Saito walked beside Kaito, hands behind his head.
"Hey, Kaito… do you know where we can find a territory?"
Kaito glanced around the street calmly. "Hmm… I don't know. This city is full of gangs. There's no empty territory. Everything's already taken."
Saito shrugged. "Then what should we do? We can't just walk around without any objective."
Kaito let out a quiet breath. "Relax, captain. Opportunity will come one day."
Before Saito could reply—
A scream echoed through the street.
A woman's voice.
Saito's expression changed instantly.
"Well… that's one of it."
He looked at Kaito.
Kaito nodded.
Without another word, the two of them rushed toward the scene.
A woman stepped back, fear in her eyes as a group of thugs closed in on her.
"Please… I don't have anything valuable," she said, her voice shaking.
One of the thugs smirked. "Oh no, no, no… we're not here for that…"
He stepped closer. "…we're here for something else."
The others laughed.
The woman trembled. "No… please…"
Suddenly—
A figure dropped from above.
Saito landed right in front of her.
"Hey there, you all," he said casually. "How about we let this beautiful woman walk away and live her life?"
The thug stared at him, then laughed. "Tch… who are you? A hero? Hahaha!"
Saito sighed. "I tried to talk nice here."
"Well then move, kid," the thug said coldly. "We're not here for you."
Saito shrugged slightly. "Well… don't say I didn't try to negotiate."
He glanced to the side. "Kaito, your turn."
In the next second—
Kaito dropped behind the thugs, his presence cold and silent.
They froze.
"Crap… it's the Silent Killer! I thought you already retired!"
Kaito's eyes were calm. "I have a new job…"
He stepped forward.
"…a gangster."
And lunged at them.
The thugs lay on the ground, unconscious.
Saito dusted his hands lightly. "You're safe now."
The woman looked at them with relief. "Thank you… both of you."
She reached into her pocket and handed them a ticket. "Here… as my thanks."
Saito took it and looked closer.
"A free meal?" he said.
The woman smiled. "Come to my restaurant at the east side of the city."
Saito's eyes lit up. "Well, I'll be damned… Kaito, we just got free meals for life."
Kaito gave a small nod. "Good job."
Saito grinned. "Thanks, ma'am."
The woman nodded once more before walking away.
At a village in the east—
The woman walked into her house.
The door opened quietly.
"Mom, you're home!"
Tina ran toward her and hugged her tightly.
The woman smiled softly and hugged her back.
Then Tina pulled away and handed her the present.
"Happy birthday, Mom."
The woman looked surprised. "Aww… thanks, Tina."
Tina smiled brightly.
The woman looked at the present again, her eyes widening in shock.
"How did you buy this?"
Tina smiled. "A man helped me. He said to choose Mom's favorite… so I chose this."
The woman's expression softened. "Aww…"
She pulled Tina into a warm hug.
Suddenly—
A voice came from the door.
"Ohh… that's an expensive gift for a kid."
The woman turned.
Four gangsters stood at the entrance.
She quickly held Tina close. "Why are you here?"
One of them stepped forward. "Boss said it's time for tax. So… how will you pay it?"
The woman hesitated, then slowly took the necklace and handed it over. "Here… now leave."
Tina grabbed it back. "Mom! I gave this to you… you can't just give it to them!"
"Tina…" the woman said softly, "I'm happy, but please… just give it to them."
"No!" Tina shouted.
The gangster clicked his tongue. "Tch… you brat. Pay, or else—"
"Gentlemen…"
A young voice interrupted.
"Here is her tax."
A pouch of coins was tossed forward.
The gangster caught it and smirked. "Well… a mayor came to the rescue."
The woman looked at the man in surprise. "Mayor Takashi… it's…"
Takashi stepped forward calmly.
"My people are my responsibility."
His gaze hardened.
"I know I'm the one who allowed you into this village and protect it…"
He paused.
"But that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want to my people."
The gangsters shrugged.
"Whatever."
They turned and left.
Back in the city—
Saito and Kaito walked side by side.
Saito let out a sigh. "This is boring…"
Kaito glanced at him. "Relax, Saito. We'll find a territory one day."
Saito pouted slightly.
Then—his eyes lit up.
"Tina!"
He walked toward her. "Tina, how you—"
He stopped.
Her face… looked off.
Tina quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Oh, Sir Saito… Sir Kaito. Why are you two here?"
Kaito answered calmly. "We're just wandering around."
Saito looked at her carefully. "Is something bothering you?"
Tina shook her head. "No… anyway, I want to go to this place and show you."
She held up a poster.
"A pet campaign."
Kaito raised a brow. "Pet?"
Tina smiled, a bit brighter this time. "Let's go! They even have a cute hamster!"
Saito grinned. "Alright then… Pet Campaign, here we come."
They arrived at the event area.
Tina immediately ran toward a cage filled with hamsters.
"They're so cute!" she said, eyes shining.
She turned to Saito and pointed. "Look at him! He's adorable!"
Saito leaned closer and smiled. "Yeah… he is."
Suddenly—
"Achoo!"
Saito looked at Kaito. "Oh… you're allergic?"
Kaito frowned. "Shut up. I don't have any allergies. Just dust."
Saito smirked. "Sure."
Tina had already moved on.
"Look, look! They also have horses!"
She ran toward them excitedly.
Saito raised a hand. "Hey—don't go too far!"
Tina ran forward—
Then bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry si—"
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
The man she bumped into…
Was the gangster from her village.
The gangster looked down at her. "Brat… watch where you're looking."
Saito stepped in, his gaze sharp. "Is there something wrong here?"
The gangster glanced at him briefly.
"…Nothing. Keep an eye on your brat."
He turned and walked away.
Saito watched him go.
Then he turned back to Tina.
She was trembling.
"You okay?" Saito asked.
Tina forced a smile. "Y-Yes… I'm okay…"
Saito narrowed his eyes slightly.
Something felt off.
They stopped by an ice cream stall.
Saito glanced at Kaito. "Hey, Kaito… do you know them?"
He pointed toward the gangsters from earlier.
Kaito followed his gaze.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed their clothing—
A claw symbol… with a red cloud behind it.
"…Claw Gang," Kaito said. "I've heard of them. They control a small village."
Saito's expression changed. "But Tina… she was scared when she saw them."
Kaito shrugged lightly. "Maybe a coincidence."
Saito frowned. "I don't know… I've never seen her that scared."
He turned his head.
Tina stood nearby, smiling as she licked her ice cream.
Like nothing was wrong.
Saito watched her quietly.
Something didn't feel right.
They walked away from the pet campaign.
"Yippee… I got to touch a lot of cute animals," Tina said happily. "Thanks, Sir Saito… Sir Kaito."
Both of them smiled.
Then—
Tina stopped walking.
Her smile faded.
Saito noticed. "Tina?"
He followed her gaze.
Up ahead—
A man stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by gangsters wearing the same claw symbol with a red cloud.
The man had black hair, slightly rough and unkempt. His eyes were dark and cold, filled with cruelty.
Metal claws covered his hands, reflecting the light faintly.
He stood there calmly… like he owned the place.
His gaze slowly shifted toward them.
Saito narrowed his eyes.
"Tina… you know him?"
Tina stayed silent.