Funny, isn't it?
One day, you're a hero — polished badge, clean name, doing what's right.
The next day, you're branded a criminal... for doing the exact same thing.
Guess right and wrong aren't opposites. They're twins wearing different masks, raised by whoever tells the loudest story.
And us?
We're done playing quiet.
The hoverbike slows. Wind fades. The hum of rebellion dies down as we hover at the edge of the forest clearing.
There it is.
The Hyakuren Headquarters.
Stone walls. Crimson banners flapping in the breeze. A place that once stood for justice, now draped in silence. Like it knows we've changed.
Ruby-san dismounts first. "We're home," she says. Calm as ever.
I don't move.
My feet are glued to the bike. My chest heavy. My name... dirtied.
"They're not gonna see me as one of them anymore," I mumble. "I dragged our clan into this... I—"
Ruby-san turns to me, one hand on her hip, other pushing her crimson hair aside.
"Takumi," she says, voice low but sharp, "a clan is more than banners and approval stamps. You didn't drag us down. You woke us up. Let's get in now."
I hop off the bike, feet landing on the dirt with a soft crunch. The place feels heavier than I remember. Like the air itself is waiting to judge me.
Ruby-san stretches her arms behind her head casually, eyes on the building. "You scared?"
"…A bit," I admit. "Not of going in. Just… of what comes next."
She smirks. "Good. That means your heart's still working."
I glance at her. "Aren't you worried? We're walking into the place we just doomed."
She shrugs. "Nah. If we fall, we fall doing what's right. That's what the Hyakuren is always meant to be, not some lapdogs."
I stay quiet for a second. Then chuckle. "You sure you're okay with becoming public enemy number one?"
She tosses a side glance at me, eyes gleaming. "Takumi… I've always been public enemy number one. I just played nice for a while."
I laugh, more from relief than anything else.
Yeah… she's still Ruby-san.
And maybe… I'm still me.
The moment I step through the doors of the Hyakuren HQ, I barely get a second to breathe before—
"TAAAKUUMIIII-KUNNNNN~!!!"
Something—no, someone—crashes into me like a meteor wrapped in soft pillows and chaos.
"Ghk—! Wait—Shizuka-san—! I—I can't—!"
Her arms wrap around me like vines, pulling me straight into her suffocating embrace. My face? Buried somewhere I really shouldn't describe. Let's just say I saw heaven. And it was… bouncy.
"You absolute dum-dum!" she cries, half sobbing, half giggling as she keeps squeezing the life out of me. "You disappeared, didn't call, and THEN you got arrested and sentenced to DEATH?! How dare you?! I was so worried I broke three teacups in panic!!"
"I—I can't breathe!!" I gasp, flailing like a trapped fish.
"You BAKA!" she huffs, but doesn't let go. If anything, she squeezes tighter. My ribs start whispering their final prayers.
Ruby-san walks in behind me, deadpan. "Well, looks like he's already dying. Guess I should've just let the Cyberwatch finish the job."
"Ruby-san! Help—!"
"Nope. This is your punishment. Good luck."
Shizuka-san finally pulls back, pouting with puffed cheeks, eyes watery. "Next time, don't go hero mode without backup, got it?!"
I nod rapidly. Not because I agree. But because I value my lungs.
The air inside the HQ shifts. The laughter fades, replaced by a heavy silence as Kaito-san steps out from the hall, arms crossed, his sharp gaze locked onto Ruby-san.
"Kaito-san…" I murmur.
He doesn't look at me. His focus is entirely on her.
"So," he says, his voice calm but cutting, "you've made the decision for all of us. Just like that."
Ruby-san doesn't flinch. "I did what I had to."
"We're branded rogues now," he states. "Not protectors. Not peacekeepers. Criminals."
"And whose fault is that?" she shoots back. "The government's dirty lies for gain? Or us—who stood by them all this time like obedient mutts?"
Kaito-san's eyes narrow. "I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying you acted without us. The Hyakuren clan was built on trust."
"You talk about trust," she snaps, stepping closer, eyes sharp like thorns. "But where were you when they announced his death? Where was the plan, the resistance, the outrage?"
Kaito-san's fists tighten at his sides, but he doesn't interrupt.
"You knew, Kaito. You knew they have Arisu. You knew Takumi wouldn't sit still. And yet, you just… watched. Waited. Like you always do."
His voice comes low, steady. "You think I didn't care?"
Ruby-san scoffs. "No. I think you cared too much. So much that you froze. Again."
A pause.
"I did what you wouldn't," she finishes coldly. "I chose action over regret."
Kaito-san's eyes finally lift to meet hers. There's guilt buried behind that calm exterior—tangled with something heavier. But he doesn't argue.
"I see," he mutters. "Then I hope… your actions don't cost us everything."
Ruby-san doesn't look away. "It already cost us this kid's freedom. I won't let it cost his life too."
Silence.
Shizuka-san peeks over her shoulder with a pout. "Uhm… can we not argue in front of the emotionally unstable prisoner escapee, please?"
I can't help but chuckle.
Ruby-san pinches the bridge of her nose, letting out a sharp sigh.
"Shizuka, feed this brat something before he collapses. He looks like a dried raisin."
Shizuka-san's eyes sparkle. "Ooh, yes, Ma'am!" She releases me from her… suffocating hug and grabs my arm like I might float away. "Come on, prisoner-turned-raisin-chan. Time to get you some real food!"
