Chapter 3—Cold night walk.
Miyu hissed loudly.
"I don't like how cocky he is," she muttered, frowning. "I just want someone to beat him already."
"I just love his aura," Itsuki admitted, grabbing his jacket. "Come on, I'll escort you home."
Miyu took off her glasses and placed it carefully in its case then in her bag.
She stretched out lazily, already lowering her head onto the couch. "I'm tired. I'll sleep here."
"What?! No, I snore. You'll be disturbed," Itsuki blurted — though the truth was simpler: sleeping beside someone terrified him. Too much vulnerability. Too many memories.
Miyu stared at him for a long moment, like she was scanning his soul. "You're scared," she said softly, not judging. Just observing. "It's fine. Let's go."
She put on her glasses and grabbed her bag.
They walked down the apartment stairs together. The cold Tokyo night slapped their cheeks, carrying the faint smell of rain and wet metal. Streetlights flickered above them, throwing long, jittery shadows across the pavement.
The loud world of DBL — fireworks, chants, gem flares — felt a million miles away now. Silence settled in, broken only by the soft hum of street lamps and distant cars sliding through the city.
Itsuki wasn't talking. And Itsuki always talked — nonstop DBL chatter, fan theories, fighter rankings, predictions. But now? Nothing.
Miyu nudged him gently with her elbow. "What's wrong? Your favorite fighter won."
He didn't answer at first. His gaze stayed on the cracked sidewalk, kicking tiny pebbles as he walked. His breath came out in pale white clouds.
"…You ever watch greatness," he finally muttered, voice low, "and suddenly feel small?"
Miyu blinked, taken off guard. "Itsuki…"
He continued, eyes fixed ahead but seeing something far away. "I don't know if I'll ever be anything. No friends. No family. My little sister… was taken away. All I've got are colleagues who barely tolerate me."
His voice cracked at the edge — so soft you'd miss it unless you knew him.
Miyu wasn't the sentimental type, but she felt the weight of what he said settle between them. The ache was real. The insecurity was raw. Seeing Ambrose defend his title for the eighth time… yeah, that would crush anyone chasing purpose.
"Who am I to you, dumbass?" she asked, pretending to be mad even though her voice had softened.
Itsuki stopped walking. Looked her in the eyes. Then at the cold, starless sky.
"Everything."
Her cheeks went hot instantly. For a second, she wanted to kiss him — she genuinely did — but Miyu being Miyu, she panicked and defaulted to violence.
"Even if you had all seven gems, you still wouldn't have the balls to join DBL."
She adjusted her bag.
Itsuki's mood flipped immediately. "The hell?! I'll beat the seven S-tier fighters — including the king!"
They both cracked up, laughter bouncing between them and echoing down the street, swallowed by the dark city.
"You should've used your car. Streets this late are dangerous," Itsuki said, still smiling.
"I didn't expect to stay out. But if there's danger…" Miyu smiled with her eyes — that deadly, soft kind that always melted him. "Itsuki would protect me."
"Yeah — of course," he said, swallowing hard as his heart spiked.
They kept walking, the glow of Tokyo fading behind them. The road narrowed into a quieter district where neon lights struggled to reach. A single, flickering streetlamp buzzed above a corner store. Shadows stretched long and thin, twitching with each flicker.
"Hey, a store ahead…" Miyu pointed, a little spark in her voice.
Itsuki squinted. "Looks closed."
The metal shutters were halfway down, lights off.
Miyu let out a small sigh — the tired kind. "I just wanted something warm to eat… so I don't crash on an empty stomach again."
Again.
Itsuki caught the word, but she kept walking like she didn't want him to notice.
"They close early here," Itsuki said.
"Yeah," she murmured. "It's fine. The walk's nice anyway."
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, slowing her pace just enough for him to match her steps. She didn't say it out loud, but… she wasn't in a hurry. Not tonight.
Itsuki shoved his hands into his pockets, shoulders hunched. Miyu kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Still thinking about Ambrose, aren't you?" she asked softly.
He kicked a small stone ahead of him, watching it bounce. Every clatter echoed too loudly.
The air shifted.
The breeze that had been brushing against their skin… stopped. Distant traffic went mute. Even the buzzing streetlamp went oddly quiet for a moment.
Miyu slowed. Her fingers brushed the sleeve of his hoodie. "Itsuki…?"
Something whispered at the far end of the alley — not a voice, but a shuffle. A wrong kind of movement. Heavy. Confident.
Itsuki felt it before he saw anything. His pulse spiked, breath tightening in his chest. The chill of primal instinct — danger — hit him like a bucket of cold water.
Two silhouettes peeled themselves from the darkness ahead. Tall. Broad. Moving with the slow confidence of people who knew they wouldn't need to run.
Another two emerged from behind them.
Miyu's breath froze. Itsuki's stomach plummeted.
"…Itsuki?" she whispered, gripping the back of his hoodie with cold fingers.
Itsuki's breath hitched as the shapes in the darkness took form.
They weren't walking — they were gliding forward with slow, practiced confidence.
Hunters.
Not random street thugs.
A cold sweat broke down his spine. His legs twitched, wanting to bolt on their own. His mind flashed with every worst-case scenario at once — Miyu getting grabbed, him getting jumped, no one hearing them scream in a dead-quiet street.
His heartbeat thumped so loud he swore the men could hear it.
He felt Miyu's fingers tighten behind him, scared… trusting him.
That hit harder than anything else.
Itsuki's throat went dry. He forced air into his lungs.
He swallowed. "Run."
They bolted instantly. Shoes tapping against the cracked pavement. Heartbeats hammering. But the figures were faster, closing the gap like predators chasing its prey.
Miyu slipped on a loose stone. "ITSUKI!!"
He skidded to a halt, grabbing for her — but the four men were already closing in, blocking escape routes like they'd done this a hundred times.
"Why are you punks following us?!" Itsuki barked, trying to sound brave, though his entire body was shaking.
One man tilted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. "You two shouldn't be walking here alone."
Miyu's eyes darted from figure to figure. She took a tiny step back, tension coiling in her shoulders like a spring. Itsuki's pulse thundered in his ears, every instinct screaming fight or flight.