Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

Not long after Kaguya had left, a muffled "bang" broke the silence. A shattered wall was shoved aside, and a figure crawled out of the rubble—it was Koutarou Amon. He was somehow still alive.

Amon's clothes were tattered, hanging in strips, and his body was covered with charred black marks from the intense heat. His skin bore crisscrossing wounds caused by jagged debris, some so deep that the bone was visible.

Yet he seemed entirely unconcerned about his injuries. Instead, he knelt amidst the ruins, frantically clawing at the broken stones, his voice hoarse as he shouted, "Mado-san! Mado-san!"

It turned out that in the critical moment when Amon was about to be struck, Kureo Mado had appeared and shielded him with the quinque koukaku.

Unfortunately, while koukaku was powerful, it was no match for the amplified version of an A-ranked jutsu, Kaguya's Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, which could rival the destructive power of Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation. The weapon was unable to fully withstand the devastating attack.

The resulting explosion buried both of them under the rubble of a collapsing wall.

Despite suffering severe injuries, Amon's body, honed through years of rigorous training, possessed resilience far beyond that of an ordinary person. Even under such devastating circumstances, he barely clung to life.

Finally, with his bloodied fingers worn raw from scraping against the sharp stones, Amon managed to pull Kureo Mado out of the debris. But the sight that greeted him made his pupils contract sharply.

Mado's entire body was covered in severe burns. His skin had turned black and emitted the pungent stench of charred flesh. Particularly around his chest, the flesh had been seared away, leaving it looking like a piece of scorched coal.

But the burns weren't the most critical injury. His chest was impaled by several jagged fragments of koukaku, embedded deep into his body with only small protrusions visible on the surface. Dark red blood oozed steadily from the wounds, flowing along the shards.

These fragments had shattered from koukaku during the explosion. While the quinque had managed to partially block the fireball, the immense force had caused it to break apart, sending pieces flying into Mado's body.

Mado coughed violently, crimson blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

"Mado-san! Hang on! I'll call an ambulance right now!" Amon reached into his pocket for his phone, only to find it shattered and broken in half.

"It's no use. I'm done for," Mado said with difficulty, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "To think… I'd be defeated by such power. How ridiculous."

"No! Mado-san, you haven't been defeated!" Amon gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with emotion. "The battle isn't over yet. Until the very end, no one can say what will happen. We will win!"

"Is that so?" Mado's expression softened, a faint smile crossing his face. "I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You have a potential that others don't."

Before he could continue, another fit of coughing overtook him, more blood staining his lips.

"Mado-san, I'll get you to a hospital!" Amon's voice cracked as he tried to lift Mado, his arms trembling with the effort.

"I know my condition. It's too late for me," Mado said haltingly, his breath coming in short gasps.

"No, it's not! You have to hold on! If I can just get you to the hospital—" Amon began, only to feel Mado's hand weakly gripping his arm.

"Listen to me, Amon," Mado said, blood bubbling from his lips as he spoke. "Death isn't what's frightening. What's truly terrifying… is leaving so many things unfinished."

"It's not over yet! It won't end like this!" Tears brimmed in Amon's eyes as he bit down hard on his lip. "There are still so many people who need saving. So many lives that we can protect. You can't give up now!"

Hearing this, Mado's gaze softened. "Hearing you say that… I can rest easy." His breathing became more labored, his face flushing a sickly red. Clutching Amon's sleeve, he whispered with great effort, "There's… one more thing I need you to—"

But before he could finish, his head slumped to the side, and his hand fell limply to the ground. His eyes remained wide open, staring into the void, a look of unfinished determination frozen on his face.

Mado had died, unable to complete his final words.

Koutarou Amon's pupils contracted, and his eyes slowly widened, disbelief etched across his face. His mentor, who had been fighting alongside him just moments ago, was now gone.

He remained silent for a long time, then bowed his head and gently closed Mado's lifeless eyes with his hand. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists, raised his head, and let out a heart-wrenching roar of grief.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

The truth was, Mado hadn't needed to die. If he had dodged, he might have been gravely injured but wouldn't have lost his life. Yet, to protect Amon, Mado had placed himself in front of the attack, taking the brunt of the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu.

