A few days later—
For the first time in a long while—
there was peace.
No attacks.
No alarms.
No villains trying to destroy villages.
Just a quiet afternoon in Lorum.
Saito sat beneath a tree with Kaito, Bomb, and Rin.
Enjoying the rare moment of calm.
Saito stretched his arms.
"Finally."
"Peace."
Kaito sat nearby sharpening one of his knives.
Shing. Shing.
"And some wine."
He took a sip from a bottle.
Saito looked at him.
"You're drinking again."
Kaito nodded.
"Correct."
Saito sighed.
Then suddenly turned toward Bomb.
Bomb immediately noticed.
"...What?"
Saito pointed at his mask.
"It's just us."
Bomb narrowed his eyes.
"Oh no."
Saito smiled.
"How about taking off the mask?"
Bomb immediately crossed his arms.
"Not a chance."
Saito leaned closer.
"We won't tell anyone."
Bomb shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"No."
"Come on."
"No."
Saito pouted dramatically.
Bomb remained unmoved.
Kaito laughed.
Rin laughed harder.
"You look like a child begging for candy."
Saito pointed at him.
"You're not helping."
"Good."
Rin answered.
The group laughed.
Then Rin suddenly looked across the yard.
Toward a nearby bench.
"Captain."
Saito followed his gaze.
The rescued girl sat there.
Reading a book.
Meanwhile Tina sat beside her talking excitedly about something.
The girl listened quietly while turning a page.
Rin tilted his head.
"What are we going to do with her?"
The group became thoughtful.
Saito looked at the girl.
She had nowhere to return to.
Gaira was gone.
Scrap Gang was gone.
And she clearly wasn't eager to leave.
Saito scratched his head.
"Huh."
"I never actually thought about that."
Bomb immediately facepalmed.
"You rescued her without a plan?"
"Apparently."
Kaito sighed.
"That's very Saito."
Saito pointed at him.
"Hey."
Then he looked back at the girl.
Thinking.
Trying to come up with an answer.
Meanwhile—
Tina was already showing the girl around Lorum as if she'd lived there her whole life.
And somehow—
that made the decision feel a lot easier.
Saito stood up from beneath the tree.
The others immediately watched.
"Where are you going?" Kaito asked.
Saito pointed toward the girl.
"To solve the problem."
Bomb immediately looked concerned.
"That's not reassuring."
Ignoring him, Saito walked toward the bench.
Alya noticed him approaching and quickly stood up.
"Sir Blue Scarf."
Saito awkwardly waved.
"Uh..."
Then realized something.
"...I never got your name."
The girl blinked.
"Alya."
Saito nodded.
"Alya."
Then pointed at himself.
"I'm Saito."
Alya nodded.
"I know."
"Right."
An awkward silence followed.
Saito scratched the back of his head.
Then finally asked:
"So..."
"Do you have anywhere to go?"
Alya's expression softened.
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
Saito looked down.
Thinking.
Gaira was gone.
Her home was gone.
And she was still just a kid.
Meanwhile, Kaito, Bomb, and Rin were watching from a distance.
Waiting to see what nonsense Saito would say next.
After a few moments, Saito looked up.
Then smiled.
"How about joining us?"
THWACK!
Kaito immediately appeared and smacked him on the head.
"Ouch!"
Saito grabbed his forehead.
"What was that for?!"
Kaito pointed at Alya.
"You can't just recruit every person you meet!"
Saito frowned.
"Why not?"
"Because our lives are dangerous!"
Kaito answered.
Bomb nodded.
"That's actually a fair point."
For once, even Rin agreed.
Saito crossed his arms.
"That's all I was thinking about."
Alya looked between them.
Then quietly spoke.
"I want to."
Everyone looked at her.
Alya held her book tightly.
"I want to join."
Saito blinked.
"Really?"
Alya nodded.
Then looked toward the village.
Toward the people she had met.
Toward Tina.
Toward Blue Scarf.
"I don't have a home anymore."
"And..."
For the first time, a small smile appeared.
"...I can help."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Help how?"
Alya immediately answered.
"Technology."
The group paused.
Then remembered.
Gaira.
The machines.
The factories.
The control systems.
Alya had lived around all of that.
Saito's eyes widened.
Then he immediately pointed at her.
"Now that's an advantage for us."
Bomb groaned.
Kaito rubbed his forehead.
Rin laughed.
And Alya couldn't help smiling a little more.
Because for the first time since Gaira's destruction—
someone was offering her a place to belong.
Alya was still smiling when Tina suddenly raised her hand.
"Sir Saito!"
Saito looked over.
"Yeah?"
Tina grinned.
"You got a new nickname."
Saito blinked.
"I do?"
Tina nodded enthusiastically.
"Jokun City Conqueror."
The entire area went silent.
Saito stared at her.
"...I what now?"
Tina pointed dramatically at him.
"Jokun City Conqueror!"
Saito immediately looked horrified.
"That sounds evil."
Rin laughed so hard he nearly fell off the bench.
Bomb covered his mask.
Trying—and failing—not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Takashi happened to be walking past with a stack of papers.
He overheard the conversation and stopped.
"Actually..."
Everyone looked at him.
Takashi adjusted his glasses.
"Tina isn't entirely wrong."
Saito frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Takashi looked around the village.
