"Ugh, that store didn't have a single piece of clothing that would be good for my brother," Allya grumbled, her lips forming a pout.
"Don't get all worked up. We still have plenty of time," Asuna said, trying to calm her down.
Neither of them noticed the figure trailing them from a distance.
From his surveillance position, Kirito's voice crackled through the communication device in Sam's ear.
"Sam, that frog mascot behind them has been following them for the last ten minutes. Take care of him."
"Roger."
Sam immediately changed direction and approached the mascot.
"Hey, froggy! Want to play?"
"Don't mess with me. I have work to do," the mascot snapped.
"Aah, give me that stick!"
The mascot tried to pull away, but Sam's expression suddenly hardened.
"Hmm."
The warmth disappeared from his face, replaced by a cold, almost emotionless stare.
"Then get out of my vision."
"What?"
Sam grabbed the mascot's hand.
Leaning closer, he whispered into the costume's ear.
"Dematerialized."
For a brief instant, the mascot seemed to freeze.
Inside his costume has already started breaking down into atoms and its only matter of time to
crumbled away his body into dust, scattering into the air before disappearing completely.
Sam casually turned away.
"May his soul find hell."
He continued walking as though nothing had happened.
A short while later, Kirito pulled the car into a parking spot.
Unfortunately, it was a no-parking zone.
A traffic officer had already dealt him a hefty fine.
"How much did they charge?" Sam asked.
"Around fifteen thousand yen," Kirito replied.
"What the hell?"
Kirito sighed before continuing.
"They both just entered the clothing store about a hundred meters ahead, on your left. Two men are following them."
Sam's lips curled into a predatory smile.
"Time for some sales."
He slipped around toward the back of the store and entered through a rear entrance.
Inside the clothing store, a saleswoman approached Allya and Asuna with a polite smile.
"Hello, ma'am. How can I help you?"
"We want to check out some men's clothing," Asuna answered.
"Of course. Please come with me."
The two followed her deeper into the store.
A few moments later, the two bounty hunters entered.
They were immediately greeted by another salesman.
"Good evening, sir. How can I help you?"
The men looked him over.
"We want to check some clothes," one of them demanded rudely.
"Of course, sir. Please come with me."
The salesman gestured toward the back of the store.
Neither man realized that the salesman was Sam.
Meanwhile, Allya and Asuna continued browsing.
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"So, ma'am, whom are you choosing clothes for?" the saleswoman asked.
"We want a long coat for my brother," Allya replied.
"Do you want to gift it to him, young ma'am?"
"Yes. I want to give him the best birthday gift ever."
The saleswoman smiled.
"Oh, then we have the perfect outfit."
She pulled out a green-colored long coat and held it up for them.
"Wow, this is so cute," Asuna said.
Allya looked at the coat carefully before smiling.
"This will perfectly match my brother."
Meanwhile, Sam led the bounty hunters farther away from the main sales floor.
One of them finally became suspicious.
"Hey, you. Where are you taking us?"
"Just come with me," Sam replied calmly. "Here we have our most exclusive and expensive clothing."
He opened a gate.
The men stepped through.
Their expressions immediately changed.
It wasn't a clothing showroom.
It was an ordinary locker room.
"Hey! What is this?"
The moment they turned around, Sam slammed the gate shut.
The heavy impact echoed through the room.
He calmly cracked his knuckles, loosened his tie, and removed his coat.
"Let's finish this quickly. The girls are at the cash counter."
Sam stepped toward them.
One of the men sneered.
"You think you can defeat all of us? Never! First, we kill you, and then we take the girl with us."
His voice rose.
"Shadow Movement!"
Four more bounty hunters emerged from the shadows behind the first two.
Sam glanced around the room.
"This will take a little bit of time."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen.
One of the bounty hunters charged.
Sam didn't even bother moving out of the way.
He simply raised the pen.
The man's momentum carried him directly into Sam's attack.
The pen struck in his head with enough force to end the man's life instantly.
Blood stained Sam's white shirt.
Sam calmly pulled the pen free.
Before the others could react, he disappeared from their sight.
A moment later, he was standing behind two more men.
Their bodies went rigid as their throats were seized, leaving them unable to breathe.
The remaining three froze.
Fear spread across their faces.
One of them desperately drew a dagger and hurled it toward Sam.
