up, no trace of the damage. "Hey, I'm okay!"
"Of course you are. Hey, guys! Did you like that?"
She got tons of likes and hearts, but a couple of rude comments caught her eye.
"Fake."
"AI! She's tricking you people!"
"Prove it's real! Send him on the highway!"
Rika's face turned red with anger. "You want real? Fine, I'll give you real! Come on, Riku!"
"Where are we going?"
"Don't ask questions! We're playing a new game now."
Before Riku knew it, they were standing on the side of the highway, with cars zooming past with every passing second.
"What game is this, sister?"
Rika held her phone up. "It's called 'Dodge the Cars!' That means you run as fast as you can across the road, and try not to get killed!"
"Is that safe?"
Rika pointed to herself. "You have ME. Stop being a scaredy cat and run! Unless you're too chicken?"
He balled his fists. "Never! I'll cross this street! Just you watch!"
Rika began to record. "On your mark, get set, go!"
Riku took off, cars whistling past him. While he did so, Rika's viewer count tripled.
"Perfect! I'm a total celebrity!"
A large truck nearly hit Riku, and the driver rolled down the window as he sped off.
"Get the hell off the road, boy!"
Riku nearly made it across, but he tripped on his shoelace and fell to the floor. And then…
"Riku, watch out!" Rika shouted.
An oil tanker hit him, sending him flying. Rika gasped and covered her mouth. "Riku!"
She quickly rushed across the road to where her brother's broken body was lying. She knelt beside him, panic on her face.
"It's fine, I can heal things. He'll be perfectly fine!"
She touched her hand to his chest, but a large amount of energy was expelled from her body, blasting her away.
"Ahh!"
Cars began to stop, watching the scene with a mix of horror and curiosity. Rika ran back over to Riku, who began to cough.
"Thank goodness! Shit, I'm sorry, Riku! You're okay, right?"
To Rika's horror, Riku's body began to age rapidly. His hair turned gray, he had wrinkles, and his skin became clammy.
"What the—-?"
An old woman walked over to them. "Ahh, the boy's lifespan has been cut short. Didn't your mother tell you? Healing too many grievous wounds in a short time lessens your life by decades."
"WHAT?"
The lady examined Riku. "And by the looks of it, he's been healed from several 'grievous wounds.' I'm afraid he only has a few years left to live."
"T—that's impossible! Someone call 911! I need to get him to a hospital, ASAP!"
Rika picked up her brother, who began to shrink. By now, he had lost most of his hair.
Later, at the hospital—-
"I'm afraid it's true. His age is now comparable to that of an 80-year-old adult."
"But he's only eleven!"
"Your daughter's Kaiseisha powers have drawn upon his vitality to save him from death. Because of the risk, one should only be revived from death once in their lifetime."
While Rika sat in shame, her mother and father talked with the doctor in the emergency room, where Riku, now an old man, was held. As soon as they came out, Rika stood up.
"Mom—-"
"Where do I begin with you, young lady?" her mother hissed, her voice stern. "Using your brother as a prop for your entertainment? Nearly getting him killed three times? I told you to watch him! Not endanger him!"
"I thought it was fine—-!"
Her dad pointed to Riku. "Fine? FINE? Does that LOOK fine to you?"
Riku slowly turned towards his family. "Don't be hard on Big Sis…she's family…"
Her dad sighed. "Not anymore, son."
"Wait, what?" Rika blurted out.
Her father and mother shared a look, before her mother gave her a heavy look. "You're irresponsible, selfish, and conceited. Thus, unless you learn to grow up, you're no longer our daughter, and you're no longer welcome in our house."
"But, you can't—-!"
"We can," her dad confirmed. "And we will. You're being sent off to military school."
Rika backed up. "No, wait! I won't go! I refuse!"
Military soldiers arrived at the hospital.
"It's too late, honey," her mother stated.
"Rika Amakawa, you're coming with us," a soldier declared.
Rika quickly bolted for the exit, even as her parents protested. A soldier blocked the stairwell, cornering her toward the window.
"Damn it! No way out!"
She looked behind her, at the slightly open window. "Three stories…can I make it?"
