A gleaming katana slid out from inside Irin’s cane.
The black cloth covering her eyes fluttered gently in the evening breeze.
The thugs stared at the blade for a second.
Then they burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! What a great comedy show."
One of them tilted his head.
"So, are you an actress?"
Another thug gave a mocking grin.
"Enough with the drama."
"Grab her."
Irin remained perfectly still.
She focused on every sound around her.
"I’m warning you for the last time..."
Her grip tightened around the katana.
"Don’t come any closer."
One of the thugs stepped forward and pulled a heavy iron chain from beneath his jacket.
"Oh? A chain against a katana?"
He swung it with all his strength.
Whoosh!
The chain flew straight toward Irin’s face.
Several sounds reached her from different directions.
Footsteps.
Clothing shifting.
Someone moving behind her.
There are several of them. I need to stay alert.
Irin tilted her head slightly.
Then she heard something above and to her left.
She moved at the last possible instant.
The chain passed beside her face.
Irin tilted her head toward the thug.
"...A chain?"
"Yeah."
He tightened his grip.
"My favorite weapon."
The chain struck the ground a few inches from Irin’s foot.
Clang!
Irin lowered her body and stepped around the chain’s circular swing.
The steel links swept over her head.
Before the thug could recover—
Thud!
Irin’s heel struck his ribs.
His balance broke.
"AAAGH!"
He crashed onto the ground.
I knew it.
They’re drug users. Their bodies can’t produce their full strength.
Irin caught the chain with the tip of her katana and pulled hard.
The weapon flew from the thug’s hand and landed several meters away.
He stared at it.
"W-What...?"
Before he could move—
Shing!
The katana grazed across his chest.
"AAAGH!"
He stumbled backward, clutching the injured area.
The laughter disappeared.
"How is this possible...?"
"How can a blind girl fight like this?"
The remaining two exchanged a glance.
"...This girl is dangerous."
One of them grabbed a hockey stick lying nearby.
Losing to her now would be embarrassing.
"Let’s see how you handle this!"
He charged.
The hockey stick cut through the air.
Whoosh!
Irin didn’t move.
She listened.
Another sound reached her.
Tap.
A wall.
One step to her right.
Perfect.
The hockey stick came toward her head.
At the final instant, Irin planted one foot against the wall.
Thud!
She pushed off.
Her body rose into the air and flipped over the incoming attack.
The thug’s eyes widened.
"What—?!"
Is her blindness even real?
Shing!
The katana passed across his back.
"AAAGH!"
But as he fell—
Thang!
The tip of the hockey stick struck Irin’s forehead.
"...Ah."
A thin line of blood appeared along her forehead.
Irin touched it with her fingers.
"...So you did manage to hit me."
The last thug slowly stepped backward.
A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Heh..."
"So you can bleed too."
He reached behind his waist.
Click.
A pistol.
He pulled the slide back.
Chk!
Irin immediately lowered her stance.
Both hands tightened around the katana.
"A gun?"
Seriously? These guys carry guns too.
I need to be even more careful.
The thug raised the pistol.
"Enough of this."
His finger settled on the trigger.
"Get into our van quietly. Spend one night with us, and we won’t bother you again."
Irin listened to his voice.
Then she made a decision.
Idiot.
I need to get closer first. I can’t deal with him from this distance.
Just as Irin prepared to move—
Two crimson points appeared beneath the shadow of a high rooftop ledge.
They remained completely still.
A faint chirping sound came from somewhere above.
The sound of wings.
Irin’s brow tightened.
"...A bat?"
The thug raised his pistol.
Yet his hand had begun to tremble.
He didn’t know why.
Some instinct warned him that another presence had entered the alley.
His finger tightened around the trigger.
Then—
Something shot out from the darkness.
He never saw it coming.
BOOM!
A fist struck his face.
The force sent him flying several meters.
His pistol slipped from his hand and clattered across the road.
Clang!
The red-eyed young man walked over to the unconscious thug.
He crouched beside him.
His expression remained calm.
Without saying a word, he extended one hand.
A sharp claw flashed.
Shing.
He made a quick cut across the thug’s palm and positioned the injured hand over a strange metal container.
Drops of blood fell into it.
One after another.
The other thug, who had been struggling to stand, froze when he saw him.
"R-Red eyes..."
Before he could say anything else, the young man struck him.
The thug collapsed.
Irin turned toward the sound.
"...Red eyes?"
"What red eyes?"
No answer came.
Her grip tightened around the katana.
Something is wrong.
There’s someone else here.
A third person...
The mysterious young man moved toward another unconscious thug.
Again—
Shing.
More blood fell into the metal container.
His movements were precise.
Measured.
He took one step at a time.
Tap.
...
Tap.
Irin’s head turned.
Someone was behind her.
Behind me?
The young man passed close to her.
Perhaps he wanted a better look at her.
Irin turned instantly.
Her hand shot forward.
She caught his wrist.
For the first time, the young man’s expression changed.
What the...?
How did she do that?
I made no sound.
Irin’s fingers tightened around his wrist.
The skin beneath her hand was ice-cold.
Almost lifeless.
She could also feel the sleeve of his jacket beneath her fingers.
At the same time, her katana rose.
The blade stopped directly beneath his throat.
The red-eyed young man went completely still.
Irin’s voice remained calm.
"...Tell me the truth."
Her head tilted slightly toward him.
"...Who are you?"
The alley fell quiet.
Only the faint electrical buzz of a broken streetlight remained.
Two figures stood facing each other.
One concealed himself behind a pair of crimson eyes.
The other had learned to see the world without ever opening her eyes.
And neither of them was willing to move first.