Ren didn't react when the girl in front of him finally introduced herself.
"Hikari," she said, her voice soft but unwavering, as if she had expected him to ask for her name.
He hadn't.
Ren barely acknowledged it, his cold, disinterested stare lingering on her for a second before shifting away. He wasn't here to make friends. He wasn't here to talk. If she had expected some kind of warmth or acknowledgment, she was going to be disappointed.
Hikari hesitated for a moment, probably realizing she was wasting her breath, but she didn't falter. "You don't talk much, do you?"
No shit.
Ren didn't answer. He wasn't interested in small talk, and he sure as hell wasn't about to entertain some pointless conversation with a random girl who is probably going to get him in trouble. He had bigger concerns—like the fact that she was somehow connected to Y. And Y wasn't someone you could just brush off.
Before Hikari could press further, Ren's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, and the name on the screen made his eyes narrow slightly.
Akihiro.
Tch.
He picked up. "What."
"Where the hell are you?" Akihiro's voice came through, sharp and demanding. "Get back to the Syndicate. We have a brief meeting."
Brief? Yeah, right.
Ren's grip on the phone tightened. It was the second time today they were being summoned, right after a mission, no less. It didn't annoy him, but it irritated him just a little. The missions were already back-to-back, and now they were being dragged into another meeting? Not that Ren had anything else to do. It wasn't like he had a fucking life outside of the Syndicate. He existed to serve them. That was all.
"On my way," he muttered before hanging up.
He glanced back at Hikari, who was watching him, clearly curious.
"So?" she asked.
"I gotta go. Don't text me, I'll save your number but only when get to call and decide when and where we meet."
Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there.
The Umbra Division meeting room was as dimly lit as always, the walls lined with monitors displaying classified data, maps, and mission reports. Ren stepped inside, his eyes immediately landing on Hiroshi, standing at the head of the room. But it wasn't Hiroshi that caught his attention.
It was the man standing beside him.
Ren's brows furrowed. The fuck?
He had never seen this guy before. And that was odd. Only Umbra Division members and the higher-ups were allowed in here—others weren't given access. So who the hell was he?
Hiroshi barely gave him time to process before speaking. "Take a seat, Ren."
Ren sat down without a word, still watching the unfamiliar man. He was tall, probably around Akihiro's height, with a sharp, chiseled face and dark brown eyes that held a mischievous gleam. His black hair was messy, slightly wavy, with deep crimson strips, and strands of it fell over his forehead giving him a rakish rebellious look. And he carried himself with a relaxed, almost lazy confidence.
His outfit was stylish, yet practical—black pants, and a baggy dark red shirt under a brown duster (a long, light and loose fitting coat). He had rings on two fingers, silver and worn-looking, and strapped across his back was a wooden box, secured tightly with thick leather straps.
A weapon.
Ren couldn't tell what was inside, but the fact that he carried it so casually meant he was dangerous.
"This is your new teammate for the time being," Hiroshi announced, his voice even. "The elders assigned him to work with us on the Y case. They believe we 'can't do it on our own.'" The last part was laced with irritation, but he didn't argue. "Kenji, introduce yourself."
Kenji gave an easy grin, completely unfazed by the tension in the room. "Yo," he said, raising a hand in a casual wave. "Name's Kenji. Twenty-three. Love street food and-"
Kenji flashed an easy grin, completely unfazed by the tension in the room. He raised a hand in a lazy wave.
"Kenji. Twenty-three. I like street food, fast fights, and people who don't waste my time."
Akihiro blinked. Then he gasped.
"Wait. Did you just say street food?"
Kenji's gaze flicked to him, unreadable, like he was barely acknowledging the question. "Yeah. Why?"
Akihiro practically vibrated. "Favorite?"
Kenji exhaled slowly, like he was answering something as simple as the weather. "Takoyaki." Then, with a smirk, "Nothing else comes close."
A pause.
