Hello everyone! Back with another chapter of this! How are you all doing, today? Is it hard over there because of the pandemic? The riots? Personal situations? Either way, I hope you're all safe and happy. It's finally summer and holy crap it's hot! We're lucky we got an air conditioner. It's sad that we couldn't go outside because of social distancing. I wish we can find something to do to have fun in this season...

Oh yeah, only a few days left until Oregairu season 3 is released! I'm excited to see more of 8man and his harem, lol.

And with that, on to the reviews!

LD1021: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story, even if it's unusual.

Afnaf-kun: I'm sorta taking this writing hobby more seriously now. Back then, I was just writing the first thing that comes out of my head and BAM! Story. Thanks to your and everyone's reviews, I can improve myself further. Thank you.

ClassyUlysses: I still don't have the idea of what the ending should be. I'll keep this one in mind.

Viate: F

jargax: Thank you so much for following this story for some time now. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

Hachiman Fan: Lol, I just gave him some random then I realize it's one of MC in Gundam Age. The time of the teacher's announcement was before 8man fought in an abandoned cafe. Sorry for the confusion. Also, Asemu Flit and Kio

Scandalf: Of course, I know that crimes don't happen every day. That was just to establish his new character here in the story. Appreciate the criticism though.

Stakoza45: -It's alright, there is bound to be some negative reviews, even the most toxic ones.

- That's what I love about Re:zero and I'm excited for season 2.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.

While the Hero Sleeps Part 1: The Despair of the Past and Present

"Takai," The mother called out to her young son's name as the boy was only reading a comic in his bedroom until she called. He ran downstairs while carrying the comic book to see her mother alongside with another woman and a young boy with black hair. "This is Asemu, Asemu Hanji. He is your new friend."

"Friend?" The boy name Takai asked in wonder.

"Yeah!" Hanji shouted while running towards him. "Let's get along, yeah!?"

"S-sure..."

And then the two boys played outside until the sunsets. As the orange light shined behind the children arguing, their mothers only watched in pure happiness at their sons' display of friendship even though they were fighting.

"flying is better than breathing underwater!" Hanji shouted angrily.

"What do you mean?! swimming underwater is even cooler than flying around with a bunch of birds!" Takai retorted.

"It's even cooler than swimming with smelly fishes!"

"Hah?! You really don't get it do you!"

"Okay, that's enough you two." The mothers intervened, noticing the time. "It's getting late. Say goodbye to each other."

"Oh, okay..." Takai expressed a disappointed look until he looked back at his friend with determination. "See you later, Hanji! Ah! You can come to my room sometime so I can show you why underwater is better!"

"You're on!" Hanji shouted with the same determination. "I'm gonna show YOU why going up in the sky is way cooler!"

...

"UUUGGGGHH!" Hanji let out a long, noisy grunt. He is currently doing summer homework at Takai's house. Takai already finished his homework so he is playing video games. "Why is this so hard and boring?!"

"I understand math but Japanese history?" Takai teased with a huge grin.

"Shut up! What's the point of learning some boring people's backstory when they're not superheroes!" Hanji threw a tantrum, swinging his arms around and frantically rolling on the floor. Takai understood his friend's frustration but he's not really worried for his studies. Despite his display of boredom and hatred for education, Hanji is a genius. He achieved above-average grades from all quizzes and tests in all subjects. Takai remembered one time when Hanji got perfect scores on a math quiz without studying although he did struggle to answer the questions. Despite his genius, Hanji has an arrogant personality though not to the point of being antagonistic towards others. He just couldn't take things seriously and sometimes skip classes.

"I mean, they are important people." Takai retorted. "Think about it, we wouldn't get all these video games and mangas without them."

"Is there someone in our history textbook who made video games?"

"Well... uh, no..."

"THEN FORGET IT!" Hanji laid down with his back on the floor. "it's not like we're gonna use history for something."

"Stop complaining and finish your homework."

"Ugh! You sound like my mom..."

"And you sound like a baby."

"What did you say!? Then how about we play some video games to see who's a baby!"

"Okay."

"Alright! Give me a controlle-"

"AFTER you finish your homework."

"UUUUGGGHHHH!" Hanji's body deflated like a balloon and Takai laughed. Even though he's not as smart as his friend, Takai is serious at studying and that's why he finishes homework much faster than him.

"Hehe! Oh, look! I unlocked a new character! I can't wait to try this out~!" Takai teased as he fiddled the controller focusing on the new character. He noticed that Hanji's deflated body started shaking and then inflated back to normal.

"GGRRAAAAHHHH!" Hanji roared with fire in his eyes and wrote his notebook furiously. "I'M GONNA END THIS IN A SECOND SO DON'T YOU DARE PLAY WITHOUT MEEEE!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

...

2 years later, Middle School

"Hey, Takai. Is it just me or are you getting even taller?" Hanji asked while walking with his friend home from school.

"Really?" Takai asked in wonder. "I think it's because I've been working out."

"Oh, you're right! You got some muscles! What the hell? Are you dreaming of being a bodybuilder?"

"No, you dumbass. I just like exercising, that's all."

"Maybe I should work out too~..."

"Just focus on your studies for once."

"I am. But every lecture is just easy to understand so I get bored easily." Hanji released a heavy sighed before slouching forward. He still maintained his arrogant and easygoing behavior which is very unfortunate for Takai since he always gave Hanji a copy of his homework whenever he either forgot or too lazy to do it. However, Hanji's grades are still superb as he became top 1 in the exams and scored high in quizzes. Takai is what many would call a hardworking genius. Almost every day in every class, he struggles to keep up with all the lectures. He struggles with subjects math, science, and Japanese history but he can achieve high grades in those subjects as long as he studies hard. He couldn't however, compete against Hanji in the exams as most of the time he gets to top 5 to 3. Their classmates can see clearly the difference between two geniuses, one was gifted with intelligence while the other gained intelligence through immense effort. They respected and admire both of them in the same degree regardless.

"Well, at least you never have problems with grades." Takai said with a sigh.

"So do you. Although, sometimes I was worried about you failing an exam every time you study."

"What makes you think that?"

"You always make that stupid face whenever you're focusing."

"What?! No, I don't!"

"Yeah, you do. I took a picture, wanna see?"

"Delete that right now or I'll kill you!"

"GAH! HEY, CAN YOU AT LEAST HOLD BACK YOUR PUNCHES!?"

"FUCK YOU AND DELETE THAT!"

...

Takai woke up with his eyes wide open. He's currently sitting on a bench near the door to the operating room. It has been hours since Hikigaya was sent to the hospital and so far the doctor and nurses are still in there helping him as best as they can. That scene kept repeating on Takai's mind: The sounds of the pistol being triggered, the bullets hitting Hikigaya's body protected in a bulletproof vest, and most of all, the moment when the final bullet grazed his head. Takai clutched his head with both hands from guilt.

"It's all my fault..." He blamed himself in his mind. "What was I thinking? Dragging him into this. Did I think that it was the best option to have a helping hand? Was I scared of handling this all by myself?"

The door opened to reveal a bald old man wearing a scrub, and light blue latex gloves. He is the doctor who was treating Hikigaya in that room. If he went out then that means the operation is finished.

"Are you a relative?" The doctor asked.

"I'm his friend. How is he?" Takai asked with a worried expression.

"Hm, follow me." The doctor urged him to follow to which Takai complied. While walking in the hallway, the doctor spoke. "can you explain what happened and how did he received such injuries?"

"We...got into a brutal fight with some thugs," He explained while trying his best to omit secretive information such as Hikigaya's secret identity and their conflict against gangs. "They were too many but we stood our ground until he got shot three times to his body and another one in the head."

"I see, well consider your friend lucky because we didn't see any bullets in his head."

"What?" Takai asked in shock until they reached a door to a certain room. This room is used to examine, handled, and process radiographic films such as x-rays, CT, and MRI scans. This is called the darkroom which is widely known in photography for organizing camera pictures. As the term suggests, it is dark and the only light emanating the room is the monitors with images of human bones, muscles, etc. The doctor showed Takai an x-ray image of a skull. There seemed to be a sort of rough vertical hole on its forehead.

"This is the patient's skull," The doctor explained. "As you can see, the forehead has a compound fracture."

"Compound fracture?"

