Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nijika: “GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!”

It was an afternoon like any other. We had just finished practicing when Nijika left to take a call. Our cheerful band leader had come storming back in, hopefully to deliver good news.

Kita: “What is it??”

Ryo: “Are we finally getting that interview on national television!?”

Hitori: “Eh!?”

N-No way, I-I’m still not ready for that!!

Nijika: “Heh heh heh! Actually, it’s even better!”

Hitori: “EH!?”

I-If it’s more extreme than that, than I-

Kita: “Well, come on, don’t leave us hanging like that!!”

W-WHY ARE YOU SO EXCITED!?

Nijika: “Our label’s hooked us up with a brand new entertainment company! They said they’d fund our next album entirely and then, hear this, get us set up on a world tour!!”

Kita: “H-Huh?”

Hitori: “W-World tour…”

Ryo: “…”

All of us were too shocked to say anything. For six years, we’ve played all across Japan, but to be given the opportunity to play all around the entire world… Now I'm even getting excited…

Nijika: “See? See!? Isn’t it amazing!? Our manager’s the best!”

Ryo: “…Hey, Nijika.”

Everyone’s focus immediately shifted to Ryo. Not just from her interjection, but from the tone of it. She didn’t sound excited at all.

Nijika: “Y-Yeah?”

Nijika was clearly taken aback by this cold reaction.

Ryo: “What’s the company’s name?”

Nijika: “E-Eh? O-Oh, I’d have to ask. They only formed in the past year or so, maybe longer. B-But the results are there! The bands they’ve brought on have played all over the world!”

Ryo: “…Had you ever heard of them before this call?”

Nijika: “U-Um? N-No, but I wasn’t really looking…”

Ryo: “…”

Nijika: “Hey… Did I do something wrong?”

Ryo seemed to seriously contemplate what to say next. I had never seen her so serious before…

Ryo: “…I don’t trust this.”

Nijika: “H-Huh? What do you mean?”

Ryo: “Some new upstart company offers us the world and all of its glories? With no catch? That’s a massive scam waiting to happen.”

Kita: “R-Ryo-senpai…”

…Honestly, part of me was thinking this sounded too good to be true. I thought that was me just being my usual self…

Nijika: “What the hell… The chance of a lifetime pops up and you’re too pessimistic to take it!?”

Ryo: “I didn’t say that. I just wanted us to talk about it before immediately getting excited over it.”

Nijika: “What is there to talk about?”

Ryo: “…Should we deny this offer and wait for a more reputable company to approach us?”

Nijika: “But we don’t even know if another one will approach us!”

Nijika was starting to lose her temper. She was prepared for the excitement of bringing Kessoku Band to new heights. It was born from her determination all those years ago, after all. This refusal of it was never even considered.

Nijika: “Hey… It’s not like I don’t get what you’re saying to some degree, and a bit of skepticism is important but… we don’t know how long this success will last.”

Ryo: “…”

Nijika: “Maybe the music scene changes… or maybe people just get sick of us… There’s a million ways we could lose everything we have now, and then… we’d never get this chance again… I don’t want… I don’t want us to look back on this moment and regret it for the rest of our lives. And most of all… I wanna show the entire world my band… n-no, my family is!”

Hitori: “Nijika…”

Kita had begun to tear up, while Ryo looked down in thought. The words had very clearly reached her heart, but I understood that her worries came from a place of love for us all as well. After a minute or so, she spoke.

Ryo: “…Promise me something.”

Nijika: “M-Mm?”

Ryo: “Every meeting, every call, everything related to them. I want to be there, or be told about it. And if I find anything that proves it’s bogus, we break ties from them then and there.”

Nijika: “R-Ryo…”

Nijika was just as shocked as Kita and I. We’d never heard Ryo this determined before, or quite so stubborn. It was clear this meant a lot to her.

Ryo: “…I love this family too, you know. It’s why I worry about us rushing into something.”

Nijika: “…I know. I’m sorry for getting mad.”

Ryo: “It’s fine.”

Nijika: “If that’s what you think is best, then I promise. We can talk about it with them tomorrow if you want.”

Ryo: “Mm. Sounds good.”

…

Hitori: “S-So, u-um… are we allowed to be excited again?”

Kita and I looked expectantly at Nijika, who in turn looked at Ryo.

Ryo: “…Yeah. We’re going on a world tour after all.”

With a small smile blooming on her face, a happy atmosphere filled the room once more. I could see Nijika breathe a sigh of relief out of the corner of my eye.

Kita: “Woo-hoooooooo!!”

Hitori: “H-Hehe… I don’t know if the world’s ready for your kit-aura.”

Kita: “Too bad! They’re getting it anyway!”

Nijika: “Ahaha, don’t worry! I’m sure they’ll love it by the end of the night!”

Ryo: “America is full of party people, you’ll be fine.”

Hitori: “E-Eh? T-Then what about me?”

Ryo: “Hm.”

Hitori: “H-Hm?”

Ryo: “Hm.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?

Nijika: “Jeeeez, don’t scare her like that!! Bocchi…”

Nijika ran up and grabbed my trembling hands. The warmth of her genuine concern stopped me from retreating into my own world.

Nijika: “People will love you no matter where you go. Some will love your quiet personality, while others will simply appreciate your incredible skill as a guitarist! You have nothing to worry about.”

Hitori: “B-But…”

Kita: “No, it’s true! Every single day I’m amazed by you, Hitori! Now… the entire world will get to see you shine!”

Hitori: “K-Kita…”

Nijika: “And hey, think about it this way - now, you’ll have fans from allllll around the world!”

Hitori: “W-Worldwide fans… Ehehe~”

Ryo: “You’ve mastered Bocchi talk, huh?”

Nijika: “H-Huh!? O-Oh, shut up, you!”

Hitori: “Eh? Eh?”

As this blonde drummer in front of me started to turn a shade of red, I became increasingly confused as to what was happening. 

Kita: “Ehehe, you’re so funny, Hitori.”

Hitori: “W-Why?”

Kita: “Because you don’t know why!”

What the heck does that mean??

Hitori: “U-Um… Nijika?”

Nijika: “EH!? O-OH, u-um, s-sorry!!”

Hitori: “Huh?”

In an instant, she pulled her hands away from mine. I guess she had been holding them for a long time, but I wasn’t asking for her to let go… Why does that seem to hurt so much?

Nijika: “A-A-Anyway, what say we hit a place to eat in celebration of Kessoku Band’s soaring to new heights!”

Ryo: “Are you paying?”

Nijika: “For everyone except you~”

Ryo: “Huuuuuuuuh??”

Kita: “I’ll pay for you, Senpai!”

Ryo: “Ikuyo… My savior…”

Hitori: “U-Um…”

Nijika: “Mm? What is Bocchi?”

…Eh? That’s weird… I was definitely about to ask her to hold my hand again, but… that’s really weird isn’t it?

Hitori: “O-Oh… J-Just… I-I’m excited for the future…”

That’s not what I want to say…

Nijika: “Hehe, me too! But… if you ever get scared of anything, you know you can tell me, right?”

Hitori: “I-I know…”

Nijika: “I mean it! Anything ! I’ll drop what I’m doing in a heartbeat to help!”

Hitori: “…Mm. Thank you, Nijika.”

Nijika: “Of course!”

Ryo: “…So are you two done flirting or…”

Nijika: “W-We’re not flirting!!”

Ryo: “Yeah, yeah, can we go?”

Nijika: “Grrrrrr, I’m not giving you a single fry…”

As Nijika quickly followed Ryo, looking about ready to hit her with a comically large hammer, I stayed behind and really sat with my thoughts.

…I want to tell her how much she means to me. How she always accounts for my comfort in situations, and how she’ll help me when I’m anxious… but every time I try to, a strange tightness seizes my heart. Is something wrong with me? Will I never be able to say what I want to say?

Kita: “Hitori.”

Hitori: “E-Eh?”

Kita’s voice broke me out of my trance.

Hitori: “Y-You’re still here?”

Kita: “You weren’t following, so I came to see what you were doing.”

Hitori: “O-Oh… S-Sorry.”

Kita: “…You should tell her soon.”

Hitori: “Huh!?”

Kita: “How you feel about her.”

Hitori: “…”

Kita: “It’s like she said… Let’s try not to have regrets when we look back on our lives.”

Hitori: “…I-I’ll try.”

Kita: “And I’ll be there to cheer you on.”

With a warm smile, Kita invites me to leave with her. On the way to the restaurant, I think about what she said. 

Maybe… If our world tour really does happen… I’ll say what I really want to say to Nijika… 

…

——————————————————————————————————————————

A dark sky hangs over Shimokitazawa. As autumn turns to winter, the stars make their appearance earlier than one expects. And with them, they bring a blanket of darkness. This night is still young…

Sheltered from the black of the sky, a girl stands in the middle of a rundown building. Admittedly, it’s even darker here than it is outside. But the girl is unafraid of this dark room, instead she seems to bask in it. For a few minutes after arriving, she simply takes the bleakness of the building in, looking onto it with a sense of nostalgia. The glint in her eyes gives a clear sign that she’s seeing what was, and not what is. Yet that too lasts but a moment, as when she closes her eyes, she closes off all thoughts of the past. The girl believes she has no use for sentimentality. Not tonight…

Her mind made up, the girl walked towards a television screen. It was clearly a new addition to the building, well, at least as new as it could be for a place left to its demise some years ago. Yet this too was familiar to the girl. She had memories of this place both with and without it. And so, she of course knew how to turn it on. 

*click*

With the press of a button, the screen flickers to life, and the building that was draped in darkness saw its first light in years. As she suspected, power still ran through this place. Someone was still paying for it. And she had a pretty clear idea of who that would be…

After a longer than usual start-up process, perhaps due to its period of inactivity, the television defaulted to the local news channel; it had started in the middle of a breaking news segment.

TV Host: “All nine bodies were found with a single bullet wound to the head. Police representatives have informed us that they consider this a top-priority case with an extremely dangerous culprit, advising everyone to stay in-doors if you can. This, of course, has already been linked to the ‘Grim Reaper’ image that had been posted across social media platforms early this morning. The image reads:

‘To you, 

the ones that know the truth, and the ones who buried it.

You may hide it from the world, but know that the grim reaper always collects his dues.’

The image also features three key dates from five years ago in its background. Those dates were quickly found to correspond to the three mysterious deaths of the members of popular rock band Kessoku Band, with today being the five year mark since the final incident. Although the day has been transformed by their fans to instead be a celebration of the band, the recent hit post has some wondering if there’s more to the story. When reaching out to the surviving member-“

The television is turned off. That name is one the girl has no intention of hearing again. The name of someone who couldn’t save anyone was worthless to her. She had abandoned it long ago… 

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and her reflection stared back at her. No one would even recognize her if they saw her now. In fact, she barely recognizes herself anymore. Her hair, dyed a dark black and cut short, seems almost foreign to her. Her walnut contacts prevent her true eyes from reflecting back at her. She thought it was better this way. Her bright eyes didn’t reflect who she was anymore, so this fit her far better. And yet…

A blue and yellow hair tie… two black hair clips… a red ribbon… a hair extension on the left side of her head… None of these things meshed particularly well in terms of looks, nor would they aid her in what she had to do tonight, but… despite her intention to erase any traces of her past, she can’t get rid of these remnants. They’re all she has left. Even if she has no value for herself, she won’t let herself forget Kessoku Band. She carries traces of all of them with her, as a reminder of their unity…

…Sentimentality striking her once more, she cautiously walks towards the stage. Just as she expected, their tribute still stood there. Though this venue would never open its doors again, its stage would remain populated by four instruments. Ikuyo Kita’s guitar in the center, Hitori Goto’s guitar to the right, Ryo Yamada’s bass to the left, and Nijika Ijichi’s drum kit in the back. The guitars are propped up on stands, facing outwards towards what should be a hall full of eager concert goers. Of course, as time went on, the band would continue to use new equipment more often, but their original instruments remain here. Another symbol of their unity. 

The girl walked over to Hitori’s guitar, her face at equal level with it as she stand in front of the stage. Acting on a whim, she runs her fingers through the open strings, perhaps unconsciously desiring the sound they once brought to this venue. They were horribly out of tune, as to be expected, yet their sound brought a warmth that the girl had not felt in a long time. It made her sick… She actually found it funny - the guitar and her seemed to be opposites of each other. The instrument looks the exact same as it did brand new, yet had completely changed when trying to perceive anything about it beyond its appearance. The girl, on the other hand, had changed as much as she could about her outward self, yet she could never fully erase who she used to be. 

Growing increasingly annoyed at herself, the girl hurriedly turned away from the memorial, and walked towards the front of the building. She considered leaving, but an odd… unsatisfied feeling grew within her. Something about this just wasn’t right. And so, she stood there, once again basking in the darkness, when a sound rang out. It was an irritating ringing sound, one she hadn’t heard in a long time. It took a second, but once the sound actually hit her mind, she immediately knew what it was - the venue’s telephone. Already close by, she walked over and picked up the ringing phone, putting it to her ear. She could feel another presence on the other line.

The Survivor: “…”

???: “…”

Neither of them spoke up. It seemed clear to the girl that the other person knew who she was calling. Why else would you call an abandoned building? …The other person was the first to break the silence.

