Ryota Mizuno, who was once Teardrop, fell back to silence in the words of his father.

"Of course, you can't. Right? Some words, you are already moved."

At that moment, as if a bolt of lightning hit Ryota's head…

"…!

H-How did you know…?!"

"No matter how skilled you are at the job, you're worthless if you don't use your head.

The people might call me some kind of a monster now, but that doesn't mean I'm not smart. Sadly, you didn't get that trait, you poor thing.

I merely followed my intuition, and it brought me here. I just wanted to find an answer—to confirm things, and it seems you just gave me a clue.

You're 'a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one,' did I get it right?"

"I can't let- GAHK-"

"You can."

In a swift and soundless move, the child that even was trained by Makoto Koyanagi didn't see, and received a blow on the abdomen until he curled up on the ground with breaths of utter struggle.

In mere seconds, he passed out.

"Time to push some buttons, I guess."

▪ ▪ ▪

It was a cold morning in the Nijisaki household. The blanket of clouds was unusually thicker and grayer enveloping the earth of several sectors of Cotona with darkness. Truly, days are shorter while the nights are longer amidst the winter, but Kuroko had found himself waking up at the ninth hour of the day, yet it still felt like a dawn of muted colors inside his room.

"Morning, Reina."

"Good morning, Yu…ka?"

Kuroko's immaculate white fringes had covered his scarlet eyes, coupled with still the unkempt hair, yet her little sister still felt a moment of worry with his decline from the stairs.

His eyes were swollen.

"Did something happen… Yuka?"

"Hahh… Something like that. Not related with work, but it seems I have a lot of things I need to do. And probably something to set straight."

He let out another heavy sigh.

It was as though a giant door has broken its locks, and came off slightly from its hinges.

That was how he described the usually secured psyche of the man who his life coincided with in a much profound way, thus, opening a stream of tears on his eyes as he received the vulnerability that has reached an all-time high.

Never had he seen or felt Gin in such a weakened state after realizing their connection some years back. And so, in the worst way possible, he had learned of the extremely difficult predicament as he peered through a crack in Gin's cognitive realm in his sleep.

He ought to do something, as he was fully aware of what could happen if ever the time comes where he reaches and witnesses the worst-case scenario. But amidst the strong resolve, he was still overcome with shameful cowardice and fear, as if he doesn't want to accept reality… or it's as if Gin doesn't want to accept reality which was reflected on Kuroko's feelings.

He wanted to meet them, but it was as though something was heavy that was tugging on his limbs.

With those thoughts out of the way for a moment as he chewed on his breakfast, he inquired:

"Are you feeling well, Rei?"

"Hm? I am… but why so suddenly?"

"It's just that it's gotten really cold, don't you think? And it seems like there's going to be a storm. Are you going out today?"

"I was planning to with friends, but I backed out when I saw the sky. Thankfully they understood."

"Yeaaahhh…" he stretched as he finished his plate. With her mother passing by he called. "Ah, Mom, I'll be working until late tonight so please keep it low around my room. I'll be coming out for meals though. I think it'll be hectic for me for the next few days too."

"Oh, remote work, you harsh one… Just don't overdo it."

"Yes."

There was also the pressing problem of the sudden escape of Joseph Horach which put the country under a state of emergency, as one of the most dangerous criminals of the country is out and about, not detected by the police. Obviously, no one knew what exactly is the motive of his escape beyond speculations.

All that being said, he admitted that there was nothing he could do about it. All that Kuroko can do is put his hopes to the capable people that things will be well soon.

Or so he thought literally a few seconds back. As he realized a clear idea in his mind, he swiftly picked up his phone to dial someone.

"Hello, Ginji? Hahh… Thank goodness you picked up immediately.

I'm sorry if you're in the middle of something… but can I ask you a favor?"

▪ ▪ ▪

"This is the worst…"

After diving and plopping himself to a seat tiredly, Makoto complained as he let out a heavy sigh.

It has been a few days since Horach's escape, and the national police force are mobilized to search for him around the clock. That was how much the country is considering him as a threat. While Juno Artecus is not heading the entirety of the operation, he is still working with a unit he hand-picked and formed for special cases like this.

