Yuuto and Mamoru crossed the street that marked the edge of the red territory.
The difference was immediate.
The buildings looked older. Paint peeling from the walls. Neon signs flickering even though it was daytime. Trash bags piled near corners where no one bothered to move them.
People were everywhere.
Some looked normal.
Some didn’t.
A man in an expensive suit walked past a group of addicts sitting on the pavement. A woman with purple hair and metal piercings argued loudly with someone over the phone. A couple of guys in leather jackets leaned against a broken vending machine, watching everyone who passed by.
Yuuto looked around slowly.
“So…” he said. “What exactly is so dangerous about this place?”
Mamoru walked beside him, hands in his pockets.
“It’s not always dangerous,” Mamoru said calmly. “Just… higher chances.”
“Higher chances of what?”
Mamoru shrugged.
“Getting robbed. Beaten up for no reason. Drug addicts losing their minds. Illegal stuff happening everywhere.”
He glanced at Yuuto.
“But it’s random. Sometimes nothing happens at all.”
Yuuto smirked.
They were following the location on Mamoru’s phone, moving deeper into the streets.
The area felt… alive.
Loud.
Messy.
Chaotic.
Way more alive than the quiet neighborhoods they grew up in.
Yuuto kept looking at every person they passed.
His eyes sharp.
A small grin on his face.
Almost like he was hoping something would happen.
Mamoru noticed and grabbed Yuuto’s hoodie, dragging him forward slightly.
“Relax,” Mamoru muttered. “Don’t go looking for trouble.”
Yuuto chuckled.
“We came here for trouble.”
Mamoru shook his head.
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“We came here for a job.”
They kept walking.
People were watching them.
Not openly.
But enough.
They were strangers here.
Unknown faces always got attention in places like this.
Suddenly a skinny guy stepped in front of Yuuto.
Leather jacket.
Leather pants.
Dirty biker boots.
“Yo,” the guy said lazily. “Gimme a lighter.”
Yuuto didn’t slow down.
“Piss off,” he said. “I don’t smoke.”
The punk didn’t react.
He just stared.
For a few seconds.
Right into Yuuto’s eyes.
Yuuto felt something strange.
Like the guy was staring straight through him.
Into him.
For a moment Yuuto felt… uncomfortable.
Scared?
The feeling passed quickly.
Mamoru stepped in.
“Sorry man,” he said calmly. “We’re in a rush.”
He grabbed Yuuto’s sleeve and pulled him away.
They continued walking.
After a few seconds Mamoru spoke quietly.
“Don’t act tough here.”
Yuuto sighed.
“We’re nobody in this area,” Mamoru continued. “And that can get us into big trouble.”
Yuuto rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yeah… my bad.”
He smiled slightly.
“I’m just excited.”
Mamoru shook his head.
Then—
A scream.
Loud.
Violent.
Echoing between buildings.
Both of them froze.
They looked at each other.
Another scream followed.
This time closer.
Yuuto and Mamoru started running.
People around them barely reacted.
Some glanced briefly.
Most ignored it completely.
Like it was normal.
Like they were used to it.
Mamoru slowed slightly as they turned a corner.
“Bro…” he said quietly.
“That noise… I think that’s our objective.”
Yuuto nodded.
They reached the building.
And stopped.
On the first-floor balcony, a man sat smoking a cigarette.
His body was covered in scratches.
Deep nail marks across his arms and neck.
Chunks of hair missing from his head.
Small burned spots dotted his skin.
In his hand was a construction hammer.
Yuuto noticed something immediately.
Blood.
Fresh blood.
On the metal head of the hammer.
The man stared into nothing while smoking.
Tears ran down his face.
He muttered something again and again.
“Not now she said…”
He took another drag.
“…later she said…”
Another breath.
“Later she said…”
The streets around the building were becoming empty.
Doors closing.
Windows shutting.
People going inside.
No one wanted to be nearby when something like this happened.
The man suddenly looked down.
His eyes locked onto Yuuto and Mamoru.
Two strangers standing there.
Not fitting the atmosphere.
“Hey!”
He stood up slightly.
“Why are you two looking at me?!”
His voice cracked.
“Who are you?!”
Yuuto focused.
His eye sharpened.
Something moved behind the man.
A tiny movement.
Barely visible.
Yuuto squinted.
Trying to see clearer.
Just for a fraction of a second—
He saw it.
A body.
A feminine shape.
Hanging behind the balcony door.
A plastic bag over the head.
Yuuto’s stomach dropped.
He whispered quickly.
“Mamoru…”
Mamoru glanced at him.
“What?”
Yuuto’s voice was low.
“There’s someone behind him.”
Mamoru’s eyes widened.
Yuuto swallowed.
“…she’s hanged.”
Both of them froze.
The man on the balcony suddenly exploded with anger.
His face twisted.
Veins bulging in his eyes.
His jaw shaking.
“You two dogs stay there!” he screamed.
“I’ll come down!”
“We’ll talk about some manners!”
He turned and walked back inside the apartment.
Mumbling to himself.
The balcony door slammed.
Mamoru exhaled slowly.
“…okay.”
He cracked his knuckles.
“That guy is coming to us.”
He looked at Yuuto.
“We beat the shit out of him. Fast.”
Mamoru’s voice hardened.
“He looks messed up.”
“Probably did something even worse.”
“He deserves it.”
Yuuto’s teeth clenched.
His hands tightened into fists.
But his body was shaking.
“…bro,” Yuuto whispered.
“…that’s more than messed up.”
Mamoru noticed.
“Hey.”
He looked closer.
“Yuuto.”
“You’re shaking.”
Even Mamoru’s voice wasn’t steady.
Because he was shaking too.
Inside the building they heard a door slam.
Heavy footsteps.
The man talking to himself while walking downstairs.
The situation felt insane.
Neither of them expected something like this.
Not for their first job.
Yuuto stared at the entrance.
His breathing slow.
“…damn.”
The footsteps were getting closer.