???: “…Was it you?”

Her voice… Although the girl hadn’t heard it in quite some time, it was instantly recognizable.

The Survivor: “…Manager.”

Manager: “…”

No words were said, yet the girl could feel the Manager’s, that is Seika Ijichi’s, pain on the other end of the line.

Manager: “…Where were you? I looked everywhere…”

The Survivor: “…I didn’t want you to find me.”

Manager: “…Why did you leave? We needed you…”

The Survivor: “…”

Manager: “…That reaper thing going around… that was you , right?”

The Survivor: “…”

Manager: “And those nine people… was that you too?”

The Survivor: “…”

Manager: “…SAY SOMETHING, GODDAMNIT!”

The Survivor: “…How did you know I was here? Or even that I came back at all?”

A pained breath escaped from Seika, clear frustration at the fact that her questions were being answered with a completely unrelated one. Desperate to hear her speak more, however, Seika obliged.

Manager: “…I’ve had people looking for you the entire past five years. The moment you showed your face in Shimokita, I was told. I knew you’d go to Starry.”

The Survivor: “…Is that why you kept paying for it every month? In the hope that I’d come back?”

Manager: “…It was. But then… I got so tired of spending my life in a place that only reminded me of tragedy.”

The Survivor: “…Where are you now?”

Manager: “…Doesn’t really matter now.”

The Survivor: “…Why?”

Manager: “Because… I should’ve been there to welcome you back…”

The girl staggers for a moment. She was expecting pure aggression for having disappeared for five years, and instead… the manager is upset at herself. For the briefest of moments, regret stirs in the girl’s heart.

Manager: “…I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough.”

The Survivor: “…I didn’t leave because of you.”

Manager: “But I wasn’t enough for you to stay.”

The Survivor: “…This is something I need to do.”

Manager: “Why!? Why does it have to be you!?”

The Survivor: “…Because this is all I can do.”

Manager: “…It wasn’t your fault.”

The Survivor: “It was.”

Manager: “Not a single one of them would have blamed you!”

The Survivor: “I don’t want to have this talk again.”

Manager: “Why… Why!?… You know doing this won’t bring them back… They’re gone, but you… you… are you really gonna throw it all away!?”

The Survivor: “…Throw what away, exactly?”

Manager: “…”

The Survivor: “No, tell me. What do I have left to lose?”

Manager: “…Your life.”

The Survivor: “…I haven’t lived a single day of the past five years.”

Unable to take anymore of the conversation, the girl slams the phone into the receiver, ending the call. She had no desire to be judged for what she was about to do. She never claimed it was the right thing to do, just that it was what she needed to do. She wasn’t looking for admiration or glory, she just wanted to take the final step in putting all of this behind her…

The call had worked in her favor however, as it was now time for the last prelude of the night’s events. She knew that they had to make contact with her, and she also knew that they were tracking her every move. So, piggybacking off of the last method of communication, the phone rang once more. The girl didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

???: “Zero, Two, Two, Seven.”

The voice was heavily modulated, but she could tell it was a live human on the other end.

The Survivor: “…One, Zero, One, Seven.”

???: “Confirmed. Identifier?”

The Survivor: “Raven.”

???: “Confirmed. Raven will be used for the remainder of the call. Operation?”

Raven: “Serpent.”

???: “Confirmed. This will be the last contact you ever receive from us. If anything goes wrong, you don’t know us and we don’t know you. If you say anything, and I mean anything, that could be seen as a betrayal we won’t hesitate to cut you off. Is this understood?”

Raven: “…Yes.”

???: “…A go-between will bring you anything you need between targets. Your equipment has been brought to the designated location. This concludes our agreement.”

Raven: “…Yes.”

???: “Don’t fail.”

With that, the call is hung up from the other end. The girl, now going by Raven, puts the phone down and stares at the door. She thinks about how the man’s final message was unnecessary, as there is no version of this night where she allows herself to fail. Walking out the door, she can see the moon looking over her. She reaches her hand towards it.

Raven: “Hey… I know I’m just a human… but tonight… just for tonight… I need to be more… Emotions aside, you have a job to do… You decide when it’s time for people to go, and you bring them to the other side yourself… That’s why… for tonight… I need to become…”

——————————————————————————————————————————

As the crickets began their chirping for the night, a small police unit lay in wait at the station. Although they were gathered as a response for the Grim Reaper case, they currently sat bored waiting for anything to happen. Two officers were nonchalantly talking while browsing their phones, while one was vigorously examining the case file. The detective in charge of this squad left some time ago due to an urgent phone call. Although they had hoped that this would finally bring them some action, the detective had yet to return. Growing increasingly bored, one officer turned on the television and the sound of the local news filled the stagnant air of the room.

TV Host: “Despite the worries of the ‘Grim Reaper’, the Kessoku Band celebration event has officially started. Initially just a day set up by fans to remember the band, it has since grown over the years into an official event, bringing together many different acts to pay tribute to the band taken far too soon. Some of those acts include bands that Kessoku Band had toured with in the past, such as SIDEROS and Sick Hack, both of which are said to have been extremely close to all members of the band. As you can see from the footage, thousands upon thousands of people have come together to celebrate today, perhaps showing their own unity as a community. When asked about a guest appearance, the surviving member-“

???: “Man, is it really that big a deal?”

Interrupting the broadcast, the older officer in the room spoke. At some point, he had stopped browsing his phone and instead shook his head at what he was seeing on the television screen. The younger officer beside him gave him a confused look.

Older Officer: “I mean, sure they made some good music, but they’re not our national treasure or anything. Why are we making such a big deal over them?”

The younger officer could understand where he was coming from, but he also couldn’t ignore the strange happenings around them.

Young Officer: “Well, for a lot of younger people, their songs just hit us in a different way than any other band at the time. And then, to lose three members so suddenly like that… in the span of just one year-“

???: “Ten months.”

Young Officer: “Huh?”

The officer who was examining the case file spoke up for the first time since they had entered that room together. With his violet hair and ruby eyes, anyone in the force could tell who it was at a glance. The young officer who seemed to be favored by the higher-ups, and not well liked by those stuck at his level with no foreseeable future.

Young Officer: “Really, Yuma? The first thing you do tonight is one up me?”

Yuma: “I was correcting you. I seem to be the only one here who remembers we’re working on an extremely dangerous case intricately linked to the very deaths you don’t even know the time frame of.”

Older Officer: “Listen, I get what you’re saying but does it really matter?”

Yuma: “In less than a year, a girl who thought she had her entire future ahead of her lost everything and then disappeared almost immediately afterwards. If that’s not relevant to today’s events then I don’t know what is.”

Young Officer: “But we don’t even know for sure that this ‘Reaper’ is related to the Kessoku case.”

Yuma: “Do you know of any other events that took place on those three dates that link together?”

Young Officer: “Maybe the ‘Reaper’ does.”

Yuma: “Why would they publicly announce it then? And on the Kessoku celebration day no less?”

Older Officer: “Even if it is about that, all three deaths were completely different. There’s no conspiracy to unravel here.”

Yuma: “If you had read their files properly, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

Growing increasingly irritated at the tone this rookie was using with him, the older officer stood up and angrily stepped up to him.

Older Officer: “Yeah? Then, what exactly did I miss, smart-ass?”

???: “All of them were planned.”

Young Officer: “D-Detective!”

The young officer quickly stood up at the appearance of the person in charge, as the older officer stepped away from Yuma in kind. Even though she was young, the detective’s sharp brown eyes seized control of the room. While her long, light brown hair swayed as she walked into the room, the look on her face made it clear that this was the moment. While Yuma was well known for being a rising star in the precinct, this detective was mysterious. No one even knew her name, yet she continually rose up the ranks. The only thing that anyone knew for sure is that this case was important to her.

Older Officer: “…What exactly do you mean by ‘it was planned’?”

???: “I’ll explain on the way. We’re leaving.”

Young Officer: “H-Huh? W-Wait, where are we going!?”

???: “To stop the Reaper.”

Yuma: “…What were you told on that phone call?”

???: “…She’s back.”

Yuma: “The survivor…”

The detective glared sharply at those words, even Yuma couldn’t help the fear that struck him at that moment. A small bead of sweat fell down his face. He silently cursed himself for getting used to people being overly nice to him. 

Decidedly sick of discussion, the detective grabbed the briefcase she had brought in with her and headed towards the exit, where two undercover cars awaited them.

???: “Yuma, with me.”

Feeling slightly more vulnerable than he usually did from the detective’s treatment of him, Yuma slowed down just enough to give the older officer a warning.

Yuma: “Hey, don’t talk about Kessoku Band the way you did before.”

Older Officer: “Huh?”

The older officer clearly took it as a threat from Yuma himself, so he hastily specified.

Yuma: “I don’t know much, but… this detective was one of their original fans. The entire reason she joined was to figure out what happened to them, and find the survivor. She had a completely different career in mind five years ago.”

Older Officer: “How the hell did she move up the ranks so fast then?”

Yuma: “…Apparently, her reports on who she believed to be the suspects were just that good.”

Older Officer: “Then why didn’t they go after the suspects?”

Before Yuma could answer that he didn’t know, the detective quickly cut off their conversation.

???: “Yuma! Quit wasting time, we have to move !”

Yuma: “S-Sorry!”

Hastily running to the car, the moment Yuma got in, the car sped away. The remaining two officers quickly got in their own vehicle, the older officer taking the wheel, while the other manned the radio.

???: “Sato, Yagami, do you copy?”

The detective’s voice came through the police radio, tuned to a precise frequency that others shouldn’t be able to listen on.

Young Officer: “Y-Yes!”

???: “I’m sending you a location, get there as fast as possible. If Yuma and I can’t stop her, you need to do everything in your power to stop her there .”

Young Officer: “E-Eh? B-But we don’t even know what she looks like…”

???: “Doesn’t matter. No one else would go to where I’m sending you. If you see anyone, arrest them immediately.”

Young Officer: “B-But-“

???: “That was not up for discussion.”

Young Officer: “…R-Roger that.”

And with that, the radio communication ended. The young officer sunk into his seat, finding communication with the detective draining. After a few seconds of silence, the older man spoke up.

Older Officer: “Hey… What do you know about that Yuma kid?”

Young Officer: “Huh? Why?”

Older Officer: “He just joined recently, yet he somehow found out more about our detective in charge than I have in almost five years.”

Young Officer: “…’Fraid I don’t know much more than you. His mom was a, uh, reporter I think? Maybe an online journalist or something? I don’t know, I’ve heard him say that’s where he gets his drive to find the truth, though.”

The older officer wasn’t satisfied with that. If he didn’t have a special background, then… the man had to admit that he was just a cut above the rest of them…

——————————————————————————————————————————

After communications ended with the other car, a silence brewed between the young officer and the detective. As a minute became five, Yuma realized he was going to have to be the one to start a conversation, despite hating being the one to talk first.

Yuma: “So, uh… what do I call you?”

???: “What?”

Yuma: “I don’t know your name.”

???: “It doesn’t matter. Call me whatever.”

Yuma: “…Boss, then.”

Boss: “…”

Yuma: “It’s to the point, and shorter to say than detective.”

Boss: “…”

At this point, Yuma was beginning to feel frustrated. He knew that he wasn’t the best conversationalist, but he was talking to a brick wall. Desperate for anything to break this awkward tension, he decided to ask the fateful question.

Yuma: “So… is it true? Were you a fan of Kessoku Band from the beginning?”

This was the first thing said all day that caused a noticeable flinch in her. Although her face didn’t change, he studied her eyes to see how she’d think. She seemed to be contemplating on whether to answer honestly or not. Closing her eyes for but a brief moment, as she still had to pay attention to the road, she came to a decision.

Boss: “…Yeah. I’m not even sure how many years ago it was now that I saw their guitarist playing on the street… The rest is history.”

Yuma: “So, the reason you joined was to find the s… l-last member?”

Boss: “…Yeah. In some ways, tonight might be the culmination of the past five years of my life.”

Yuma: “You were going to school for something else, right?”

Boss: “Film. Once upon a time, I wanted to make a documentary about them. I’ll have to leave it to her now, though…”

Yuma: “Huh?”

Boss: “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter now.”

A silence began to brew once more, but Yuma quickly tried to break it.

Yuma: “…How do you know she’s back?”

Boss: “I got a call from my most trusted source. She talked directly to her. She confirmed that she’s the Reaper.”

Yuma: “The Reaper, huh… I wonder what she plans to do…”

Boss: “…Are you serious?”

Yuma: “H-Huh?”

Boss: “What do you think someone calling themself ‘the Reaper’ is going to do?”

Yuma: “B-But… She’s just some girl who was in a band. You honestly expect me to believe she has what it takes to go on some revenge quest?”

Boss: “…Five years with determination like her’s ?… She could probably do anything.”

Yuma: “Y-You’re just messing with me…”

Boss: “…”

Her face didn’t change at all. A slow realization dawned on Yuma at the same time.

Yuma: “W-Wait… Don’t tell me the nine bodies were…”

Boss: “…We believe that to be her warning for the night.”

Yuma: “ That’s a warning!?”

Boss: “The people directly involved in the deaths of her bandmates were killed in that warehouse. Now, she’s going after the ones behind it all.”