It was also a miscalculation. Mado hadn't anticipated the sheer destructive power of Kaguya's enhanced attack. What he thought he could withstand ultimately overwhelmed him.

Meanwhile, across the city, at the Anteiku coffee shop in another district…

"Thank goodness," Touka Kirishima said as she descended the staircase and slumped into a chair at a nearby table. She exhaled deeply. "I'm so relieved they're safe."

"Me too! I was worried sick," Kaya Irimi said with a smile. "You ran out of here like a madwoman earlier—I thought something terrible had happened. You scared me half to death."

"No, something did happen," Touka replied with lingering fear in her voice. "They were targeted by the Doves. It was a trap."

"What?" Irimi's eyes widened in shock. "Then what happened to them?"

"I was too late when I got there. They were already…" Touka trailed off, her attention caught by the news broadcast on the TV.

"According to reports, at 5:50 PM today in Nishijo District, a battle broke out between the CCG and unidentified individuals. The confrontation resulted in massive destruction. Preliminary investigations have revealed a crater approximately 15 meters in diameter at the site of the explosion, though the exact cause remains unclear. Authorities have confirmed the deaths of two investigators but have yet to identify any suspects…"

Irimi stared at the footage of the massive crater on the screen, her face frozen in astonishment. "How… how did something like that happen? That crater—"

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She turned to Touka, her expression urgent. "Was it her?"

"Yes." Touka nodded, her face a mixture of emotions. "It was her—the one wearing the fox mask. From Akatsuki."

"She's so cool!" Irimi said, her voice tinged with excitement. "If only I were that strong. Then I wouldn't have to worry about Doves or anything else. If they dared get in our way, I'd just take them all out!"

"Is that so?" Touka replied softly, her tone distant.

She couldn't help but wonder. If she joined Akatsuki and gained power like that, perhaps the 20th Ward wouldn't have to endure these constant tragedies. Under Kaguya's protection, they wouldn't need to hide or live in fear anymore. Maybe, just maybe…

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Touka found Irimi's face suddenly close to hers, her playful grin making Touka jump. Startled, she stammered, "N-Nothing!"

"Really?" Koma squinted in suspicion, then nudged Touka with her elbow. A mischievous smile spread across her face. "Don't tell me you're in love!"

"Of course not!" Touka shot back. Just then, the doorbell chimed, giving her an excuse to escape. She stood up quickly and said, "I'm going to check on the customer. Stop bothering me."

"Aww, don't be shy!" Irimi teased.

When Touka opened the door, a familiar figure stood there, waving with a cheeky grin.

"Hello! Do you have sandwiches here?"

Touka froze for a moment, glancing at the visitor. Without a word, she nonchalantly shut the door with a loud bang.

"Hey, you're way too heartless. I'm still a customer, after all," Kaguya said, her mouth stuffed with a sandwich, her words muffled as she spoke. "And we're friends, aren't we? How could you treat me like this?"

"Sorry, but to me, someone like you who always eats on credit and never pays isn't a customer," Touka Kirishima snorted, giving her a sideways glance. "And who's your friend? Don't try to get chummy with me."

"I thought we were friends already," Kaguya said, taking a large sip of coffee before looking up.

"Friends? You're still 100,000 miles away from that," Touka said sharply, walking over with a plate of pastries, which she set on the table with a huff. "Anyone unlucky enough to have a friend like you must have terrible karma. Also, this is the last time, got it?"

"Thank you so much," Kaguya said cheerfully, picking up a fork and stabbing a piece of cake to eat. "Didn't expect you to be such a good person."

"Spare me the 'good person' speech," Touka replied, cleaning the counter. "By the way, what's with your hair? Why is it black now?"

"Oh, that," Kaguya said, setting down her fork and casually picking up a strand of her hair. "The silver was too eye-catching. There was even a time when I got mistaken for some… celebrity or something. It was annoying, so I dyed it black."

"Celebrity?" Touka raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yeah," Kaguya said, stretching lazily. "Recently, there's been some talk about a group called Akatsuki. You know, that group with the fox-masked member. Because of my silver hair, the cops brought me in for questioning a few times."