"It is a type of skull fracture where there is a break in the skin and a splintering of the skull bone. Based on your explanation, the bullet only grazed the skull but it didn't touch the brain which is good news. If the bullet damaged his brain tissue even slightly, there would be further complications or perhaps death."

"Thank god," Takai released a sigh of relief from the news.

"Now for the bad news," The doctor then changed the image in the monitor. Now it displays the brain and he pointed at the front part of it. "Now this is his brain, do you see this?"

"Yes,"

"This is the frontal lobe. It is responsible for a person's motor function, problem solving, spontaneity, memory, language, initiation, judgment, impulse control, and social and sexual behavior. This part of the brain is bleeding due to the fragments of the fracture splintering it. Not only is he suffering a compound fracture and other injuries, but he has also brain hemorrhage which is a type of stroke when the artery in the brain bursts and caused localized bleeding in the surrounding tissues. This bleeding kills brain cells."

"How long until he recovers?" Takai asked with cold sweat dripping in his face. He never imagined it would get this bad.

"It depends on the size of the hemorrhage." The doctor held his chin. " Based on our CT scan, it seems small but the damage could still be severe with possible permanent symptoms."

"What kind of symptoms?"

"Common symptoms of brain hemorrhage include severe headache, seizures, impaired vision, and more. We expected a loss of motor functions since not only it is one of those symptoms, the damage is in the frontal lobe so there's a high chance he could become crippled permanently. Yet his functions are fine. He is very lucky but the other thing we have to worry about is his mental state. Who knows what he will do or what he'll become when he wakes up. The boy might have memory loss, or worse, vascular dementia."

"No..." Takai could only stare down at the floor, ashamed of what he put the hero through. He formed a fist in his hand so tightly blood could burst out of the palm. Inside his mind, he kept blaming himself for letting such a tragic event befall on someone who doesn't deserve to suffer.

"We did everything we can," The doctor tried to reassure him with sympathy. "All we can do now is pray that he'll live with the strength to continue his normal life."

"That's impossible, doctor..." Takai thought. "Everything won't return to normal for him. It all shattered... because of me."

One day later, 8:00 AM

The train finally arrived at the station where the Sobu High students were to ride home to Chiba. Some of the students are sleep deprived due to staying up late at night chatting and playing while others still have some energy to talk about mundane topics and for the excitement of returning to their homes. The Hayama clique is talking like normal after last night although there is a slight difference...

"So what are you gonna do when you get home?" Tobe asked.

"Hmm..." Ebina held her chin to think. "Sleep, eat lots of food then sleep some more!"

"That's it?! You're gonna get fatter if all you do is eating!"

"No, I won't." Ebina shook his head in denial. "We're gonna get tired when we get home so I'll be spending the entire day storing energy! Then tomorrow, I'll binge-watch and read all BLs all day long! And what do you mean 'fatter'? That's rude!"

"I'm not being ruuudee~. I'm just spitting facts." Tobe stuck his tongue out to mock her.

"Hah? What facts?" Miura stepped in wearing an annoyed expression. "More like throwing up bullcrap! That's not how you should talk to girls, you insensitive jerk."

"And you're not one to talk about food," Ebina said while folding her arms. "I bet you're more of a glutton than anyone else."

"Haha! You're wrong." Tobe retorted with a smirk." I am a healthy man. I ate more greens than any herbivores. Right, Hayama?!"

"I don't know..." Hayama held his chin in thought. "I think I only saw you eating mostly meat and junk food."

"Oi, that ain't true!"

"So we were right," Ebina nodded to herself with a satisfied grin. "I bet you're the one getting fatter. I feel bad for the soccer club if you get sloppy."

"I'm not getting sloppy! In fact, I'm doing better than our ace."

"Weelll~, I think your volleys are getting worse." Ooka joined in with a teasing grin.

"What?!" Tobe couldn't believe his claim until Yamato added more salt to the wound.

"Oh yeah, now that you mentioned it, you need to work more on your crosses."

"Oh, come on!" The orange-haired boy slouched.

"Hehe, denial is the first stage of grief," Ebina patted his shoulder with a mocking smirk. "It's okay Tobecchi~"

"Like hell it is!"

"Oooh, anger~. 2nd stage of grief. You're progressing a lot quicker than I thought!"

"Shut up! When we get back to school, I'll show you all my cool kicks!"

"Oh, really? Then I hope I won't see your legs all flabby with fat."

"And I hope I won't see you breaking a seat from the weight you would gain."

"Is that so? Well, in your case-"

Tobe and Ebina are now closer to each other than before. Normally, an awkward atmosphere would be emitted if these two ever interact or even make eye contact but the clique was immediately surprised at Tobe's and Ebina's interaction today. However, in the end, They didn't mind and accepted this new change as long as their friendship and clique are still strong. Other classmates seemed to notice that change and Hayama can already imagine what rumors and gossip they'll be spreading now once school day returns but he's not really worried since he doubts that whatever lies they tell won't affect Tobe and Ebina.

While the clique is talking lively about their opinions on the Kyoto trip, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita observed their behavior and felt relieved that things are back to normal. The orange-haired girl's cellphone suddenly vibrated and she took it out of her pocket to see Isshiki calling her. She answered the call and put it on speaker.

"Yahallo! Iroha-chan!"

"Yahallooo...Yui-senpai~..." Isshiki responded in a drowsy voice and yawned.

"Did you just woke up, Isshiki-san?" Yukinoshita asked.

"Yeeeahhh~..." The two girls heard Isshiki yawned once more and the sounds of blankets and pillows ruffling around. "Still sleepy... I stayed up all night looking at cute cat pictures that I'll send you later~..."

"T-that is not necessary but," The Ice Queen released a fake cough to fix her voice while blushing. "I appreciate that."

"Hehe~... So how did the confession go?"

"It was successful. Tobe confessed his feelings to her and got rejected." Yukinoshita answered without hesitation.

"EH!? Why is it successful when he got rejected?!" Isshiki asked and they heard a sudden ruffling of some fabric.

"Tobe's request is for him to confess his feelings to Ebina regardless of the outcome," Yukinoshita explained. "All the things we have done on this trip were to minimize the possibility of rejection for his reassurance but it still happened. Regardless, he was prepared for this outcome from the start."

"Yeah, but..."

"Iroha-chan!" Yuigahama stepped in. "Look on the bright side! They're still friends after that and everything is still sailing like normal!"

"Oh! Then I guess that solves that!"

"Yup! Right now, we're about to ride the train so let's all hang out when we get back home!" Yuigahama suggested excitedly.

"Okay! Where do we go first? Should we go to the mall? There are some new clothes I'd like to try out!"

"That sounds good!"

"I think I won't be suited for that activity," Yukinoshita turned down their invitation nervously.

"Don't be like that, Yukino-senpai! You might find some cute clothes that suit you!"

"Yeah, and uhh..." Yuigahama massages her temples to come up with something to persuade her friend. "Uuuhhh... OH! We can look at cats at pet stores! And there is that cafe I wanna try where you can pet lots of cats!"

Her persuasion seemed to work since Yukinoshita flinched at the mention of cats being part of the activity today. The Ice Queen is exhausted from this school trip with fulfilling the request and going in different landmarks and locations. It was fun for her but it's normal for someone to be tired from all the activity even if it's all walking and taking pictures. However, her pure love for cats and feline creatures would make the adrenaline inside her body flow and could make her go for another fun activity.

"O-okay," Yukinoshita finally accepted their invitation although not without blushing. "I am curious about that cafe you mentioned so I will tag along."

"Yay!"

"Yay!"

Yuigahama and Isshiki cheered simultaneously and then started talking about what other plans to do after the mall. Meanwhile, Sagami, Kawasaki, Totsuka, and Zaimokuza are talking about Hikigaya's health and absence. They didn't think his sickness could be that serious but they're still worried about him nonetheless. It was a shame that Hikigaya went home ahead of them. Even though there isn't much to do since this is the day they will leave Kyoto, Sagami still wanted to talk to him more with all the time left and the time on their ride back to Chiba. She let out a disappointed sigh which is her eighth time this morning.

"It's okay, Sagami-san," Totsuka tried to cheer her up. "He'll be fine."

"I know, I know..." Sagami responded and looked up to contemplate other things.

"The heart of a maiden is as vexing as the goblins' trickeries," Zaimokuza said while folding his arms. "Dragging a man's heart is a troublesome disaster for the male race."

