[The supermarket buzzed with the everyday clamor of people shopping—carts rattling, soft chatter, the occasional beep of a scanner. Shirou, Shizuka, and Mio moved casually through the aisles, unaware of the shift in the air.]
[Outside, a black van rolled to a slow stop across the street. Dark-tinted windows concealed the men inside, all dressed in casual clothes but carrying an unmistakable weight in their posture. A familiar woman, a cold stature, stares at her luxurious watch]
Yggdrasil: low voice It's time. Cause a scene. Keep them busy.
[One by one, figures peeled away from the van and blended into the crowd.]
[Back inside, Shirou was reaching for a bag of chips when a loud, sharp crack shattered the air—the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. Screams erupted from the front of the store.]
Mio: startled What the hell—!?
[Shirou immediately tensed, instinct kicking in. He turned sharply, pulling Shizuka slightly behind him as a masked man brandished a pistol in the air.]
Robber: shouting loud and harsh Nobody move! On the ground, now!
[Another man fired a shot into the ceiling, sending pieces of plaster raining down. Shoppers screamed and ducked. The cheerful background music of the store had cut off, replaced by raw panic.]
[Mio dropped low behind a display of canned goods, wide-eyed. Shirou pulled Shizuka down behind a nearby shelf, keeping a hand firmly on her shoulder.]
Shirou: whispering Stay down. Stay calm.
[Shizuka nodded silently, her gaze sharp, focused—not panicked.]
[The robbers moved quickly, shouting demands at the cashiers and sweeping merchandise into bags. But Shirou noticed something strange: they weren't just grabbing valuables. Two of them kept glancing toward the back of the store, like they were waiting for something—or someone.]
Shirou: thinking fast
This isn't just a robbery...
[He met Shizuka's eyes briefly. She seemed to understand without needing words. Something bigger was happening.]
[Mio peeked over the edge of her hiding spot, trembling. She caught Shirou's eye from across the aisle. He shook his head subtly—stay put.]
[Then, almost imperceptibly, Shizuka shifted closer to Shirou and whispered:]
Shizuka: voice low I think they're buying time. For something else.
[Shirou's fists clenched. He didn't know what the real target was yet—but his gut screamed it involved them.]
[One of the robbers barked an order:]
Robber: snarling
You! Grey-haired guy! Stand up!
[Shirou stiffened. He was the only one around matching that description.]
[Before he could react, Shizuka's hand brushed his sleeve. A silent warning. Be careful.]
[Shirou rose slowly, hands visible, trying to look scared, compliant. Inside, his mind raced.]
[If they were after him—or worse, after Shizuka—then he had to find a way to get her out. Fast.]
[At the entrance, a woman strolled through the automatic doors. She wore a fitted coat, sharp heels clicking against the tiles. Her jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a blade, and her piercing crimson red eyes scanned the crowd with detached calculation.]
[It was Yggdrasil.]
[Shirou turned slightly, meeting Shizuka's eyes. She'd seen her too.]
[Across the store, Yggdrasil took a few lazy steps forward, plucking an apple from a display. She turned it over in her hands, studying it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.]
[Then she smiled. A cold, knowing smile.]
Yggdrasil: cold but a resonant tone It seems we have changed interests, after all.
[Shirou narrowed his eyes as he faced Yggdrasil across the chaos of the store. His fists clenched at his sides, the tension crackling off him like static.]
Shirou: voice low but furious
You tricked us. All this time, you were setting us up?
[Yggdrasil tilted her head slightly, that same detached calm in her eyes. But up close, Shirou saw the tiniest crack—a hesitation she couldn't hide fast enough.]
Yggdrasil: coolly, but with an undertone of regret I had no choice.
[Yggdrasil closed her eyes for a brief moment, gathering herself.
When she spoke again, her voice was lower, almost... tired.]
Yggdrasil: quietly The mission changed. Orders from above.
Our boss wants it finished—tonight.
[Somewhere outside the shattered store windows, a black van idled, barely visible through the flickering lights.