Then answered.
"There are only three major gangs left in Jokun City now."
He raised a finger.
"Claw Gang."
A second finger.
"White Hat."
Then a third.
"Blue Scarf."
The group became quiet.
Takashi continued.
"And among those three..."
His eyes settled on Saito.
"Blue Scarf controls the largest territory."
Saito blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Huh."
The realization slowly hit him.
Hiraki.
Kor.
Bypass.
Lorum.
The villages allied with him.
The influence Blue Scarf had gained.
For the first time—
he realized how far they'd come.
Kaito smirked.
"Look at that."
Bomb nodded.
"Captain accidentally became important."
Rin laughed.
"That's terrifying."
Saito ignored them.
Then suddenly grinned.
"Well."
He stood up.
"If that's true..."
Everyone immediately became worried.
Because that smile usually meant trouble.
Saito raised both arms.
"That needs a celebration!"
The entire group groaned.
"Of course."
"Here we go again."
"He's already planning a party."
Meanwhile, Tina cheered.
Alya looked confused.
And Saito was already imagining food, music, and absolutely no paperwork.
Unfortunately for him—
Takashi was already preparing a mountain of paperwork waiting on his desk.
The true enemy of every gang leader.
White Hat Headquarters
Inside the office—
Shiro sat by the window.
A newspaper rested on his desk.
The headline was impossible to miss.
"BLUE SCARF LEADER EARNS TITLE: JOKUN CITY CONQUEROR."
Shiro smiled.
A genuine smile.
Then looked out toward the city.
"Saito has gained a lot of influence."
Mina, who was organizing documents nearby, glanced over.
"He has."
Shiro folded the newspaper.
Then leaned back.
"Maybe it's time."
Mina raised an eyebrow.
"Time for what?"
Shiro looked at the headline again.
"To recruit him."
Mina nearly dropped her papers.
"You're serious?"
Shiro nodded.
"Completely."
Mina sat down across from him.
"Shiro."
"He's still a kid."
Shiro laughed softly.
"True."
Then his expression became thoughtful.
"But who knows how strong he'll become in the future?"
His gaze drifted toward the horizon.
Toward Lorum.
Toward the boy who somehow kept changing the city.
One village at a time.
Claw Gang Base
Meanwhile—
at the Claw Gang headquarters—
Kuro relaxed in a chair.
A glass of wine rested in his hand.
Across from him sat Morgan.
Both were reading the same newspaper.
Kuro smirked.
"Heh."
"Nice work, kid."
Morgan looked up.
"So."
"We're staying allies?"
Kuro took another sip.
"Of course."
Then he pointed at the newspaper.
"Right now every major gang in this city answers to him."
Morgan nodded.
That wasn't even an exaggeration anymore.
Blue Scarf's influence had become impossible to ignore.
Kuro smiled.
"And as an ally..."
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll make sure it stays that way."
Morgan looked at one of the nearby members.
Then leaned closer and whispered:
"Boss really likes that kid."
The member immediately nodded.
"I noticed."
Kuro nearly choked on his wine.
"I DID NOT."
The room burst into laughter.
Morgan pointed at him.
"Then what do you call it?"
Kuro crossed his arms.
His face turning slightly red.
"It's called..."
He paused.
Trying to find the right word.
Then pointed dramatically.
"Rivalry."
The room laughed even harder.
Morgan nodded.
"Sure, boss."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Kuro immediately threw a newspaper at him.
And for the first time in a long while—
the city was at peace.
At least for now.
Back in Lorum—
the celebration meeting had somehow turned into another argument.
As usual.
Saito stood proudly in front of everyone.
Takashi already looked worried.
Which was never a good sign.
Saito raised a finger.
"About the celebration."
Bomb immediately smiled.
"I like where this is going."
Kaito leaned back in his chair.
"Please don't say something expensive."
Saito ignored him.
Then grinned.
"How about a vacation?"
The room became quiet.
A vacation?
For a moment nobody spoke.
Then Bomb jumped up.
"YES!"
Rin nodded.
"Finally."
Kaito blinked.
"Wait."
He pointed at Saito.
"To where?"
Saito froze.
"...Good question."
The entire room groaned.
"You didn't think that far?"
"Not really."
Saito began looking around the room.
Searching for inspiration.
Then his eyes landed on a colorful travel poster hanging on the wall.
A massive city.
Tall buildings.
Busy streets.
Bright lights.
At the bottom were two words:
Roma City
Saito pointed dramatically.
"There."
Everyone followed his finger.
Then looked at the poster.
Then back at him.
Saito's grin widened.
"Blue Scarf Crew."
He stood on top of a chair.
Striking a heroic pose.
"We're going to Roma City!"
For a moment—
the room was silent.
Then—
CHEERS!
Bomb immediately threw both arms into the air.
"LET'S GO!"
Rin laughed.
"This sounds fun."
Alya looked excited.
Tina was already imagining the trip.
Even Kaito couldn't hide a small smile.
Meanwhile—
Takashi looked at the mountain of unfinished paperwork on his desk.
Then looked at the cheering crew.
Then looked at the paperwork again.
"...I hate all of you."
Nobody listened.
The celebration had already begun.
And somewhere far beyond Jokun City—
a brand new adventure was waiting.
End of the Jokun City Arc.