Yuma: “Wait, hold on a second… you make it sound like she knows who’s behind it.”

Boss: “She does. We do too. Where do you think we’re headed?”

Yuma: “…Boss, I need an actual explanation here.”

Boss: “…You were right to notice that things didn’t add up in their files. It all links back to the entertainment company that Kessoku Band made a deal with just about six years ago - Hebihare Entertainment.”

Yuma: “Yeah… Hebihare was all over the files. What’s so special about them?”

Boss: “We’ll talk about that later. What’s more important to keep in mind is that the strange happenings around Kessoku Band only happened after they partnered with them.”

Yuma: “So, what… this entertainment company caused three deaths?”

Boss: “…I wish it was that simple. Grab my briefcase from the backseat.”

Confused, but intrigued, Yuma contorted his body to be able to grasp it and pulled it up to his seat.

Boss: “Open it. The first file is the most relevant right now.”

Yuma quickly did what he was told and started skimming the file.

Yuma: “This is… about an employee of Hebihare?”

Boss: “Not just any employee. One of the three highest ranking, not counting the CEO.”

Yuma: “So… what does he do?”

Boss: “Officially, no one knows.”

The young officer quickly picked up on the meaning of her words, unintentionally letting an audible gulp fill the silence of the car.

Yuma: “…Unofficially?”

Boss: “Well… she certainly knows…”

——————————————————————————————————————————

The moon seemed to be watching over the girl known only by Raven. Perhaps it had heard her call to become something more than human. Despite receiving the final go ahead for this revenge quest barely an hour ago. She had already procured all the equipment she’d need for the first target. Now, she simply stood in waiting, a minute away from the destination of that first target. Everything.. had led up to this.

And yet… although she didn’t want to admit it… her hands were shaking. In the back of her mind, she knew that this wasn’t something she wanted to do. She had changed her appearance enough that she could still get away without anyone ever finding her. She couldn’t erase those nine bodies, but as long as they never had a suspect, it wouldn’t matter. Of course, she couldn’t meet with Seika Ijichi, as that would be the first place the authorities would think to check, but… she still thought about the possibility… if she changed her name too… could they reclaim the years they’ve lost?

…

…For better or worse, the feeling is fleeting. The girl doesn’t live for herself anymore. Not after how that worked out in her previous name. No, the girl named Raven had one purpose: avenging her family. Her personal feelings didn’t matter anymore. As long as she kept telling herself that…

Not allowing herself to falter again, she decidedly dons the mask of the evening. It bears the same reaper logo as the image she had posted everywhere early this morning. That message was for her targets. She’s not stupid enough to think that she can get all of her targets before they realize she’s after them. So she’ll strike as much fear into them as she possibly can.

The first target is the most simple. He’s the first target, so he’ll be the least guarded. Not to mention, he lives alone. Raven also knows that he thinks himself invincible, not realizing that his bodyguards are part of the body count in the warehouse. For a mission as simple as this, two knives and a silenced pistol are all she needs. As she glides her fingers over the tools held by her belt, a cruel irony hits her. She was in a band that brought happiness to thousands through the precision and mastery of their instruments, and yet now the only value she finds in herself is her mastery in instruments of death. 

Resolved to do what she must, she sprinted towards the home of the first target, the dim light of the street lights guiding her path. She knew by this time of night, he’d already be inebriated and incapable of better judgment. No matter the formal position he held at Hebihare, he was just a two-bit thug at his core. She knew she would barely even have to try.

Standing at the front door, she takes one final breath. Even though this should be easy, she still only has one chance. A rabid animal is most dangerous when it’s cornered, after all. With her breath, she imagines this as the start to a song at one of their concerts. There’s a clear rhythm that must be kept, and as long as she follows that, it’ll be a success. Steeling herself for the point of no return, she bangs hard on the door three times, so that there’s no possible way he doesn’t hear that.

Hearing angry footsteps reminiscent of an elephant, Raven quickly presses her body directly up against the wall beside the door. Slowing her breathing, she tries to erase her presence entirely. An angry grumble pulls the door open.

???: “Huh?? The fuck are ya!?”

Peering from the wall, the girl confirmed that it was her target. His unkempt, black hair, his unshaven face, he was just as much of a slob as she remembered. The man was also horribly slurring his words, but that worked out perfectly for the girl. It was clear that his senses were inhibited. Stepping out from the door to see if anyone was still nearby, the man sealed his fate.

Seizing the opportunity, the girl moved in such a smooth motion, one might not catch it even when looking for it. Moving to the melody of her mind, the girl placed herself directly behind him, before slamming a piece of tape onto his mouth, silencing him. For this moment, she was thankful for his reluctance to shave.

???: “MMPH!?”

The man was immediately disoriented, and was more concerned with reaching for the tape than he was checking where it came from. Raven didn’t waste this opportune moment - in another swift movement you’d only expect to see from a pro dancer or something similar, she dropped, lowering her knees close to the ground, grabbed both of the knives on her belt and sliced the tendons of the man’s legs in less than a second.

???: “MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGH!!!!”

To no one’s surprise, the man crumpled to the floor in an instant, his screams suppressed by a measly piece of tape. Dragging him inside while he was occupied with his bleeding legs, the girl closed and locked the door, before drawing her pistol to the man’s head, instantly earning his attention. She saw his eyes widen in real time as the fear took over. This is the reaction she wanted… right?

Raven: “Kura Shimizu.”

His body began to tremble as his slowed mind put the pieces together, especially after he realized the symbol on her mask. As his breathing became heavier, the girl kept the pistol trained on his head.

Raven: “Tonight… I am your reaper.”

Chapter Text

Nijika: “Cheers!”

Everyone: “Cheers!”

We all clunk our drinks together as we celebrated the completion of our newest studio album, funded entirely by Hebihare Entertainment. This party at an izakaya was also funded by them, actually. Tonight was just a celebration for the four of us, however. No managers, no suits, just the band.

Kita: “Thanks for doing this, Nijika!”

Nijika: “Hey, I’m not the one paying! Thank Hebihare!”

Kita: “Hehe, true, but it was your idea to go out tonight.”

Nijika: “Of course! My incredible band just went beyond what I thought were their limits to create our greatest record yet. How could I not want to reward you all?”

Ryo: “That would’ve sounded a lot cooler if you actually were paying.”

Nijika: “S-Shut up, you!”

Bocchi: “I-I still thought it was cool…”

Nijika: “Hehe, my hero!! Thank you, Bocchi!!

Bocchi: “A-Ah, no… I-I was just being honest…”

Kita: “Speaking of you, Hitori! Your lyrics this time were really next level. I actually shed a few tears recording some of them, ehehe.”

Bocchi: “A-Ah, sorry! I-I just tried to keep writing from the heart. I-I thought it was a good mix of happy and sad songs.”

Ryo: “Well… most of the happy songs on the album are Kita’s lyrics, but you did write three.”

Bocchi: “T-That’s a new record for me!”

As the conversation continued between my lovely bandmates, I took a minute to decompress. We really did go beyond our limits, but that can be pretty tiring. I love being the leader of our not-so-little band, but even I need breaks…

Bocchi: “Um…”

In a whispered tone, Bocchi’s voice makes me realize that she’s shuffled a little closer to me.

Bocchi: “Are you okay, Nijika? Y-You look spaced out…”

Her aqua eyes examine me with genuine concern. She must be able to tell how tired I am, and yet… she still wants tonight to be comfortable for me…

Nijika: “...Hehe. Guess we swapped roles tonight.”

Bocchi: “A-Ah… Hehe, yeah.”

Nijika: “I’m fine, Bocchi. Just a little tired.”

Bocchi: “…From the album?”

Nijika: “Y-Yeah…”

Even I could tell that she wasn’t buying that…

Bocchi: “…F-From Ryo?”

Nijika: “…”

She struck the core of it.

Nijika: “…I know she means well, but by this point, is there really anything to be afraid of?”

Bocchi: “…W-Well, just remember she wants to protect you. A-And all of us, of course!”

Nijika: “Yeah, I know… I just… wish she would let herself feel happy about this.”

Bocchi: “S-She will.”

Nijika: “You really think so?”

Bocchi: “M-Mm! You’re great at bringing happiness to people! After all-“

…

Whatever Bocchi was about to say, she held back. Her face started turning a little red. I can’t lie and say that doesn’t make me even more curious…

Nijika: “After all… What?”

Bocchi: “…I-I… I think I-I’m too sober to answer that right now…”

Her nervous eyes couldn’t lock with mine, as the slight blush from earlier began to permeate across her face. If I didn’t know this girl any better, I’d think this was just an elaborate way of getting me to order a drink for her.

Nijika: “Yes, yes, you like sake, right?”

Bocchi: “M-Mm.”

Nijika: “Anyone else wanna drink tonight?”

Obviously we all had beverages, but we hadn’t broken out the alcohol quite yet.

Kita: “I doooooo!”

Bocchi: “U-Um-“

Kita: “I know, I know! I’ll just get beer.”

Her tolerance is… almost nonexistent. Too much sake and one of us is carrying her home…

Ryo: “…”

Nijika: “You’re not getting any.”

Ryo: “Eh? Why??”

Nijika: “Because last time you got so drunk that you forgot how to play bass and you begged me to never let you drink again.”

Ryo: “…That was a different me, I have changed as a person.”

Nijika: “…No, you haven’t.”

Ryo: “Damn.”

Nijika: “Haah…”

Ryo: “…It’s okay. I wasn’t going to, anyway.”

Nijika: “Yeah, ye-“

Just as I was about to laugh away her lame excuse, a brief look at her eyes tells me that she’s deadly serious. Ahh man… I thought I would at least get one break from her detective shenanigans…

Bocchi: “U-Um, Nijika… A-Are you gonna drink?”

Nijika: “Eh? Ah, ummmmm, I don’t know…”

Bocchi: “D-Do you wanna… d-drink with me ?”

Nijika: “B-Bocchi?”

Ryo: “Ohhh, that’s a good idea, Bocchi! The more Nijika drinks, the more clingy she gets! And you can just use the excuse that you can’t say no. Mm-mm, I underestimated you.”

With a smug thumbs up, Ryo gives her sign of approval to Bocchi, while I start to turn red.

Nijika: “I-I don’t get that clingy…”

Ryo: “Yes, you do.”

Nijika: “Gnnnnnngh… B-Bocchi, why aren’t you denying her-“

But looking over this blushing pink bean, she simply twirls a strand of her long hair, avoiding eye contact with me. It couldn’t be… Ryo wasn’t actually right, was she?

Nijika: “…F-Fine, I’ll have some too.”

Ryo: “Hoh, good to know you still have a weakness to Bocchi.”

Nijika: “Y-You…”

Ryo: “But… This is good, too.”

Nijika: “Huh?”

Ryo: “You’ve been stressed lately.”

…Partly because of you , you know.

Ryo: “Take tonight to really relax, okay? For me?”

Nijika: “Ryo…”

Ryo: “Cuddle up with Bocchi as muuuuuuch as you want, I won’t say a word.”

Nijika: “R-Ryo!!”

Ryo: “Until tomorrow, that is.”

Nijika: “Gnnnnnnngh!!”

Ryo: “Now, now, don’t you have girls waiting for their drinks?”

Nijika: “…Honestly-“

Calling over the waiter to order some alcohol, I hear Ryo begin to whisper with Kita, although I’m too focused on ordering to hear what.

…

Ryo: “Hey, Ikuyo.”

Immediately picking up on the whispered tone, Kita answered in a similar tone.

Kita: “What’s up, Senpai?”

Ryo: “…Who are those two guys you’ve been talking to recently? In the suits.”

Kita: “Oh, they’re from Hebihare. They’ve been telling me a lot about my position in the band, and how to fully utilize it! It’s been really helpful!”

Ryo: “…Have they tried to get you to do anything?”

Kita: “E-Eh? U-Um, sorry, I don’t really know what you’re implying?”

Ryo: “It’s okay… Do they shower you in praise?”

Kita: “U-Um… I wouldn’t say shower , b-but they’re p-pretty nice to me, yeah…”

Ryo: “…Don’t get too close to them. And don’t help them with any jobs, or do them a favor, or anything like that, okay? I need you to promise me.”

Kita: “S-Senpai… D-Do you not trust them or something?”

Ryo: “I don’t trust a single person at Hebihare. But I think your two friends are the most suspicious.”

Kita: “…I don’t like you saying that about people you haven’t spoken to, but… I’ll promise you. Because I trust you . If nothing weird happens, though, then you should talk to them yourself and see that they’re good people!”

Ryo: “…If nothing happens, then sure.”

Kita: “Good!”

…

After ordering, it took but a brief minute for the drinks to arrive, and the mood of the night changed. I don’t remember much of it, but I remember being all-but-attached to Bocchi, hehe~

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yuma: “Kura Shimizu… Head of the ‘clean-up crew’?”

After being given a cryptic answer by his clearly informed superior, Yuma began to examine Shimizu’s file in-depth instead. It remains true that, officially, no records seem to give a purpose to one of the highest earners of the companies, but the investigation detailed in this report found… worrying results. 

Yuma: “…Boss, I’m sorry, but I need more context on Hebihare. I thought they were just some shady entertainment company, but this… this is so much worse.”

Boss: “Oh? And why do you think I know?”

