Tokyo — June 12, 2025
The parking lot was quiet beneath the glow of the overhead lights.
Sam handed Kirito a thick stack of documents.
"Tell me, when did you find out about your adoption?" Sam asked.
"Probably a month before my awakening," Kirito replied, taking the documents from him.
"So, you didn't know about it beforehand?"
"No. I just found the documents sitting on the table."
Kirito lowered his gaze and began going through the papers.
Among them were adoption records and a DNA test report.
His eyes stopped.
"What is this?"
Shock flickered across his face as he read the results.
Sam watched him carefully.
"I was a bit suspicious—both because of what you told me and because the fire at your house caused so little damage. So, I spoke to your grandmother and had the documents re-verified to test my theory. I also had a DNA report generated at the same time."
Kirito's fingers tightened around the papers.
"My DNA matches Mom and Allya…"
His voice became quieter.
"But neither of us matches Dad."
"That's not all," Sam said. "I discovered a few other things, but I'm worried it might be too much for you to handle."
Kirito let out a slow breath.
"I've already seen so much. I'm sure I can handle that too."
He looked back at the report.
"And honestly… it's a relief to know I'm not actually adopted."
Sam nodded.
"The documents you saw earlier were fake. Whoever planted them wanted you to distance yourself from your family."
Kirito's expression hardened.
"And the man you consider your father isn't actually your biological father. He was a friend of Hina's who helped raise the two of you."
Kirito stared at the documents for a moment.
"Yeah… that could very well be true. After all, he used to stay away from home for months at a time."
He looked up.
"So, did Grandma say anything about our real father?"
"Yes."
Sam paused before answering.
"His name is Rudra. He's half-Indian. Your mom suddenly moved from India to Japan eleven years ago. Even she doesn't know exactly what happened between the two of them."
Kirito blinked.
"Well, that explains why we both have such a strong Indian accent. It didn't just come from Mom living there."
Sam gave him a faint smile.
"One thing I learned from a friend in the Indian branch is that he's active within an organization called Sol Invictus."
Kirito's eyes narrowed.
"So now we know exactly where to go…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"And who to look for."
The engine of the black BMW M5 purred as it coasted to a stop on the top floor of a parking structure.
Before either of them could get out, the radio console crackled to life.
"Dark Knights… Dark Knights… can you hear me?"
Sam immediately picked up the handset.
"This is Sam. How can I help you?"
"I'm calling from Tokyo Cops," the voice on the other end reported. "We're detecting a high-level Mana signal coming from the Sky Tree area. Can you check the site?"
"What is the magnitude of the mana?" Sam asked, his fingers already resting near the gear shift.
"It's designated as Negative Sin."
"Understood. We were already on our way."
Sam dropped the handset.
The next second, the music came alive.
He released the handbrake and pressed down on the accelerator.
The M5 surged forward.
With a sharp turn of the wheel, Sam sent the car into a controlled drift. The tires screeched against the concrete as smoke curled behind them.
A nearby man who had just dropped a bag of groceries stared after the car in disbelief.
"What the heck is a BMW M5 doing here?!"
Inside the vehicle, Kirito stretched his arms above his head.
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"Oh man, I hate night patrol. This isn't the time for neutralization drills or spell training."
Sam adjusted the steering wheel, his expression focused.
"This is the perfect time to learn about devils."
He prepared for another turn.
Kirito immediately noticed.
"First, stop trying to be a street racer, Tenzaki-boy. No one is watching you."
"What's the problem with my driving?" Sam shot back.
"Yes, there's a problem—you don't know how to drive normally!"
Kirito was already reaching for his gun.
Sam accelerated toward the city center.
"Drive normally, or switch with me!" Kirito yelled over the engine.
"In your dreams!"
Sam pushed the accelerator even harder.
"Sorry, can't hear you!"
Kirito sighed.
"Unbelievable…"
A moment later, Sam pulled the handbrake and brought the M5 to a stop.
The dazzling night view of Tokyo Skytree stretched before them.
They stepped out.
"I am definitely sending you to driving school, Sam," Kirito said.
"Let's save the chatter for later. First, check the body."
Sam pulled on a pair of gloves.
"I'm coming."
Kirito grabbed his weapon and followed.
They headed toward the towering entrance, but a guard immediately stepped in front of them.
"Tickets, please. And who are you here to see?"
"We don't need tickets," Sam said smoothly. "Hello, brother. We're from the Dark Knight Organization. Let us in."
The guard stared at him.
"I don't know what you're even talking about."
"Fine. I'll make it short. We're from the DKB."
"Then show me your ID."
Kirito immediately flashed his identification and walked past the guard.
Sam remained behind.
"Wait… where did I put mine?"
He patted his pockets with exaggerated frustration.
Kirito glanced back.
"You forgot it, didn't you?"
"I didn't forget it."
"You definitely forgot it."
Sam pulled out his phone.
"Hello, Reno. Send me a picture of my ID. Kirito doesn't have it with him."
A moment later, Kirito took the phone and showed the image to the guards.
After a brief verification, the two were finally allowed inside.
Kirito shook his head.
"You're just like a child."
"Sorry," Sam replied with a grin.
At the very top of the tower, intense waves of mana pulsed through the atmosphere.
There weren't many people around, giving them enough freedom to use their weapons and magic if necessary.
They finally reached the top floor.
Sam placed a hand against the glass wall.
That was when an attacker appeared behind him.
He struck Sam hard enough to send him crashing backward through the glass.
"Sam!"
Kirito immediately drew his gun.
Sam recovered quickly and raised one hand.
