Chapter 2: The Weight of the Burden

"...Yuta."

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A voice drifted into his sleep, calling his name. He buried his face deeper into the pillow, trying his best to ignore it.
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"...YUTARO!"
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The sudden shout shattered his peace. His eyes snapped open, and he  instantly woke up. He sat quietly on the bed for a brief moment, letting out a yawn while rubbing his eyes. Completely forgetting the reason he had even opened them, he laid right back down. He was completely unaware of Hasashi’s presence right beside him, leaving Hasashi confused as to why Yutaro was already returning to his slumber.
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Did he just flat-out ignore me? Or was I not loud enough? Hasashi questioned himself, staring down at Yutaro with a hand on his chin.

...Wait, but he snapped awake right after I called him, so he must be doing this on purpose! Hasashi gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.
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"It's two-thirty in the morning, for God's sake. Go back to bed," Yutaro mumbled, half-asleep.
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"Aha!" Hasashi pointed a finger at him. "So you were doing that on purpose!"
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"Actually, no. Your loud breathing is what woke me up," Yutaro corrected, remaining completely still.
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Hasashi’s expression hardened. "...So you're telling me that you didn't hear your own name being shouted, but you heard the sound of me breathing!?" he snapped.
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"Exactly," Yutaro replied bluntly.
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Hasashi froze, his eye twitching as he stared at Yutaro in sheer disbelief.
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"Mind telling me why you're even here?" Yutaro questioned, still buried in his blankets.
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Hasashi's angry expression melted away, replaced by blank confusion. He stood up straight and scratched his head, genuinely wondering for a second why he had walked into the room.
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"...Right! We need to leave early for school today," Hasashi finally remembered.
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​"Why exactly?" Yutaro asked.
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"Oh, come on, Yuta. Don't tell me you've already forgotten about last night?" Hasashi asked.
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"Oh, yeah. You're dead," Yutaro drawled.
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"That's all you have to say after I saved you?!" Hasashi snapped.
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Yutaro let out a soft chuckle. "I'm just messing with ya, Hasashi," he murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion.
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A sudden silence settled over the room. Hasashi stood still, looking down at his brother, before pacing aimlessly around the bedroom. Yutaro remained buried in his blankets for a few beats longer before finally sitting up.
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"...Okay, let's get ready for school," he said, letting out a heavy yawn.
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"Took you long enough," Hasashi muttered.
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After getting ready, they prepared to leave for the morning. Silence drifted throughout the Akira estate as they walked through the dark hallways. They stepped outside and headed toward the main gate, only to find Teni patiently waiting for them on the other side.
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"Good morning!" she greeted them cheerfully, offering a bright smile.
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They froze for a brief moment, stopping halfway through the main gate.
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"...When did she—" Hasashi started.
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"Let's just go," Yutaro cut him off.
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The streets were still empty as their feet hit the concrete, with only a few vehicles passing by at this early hour.
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"Hey, Yuta," Hasashi said, strolling along with Teni walking at his side.
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"Hmm?" Yutaro's eyes shifted toward his brother. He was walking with his hands clasped casually behind his head.
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"What did you and Father talk about last night?" Hasashi asked.
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Yutaro lifted his gaze toward the frosty sky. His eyes narrowed, the memory of his father's words from the night before echoing in his mind.
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"...Fate," he replied simply, dropping his arms back down to his sides.
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"Huh? Fate?" Hasashi raised an eyebrow.
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"Yeah. That's all there is to it," Yutaro said, picking up the pace.
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"...Hey, wait up! Come on, Teni," Hasashi said, catching her hand.
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They hurried to catch up with him, completely unaware of the chilling scene they were about to stumble into.

​The atmosphere began to shift as they walked forward. A sudden, sharp scent of ozone and blood hung heavy in the air. Just a block ahead, the street was completely locked down. Buildings had collapsed into piles of rubble, with only a few barely left standing.
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Standing at the center of the ruins was Misaki Hiroko, Head Captain of the Hiroko clan. She looked down at the massive demon she had just slain, casually lighting a cigarette. Around her stood several members of her clan, securing the perimeter.
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"...Is that... Aunt Misaki?" Yutaro slowed his pace.
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What the hell happened here? Yutaro questioned himself, his eyes scanning the destruction.

Suddenly, he felt a sickening crack beneath his shoe. He looked down, his heart dropping as he realized he was stepping directly on a severed human hand. His eyes widened in horror. He slowly lifted his head, his gaze drifting toward the wreckage beside him—only to meet the sight of a man impaled against the side of a ruined building. "Hey, you!" a voice shouted from the near distance.