Yuma: “You wrote this report, didn’t you?”

Boss: “…”

Yuma: “I can see how you moved up the ranks so fast… This level of detail is…”

Uninterested in having praise lauded at her, the detective began to further explain the secrets behind Hebihare Entertainment.

Boss: “You’re not wrong in calling them shady. Almost everyone in the industry knows that they’re bad news now.”

Yuma: “How are they still in business, then?”

Boss: “…They’ve changed the focus of their company. Or maybe it’s simply more truthful to what they were all along.”

Yuma: “Okay, and what is that??”

Boss: “Con artists. A complete sham of an organization made to bring in as many desirable young talents as possible and exploit them for as much money as they possibly could. They’d make themselves sound like a dream come true by offering to pay for an act’s upcoming project, as well as offering them some kind of incredible tour.”

Yuma: “But they did actually send an act on a world tour, didn’t they?”

Boss: “In their first year, yes. But… never again…”

Yuma: “You’re saying… they paid for an entire world tour just to set up a scam?? Where the hell did they get that kind of money?”

Boss: “…We believe the enterprise itself is just a front for an organized crime group.”

Yuma: “Surely not the yakuza?”

Boss: “Heh… I’m surprised a kid your age still knows what that is.”

Yuma: “I-I’m not that young…”

Boss: “No… We believe this to be an emerging group trying to fill the void of the yakuza. We don’t know much about them at all beyond Hebihare, so we simply call them Serpent.”

Yuma: “Didn’t try very hard with that one, huh…”

Boss: “The point is, Serpent made an investment on Hebihare in the hopes that they could exploit the stars they’d create for a massive return. Unfortunately, it worked incredibly well.”

Yuma: “…”

The young officer quickly regretted trying to lighten the air, as he remembered the horrible circumstances behind tonight’s ongoing events. Gripping the file a little harder, he patiently awaits the detective’s next words.

Boss: “…They enacted a system. The first cog in this machine of theirs was Shimizu. His job was to scout out anyone deemed ‘too dangerous’ to the company, which in this context means anyone who saw past the lies.”

Yuma: “A-Ah, wait… Y-You don’t mean by ‘clean-up crew’…”

Boss: “I do. Those considered too dangerous would be disposed of as soon as they were no longer necessary.”

Yuma: “B-But that’s… Someone had to have noticed, right!?”

Boss: “…They were great at covering it up. Robberies or altercations gone wrong, accidental deaths, complications due to drug use, none of those are really that odd for those in the entertainment industry. Or at the very least, they can be spun in a way that leaves them all disconnected.”

Yuma: “…Then, how did you…”

Boss: “I followed my gut. And sure enough, Shimizu met with people who were close to the scene of every ‘unrelated event’. I listed them all in the file.”

Yuma: “…A-Ah!!”

As if lightning had struck his brain in a flash of inspiration, Yuma immediately put together the relevance of this with the events of tonight, he fervently flipped the page with all of Shimizu’s connections, looking for a particular trio…

Yuma: “I knew it… These three…”

Boss: “Yeah… They’re the ones currently in prison for the robbery and subsequent murder… of Ryo Yamada…”

——————————————————————————————————————————

The sky was a light gray… Perhaps rain was on the way, but for now, a cool breeze was all that touched me. I felt numb to it… Nothing on the outside could make me feel anything right now… I was too busy keeping everything inside while staring at the grave of my best friend… 

Nijika: “…I’m sorry I missed the funeral.”

…

There’s no response… Of course there isn’t…

Nijika: “I didn’t know how to believe it… I thought if I just stayed in my room long enough, it would all turn out to be one elaborate joke… I’d get mad at your antics, probably chase you around, and then… we’d laugh… But… that’s not gonna happen, is it?”

Feeling a wet sensation on my face, I looked up to the sky. Nothing was coming down.

Nijika: “…Seeing you like this… here… I can’t run from it anymore…”

Taking a step closer to the tombstone, I put my hand on top of it and push my head down.

Nijika: “…Why!? Why did you leave me!?”

The tears could no longer be mistaken for rain…

Nijika: “You said you were gonna mooch off of me for eternity, right!? Well, I’m still here, so mooch!!!”

…

Nijika: “Hey… I won’t complain anymore… I’ll buy you whatever you want… So…”

…

Strength leaving me, I fell to my knees.

Nijika: “Say something… Ryo… Tell me this is all a joke that you took too far…”

…

Nijika: “Why does everyone leave me…”

I couldn’t face the world… So I simply curled up into a ball in front of her… Maybe she’d pop out to make fun of me…

???: “Ah? …Nijika!?”

Tensing at the sudden calling of my name, I cautiously looked up, hoping so desperately for it to be Ryo, but…

Nijika: “Oh…”

It was Kessoku Band Fan 1… I didn’t actually know her name, but it felt awkward to ask right now… Besides, she pulled out her phone when she saw me, and I think she’s talking to someone now… Oh, she’s done… She’s running over…

Fan 1: “Nijika!!”

Nijika: “…”

She was being so loud… and I didn’t have a clue why…

Fan 1: “Don’t just disappear like that… We were all worried…”

Huh… I’m a grown adult… I don’t need permission to do anything…

Fan 1: “You were in your room for days , and then you just disappear on us… We thought…”

Oh…

Nijika: “I’m sorry…”

Fan 1: “…Save your apologies for Hitori.”

Nijika: “…Bocchi’s coming?”

I almost feel the motivation to lift my head at these words, but… I still don’t want to face this world.

Fan 1: “Yeah. I’ll stay with you until she does.”

Nijika: “…I’m sorry… You shouldn’t have to do this.”

Fan 1: “Don’t say it like that. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Nijika: “…Hey… Why did they do it?”

Fan 1: “Huh?”

Nijika: “Why did they… take Ryo?”

Fan 1: “…It was a robbery gone wrong, according to the police. They just wanted to steal from her, but something happened and… well…”

Nijika: “That can’t be right… Something stupid like that… Why… Why!?”

Fan 1: “…I don’t believe it either.”

Nijika: “E-Eh?”

I was just trying to deny reality, but she… has a real fire in her eyes…

Fan 1: “She told me about what she’d learned of Hebihare. There was nothing concrete, but she was close to seeing if they really were a scam. But right before she does… she dies? And you want me to believe it’s an accident? That’s bullshit.”

Nijika: “…Stop…”

Fan 1: “N-Nijika?”

Nijika: “Don’t make a conspiracy out of her death…”

…

Nijika: “Ah…”

Tears began to stream down my face once more… For the first time since I was told the news, I, myself, admitted that she was dead…

Nijika: “...Dammit… Dammit!!!”

I let my arms catch the tears that I couldn’t hold back. I still tried my best to keep as much inside as possible.

Fan 1: “…I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me.”

…

We didn’t speak again until Bocchi arrived.

Bocchi: “Nijika!!!”

Nijika: “Bocchi-“

Instantly, she wraps herself around me, still curled up. Her warmth is the first feeling I’m not numb to…

Bocchi: “Don’t ever do that again!! If I lost you too, I’d… I’d…”

Her warmth melted everything I was keeping frozen inside, and my emotions finally came to the forefront of my mind…

Nijika: “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Bocchi…”

Bocchi: “…Stay with me and Kita… We need you…”

Nijika: “Yeah… I’m sorry… I won’t run anymore…”

…

Nijika: “…I thought… I’d be over this…”

Bocchi: “Huh?”

Nijika: “I’ve… already gone through this once… But it still hurts… so much…”

Bocchi: “…I don’t think a kind person like you should ever get used to this. That would be too cruel.”

Nijika: “Then… is it… okay if I cry?”

Bocchi: “Of course… Of course it is! Let it all out…”

For the first time that day, I let out everything I had without holding back. I probably drenched Bocchi’s outfit in tears, but she held on tight until the end. I was so scared to let go…

Fan 1: “…We should probably go. Kita should be back by now.”

Bocchi: “Yeah… Ready to go home, Nijika?”

Nijika: “W-Wait, please don’t let go!!”

Bocchi: “I won’t. But Kita wants to hug you too, so let’s at least walk, okay?”

Nijika: “…O-Okay…”

Clinging to her arm as if I’d die without it, we began our walk back to my apartment. My mind began to settle down once more.

Nijika: “…How’s Kita doing?”

Bocchi: “…She’s… trying her best.”

Fan 1: “It’s hard for everyone, but… I think you’ll feel better with other people, Nijika.”

Bocchi: “…Wasn’t it easier when Manager helped you as a kid?”

Nijika: “…Mm.”

Bocchi: “I think we’re all trying to do that now.”

Turning my attention to Fan 1, I sheepishly lower my head.

Nijika: “I’m sorry for snapping at you…”

Fan 1: “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Nijika: “If you’re right, then… it’s all my-“

Fan 1: “Don’t start with that.”

Nijika: “Huh?”

Fan 1: “The only people at fault are the monsters who killed her. I know she wouldn’t blame you for a single second. I won’t let you blame yourself.”

Nijika: “B-But…”

Fan 1: “Come on… Do you really think Ryo of all people would want you torturing yourself over the past?”

Nijika: “…No… She’d just tell me to move on already… start thinking about the future…”

Bocchi: “Hehe, she would…”

I couldn’t remember the last time Bocchi smiled since this all happened. It was a faint smile, but a smile nonetheless. It gave me a little bit of strength…

Nijika: “…Mm. She’d probably laugh at me right now… I think… I’ll try to move forward… whatever that might end up meaning…”

I say that but… It seems so hard right now…

Bocchi: “We’ll do it together. All of us.”

…Hard for me… but maybe…

Nijika: “…Mm. I won’t let Kessoku Band be broken…”

——————————————————————————————————————————

The silencer mere inches away from his forehead, Kura Shimizu could tell that this girl meant business. In his drunken state however, this was about the only thought he could form. Meanwhile, the girl known as Raven had every possibility planned out and was prepared to shoot him on the spot if need be. Of course, she was going to do that no matter what, but hesitation kept her from pulling the trigger this very moment. She needed one last bit of motivation…

Raven: “…I want to ask you some questions. Depending on how truthful you are, what happens to you might change.”

This wasn’t technically a lie. The truth would grant him a swift death, while lies would grant him… what you’d expect. The man would die no matter what happened tonight. In a way, it was a perfect reflection of the supposed ‘robbery’ that happened five years ago…

Raven: “You can take off the tape yourself. If you scream, you die. If you try to move, you die. If you do anything that isn’t what I tell you, you die. Now, nod with your eyes - do you understand?”

A quick up and down movement of his irises told Raven all she needed to know, as she allowed the slow removal of the tape stuck to his face. It ripped off a fair amount of his stubble, but he held in any sounds of pain.

Shimizu: “Haah… Haah… Haah…”

Raven: “Good. You’re the leader of the clean-up crew, correct?”

The man hesitated for a moment. This was his company’s darkest secret after all… But the slightest movement of the pistol trained on his head was all it took for him to break.

Shimizu: “Yes! Yes, I am!!”

Raven: “Quieter answers.”

Shimizu: “S-Sorry!”

The man was still in pain from his legs, he barely had control over himself, but he was operating solely off of not wanting to die.

Raven: “Ryo Yamada. Do you remember that name?”

Shimizu: “…Yes…”

The man looked apprehensive… Even he could tell this was an important name to his reaper. If he was honest, he could upset her, but if he was dishonest, he might be killed anyway…

Raven: “What did you do to her?”

Shimizu: “M-My job was to scout out people dangerous to the boss… Then, a-at his command, I’d call up some boys and they’d do their work… They never made it look connected to us in any way…”

Raven: “…And that’s what happened to Ryo Yamada?”

Shimizu: “Y-Yeah… The boss was really dead set on it… b-but I pushed back! She had a look that a lot of people loved… B-But she got way too close to blowing the lid off of everything, so he made me do it.”

Raven: “…”

The man was realizing an issue. Despite the immense pain he was in, he was still inebriated and unable to think clearly. He was letting his thoughts slip out in his speech far more than he intended, and he didn’t have the fortitude to stop…

Raven: “One last question. Your boss gave the okay to get rid of her?”

Shimizu: “H-He did! I-It was all him! I-I kept telling him to find another way!! H-Her androgynous look really appealed to a certain crowd… We could’ve made so much money off of-“

*pop*

With a tiny sound, only audible to those in the room, the walls were now painted with his blood and bits of his brain. Raven couldn’t stand to hear another word come out of this depraved monster’s mouth. With the single bullet she brought for this mission, she ended his life. He had told her the truth, far too much of it even, so she granted him a swift end. Being entirely honest, he didn’t tell her a shred of new info… But she reaffirmed how heinous this enterprise really is. And she won’t hesitate to kill anyone else tonight.

Staring at the ceiling, she feels a liquid start to run down her face. It’s Shimizu’s blood. Some had splashed onto her when she fired. She puts a gloved hand to it before looking at it.

Raven: “Disgusting…”

This empty feeling is what these people lived for? The girl truly couldn’t understand the sentiment at all. 

Sick of being in a room with a monster, she turned to leave, when…

Ryo: “You think that’s enough?”

The girl shot around at a speed surprised even herself, where she saw… Ryo Yamada… standing over Shimizu’s body…

Raven: “T-That’s impossible… Y-You’re…”

Ryo: “Dead.”