Inside it, Behemoth sat — a hulking presence, silent, listening through an open commlink in Yggdrasil's ear.]
[Yggdrasil kept her voice measured, mechanical, letting no emotion slip through.]
[Her gaze was ice, her tone surgically cold. No hesitation. No humanity.]
[Shirou gritted his teeth, glaring at her. He could feel it — a part of her was holding back. But whether it was guilt or something else, he couldn't be sure.]
Shirou: voice hardening Then you better be ready, Yggdrasil. Because I'm not going down without a fight.
Yggdrasil: impassive I never expected you to.
[Her fingers twitched almost imperceptibly at her side—
a signal.]
[In response, shadowed figures started closing in through the wreckage.
The trap was sprung.]
[Yggdrasil lifted a hand in a subtle but commanding gesture.
At once, her subordinates surged forward, fanning out through the battered store.]
Yggdrasil: coldly Capture the girl. Do not damage her.
[Shirou's heart lurched as he saw the mafia members closing in around Shizuka, who was barely conscious, still dazed from the earlier struggle.]
Shirou: shouting, desperate
Don't you dare touch her!
[Yggdrasil turned back to him, her gaze like sharpened steel. For a second, something softer flickered behind her eyes—then it was gone.]
Yggdrasil: emotionlessnIf you want her back, come to the designated location.
[She pulled a small device from her coat and tossed it at Shirou's feet.
The screen flickered to life, displaying a map—a blinking marker at a desolate point near the outskirts of town.]
Yggdrasil: icily Come alone. Or you won't see her again.
[Before Shirou could lunge at her, the mafia members grabbed Shizuka and retreated, disappearing into the shadows like phantoms.]
[Yggdrasil lingered for only a moment longer, meeting Shirou's seething, betrayed glare without flinching.]
Yggdrasil: low, almost inaudible Don't make me your enemy, Shirou.
[Then she turned and vanished into the night, swallowed by the darkness—
while the faint hum of the waiting van drifted away into the distance.]
[All that remained was the blinking screen and the pounding fury in Shirou's chest.]
[Shirou stood frozen, the blinking marker on the device burning into his mind.]
[His fists clenched so hard that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
He grit his teeth, rage boiling just beneath the surface.]
Shirou: low growl Damn it...
[With a roar of frustration, he slammed his fist against the nearest wall, the impact sending a sharp jolt through his arm. The cracked surface crumbled under the force of his anger, dust raining down.]
[He had trusted Yggdrasil, even if just for a second.
He had believed they were both fighting to protect Shizuka. But now—]
[She had handed Shizuka back to the enemy.]
Shirou: thinking, bitterly No... I won't let them take her again. I won't lose her.
[Quickly snatching up the device, Shirou bolted out of the store, heart pounding violently in his chest.
The streets outside were chaotic — sirens in the distance, civilians scattering, smoke still curling into the air from the earlier chaos.]
[But none of that mattered.]
[Only one thing was clear in his mind: Save Shizuka.]
[He raced toward his motorbike parked a few blocks away, weaving through the panicked crowds. As he mounted it, the engines roared to life with a defiant growl, cutting through the noise of the city.]
[As Shirou adjusted the straps of his helmet and swung his leg over his motorcycle, ready to drive off like a bullet toward Ishita Intersection, the sudden flash of red and blue lights caught the corner of his eye.]
[A police car screeched to a halt just ahead of him.
The doors flung open.]
[Officer Ryou, breathless but sharp-eyed, was the first to step out. Behind him, Officer Shin, adjusting his cap hurriedly, and Captain Reina, composed yet stern as always, emerged.]
Officer Shin: calling out Shirou! Wait!
[Shirou's hand hovered over the throttle, torn between speeding off and answering. His muscles tensed, heart racing faster now for an entirely different reason.]
Captain Reina: firm voice We saw you back at the disturbance site. What's going on?
[Shirou bit his lip, hesitating for a second. Could he trust them? If he told them, would it just slow him down? Or worse—would it put them in danger too?]
