Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
A light drizzle fell from the gloomy sky.
Holding a black umbrella, Yoru strolled through the maze-like alleys.
He had checked his guitar bag at a nearby station, leaving only the katana wrapped in black cloth at his waist.
Though it was a bit conspicuous, in a rough neighborhood like this, a weirdo with a blade was more likely to avoid trouble than attract it.
"The residue ends here."
Yoru stopped in front of a flooded dead end.
The rain had washed away most of the tracks, but the unique stench remained clear to his sense of smell.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Yoru's ears twitched.
From an alley two streets away came the sound of dull thuds and a boy's suppressed cries of pain.
He knew that sound well.
It was bullying.
...
Deep within a dim alleyway.
Junpei Yoshino was curled in the mud, his school uniform covered in filth and footprints.
"Hey, Junpei, I really don't like the way you're looking at me today."
A few delinquents in the same school uniform surrounded him. The leader, a blonde, held a dripping cigarette butt.
"What? Still thinking about that mom of yours who can only cook?"
The blonde sneered, bringing the cigarette close to Junpei's face.
"Believe it or not, I'll head over to your place right now and let your mom have a taste of this too."
"Stop it..."
Junpei gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
Anger, humiliation, and despair.
These negative emotions brewed wildly in his heart, nearly breaking through the dam of his sanity.
If only I had a little power... even just a little...
He would kill them! He would kill every single one of these scumbags!
"Oh? You want to kill me?"
The blonde caught the killing intent in Junpei's eyes. Instead of being afraid, he grew even more excited.
He raised his foot and kicked Junpei hard in the stomach.
"Go ahead! Kill me! You loser!"
Thud!
Junpei doubled over in pain, his stomach convulsing.
Just as the blonde was about to continue the assault.
Tap, tap, tap.
A steady set of footsteps echoed at the mouth of the alley. For a moment, it felt as if the sound of the rain had been cut off by some unseen force.
The blonde froze and instinctively turned around.
A boy in a black Jujutsu High uniform stood there silently under a black umbrella.
Black hair, red eyes, and strange ornaments hanging from his ears.
He was just standing there, doing nothing.
Yet the blonde and his cronies felt the temperature around them plummet to freezing.
"Beat it."
Yoru didn't draw his sword. He didn't even give them a second glance.
It was just a single word.
But accompanied by the menacing aura accumulated from slaying countless demons, it swept through the entire alley.
"Ah... Aaaah!"
The blonde's legs began to shake uncontrollably.
In his vision, it was as if a scorching sun was rising behind the boy, threatening to incinerate their very souls.
"M-Monster!"
With terrified screams, the group scrambled out of the alley, not even daring to look back.
Quiet returned to the alleyway, save for the sound of rain splashing into the puddles.
Junpei Yoshino struggled to lift his head, looking at the figure standing against the light.
"Who... are you?"
Yoru closed his umbrella, walked up to Junpei, and extended a hand.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High, Yoru."
Junpei stared blankly at the clean, slender hand, instinctively trying to pull back his own mud-stained one.
"I'm... I'm filthy..."
"They're the ones who are filthy, not you."
Yoru didn't retract his hand. Instead, he reached out, grabbed Junpei's wrist, and pulled him up.
The warmth from Yoru's palm sent a slight shiver through Junpei's cold body.
...
Ten minutes later.
Inside a ramen shop called Ichibanboshi.
Yoru and Junpei sat across from each other with two steaming bowls of tonkotsu ramen on the table.
Junpei kept his head down, taking large mouthfuls of noodles.
The hot soup slid down his throat and into his stomach, chasing away the physical cold, but it couldn't dispel the shadows in his heart.
"Why did you save me?"
After finishing his last bite, Junpei finally found the courage to ask.
He looked at Yoru with a hint of self-deprecation. "Someone like me... nobody would care if I died in an alley, right?"
"I care."
Yoru set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
His answer was short and direct.
"Why?"
Junpei was confused. "We don't even know each other."
"Because life is a heavy thing."
Yoru turned to look out the window where the rain continued to fall.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the veil of rain, seeing those who had long since passed away.
"No matter how small a life is, it shouldn't be trampled upon so casually."
"Those people... they're lives too." Junpei clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. "Why is it okay for them to trample on others?"
"Because they haven't run into me yet."
Yoru turned back, meeting Junpei's eyes—eyes filled with confusion and hatred.
"If the law won't punish them, I will."
"But, Junpei."
Yoru's voice suddenly turned serious.
"Don't let hatred consume you."
"Once you cross that line, you're no different from them."
Junpei froze.
Looking into Yoru's clear red eyes, his restless heart felt a miraculous sense of calm.
This mysterious peer of his possessed an indescribable charisma.
Like the sun.
Warm, yet not blinding.
"Yoru... kun."
Junpei whispered the name as if etching it into his memory.
Just then, Yoru suddenly stood up.
His gaze became sharp as a blade, staring intently at a shadow outside the ramen shop.
Mahito.
He had sought out Junpei after all.
'So you've finally shown yourself.'
Yoru gave a cold snort in his mind.
"What's wrong?"
Junpei asked instinctively.
"A guy who likes playing with souls followed us here."
Yoru picked up his katana and left a few bills under his bowl.
He turned back and gave Junpei a gentle but firm smile.
"Junpei, stay here. Ramen doesn't taste good once it's cold."
"I'm going to go take out some trash."
With that, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the rain.
Through the glass window, Junpei watched Yoru's figure disappear around a street corner.
In the shadows of that direction.
A blue-haired young man with stitches all over his face leaned against a wall, a twisted smile on his lips.
He looked toward the direction Yoru was coming from, then at Junpei inside the shop, letting out a delighted laugh.
"Oh?"
"I thought he was just a normal toy, but it looks like I've attracted an interesting soul instead."
Mahito licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"That red soul... looks absolutely delicious."
The rain grew heavier.
The first clash between hunter and prey was about to begin in an alleyway where no one would witness it.
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