The girl instantly brought a hand to her mouth. She was a few seconds away from spilling the contents of her stomach onto the floor, not that she had eaten much today. Her mind was just in that much of a frenzy. 

Ryo: “…Are you satisfied?”

Raven: “H-Huh??”

Ryo: “You got revenge for me, right?”

The being who looked like Ryo Yamada took a step closer. The girl’s eyes dilated in pure terror, as she pressed her back up against the wall of the room. She was too scared to do anything more.

Ryo: “A few minutes of pain and a shot to the head, now all is good?”

Raven: “I-I…”

Ryo: “Bullshit. Why would that ever be enough?”

Raven: “I-I’m sorry…”

Ryo: “I didn’t want to die.”

She took another step closer.

Raven: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Ryo: “Why did you let me die?”

Raven: “I! I…”

Ryo: “…Why do you get to be alive?”

Raven: “…! I’m… sorry…”

Sick of taking small steps, the being who looked like Ryo Yamada simply made her away over to the girl, who was still too scared to move.

Ryo: “You think this little revenge quest of yours is enough to make up for the years you stole from us?”

Raven: “I’m sorry…”

Ryo: “Is that all you have to say?”

Raven: “I’m sorry…”

Ryo: “…You don’t deserve to be alive.”

Growing tired of this conversation, the being extends her arms towards the girl. Its destination is her throat. She’s been trained well enough to know what an impending choke looks like. She’s still too scared to move, so she simply closes her eyes…

Raven: “…”

And then…

Nothing happens. Even after a minute of waiting, the girl feels nothing. Slowly - very, very slowly, the girl opens her eyes once more and sees nothing but a corpse. She blinks a few times just to make sure, but the scene remains the same.

Raven: “R-Ryo? A-Are you there?”

There’s no response.

Raven: “R-Ryo!?”

There’s still no response.

Raven: “W-Wait… D-Don’t… D-Don’t leave me again…”

And yet, despite her desperate plea… the dead cannot respond to the living.

Raven: “...Haah… Haah… Haah…”

Tonight’s unexpected nightmare finally unraveling, the girl catches her breath and tries to set her thoughts straight. The dead can’t speak. There’s no such thing as ghosts or apparitions, so…

It was all in the girl’s head. That wasn’t Ryo Yamada. It was a figment of her subconscious mind. The girl had experienced similar phenomena before, albeit it was only ever voices. Hallucinating an entire person was new, but tonight was one for new experiences.

Letting the back of her head thump the wall, she tried to expel the terror still left inside of her. This was manageable. It wouldn’t interfere with the rest of the night's work. In fact, she needed to focus on escaping this place and rendezvousing with her contact for more supplies. The police were probably closing in on this location too.

Using rational thinking as her only drive to move, she finally left to leave the first target of the night’s house. Sprinting away under the guise of night, she looks back and sees her suspicions were correct. A car that she could only assume to be the police arrived mere minutes after her escape. She recognized the detective, but she had no time to linger. 

But when her eyes lingered on that detective, a sadness appeared in her eyes unlike any other that night. To the girl, this detective was just another person’s life she ruined…

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yuma: “…Shit.”

Overlooking the scene of the crime that just took place, the young officer realized just how serious tonight would be. With blood spattered on the wall from a single, precise gunshot to the head and a body with blood spilling out from open leg wounds, it was far from a pretty sight. The officer was actually having a hard time believing it was real.

Boss: “…Well. Still think ‘some girl in a band’ doesn’t have what it takes?”

Yuma: “Is now really the time for-“

Ready to snap at his superior for an untimely jape, he quickly stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. Pure regret. It hadn’t really hit him until now, but she was leading the case against a friend she’d been searching for for five years. There must be a million thoughts running through her mind about how she could have stopped this before it happened. To her, this entire room must be a reflection of her failures. 

Yuma: “…It’s not your fault.”

Boss: “…”

Yuma: “She chose to do this.”

Boss: “…I don’t need a damn lecture.”

Already tired of the words being thrown at her, the detective vexedly turned to leave the building.

Yuma: “U-Um, Boss?? Aren’t we gonna, you know, examine the body?”

Boss: “Let the uniforms do that. We won’t get anything from it.”

Yuma: “Really?”

Boss: “We already know where she’s going next. Our officers will get there before her. I just hope…”

Yuma: “…What?”

Boss: “…I hope that they’re enough.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

…

She can’t see the sky. It’s obscured by a gray roof. She wonders what the color of the sky is today. Would she ever be able to appreciate its blue again? Or was she growing too numb to everything to care?

Pushing this thought aside, she once again prepares her weapons for her current training. She’s able to perform the tasks she was assigned - destroying all targets with specific weaponry, but she knows that she’s not fast enough yet. She has the precision to pull it off, but her lack of familiarity with the instruments holds back her efficiency. Knowing this, she just redoes the training over and over again, in the desire that it will become second nature. Despite knowing that coming here meant abandoning everything, she can’t help but miss the focus that music brought her. Perhaps if she had a song, she would perform better… With that thinking in mind, she attempts the training regiment once more, this time following the melody of her mind…

Unbeknownst to her, two men peer into her room in the control room of this facility, studying her training techniques. One wears a lab coat, while the other wears a distinct black suit. He appears to be the director of this facility. The man in the lab coat seems to be a scientist of some kind.

Scientist: “…Why are we focusing so much on her?”

Director: “Why wouldn’t we? She had never held a gun before she came here, and yet look at her now.”

Scientist: “She’d still die first in a real fight.”

Director: “Oh, don’t think like that. Think of every person training here like… an investment.”

Scientist: “A-An investment, sir??”

The scientist was off-put by his choice of words, these were people they were talking about.

Director: “They may be worth nothing to us when they join, but they have the drive to be perfect. If we build them up well enough, they can become our perfect agents.”

Scientist: “…I still think this ‘Reaper Project’ is a terrible idea.”

Director: “Oh? And why‘s that?”

Scientist: “…You’re exploiting all of these broken, traumatized victims to make assassins. There’s just… no world where that’s right.”

Director: “Through their efforts, they’ll stop anyone else from becoming like them.”

Scientist: “...You and I both know that’s not true.”

The director turned to a more serious face, so much so that the scientist was somewhat scared.

Director: “I won’t deny the questionable ethics, but look at the results. They use their pain as fuel for their growth. We are giving them a chance to carry out the justice they seek so dearly!”

Scientist: “This isn’t justice.”

Director: “Even if it’s not, they’re still doing more with their lives than they would otherwise.”

Scientist: “Sir!”

The scientist could not let that go unchecked. To say that these people had no other futures besides being molded into murderers was just too awful.

Director: “Look at Raven. If we hadn’t approached her when we did, she’d probably already be dead. We gave her a future!”

The scientist could tell this director was just as insane as the people he wanted dead, so he ceased further argument. Instead, he changed the conversation.

Scientist: “Why do you call her that? Raven?”

Director: “Every agent must abandon their human name. We don’t need humans out on the field, we need reapers.”

Scientist: “So you force new names upon them too?”

Director: “Some names come from us, yes, but that girl… she chose Raven herself. I’m sure its implications aren’t lost on you.”

…

——————————————————————————————————————————

…

The girl pushed away any further thoughts of her past as she arrived at the rendezvous point with her contact. Perhaps her encounters with her past tonight had affected her more than she realized. 

Walking into the dark alleyway, she allowed herself to feel at peace with the bleakness once more. Just as she was finally settling into a sense of normalcy, a sharp high-pitched shriek of a voice burst into her brain.

???: “Heyoooooo, Raven~”

Raven: “Ugh…”

‘Of course they sent Angel…’ That was the only thought that occupied Raven’s mind now.

The girl standing before her wore a striking white nurse’s uniform, as well as a surgical mask and hat that covered everything except her bright crimson eyes. Their shine only furthered to infuriate Raven, perhaps reminding her of the shine that she had lost.

Angel: “Huuuuuh? What’s with that face? Are you really that mad that they sent little ol’ me?”

Raven: “…Did you bring what I asked?”

Angel: “Wowwww, straight to business, huh? You’re no fun, you know that? But I did, for the record. Probably should’ve requested a change of clothes there too.”

Raven: “Huh?”

Angel: “You got blood on you, sweetheart.”

Raven: “…That’s fine. The only ones who’ll notice won’t live long enough for it to matter.”

Angel: “Ooh, you think you’re that good, huh? I think I’m falling for you~”

Raven: “Do you mean a single thing you say?”

Angel: “Hehehe, after a girl’s heart, are we? Tell you what, when you’re an inch away from death and you need an angel to send you off, I’ll tell you something I really mean. We both know I’m the only angel seeing you off, after all~”

Raven: “…Ugh, whatever.”

Angel: “Ah, wait! Don’t start ignoring me yet, I have important things to tell you!!!”

Raven: “Then, start talking.”

Angel: “Jeez~ You’re no fun at all. Here’s your stuff.”

She held out a moderately sized white bag, carrying everything that Raven had requested for this target according to the plan. Upon inspecting it, however, Raven noticed some peculiarities.

Raven: “…I don’t need extra bullets.”

Angel: “Yeah, yeah, I know. You only bring as many bullets as there are people. The other two in there are modified tranquilizers.”

Ravens: “Tranqs?”

Angel: “Two officers are outside of his place waiting for you. We can’t kill them.”

Raven: “…The director said there wouldn’t be any engagements with them tonight.”

Angel: “Well, tough luck, hotshot. We don’t have a back door for you this time, so you gotta go through them.”

Raven: “…Unbelievable.”

Angel: “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger~”

Raven: “You’re not worth the bullets.”

Angel: “Ouch~ It hurts so good~”

Growing increasingly annoyed with having to deal with this woman, Raven turned to leave once more.

Angel: “Ah- I gave you a smoke pellet too!”

The girl stopped in her tracks. It appeared there was more to what she was given than what she realized.

Angel: “Y-You have thermal goggles too. Just throw the pellet and put them both to bed. Shouldn’t be hard at all for someone like you!”

Raven breathed a heavy sigh. She could tell that Angel truly did feel bad for this change in plans and tried to accommodate as best she could.

Raven: “…Good job.”

Angel: “Ah!!”

Raven: “…You packed everything I asked for right?”

Angel: “Eh? Of course. Although I don’t know what you plan to do with that last thing you put on the list. Seriously make sure you have the gas mask ready if you end up using it. You might be awesome, but even you couldn’t survive that .”

Raven: “…I know.”

The girl was about ready to leave when she remembered what had happened after she killed Shimizu. She figured that might be worth trying to fix…

Raven: “Hey… do you have my pills?”

Angel: “Are the voices back?”

Raven: “…It was more than voices this time.”

Angel: “Mmmmm, well, I’m not supposed to give you any. They inhibit your focus a little too much for the director’s liking… Buuuuut, because I like you so much, I’ll try and sneak them in for the next meeting.”

Raven: “…Don’t bother. He’s right… As long as I focus, I’ll get the job done.”

Angel: “Awwwww, if you say so. Do you know the next rendezvous point?”

Raven: “Is that a serious question?”

Angel: “Jeeeeeeez~ I’m just making sure my friend knows where to find me.”

Raven: “We’re not friends.”

Angel: “Ohhhhh, you think we’re already more than that!?”

Raven: “I’m leaving.”

Angel: “Bye-bye~ Good luck, my little reaper~”

The girl thought to herself once more that she didn’t need luck. She couldn’t fail tonight. That’s all there was to it. 

Stocked up with a fair bit more equipment than for the first target, she followed the designated path towards the second target. Although she had one success to her name, the night was still far from over…

——————————————————————————————————————————

The detective and young officer were once again back on the road, although the officer didn’t know where they were going. They both sat in silence realizing just how dangerous the ‘dangerous individual’ they were tasked to find really is. Desperate to break this restrictive air, Yuma spoke up.

Yuma: “So… Are we meeting up with the rest of the team?”

Boss: “We wouldn’t make it in time.”

Boss’ answer was poignant. He could tell she was struggling to keep her inner turmoil about this night from bubbling up, but she hid it with a sense of duty.

Yuma: “Where are we headed, then?”

Boss: “The third person she’ll go after.”

Yuma: “…”

Boss: “It’s just a precaution.”

The young officer knew that was a lie. She had no faith in Yagami and Sato’s ability to hold back the reaper. And, after the scene he’d seen, he couldn’t help but agree.

Yuma: “…Do you think we can stop her?”

Boss: “…If I can just talk to her…”

Yuma: “I think she might be past the point of talking.”

Boss: “I don’t believe that.”

The tone with how those words were spoken seemed to imply that she refused to believe it more than anything. Perhaps she was still hanging onto a shred of hope that her friend remained alive beneath the reaper mask she bore.

Yuma: “…We need to accept that she may have to be… taken out.”

Boss: “…”

Yuma: “I don’t want to do it either, but… I need to know that you won’t let your emotions hold you back when it really counts.”

Boss: “…I won’t. I’ll do what I need to.”

Yuma: “…I’m trusting you.”

The detective’s eyes seemed to be empty now… Yuma couldn’t help but worry what the rest of the night would do to her.

Yuma: “…So, who’s she after next?”

Boss: “…It’s in the briefcase.”