However, after a moment to breathe, he paused on work with Makoto inside a private room where he can freely remove his mask and talk without any outside interference. While the Exiles do not have an image to be feared, they have received a reputation, albeit small, that made them unsuspicious as they climb to the surface although extremely seldom.

It was Makoto's request to give him a closed, private space in exchange of lending his aid in this operation of the outside world, and the detective complied without reluctance so as to establish good terms with the Blanks. Of the public figures in Orio, he is considered to be the one who respects the wishes of the Exiles, even above the country's leadership. On the other hand, Makoto was frank enough to only show trust to his old friend

Makoto squinted his already narrowed eyes from exhaustion and pressed his throbbing head.

"I want to see my wife, man…"

"I'm very sorry about this," Juno apologetically exhaled to him as he handed out a cup of coffee. "All intel we have from his whereabouts were from Teardrop, and even that wasn't enough. It was really an extremely bad decision on our side to publicly announce that the criminal underworld is gone even though we've cleared pretty much all their bases…

…

I know I didn't give you a lot of work but it seems you're really stressed out, huh."

"Well, yeah. It's been, what, decades since I was last out in the field and I've been very thankful of the peace I have underground. This really is a hard job."

"I just wish we could have some more hands with us to help."

"Sorry, but this is the only scope of the deal we have."

"I know that, and I wasn't really referring to your people.

Perhaps it would make it a tiny bit easier with Gin on our side…" Juno muttered what seemed to be a passing though that he didn't intend to let out.

"I don't want to stress you out more, but leave him be," Makoto's tone changed, in a somewhat frustrated way.

"Was I not supposed to mention him? Sorry."

"No, no. Hahh… We're all busy thinking about a solution but things are already… hopeless as it is…"

"I take it that something has happened to him again."

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Somewhat, and we really don't have a right to ask for his help now since…

Are you acquainted with Ms. Ringo, Juno?"

"Yeah. Why bring her up?"

"…

I guess I can tell you since you're an authority, but can you promise me that what I'm going to say stays in this room? It's imperative that this information must not be leaked at any way otherwise this could risk us severing ties with the society again.

That is how important Gin, our bridge, and Ms. Ringo by extension, to us."

"You have my word."

After a small sip from his coffee cup, he started.

"Ms. Ringo is confined in a hospital for the BEF disease."

"I-I'm very sorry to hear that. I feel I understand the situ-"

"No. You absolutely don't."

Juno flinched upon hearing Makoto's heavy assertion.

"Tell me, how much do you actually know about Gin?"

Makoto was not particularly mad, but the detective felt a tinge of fright from the former's downcast eyes.

"I-I know that he's one of you, an Exile basically, and I've met his family from time to time, especially Ms. Ringo. I at least know that they have been together for a while."

There was a long pause and a heavy air of silence. But despite that, Juno patiently waited for a response.

"Let me break it to you then. Exiles or not, anyone that trusts Gin and who he trusts back are in absolute terror right now, to put it bluntly. I know we're fighting against the impossible, but we're all wracking our brains to figure out a way to save Ms. Ringo; that is, to not let her die.

It's for their sake… and I'd personally say that it's for the sake of the possible future this region, if not the country, could reach."

"How is this issue suddenly to this large of a scale…?"

"Back when we're trying to apprehend Teardrop, it was not coincidence that the crane didn't fall from the residential buildings when it should have.

With that said, can you piece together what I'm trying to say? I'm really tired. Don't expect me to spell everything out to you. You're a detective, after all."

Juno's eyes slightly widened.

He remembered vividly being vigorously thrown quite far away from the epicenter of the encounter, and coming back to seeing Ryota, who was once the assassin Teardrop, assaulted by the goons of the Underworld and Gin with a black mask.

But before that, he heard an extremely loud grating of metal and later saw that the crane was upright.

"That was Gin's doing? H-How…?"

"Remember this, Gin is still just a kid. I can't tell you the specifics, but if I am to be brutally honest, he is not right in the head. He may be an adult now, but there's still a tormented child inside his heart that is a part of him.

If we were, or we let it be disturbed…"

Makoto's lips trembled, while it was as if he was reluctant to continue.

"…We would be dealing with a walking disaster."

Although being sat, all of Juno's limbs lost strength.