Then Akihiro slammed his hands on the table, fists clenched, eyes wide with pure, overwhelming emotion. As tears dropped down from his cheeks.
"FINALLY!"
The entire room flinched at the outburst. Kaede sighed. Mai rubbed her temples. Even Hiroshi's fingers twitched like he was already regretting calling this meeting.
Kenji, on the other hand, didn't even blink. Just watched as Akihiro practically sank to his knees, hands trembling.
"I've waited… so long for someone like you," Akihiro whispered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "All my life, I've been surrounded by frauds and boring ass people—people who settle for second-rate food like it's normal—" He shot a betrayed look at his teammates. "But you… you get it."
Kenji chuckled, shaking his head. "Maybe you just have bad taste in company."
Akihiro collapsed into his seat, clutching his chest. "Bro… you're too fucking cool."
"Yeah?" Kenji smirked.
Akihiro gripped his arm. "Real talk. How strong are you?"
Kenji tilted his head, considering the question. Then he leaned forward slightly, voice low, casual, but carrying an undeniable weight.
"If you have to ask," he said, "you're already weaker"
Akihiro screamed.
Not out of pain—out of sheer, uncontainable admiration. His eyes shone like twin suns. "HOLY SHIT—"
A quiet, sharp inhale from Kaede. Even Hiroshi's usual cold stare flickered—just for a second.
Akihiro grabbed Kenji's shoulders. "You—You're a fucking anime protagonist. Do you realize that?"
Kenji gave a small, knowing smirk. "Tch. You think so?"
Akihiro nodded furiously, tears still streaming. "I'd follow you into battle without hesitation."
Kenji hummed, unimpressed. "Wouldn't be much of a battle if I'm there."
Dead silence.
Someone choked. Another person muttered, Damn.
Kaede looked away, arms crossed, pretending like she wasn't interested. Ren subtly raised an eyebrow, though he said nothing.
Kenji stretched his arms behind his head, completely at ease.
"Alright," he said. "What's next?"
CRACK!
The sound of a skull colliding with Hiroshi's fist echoed through the room.
"FUCK—" Akihiro collapsed, both hands on his head.
Hiroshi cracked his knuckles. "Both of you. Shut up and sit down."
Akihiro hit the floor on his knees, eyes still sparkling despite the huge lump forming on his skull. "Sir, yes, sir."
The room settled. Kenji smirked, shifting into a more relaxed position. He caught Kaede's eyes on him for a second before she turned away with a hmph.
Amused, he turned to Akihiro. "You ok?"
Akihiro, still cradling his head, looked up at him with unwavering admiration. "That was the coolest shit I've ever seen."
Akihiro sat back, but his excitement didn't die down. It was obvious he and Kenji were going to get along—both of them had that reckless, high-energy personality and a lot of charisma. They all knew this meant another Akihiro except this one was actually cool.
Kaede, on the other hand, had a different kind of reaction. Her usual cold and unreadable expression faltered just slightly as her eyes lingered on Kenji longer than necessary. She was interested. Not that she showed it outright, but Ren noticed the subtle change.
As Hiroshi went around introducing the rest of the team, Kenji responded with the same laid-back energy, cracking jokes and throwing out smooth comments that made it obvious he was the type to charm his way through situations. He was social, charismatic, and confident—far too comfortable for someone who had just been thrown into a team of killers.
Ren, however, couldn't care less.
He didn't acknowledge Kenji beyond the initial glance. He didn't react to his introduction, didn't bother engaging with the small talk. It wasn't that he disliked him—he simply didn't give a shit. His mind was elsewhere, locked on one thing.
Y.
And Hikari.
He needed to find out who she was. How she was connected to all of this. And most importantly—what the hell she knew about Y.
Kenji could be their new teammate. The others could laugh, joke, and get to know him. That was their business. But Ren had his own priorities. And as far as he was concerned, this mission wasn't about teamwork. It was about survival.
Ren had his own priorities.
And nothing else mattered.