The group arrived at the local police station just as the evening breeze began to cool the streets. Jasmine led the way, flanked by King, Shin, Hiroshi, Arisu, Sol, Izumi, and Tasuya.
The station's front door creaked open.
Inside—a man in uniform was slouched on a chair, asleep, mouth slightly open, cap covering his eyes. Papers were scattered on the desk. Not a single other officer in sight.
Sol's face darkened.
BANG!
He slammed his hand down on the desk, startling the officer awake.
"Hey! Wake up!" Sol barked.
The officer jolted upright, blinking as if he'd been pulled from a dream. "Wha—ah… uh… the station's closed now. Come back tomorrow."
Sol's eyes burned. He grabbed the officer by the collar and yanked him forward.
"This isn't a damn shop, it's a police station!" Sol snarled, shaking him. "Because of lazy bastards like you, girls go missing, and criminals run free! You people don't give a damn until someone ends up dead!"
The officer's face went red. "Hey, kid! Let go of me!"
"You—!"
"Sol, stop."
Izumi stepped forward calmly and placed a hand on Sol's shoulder. "He's not worth it."
Reluctantly, Sol released his grip, eyes still blazing.
Jasmine stepped up next. "We solved the girl kidnapping case," she said coldly, pushing Manager Taro forward. "He's the one behind it. We need a prison cell for the night."
The officer straightened his uniform with shaky hands, his pride wounded, but when he looked up and saw the others—all of them serious, all of them battle-worn—he hesitated.
Then, with a grumble, he stood. "Tch… fine. This way."
He led them past the empty desks and flickering lights, to a back hallway where iron-barred cells waited in silence.
He pointed lazily at one. "Put him in there."
King and Hiroshi shoved Taro inside. The heavy door clanged shut.
For a long moment, none of them spoke. The silence smelled of dust, blood, and apathy.
Sol muttered under his breath, "This country's rotten."
No one disagreed.
In Saori's Home
The room was quiet.
A soft breeze flowed through the slightly open window, rustling the curtains as the girls sat in a half-circle near the bed. Ryker lay unconscious, his chest slowly rising and falling. His body was bandaged, bruised, and pale. He looked nothing like the powerful boy who had faced death more times than most.
Aisa sat closest to him, her hand resting lightly on the blanket that covered him.
"...He's still unconscious," Celica whispered, checking his pulse again with gentle fingers.
"I healed him with everything I had, but… that last hit," she sighed, lowering her hand, "It was too deep. His body's still recovering."
Yumi sat beside Celica, arms hugging her knees. "He looked like he was going to die..." Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper. "I've never seen him bleed that much."
"Don't say that," Aisa said, her voice sharp but shaking. "He's not going to die. Ryker's stronger than that."
Akira, quiet until now, finally spoke. "I've never seen him so broken," she murmured. "He always looked unshakable, even when the world felt like it was ending."
Saori poured warm tea for everyone, her hands calm but her eyes worried. "He risked everything… just to protect you all," she said softly. "It must've been terrifying, facing a man like Taro."
Hizuru nodded. "That man… the way he fought—he wasn't just skilled. He was cold, calculating."
A heavy silence followed.
Aisa's voice broke it. "He told me to run... while he stood there alone."
Celica looked at her, quietly. "He always does that. Tries to carry everything himself. Even his pain."
Yumi wiped her eyes. "He's a fool."
"No," Aisa whispered, brushing a lock of Ryker's hair away from his forehead. "He's a hero."
The girls sat together in the dim light of the room. No words were needed anymore. Just the hope that Ryker would open his eyes soon.
And when he did—they would all be waiting.
The dimly lit prison room reeked of rust and sweat. The walls were cold, the air heavier than silence.
Manager Taro sat on a metal chair, handcuffed, unfazed. His lips curled in a smug grin, even as the eyes of heroes bore down on him like daggers.
Sol stood in front of him, fists clenched.
"So tell us…" Sol's voice was low, dangerous. "Why did you do this?"
Taro leaned back, shrugging. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" King's voice rose in disbelief. "Girls were kidnapped. Tortured. Sold. And you 'don't know'?"
Jasmine stepped forward, glaring. "Was it Renji? Did he order you?"
Taro's smile faded, but only slightly. "No. Renji didn't know anything. This was my plan."
The room fell quiet.
Shin crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "Then why? What did you get from it?"
A long silence. Then Taro spoke, his voice cold and hollow.
"Because… I like girls."
There was a beat. Then—
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sol roared, grabbing Taro by the collar and lifting him halfway out of the chair.
Sol's voice thundered. "You 'like girls'—and then what? What the hell did you do next?!"
Taro looked him dead in the eye, calm and unrepentant.
"I sold them."
BAM!
Sol's fist almost flew, but Jasmine grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
"Sol! Stop!" she shouted. "We need him alive. He'll answer to the court."
Sol trembled with rage, his jaw tight. He stared at Taro, barely restraining the fury in his eyes. "He doesn't deserve to live."
"I know," Jasmine said quietly. "But right now… we walk away."
Taro slumped back in the chair, still smiling, but now with a line of blood trailing from his mouth where Sol's grip had split his lip.
The others turned to leave.
Behind them, the monster sat in the dark, chained but not broken.
Not yet.
Outside the prison room, the group stood in tense silence. The cold night air brushed against their skin, but it wasn't enough to cool the fire burning inside them.
Sol clenched his jaw, pacing. Jasmine leaned against the wall, arms crossed, lost in thought.
"Why did you stop me, Jasmine?" Sol finally said, turning to her, voice tight with frustration. "I was this close."
Jasmine looked up, her eyes sharp. "Because something's off. I don't think he told us the truth."
Sol frowned. "You think he's lying?"
"I know he's lying," Jasmine said firmly. "Think about it—none of the girls were harmed. Not a single one was killed. And they were all alive when we found them."
Shin nodded, stepping forward. "She's right. It doesn't match. If his goal was to sell or hurt them, why were they all kept safe and untouched?"
Sol paused, the realization slowly creeping in. "So… all that talk, that sick confession… it was fake?"
"Feels like it," Shin said. "He wanted to distract us. Feed us a false motive. Keep us from digging deeper."
"Then what's the real reason?" Sol asked, voice low.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes. "That's what we're going to find out."
The familiar sound of waves greeted them as they stepped onto the island dock.
From the small hill near the houses, they could see the lights inside Saori's home. Warm. Peaceful. Safe.
"They're waiting," Tasuya said, giving a tired smile.
"Let's not keep them any longer," King said, walking ahead.
As they reached the home, the door opened. Celica stood there, eyes wide. "You're back…"
Inside, Aisa, Yumi, Akira, Amelia, Saori, and Hizuru sat around the bed—Ryker still unconscious, his face pale.
"They're back," Aisa whispered, rising quickly.
Everyone stepped in, and for a moment—just a moment—there was peace.
Home.
For now.