Akira lay sprawled out on a bench in the first level of the Hunter Association building, arms crossed behind his head, eyes half-closed. His body still ached faintly, but the clean scent of polished stone and incense told him he was safe.
A heavy hand smacked his back.
"Good job. You passed."
Akira groaned, glancing up. "Ito? Man, could you not hit so hard?"
Ito grinned beneath his red ponytail. "You survived the exam; you can handle a pat."
Akira sat up, stretching. "I wouldn't fail a test that easy anyway."
For a moment, his smile faded. I wonder where Hinata ended up… and what happened to that Jackson guy.
His thoughts broke off when a sleek black card floated into view. A man in a business suit stood before him, bowing slightly.
"Welcome to the Hunter Association," the man said. "You'll need to channel your Tao into this to activate it."
Akira held the card between his fingers and focused. The surface shimmered, golden Tao pulsing through the engraved symbols until text appeared in clean white letters.
Name: Akira Yamato
Rank: 10,000,001
Akira blinked. "Ten million and one?!"
The suited man coughed politely. "Hunters are ranked according to overall ability. Since you've just joined, you're currently… at the bottom. But your Tao reading is impressive for a new recruit. You can access all Hunter data through your ID once it's synced."
Akira spun the glowing card between his fingers, a grin spreading. "Bottom or not, it still looks cool."
Almost instantly, a crowd of men and women in tailored suits approached, voices overlapping.
"Hey, want to join my guild?"
"Your Tao levels are rare—our organization could use someone like you."
"You're wasted without a proper team."
Akira blinked at the swarm of offers. Before he could answer, a deep cough cut through the noise.
The crowd froze. Then, as soon as they saw who it was, they scattered like startled birds.
Ito crossed his arms, amused. "Still attracting trouble, I see."
Akira chuckled nervously. "Guess I'm popular now."
Ito shook his head, then asked, "You still have my contact information, right?"
Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… about that. My phone kinda broke after the Yokai attack."
Ito sighed. "Figures." He pulled a small envelope from his coat and handed it over. "There's some cash in there. Buy yourself a new one."
He turned toward a glowing crimson arch that unfolded beside him—his Shinto Gate. "You'll manage from here."
Akira waved lazily as Ito stepped through the portal and vanished.
A few minutes later, Akira was back on the streets. The city buzzed with life—vendors shouting, lights reflecting off rain-slick pavement, Tao-powered aircars humming above.
He ducked into a small electronics shop and bought a phone, flipping it on. No signal. No contacts. No clue where he was.
"…Great," he muttered. "I can't even call Ito."
He pocketed the phone and wandered aimlessly, trying to get his bearings.
That's when a voice came from behind him.
"You look lost, kid."
Akira turned. A tall man in a black coat stood there, smiling faintly. His eyes were sharp—too sharp.
"I can take you wherever you want to go," the man said. "But… you'll owe me a favor first."
Akira lay sprawled out on a bench in the first level of the Hunter Association building, arms crossed behind his head, eyes half-closed. His body still ached faintly, but the clean scent of polished stone and incense told him he was safe.
A heavy hand smacked his back.
"Good job. You passed."
Akira groaned, glancing up. "Ito? Man, could you not hit so hard?"
Ito grinned beneath his red ponytail. "You survived the exam; you can handle a pat."
Akira sat up, stretching. "I wouldn't fail a test that easy anyway."
For a moment, his smile faded. I wonder where Hinata ended up… and what happened to that Jackson guy.
His thoughts broke off when a sleek black card floated into view. A man in a business suit stood before him, bowing slightly.
"Welcome to the Hunter Association," the man said. "You'll need to channel your Tao into this to activate it."
Akira held the card between his fingers and focused. The surface shimmered, golden Tao pulsing through the engraved symbols until text appeared in clean white letters.
Name: Akira Yamato
Rank: 10,000,001
Akira blinked. "Ten million and one?!"
The suited man coughed politely. "Hunters are ranked according to overall ability. Since you've just joined, you're currently… at the bottom. But your Tao reading is impressive for a new recruit. You can access all Hunter data through your ID once it's synced."
Akira spun the glowing card between his fingers, a grin spreading. "Bottom or not, it still looks cool."
Almost instantly, a crowd of men and women in tailored suits approached, voices overlapping.
"Hey, want to join my guild?"
"Your Tao levels are rare—our organization could use someone like you."
"You're wasted without a proper team."
Akira blinked at the swarm of offers. Before he could answer, a deep cough cut through the noise.
The crowd froze. Then, as soon as they saw who it was, they scattered like startled birds.
Ito crossed his arms, amused. "Still attracting trouble, I see."
Akira chuckled nervously. "Guess I'm popular now."
Ito shook his head, then asked, "You still have my contact information, right?"
Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… about that. My phone kinda broke after the Yokai attack."
Ito sighed. "Figures." He pulled a small envelope from his coat and handed it over. "There's some cash in there. Buy yourself a new one."
He turned toward a glowing crimson arch that unfolded beside him—his Shinto Gate. "You'll manage from here."
Akira waved lazily as Ito stepped through the portal and vanished.
A few minutes later, Akira was back on the streets. The city buzzed with life—vendors shouting, lights reflecting off rain-slick pavement, Tao-powered aircars humming above.
He ducked into a small electronics shop and bought a phone, flipping it on. No signal. No contacts. No clue where he was.
"…Great," he muttered. "I can't even call Ito."
He pocketed the phone and wandered aimlessly, trying to get his bearings.
That's when a voice came from behind him.
"You look lost, kid."
Akira turned. A tall man in a black coat stood there, smiling faintly. His eyes were sharp—too sharp.
"I can take you wherever you want to go," the man said. "But… you'll owe me a favor first."