Yutaro instantly snapped his head around. A wounded man was barely standing, limping heavily toward the Head Captain of the Hiroko clan. The man collapsed to his knees right in front of her, lifting his head to stare into Misaki's eyes with pure, unadulterated hatred. "This... this is all your fault!" he shouted, coughing up blood.
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"Sir," one of the clan members rushed over to his side. "You're losing too much blood, you need to calm—"
"Shut up!" The man violently smacked the clan member's hand away before he could offer aid.
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He locked his eyes back onto Misaki. "Look around you! Countless innocent lives were taken today, just because you couldn't show up when people actually needed you! I thought it was a Hunter's job to protect the weak. But instead, you only care about those you hold dear, while locals like us die like rugrats every goddamned day!"
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His expression tightened, a bitter, twisted smile touching his lips. "You know what's funny? You guys aren't even stationed here in Osaka. Yet you showed up instead of the Akira clan." He tilted his head down, letting out a hollow smirk. "Not that it matters anyway. It would still be the same for us whether any of you showed up or not. That just shows you how much you really don't give a damn about us!" he snapped, struggling to push himself back to his feet.
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Misaki stood in absolute silence. Her eyes glinted, welling with tears as she listened to every blistering word the man had to say.
​"Please... forgive me," she whispered, bowing deeply to him.
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"I don't want your forgiveness," the man stated coldly, turning his back to her. "What... what I want is for you to be in my position someday. I want you to feel—ghu!—what it's like to be a weak, worthless local in the eyes of you disgraceful Hunters."
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He began to stumble away into the ruins without looking back.
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"...Sir—" the clan member started.
​"Leave him be, Kusakabe. He'll be alright," another clan member murmured.
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Yutaro and Hasashi stood completely paralyzed, their hearts hammering against their ribs as they witnessed the aftermath of the confrontation from afar. Behind Hasashi, Teni was trembling violently, her small fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as she hid from the view. The heavy, metallic scent of blood hung thick in the morning air.
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As the wounded man stumbled blindly down the street, his path led straight toward them, his ragged, wet breaths echoing in the quiet avenue. Yutaro’s muscles tensed. He forced himself to quietly step out of the way, his wide eyes locked onto the stranger as the man struggled to drag his mangled body past them.
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"Let's go, Yuta," Hasashi choked out, his voice tighter and rougher than usual as he tried to swallow his own rising panic. He kept his arm firmly shielding Teni.
"Teni shouldn't be witnessing a horrifying sight like this. Neither should we. Come on."
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"Shouldn't you kids be in school?" a voice suddenly spoke, shattering the suffocating silence. The boys flinched, snapping their heads back. Captain Hiroko was standing right there in front of them, the sharp, lethal aura of a hunter radiating off her—though her heavy, battle-hardened expression instantly softened the moment she recognized their faces.

"Hi, Aunt Hiroko..." Teni muttered from behind Hasashi. "Hey there, Teni," Captain Hiroko greeted her with a warm smile.
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Hasashi left Teni's side and stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Misaki. Her heart warmed instantly. Feeling a sudden wave of ease, her eyes lit up with quiet joy as she embraced him back. "Can we go out for some ramen after school?" Hasashi asked, breaking the hug.
"...Oh, yeah. I'll see to it," she replied, her voice much lighter now.
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"Can I come, too?" Teni chimed in.
​"Yeah, of course you can," Captain Hiroko smiled.