Yuma: “Oh, right.”

Reaching towards the briefcase he left under the seat, the young officer pulls out the second file. He assumes this is another one of the top three earners of Hebihare.

Yuma: “What else does this enterprise have to hide?”

The detective’s eyes seemed cloudier than usual at this moment. As if she truly didn’t want to say a single word more than she had to.

Boss: “…Please prepare yourself before reading. This one… might be the worst of the three.”

Yuma: “…”

With a scared gulp, the young officer opened the file…

——————————————————————————————————————————

The night was in its prime now. The moon could be seen and the stars were in full view. Even all the way out here, away from the neon lights in the heart of Tokyo, the buildings seemed to glow in the moonlight. In this backdrop, two officers lay in wait for their target - the Reaper. They had been told what happened at the first location over the radio, so they stood guard outside of the believed-to-be next target’s residence. The tension was high, but neither one of them could breathe such heavy air much longer.

Young Officer: “…Do you think it’s true?”

Older Officer: “Huh?”

Young Officer: “How they found the body.”

Older Officer: “What kind of question is that? You think they lied to us?”

Young Officer: “N-No, it’s just… This is Japan, you know? You don’t really see stuff like that everyday…”

Older Officer: “Well, if you’re shit at your job tonight, you might just be able to see it too.”

Young Officer: “N-Noted.”

Taking the hint to cut the chatter, the young officer moved to focus his eyes on the area around them once more. But just when he did, something in his peripheral view caught his eye. It was a tiny, silver marble-like object. He tried to squint his eyes to better place what it might be. He didn’t notice it before, so it must have been put there recently.

Young Officer: “Is that-“

*BANG*

The marble exploded into smoke, instantly dazing the two officers. Of course, they both started coughing at the unexpected smoke filling their lungs, but they desperately tried to stand still and find their attacker, but unfortunately for them that was the worst choice they could make. 

The girl was hiding in the bushes, able to see everything thanks to her thermal goggles. 

*pop* *pop*

The moment they stood still, she fired two tranquilizers directly at the officers’ necks, with the silencer still on the pistol of course. The men felt but a pinch to their neck for a few seconds before they both toppled over. The main obstacles of this target had been dealt with.

Emerging from the greenery, the Reaper made her way to the door they so valiantly tried to protect. The smoke was already starting to dissipate. Once it did, she removed her goggles and donned the reaper mask once more.

The door in front of her was the only thing keeping her from the second target of the night…

Chapter Text

An oppressive sun seemed to be the only thing waiting for us as Kita and I began our walk to our respective homes. We bought them close to each other so that we could walk to Starry together even when we no longer went to school. I guess… there was no point for that now. Albeit, we still met up at Starry every day, despite all that had happened. Perhaps we craved a sense of normalcy in our lives, or maybe we were hoping it would give us the spark we needed to start ‘living’ again. Yet… we were still walking together in an awkward silence. 

The past two months had been… extremely hard on all of us. The idea of continuing Kessoku Band hasn’t even been broached. We’re all just trying to take little steps in accepting what happened to Ryo. 

I’ve spent a lot of time with Nijika. I think I’ve become something of an anchor to her. It’s strange… I’m far from being okay, but when I need to be strong for her , I feel a little stronger. I can tell this has been really hard on her. I think she always felt that once she moved past her Mom’s death, she would be happy. For someone as kind as her to face another awful tragedy like this… I can’t even count how many nights she’s fallen asleep crying into my arms now. It hurts so much knowing that I can’t do anything more. 

But… spending all that time with her, I’ve noticed a subtle distance start to grow between me and Kita. Checking on her at Starry, I can’t help but notice that her eyes lose their shine a little more every day. I’ve tried to tell her that I’m always here to talk, but I’m sure she wouldn’t want to confide in someone like me anyways. I just worry that she’s drifting somewhere that I’ll never be able to reach. I don’t want to lose anyone else.

With this thought leaving me uneasy, and the sun doing nothing but making this an exhausting walk, I pull Kita to the side of a building, where we finally have some shade.

Kita: “H-Hitori??”

When I go to meet her eyes, I’m a little shocked by what I find. She looks terrified. Her eyes have shrunken out of fear, and her body is beginning to tremble. I can even notice sweat beginning to form on her face, even more than when we were actually in the blistering heat.

Hitori: “S-Sorry! I-I just wanted to talk with you.”

Kita: “O-Oh…”

Breathing a massive sigh of relief, I see her entire body relax as she leans against the wall. I thought she was used to my capricious behavior by now, but I suppose I need to keep in mind how much things have changed since we last had a real talk…

Hitori: “I just.. I’m worried about you, Kita.”

Kita: “…Why?”

She was leaned up against the wall in a way so that I couldn’t see her face - it was obscured by her hair. Her cold tone was the only thing I could gleam any kind of sentiment from. Come to think of it, her hair is a bit longer than usual. I thought she’d be the kind of person to always keep up with it. Ryo’s death must still be heavy on her mind.

Hitori: “W-We haven’t talked in a while.”

Kita: “We just talked at Starry.”

Hitori: “A-A real talk.”

Kita: “…”

Hitori: “Kita… Is something going on?”

Kita: “What… do you mean?”

Her voice seemed to be desperately holding back tears. I was conflicted… I didn’t want to accidentally open up any healing wounds, but I didn’t want her to suffer alone either… My latter desire won out.

Hitori: “…You haven’t been talking much at all lately. I wasn’t surprised the first few weeks, but two months have gone by and you still don’t talk to us. Sasa said you haven’t talked with her since the funeral either. N-Not that that’s not allowed or anything! B-But… I just thought… the fact that you haven’t felt better at all might mean something else is going on.”

Kita: “…I’m sorry for not living up to your expectations.”

Hitori: “E-Eh? N-No, that’s not what I-“

Her voice was filled with so much vitriol that I was almost shocked it came out of her mouth. Stepping away from the wall, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was suffering immensely. And that I should’ve talked to her a lot sooner.

Kita: “I know… I know, okay!? I need to be positive, I need to smile, I need to be happy, but I can’t! I can’t be happy! How could you expect anyone to be happy when the world is the way it is!? I can’t… I can’t keep doing this anymore… I’m so alone… I miss Ryo-senpai… I miss the band…”

I hadn’t heard her this passionate about anything in two months. Her words were laced with agony at feeling abandoned by us - by me… The more she broke down as she spoke, the more I wished I’d talked with her sooner. This was my fault… I had to make this right.

Hitori: “K-Kita… I promise you… you’re not alone. I’m with you, so… talk with me… please!”

Kita: “… You ? You don’t understand what I’m feeling at all.”

Hitori: “Eh?”

The situation was spinning in the complete opposite direction of my intention. Somehow, my reassurance had been weaponized against her in her mind and her eyes were no longer filled with suffering, but with resentment. I had never seen Kita look so enraged in all the years I’d known her, so I was all but frozen.

Kita: “You… You’re so special… You have talent that will always draw people towards you… People will love you for who you are… You don’t have to fake it… The only thing about me that people care about is what I show on the outside! No one wants to be there when I’m miserable! It must be nice not getting tossed aside when you lose your shine… And you want to say you know I feel? You have everyone… You have Nijika… ”

I was completely paralyzed by her outburst, but the pure envy I could feel dripping from how she uttered Nijika’s name made me shudder. Something she seemed to take as some admission of guilt.

Kita: “What, you think I don’t know? Do you really think you’re doing a good job hiding it!? It must be real nice sneaking away to Nijika’s bed every night. No need to dwell on the past when you can just fuck your feelings away, right?”

Hitori: “K-Kita-“

Kita: “When I lost Senpai, I lost everything. I already know you all think I’m nothing. She might’ve been the only person who ever saw any value in me. Without her, I’m nothing to anyone. No one will ever love me, and I can never fall in love again. I’m alone. Completely and utterly alone. But you… YOU-“

By the time she finally locked eyes with me again, she realized that I had become a sobbing mess. I wanted to tell her how wrong she was. My relationship with Nijika, how we felt about her as a band member, everything she was saying was wrong. But… I was so overwhelmed. I’d never seen her this hateful. I couldn’t take it anymore. Why did the world have to be so cruel? To turn such a bright girl into a tortured soul like this? It wasn’t fair… 

Through my blurry vision, I saw Kita’s eyes widen in shock as she realized what she’d done. Taking a few steps back from me, her lips were quivering beyond belief.

Kita: “N-N-No… H-Hitori, I-I didn’t mean… I-It’s not you that… I-I-I…”

Tears began to well up within her eyes as well, and then… she ran. I didn’t really know where. I was too emotionally drained for the day to run after her.

If only… If only I’d run after her… Why didn’t I realize that the Kita I knew never would have said those things? Something had fundamentally changed in her life… but I didn’t have the strength to chase after her… and I would regret it for the rest of my life…

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yuma: “…’Happy’?”

Examining the second file contained with the detective’s brief case, the young officer was surprised to see the next highest ranking employee of Hebihare had quite the exotic name.

Boss: “He never gave his real name to any of the talent. He always told them to call him ‘Happy’.”

Yuma: “Why do I have a feeling that’s a deceptive name?”

Boss: “…”

The detective continued to grimace over this particular file. Yuma realized that she wasn’t going to say anything unless specifically inquired about, so he moved to read the file in full. Unlike Shimizu, Happy had the official title of Talent Manager. Reading into it a little more, he was who every individual act’s manager would go to with ideas to be approved or denied. On the surface, it would seem to make sense that he’s one of the highest earners, he cultivated the talent after all. But reading into his actions behind the scenes…

Yuma: “Psychological and physical manipulation? In what way?”

Boss: “…Do you remember how I told you about Hebihare acting as a well-oiled machine?”

Yuma: “Yeah, of course.”

Boss: “Happy was the next cog in the machine, after anyone too wise to the truth was taken out of the picture.”

Yuma: “But what exactly is this ‘machine’ doing?”

Boss: “Well, that relates to Happy’s job. Remember that the end goal of Hebihare is to completely profit from these talented acts without having any losses. To this effort, they wanted all of the talent’s profits.”

Yuma: “What? But no one would ever agree to a contract where they don’t make any money for their work.”

Boss: “You’re right. Under normal circumstances.”

Yuma: “I’m not following.”

Boss: “Happy’s job.”

Yuma: “Psychological manip-… Oh.”

Boss: “…Happy was great at seeming like he was a friend to all of the talent he met. Eventually, he’d start going out for drinks with them every once in a while. Every once in a while would become every week, every week would become every night. Through this, he’d find their biggest insecurities in their drunken admissions and slowly break them down, night by night. Once he had manipulated their self-esteem enough for them to believe they were nothing without their career, he’d… drug them, and film the result. Then… he’d blackmail them.”

The detective truly struggled to let the last part of her explanation escape from her mouth, her words becoming more and more breathy, unable to speak with her usual poise. Yuma had never seen the detective this emotional before. He was truly sad that the first emotion he saw from her was such a heavy despair. At the same time, a burning question was growing within him, and rage with his assumed answer.

Yuma: “…Just to be clear. When you say they filmed the ‘result’, you mean they…”

Boss: “…”

A frustrated sigh escaped Yuma’s nostrils as his assumption was confirmed with Boss’ reluctance to speak. Examining the file with full context, the young officer turned the page and found more detailed writing than he ever could have expected. Almost all of this man’s actions had been recorded. Something stuck out to the young detective - the man didn’t film these videos alone. It was always with the same group.

Yuma: “…Boss. How many bodyguards did Shimizu have?”

Boss: “…Three.”

Yuma: “Then the other six bodies…”

Boss: “…Yeah.”

Fury was beginning to overtake Yuma. They knew of this man’s action, and they knew the bodies in the warehouse were his men. It was starting to sound like the police knew a whole lot about a criminal with a known location…

Trying not to take out his anger on the detective, Yuma asked what was bubbling in his mind.

Yuma: “Boss…Why isn’t Happy behind bars?”

The Boss’ eyes clouded once more, and a truly sorrowful look overtook her usual stern face.

Boss: “…Not enough evidence, according to the prosecution.”

Yuma: “Not eno- That’s bullshit! You wrote the goddamn file, you know how much we have on him! His actions were tracked for months, and we even have the DNA from the bodies!”

Boss: “…It’s not an overwhelming amount for an important case like this, and the prosecution isn’t willing to risk its conviction rate if they aren’t sure they’ll win.”

Yuma: “So, what, they care more about their public image than actual justice!?”

Boss: “Yes.”

Yuma: “…”

Yuma covered his eyes with his hand as he felt his world crumble around him. Of course he’d known the justice system in Japan had many flaws, but he was beginning to question the point of searching for the truth in a country that had no interest in acknowledging it. Something about this just wasn’t adding up to him…

Yuma: “…Are you sure the prosecution is what’s stopping this?”

Boss: “…What are you implying?”

Yuma: “I’m not naive enough to think that our system is perfect, but I just… have to believe they have some bigger picture in mind.”

To Yuma’s surprise, the detective lightly scoffed at him, before becoming completely unresponsive. Unsure of what he had said to offend, he examined the file more. He had to skip the latter half of the second page for now. The description of events… made it clear why this case was so hard for the detective to talk about. The third page, however, brought a surprise to the young officer.

Yuma: “Tsumi Kutsuki?”

