VOL 0
Chapter ERROR: Author's Birthday Celebration
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
This chapter is filler and completely non-canon.
It does not exist within the actual timeline of Volume 0 or the main story.
This chapter takes place after the conclusion of Shadows of the Elite and contains minor future teases. However, major spoilers are intentionally avoided.
---
July 1st, 2027.
Rumors had begun spreading across the world.
Whispers spoke of an underground gambling facility hidden somewhere beneath Tokyo.
Nobody knew who owned it.
Nobody knew how it operated.
The only thing people seemed certain of was that the establishment was managed by a mysterious figure known only as:
Dusk Midnight.
The name sounded ridiculous.
That was exactly why people became interested.
Curiosity was humanity's greatest weakness.
And on this particular day, curiosity led three separate groups to the same destination.
---
The first group consisted of:
Kei Fushimiya.
Aoi Fushimiya.
Mr. Yamada.
Naoki Shirayuki.
---
The second group consisted of:
Tetsuya.
Kenzo.
Ren.
Natalie.
---
The third group consisted of:
Haruto.
Daiko.
Ayame.
Shuto.
---
None of them knew the others were coming.
Yet fate—or perhaps coincidence—guided all three groups toward the same underground facility.
After obtaining the password through separate investigations, they entered at different times.
The facility was enormous.
Rows of gambling tables stretched across the room.
Poker.
Blackjack.
Roulette.
Games from dozens of countries.
The atmosphere felt less like a casino and more like an arena.
---
Tetsuya's group arrived first.
His eyes calmly examined every corner of the room.
Security cameras.
Blind spots.
Exit routes.
Potential surveillance locations.
Everything was recorded in his mind.
"This setup seems unnecessarily elaborate for gambling."
Kenzo immediately ignored the observation.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"All the greatest gamblers in the world gathered in one place."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I have to admit, this is exciting."
Ren rolled his eyes.
"Finally. A place that isn't completely boring."
He began walking away.
Tetsuya immediately grabbed his shoulder.
Ren clicked his tongue.
"What?"
"The CIA placed you under our supervision."
Tetsuya's expression didn't change.
"You're staying with us."
Ren looked annoyed.
Natalie sighed.
"Why am I always babysitting grown adults?"
Nobody answered her.
---
Several minutes later, the other two groups entered.
Kei silently observed the environment.
The games.
The people.
The security.
The exits.
Aoi looked considerably less impressed.
"This place is probably filled with rigged games."
Mr. Yamada shrugged.
"When I was younger, I gambled all the time."
He lit a cigarette.
"I was pretty good at it too."
Naoki simply watched.
His smile remained calm.
Unreadable.
As always.
---
Hours passed.
Money changed hands.
Players won.
Players lost.
And eventually...
Kenzo accumulated over five thousand dollars in winnings.
That achievement attracted attention.
A guard approached.
"Please follow me."
---
A short time later, Tetsuya's group found themselves escorted upstairs.
They entered a private room.
At the far end stood a massive chair.
The chair slowly rotated.
Everyone expected some legendary gambling mastermind.
An old genius.
A billionaire.
A criminal kingpin.
Instead...
A teenager sat there.
Silence filled the room.
Ren immediately facepalmed.
"Oh, hell no."
He pointed directly at the teenager.
"You expect me to believe this kid is Dusk Midnight?"
The teenager simply placed a deck of cards onto the table.
He didn't speak.
He merely stared.
Ren laughed.
"You want to challenge me?"
He sat down.
"Fine."
The game began.
---
Meanwhile, the match was being broadcast downstairs.
Everyone gathered around the screens.
Mr. Yamada glanced upward.
The moment he saw Ren, he sighed.
"Of course that thing is here."
The camera shifted.
Tetsuya.
Kenzo.
Natalie.
Mr. Yamada sighed again.
"Well."
Naoki glanced at him.
"What?"
Mr. Yamada pointed toward Kenzo.
"If he's involved, this Dusk Midnight guy is screwed."
Aoi adjusted his glasses.
Kei remained silent.
Neither argued.
---
Elsewhere, Haruto's group was also watching.
Daiko looked excited.
"Now this is entertaining."
"We aren't here to gamble."
Haruto folded his arms.
"We came because we were curious."
Then he noticed something.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
"Isn't that the guy who—"
Shuto immediately interrupted.
"Can we leave already?"
He groaned.
"It's summer vacation."
"We could literally be doing anything else."
---
The match continued.
One by one, players fell.
Ren lost.
Poorly.
His frustration became obvious.
Natalie wasn't surprised.
Tetsuya wasn't surprised.
Kenzo laughed.
Eventually...
Kenzo won.
The teenager wearing the wolf mask slowly clapped.
Then he removed the mask.
A surprisingly ordinary-looking teenager smiled.
"Thank you."
He stretched.
"That was probably the most fun I've had on my birthday in years."
Kenzo blinked.
"Oh?"
"It's your birthday?"
The teenager nodded.
Kenzo smiled.
"Then happy birthday."
He extended a hand.
"We should do this again sometime."
The two shook hands.
---
The event ended.
Guests began leaving.
And that was when something unexpected happened.
All three groups collided near the exit.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Kei broke the silence first.
"I'm surprised."
His voice remained calm.
"I didn't expect the four of you to gamble."
Tetsuya adjusted his coat.
"We came because certain people wouldn't stop bothering us about it."
His gaze immediately shifted toward Ren and Kenzo.
Kenzo laughed.
Ren looked offended.
Natalie looked exhausted.
---
Mr. Yamada smirked.
"Good to see you two are still alive."
Haruto blinked.
"Kei?"
"I thought you—"
Shuto immediately interrupted.
"Yo."
"It's been a while."
Ayame and Daiko exchanged confused looks.
Daiko scratched his head.
"This is a weird coincidence."
"Very weird."
---
Aoi looked toward Tetsuya.
"It appears we meet again."
Tetsuya nodded.
"It has been some time since we all—"
Kenzo immediately jumped into the conversation.
"What about me?"
"Nobody ever asks how I'm doing."
Natalie stared at the floor.
She genuinely wished she were somewhere else.
---
Then suddenly...
A figure appeared.
The wolf mask.
Black clothing.
Silent footsteps.
Dusk Midnight.
Everyone turned toward him.
Without saying a word, he handed each person a single card.
Every card was unique.
None of them belonged to any known deck.
One by one, they examined their cards.
---
Tetsuya — The Investigator
Kenzo — The False Jester
Ren — The Destroyer
Natalie — The Healer
Kei — The Rebel
Aoi — The Puppeteer
Naoki — The Void
Mr. Yamada — The Coward
(Mr. Yamada laughed for nearly a minute after seeing his.)
Haruto — The Sacrifice
Ayame — The Samaritan
Daiko — The Fool
Shuto — The Clever
---
Nobody understood what the cards meant.
Not yet.
Some merely shrugged.
Others quietly studied their cards.
A few felt strangely unsettled.
As if the cards knew something they didn't.
Perhaps they did.
Or perhaps they were merely pieces of cardboard.
The groups eventually separated.
Each heading toward their own future.
Each carrying a different role.
Whether they liked it or not.
And somewhere in the distance...
Dusk Midnight watched them leave.
The wolf mask hiding whatever expression rested beneath it.
END OF CHAPTER