"Did you say something?" Sagami asked in a menacing tone, taking offense to his statement while glaring at him.

"Uhh, I mean-"

"I think what he said Hikigaya got sick because of your date." Kawasaki intervened with an indifferent tone.

"Oi! Don't put words in my mouth, monstrous princess!"

"What did you call me?" Kawasaki glared at him.

"I-I mean carry on! Fair graceful princess!" Zaimokuza slowly retreated while giving her a salute, Leaving Kawasaki and Sagami alone in their argument.

"So yeah, you must've tired him out on that date." Kawasaki exclaimed.

"No, I didn't. Our date was spectacular, mind you." Sagami rebutted and then lifted her chest and smirk. "Want me to show you our selfies? He wasn't smiling at the first three but he came along immediately after that."

"I'm not saying that the date was terrible," Kawasaki shook her head in disappointment to her argument. "I'm saying that you didn't consider what Hikigaya was feeling at that time so that both would feel satisfied and well when the date ends."

"And what do you know about dates? You don't even have a boyfriend." Sagami pointed at Kawasaki.

"It's what treating others that matters." Kawasaki countered the argument.

"And I treated him in the best way possible."

"More like forced him to treat you in the best way possible."

"Okay, is there something wrong?! Because you've been acting like this since we announced our date two days ago!"

"N-nothing is wrong..." Kawasaki stuttered but still maintained her indifferent expression despite the redness in her cheeks. Sagami noticed the change in tone and expression and gave her a scrutinizing stare to analyze the silvery blue-haired girl's suspicious attitude. Sagami is not exactly as skillful at this as her "boyfriend" but it is decent nonetheless. Her eyes widened when she finally understood what Kawasaki's sudden change in behavior meant.

"I knew it! She has feelings for him! Of course, she does, what kind of girl would visit his house often and bring her little sister along!" She mentally screamed in jealousy and anger at her rival. In her opinion, Kawasaki could be difficult to compete against. Her mind once again wandered the same thoughts on the first night of the trip (In Chapter 6): They were both loners so they understood each other well; they both excel at academics although Kawasaki is more hardworking in studying than Hikigaya since he's lazy at certain subjects, and they both have younger siblings and deeply care for them. "I have a little brother too but we don't get along, and my big brother is just a jerk. I'm only average in grades. They even live close to each other! AAAAHHH! Saki-chan and Hachiman have good chemistry between their personalities and appearances... I can't win against her... Now that I take a good look, Saki-chan's body has good curves... And her breasts are..."

Sagami started staring at Kawasaki's breast with widened, focused eyes. She seemed to ignore her entire surroundings as she focused and wander how her friend achieved such a feminine accomplishment.

"S-Sagami?" Kawasaki tried to wake her out of a trance but didn't work. She followed Sagami's stare to realize she's staring at her breasts. Kawasaki hid them in her arms out of embarrassment while blushing.

"All right! Class 2-F huddle up!" Hiratsuka gathered the class. "One last attendance call for this trip. Now then, as always in alphabetic order-"

"Hey, hey have you seen the news," A female classmate whispered to another while the homeroom teacher called the students' names one by one. "A gang war just happened last night."

"A gang war?" The other female student looked up while holding her chin. "From what I heard, it was Isato hunting down those gangs and drug dealers."

"Yeah, but there was news in Chiba that Isato saved a man from being killed that same night so how did he do two things at the same time in different regions?"

"Looks like there's a vigilante uprising."

"You think there's a new vigilante?"

"But which one of them Isato and the other a new guy?"

The gossip spread not just the entire class but all the Sobu High students. Some felt relief now that they're about to leave Kyoto after hearing the news while others didn't care much as long as they're safe and sound. Only three people feel shocked and worry about this news: Hayama, Sagami, and Hiratsuka.

"It can't be..." Hayama covered his mouth with a hand as he imagined the hero facing such a task beyond him.

"I knew something was suspicious with that drunkard teacher." Hiratsuka formed a serious expression but immediately went back to check the attendance while giving short glances at the suspicious teacher who announced Hikigaya's sick leave.

"Hachiman..." Sagami took out her phone and dialed Hikigaya's number. The phone rang, waiting for the hero on the other side to answer only to hear a robotic female voice saying the number she reached didn't respond. She called again a few times but the results were the same. The brown-haired girl resisted the urge to cry or even release a single tear to calm herself. "Please, answer!"

Rokudo is busy cooking for breakfast while Nanako is watching television news. This is their second day off and the plan for today is to relax in the house. Rokudo suggested to her that he will cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for today because he noticed how she's acting strange since last night so he wanted her to relax more and let him do the chores. The husband is not an expert cook like his wife but it is still decent enough to be edible. Komachi meanwhile, is upstairs reading a magazine while listening to music on her cellphone. The parents' activities were immediately interrupted when the sound of the telephone ringing echoed throughout the house.

"I'll get it," Rokudo put down the knife and tried to walk into the phone but Nanako stood up.

"No, I'll go. You go back to finish our breakfast, dear." Nanako said while already walking to the ringing telephone. The husband followed her request and continued chopping the ingredients. She looked at the number but she couldn't recognize who is it from and so she answered the call out of curiosity. "Hello?"

"Hello?" The voice of an old man spoke on the phone. "Is this the Hikigaya residence?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Kanai Hospital in Kyoto. We want to inform you about Hikigaya Hachiman-"

While She is talking on the telephone, her young daughter went downstairs. Komachi walked into the living room to talk to her father since the mother is busy on the phone.

"Hey, dad?" Komachi called out to him while he is putting their family breakfast on the plates: A simple fried egg, and his special Oyakodon, which means chicken and eggs on rice. The rice in particular has a yellow color and consists of generous portions of vegetables. there is also miso soup and fried tofu. After he finished setting the food, the father finally responded.

"Yeah?"

"Is Onii-chan not back yet?" She asked while smelling the steamy breakfast and sat down.

"I don't think so," He answered while removing his pink apron. "He might just be riding the train by now."

"Eeeeehhh?!" Komachi rests her chin on the table in disappointment that her older brother isn't back yet. "

"Be patient, Komachi," Her father tried to cheer her up while fanning the smell of food toward her with the folded apron. Her nose twitched at the delicious scent and raised her head with a wide smile. "And eat some breakfast. A good girl needs to fill her stomach."

"YOU'RE LYING!" Suddenly, the mother shouted at the person on the telephone in rage and tears. Her daughter and husband looked at her back and slowly approached her in worry. They could hear her weeping cries and saw her covering her mouth with a hand.

"I apologize for bringing you this terrible news but it's the truth," The old man on the phone spoke. The father and daughter didn't understand what the problem is but they know that it was serious. Rokudo then heard the voice of a news anchor on television talking about an incident that took place in Kyoto and watched.

"We're currently here at the Yodo train station where bystanders caught a glimpse of a tall man in a black hood carrying an injured person last night." The channel showed an image on-screen of what the news anchor described along with an ambulance parked in front of them. "None could identify the faces of these two suspicious individuals who exit a train that was filled with fifteen unconscious victims. Police reported that they are a gang carrying firearms and deadly knives, and were brutally assaulted by possibly that suspicious duo. Police have also found other gangs in the same condition lying in alleys and abandoned buildings after receiving anonymous calls. Many speculated that Isato and his partner traveled to Kyoto on a hunt for drug dealers and gangs while Kyoto citizens feared that a gang war might take place. However, on that same night in Chiba, a man was saved from being murdered by a wanted criminal. The vigilante known as Isato first appeared in Chiba when a failed attempt of rape took place. Since then, he stopped a few crimes and has been receiving both praises and criticisms from the media. This raises more confusion and speculations of a new vigilante appearing in either here in Kyoto or Chiba. As of now, the police is still investigating this matter and-."

"Mom?!" Komachi called out to her mother after the call ended. The mother knelt and cried even louder. Rokudo ran towards her to kneel and hold her back.

"What is it? Is something wrong?!" He asked with a serious expression.

"It's Hachiman..." She answered between cries.

"Did something happened to him?"

"He's...in the hospital"

"What?! How?!"