Boss: “…What?”

The Boss finally began to respond to him again, although he was confused at why she seemed unaware of what he was talking about.

Yuma: “It’s his real name. I kinda see why he went with a pseudonym now. His parents must have either been eccentric or could already tell he’d be an awful person at birth-“

Boss: “Shut up for a second.”

Yuma: “H-Huh? Um, okay…”

Apparently, he’d pissed her off again. He knew he wasn’t very good at handling people, but the detective had made him more confused about human interaction than anyone he’d spoken to before.

Boss: “…What the hell…”

The detective began muttering to herself about how something didn’t make sense. Yuma had no idea how to react.

Yuma: “…Is the name wrong or something?”

Boss: “No. I told you, didn’t I? He never gave his real name out at Hebihare.”

Yuma: “Then, how did you get it?”

Boss: “I didn’t!”

Yuma: “W-What? But… I thought these were your files?”

Boss: “…Goddamnit.”

Growing increasingly frustrated, the Boss pulled over to the side of the road and all but headbutted the wheel. 

Boss: “…Someone else must have been investigating Hebihare. But I told them to keep me updated, dammit…”

Yuma: “U-Um…”

Boss: “…What?”

Yuma: “Well, I was just thinking that we know his residence, so couldn’t they have just found it through there and retroactively added it?”

Boss: “Do you think I’m an idiot? The house was bought by Hebihare. The man left no traces of his name when I looked, it’s like he didn’t exist. The only possible explanation is someone was investigating him before Hebihare even existed.”

Yuma: “…But why would they do that?”

Boss: “That’s what I’m trying to figure out!”

Yuma had never seen the detective so impassioned. He could tell that she was feeling both betrayed and abandoned at being left out of key findings in this case. He could understand it, knowing that she only joined the force to solve this very case. 

Letting out a long, tired sigh, she moved onto the road once more and began to drive. A tense air hung between them. This case was making them both emotional at this point. They both felt like everything they were fighting for was being ripped away. There was even a part of Yuma… that was starting to sympathize with the Reaper. Though he would never admit it.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Yuma asked what he’d been meaning to since examining the file.

Yuma: “…I understand Happy’s role now, but you only started investigating after Kessoku Band, so…”

Boss: “…You’re asking what he did to earn the Reaper’s wrath?”

Yuma: “Yeah.”

Boss: “…Ikuyo Kita was in a rough place after Ryo Yamada died. She had feelings for her, and there was a certain emptiness that she couldn’t get rid of, knowing she never truly tried to embrace her feelings. Taking advantage of a grieving girl, Happy began drinking with her, so that she could ‘let her spill her feelings out’. He preyed on her imposter syndrome, alienated her from the band, fed her lies about Hitori Goto and Nijika Ijichi’s relationship, all so that he built himself up as the only one she could trust. And then, he…”

Righteous anger was building in the detective once more, as she gripped the wheel harder than she needed to. Pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath, and then continued. Yuma, too, felt an anger growing within him at this story, but held back knowing that this was much closer to the Boss’ heart than his.

Boss: “…He got the hard part out of the way, so it wasn’t difficult to blackmail her into a predatory contract. Suddenly, Hebihare was taking in even more of Kessoku Band’s revenue. But, that didn’t stop Happy and his crew from continuing to call Ikuyo Kita out for more… ‘fun’.”

Yuma: “What…? But they already got what they wanted…”

Boss: “Hence why it’s ‘fun’ instead of ‘business’.”

Yuma: “…”

Hearing this and thinking about the fact that the state is doing nothing to put this man behind bars… Yuma felt that his entire drive for this line of work was leaving him by the second…

Boss: “…Kita was a strong girl, but you can only take so much. Eventually… she couldn’t take it anymore. And… Happy killed her.”

Yuma was a little stunned for a moment, although after thinking about what he’d just read in the file, he realized he shouldn’t be. Happy was the lowest of the low.

Yuma: “I thought her death was ruled a suicide…”

Boss: “It was. But I can tell you from what I’ve seen that Happy disposes of his targets as soon as they stop being ‘fun’ to him.”

Yuma: “…I’m starting… to understand the Reaper a little more.”

Boss: “… She shouldn’t have to be the one to stain her hands with these monsters’ blood.”

Yuma agreed with that sentiment. As he stared into the dark sky via the window, all he could think about was how tragic this entire chain of events truly was…

——————————————————————————————————————————

Leaning on a guardrail, overlooking the lake that the warehouse district sat beside, Tsumi Kutsuki, known only as Happy to others, fervently tapped away on his phone, carefully examining his earnings for the month. After winning Kita over, his income percentage had skyrocketed over almost everyone else at Hebihare.

His avaricious smile served only to accentuate his foppish appearance. His slicked-back, dyed white hair, his ‘pretty boy’ face, his aqua blue contacts, his personal style was secretly predatory. Everything about him in general was perfectly crafted to reel in his unsuspecting victims. Not a single thing about him was genuine, as he only lived to take advantage of others. 

While planning out his next course of action through looking at all of his talents’ profits, he continually receives messages from those who he’s already begun to work on. A disgusted look flashes on his supposedly inviting face every time one of their texts appears as a notification at the top of his screen, yet he never fails to send a hopeful message back at them, closely followed by a flood of emojis.

???: “Uh… Happy??”

Not expected to be called upon after their activities for the day had wrapped up, Happy took a second to realize his name was being said. Bouncing off of the guardrail, he turned around to see one of his men with a worried expression on his face.

Happy: “What’s up?”

He kept his usual playful tone, but all of his men knew to get straight to the point with him.

???: “She… uh… I think we broke her?”

Happy: “What do you mean?”

???: “Well, we told her she could go home for the day, but she’s not moving. Actually, she’s not doing anything. She’s just… muttering to herself. It’s fucking creepy.”

Happy: “…Haah, I’ll deal with it.”

Responding with the same cadence as someone telling him his toilet was clogged, Happy made his way back towards the warehouse that he had left only a little while ago. Today was another one spent with Ikuyo Kita. He was hoping she wasn’t broken already, but he also knew that he had to move on to the next target eventually. He pondered about this being a blessing in disguise. Entering the warehouse, she truly was just standing there.

Kita: “…I’m sorry…”

The words were barely audible, and she just kept saying them over and over. It was starting to get on his nerves. He walked until he was directly in front of her.

Happy: “Kitaaaaaaa~”

Kita: “…I’m sorry…”

Vexed by being ignored, he cupped her face with one hand and forced her to meet his gaze.

Happy: “…You really shouldn’t ignore people who are trying to look out for you, you know. It’s not like anyone else will.”

Kita: “…I’m sorry…”

Happy: “…Tch.”

Growing tired of her speaking like a broken record, he began to examine her face in earnest, as if he was reappraising her.

Happy: “…No one’s gonna love you with cold eyes like those. You’ve been really phoning in your makeup recently too… And what’s with this hair?? Didn’t I tell you to cut it weeks ago???”

The more he looked at her, the more he stopped seeing value in her. 

Happy: “You’re not unsalvageable, but… Ugh, come with me.”

Despite relaying it as something for her to do, he gripped her arm tight and brought her outside of the warehouse. He was once again overlooking the lake, but this time at a section without a guardrail. He turned to look at her, aided by the sunlight now, one more time.

Happy: “…Hey, Kita, are you still in there?”

Kita: “…I’m sorry…”

Happy: “…Do you react to anything ?”

His temper growing at a childish rate, Happy put a hand around Kita’s neck and slowly began to tighten it. It was clear that she couldn’t breathe after a certain point, yet she did nothing to resist at all. It was clear to him that she was completely broken. Dropping her, she crumpled to the floor and caught her breath, but made no effort to get up. She simply remained curled up in a ball.

Happy: “…”

Feeling nothing left towards her, Happy kicked her into the lake. He knew she didn’t have the will to survive. She would drown before long.

???: “Dude, what the fuck???”

Happy: “What?”

The one who had told him about the situation was now coming up to him in a confused panic.

???: “I thought you were gonna fix the problem?”

Happy: “We’ll never have to deal with the problem again. That’s a pretty good fix in my book.”

???: “But what if they find something on her body that ties it to us???”

Happy: “…Ohhh, that’s right. You’re the new guy.”

???: “H-Huh?”

Happy: “Sorry, man, I forgot she was your first with us. Thing is, we do this every time.”

???: “What???”

Happy: “It’s not really that surprising for young talent like these folks to commit suicide. And, uh, let’s just say we have some people on the inside that want a piece of their posthumous pie. And they know that no Hebihare means no pie.”

???: “…So we’re safe?”

Happy: “Absolutely. No one will ever figure us out. Or at least, no one will ever do anything about it. So, take it easy! And look forward to who’s next!”

???: “Y-Yeah… Yeah!”

…

In a cruel irony, this very warehouse is where Happy’s entire crew would be found murdered five years later.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Wasting no time at all, the Reaper sprung into action and kicked the door in front of her down. She knew everything there was to know about her second target of the night. She knew that he had a god complex, and that he thought himself untouchable. To this effort, she knew that his personal security was pathetic. The very fact that she was able to kick down the door was proof. The girl felt no pleasure in her revenge, she found it repulsive, quite frankly. But, she couldn’t deny the whisper in her heart that was thrilled to rip this lech from his self-fabricated throne in Heaven and send him directly down to Cocytus. The girl knew that everyone at Hebihare was licentious scum, but even among a field of sinners, Tsumi Kutsuki’s soul was stained so dark that he stood out. When Raven learned the truth of Ikuyo Kita’s death, she of course blamed herself for being unable to see the signs, but she also grew a burning hatred for the man she knew as Happy. She wouldn’t leave this room without clothes stained with his blood.

Although the smoke from her surprise attack had mostly dissipated, the dust brought up from the door crashing down blended together with what remained. With slow footsteps, the Reaper emerged from the haze, standing face to face with her target. He had set up a desk right at the entrance, waiting for her, no doubt another result of his larger than life ego. 

What stood out to her more however was… Ikuyo Kita… standing beside him. Just glaring at her with cold, envious eyes. Raven took a deep breath, so as to not let her fear take over, before staring directly into the man’s eyes, an inviting smile plastered on his face. She knew that Kita wasn’t real this time. If she just ignored her, she could get the job done. 

Tired of the silence, Happy’s voice rang out in the room, his feigned affability ever present.

Happy: “Oh-hoh… Am I to assume that you’re ‘my Reaper’?”

Raven almost flinched at this, but quickly held herself together. They knew that Hebihare had an extremely advanced information gathering system, but they weren’t sure exactly how fast that information traveled. From this, it was clear that they were already aware of her first assassination. 

Raven: “…And I’m right in saying that you’re Tsumi Kutsuki?”

The man’s smile remained, but Raven didn’t falter in noticing the twitch in his eyebrow. She could sense fury building within him. A secret he’d worked so hard to bury was being thrown in his face, he was being exposed, and he couldn’t stand it. That was all the answer she needed.

Raven: “Then…”

Taking a massive breath and quickly moving her hand behind her, she brought her fists into contact with her back at a strange level of force, before sliding her hand down to grasp her pistol.

Kutsuki: “Ah, ah, ah, my little reaper.”

But before she could draw, a gun was trained on her. Kutsuki had stood up the instant she moved, pistol already in hand. She couldn’t tell what model it was, but she knew it was lethal. Not that it was very surprising for a member of Hebihare. 

Kutsuki: “Hands where I can see ‘em.”

The girl slowly pulled her hand away from her back and raised her arms. The man began to walk towards her, the gun still trained on her head. Once directly in front of her, he spared no time to rip the mask off of her, exposing her face directly to someone else for the first time that night - not counting Angel, who had seen it plenty of times during training. The man’s eyes glazed over her face, almost as if he was prodding at her worth.

Kutsuki: “Gah… What the fuck did you do to yourself? This is just… ugh.”

The girl was admittedly a little confused. It’s true she changed her appearance from five years ago, but nothing had fundamentally changed about her face. If she had any value to him before, she had no idea how she had lost it. Not that it particularly mattered, she didn’t care about what a lascivious degenerate thought about her. And right now, the only thing that mattered was her ability to kill.

Kutsuki: “…This could have gone so much better for you, you know.”

Growing frustrated by the Reaper’s unwillingness to speak, he cupped her face with his hand and forced eye contact between them, as he usually did with his victims. If there was another thing that Raven knew about his ego, it’s that he despised being ignored.

Kutsuki: “I’m a forgiving man. Even if you tried to kill me, I would’ve let you off the hook with a little bit of service. Losing Shimizu might hurt the company, but as long as I keep making my share I really don’t care. I can look past your flaws, you know~”

His grip on her face tightened, and she could tell that his airy tone was laced with ire. 

Kutsuki: “But then… you had to go and say that name.”

He took a deep breath before continuing, as if to try to control his anger. The girl knew well enough that he had no control over that, however much he tried.

Kutsuki: “Now, you’re going to tell me where the fuck you learned that from, and maybe, just maybe, I won’t blow your brains out right here.”

Raven could tell that he was serious, killing intent was emanating from his entire body. Every deep breath he took could be the last before he snapped. What he didn’t realize, however…

Kutsuki: “I’m gonna give you five seconds. Let me promise you… you won’t like what the silent treatment will bring.”

