章節 32: Chapter 32 : After the Ashes
The ruins of the building still smoked, the charred remains of what was once Tom's office now reduced to rubble. The five of them—Reiji, Chuuya, Shinya, Shizuo, and Tom—stood just outside the devastation, their faces illuminated by the flickering embers. Bodies of the assassins lay strewn across the wreckage, either crushed by debris or lifeless from the brutal battle. The eerie silence that followed the explosions was unsettling, a stark contrast to the chaos from moments before.
Shinya stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the scene with a calculated precision. His usual calm demeanor masked the storm of thoughts whirling in his mind. Instincts honed from years as an investigator were kicking in, and the puzzle pieces of this strange situation were slowly falling into place.
"This isn't their usual style," Shinya muttered, kneeling beside one of the fallen assassins. He carefully examined the body, noting the clean but brutal efficiency with which these assassins had been trained. "Black Lotus… They don't operate like this."
Reiji and Chuuya exchanged glances. Shinya stood, dusting his hands off on his coat as he turned to face the group. His expression was darker than usual, a sign that things weren't as simple as they had first seemed.
"What do you mean?" Reiji asked, eyes narrowing with concern.
Shinya met his gaze. "The Black Lotus is an organization that prides itself on silent, efficient kills. Every assassination they carry out is meant to be quiet, clean, and undetectable. They eliminate their targets without drawing any attention, leaving behind nothing—no traces, no witnesses. Even the police have struggled to uncover information about them because there's rarely anything left to investigate."
Reiji furrowed his brow, trying to process Shinya's words. "But this explosion…"
Shinya nodded grimly. "Exactly. This explosion breaks every rule in their book. They don't use explosives, they don't cause public destruction. The only reason we know they even exist is because some police officers sacrificed their lives to find the faintest trace of them."
Tom, who had been leaning against a broken piece of masonry for support, let out a shaky breath, his expression a mix of disbelief and confusion. "So, let me get this straight," he said, his voice laced with a mix of dry humor and frustration. "Yesterday, my office was just a mess, and now my entire building's in ruins because some silent assassin group decided to target me? What's next, the whole city?"
Chuuya couldn't help but smirk at Tom's attempt to lighten the mood. "You know, it's almost impressive how fast things escalated," he said with a chuckle, brushing some debris off his jacket.
Shizuo, however, stood a bit farther back, arms crossed, his body tense as he observed Tom. His gaze was sharp, but he said nothing. Despite his quiet demeanor, the weight of his presence was felt by everyone, especially Tom, who stole a glance at him, clearly still shaken by the day's events.
"Don't think too hard about it," Chuuya added, glancing around at the destruction. "At least now we know who's after you. Knowing your enemy is better than being left in the dark."
Shinya's sharp gaze remained fixed on the ruins, his mind piecing together the scattered fragments of the mystery. "A misunderstanding, maybe?" Reiji asked, his tone hopeful, though doubt flickered in his eyes.
Shinya shook his head slowly. "No, this wasn't a misunderstanding. If anything, this reeks of internal conflict within the Black Lotus."
The mention of internal conflict seemed to catch Shizuo's attention. His deep voice cut through the quiet, drawing everyone's focus to him. "The woman... the one who set off the explosion," he began, his brow furrowing. "It was her, wasn't it?"
The group turned toward Shinya, waiting for his response. Shinya's jaw tightened as he considered the possibilities. "It's likely. The Black Lotus doesn't operate this way. They rely on precision weapons—knives, swords, silent firearms. Explosives are messy, loud, and draw unwanted attention. Whoever set off that explosion broke their code. That much is clear."
Chuuya stretched, visibly tired from the long day of combat and tension. "We can stand around speculating all we want, but honestly, I'm beat. Let's head back to the Vongola mansion and figure this out when we've had some rest. There's no use picking through the rubble right now."
Shizuo remained quiet, his eyes still on Tom. It was clear that the day's events had shaken him deeply, but his stoic exterior remained intact. Tom noticed Shizuo's gaze and, after a moment, gave him a gentle nudge. "Come on, Shizuo," Tom said with a small, weary smile. "Our place is trashed, and honestly, it's not exactly safe to stay here tonight. Let's follow them. At least their mansion's still standing."
Shizuo let out a frustrated grunt, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of relying on the Vongola for shelter. His pride warred with practicality, but in the end, he knew Tom was right. The building they had called home was no longer safe. "Fine," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he finally agreed.