Nanako explained their son's circumstance and both husband and daughter could only widen their eyes and gasp in shock. They knew Hachiman must've done another heroic act and almost cost him his life. Rokudo already connected the dots from his son's hospitalization to the news he recently watched. Komachi also listened to the news while she was staring at her mother. Both came to the conclusion they wished they were wrong, but it is the most plausible out of all other thoughts.

"I know that boy can be stupid at times but..." The mother choked on her breath and cried as loud as she could to release all of her fears and sadness. Rokudo hugged her tightly and caress her back to comfort her. He looked at Komachi who is also about to breakdown from hearing her beloved older brother hospitalized. Just imagining him in a hospital bed, not moving a single finger nor waking up no matter how much she persisted, is too much for her heart to handle.

"Komachi," The father called out to his daughter which snapped her out of those negative thoughts. "Go to your room and pack your things. We're going to Kyoto..."

"O-okay," She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. She quickly took out the clothes she thinks is appropriate for the trip. She didn't have time to pick which clothes would look better on her nor did she care. All the little sister wants is to see her brother as quickly as possible, hoping that when they saw him, he would look at them with a smile saying everything is fine and then got scolded by the family. Komachi couldn't hold back the tears but still tried to think positive about this situation. Suddenly, her cellphone rang and she unlocked it to reveal Sagami calling. The little sister gulped as she already knew why the brown-haired girl was calling with this convenient timing.

"...Hello?" Komachi greeted.

"Hello, Komachi?!" Sagami responded with her voice in a mixture of relief and desperation. "H-How's it going?"

"Everything... is fine."

"Oh, uh... g-good." Sagami knew Komachi is lying. The little sister's voice trembled and softer than normal when she said that. Sagami is currently in the restroom of the train. She hid her emotions as long as she could from the others at least until they reached the station to Chiba. However, the brown-haired girl couldn't hold on any longer as the negative thoughts of what happened to Hikigaya took over her mind and so, she excused herself from the group and quickly walked into this restroom without raising any suspicions or signs of sadness and fear. "Is Hachiman there? I-I've been trying to call him for a while now and he's not answering... Is he still sick?"

"Sick?" Komachi was confused by that.

"Y-Yeah! Your parents took him back home after being sick last night, right?!"

"No... We didn't even get a call from any of his teachers..." Komachi heard a click on her phone and realized Sagami hung up. She suspected the brown-haired girl is crying right now. The little sister continued to pack her things despite the constant shaking in her hands. After packing up her luggage which felt long for her to finish, She went downstairs carrying it and see her dear parents ready to go. Her mother is wearing a white long dress under a red jacket while her father is wearing a black blazer jacket over a white buttoned-up shirt, and grey pants. Both are wearing scarfs as the cold temperature of autumn begins to take over. Komachi is wearing a simple red sweater and a pair of jeans. For her, the temperature is still tolerable so this attire is better. Also, she had no time to decide what to wear so she just grabbed the first clothes and be content with it.

"You have everything you need?" The father asked.

"Yeah, dad."

"Okay, then let's go to the train station."

"Mom? Dad?" The daughter called them and they turned around to wander. "Is Onii-chan going to be okay?"

"He will," Rokudo responded without hesitation, determined that his son is strong enough to overcome this. "He's a lot stubborn than you think even though he acts like a lazy jackass."

"...Okay..."

10:00 PM Kyoto

Takai laid his back on the bed. He's currently in the hotel that the drug dealer Shoyo rented. He is now wearing a simple white T-shirt and brown jogging pants which he wore last night before going to the hotel to avoid suspicion and being found out that he is Isato's accomplice. The tall man stood up and walked to the bathroom to wash his face, still being pressured by the immense guilt of putting the hero in a life-threatening situation. After a few seconds of thought, he made a determined look towards his reflection and then tied his long black hair into a ponytail. He started packing in his backpack with all the equipment he bought and the usual disguise of the black hood and black facemask. He went outside of the hotel and reached the same abandoned school last night. The firearms that Sugimoto bought were located in the storage room but the police already confiscated them and so the room is empty except for one thing... or person.

"Now then, one last time. Are you sure they're hiding there?" Takai slid open the door to reveal a man who has his hands and feet tied up with rope, and his mouth covered in cloth to prevent him from screaming for help. Takai tried to take care of the rest of the drug dealers by himself but the last remaining gang escaped from his radar. Whoever warned the gang on the train last night also warned the others. Fortunately, he kidnapped this drug dealer who formed a partnership with those people and so Takai forced him to spill every information on him. Takai removed the cloth to make him speak.

"I-I told you..." The man stuttered between heavy breaths. "That gang leader owned a bar near the river. He used his own job as a bartender to lure customers in joining his gang. The basement is where they're hiding!"

"Alright, good job. You don't get to have another broken arm." Takai patted his broken right arm which he grunted in pain before having his mouth covered with the cloth once again. The tall vigilante opened a door to the outside. "Make sure this room isn't all dusty."

And so he begins his objective to find the last gang and finish them. The drug dealer and leader has a bald cut with an unshaved beard. According to the list, the criminal was a college student who dropped out because of tuition problems and so he worked at his father's bar until he owns the place.

"The bar isn't that big. No floors and lots of customers come to this place during nighttime obviously." Takai analyzed the information he obtained from the list and the interrogation in his mind. "He recruits members by waiting for the last three or four drunk customers to remain and then baited them into drug addiction. It's up to those victims to whether they'd join this bastard's gang or become customers in his drug business. Whichever they chose, he will still gain benefit. Even if any of them refuse, the damage has been done and he won't waste a single chance of them falling into addiction. Coincidentally, I realized the distance between the hotel and the bar is within walking distance. Not that far from here, I can reach to their hideout in minutes."

And he was right, Takai already arrived at the bar. He could hear the sounds of people shouting in joy and glasses clinking. He saw people entering with huge smiles on their faces and customers exiting the establishment in a drunken state, moving around in a sluggish and lightheaded manner. He entered the bar and the smell of alcohol already invaded his nose. The noise of the customers is everywhere as he walked towards the counter where he would meet the last target.

"All this noise, all this alcohol... reminds me of unpleasant memories."

...

"Pardon the intrusion!" Takai shouted as he removed his shoes and walked around the living room only to see no one. He is now a first-year in high school and only a couple months away to become a second year with him finishing the final exam. He and his friend Hanji, enrolled in different classrooms but their friendship didn't dwindle, at least that's what Takai thought. He noticed the slow changes in him since their second semester: In the beginning, he frequently attend school very late. Despite his lazy nature, Hanji had perfect attendance since elementary because he always slept very early and woke up in like 5 am in the morning so this is the first time Hanji failed the attendance record until he became absent in weeks; Second, his grades are slowly becoming low but not to the point of failure. Takai heard from Hanji's classmates he's not paying attention in the lectures which makes him all the more impressive how he's able to maintain passable grades for the past few months. He got scolded a lot by teachers and obviously his parents; Lastly, he was seen interacting with suspicious individuals and delinquents of their school. No one knows what sort of activities Hanji has been doing but rumors already spread like wildfire.

Yet despite all of that, He still approached Takai like always. There is no change in his tone or his approach, he just talks to him like the usual best friend.

"Hanji?! Mr. and Mrs. Asemu?!" Takai shouted to get a response but there is only silence. He went upstairs to go to his friend's bedroom and knocked on the door. "Oi, are you in there? Why was the front door open? And why didn't you take the exam?!"

"Uuugghhh..." He heard Hanji's voice behind the door and then some footsteps. The door opened to reveal Hanji with messy blonde hair and wearing wrinkled white shirt and shorts. "Oh, hey... Do you know what time it is? It's kinda rude to wake me up."

"It's 5 in the evening!" Takai shouted, surprised at his dyed hair and appearance. Hanji looked tired as evident by his eyebags. "When did you dye your hair?"

"Oh, uh... a few days ago?" Hanji scratched the back of his head while his eyes are wandering around. Takai looked behind him and noticed some glass bottles on the table. He stepped in to look at the bottles and realized they are alcohol.

"You were drinking?! You're not old enough yet!" Takai argued while clutching the bottle tightly.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Hanji took back the bottle and sat on the bed. "I'm just tired so stop shouting. My head hurts..."

"... What happened to you?"

"I told you... I'm tired."

"Why? What did you do last night?"

"Remembering my parents' words."

"What does that mean?"

"Y'know," Hanji laid down on the bed and covered himself with a blanket. "It's so tiring, y'know? Hearing the same things, doing the same things~, it's boring..."