Sam threw the pen.
The pen struck first.
The man collapsed to the floor.
Sam turned toward the final two.
"Feeling afraid?"
His voice was quiet.
"This is the feeling that girl would have if you tried to kill her."
His eyes were cold as ice.
The man looked down.
His partners were already dead.
Then he noticed Sam's hand.
It had pierced through his chest.
Sam's fingers tightened.
The man's body went limp.
The room fell silent.
The second hunter finally found enough courage to act.
He pulled out his gun and fired wildly.
Sam grabbed one of the fallen bodies and used it as a shield.
The shots continued until the weapon finally clicked empty.
Sam lowered the body.
The hunter stared at him in horror.
Sam raised one hand.
His fingers formed the shape of a gun.
"Atomic Bullet."
A blue particle began spinning rapidly at the tip of his index finger.
Then it vanished forward.
The attack struck the hunter, and he collapsed.
Sam looked toward the remaining men.
"Now, only two of you are left."
He stepped backward and picked up a gun before handing it to one of them.
"Take this."
The man's trembling hands closed around the weapon.
"You have two choices. Shoot me or shoot your buddy."
Sam's expression remained completely calm.
"Either way, you can save your life."
He began removing his blood-soaked shirt and reached into one of the lockers for fresh clothes.
The bounty hunter stared at him.
"I don't know who you are, but as a bounty hunter, it doesn't matter if I live or die. There is no point to my existence if I don't fight till the end."
He raised the gun toward Sam.
His finger tightened around the trigger.
Nothing happened.
The man's face drained of color.
"It won't fire," Sam said.
The hunter stared at the weapon in disbelief.
"It won't."
Sam's voice remained emotionless.
"It was empty."
Invisible threads suddenly sliced through the man.
His body fell apart before he could react.
Sam turned away.
"Very thin threads made up of carbon atoms…"
He glanced at his hand.
"Kirito was right. It can cut anything."
Only one hunter remained.
He sat huddled in the corner, trembling uncontrollably.
Sam slowly walked toward him.
The man's fear had already overwhelmed him.
Sam crouched down.
"I'll give you one last chance."
The hunter looked up desperately.
Sam ordered him to contact the other bounty hunters and reveal the location of the person who had placed the bounty on Allya.
The man hurriedly obeyed.
"See? I did as you said. Please, let me live."
Sam stared at him.
"You know, I don't like people who betray others for their own benefit."
The hunter's expression froze.
Sam took the gun.
He reloaded it and pressed the barrel against the man's forehead.
"You should have learned something from your friend."
His voice was quiet.
"At least he fought until his very last breath."
Sam pulled the trigger.
The room became silent.
"Hey, Kirito. I got the location. Come outside the store."
Sam left the room.
Outside, Kirito was waiting in the car.
"And what about them?" Kirito asked.
"Don't spy on them," Sam instructed. "Give them some privacy. The bounty is over. They're safe now."
"Okay. Get inside."
Kirito stopped the car in front of Sam.
Sam climbed in.
"Where we're going is NINCH-42, a private harbor."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let's give him a surprise."
The car disappeared into the night.
Allya turned toward Asuna.
"Asuna-chan, let's go home. It's getting late."
"Yes, let's go," Asuna agreed.
The two left the store together, unaware of everything that had happened behind them.
Night — 11:30 PM
The coordinates led Sam and Kirito to the delivery point given to the bounty hunters.
The area was deserted.
An abandoned warehouse stood beneath the night sky, its surroundings silent.
Sam looked toward Kirito.
"Kirito, stay in the car. Don't come until I order you."
"But…"
"Just follow the order. If I need you, I'll call."
Sam stepped out of the car.
He walked toward the warehouse alone.
The massive doors stood partially open.
Beyond them, darkness stretched across the empty interior.
Sam entered.
Inside, the warehouse was almost completely silent.
Moonlight slipped through the gaps in the roof and windows, painting the concrete floor in pale silver.
Then a voice broke the silence.
"So, you've finally come."
A man stood several meters away, holding a wine glass in his hand.
Sam stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
"So it's you doing this, Akira Kenji."
Anger simmered beneath his cold voice.
Sam remained at the entrance, staring directly at the man standing in the moonlight.
Akira slowly raised his wine glass.
"Want to join me?"
He extended the glass toward Sam.