"You've seen him before when we apprehended Horach, and then when we encountered Teardrop… but even for us who knew him the most doesn't know his potential, or his limits.

I really didn't want to bring this up to you because I know that this might turn to an extra burden, but we're also trying our best… although it's really not bearing fruit, currently."

Makoto slowly stood up, and prompted to wear his mask back.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse me today, Juno. I just want to see my family right now."

"D-Don't worry about it."

Makoto's words left the detective thinking what could the possible predicament may entail. He reviewed in his mind Gin's actions from up to now, but every time he tries to envision what would the "walking disaster" would look like, his mind drew a blank.

~ ~ ~

A few weeks have passed, and the arrival of the new year has introduced nothing but a change of number.

Despite the unrelenting efforts of the authorities, Joseph Horach has still not been located.

But far from that case, Rin's overall condition has worsened. The so few data from only numerous cases have begun to surface as observed from Rin's deteriorating health. So far, the episodes she had been experiencing were considered minor, as there was apparently much worse that could happen. Nevertheless, her usually bright appearance has been reduced to that of a bedridden patient inside a dull hospital room within the intensive care units, with her silhouette turned to skin and bones. Her cheeks have sunken, her bosoms have lost volume, and a lot of mass has been gone from her body due to the toll of the bacteria that had terrorized her.

Her frail body is still within the confines of Mykes Hospital, as the Kagurazaka companies had shown full support and transported all the equipment needed for mitigating her health. It was against the law to not disclose a new case of BEF-1, at least, only to those that specializes in studying the disease. The public has not been informed of the news as per the Akanami family's requests and others involved. But with this, several medical practitioners known internationally have flown to the country, genuinely concerned in eradicating the disease with no desire for compensation.

"Ringo, I'm back."

Sumi has always been coming back to visit her daughter seven days a week, not missing a moment, sometimes with Senna, while other friends and family willingly puts their free time to making sure that Rin is not lonely.

"Has Gin visited you today?"

"You've probably just missed each other. He just left," while she carefully uttered, it was still evident that she can still speak clearly.

"Good morning, Aunt Sumi," Shiro, who is also accompanying her, briefly stood up to greet Rin's mother.

"Good morning too, Shiro."

"I know that you've also barely gone home, Mom, but how is Gin doing?"

Sumi's gaze dropped with her eyebrows, as though giving a distant look of disappointed, and replied, "He hasn't been back that much in our house. It seems like he's been staying at his own house most of the time."

Contrary to what the people closest to them would expect, Gin has not visited her as much. While it wasn't to the frequency of just being occasional, they still would think that he would be by Rin's side most of the time. Inevitably, it caused some issues to the Akanami's and even to his own family, as if a rift is starting to grow.

"I'm not trying to defend how he's acting now… but I expected him to do this, if I'm being honest," Rin asserted. "He's probably the one that's scared the most for me.

That being said, I still hope you and Dad would go a little easy on him."

Sumi let out a deep sigh.

"I can understand why he is acting like that. I know so well that he is not to blame, but still…" Sumi abruptly stopped, holding back the harsh words that was about to come out of her throat. "Setting that aside… how are you feeling?"

"Shiro, can you please?" with a countenance devoid of a smile, Rin briefly glanced at Shiro.

As per her request, she lifted a portion of Rin's blanket, to reveal her left leg in which some parts have the visible silhouette of her bones under her skin that has been riddled of different hues.

It hasn't been that long when she completely lost feeling of her lower extremities.

That was one of the most prominent effects of the disease—in which the bacteria act as a decomposer of still active muscles in the body, literally eating away at its victim.

"They have confirmed that the bacteria started becoming active around my thigh."

It was not the first time Sumi saw the state of her daughter, but it still horrified her, and so Shiro put back the blanket noticing Sumi's face darkening.

"On the bright side, it hasn't invaded my reproductive organs, you know?"

Rin let out an exhausted chuckle as follow up on what seemed to be a joke.

The two women were conflicted as to how they should react to it, but as the mother, she realized something.

It pained the doctors to have revealed that Rin could only have a month or more in her life, but Rin never mentioned anything about it, despite knowing the reality of her condition. Sumi surmised some sort of hope, but she refused to believe and fell to hopelessness anyway.