"And you resort to this?!" Takai's anger grew. "What the hell are you thinking?! Does being drunk while being underage is better than being a top student?!"

"Yeah,"

"I don't get it... Did we pressure you too much? Were we giving you too many expectations because you're smart."

"Probably... I don't know... I just don't want to be the genius student anymore..."

...

"HEY! What's the big idea?!" A male customer who looks like a salaryman shouted at another salaryman.

"You spilled your sake at my shirt, you clumsy bastard!"

"Hah?!" The two started brawling and other drunk customers gathered around to watch the spectacle.

"Fuck him up!"

"Oi, oi, oi!. Go easy on the old man!"

"I'm gonna bet my money on ya!"

"Punch harde-! AW!" One of the drunk spectators screamed in pain when he got hit in the back. "Who did that?! Was it you!?"

"That wasn't me!" Another drunk customer raised his hands in surrender when he got his shirt tightly grabbed. "It's that tall bastard!"

"What?" Takai heard the customer's words in confusion and shock. He never did what the drunk man claimed as he only just stood and reminisce of his past. "Hey, that's not me."

"Shut it!" The customer was immediately convinced and so he tried to hit the tall vigilante with the glass mug. However, Takai caught his wrist where he held the bottle and pushed him away. He looked at the bartender who has that same bald cut and unshaved beard on the picture of the list. The drug dealer just stood there wiping a glass with a white cloth and watched the whole chaos in his bar. Just as Takai was about to approach him, other drunk customers jumped at the tall vigilante and tried to fight him.

"BAR FIGHT!" A man screamed and that signals everyone inside the establishment to fight each other. Many furniture broke and flipped over, and glasses fell into shards with all the alcohol spilling the floor. Takai caught another incoming fist and threw the man towards another drunk man charging at him. He suddenly felt pain on his back and looked behind to see another drunk idiot carrying a broken chair which indicates that's the weapon he was hit with. The drunk man was shocked to see that it didn't have any effect and then got kicked in the stomach by Takai. The fight felt endless for the tall vigilante as the enemies kept jumping at him with chairs and glasses as weapons. He fended himself off against them but he did take a few hits all over his body. Pain spread all over his body but it's not enough to slow him down yet couldn't get close to his target. Takai noticed another drunk man coming at him and then he immediately grabbed his face to throw at the bartender but the criminal sidestep to evade the flying body. Takai tried to charge at him but someone jumped at his back and others followed. They're holding him down while hitting him with their fist and furniture.

However, Takai slowly stood up while enduring the pain and shook them off. He stared at the bartender who was smiling through the whole chaos. Just as he was close to the counter, The criminal pulled out what looks like a pistol and shot his right shoulder. But what shot him was not a bullet but a small dart. Takai's consciousness slowly faded along with the pain in his body.

"A... Tranquilizer?" That was the last thing he thought in his mind before falling to the floor. He could hear voices and see the bartender talking to someone but his vision was all blurry and he couldn't understand what they're discussing.

"Woah! Guys!" A man called out to his companions. He has slick black hair and swearing a green scarf, zipped black jacket, and a pair of jeans. "I found someone tied up here!"

"Seriously?" Another man looked inside the storage room to see the person Takai tied up. Four other people came to see the immobilized criminal with surprises on their expressions. The criminal doesn't know who these people are but he is glad that someone came to save him. He doesn't care about the gang since he's confident they will finish the tall vigilante for good. All the criminal needs to do now is to escape by train into another region and hopefully would make money more cautiously. The saviors untied the ropes restraining his limbs and the cloth covering his mouth.

"Hey, You alright?" The man asked.

"Y-yes!" The criminal couldn't contain his tears. Being tied up in a dark storage room alone terrified him and so finally escaping this horror is one of the best possible endings he preferred than rotting away in an abandoned school that no one comes. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem, why are you tied up here anyway?" The other man asked.

"I-I don't know!" The criminal lied. "I was just minding my own business on my house until someone broke in and knocked me out with a taser."

"What does he look like?" Another person stepped in and asked. She is a woman wearing a grey checkered cap on her head, a black, leather frock coat over her white T-shirt, brown slim pants, and black heels.

"I-I didn't see his face because he was wearing a facemask and a hood," The criminal explained. "One thing though, he's as tall as hell. I thought a giant kidnapped me and take me to his beanstalk, hahaha..."

"Giant, huh?" The woman looked at her companions and nodded to each other. He was confused and suspicious of that weird exchange until she kicked him in the stomach.

"Gah!" He clutched his stomach tightly from the pain. It almost feels like being stabbed because of her heels pierced his skin. The woman stomped his hands that are still clutching his gut and twist her foot to intensify the pain. "W-Why?! I didn't do anything wrong?"

"You said a tall idiot kidnapped you and locked you up here," The woman looked down at him in a menacing tone. "That means you're a criminal."

"What the hell are y-you t-talking about?!" The criminal stuttered as panic began spreading in his mind and body.

"Don't play dumb, that giant you were talking about is a friend of ours. And we're on a search for him. Where is he? Or else my heel will puncture a hole through your hands and into your stomach." She threatened. Just when he thought that he was free and got another chance to spread his venom underground, "his saviors" are the tall vigilante's acquaintances, thereby counting them as the worst enemies that the criminal wished he would never encounter. He wanted to call her threat as nothing but a bluff, but her intense aura around her, the terrifying look on her face as her olive-green eyes pierced through his mental strength, and her menacing companions joining in on the interrogation, made it feel like fighting back will result in death. And so, he told them everything from the location to who the tall vigilante's target is.

"A bar, huh?" The woman held her chin to think until she nodded once as if she understood and reached a conclusion. "Thanks for the info. Okay boys, tie him back up."

" No, no, wait! Please!" The criminal begged but it was all futile when they already held him down in place to prevent any useless resistance and begun tying his limbs with the same rope.

"So what's the plan?" The man with slick hair asked the woman.

"All of you are going to the bar and help him," She explained. "Meanwhile, I'll go to the hospital and guard the boy. The moment he got hospitalized, the criminals already got his identity. Let's just hope we're not too late. If you encounter any criminal with firearms and tolerated, do not hesitate to shoot, but keep in mind that saving the boys is the top priority so if you're all outnumbered, retreat when you succeed in rescuing that giant moron, Got it?"

"Yes, mam!" They all complied and now they split up to perform two different tasks. The hospital is not that far from here and so the woman will go there on foot while the distance to the bar is fairly far so the rest of the group will drive the van. As for the tied up gang member...He'll just have to tolerate another few hours until the police come to arrest him.

"That boy is in a much more dangerous position than we thought," The man with crew-cut hair said to her before following the group. "What do you think Haji- I mean Ojin is planning?"

"I don't know," The woman responded in an angry tone before walking to the direction of the hospital. "That dumbass is always hard to read. Whatever he's planning, it's wrong to drag a kid into this."

It is now evening as the sunsets. The orange light illuminated the streets as both young students from middle school to high school walked casually, hanging out with friends with what time and what activities they have left before going home. Some adults are seen walking tiredly as they finished another day at work while other adults just bought groceries or just here outside to have fun albeit differently from the youngsters. Both young and old, everyone present here had another fulfilling day regardless of their failures of previous activities and exhaustion from working the entire day. Only one did not feel the fulfillment of this day as with any other days before this. No matter how much he tried to distract himself from the problem he is aware of, he won't feel any fulfillment nor comfort unless he faces it once again.

Chujitsuna Takai is walking on the streets after another tiring day of school, but it is not the school activities and difficult classes that made it tiring. It is his constant thinking of his friend and the endless speculations as to why it led to his fallen state. It has been three months since Takai discovered Hanji's alcoholism and the first month of the first semester as a second-year is almost at an end. Hanji is developing worse and worse as days went by: He was absent on the entire first week of school; one time, he was only sleeping throughout the entire day; and he failed to submit any assignments but when he did, they were either incomplete or done poorly. Rumors and gossips of his current attitude also worsen with many of them are mostly baseless with no substance to prove.

