Yuuto and Mamoru walked away from the street slowly.

  Both of them were bruised.

  Their clothes were dirty, and dried blood marked their hands and sleeves.

  Mamoru held his side and groaned.

  “Man… next time we charge extra for crazy people.”

  Yuuto let out a small laugh.

  But he stayed quiet.

  The image kept coming back.

  The balcony.

  The plastic bag.

  The hanging body.

  Yuuto couldn’t get it out of his mind.

  It didn’t matter if the woman was innocent or not. The way it looked… the way it felt… it was terrifying.

  And what made it worse was realizing something else.

  People here were used to it.

  That thought alone made his stomach twist.

  While Yuuto was lost in thought, they passed a familiar place again.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The same bench.

  The same 24/7 market.

  And the same guy.

  The skinny biker-looking man who had asked for a lighter earlier.

  He was sitting on the bench now, smoking a cigarette and reading a cheap magazine.

  Without looking up he spoke.

  “You kids got lucky today.”

  Yuuto and Mamoru slowed slightly.

  The man turned a page.

  “We’ve seen a lot like you.”

  He finally glanced at them.

  “You might be tough. But this place is wild.”

  He took a slow drag from his cigarette.

  “Everyone survives however they can.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly.

  “And we have people here who don’t like people like you.”

  He pointed lazily down the street.

  “The louder you become… the more trouble you’ll find.”

  Yuuto said nothing.

  The man exhaled smoke.

  “I don’t like you pricks,” he continued calmly. “But you did a good deed for everybody today.”

  He tapped the cigarette against the bench.

  “So I’ll give you one piece of advice.”

  His voice became quieter.

  “Don’t cross the road of the Silent Boss.”

  Yuuto’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  The man continued.

  “These streets are under his protection.”

  He smirked faintly.

  “And he thrives in chaos.”

  He waved his hand lazily.

  “Alright. Go away now.”

  “I’ve got nothing more to tell you.”

  Yuuto stayed silent.

  Mamoru gave a small nod.

  “Thanks, dude. We appreciate it.”

  The man simply waved his hand again, signaling them to move along.

  So they did.

  They kept walking.

  After a while Yuuto finally spoke.

  “I think I’ll take a few days off.”

  Mamoru glanced at him.

  “My ribs might actually be cracked,” Yuuto said with a small grin. “And I need to recover from these bruises.”

  He rubbed his side.

  “I’m not like you. I don’t have many distorted cells helping me recover faster.”

  Mamoru laughed quietly.

  “Yeah… lucky me.”

  He looked at Yuuto seriously for a moment.

  “Take care of yourself.”

  Yuuto nodded.

  “We’ll meet again after I recover.”

  Mamoru extended his hand.

  Yuuto bumped it.

  A quick dap.

  Then they went separate ways.

  Yuuto walked toward home.

  Mamoru disappeared down another street.