Jinba spoke with a flat, detached tone as he ground his cigarette into the ashtray.
As Yugo fell silent, sensing the bitter grief etched into the man's face, Jinba continued.
"...Thomas was the perfect partner. He was a cool-headed, intellectual man who never made a wrong call. But... that same man miscalculated just once. This is the result."
"...What happened?"
"...We were hunting the ringleader behind the Serial Child Kidnapping Incident. They were absolute scum. They used Magic Items to snatch children one after another, extorting parents for ransom. If the money didn't come, they’d sell the kids off to some dark route—or worse, they’d send a corpse back to the parents. I couldn't let it stand. I was going to catch them with my own two hands... Both Thomas and I were fired up. We finally cornered the boss. But—!"
Jinba cut himself off, his fists clenching white-knuckled.
Yugo watched the raw regret pooling in the man’s eyes as he likely relived the moment his partner died in the line of duty. He waited in silence for Jinba to find his voice again.
"...The bastard took a hostage. Facing him down, Thomas traded fire. Thomas aimed for the Magic Item where the children were trapped, and the culprit... he aimed for Thomas. Both their attacks hit exactly where they’d aimed."
"........."
"...Because of Thomas, the children were freed and returned to their parents. But he...!!"
A pained groan escaped Jinba, his grip so tight his knuckles popped.
Seeing him like this, Yugo felt it was cruel to force him to dredge up any more of the past. He spoke up to stop him.
"That’s enough, Jinba-san. I’m sorry. I shouldn't have made you talk about something so painful."
"...No, it’s all right. Besides, there’s one more thing I need to tell you."
"Eh...?"
Yugo looked at him in surprise. Jinba’s posture had softened slightly, but his eyes remained sharp.
Was there still more to the story? Just as Jinba opened his mouth to explain under Yugo's questioning gaze, it happened.
"Yugo, the reason I asked you to fix this crossbow was—!?"
"Wh-What was that!?"
A thunderous explosion and a sharp tremor cut Jinba off.
As Yugo reeled from the shockwave, a pale-faced Jinba snatched the crossbow from his desk and bolted.
"That sound... could it be!?"
"Ah! Jinba-san! Wait!!"
Yugo scrambled after him, racing out of the Security Force Station.
He reached the city center moments later and stopped dead, his breath hitching at the sight before him.
"Gyahahaha! Go wild! Tear it all down! Show these people what real fear looks like!!"
"It's the Boss's orders! Do whatever you want!!"
"Where did these guys come from...!?"
Thugs were laying waste to the streets.
Yugo watched in horror as they smashed homes and terrorized civilians, using magic and Magic Items to fuel their rampage.
The sound of a scream snapped him back to reality. Seeing a thug closing in on someone struggling to escape, Yugo charged, slamming into the man with a shoulder tackle that sent him flying. He reached down to help a young boy who had collapsed on the pavement.
"Run! Quickly!!"
The boy nodded shakily as a woman—his mother—rushed to his side.
Yugo watched them flee toward safety, then turned back to see Jinba in the thick of the fray.
"I don't have time for small fry! Where’s your leader!?"
"Jinba-san! Are you okay!?"
Jinba was holding his own against several thugs with his sword. Yugo sent one of the enemies tumbling with a flying kick and dropped into a fighting stance back-to-back with the investigator.
Scanning the rioters, Yugo shouted over the din of battle.
"Jinba-san! Who are these people!?"
"They're the organization I told you about—the kidnappers! That bastard actually gathered this many men...!?"
Yugo and Jinba fought side-by-side, fending off the waves of thugs.
Reinforcements from the Security Force soon arrived, and the tide began to turn. But just as the enemy numbers started to dwindle, a woman’s desperate shriek pierced the air.
"Give him back! Please, give me back my son!"
"Mama! Mama!!"
"Hehehe... What a lovely sound. A child’s cry for its mother is music to my ears...!"
"A-Ah, that's...!?"
Yugo looked up to see a monster clutching the boy.
The creature—a Magic Armor Beast that looked like some unholy fusion of man and bat—held aloft a birdcage-like contraption. In an instant, the boy was sucked inside.
"Mama!!"
"My boy! My boy!!"
"Kuhahaha! I’ll be taking your son! If you want him back, start gathering your gold! Hahahaha!!"
"That Magic Item... that voice... I knew it!!"
Jinba’s face contorted with rage. He gripped his sword and sprinted toward the monster.
He leapt high into the air, his blade whistling toward the beast as he screamed the name of his nemesis.
"Regen! You're the one bastard I’ll never let live!!"