The fourth masked guy bolted forward without hesitation.

  His footsteps scraped sharply against the stone as he closed the distance in an instant, a knife flashing in his hand. The blade arced toward Akitsu Shouga’s side with lethal intent, cutting cleanly through the air.

  Akitsu reacted on instinct.

  He twisted his body just enough for the blade to miss, then stepped inward, redirecting the attacker’s wrist with the edge of his forearm. The knife slipped past harmlessly. Another strike followed—then another—each attack faster than the last.

  Steel clashed against stone as Akitsu deflected every blow.

  He dodged when necessary, redirected when possible, never overcommitting. His movements were calm, precise, and disciplined, as though he were merely guiding the attacks away rather than fighting back.

  The masked man suddenly leapt backward, creating distance between them.

  He straightened and let out a low chuckle.

  “You’re not half bad,” he said. “I could see why these guys couldn’t restrain you.”

  Akitsu lowered his stance, eyes sharp.

  “I appreciate the compliment,” he replied calmly. “But I don’t need it.”

  “Awww.” The masked man placed a hand over his chest theatrically. “I was starting to feel something warm in my heart. Don’t you feel it too?”

  Akitsu frowned.

  “Sorry. I have a fiancée. And I’m not really into guys.”

  The masked man froze for a second.

  “…That’s sad,” he said lightly. “I guess I’ll have to retreat. I’ll see you soon, my darling.”

  With that, he turned around and ran, vanishing into the maze of rooftops and alleyways before Akitsu could pursue him.

  Akitsu stood still, unsettled.

  “…What was that all about?” he muttered. “Why would he suddenly attack me and then run away?”

  A soft flutter echoed beside him.

  Seraphine Orion flew toward him in her small white kitsune form, tails swaying anxiously.

  “Oi! Where did they go?” she shouted. “They suddenly ran away while they were chasing me!”

  “They ran away from me too,” Akitsu said. His eyes narrowed.

  “I wonder what happened…”

  His expression suddenly stiffened.

  “…Where is Kaoru?”

  Seraphine froze midair.

  “In there,” she said, pointing.

  Akitsu turned.

  The birdcage—constructed from vines and twisted tree branches—was breaking apart. The magic holding it together flickered and failed, the structure disintegrating into glowing fragments that scattered into the wind.

  Akitsu rushed forward.

  There was no one inside.

  “…Where is she?” His voice dropped. “She isn’t in there.”

  “What?!” Seraphine flew closer, panic surging.

  “Where did she go!? She was in there the last time I saw her!!”

  Akitsu turned sharply toward her.

  “Don’t tell me…” His fists clenched.

  “You failed to protect her?! Where did she go!? Can’t you sense where she is?!”

  “That’s not how my power works!!” Seraphine snapped.

  “I can only sense her if she’s in danger!”

  “But can’t you teleport to where she is?!” Akitsu shouted.

  “How useless can a spirit like you be, calling yourself a guardian angel?!”

  “I cannot teleport to where she is!!” Seraphine shouted back.

  “I can only do that if she’s in danger!! It’s one of the rules in the Wish-Maker’s rules list!!”

  Silence fell.

  Akitsu stared at her intensely, his fierce eyes trembling with anger, fear, and guilt.

  “Can you stop staring at me?!” Seraphine snapped.

  “We need to find out where she is instead of wasting time here! Let’s go get the watchmen! They should be around since it’s almost dusk!”

  “…Damn it,” Akitsu muttered.

  At that moment—

  A shadow appeared above them.

  A figure stood atop a nearby house, holding an unconscious body by the collar.

  The fourth masked man.

  The figure leapt down smoothly and landed on the ground without a sound.

  It was Kael Ardent.

  Dressed in his uniform, a black blazer flowing behind him and a red Disciplinary Committee sash across his chest, he straightened proudly.

  “There’s no need to worry,” Kael declared.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “I, Kael Ardent, have arrived!”

  Akitsu glared at him.