"Let's go, guys," Yutaro said, turning to walk away. Hasashi grabbed Teni's arm and followed closely behind him."Bye, Aunt Misaki!" Teni waved as they walked away.
​"Take it easy, Aunt Misaki," Yutaro added softly, continuing down the street without turning back.
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Misaki watched them go, her smile fading into a melancholic look. "Hasashi... you look just like your father," she whispered to herself.
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And so, the trio was back on their way to school.
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By the time they arrived, the sun was just beginning to rise. Yutaro was the only one present in his classroom. He sat down gently at his desk and looked out the window, resting his chin in his palms. Slowly, a frown crossed his face.
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Misaki Hiroko. The Head Captain of the Hiroko clan, stationed all the way in Kyoto... and also my aunt. I wonder what someone of such high rank was doing out here on these local streets. That demon looked like the real deal, though. She must have just been passing by and stepped in instead of the Akira clan...He stared out at the morning sky, his thoughts darkening.
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...But where the hell were they? He questioned the empty classroom in silence.
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Meanwhile, across Osaka in Tennoji, the Akira clan's Head Captain, Benimaru Isane, had called an emergency meeting involving all of the clan's squad captains. The Akira headquarters was heavily crowded, overflowing with lower-ranking members who packed themselves into every available room and hallway in the building. A tense energy filled the air.
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Inside the main briefing room, the squad captains sat around a large, polished round table, waiting anxiously for the Head Captain’s arrival.
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This is a waste of my time, Captain Torikawa thought, his expression hardening. What could possibly have happened to cause a meeting of this scale, involving every single squad captain? He narrowed his eyes, glancing warily around the room.
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That damn Benimaru, Captain Tatsuki thought, clenching her teeth. What could he possibly have called us out here for? If a true member of the Akira family were still in charge, everything would be under control by now. There wouldn't be any need for panicked, urgent meetings like this. She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table, a bitter thought crossing her mind. Then again, the head of the Akira family was the one who put him in charge, so it's not like I can openly object.
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A loud yawn broke the silence. "Eeeugh... I'm so fucking tired. Let's just get this over with already," Captain Karuka muttered, letting his head drop heavily onto the table. "Where the hell is Captain Isane?"
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"He called us up here just to make us wait. The audacity," Captain Korokuro murmured under his breath.
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As the minutes ticked by, the tension in the room grew heavier, and the squad captains' patience wore thin.
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Suddenly, the heavy doors slid open. The Akira clan's second-in-command, Takehiro Norikawa, stepped into the room. Every captain's gaze instantly snapped toward him, their postures straightening.
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"Everyone is here, I see," Norikawa said, scanning the table. "What took you so long, Takehiro? And where the hell is the Head Captain?!" Captain Obunaga snapped, slamming a fist onto the table.
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"Not a very respectful way to speak to your superior, is it, Obunaga?" Takehiro replied, fixing him with a cold, hollow gaze.
​"Who gives a shit?" Karuka intervened from his face-down position on the table. "Just tell us why we're here, and where Head Captain Benimaru is."
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"Very well. Since everyone is in such a hurry, let's get right to it," Norikawa said. He sat down at the head of the table, his fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
​"As we speak, the Head Captains of every single clan are currently traveling to Nagoya for an emergency summit. Therefore, Head Captain Benimaru will not be present today. He has left me to brief you on the situation at hand."
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"Wait... so you're telling me..." Obunaga's face flushed with pure rage as he stood up from his chair. "...that I came all the way out here, just for the Head Captain to ditch us?!"
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"Weren’t you listening?" Norikawa bluntly questioned him.
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"Settle down, Obunaga. The more you argue with him, the longer this is going to take, and I don't have any more time to spare," Captain Tatsuki noted flatly.
​"Tch... just make it quick," Obunaga muttered, reluctantly sitting back down.
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Norikawa cleared his throat before continuing. "Now then. Just this morning at around four o'clock, a demon appeared in Minami."
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"So... the local hunters took care of it, right?" Obunaga questioned.
​"...Actually, no. No one even noticed its appearance. It was—"
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"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Captain Korokuro intervened.
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"From what the Head Captain told me, a Spawn was the one who opened a Naraka gate in Minami. That is why our barriers weren't able to detect it," Norikawa explained calmly.
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The words shook every single captain in the room. A collective wave of disbelief washed over the table.
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"Wait, a Spawn?"
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"You've got to be kidding me."
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"The Head Captain must be messing with you."
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"There's no way that's true."
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Captain Korokuro let out a sudden laugh, breaking the tense silence of the room. "So... so you're telling me we've got demon Spawns casually opening Naraka gates now? Just quit messing with us, Norikawa, and tell us why we're really here."
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"I didn't believe it myself," Norikawa replied, his voice deadpan. "Not until Head Captain Hiroko confirmed it."
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"Wait. Misaki Hiroko? The Head Captain of the Hiroko clan? What the hell was she doing in our territory?" Obunaga questioned. "As I said before, she was on her way to the summit in Nagoya. She spotted the anomaly passing through and defeated the demon herself. Even so, the demon managed to slaughter six locals the moment it appeared, and—"
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"Damn it!" Captain Tatsuki snapped, slamming her hands flat against the table. "How could we let this happen!" Her voice began to waver, thick with a sudden rush of emotion. "...Just like that, innocent lives were lost because we weren't even aware of what was happening right in front of our fucking faces!"
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"Calm down, Tatsuki, it wasn't our fault—"
​"Oh, but it was." She clenched her teeth tight, her eyes welling with tears as she hung her head toward the table.

"What if Misaki hadn't been passing by at that exact time? How many more lives would have been lost? How many more people would have been ripped away from their loved ones? Tell me... how many?!"
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The entire room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The captains sat entirely speechless, stung by the raw truth in Tatsuki's words. "So yes, I have every right to feel guilty about this," Tatsuki whispered, her voice trembling. "And that goes for every single person sitting around this table."
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She let out a bitter scoff, slowly tilting her head up with a dark, mocking smirk. "...It's a good thing Akira-dono isn't around to see what a disgrace his legacy has become. Who am I kidding? He wouldn't have let something like this happen in the first place. Unlike us."
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The silence stretched for a heavy moment before Captain Karuka slowly stood up. "She's right. If we let something like this happen right under our noses again, the locals are going to completely lose faith in us. Once that happens, our reputation is shattered. We'll be nothing but a disgrace to the Hunter Organization."
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Obunaga stood up next, his angry expression fading into a somber frown. "Yeah... that's the last thing I want for our clan. Especially after the oath I took."
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Following their lead, the remaining captains stood up one by one. Obunaga looked directly at the second-in-command.

"I can't even picture how disappointed Akira-dono would be in us if we let his legacy crumble. Please, continue with the briefing, Norikawa," he said, bowing respectfully.
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And so, the briefing continued in earnest.
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