"Halt!" a soldier ordered.
"Rika, stay where you are!"
"Sorry, guys," she whispered. "Truly."
Her parents came running up, but before they could reach her, Rika dived out the window, and disappeared.
Present—-
"So, you don't have a little brother, right?"
Rika covered her face as the video ended. The officer in charge slammed his hand on the table. "Just confess! You've basically killed your brother! That is if he isn't already dead."
Tears streamed down her face. "I didn't do it…I didn't…"
"Enough lying," the man ordered. "Confess to your crime."
"I didn't mean to…please…don't tell Mr. Nyugawa…I'm begging you…"
"Then confess."
"Okay…okay! I did it. I did it…"
〈Rule Broken. Enforcing Penalty.〉
"That's all I wanted to hear," the man said, walking away. "Take her to Detention."
Guards grabbed the trembling Rika and escorted her out. Once she was gone, the officer cleaned up the papers and handed them off to a guard. "Sentence them both to an eternity in Detention."
Detention—-
Rika was tossed into a cellblock by the guards, who shut the bars behind her. Zaria helped her up.
"Rika? They got you here too?"
Rika nodded, wiping her eyes. Zaria noticed. "Have you been crying?"
"Just some things I regret," she admitted. "That's all."
"What'd they show you, Rika?"
Rika took a deep breath. "My past. And my…brother."
"Riku?"
"Yeah."
Zaria gripped her shoulders, shaking her. "Don't let that get to you! You gotta woman up! He's still alive, right?"
Rika nodded.
"So repay him by being the most badass hunter ever! You can't do that in a cell."
"You're right," Rika said, sniffling. "Besties?"
Zaria offered her a hug. "Besties."
"Hey, cut all that cute shit out!"
The two were interrupted by a firm voice, and they noticed Yūto sitting on one of the metal tables in the center.
"How…?" Rika questioned. "Never mind. I'm not gonna ask."
Zaria immediately summoned her spear. "Well, well, well."
"Put that thing down," Yūto insisted. "They said no fighting in detention."
Zaria chucked her spear at him, nearly impaling his leg. "Oops. Never been a good listener."
"Hey! Calm your ass down!"
"No! You put us in here, asshat!"
"Who you talking to?"
The inmates around them all began to chant. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Rika awkwardly looked around. "It's times like this when I miss having Han around…I hope he and Mr. Nyugawa are okay."
Okinawa Dungeon—-Floor Three-Thousand:
Omariro and Han watched as Yousuke tap danced his way off the stage and to the front of the crowd. "We deeply appreciate you, Omariro Nyugawa! Unfortunately, this is still a dungeon. So you have to die. But how's this? You get to go out with flair!"
"I'm guessing their version of flair isn't the fun kind," Han remarked.
"Eyes open," Omariro ordered.
"Trust me, sir, they haven't blinked once."
Yousuke gestured to the stage. "We're gonna dump you off into the Stoney Corridors! You'll have a fun time. Cast! Drop them into the set! Let's begin the show!"
The floor beneath Han and Omariro opened, sending them sliding down.
Corridors—-
Han fell face-first on the ground, while Omariro landed on his feet.
〈Complete *Act* 2.〉
Han got up. "This place is dark. And there's so many pathways! How will we navigate our way out?"
"That's not all you have to worry about!" Yousuke taunted. "Since you're special guests, we've got a special cast for you. The Saiyakuzō! Tip of advice—-you might wanna keep an eye on them at all times. Exit's up ahead! Good luck!"
Omariro noticed the seven massive statues behind them, each of a humanoid-animal. The heads of a fox, wolf, lion, bird, snake, dragon, and spider were on top, with massive stone bodies.
〈Rule: Do Not Break Eye Contact. Penalty: Breaking eye contact will allow statues to advance. If eye contact is broken for too long, the statues will catch up and attack.〉
Han gulped. "Sir?"
〈Timer: 5:00〉
"We move," Omariro confirmed. "Left!"
Han followed Omariro down the left hallway. As soon as they heard footsteps behind them, they turned around, stopping the statues in their tracks.
