Both Minoru Kageno and Sora Kageno were university students, already eighteen years old.
After dealing with the bikers, Minoru began walking back toward his home.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out from a corner ahead of him.
“A spectacular fight.
Taking down eight bikers all by yourself…
impressive work, ‘Stylish Hoodlum Slayer’!” Minoru looked at the person.
The speaker shared a slight resemblance to himself.
It was his distant cousin, Sora Kageno.
“So,” Minoru said, his voice flat.
“What do you want?” “Ordinary on the surface, but a super-powerful expert in the shadows…
am I right, cousin?
Minoru Kageno?” Seeing that his cover was blown, Minoru stopped acting.
He took off his hat and looked at Sora.
“How did you find out?” “I noticed you practicing your grip strength during class,” Sora explained.
“Plus, I ran into you just a moment ago.
I decided to take a gamble and bluff you—and you just admitted it!” “Keep it a secret.
I don’t want anyone else to know,” Minoru stated firmly.
“I can do that…
but on one condition.” “What condition?” “I want to become someone like you, cousin,” Sora said with a look of genuine longing.
“Someone who looks plain on the outside but is an incredibly powerful ‘Eminence in Shadow.’ It’s just too cool!” *This feeling…
it’s the feeling of finding a kindred spirit,* Minoru thought to himself.
He had been working toward becoming an Eminence in Shadow since he was a child.
In the beginning, there were many children who shared his vision, but eventually, they all abandoned him.
He was the only one left striving for that goal.
He had assumed this was a lonely path, never imagining he would find a like-minded partner at this age.
“No problem.” Minoru held out his hand, and Sora gave him a high-five.
That single slap of palms symbolized a silent pact between the two.
~The Following Night~ The group of bikers, now covered in bandages, were back at it, creating a racket in the outskirts of the city.
This time, their numbers had doubled; there were twenty-one motorcycles in total.
“Boss, we have to find that ‘Stylish Hoodlum Slayer’ and get our revenge!
That bastard picked that name just to mess with us!
we have to teach him a lesson!” The twenty-one bikes roared forward, making a deafening noise.
Suddenly, a stone struck the speaker with pinpoint accuracy.
He lost his balance instantly, crashing into the motorcycle beside him.
The “Stylish Hoodlum Slayer” appeared once again.
The bikers charged at Minoru, but he knocked them off their bikes one by one with his crowbar.
A chaotic brawl broke out as they tried to swarm him.
Minoru moved through the crowd with unhurried ease, his crowbar striking heads with rhythmic precision, knocking men unconscious left and right.
Five minutes later, twenty bikers were sprawled on the ground.
Their self-proclaimed leader tried to gun his engine and flee, but a crowbar flew through the air and struck him dead-on.
The one who threw the crowbar was Sora.
Currently, Sora wasn’t exceptionally strong, so for now, he focused on taking out the stragglers.
And so, the daily lives of Minoru and Sora as “Eminences in Shadow” continued.
The bikers refused to give up, continuing to roam the outskirts, though they now turned tail and fled the moment they saw Minoru.
Even so, a few were always left behind.
Despite being beaten repeatedly, the bikers’ spirits remained unbroken—they kept coming back for more, though they all reached a silent agreement to start wearing helmets.
As the days passed, Sora focused heavily on training his long-distance running.
He knew he had to be fast enough to keep up when Minoru eventually went on his “berserker run”—he had to make sure he was right there next to him when the “Truck-kun” arrives to send him to the other world.