With every single breath he took, he was falling deeper into her trap…

Kutsuki: “Why aren’t you… y-you… U-Ugh-“

He hastily let go of Raven’s face and brought his free hand to his mouth. What started as a light cough quickly turned to a violent one. The hand holding the gun began to droop the moment blood saturated his mouth. The Reaper launched into the second phase of her plan without a moment’s hesitation.

In one smooth movement, she ripped the gun out of his weakened hand before twisting her entire body to land a kick directly to his face, sending him flying across the room. Immediately after regaining her balance, she pulled out the gas mask that Angel had prepared for her and slid it onto her face. It took but a moment for the filters to work their magic, and with a beep, she let out the breath she had been holding. 

Peering at Kutsuki, she saw him struggling to raise his head. His fancy shirt had already been drenched in his own blood. Whether it was from her kick or his consistent coughing, she wasn’t certain. Either way, she pulled out her pistol and began walking towards him.

Kutsuki: “Y-You… T-This was all… E-Even me taking off your mask…”

Raven: “…Even a buffoon could figure out what I had in mind if I walked in with a gas mask on.”

Feeling his intelligence being insulted, Kutsuki began to get aggravated, only furthering the violent coughing.

Raven: “Gwenwyn Anweledig. A highly volatile, invisible, gaseous poison that spreads when it makes contact with oxygen. It’s not something someone like you would know about, but you still never should have let my hands move at all. You were dead when you didn’t shoot me on sight.”

The girl had broken the vial containing the poison that Angel had supplied her with when she hit her back and gripped her pistol. It was only dangerous for a few minutes, once too much oxygen mixes in with it, it loses its potency. She knew it would dissipate by the time the officers woke up. The only target of the night was him , and he had inhaled it in its most dangerous state.

Kutsuki: “Y-YOU-“

Raven: “I’d stop talking if I were you. Pretty soon, your throat will be too ripped up to speak. As the poison spreads throughout your body, the pain will be unmanageable. Even if you pass out, the pain will jolt you back almost immediately. You can try to resist if you want, but there is no cure, so… you are going to die soon.”

The Reaper’s explanation made the man realize just how awful this situation was for him. His eyes began to widen and tears started to form. It was the first time Raven had ever seen him drop his facade. She could tell he was feeling fear for the first time in his life.

…Yet this only serves to fuel Raven’s rage. How many times has he looked upon this exact face and continued with a monstrous act? And yet, the moment something happens to him, he thinks a face like this will change anything?

Raven: “You… Do you even realize how lucky you are?”

The man was sobbing, but he looked at her in confusion.

Raven: “Your depraved acts would go on for months at a time… You forced her to carry such a heavy burden alone for so long with no escape in sight… Your suffering’s end is already close at hand, and you have the gall to cry over it!? …You’re not worth the air you breathe.”

The man had all but crumpled to the floor by this point. He tried with all of her might to lift his upper body, but he was simply in too much pain. Pain was the only thing lining his brain. Whether he heard what the Reaper had said or not was unclear. This allowed Raven to reel in her emotions, and become a being of death once more. She had a schedule to follow.

Raven: “…Hey, if you can hear me, still… I’ll give you a quick, painless death.”

The man’s head jolted upwards to meet her eyes. It was clear that he had given up on resisting and was simply waiting for the release. The Reaper knew she could take advantage of that.

Raven: “I’m going to ask you some yes or no questions. Simply nod to give your response.”

The man nodded to show that he understood.

Raven: “I have a single bullet. If you’re truthful, I’ll use it to end you in one shot. If you lie to me, I’ll shoot you somewhere that’ll hurt like hell, and then leave you to die.”

The man fought through the increasing tears coming from his eyes and nodded his head ‘yes’ as much as he could.

Raven: “Good. Now… do you remember Ikuyo Kita?”

The man nodded yes.

Raven: “Do you remember everything that you did to her?”

The man once again said yes.

Raven: “Last question… Did you kill her?”

The man fervently nodded yes.

Raven: “I see.”

The Reaper aimed the gun towards his forehead. The man looked truly happy for the first time that night. Raven couldn’t help but think about how funny it is that someone’s opinion on death can change so fast. She took a deep breath, and put her finger on the trigger…

…

Kita: “You’re not really letting him off that easily, are you?”

In an instant, the being that looked like Ikuyo Kita had moved from beside Kutsuki’s desk to Raven’s side. Her vacuous tone was missing the usual warmth that Raven had grown accustomed to. It made sense, however, when faced with the man who did such awful things to her. The Reaper froze for a moment. She knew this was another hallucination, but… she couldn’t help but think that if this was somehow the ghost of Kita… she should listen to her…

Kita: “Well?”

Raven: “…Of course not.”

Changing her aim she instead fired at Kutsuki’s leg. His face instantly contorted in pain as the bullet made contact. The poison was a slow aching pain, so the sharp pain of a bullet wound was sure to cause a difference in reaction. The man pleadingly looked up at the Reaper once more.

Raven: “I only had one bullet.”

Kutsuki’s face made it clear that those words were his last step into total despair. As he continued to hack up his lungs, his sobbing grew even stronger. Raven had broken him.

Kita: “So?”

Raven: “H-Huh?”

Kita: “Do you think he stopped when I was broken?”

Raven: “…”

Kita: “This isn’t enough… This isn’t even close to enough…”

Raven: “…Then, what should I…”

Kita: “You still have a knife, don’t you?”

Raven: “…Yes.”

Kita: “Let’s start by making his legs match.”

Delirious to everything but his own pain, Kutsuki didn’t even notice the Reaper making her way to his flank. He was still sprawled out on the floor, so it wasn’t hard to target any particular limb. She had shot his left leg already. Grabbing her knife, she leaned close to his right leg.

Kita: “…Are you waiting for an invitation?”

Shuddering at the ruthlessness of her words, Raven abided by the apparition’s wishes and stabbed directly into Kutsuki’s right leg. His head once again jolted upwards in agony, though his throat was already too damaged to scream. Just as she was about to pull it out-

Kita: “Carve.”

Raven: “…What?”

Kita: “Slice his entire leg open.”

Raven: “…”

Kita: “Do you really think this scum of a human being doesn’t deserve to suffer? After all the suffering he caused?”

Raven: “…”

These acts were making Raven more and more sick, but she couldn’t say no if this really was what Kita wanted. Moving the knife downwards, his skin began to split open and blood began to overflow. His body had begun to convulse, no doubt from the overload of two active pains at once. She wanted to puke at how disgusting this all was. This senseless violence…

After she was done, the man had stopped moving. The poison didn’t act that fast, so he had most likely passed out from the pain. Raven had to assume that the poison hadn’t become brutal enough to stop that from happening, but she knew it would soon.

Kita: “…Who said he could sleep?”

Raven: “The poison will come into full effect soon.”

Kita: “No.”

Raven: “…”

Kita: “Wake him up.”

Raven: “Do we really need-“

Kita: “Do you think he let his victims rest?”

Raven: “…”

Breathing a heavy sigh, the Reaper loomed over the middle of his body and began prodding around the area connecting his shoulders and neck. After searching for a few seconds, her fingers rested on a particular spot of skin, one that she knew hid a bundle of nerves underneath. 

She plunged the knife directly into it, and his eyes shot wide open once more. He no longer had the strength to lift his head, so his eyesight was the only movement he could control. Ripping the knife out of him, Raven looked towards Kita, who still stared blankly at Kutsuki. 

Kita: “It’s not enough…”

Raven: “…Eh?”

Kita: “It’s not enough at all!! Until you mangle every single limb on his body, until you carve out everything he needs to keep breathing, until you defile him, it will never be enough!!!”

Raven: “B-But… I-I can’t…”

Kita: “Why!? You’re the one who decided to live, so you’re the one who has to deal with the consequences!!”

Raven: “I-I’m not… a monster like them.”

…

Kita: “…You’re right. You’re no monster. Just a failure.”

And in the span of a single blink, Kita vanished from view. Raven blinked a few more times just to make sure, but she really was gone. She looked to the body that she’d already considered mangled and sighed. Not because she felt bad for Kutsuki, but because this was never what she wanted to do. 

Raven: “…”

Unable to look at this sorry sight any longer, she moved to kneel beside his head, lifted it up, and slit his throat. She didn’t know how long the poison would take, but this would guarantee death before the officers outside woke up. 

Taking a look at her clothing once more, she found that she was splattered in the blood she was so desperate for, but it felt completely empty. This target… had taken something from her. With each passing second of this night, she was losing the ties to who she used to be.

She couldn’t help but laugh a little. She tried so hard to abandon who she used to be for all of these years, but now that it was happening, she realized… she was completely empty without her past. 

…

Raven: “…The night’s not over.”

She had no time to get sentimental, especially because her torture had delayed her mission time. Taking one last deep breath, she ran to the next rendezvous point as fast as possible, leaving everything that happened in Tsumi Kutsuki’s residence behind her…

——————————————————————————————————————————

The detective and young officer had been riding together for what felt like days now, with a heavy silence hanging over them. In reality, it had only been around an hour since they last spoke, but the silence was so deafening that he’d lost track of reality. Yuma had no idea how close or far to their destination they were, but he was too emotionally compromised about this whole case to really want to force a conversation anymore. Just as he thought another hour of silence awaited him, a transmission came through on the radio. It was the older officer he’d met at the station.

Older Officer: “This is Sato. Do you copy?”

Boss didn’t hesitate for a single second and immediately responded.

Boss: “Do you have the Reaper in custody?”

Older Officer: “…No, Ma’am. She completely blindsided us. She used tranquilizers to take both of us out and then killed the resident. No signs of her in the area. We… completely failed.”

Boss: “…Dammit.”

Yuma was a little surprised. He didn’t think the detective had much faith in the other two officers, but she seemed genuinely disappointed that they weren’t able to catch the Reaper. Perhaps it was just an unreasonable expectation all along. There was one thing Yuma had to know, however.

Yuma: “…How’s the body?”

A heavy silence hung over the radio for a minute. Yuma was almost about to ask again, in fear of a technical glitch, when he received a response.

Older Officer: “I’ll be honest… It’s one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Yagami threw up the minute he walked in, and… I can’t blame him. Physical trauma to the head, stab wounds on the right leg, back, and neck, as well a bullet wound in the left leg. Also, I’m no forensic expert, but the way his eyes are bulging has me thinking he was poisoned before any wound.”

Yuma: “…What was the actual cause of death?”

Older Officer: “Based on the varying levels of dried blood, I think that sliced neck was her way of ending the night. Or, this guy’s night at least.”

Yuma: “…Jesus.”

As Yuma slumped back into his seat, mixed emotions raced through his mind. Of course he understood how the Reaper felt about Kutsuki, and the level of hatred she must harbor for him. But he just couldn’t justify torturing someone like that. That was how he felt about the Reaper in general. Her anger, while righteous, is portrayed through unjust action. He refused to believe that there wasn’t someway to have brought these people to justice within the confines of the law. Then again… the more he learns about Hebihare, the less he believes that.

Older Officer: “So… What do we do now?”

Boss: “Head back to the station.”

Older Officer: “Shouldn’t we meet up with you?”

Boss: “You wouldn’t make it in time.”

Older Officer: “Then what about the next target?”

Boss: “There is no ‘next target’. Yuma and I stop the Reaper in the next half-hour, or she gets her revenge. That’s the only way this night plays out.”

Older Officer: “…Do you think you can do it?”

Boss: “…I wish I had an answer.”

Older Officer: “…”

With this the radio communications ceased, and the Boss and Yuma continued to head towards the target’s residence.

Yuma: “Why do you think this is the last target?”

Boss: “Three dates. Three deaths. Three targets.”

Yuma: “Oh…”

Yuma lambasted himself in his mind for letting such a simple answer escape him. 

Yuma: “How far are we from-“

Boss: “We’re here.”

Yuma: “Huh!?”

The young officer had stopped paying attention to his surroundings since the radio communication started, but he never expected that they’d arrive without him noticing. But, sure enough, when he looked out of the front window, a large mansion greeted him. Yuma prepared to get out of the car immediately to prepare, but the detective’s cold voice stopped him.

Boss: “Yuma.”

Yuma: “Y-Yeah?”

Boss: “…I’m sorry. I haven’t been telling you the truth.”

Yuma: “What do you mean?”

The boss looked down for a moment, seemingly questioning if she should really tell me whatever this ‘truth’ was, before looking at me with determined eyes.

Boss: “This task force is a complete lie.”

Yuma: “…What?”

Boss: “I called you all in myself. HQ had nothing to do with this.”

Yuma was taken aback for a moment. He actually had to think about what these words meant. Those emails he received to report to the station immediately for the emergency formation of a specialized task force… were actually sent by the Boss. He could only question why she would do that. He pondered if she wasn’t selected for the real Reaper force… This was an important case for her, so she’d probably pursue it on her own terms.

Yuma: “Wait, but… Hold on… we’re the only ones out here… if we’re not the Reaper task force, then who is?”

Boss: “There isn’t one. No officers have been assigned to this case.”

Yuma: “What!?”

Just as I’m about to ask for clarification, she says something I never could have expected.

Boss: “The TMPD higher-ups… have forbidden any officer from pursuing the Reaper.”