  “You could’ve come sooner!! Kaoru was kidnapped by a group of masked thugs!”

  “Oh.” Kael blinked. “I don’t know who that is, but I’ll help!”

  “We have no leads as to where she went,” Akitsu said.

  “How can we find her?”

  “Oh?!” Kael crossed his arms.

  “You have no leads? It’s going to take a long time if we don’t know how or where she went. I’ll inform the watch house and tell the victim’s parents about what happened.”

  He looked at Akitsu.

  “In the meantime, why don’t you go and separately search for her, Akitsu?”

  “…I guess so.”

  “Hurry up!” Seraphine urged.

  “Let’s go search for her! It’s almost nightfall—we won’t be able to do anything at night!”

  Akitsu turned and ran in the opposite direction of Kael.

  Kael watched him go.

  “…I hope you find her, Akitsu,” he mumbled.

  They searched relentlessly.

  Akitsu and Seraphine ran through the town’s roads, checking every alleyway, every corner, every shadowed space where someone could hide.

  By the time they stopped, the moon was already high.

  They collapsed into a dark alley.

  Akitsu sat on the ground, shoulders trembling.

  “I can’t find her…” Tears fell freely from his eyes.

  “Yeah,” Seraphine said quietly.

  “And the town just now started to search for her. We might be too late if it takes too long.”

  “…What do we do?” Akitsu asked weakly.

  “We’ll have to stop for now,” Seraphine replied.

  “And go meet that Sora Amamiya guy. You promised to duel with him today, remember?”

  “…Oh yeah,” Akitsu said quietly. “I forgot about that.”

  A voice echoed from the darkness.

  “You forgot, huh? Too bad—I didn’t forget about it.”

  Akitsu looked up.

  “It’s you… How did you find me?” he asked, wiping his tears.

  Sora Amamiya stepped out from the shadows, wearing his blue hoodie. Two semicircle blue blades hung at his sides. The bloody bandages that once covered his face were gone.

  “I don’t know,” Sora said.

  “I searched all over the town and found you here. Why were there so many people outside? It made it harder for me to get here without being found out.”

  “The whole town is searching for Ryozen Kaoru,” Akitsu said.

  “Do you happen to know where she is?”

  “I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Sora replied.

  “I don’t have any recollection of assigning anyone to kidnap some kid today.”

  “So you do kidnap people, huh?” Seraphine said sharply.

  “Yes,” Sora answered calmly.

  “But for different reasons. I have no part in this. I only follow my master’s orders.”

  “I’d like to see your boss!!” Seraphine snapped.

  Sora glanced at Akitsu.

  “Who’s this flying fox? I don’t remember anything about her.”

  “I’m not a flying fox!” Seraphine shouted.

  “I’m a kitsune!”

  “Seeing Amamiya’s boss is useless,” Akitsu said.

  “There’s no point in it since they didn’t do it.”

  “But still!” Seraphine protested.

  “I don’t trust this guy! Villains will always be villains! Villains are filthy lying scums!”

  “This fox has an attitude,” Sora muttered.

  “STOP IT YOU TWO!!”

  Spiritual energy erupted from Akitsu, flooding the alley.

  Both of them froze in fear.

  “If you don’t like him,” Akitsu said coldly,

  “then go see who’s in charge yourself. And you—we are rescheduling the duel to another day, you hear me?!”

  They both nodded instantly.

  “First of all,” Akitsu continued,

  “we will find Kaoru. We won’t be doing anything else until then.”

  Sora slowly raised his hand.

  “…Speak up,” Akitsu said.

  “My boss sent me here to escort you to him,” Sora said nervously.

  “He wanted to tell you something.”

  “And why is that?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just following his commands,” Sora replied.

  “But I think it’s something important. Something you need to hear.”

  Akitsu exhaled.

  “…Alright. Lead the way.”

  Sora turned and walked toward an empty bar at the edge of town.

  Akitsu Shouga and Seraphine Orion followed behind him.