The rain never really stopped in Neo-Yokohama. It just changed tempo—sometimes a steady hiss, sometimes a sudden sh against the windows like the city itself was trying to cw inside. This morning it was the former: soft, persistent, blurring the neon skyline into streaks of violet, cyan, and electric pink. Even daylight felt reluctant here.

  Inside the apartment, chaos had decred victory sometime during the night. Empty ramen cups formed precarious towers on every avaible surface. Crushed soda cans rolled zily under the coffee table whenever someone shifted their weight. Instant noodle wrappers clung to the carpet like colorful, defeated fgs. A half-eaten bag of spicy shrimp chips had exploded at some point—orange dust still dusted the cushions like fallout from a snack war. Someone had knocked over a bottle of cheap synthetic sake; the sticky residue had dried into a small amber ke between the couch and the armchair.

  Future people could deal with it.

  Kainen sat in the battered armchair closest to the television, steam curling zily from the chipped mug of coffee in his right hand. His dark hair stuck out in every direction like he'd lost a fight with a static field. The pid pajama pants hung low on his hips, the waistband rolled once because they were half a size too big. One sock dangled halfway off his foot, forgotten. In his left hand, a tablet glowed with scrolling data feeds—stock tickers, dark-web chatter, public camera feeds he definitely wasn't supposed to have access to.

  Across the room, the television muttered corporate nonsense at low volume.

  On the couch behind the low gss coffee table sat Lira—or rather, perched. She banced sideways on the cushions, knees drawn up, her mug cradled in her hands like a fragile treasure. The thin bck sleep shirt she wore was way too big for her, the neckline slipping dangerously low every time she leaned forward to sip. The fabric clung to the full curve of her breasts, the outline of her nipples visible through the worn cotton whenever she shifted. Her long silver hair spilled over one shoulder like spilled moonlight, brushing the tops of her thighs where the shirt ended. Bare legs stretched out, silver scales catching the dim light in faint iridescent fshes.

  Which—unfortunately for Kainen—made the neckline do some very distracting things.

  Do not look, he told himself, taking a deliberate sip of coffee. Not looking. Rock. Stone. Statue. Whatever.Fuck, the way that shirt is clinging right now...

  Across the floor in front of the couch sat Rori—cross-legged, barefoot, wearing what was unmistakably Kainen's shirt. The oversized gray thing hung loosely off one shoulder, exposing the sharp line of her colrbone, the faint pink scar that curved along her left shoulder from some old fight she never talked about, and the upper swell of her small, firm breasts. The hem barely cleared the tops of her thighs—every time she shifted, it rode up just enough to show the bck ce edge of her boy shorts hugging the curve of her ass. Her pink hair stuck out in every possible direction. She cradled her mug with both hands like a smug little gremlin, legs spread casually, giving anyone who gnced down a clear view of the thin strip of ce between her thighs.

  She squinted down into the mug suspiciously. "This coffee sucks."

  Kainen didn't look up from the tablet. "You made it."

  "That doesn't make it suck less."

  Lira blinked slowly, shes catching the light. "You used the instant packet again."

  Rori paused mid-sip. "There was another option?"

  Kainen took another sip. "The coffee machine."

  Rori stared at him as he had personally betrayed her entire bloodline. "You never told me that existed."

  "You never asked."

  She grumbled something profane under her breath and took another defiant sip, then made a face. "Still sucks."

  Lira ughed softly—quiet, warm—and handed her the second mug without a word.

  Rori sniffed it suspiciously, took a sip, and her eyes lit up like someone had flipped a switch. "Oh hell yes." Then she pointed the mug at Kainen immediately. "Why don't you make coffee like this?"

  "I do."

  "You literally do not."

  "I literally do."

  "You—"

  She stopped mid-sentence, then slowly turned toward Lira, eyes narrowing. "Wait."

  Lira froze. "What?"

  Rori leaned sideways slightly, peering at her with predatory curiosity. "Oh, my god."

  Lira's tail curled tighter around her leg. "What?"

  Rori's grin spread slowly, wicked and delighted. "You're not wearing a bra."

  Lira choked on her coffee, a small spray of liquid hitting the gss table. "KAINEN IS RIGHT THERE!"