Right now, Takai is going to Hanji's home because he was absent today. Takai did everything he could to persuade his friend to come back to his normal self whether it was a one on one talk, or even resorting to violence. All efforts were useless. Hanji's parents were incredibly upset at their son's rebellious attitude to the point that Takai could see them about to give up on him. No matter what he did, he couldn't figure out what was causing his friend's fall from grace. Regardless, Takai will still be by Hanji's side because leaving him alone would make the situation even worse than it already is. Even if it is futile, he will try one more time to help because Hanji is his best friend.

Takai is almost at his house and throughout the entire walk, he has been thinking of what he should say and do before meeting him. Hanji's parents are busy with their jobs so he may be the only one currently in the house unless he is also out doing something. As he nears the front door, Takai took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. After waiting for a few seconds, there is no response and so he pressed it again but the result was the same. He knocked on the door and called out his name.

"Hanji?! Are you there?!" Again, no response. Takai tried opening the door and surprisingly, it is unlocked. "Pardon the intrusion..."

He went inside and removed his shoes before going in further to the house. All the lights are turned off, only the setting sun from the glass door of the empty living room illuminated the room, and a little of the household. Takai immediately went upstairs to Hanji's bedroom.

"Hanji?! It's me!" Takai knocked the door to his bedroom a few times and he could hear his friend's muffled voice inside. However, he didn't respond. "Oi, Hanji?! I can hear you! Open the door!"

"ALRIGHT!" Hanji shouted and there is the sound of stomping on the wooden floor until the door unlocked and opened to reveal a tired Hanji with bruises on his face which came from the two of them fighting the other day. "Why the fuck do you keep bothering me when I'm asleep!?"

"I just want to talk."

"Oh, great. I'm sure that'll end well like last time..."

"Just tell me what's wrong? You can't just hide in your room drinki- wait, what the hell is that this time?" Takai noticed another mysterious substance on the table. It looks like a white powder of some sort along with a very small plastic tube. He was confused as to what it was until he figured it out. "Are those drugs?!"

"No! Will you stop looking at my bedroom without my permission!"

"Of all things, you're becoming a drug addict!? Did your parents know this?!"

"Shut up! This is my business so don't stick your ass into someone else's problem."

"Look, I just want to know why is this happening. I kept asking you for months and you couldn't tell me anything. You keep saying everything is fine but I'm sure as hell know it isn't. You can't just go on like this unless you lean on me or your parents so we can help you!"

"Why can't you just leave me alone!?" Hanji tried to punch him in the face but Takai caught his fist and grabbed his shirt collar.

"You're my best friend, aren't you?!" The tall student screamed at him in desperation, "So I can't leave you alone!"

There was only silence after that. Takai is not good at forming inspiring or heartwarming speeches, but he didn't need to come up with one. All he needs to say is the reminder of their friendship to make Hanji understand that Takai will always help him whenever he's in trouble. From childhood to the present, their bond stayed strong even if Hanji is in this state. Even Hanji's parents thought that Takai is the only one who can save him from whatever madness he has entered. The silence stretched for who knows how long. Seconds, minutes, hours, both of them stood remaining in that position until Takai let go of Hanji's shirt but none of them still spoke. Takai knew his words affected his friend so he can wait as long as he can until Hanji opened up to him. After waiting a while, Hanji finally spoke.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He said with a sigh and then sat down on the floor next to the table.

"Yeah well, that's how I've always been to you." Takai retorted.

"I'm not the genius you think I am," Hanji finally explained while looking down, refused to make eye contact with his friend. "It all started great in kindergarten and elementary school. Lessons are really easy that I don't even need to read the book many times to remember the important bits. Everyone praised me, you praised me as a prodigy. I thought that too but I was wrong. When we got to that prestigious middle school, it got harder and harder until I have to study hard like you. All those times, I was the most serious student to study, a lot more serious than you."

"Hanji..." Takai could only mumble his name as a response to his explanation.

"All of that carefree attitude was just a front. In the end, I was studying like crazy because that's the only thing that's going for me. I'm not athletic, good at arts, or anything. I'm just an average guy. If I fail at least once, I thought that the one special trait I worked hard on was all for nothing. That one failing grade or one slip up would tell me that I can't do anything."

When Takai thought about, Hanji's only defining trait in school is his high academic performance. When Hanji became a leader of a group, he let others do the thinking; When Hanji do sports, he's only below average to decent; When he submits a project, Takai noticed how poorly done it was and that was before he was alcoholic. Takai only thought that all of those were just Hanji being too lazy to take any of those activities seriously but in truth, that was all Hanji can do.

"You get it now?" Hanji broke his thoughts. "So what if I get high grades? What the hell am I gonna use that for? Getting to college, even though the career path I chose is next to impossible? Show it all off to Twitter how smart I am? Use my grades to make money? Studying is the only thing I'm good at but it won't be long until this skill is useless. After all, it's only useful in schools and universities. Stress quickly built up in me as the lessons became harder than I can handle and It went on until last year and then... my brain snapped. And that's how I turned into... this."

"But why did you hide it from us? Why didn't you asked for help?"

"Because I don't want to disappoint you nor everyone. All of your expectations of me kept me going but it was common sense that living up to too many expectations would break someone, and I just didn't notice that until it was too late. And then there's you. I inspired you to work harder to catch up with me.

"What are you-?"

"Don't lie to me. I saw you back in middle school how you were that close to giving up like me right now. I acted like a kid just so I can brighten your mood and studied hard to help you."

"You... You didn't have to do that for me..."

"Yeah... maybe. But like you said, we're best friends, right?"

"...Right." They smiled at each other and let silence take over the room once again. Takai felt a mixture of relief and worry as he finally made Hanji talk but he isn't aware that his friend was too stressed. He misunderstood Hanji's true talent as a gift but it was only polished by effort. The same way as Takai did. And it's the only ability that Hanji has right now. Hanji is weak at everything else but he is the strongest between best friends. He suffered the most and no one noticed it until now. Takai resolved himself further to help his friend even in the worst of times and through the most difficult tasks.

"Alright..." Hanji stood up and took out some plastic.

"What are you doing?" Takai asked.

"Throwing these things in the trash before my parents find out," He answered while pointing at the alcohol and drugs on the table. "And I'm hungry."

"Oh, okay. You wanna order a take out?"

"Yeah, pizza?"

"We're ordering a proper dinner. Maybe udon or-"

"Uuuuuggghhh!"

And everything was back to the way it was. Slowly but surely, Hanji is improving his studying and other activities with Takai's help in school. The rumors didn't die down one bit and it resulted in Hanji being bullied along with Takai since he was with him the whole time. However, that didn't faze them at all as they mind their own business, although Takai did beat some of those bullies which result in a week of suspension for him. All in all, the future is bright for the two of them, at least that's what Takai thought. Apparently, Hanji was a drug addict the day after he found out he was an alcoholic. Hanji couldn't contain his urge and after meeting the drug dealer, Shoyo, that was his breaking point. He went back to being the delinquent and now his parents couldn't take the stress he had given them, so they gave up and also succumb to the illegal substance. Takai thought if he had helped his best friend sooner, if he had shown more resolve, it wouldn't lead to this ending. He did what he could but it was too late from the start. As if it wasn't bad enough, there are rumors of Hanji committing crimes. The police investigated the matter but they found no evidence to confirm the suspicion as Hanji hid the drugs and evidence too well. Takai wanted to confess to the police but he didn't want to betray his friend. If Hanji is arrested, then his life is over. Takai couldn't bear to see Hanji's life crumbling even more and so he would solve this issue by himself but all efforts were useless.

"...I failed..."

Takai felt pain in his head. He fell asleep but he couldn't remember what happened before that. Memories are blurry along with his vision as his eyes felt too heavy to open and the headache intensified. Still, Takai opened his eyes to see the table and the bartender sitting across from him. He realized he is on a chair with his hands restrained on the back and his legs tied up. The surroundings were still too blurry and dark for him to assess where he is now but he finally remembered what happened to him.

"That's right, I was in a bar and a fight just broke out..." Takai thought as he tried to remember the details of that scene. "A lot of those drunkards fought me and then I got shot with a tranquilizer."

"You woke up way earlier than I expected," The voice of the bartender echoed in his ear. "Even though this tranquilizer only makes you lose consciousness for a couple of hours, it is still surprising, nonetheless."

"Where the hell am I?" Takai asked.

"The basement of the bar," The bartender answered as the lights turned on to reveal a room with a bunch of crates lying around. Takai noticed men are surrounding them. "I figured that you would target me next but I didn't expect you to just waltz right into my bar so casually. Are you planning something or are you just an idiot?"