"Backward," Omariro said. "Slowly."
They kept their eyes on the statues as they moved. The corridor got darker and darker.
"Mr. Nyugawa, I can't see!"
"Eyes forth!"
〈Timer: 3:30〉
"Better hurry!" Yousuke chuckled. "Time's a ticking!"
Omariro's hand began to glow golden. "Boy, keep eyes locked. I light path. Lead us out."
"On it, sir."
Omariro grabbed his arm, quickly moving down the hall as the footsteps remained still. They arrived in another corridor, and after a few more twists and turns, they found themselves back where they started.
"It's a dead end!" Han groaned. "This must be some maze!"
"Exit near," Omariro noted. "Keep contact."
From the speakers, a loud noise blared out, causing Han and Omariro to cover their ears.
"Oopsie! Did I tell you I could rig the set?"
"Argh, my head!" Han screamed.
"Do not falter! Eyes forward!"
"Sir…I'm…sorry…I can't…!"
With the momentary lapse, the statues burst through the wall, only muttering one word.
"Kill…kill…kill…"
In the blink of an eye, the fox statue lunged for Han.
"Jugen-Mahōshi: Ten'yokukyū!"
Omariro fired an arrow at the statue, breaking its arm into pieces as the noise died down.
"Sorry about that, sir," Han said. "Thanks for the save!"
The statue's arm repaired itself, and its glowing white eyes locked on Han.
"Firm, boy! Foe end you if you admit defeat!"
Han got up, eyes on the statue. "They don't stay down?"
"No."
The other statues stopped in place. Omariro gestured toward the corridors. "You navigate. I hold back."
"Isn't that risky? What if they tire you out?"
Omariro summoned his blade. "Concern misguided. Go! I follow behind!"
Han summoned his cube. "On it!"
Han scanned the exits. "Cube! Scan for the farthest distance from my location!"
[Farthest Point: Upper-Right Tunnel. Distance: 600m]
"I've got a lock, sir!"
"Lead!"
Han rushed through the tunnel, and Omariro followed after. The statues began to advance, but Omariro sliced them all in half with a precision strike.
〈Timer: 1:30〉
"Make it, make it!" Han thought. "I can't fail Mr. Nyugawa now! It's just you, Han! Just you!"
The statues reformed, walking through the wall as soon as Omariro turned his back.
"Kill…"
Omariro ran backwards, summoning his bow and firing it at them.
"Cube!" Han demanded. "Track distance!"
[Distance: 200m away.]
"We can make it, sir!" Han shouted.
The statues pieced themselves back together.
〈Checkpoint reached. Rule no longer applies.〉
"Wait, are we safe?"
Even as Omariro looked, the statues kept walking. In fact, they ran.
"Make haste!" Omariro yelled.
The wolf statue formed a stone scythe and brought it down, causing the entire corridor to crumble.
〈Timer: 0:45〉
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Speed!"
Omariro grabbed Han and began running at incredible speeds.
〈Domain Effect: Enemy Speed +90%〉
The statues kept up as Omariro ran along the walls, Han in his arm.
"They're gaining on us, sir!"
"Use Jugen! Now!"
Han pointed his cube. "Fire trip-wire!"
[Firing Trip-Wire.]
The cube shot out a wire that attached to either side of the corridor, tripping the statues and breaking them apart.
"I got 'em!"
"Aww, that's no fun!" Yousuke complained.
Up ahead, Omariro spotted the glimpse of a totem. Just as they reached the end of the corridor, he swiped the totem, and the tunnel collapsed behind them.
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 3,001 Clearance Enabled.〉
Han collapsed. "We did it."
"Yes," Omariro acknowledged. "Forward. We must find girls."
They descended to the next floor, but as their exit closed, a portal opened, dropping an armored figure through.
"Huh? You're not on the list," Yousuke commented.
"Sorry," the figure replied. "I came to look for an old friend. I guess I just missed him."
"Who are you?"
"Don't ask questions you don't wanna know," he warned. "I've got one for you…"
The room around him began to destabilize.
"Where'd Omariro Nyugawa go?"
——