Night had deepened.
But inside the boundary house, everything was quiet again—too quiet for what had just happened.
Kuroshin Rei lay on a futon this time, not a clinic bed. His breathing was steady, his expression calm, as if nothing had occurred.
Aika sat beside him, arms crossed, clearly annoyed.
"…Three times," she muttered. "You've collapsed three times already."
No response.
"Seriously, if this is your fighting style, it's terrible."
Still nothing.
She sighed.
"…But you didn't lose."
That part mattered.
More than she wanted to admit.
---
Across the room, the old man stood near the window, looking out into the dark.
"…They've started moving," he said.
Aika looked up.
"…Hunters?"
"…Yes."
Her expression hardened.
"…How many?"
The old man didn't answer directly.
"…Enough."
That wasn't reassuring.
---
Aika glanced back at Rei.
"…He's not ready."
"No," the old man agreed.
"…Then what do we do?"
A pause.
Then—
"We move first."
Aika blinked.
"…What?"
The old man turned toward her.
"If we wait, they will surround him."
Silence.
"…So we hunt them?" she asked.
"Not all," he replied.
"Only the ones closest."
Aika's eyes narrowed.
"…You want him to fight."
"Yes."
She stood up immediately.
"That's insane."
The old man didn't react.
"He can barely control his power," she continued. "If he loses it again—"
"He won't," the man said calmly.
Aika froze.
"…How can you be so sure?"
The old man's gaze shifted to Rei.
"Because now… he knows the cost."
---
Aika looked down at him again.
Her expression softened slightly.
"…You're really throwing him into this…"
"Not throwing," the old man corrected.
"…Guiding."
She didn't look convinced.
---
A few minutes later—
Rei's eyes opened.
Slowly.
Silently.
"…You talk too much," he muttered.
Aika jumped slightly.
"…You were awake?!"
"…Just now."
He sat up, wincing slightly.
"…My head feels terrible."
"Good," Aika replied. "That means you're alive."
Rei glanced at her.
"…You stayed again."
She rolled her eyes.
"Don't make it weird."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Rei looked toward the old man.
"…You said hunters are coming."
"Yes."
"…Then let them."
Aika frowned.
"…You're not serious."
Rei stood up slowly.
"I am."
"…You just passed out!"
"And I got back up."
Aika stepped closer.
"That's not the same as being ready!"
Rei looked at her.
Calm.
Steady.
"…I won't be ready if I keep running."
Silence.
That hit harder than expected.
---
The old man nodded faintly.
"…Good."
Aika sighed.
"…Both of you are impossible."
But she didn't argue further.
Because deep down…
She understood.
---
Later that night—
The three of them stood on a quiet rooftop overlooking the city.
The wind was cold.
The sky dark.
And the air—
Heavy.
Rei could feel it clearly now.
Multiple presences.
Spread across the city.
Different from Yokai.
Sharper.
More controlled.
"…Those are the hunters?" he asked.
"Yes," the old man replied.
"They hide their energy well. But to you…"
"…They stand out," Rei finished.
The old man nodded.
Aika crossed her arms.
"…How many?"
Rei closed his eyes briefly.
Feeling.
Tracking.
"…Three," he said.
Aika raised an eyebrow.
"…Only three?"
"…Close ones," he corrected.
Her expression darkened.
"…That's still bad."
---
The old man pointed toward a distant street.
"…Start there."
Rei followed his gaze.
"…Alone?"
"Yes."
Aika immediately stepped forward.
"No way."
The old man didn't look at her.
"He must face them himself."
She clenched her fists.
"…That's reckless."
"…It's necessary."
Silence.
Aika looked at Rei.
"…You're really going alone?"
Rei nodded.
"…Yeah."
"…Idiot."
But her voice wasn't angry.
Just worried.
---
Rei stepped toward the edge of the rooftop.
"…Stay back," he said.
Aika frowned.
"…I'm not promising that."
He didn't respond.
Instead—
He jumped.
Landing smoothly on the street below.
Aika rushed to the edge.
"…Show-off."
---
Rei walked forward calmly.
The city around him was quiet.
But he could feel it.
One presence.
Close.
Watching.
"…Come out," he said.
No response.
"…You've been following me."
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
"…Sharp senses."
Rei stopped.
A man stepped out from the shadows.
Older.
Calm.
Dressed in a long coat with faint markings.
His eyes were cold.
Focused.
"…Kuroshin Rei," the man said.
Rei didn't react.
"…You know my name."
"Of course."
The man stepped closer.
"…You're the reason we're here."
Rei's gaze sharpened.
"…So you're a hunter."
The man nodded.
"…Name's irrelevant."
A pause.
"…Your existence is not."
Rei sighed softly.
"…You're here to kill me."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No emotion.
Just fact.
---
Rei took a step forward.
"…Then try."
Silence.
Then—
The man moved.
Fast.
His hand shot forward, a blade of light forming instantly.
Rei reacted—
Barely.
He dodged to the side, the blade grazing past him and slicing through a nearby wall.
"…Fast," Rei muttered.
The man didn't respond.
He attacked again.
Precise.
Calculated.
Each strike aimed to kill.
Rei blocked with his shadow, the darkness forming a barrier just in time.
Impact.
The force pushed him back.
"…Tch—"
This wasn't like Kaito.
This was serious.
Deadly.
---
From above, Aika watched, tense.
"…He's different from before…"
The old man stood beside her.
"…Yes."
"…That hunter isn't holding back."
"…No."
Aika clenched her fists.
"…Rei…"
---
Back below—
Rei steadied himself.
His shadow spread behind him.
Controlled.
Focused.
"…You're not like the others," Rei said.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…Others hesitate."
A pause.
"I don't."
He vanished.
Rei's eyes widened slightly.
Too fast.
He turned—
Just in time to block another strike.
The impact cracked the ground beneath his feet.
"…You're slow," the man said coldly.
Rei's grip tightened.
"…Maybe."
His shadow surged forward suddenly, forcing the man back.
"…But I learn fast."
The man stepped back, studying him.
"…Interesting."
Rei stepped forward.
"…You said my existence is a problem."
"Yes."
"…Then come fix it."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"…Gladly."
The air tensed.
Energy gathered.
Both of them ready.
This wasn't a test anymore.
This was a hunt.
---
Above—
Aika whispered.
"…Rei…"
The old man's gaze remained steady.
"…Watch carefully."
---
Below—
The two moved at the same time.
Light and shadow collided.
The night trembled.
And for the first time—
Rei wasn't just surviving.
He was fighting back.
---
The hunt had begun.
And this time…
He was the prey—
Who refused to run.