Stone clasped his hands together.
A ring of fire erupted beneath their feet.
Symbols carved themselves into the concrete in burning script, spiraling outward in a perfect circle. Heat surged upward, distorting the air.
FWOOOSH.
The world folded in on itself.
Space twisted.
Then snapped back into place.
They stood somewhere else.
A massive warehouse stretched before them—steel beams overhead, concrete walls reinforced with welded plating. Bunks lined one side. Monitors flickered along another. Weapon racks, crates, tool benches—organized chaos.
Makeshift banners bearing the Scissors emblem hung from rusted rafters.
The air buzzed with quiet movement.
Footsteps approached.
Two girls crossed the warehouse floor in perfect sync. Nearly identical—same build, same posture, same sharp gaze. The only distinction: both wore pure white hair, cut clean and straight.
Their expressions were unreadable.
Then a third girl bounced into view beside them—shorter, a streak of sharp orange slicing through her white hair. Her grin was wide. Too wide.
She grabbed both taller girls by the sleeves and waved enthusiastically.
"Shouldn't we introduce ourselves or something?" she chirped. "Well—whatever. I'm Enma Fuzarashi! I'm a pretty irrelevant member of Scissors, so you probably haven't heard of me. Huh… what else…"
She tapped her chin dramatically before throwing her arms toward the twins.
"Oh! I don't like talking much, so let me introduce my two amazing sisters!"
The twins exhaled in faint unison.
The one on the left stepped forward.
"Hello. I am Rika Fuzarashi."
The other followed immediately.
"And I am Yumi Fuzarashi."
They bowed slightly—precise, controlled.
"Along with Kingston and Stone, we make up the known members of Scissors. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Stone stepped forward, inserting himself between the groups. His tone shifted—less playful now. More commanding.
"Listen carefully."
The warehouse quieted.
"There's one reason I let you tag along. In three days, the Hunter Games begin. Win, and you earn a scholarship to the Continental Knight Academy."
His gaze hardened.
"The most prestigious academy on the continent."
He paused.
"The recent attack by the false Scissors made us more than wanted. Someone inside the Kingdoms is using our name. We believe evidence exists within the Academy."
His eyes flicked to Akira and Jackson.
"You'll enter. You'll gather proof that it wasn't us."
Jackson frowned.
"And what do we get out of this?"
Stone shrugged lightly.
"Nothing. Honestly? I don't even know why you came."
Jackson snapped.
"Because I'm endangered!"
Kingston let out a quiet, sharp chuckle.
"Then stop complaining. You get protection."
"That's rich coming from you!" Jackson shot back. "You're the reason people want me dead!"
Stone didn't respond.
Kingston didn't either.
They simply turned and walked toward a dim room at the back of the warehouse. A broken lamp swung overhead, casting a sickly glow over three scattered chairs.
From the shadows, two teenagers stepped forward.
Both carried long white-painted briefcases strapped across their backs—an X of dotted black lines stretched across the surface. They looked about seventeen.
The taller one wore his bleached hair flowing loosely. His eyes were sharp, observant.
The shorter one had faint reddish skin, posture relaxed but steady.
The shorter spoke first.
"We'll show you around the city. I'm Leroy. That's Lorenzo. We're Stone and Kingston's apprentices."
Before anyone could answer, Enma launched herself onto both of them.
"I'm coming too!" she declared, hanging off their shoulders with zero shame.
The City
They stepped outside.
The contrast was immediate.
The city buzzed with life—vendors shouting prices, children weaving through crowds, wheels grinding against stone streets.
But what caught Akira's attention wasn't the noise.
It was the reactions.
Children waved excitedly at Leroy, Lorenzo, and Enma.
Adults nodded with quiet respect.
Gratitude lingered in their eyes.
Meanwhile, strangers stared at Akira, Jackson, Sora, and Gaku with cautious curiosity.
Akira frowned.
"Why are they treating you like heroes?"
"Scissors is supposed to be dangerous," Jackson added.
Lorenzo didn't answer right away.
Instead, he gently lifted an elderly woman struggling at a curb and carried her across the street. He set her down carefully, nodding once before returning.
"This place was dying before we came," he said simply. "We rebuilt it."
"They're good people," Leroy added, slipping through the crowd with effortless familiarity.
Sora hesitated.
"But… what if someone reports you to a Kingdom?"
"We'd run," Leroy replied casually.
"You wouldn't be angry?"
Lorenzo shrugged.
"Of course we would. But not at them. That's just reality."
Enma leaned toward Sora, whispering brightly:
"Most people already think we're villains. The fact they let us stay here is more than we deserve."
They turned into a narrow alley lined with rusted staircases zigzagging upward.
Leroy pointed.
"Top floor. Sorry. Long climb."
They ascended.
Halfway up, Akira blurted, "So what do you actually do? Carry groceries?"
Sora immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Akira!"
Leroy laughed softly.
"This district isn't under any Kingdom. No walls. No barriers. Before we came, Yokai wandered in whenever they wanted."
Lorenzo added quietly, "They used to call this place Hollow Town."
At the top sat a worn-down shop covered in creeping vines.
Lorenzo stepped inside.
The others waited on the balcony overlooking the city.
Jackson leaned over the railing.
No walls.
No barrier shimmer.
"Don't tell me you never built protection—"
He stepped forward—
Only for Leroy to catch his collar.
"Relax."
His voice wasn't tense.
Just certain.
"The protection is there. You just can't see it. Stone and Kingston flood the air with Tao. It twists the senses of Yokai. They don't come near."
"And if they do?" Jackson asked.
Leroy smiled faintly.
"We handle it."
Lorenzo emerged from the shop, drinking from a water bottle. With a lazy flick, he tossed soda cans toward Gaku, Sora, Akira, and Jackson.
"Didn't know what you liked."
Enma and Leroy instantly began arguing over the remaining drinks.
Then—
Akira froze.
A cold spike of instinct shot down his spine.
He turned.
A Yokai burst upward from the shadows, jaws open.
Azure flame ignited instantly in his palm.
"Perfect timing," Akira muttered, stepping forward.
He swung—
A gunshot cracked.
The Yokai's skull exploded mid-lunge, dissolving into ash before hitting the ground.
Silence.
Smoke curled from the barrel of Lorenzo's rifle.
He lowered it casually.
"Alright," he said. "Let's head back."