  Kainen kept staring at his tablet. I am a rock. I am a stone. I am absolutely not noticing the way her nipples are pressing against that shirt right now. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

  Rori leaned closer, eyes glittering. "Oh wow, you really aren't."

  "Rori!"

  "What? I'm just observing the environment!"

  Lira tried to pull the shirt tighter around herself while turning a shade of red that could guide lost ships. "You're terrible!"

  Rori took another sip of coffee with the smug satisfaction of someone causing maximum chaos with minimal effort, then looked back at Kainen. "You're not even reacting."

  Kainen flipped a page on the tablet. "I'm choosing survival."

  Rori squinted. "You looked."

  "I did not."

  "You absolutely looked."

  "I did not."

  "Coward."

  "I value breathing."

  Rori grinned wickedly. "Hey, Lira, maybe you should lean forward more."

  "Rori!"

  "You know. For science."

  She shifted deliberately on the floor, letting Kainen's shirt ride up another inch—enough to fsh the bck ce hugging the curve of her ass and the thin strip disappearing between her thighs.

  Kainen's grip on the mug tightened. Do not look down. Do not—Goddamn it, Rori.

  He stood up abruptly. "I'm getting more coffee."

  He walked into the kitchen without another word.

  Behind him, Rori burst out ughing. "You TOTALLY looked!"

  Lira buried her face in her mug. "I hate both of you."

  "Love you too."

  The television volume suddenly spiked. A sharp alert tone sliced through the room like a bde.

  —BREAKING NEWS—

  All three of them looked up.

  The broadcast cut to a serious-looking anchor seated behind a chrome desk.

  "...Authorities in Neo-Yokohama have issued an active alert regarding three individuals believed to be connected with multiple violent incidents reported two nights ago..."

  The screen shifted. Security images appeared.

  Three faces.

  Kainen.

  Rori.

  Lira.

  The apartment went completely silent.

  "...Citizens are advised not to approach these individuals and report any sightings immediately..."

  The image froze on their faces.

  Rain tapped softly against the window. Steam curled from their mugs.

  Rori slowly lowered her cup. "...Oh."

  Kainen returned from the kitchen. He saw the screen. Stopped.

  And in that instant, something inside him changed.

  The zy morning mood vanished. His eyes hardened. His voice when he spoke was calm. Cold. Focused.

  "Alright."

  He grabbed the remote. Muted the television. Then, they turned toward them.

  "Lockdown."

  The television went silent. The image of their faces still hung on the screen, frozen beneath the bold red headline.

  WANTED — PERSONS OF INTEREST

  Rain tapped steadily against the window.

  For a moment, nobody moved.

  Then Kainen exhaled slowly—not panic, not anger, just calcution. He set his mug down on the coffee table with deliberate care and walked to the window, pulling the blinds shut until the neon glow outside vanished completely. The apartment dimmed.

  "Okay," he said quietly. "Listen carefully."

  Rori and Lira both turned toward him. There was no joking now.

  Kainen paced once across the room, rubbing a hand over his face before he began speaking again. "They have our faces," he said. "That means someone in the Hunter's Guild pushed this through the city police. This isn't just an investigation anymore." He gestured toward the television. "This is containment."

  Lira's tail tightened around her leg. "...Containment?"

  "They're trying to box us in."

  He walked over and unplugged the television. The screen died instantly.

  "No open signals," he muttered. Then he turned back toward them. "First rule: we stop using the front door."

  Rori blinked. "...What?"

  Kainen pointed toward the window. "Fire escape."

  Lira looked over at it slowly. "The one outside?"

  "Yes."

  "We climb down it every time we leave the apartment?"

  "Yes."

  He spoke calmly, but his tone carried a quiet urgency. "Front doors are predictable. Security cameras cover building entrances, elevators, and street access points. Every time we walk through that door, we risk putting our faces into another system."

  Rori frowned slightly. "So... the fire escape isn't covered?"

  "Sometimes," Kainen admitted. "But not consistently. Maintenance routes and emergency exits are lower priority in most urban monitoring grids." He crossed his arms. "It's the safer option."

  Rori nodded slowly. "...Okay."

  No argument. No sarcasm. Just acceptance.

  Kainen noticed. His shoulders loosened a fraction.