I try to speak but get muffled somewhere between her hair and the sheer weight of her panic hug. "Mmf—Shizu—air…"
Ruby-san turns on her heel, coat fluttering behind her. "I've got something important to handle. Don't wait up."
"Where are you going?" Kaito-san asks flatly.
She glances back over her shoulder, "To make sure this doesn't drag us further into hell."
With that, she's gone—leaving behind silence, heavy thoughts, and one very excited Shizuka-san tugging me toward the kitchen like I'm a starved cat she just adopted.
In the kitchen, the aroma of warm stew and freshly steamed rice hits me like a dream. My stomach growls loud enough for Shizuka-san to gasp.
"That was your stomach?! I thought something exploded!"
I manage a tired smile. "Yeah, well… before I eat, I seriously need a shower. I haven't washed up in days—I probably smell like betrayal and prison floor."
Shizuka-san places a hand on her chin and tilts her head playfully. "Hmm… should I help you then? I've got good soap and gentle hands."
My soul leaves my body for a second. "NOPE! No, no, no thank you! I'll manage!"
Before she can tease me more, I vanish in a blur, dashing down the hallway, straight to the bathroom. "I'll be back! Don't poison the food!"
"Aw, party pooper!" Shizuka-san calls after me, laughing.
Ah… the madness of freedom.
I swing open the bathroom door, ready to reclaim my dignity with a good shower, when—
There.
In the middle of a foamy bubble kingdom, reclining like he owns the place, is Yora.
Just… Yora. Soaking in a tub, surrounded by rubber ducks and what I can only describe as a shampoo mohawk on his head.
We lock eyes.
Silence.
The kind that makes your soul try to reboot.
Then—
"GHOST!!" he screams, flailing like a drenched wizard. "IT'S TAKUMI'S SPIRIT—HAUNTING MY BATH!"
Goshh…Why does this keep happening to me?
"…Why would a ghost even need to shower, Yora?!"
He gasps like I just admitted to witchcraft. "You died! I knew it! I TOLD EVERYONE!"
"I'm not dead! And get some clothes on, man!!" I bark, shielding my eyes like I've witnessed a crime.
Water sloshes everywhere as he scrambles. "NO WAY! YOU'RE DRIPPING! YOU'RE A WATER GHOST!!"
He slips back in the tub, knocks over a bottle of strawberry-scented something, and tries to climb out with the grace of a seal learning ballet.
"Stay back!! I have bubbles and I'm not afraid to use them!" he shouts, wielding a loofah like it's a divine weapon.
"Calm down, you soap sorcerer! I'm flesh and blood, alright?! Ruby-san broke me out!"
He freezes mid-loofah swing, blinking. "…Ruby-san? Wait, wait, wait—you're actually alive?!"
I nod, drenched from his splash zone.
Yora blinks again. "Oh. Uh…"
Silence.
Then he casually sinks back into the tub like nothing happened. "So, wanna join me? Plenty of bubbles left."
I slam the door shut.
Nope. Not today. Not ever.
I march back into the hallway, dripping embarrassment and probably some shampoo.
Shizuka-san stands there holding a towel and a tray with rice balls. She blinks at me, tilts her head.
"Uhh… what happened?"
"Yora," I grumble. "Bubble bath. Loofah. Trauma."
She snorts. "Told you I should've helped."
I wrap the towel around my face and mumble, "I need a reset button on life."
===
The wind outside hits me the moment I step out. It's cold… but not colder than the thought of what comes next.
My eyes fall on the hoverbike parked just where we left it. Flashy. Loud. Very traceable.
"Tch. Rookie mistake."
I raise my hand and flick two fingers. A soft hum charges the air.
BOOM.
The bike explodes into a satisfying scatter of sparks and twisted metal. One wheel rolls away pitifully.
"Not bad," I mutter. "Just… maybe ten minutes too late."
The Cyberwatch likely already sniffed our scent. But I can't let them find this place. Not the new base of the rogues. Not the home of the Hyakurens anymore.
I step to the edge of the cliff behind the HQ and kneel. Pulling a small rune from my coat—a silver sliver etched with the clan's old crest—I press it to the ground.
A glow spreads out like veins through the stone. I close my eyes and whisper the forbidden chant:
"Maledicta—Genjutsu."
The Cursed Secrets—Illusion Technique.
The wind shifts.
The trees blur.
And the entire Hyakuren HQ fades—like a mirage swallowed by the forest. From the outside, it's gone. Nothing left. An empty field with rocks and grass.
A ghost base for a rogue clan.
I stand slowly, brushing dust from my gloves.
"There. Now let's see them try knocking on thin air."
I look up at the sky, finally getting some alone time to think.
"Oh boy… this is gonna be tough. What have we gotten ourselves into?"
All this time, we tried so hard to rise up the rankings—tight rules, endless compromises. We were the "allies" of the government, the obedient Hyakurens who followed orders with a smile. But honestly? It all felt sooo boring.
Heh… screw that.
If they call us criminals, fine—we'll wear the title with pride. If being rogue means doing what we think is right… then I'm finally ready to be the bad guy in the script.
And you know what?
For the first time… I feel like the real president. Not a puppet, not a symbol. Me.
No more sitting back. No more hesitation. From now on... things will move how I want them to.
The wind ruffles my coat. The illusion is in place. The air tastes different. Freer.
It's begun.
I smirk and glance back toward the hidden HQ.
"Hyakuren... Let's go raise some hell."