A Few Hours Earlier
XTR Tokyo Base — Office of the Second XTR Unit in Japan
The building was a modest two-story structure with the XTR emblem proudly displayed at the center, visible to everyone passing by. It evoked mixed feelings among the populace: to some, it was the symbol of societal heroes; to most, it represented aliens that should be scoured from the face of the earth.
Two individuals stood in front of the building, both dressed in black sports tracksuits adorned with the XTR emblem and the number '3' printed in kanji on their backs. One was a young woman with short hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. She wore a headset, nodding lightly to the rhythm of her music while sucking on a lollipop. Beside her stood a young boy with short dark hair, wearing medicated glasses and carrying a long rectangular briefcase slung over his shoulder.
They waited patiently as civilians passed, some casting suspicious glances their way. Suddenly, the door slid open and a boy stepped out of the building.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Captain Hana and Sir Chikao," he said politely.
"We've been standing here for five minutes. Do you have any idea how much time and resources were wasted in that span?" Chikao, the boy with the briefcase, asked in a calm, deep voice.
"Please forgive me, I rushed over as soon as I heard the alarm—"
"That's enough. Let's just get this over with and head back home, Chikao," Hana interrupted lazily.
"Understood, Captain," Chikao replied.
Hana nodded, turning to the young boy in front of them. "Alright, let's get down to business, kid."
"Certainly. I'll explain the situation as we head to my Captain's office," he said, leading them inside.
The building's interior was standard: first a reception area, where the young boy was stationed, and beside it, a door leading to the administrative offices and the Captain's personal office. All three entered the Captain's office. Hana promptly made herself comfortable in the guest chair while Chikao stood beside her.
The boy opened a laptop on the table, quickly navigating through files before displaying a set of images on the screen, which he turned toward Hana and Chikao.
"This occurred yesterday. It was an accident caused by a rogue mutant—"
"We're aware. Get to the point," Chikao interrupted sharply.
The boy's expression stiffened, but he quickly masked his emotions, knowing the repercussions of showing displeasure to superiors.
"Yes! Pardon me. We have received orders from the top—the mission to capture the rogue has been delegated to Unit Three."
"What the hell?!" Hana sat up abruptly, removing her headset. "We just completed one of your missions, and now your lazy Captain wants to shove another onto us? There's no way in hell we're taking another job from your team, even if the orders come from above." She waved dismissively and leaned back in her chair.
"My Captain says the payment this time will include a twenty percent increase—"
"Kid," Hana cut in, standing up from her seat, "you just got yourself a deal. Tell your boss I want half of the payment upfront, and the rest after I bring in the rogue. Got it?"
"Understood, Captain. I'll relay the message," the boy said, bowing slightly.
As Hana and Chikao prepared to leave, Chikao whispered,
"You really shouldn't take offers like that, Captain. We just finished one of their missions, and doing another one might not leave us enough time to complete ours—"
"Relax, Chikao. They're paying more this time. And you remember how low on funds we are?"
"That's because you keep spending our upkeep money on album tracks. After this mission, I really think we should prioritize ours first," Chikao added.
"Oh, that reminds me..." Hana's expression darkened, devoid of emotion.
"...the rogue—dead or alive?"
"Alive, Captain," Chikao answered.
"Alright."
***
Meanwhile…
His appearance had changed so drastically that no one in the bar could recognize him — not even Yasuke, who had been with him for some time. It was hard to believe that the flesh-hungry beast before them was still Yuuta.
Yasuke clutched the edge of his clothing, slowly stepping backward, his face twisted in fear. He was ready to bolt from the bar at any moment. Desmond, however, wore an expression of confusion rather than fear. In his experience, he had encountered far more terrifying mutants; it wasn't fear that rooted him, but curiosity. What triggered this sudden transformation?
"Where the hell am I?"
Yuuta growled, surveying the strange faces surrounding him. A wicked smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
"Humans, huh? You lot have piqued my interest. I must say, you make the finest paper prints..." He scanned the room with glowing red eyes. "How about this — there are five of you here. If I get a paper print from each one, I'll let you all go. Sounds fair?"
Desmond took two steps forward, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"This is amazing," he whispered to himself, approaching Yuuta. "Maybe this one won't be as bothersome to talk with."
Desmond extended his hand.
"My name is Curry Desmond. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Yuuta glanced at Desmond's outstretched hand, then shifted his gaze to his face.
"Name? What's that...?" Yuuta paused, clutching his head. "Name… that's a means of identification, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Everyone has one. What's yours?"
"My name…?" Yuuta scratched his chin childishly. "I don't think I have one."
Desmond exchanged glances with Yasuke and then back to Yuuta.
"How about I give you a name?"
"A name…"
"Yes, I can give you one—"
"I don't need it," Yuuta interrupted. "I don't need a name. How about you just get me a paper print?"
"Paper print? And what exactly is—" Desmond stopped mid-sentence, exhaling a sigh. "And here I thought you'd be easier to reason with than the original."
Turning to his bodyguard behind Yuuta, Desmond gave a small nod.
The bodyguard raised his arm, preparing to knock Yuuta out, but Yuuta caught the man's wrist effortlessly. With a grin he said.
"Dissect."
In an instant, thin lines crisscrossed the man's body. A moment later, he collapsed into bloody chunks of meat, leaving the room stunned and aghast.
Reacting quickly, the second bodyguard drew a pistol and fired three rounds at Yuuta. His left arm moved in a blur, catching all three bullets with ease. He opened his hand, revealing the bullets had melted down.
"Another new object..." Yuuta mused, eyeing the pistol. "...what do you call that?"
The bodyguard, unwilling to entertain any conversation, raised the pistol to fire again — but Yuuta appeared in front of him in a flash, gripping his face. His hold tightened until the man's face bloated and turned red.
"Shambles."
The man's head exploded like a smashed tomato, splattering blood and brain matter across the room. Yuuta calmly wiped his clothes clean and turned back to Desmond with a chilling smile.
"Why is it so hard for you to give me a paper print?"
Cold sweat trickled down Desmond's forehead. He had just witnessed his two best fighters — both mutants — slaughtered effortlessly by a fifteen-year-old rogue.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Desmond pulled out a small pistol from his pocket — a specialized tranquilizer designed to neutralize mutant abilities.
"Again..." Yuuta chuckled.
Desmond fired. The bullet, upon impact, released a green gas, which Yuuta inhaled without flinching.
Seconds passed. Yuuta remained standing as if nothing had happened.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" Yuuta asked casually.
Desmond's hope shattered completely. Every instinct screamed for him to run, but he was already too late. Yuuta was suddenly in front of him, about to deliver a deadly blow—
At that precise moment, a bullet fired from several blocks away shattered the building's glass. Hearing the bullet cutting through the air at supersonic speed, Yuuta instinctively dodged, flipping sideways and landing on the ground. A small crater, the size of a tennis ball, formed where he had been.
"I didn't expect you to dodge that," a voice said. "You've got skills. It's a shame you're a rogue."
A young woman entered the lounge, a curved black dagger in her right hand, a lollipop in her left. She wore a black tracksuit and a headset over her short, dark hair.
For the first time that day, Yuuta's expression turned cold. A strange feeling of fear washed over him as he stared at the new character in the scene