"How did you even know I'm the vigilante on the news."

"It was more of a guess, actually. You being tall and all, and how much of a coincidence that someone like you barge into my bar while we were just talking about you and that vigilante last night."

"Is that so? Damn, sometimes being this height sucks" The tall vigilante responded with a laugh. "Oh, by the way, your question earlier? Sorry, I thought you would be easy to handle so I thought taking you all on is the best plan for me."

"Don't talk shit about boss!" One of the bartender's lackeys shouted and punched Takai in the face.

"Enough," The bartender ordered him to stop. "So you think that you can take us on all because we're just a 'gang' or a group of small-time drug dealers?"

"I guess..."

"Well, you thought wrong. After all, I am the one who persuaded that other gang to attack you on the train."

"What? You're behind all that!? How did you even know where we were?"

"You were following the list, right?" The bartender's answer shocked Takai. "I'm the one who made the list and shared it to a man named Sugimoto. I assume you got it from him since he was the first one to get arrested by the police last night. It wasn't easy for us stalking all of them to find personal information, y'know? but it was worth it. I noticed how the order of the drug dealers taken down is at the same order as the list and so I predicted where you would go next and send the other gang we've partnered with to deal with you, but they failed. Well, it doesn't hurt us one bit, in fact, it benefited me even further."

"What do you mean, it'll 'benefit' you?"

"Oops, that's how far I can tell you," The boss of this gang raised a finger on his mouth. "If you want to know more, then you have to do something for me..."

"Yeah? Whatever the hell it is, I'm not doing it."

"Don't be like that. We went as far as to stop our business to take care of you. Starting that bar fight for us to kidnap you without anyone noticing, literally messed up my bar but I can pay the damages. However, we ruined our time of drug business all for you."

"Damn, he got the same idea as mine. I thought that making a bar fight would distract whoever his gang members are while I deal with him." He thought while gritting his teeth. The criminal who was locked up in the storage room told him they were hiding firearms which means if he charged right into their basement, he would immediately get shot so his perfect chance was while the bar was open and full of customers. But the drug dealer was one step ahead. "Wow, I'm flattered. How about you untie me so I can hug you to death?"

"How hilarious. Anyway, what I want from you is to-" Before the bartender could finish his sentence, they all heard a mysterious sound upstairs. The screams of their companions and the loud varied gunfire made the others in the basement nervous as they wondered who's the intruder. All of them pulled out their pistols behind their pants except for the bartender who stood up and walked towards a wall. As they heard the clicking sound of the doorknob, the criminals aimed their guns at the door. The door opened slightly and an object was thrown into their feet. It looks like a small cylinder-like object.

"FLASHBANG!" One of them shouted to warn the others but it was too late as they were blinded by the sudden bright flash of light and their ears rang. Takai managed to save his eyes on time but he can't protect his ear from the blast. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the supposed intruders knocking out criminals. One criminal recovered in time and blocked a punch to the face. He aimed the gun at the man and shoot but the intruder kicked his hand which made him dropped the gun. The intruder punched his liver and stomach and then uppercut his chin. He then ended it with a straight punch in the face. The other criminals also recovered from the flashbang. One of them tried to aim the gun but a man with slick hair shot his hand. He dropped the gun along with blood dripping as the bullet pierced his hand.

"Freeze! put the guns down!" The intruders threatened with their pistols pointing at the remaining conscious criminals. None can fight back and they were outnumbered since many of their companions fell, so they dropped their weapons and raised their hands in the air to surrender.

"Hey, are you alright?" The slick-haired man untied the restraints on Takai.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Takai reassured him and stood up towards the wall where the bartender was. "That guy must've disappeared the moment the flashbang exploded. This must be a secret exit."

Takai touched the brick wall to find some sort of secret button or switch to open the secret door and he pushed a brick that sank into the wall. A certain area of the wall slid down to reveal the secret exit.

"Whoa, a secret exit?!" One of the intruders/saviors were astonished. "Did you know there was one?"

"I just saw that bastard leaning on this wall but after the flashbang exploded, he vanished." Takai explained to them.

"And so you thought there's a secret exit, huh?" A woman spoke. She has long black, hair with a long fringe just over her eyes. She's wearing a black cardigan over a grey blouse, a pair of jeans, and black heels. "We'll go after him while you stay here and wait for the cops to pick you up safely, okay?"

"... Got it." The rescued vigilante looked at the backs of their saviors while they were going after the gang leader. Who are they? Are they cops? Or a gang that has a grudge on the bartender? These questions formed in his mind will be remained unanswered until he either asked them or find out by himself in a different way. But for now, he needs to escape. "Wait, she said the cops are coming here, right? Then I better get the hell out of here. I don't wanna get discovered even if they would write me out as anonymous in the interrogation."

A few minutes ago. While they were rescuing Takai

The woman ran as fast as she could to the hospital even though she's wearing heels. It would take balance, posture, and perfect footwork for her to run so fast while not stumbling upon the risk of twisting her ankle or breaking the heels. Within a matter of seconds, she can already see the hospital building in a distance and her excitement grew. She licked her lips while expecting assassins infiltrating the medical establishment to kill the boy who needs protection. The objective sounds too difficult and dangerous for one person to perform alone and yet the woman is confident enough to handle this.

"If they figured out his identity, then they would only send one assassin to do the job," She speculated in her mind. "After all, He's only a defenseless boy in a coma. It would be overkill and kinda wasteful to send a group."

She stopped her line of thought as she ran into the strangely open gate. This could mean the assassin already infiltrated the hospital as she also saw the guards killed.

"Shit!" The woman didn't have time to think about the murdered guards and instead ran inside the building to face the assassin. She already knew which floor she would climb and what room the boy is currently sleeping. When she reached the second floor, she was surprised at the intruders running in the hallway. They all wear casual clothing which could mean they're amateurs or just delinquents doing the assassination. What she's mostly confused about are their numbers. They're a group of five and they're running in the hallway without even worrying the security cameras catching a glimpse of their faces.

"Either they're complete amateurs or something else is going on here." She pulled out her pistol and shot a few bullets, aiming at their legs. Two assassins got hit one leg and both tumbled down. The others were shocked by the sudden gunfire and took out their guns but the woman was already in their proximity. She jumped and kicked the gun away from the criminal's hand and then attacked with a side kick to the chest. She ducked down to dodge a predictable gunshot from the other man and did a left reverse kick to his head, a low right kick to the leg to make him trip and ended with an ax kick in the face.

She suddenly got punched in the face by the last assassin and then in the stomach before he slapped the gun away. She dodged another punch in the face and blocked an incoming side kick with her outer wrist. She bent backward to evade a roundhouse kick to the face which caused her barret cap to fall and let out her long brown hair. The woman countered with an ankle kick, then dodged an incoming straight punch in the face to perform a back kick to the chest. The criminal was pushed back but he didn't fall down.

"This guy has experience," The woman said with a confident smirk. "Can you please lie down already? These heels are expensive so I don't wanna break them."

The assassin didn't listen as he posed his fighting stance. She sighed and did the same as well. The two only stared at each other while slowly approaching each other. Each step increases the tension as they both readied themselves against each other's attacks. The long brown-haired woman moved first by raising her right foot. He saw that and he anticipated the kick, but that was a feint as she jumped a little and kicked his liver with her left foot.

A jump front turning kick.

She then did two right consecutive kicks; one at his ankle and the other to his face. He got hit by the low kick but successfully blocked and then blocked a side kick to the chest. His forearm is in intense pain because of her heel, but he held it in. Now, it's the assassin's turn to strike back as he starts with two straight punches. The woman blocked them with her palms but she was hit in the side by a right hook punch. He thrust a kick to her abdomen, an uppercut to the chin, and then tried to end it with a punch to the face. However, she caught his fist on time to pull him closer and performed a shoulder throw. The woman ended it by stomping his chest and then kicked his temple which made him unable to stand up. She heard a click on the door and looked at the end of the hallway to see a criminal with his leg bleeding from the gunshot lockpicking the door and slid it open.

"Oh no, you don't!" Fortunately, he couldn't move fast enough because of his leg injury so he was limping into the room. She got in time to tackle the man down. She stood up and kicked his abdomen and then his face. She panted for a few seconds before going back outside to check the others. One was unconscious while the others couldn't move from the pain except one who was on all-fours. She quickly walked towards him and hit the back of his head with an ax kick.