Even with cutting-edge technology and data from Rin's condition, they can't find a solution. If the experts can't, so can't the Exiles and people who continued to wholeheartedly help her to find an answer to this problem.

Ringo Akanami is going to die, and even Gin Sakato who have had overcame the impossible a few times also can't see a light.

▪ ▪ ▪

"Gin. Out of the kitchen. Now."

Gin still strove to work in the restaurant, but it seems that even the ever so patient Hiroomi has lost his cool on Gin who has been acting very strange for a while, and finally drove him out of the kitchen. It was the worst punishment to have been given in Giotto's.

Hiroomi accompanied him to the staff room and placed down a glass of water in front of him with force, as though hanging on from shattering.

"After you drink that water, pack up and leave from work. Don't worry about the things in here, honestly, I'm ordering you to not go to work until you're fit again to move around.

I'm asking you not as your boss, but as your brother. Please give all your time to my sister. Please. She really needs it."

"…"

What seemed to have blown Hiroomi's fuse was that Gin have continued to break ceramics in the restaurant for not being attentive. The other members of the kitchen had noticed that something was very strange about him, but Hiroomi let him be from the time being, until now.

But from his heartfelt words, he did not get a response.

Instead, he crouched down to his knees and looked at Gin's head that is listlessly bent down as he is seating.

Gin's eyes were wide open, while his mouth was slightly gaped with saliva slowly drooling out of its corners.

He is seeing memories once more.

But neither of them was Eijiro's nor his memories from being a Medical Child.

They were new memories, fresh, as if it was an open wound.

…

Held on his hand were thin, trembling fingers. Resonating within his skull is the sound of cries and curdling screams of the very much familiar voice, once gracious and sweet, now in terror. He resented himself for not being able to accept the literal pain crippling within the depths of her significant other's heart, mind, and body; after all that she had done to express her acceptance to his suffering in times of his distress.

He saw the doctors trying to pacify her pain, and he saw nurses holding her gently as her upper body wriggled. In their eyes came out beads of tears as they watched the agony of the young woman helplessly, and hopelessly.

Yet, even if he wanted to, his eyes did not shed tears.

"W-Why can't I…"

At that moment, he thought to himself…

He should have been there in the hospital bed instead of her.

He should have been the one carrying the suffering instead of her.

He should have been the one in the deathbed instead of her.

…

Hiroomi stood up and patted Gin's hair to a ruffle.

"Stay still while I'm out. I'm going to get my car ready so I can take you home."

Slowly and in silence, he left the staff room and closed the door only to the point that there would be a small gap.

The street lamps have turned on early as it is still the season of winter. Coupled with the cloudy sky, Hiroomi saw the blueness of the surroundings as the sun began to set as he held his car keys walking towards the staff designated parking spaces.

But only a few moments after he left the premises of the restaurant, the entire establishment heard a shatter, louder than that of ceramics and porcelains.

(!)

Hiroomi immediately abandoned the thought of readying his car and rushed to the staff room, instead of going towards the customers or his staff.

The situation happened so fast in only a moment he turned around.

The windows of Giotto's are not reinforced with AMM, but it was strong enough to be destroyed into tiny pieces. There was a clear hole made through the glass. From the way the pane shattered into a spider web pattern, and with the hole retaining its circular shape, it appeared to be a gunshot.

Looking around, a long table got vigorously moved, and the chair from which Gin was seated tumbled.

But he or his shadow wasn't there.

He saw a bullet shell that seems to have come from a sniper rifle, but he knew enough to know not to touch it as he would prompt the police to investigate later. But from further observations, he found some skid marks on the floor, roughly resembling the sole of a shoe and there were no signs of blood anywhere.

"This is bad. This is really bad…"

Marco Lugis had rigged some smartphones of the Exiles to send out a distress signal to their fellows with a rapid click of the power button three times, and an emergency encrypted message with simultaneous clicks that can only be accessed with the phone's registered fingerprint.

And so, Hiroomi sent out an emergency message.

"Tenth, Makoto, and anyone hearing this message… there was an attempt to shoot Gin here in Giotto's. I don't know who did it but I have suspicions, but most importantly I've lost track of Gin.

We have to be ready for what is to come next."