As the group began walking away from the wreckage, Reiji, Chuuya, and Shinya led the way, their quiet conversation about next steps filling the air with tension. Tom trailed just behind them, sticking close to Shizuo, who walked in silence, his mind elsewhere. The shadows of the city seemed to close in around them, the weight of the day's events hanging over the group like a storm cloud.
When they arrived at the Vongola mansion, the looming structure cast a shadow over the quiet street. The old building had a certain elegance to it, despite its age, and for Tom, it was almost fitting that the Vongola mansion seemed just as weathered as they all felt after the day's events.
"So, even the Vongola likes ruined buildings, huh?" Tom quipped, trying to mask his weariness with humor.
Chuuya shot him a look, shaking his head with a smirk. "At least it's still standing. Better than your office."
They walked inside, the grand hall still bearing scars from its previous battles, but the Vongola mansion had been restored enough to be livable. Shinya had personally taken charge of getting the place back in shape, making it feel like a sanctuary amidst the chaos.
Once inside, they gathered in a clean room that Shinya had recently repaired. The five of them sat around, letting the weight of the day's events settle as they discussed the situation. Shinya, ever methodical, summarized the details of the Black Lotus's involvement, piecing together what they knew and what they didn't.
After a moment, Shinya stood. "I'll head back to the office. There's still an investigation to handle, and I need to make sure the police get the right story." His voice was steady, but there was a certain urgency to his words. This wasn't just about solving a crime—this was about staying ahead of an enemy that moved in the shadows.
Reiji nodded, his mind already spinning with thoughts. As Shinya left the mansion, he turned to Shizuo and Tom. "You both should get some rest. We'll need to figure out our next move tomorrow."
Shizuo grunted in agreement, though his expression suggested he wasn't entirely comfortable with relying on others for protection. Still, he knew he was out of options for the moment.
Tom, on the other hand, was visibly exhausted. "Rest sounds like the best idea I've heard all day," he muttered, giving Shizuo a pat on the back before heading toward one of the guest rooms.
Reiji remained in the room with Chuuya, who stretched out lazily on a chair, his eyes half-closed. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, the weight of everything that had happened lingering in the air.
"You're thinking too much," Chuuya said, breaking the quiet. "I can see it."
Reiji shook his head, trying to sort through the thoughts swirling in his mind. "It's just... what Shinya said about internal conflict. That woman—the assassin. She betrayed them. What if we could use that?"
Chuuya's eyes flickered open, and he gave Reiji a look of disbelief. "You're thinking about inviting her, aren't you? The assassin who nearly killed us?"
Reiji didn't answer right away, but Chuuya could see it in his expression. "You're seriously weird, you know that?" Chuuya muttered, standing up and stretching. "Go to bed, Reiji. Maybe after some sleep, you'll stop thinking about recruiting people who want to kill you."
Reiji sighed, but he couldn't shake the thought. As Chuuya headed off to his own room, Reiji was left alone, the silence of the mansion now settling in. The events of the past few days weighed heavily on him, and though he was exhausted, he couldn't seem to rest. Not yet.
Deciding he needed some space to clear his mind, Reiji left the mansion and headed back to his apartment.
Inside the familiar walls of his apartment, Reiji finally allowed himself a moment of calm. He sat down, staring out the window at the cityscape, the events of the past month playing out in his mind like a whirlwind. From discovering the Vongola mansion, to awakening his Dying Will Flame, to meeting Shinya and the conflicts with Shogo—everything had moved so quickly.
His thoughts drifted to Chuuya's arrival, the fight with the amp drug users, and now Shizuo's involvement, along with the ongoing battle against the Black Lotus. And through it all, the image of the female assassin lingered in his mind.
Could she really be turned? Could she join them?
The idea seemed crazy, even to him. But something in the way she had fought, the way she hesitated during the battle—it made him think there was more to her than just being a cold-blooded killer.
The night passed slowly, and as Reiji finally closed his eyes, the city continued its quiet hum.
Elsewhere, the night unfolded in different ways.
Shinya stood in the ruined office building, his sharp eyes scanning over scattered documents as he directed police officers, piecing together the aftermath of the Black Lotus's attack.
Chuuya, alone in his room at the mansion, played with the gravity around him, the familiar sensation of his powers calming his nerves as he let the tension of the day melt away.
Tom sat in his guest room, the exhaustion in his body battling with the racing thoughts in his mind. He sat quietly, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.
And Shizuo lay on the bed of another guest room, his large frame barely fitting comfortably. He rested his hands behind his head, his eyes staring at the ceiling as well, his thoughts drifting toward Tom, toward the Black Lotus, and toward what they would face next.
As the night deepened, Reiji finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep, his mind buzzing with everything that was yet to come.
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