  "Second rule," he continued. "Lights off after sunset. Curtains stay closed. If anyone knocks on the door—"

  "We don't answer," Rori finished quietly.

  "Correct."

  Lira shifted slightly on the couch. "What about the ndlord?"

  "We ghost him."

  "...Ghost him?"

  Kainen nodded. "No rent discussions. No maintenance calls. No contact." He looked toward the hallway. "If he tries to check on the apartment, we pretend we're not home."

  Rori leaned forward slightly. "...How long?"

  Kainen paused. He considered the question carefully. "I don't know yet."

  Honest. That alone made the air feel heavier.

  Lira stared down at her mug. "...So we're hiding."

  Kainen shook his head. "No."

  He walked to the stack of neural dive equipment against the wall. "We're relocating."

  Rori frowned. "...With what money?"

  Kainen gave a short, humorless smile. "That's the problem."

  He turned to face them again. "We don't have enough credits to disappear. New apartment deposits, new IDs, moving costs... that adds up fast." He pointed toward the dive rigs. "That means Avarice becomes our job."

  Rori's eyes flickered slightly. "...Grinding."

  "Yes."

  Kainen nodded once. "Hard grinding."

  He leaned against the wall beside the rigs, forcing himself to slow down as he spoke. This time, he didn't bark commands. He expined.

  "We skip the beginner zones," he said. "Starter areas are crowded, monitored, and full of pyers who talk too much. If the Guild is watching the game, those pces are the first ones they'll check."

  Lira nodded slowly. "So we go farther out."

  "Exactly."

  Kainen tapped the tablet in his hand, bringing up a map of the region around Eldoria. "There's another town a few hours out by road," he said. "Smaller popution. Fewer starting pyers." He zoomed in slightly. "And more dungeons."

  Rori tilted her head. "...Higher level dungeons."

  "Yes."

  Kainen met her eyes. "Dangerous ones."

  Rori smiled faintly. "...Good."

  Kainen raised a finger. "But we do it smart."

  She nodded immediately. "Got it."

  He continued. "Right now we're level one. Close to two after the fight at the gate, but not there yet."

  Lira leaned forward slightly. "Those Hunters we killed... that experience should've been huge."

  "It was," Kainen said. "But the system probably split the reward between three pyers and fgged the event." He shrugged lightly. "Still put us close."

  Rori rubbed the back of her neck. "...So the pn is grind until we hit three?"

  "Yes."

  "And then?"

  Kainen's eyes sharpened. "Then we grind harder."

  Lira blinked. "...You're serious."

  "I'm always serious when the Hunter's Guild is involved."

  He walked over to the window again, peeking through the blinds toward the rain-soaked street below. Drones floated zily between skyscrapers. Traffic moved in glowing ribbons across distant skyways. Somewhere out there, Hunters were already pulling surveilnce records. Building patterns. Neighborhood data.

  Kainen lowered the blinds again. "They're good," he said quietly. "Very good."

  He turned back toward them. "So we get stronger faster."

  Rori stood up slowly. "...How much time do we have?"

  Kainen didn't sugarcoat it. "A few days if we're lucky."

  Silence settled across the room.

  Then Rori nodded. "...Okay."

  Lira looked between them both. "...Okay."

  Kainen studied them for a moment. Then exhaled.

  "Good."

  He grabbed one of the neural rigs and tossed it gently toward Rori. Another went to Lira.

  "Pack light," he said. "From now on, we enter and leave through the fire escape."

  He looked toward the hallway. "Pods up in fifteen minutes."

  Rori slung the rig over her shoulder. No jokes this time. Just determination.

  "...Kainen?"

  He gnced at her. "...Yeah?"

  She gave him a small nod. "We'll follow your lead."

  For a moment, something flickered across his expression. Relief. Then it vanished behind his usual calm mask.

  "Good," he said. "Because my calcutions are always correct."

  Rori snorted despite herself. "...God, you're such an asshole."

  Lira smiled faintly.

  But fifteen minutes ter, the apartment was dark.

  Three dive rigs hummed softly.

  Outside, rain continued falling over Neo-Yokohama.

  And somewhere inside the digital world of Avarice—

  Three pyers were about to start grinding for their lives.