"I see," Touka said casually as she wiped a table, her tone feigning disinterest. "Did they find any leads about Akatsuki?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Kaguya said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But they suspect Akatsuki might be hiding out in the 20th Ward, so they'll probably increase their presence here and intensify their investigations."

"Is that so," Touka murmured, still wiping the table. "Did they mention anything else?"

"Oh, right," Kaguya said as if recalling something. "There's a rumor that Kishou Arima from CCG Headquarters might personally come to the 20th Ward to deal with Akatsuki."

"Arima Kishou?" Touka's eyes narrowed, her tone tense.

"Yep," Kaguya said, twirling her fork and grinning. "Pretty surprising, isn't it? For a big shot from HQ to come all the way here. They say he's an incredibly strong investigator."

Touka's expression darkened slightly, her mind clearly elsewhere.

It made sense. After all, the "White Reaper" wasn't just revered within the CCG—he was also a figure of terror among ghouls. His strength was overwhelming, and his reputation for hunting ghouls was unparalleled. The mere mention of his name could strike fear into their hearts.

Of course, what Touka didn't know was that Kaguya had made all of this up. There was no way Arima Kishou would leave HQ to come here, especially with the chaos in Cochlea keeping him busy. The 20th Ward was relatively stable, and someone like Arima wouldn't bother with it. Kaguya had only said it to rattle Touka, to put some pressure on her.

A sly smile played at Kaguya's lips. Touka was one of the people she had marked as part of her plan—there was no way she would let her go so easily.

Just then, the café door swung open, and a brown-haired girl walked in. She froze momentarily upon seeing Kaguya but then broke into a bright smile and ran toward her. It was Hinami.

"Big sister!"

Hinami stopped in front of Kaguya, her face lighting up with joy.

"What's got you so happy?" Kaguya asked, ruffling her hair with a smile.

"The wish with the paper crane you told me about," Hinami said excitedly, "it really came true!"

"Oh, it came true?" Kaguya replied with a smile. "Congratulations, then."

"Mm-hmm." Hinami nodded vigorously, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. "If possible, could you keep teaching me how to read, big sister?"

"Of course," Kaguya said, a playful smirk curling her lips.

Hinami was overjoyed, though her memory was hazy. She vividly remembered the wish made with the paper cranes saving her and her mother, but the rest of the events felt like a dream. Particularly the silver-haired girl with the fox mask—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall her face.

As Kaguya stepped out of the café, she glanced back at the warmly lit Anteiku, smiled faintly, and turned to disappear into the shadows of the night.

Inside the café.

"Touka."

An elderly voice from behind startled Touka Kirishima, pulling her out of her thoughts. She quickly stood up and turned around. "Manager."

Kuzen Yoshimura descended the stairs, his calm presence filling the room. "Has that person left?"

"Oh, you mean that annoying freeloader?" Touka said with a huff. "Yeah, she's gone. Why? What about her?"

"Nothing much," Yoshimura replied, taking a seat. "I just felt that she was... unusual."

"Unusual?" Touka snorted, her tone laced with disdain. "She's just a freeloader who happens to be pretty. And her shamelessness isn't just 'unusual'—it's off the charts."

"Touka," Yoshimura said gently, pouring a cup of coffee and sliding it over to her. "Sometimes, things aren't as they appear. The surface often hides the truth. Like coffee—its aroma may be rich, but only when you taste it can you truly understand its flavor."

Touka froze for a moment, seeming to piece something together. Suddenly, she shot up. "Don't tell me she's—"

"No," Yoshimura interrupted, shaking his head with a smile. "Don't worry too much. While she seems suspicious, I don't think she's a Dove. If she were, we wouldn't be sitting here calmly enjoying coffee. But..." He trailed off meaningfully. "I believe she already knows who we are."

"What?" Touka gasped, her voice tinged with panic. "We haven't exposed ourselves. How could she possibly know?"

"Perhaps she saw through us from the very beginning," Yoshimura said softly, turning to look out the window at the empty, moonlit street. "Do you remember her first visit?"

"Her first visit?" Touka echoed, confused.

"That's right," Yoshimura said gravely, turning back to face her. "Why do you think she refused every other dish and insisted on ordering a vegetable sandwich?"

Touka's pupils shrank at his words, her breath catching in realization.

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