"Please stay down. All of you," She threatened them with a terrifying glare. The fiery venom in her voice and eyes is stronger and more dominant than her daughters. "If not, then these heels will do the work on your heads."

All of the assassins were silent, but they're not moving at all which means they complied. She went back to the room and see Hikigaya in bed. His head is wrapped around in bandages, an oxygen mask in his mouth, and a feeding tube attached to his arm that is connected to the TPN. She slowly approached the boy and stared at his unconscious form.

"Oh my god..." She mumbled while lightly combing his hair with her hand. "You're really stupid, kid... But still cool. I'm here to protect you so get good sleep, okay, Hikio?"

She gave him a warm smile before thinking back to the assassins that attempted to kill him. It was odd the moment she saw them, from their numbers to their plan of assassination.

"That other guy doesn't have any weapons..." She looked outside to stare at the criminal who put up a good fight. "He was just attacking me with his bare fist. What could this mean?"

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket and she answered.

"Hello?"

"Miura-san." A man's voice spoke on the phone. "We saved the kid. How are things on your end?"

"It was easy." Miura Yuko answered while dragging the criminal inside the room outside. "Five guys, two had guns while the others don't have any. Something is going on here."

"I'll say. This bartender has a secret exit in the basement of his bar. He escaped but we still caught his lackeys."

"Alright, we'll worry about him later. Get Chujitsuna into the van and meet me at this location."

"Uuhhhh about that..."

"What? Don't tell me he escaped after you saved him."

"While we were running after the drug dealer, he escaped the moment we told him the cops are coming to take care of him..."

"Ugh, whatever," She rubbed her temple as if she had a headache from the situation. "Just go to the meeting place. Chujitsuna will come to us eventually. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mam..." And the call ended at that. Miura suddenly heard a scream and saw a nurse looking terrified at the sight of people lying on the ground in pain and blood on their bodies.

"Hey, you work in the night shift?" Miura asked nonchalantly, indifferent to her reactions.

"Y-yes,"

"It's best that you go home early. This situation could get worse." She warned and all the nurse could do is nod frantically before running away.

"Hmm... everything went all perfectly." The bartender mumbled while looking at footage on a tablet. The footage was Yuko fighting in the hospital hallway. He's currently riding in the back of the car contemplating his next action.

"But sir, what about the others?" The driver who is one of the drug dealer's subordinates asked.

"Leave them be." He answered while swaying his hand to show that he didn't care for the other gang members. "We'll get more subordinates once I persuaded the syndicate to give me money, weapons, and even a few of their best men."

"How, sir?"

"Well, since you're the only one left, I might as well tell you what my plan was when I came here in Kyoto." The bartender explained while still watching the footage. "You see, my original plan was to get rid of some of the gangs present here by finding every information about their leaders and give the list to Sugimoto. Then, we were supposed to kill few of the gangs to spread fear among the others and blamed it on Sugimoto since having the list is the biggest evidence against him with me being the one discovering his "motive", and convince all the gangs to ally with me to deal with him. That was plan A."

"Plan A?"

"Yes, Have a close relationship with all criminals and convince them to come to my side. Then, I would rise to power and form my own syndicate. It would be a slow process but it will be worth it. That was what I intended to do, at least until something completely unexpected happened. Can you guess what that is?"

"The appearance of Isato in Kyoto?"

"Correct, thanks to that vigilante's appearance, plan A is impossible to perform since there is someone else knocking out the gangs one by one. But when I realized that he stole the list from Sugimoto, I suddenly thought of two back-up plans: plan B was to let the vigilante run rampant until we were the last two to three gangs and then warn the others in order to kill him once and for all. If that fails when the vigilante lives and most of the gangs are completely useless, then we go to Plan C: Get evidence that Isato is here in Kyoto ruining the Barbaros Syndicate's drug business and convince said syndicate to give me money and more assets. That would be the most difficult mission but lady luck came to me. The vigilante was hospitalized."

"And so plan C came to fruition in which the first step is to blackmail the receptionist and security guard working on the cameras to force them to get the identity of the vigilante," The driver figured out the plan as he remembered the missions the boss gave to them. "Once you have that, you will gain footage and access to the building. But what kind of footage are you looking for?"

"The footage of him being protected by the police," The bartender answered. "This Isato person was a complete mystery to the public eye. His first appearance was when a rape attempt took place. After that, many people claimed to be saved by him. And then there were incidents like the convenience store robbery and the restaurant. There should've been witnesses that saw the whole scene but the news only stated that the vigilante was just there. My guess was that he was protected by the police department, especially by the 'Ghost'."

"The... Ghost?"

"He... or she, is an unknown detective that solved many crimes and captured infamous syndicates and wanted criminals. The old man told me many things about him. He is not one to mess with. We criminals call him the Ghost since I don't know... someone is so scared of him that he thought a ghost killed his criminal life or something? I don't care."

"What made you think that 'Ghost' is the one protecting Isato?"

"I told you, the old man told me many things about him. One thing is how he likes to perform... social experiments. The last time I heard of the detective was that he was now working in Chiba. I don't know why but he is weird like the old man said."

"Was kidnapping Isato's partner also part of the plan?" The driver asked while they stumbled upon traffic.

"Not really, It was more of a just-in-case scenario should he try to attack us. Anyway, once I get the evidence, I will ask the syndicate to let me deal with the situation in exchange for my favors."

"I see... So is the footage you have now what you needed?"

"Yes, though I don't know who this woman is." The boss held his chin as he stared at the face of Miura Yuko on the tablet screen. "Hmm... Based on that fighting style... Taekwondo?"

"May I see it, sir? I think I might know her."

"Hoh~? Then here you go." He turned the tablet to show the driver her face while the traffic is still stopping the vehicle. For a few seconds, the driver finally answered.

"This woman was part of a task force responsible for raiding a well-known syndicate in Tokyo years ago." He spoke while his eyes are on the road as the vehicles are moving. "She was known for her odd choice of martial arts when dealing with criminals. I don't know her name though."

"What's odd about Taekwondo?"

"Nothing, sir. It's just that it's not exactly a recommended choice of martial arts in the police department. The common martial arts the police academy teaches are something like aikido, krav maga, or judo."

"Basically, martial arts that involve subduing the criminal without harming them, huh?"

"Well, they do teach Muay Thai on some academies."

"Interesting, why would someone from Tokyo appeared now of all times, especially here to protect the boy from Chiba?"

"I heard that she transferred out of Tokyo after the raid. No one knows where she is."

"Hmm... I actually feel bad for them not giving the proper equipment. I would be killing two birds with one stone if they kill the vigilante while I got the footage but still, this is even better than I thought. " The bartender snickered while thinking about all the information he was given. This would convince the syndicate to give him what he wants but this could also discourage them to pursue business in this country. The Barbaros Syndicate sent a small group to establish their own drug business in Japan and this is not the first time. He heard that they've been attempting to do this for many years now and they all failed even though some of those attempts were close to success. Instead of selling the products themselves, they hired Japanese small-time drug dealers to do it for advertisement while not getting caught. The reason they picked small drug dealers was that they were easier to persuade and asking a big organization would risk being discovered by the detective and the cost would be too much for their standards. The plan would indeed work, if not for the bartender's scheme and Isato's interference. This is the best chance for him to gain more power from the syndicate. It's all a matter of wordplay to decide the outcome so he has to choose his words carefully and his act more determined enough to persuade them.

"Are we getting close?" He asked while looking out in the window.

"It should take five minutes to reach their hideout." The driver answered.

"Good. I can't wait to see what will happen next."

"May I ask one last question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"What kind of favor were you about to ask the tall individual?"

"Oh, him? I was trying to convince him to join me. With his stature and physical capabilities, wouldn't he be the perfect loyal dog?"

"Indeed he is. Will you try to convince him again once you encounter him?"

"If it's possible, then yeah. And as for Isato... Let's see what else he can do for now."

WHEW! Things are getting heated up. Looks like we got ourselves a villain. What are his motives? What is planning in the future? Who knows! No 8man this chapter since he's now hospitalized. I wonder what would happen once he woke up? Find out next time!

Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review to share your opinions as they will help make this story better.