[But he didn't have time for a long debate.]
Officer Ryou: stepping closer, concerned You look ready for war, Shirou. Talk to us. We can help.
[Shirou lowered his head slightly, shadowing his eyes.
A second passed. Then another.]
[Finally, he gritted out the truth:]
Shirou: tight voice They took Shizuka again. It's a setup.
If I don't show up alone... they might hurt her.
[The officers exchanged quick, serious glances.
Captain Reina's brows furrowed, considering the situation rapidly.]
Captain Reina: steady And you're planning to go alone?
Shirou: grim nod I have no choice. I can't risk them hurting her because backup shows up.
[Officer Shin clenched his fists, visibly angry at the situation. Officer Ryou cursed under his breath.]
[Captain Reina took a slow breath, her face unreadable.]
Captain Reina: Listen carefully, Shirou. You do what you have to do. But we're not blind to this.
[She stepped closer, lowering her voice.]
Captain Reina: soft but firm We'll shadow you. From a distance. You won't see us — but if things go wrong, we will move.
[Shirou looked up at her, shocked for a second.
There was no hesitation in her eyes. Only resolve.]
Officer Shin: grinning slightly You're not fighting alone, even if you think you are.
Officer Ryou: nodding Just don't do anything too reckless, alright?
[Something heavy lifted off Shirou's chest. For the first time since this hellish night began, a spark of hope flickered inside him.]
[He tightened his grip on the handlebars and gave a curt nod.]
Shirou: quiet but fierce Thanks... all of you.
[As Captain Reina was about to signal her officers to get back into the car when a soft set of footsteps approached from behind.]
[They turned sharply — hands instinctively reaching toward their belts — but they froze when they saw who it was.]
[A tall man with messy dark hair and a laid-back posture stood there, hands in his coat pockets, an almost lazy smile tugging at his lips. Kei.]
[Captain Reina's eyes narrowed immediately.]
Captain Reina: icy tone You... What are you doing here?
[She knew him.
Everyone in the department knew Kei — a former inmate with a complicated history.
He had been released after a retrial, his charges overturned. But a record was a record, and Reina never let her guard down around people like him.]
[Kei chuckled under his breath, lifting his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug.]
Kei: casually Relax, Captain. I'm not here to cause trouble.
I just heard the commotion... and figured Shirou might need a hand.
[Officer Shin and Officer Ryou exchanged glances — a mix of doubt and suspicion flashing between them.]
Officer Shin: gritting his teeth
Why should we trust you?
Kei: grinning You shouldn't.
[That answer only made Reina's glare sharpen even more.]
Kei: more seriously But... let's just say I have my own reasons for not liking the people he's about to face.
And if you tail him without a backup plan... you're gonna lose him. Those guys — they're not playing around.
[Captain Reina stared at him for a long, hard second.
Her instincts screamed caution. But deep down, she knew Kei wasn't lying.]
Captain Reina: coldly Fine. But one wrong move, and you're back behind bars.
[Kei chuckled again, hands still tucked lazily in his pockets as he fell in step with the officers.]
Kei: winking Wouldn't expect anything less, Captain.
[Shirou then asked him why he was here.]
Shirou: I thought you're gonna stay at the house with Ryokou?
Kei: underwhelmed You know that sister of yours would kill me any second if stay there too long if it's just the two of us.
Shirou: sympathises Yeah, I see what you mean...
Kei: And besides, I heard the commotion when I was just strolling outside. I just happened to be here and— trying to figure out the situation.
Shirou: sighs Please don't tell me you want to go with me too.
Kei: insists Who else wouldn't?! As your friend, we should help each other, no matter the cost. Plus, I want to get back at that woman for throwing a katana at me and damaged my expensive shirt.
Shirou: sighs Yeah, yeah. You can come too.
Kei: excited Yes!
[With that, the strange team assembled: Reina, Shin, Ryou — and now Kei — silently pursuing the path Shirou had taken, weaving their way through the empty streets under the pale glow of the streetlights.]