Jin's eyes snapped open.
His vision swam. The world around him was in motion—no, he was in motion. Strong hands were dragging him across a hallway by the shoulders. Two n in black suits, stone-faced, one on each side. His wrists bound, duct tape wound tight around him.
Panic surged. Jin twisted, jerked, tried to free himself, but the restraints held. His legs thrashed against the polished floor, but they dragged him on without a word.
Then ca the door—tall, black, and polished like a mirror. The guards pushed it open and hurled him forward. Jin hit the floor hard, the wind knocked out of him.
Dazed, he looked up.
The room was luxurious. Soft gold light filtered down from an ornate chandelier. Velvet curtains hung across wide windows. Everything glead—glossed wood, marble floors, leather couches.
Toji reclined on one of the couches, drink in hand, blood on his lip . But next to him sat soone else.
The second man leaned lazily forward over a table lined with narcotics. He was snorting sothing off a mirror, exhaling slowly. He was lean, young-looking, almost boyish—an unnatural softness to his face that made him look out of place, until you saw his eyes. Cold. Dead. Calculating.
Toji glanced at him. "Here he is," he said, sipping his drink. "The headache you asked for, Zero."
Zero looked up . His long black hair was tied into a neat samurai-like ponytail. His black kimono-style robe hung loosely over one shoulder, exposing a pale, scar-laced collarbone.
"You're the one?" Zero asked, standing. His voice was smooth. "Doesn't look like much. But judging by Toji's state, you've are supernatural."
"He's not supernatural," Toji said. "Just… annoyingly skilled. I played along for so ti with him."
Zero walked toward Jin, movents fluid. He lood over him.
"I like you," he said. "How about it? Join my crew. Just have to drop your " NO KILL RULE " ."
Jin spat , blood in his mouth. "No."
Zero tilted his head. "Why not?"
"You burned my ho," Jin snarled, tears brimming. "You destroyed everything i hold dear. I'll never forgive you."
Zero turned to Toji, voice low and casual. "Why'd you torch his place? He could've been a fine addition."
Toji scoffed. "Boss, you ordered it. 'Beat that bastard black and blue. Burn his ho. Drag him to .'"
Zero blinked. "Ah. Right. That does sound like ."
Toji muttered, "You should go easy on the drugs, boss."
Zero turned his head. "Just because you're leaving doesn't an you get to lecture ."
Then he walked to a nearby table—laid out like a ritual altar. A gleaming katana rested there. Beside it, a matte black handgun.
Zero picked up the gun.
Jin's eyes followed the motion, heart pounding. "You don't have to do this. Just let go. This doesn't need to end in blood .why do you guys do unnecessary killing"
Zero turned, lifting the gun casually. He walked back toward Jin, standing over him once again.
"Tell ," Zero said, "Why do you think I picked the gun instead of the sword?"
Jin didn't answer.
"It's not because it's easier," Zero continued, voice level. "I kill easier with a blade. Cleaner. More… personal. When I want to feel sothing—pleasure, rage, clarity—I use a sword. The way it slides through flesh, the resistance of bone… it's perfect. Human."
He looked down the barrel at Jin. "But you? I don't feel anything about you. You're just noise. Static in my path. You scread, and I noticed. That's all. Everyone could've walked away. If you hadn't interfered, that father and daughter would've gone ho. But you had to play hero. You had to put on the cape. And now…"
He cocked the gun.
"Now you die. Not for justice. Not for revenge. Not because it ans anything. But because you were inconvenient."
Jin's voice shook. "You think this makes you powerful?"
Zero's tone turned icy. "I am power. I don't need people to rember . I need them to get out of my way."
The gun pointed to Jin's forehead.
And then—
BANG.
Silence.
Smoke curled from the barrel. Jin's body went limp.
"Toji," Zero said, glancing over. "Sha, really. He looked like a fighter. But he folded like paper."
Zero stared for a mont, then exhaled. "Take his body," he told the guards "Dump it in the middle of Tsubaki Heights."
He turned to Toji.
"He really was a pussy. Didn't even scream."
Toji didn't respond. Just stared at the body.
Zero walked back to his table, setting the gun down beside the sword. He reached for the powder again.
"Next ti," he muttered to himself, "I'll use the blade. This was too clean."
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Had so work .
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