A simple gesture.
Engage.
Kirito opened fire.
The attacker moved with unnatural speed.
"Damn it! He's fast!"
Kirito chased after him.
The man leapt from the tower.
Kirito didn't hesitate.
He jumped after him.
"This is Alpha. Target is secure," the man said into his earpiece.
The man turned toward Kirito and began chanting.
"From the boiling of mana, through the coldness of my heart, sleep forever. Death Winds."
Kirito narrowed his eyes.
"This childish thing will not work."
He raised his hand.
"Atomic Rail."
Kirito curved through the air, trying to anticipate the man's trajectory.
But he hadn't fully mastered the spell yet.
His landing was anything but graceful.
He hit a lower rooftop and slid across the surface before coming to a stop.
"Okay…"
Kirito slowly got back onto his feet.
"That could've gone better."
Eventually, he caught up with the men.
Kirito pressed his gun toward one of them.
"Smoothy, baby. Now, who's the target here?"
A menacing smile crossed his face.
The man laughed.
"Even if you captured me, your partner is already dead after falling from that height."
Kirito's expression didn't change.
"That dog's tail isn't going to die this early."
Something flew toward him.
Kirito caught it.
The car keys.
"You're going to drive me back," Sam said. "I think I twisted my ankle."
He looked at the man.
"Also, who are you calling a dog's tail?"
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Sam stood on the rooftop.
Kirito glanced over.
"I told you to keep quiet."
He quickly subdued the captive.
Then he looked toward Sam.
"What happened to the devil?"
"He's neutralized."
Sam holstered his weapon.
Kirito lowered his own.
"Okay. Now what do we do with him?"
"Let's have a talk with him."
Sam's mischievous smile immediately made Kirito suspicious.
"Don't become a demon. There's a chance we'll have to hand him over to the police."
"Yeah, I know."
Sam secured the captive on the restaurant rooftop.
Meanwhile,
"Asuna-chan, what can I gift my brother that he'll love?"
Allya walked beside Asuna, clearly deep in thought.
"Something that he needs or something that suits him," Asuna replied. "But honestly, anything you give him, I'm sure he'll love."
"Reno already took care of the badminton racket. I want to give him some kind of jewelry, but I don't know what type of jewelry would suit a boy."
"Then what's your budget?"
Allya's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Hehehe… Big bro gave me his card and said I can spend as much as I want."
Asuna's eyes widened.
"So you're thinking about shopping for yourself too?"
"Maybe."
"Okay, then let's check the bank balance first so we can figure out the budget."
Asuna pulled out her phone.
"With this, I can find out how much a Dark Knight earns."
A few seconds later, her expression froze.
"Eighty-two million, nine hundred ten thousand, two hundred thirty-three dollars!"
Allya blinked.
"Whoa."
"Where did he get this much money?!"
Asuna stared at the screen in disbelief.
Allya laughed.
"Now I can buy him anything I want!"
"Yeah, but where do we start?"
Allya looked around, suddenly overwhelmed by the possibilities.
"Let's have dinner first. Then we'll talk about your gift, okay?"
"Yes!"
"And what are you giving him?" Allya asked.
"I'm also thinking about that. Let's decide while we eat something delicious."
"Yes!"
While they ate dinner, Asuna began asking about Kirito's hobbies.
"Brother loves to draw, edit videos, play badminton and online games, cook, travel, take photos, code, and listen to music," Allya said, counting them off on her fingers.
She paused.
"He's just like a multitasking device."
Asuna laughed.
"Who knows where this device got lost while studying," Allya added.
Asuna smiled.
"Did you want anything to drink?"
"Yes. An orange drink."
Back on the restaurant rooftop, Sam returned to the captive.
"Wake him up."
Kirito raised a hand.
"As you wish."
A small sphere of water formed above the unconscious man's face before dropping onto him.
The man jolted awake.
"Huh… where am I?"
"Welcome to the night shift," Sam said.
He stepped closer, his pistol visible at his side.
"Now tell me why you came after Kirito and who sent you. I have other ways to make you talk."
The captive hesitated.
"Never—"
Sam's expression hardened.
"Last chance. Spill it."
Kirito sat nearby, casually watching videos on his phone while he waited.
A moment passed.
"Did he say anything?" Kirito asked.
"He's just starting his story. Want to listen?"
"Of course. Tell me fast. It's already nine. I want dinner."
The captive swallowed nervously.
"W-we… we got a contract to capture a brother and sister. Their names are Kirito Kaizawa and Allya Kaizawa."
Kirito's expression immediately changed.
"We were told to kill the brother and bring the sister to the man. That man is in Port."
Sam's gaze sharpened.
"Who gave you the contract? Who are you? How many people are involved?"
"I-I don't know the man. But he told us to bring the girl to the harbor at midnight."
The captive's voice trembled.
"There were sixteen of us after her. Please… just leave me alone!"
Sam shot the man in the head
Silence settled over the rooftop.
Sam's expression became cold.
Kirito looked at him.
"What did you do that for?" Kirito asked Sam.
"Just to make sure Allya reaches home without getting involved."
Sam stood.
"Now let's find out who put out this bounty."
"Where is she?"
"I gave her permission to go shopping with Asuna until eleven."
Kirito relaxed slightly.
"Then there's no need to worry about her safety."
Sam looked toward the city below.
"Let's go and finish dealing with the remaining fifteen."
He spotted two familiar figures leaving the restaurant.
"There they come."
Allya and Asuna were walking together, completely unaware of the danger following them.
"Let's follow them and take care of a few more targets."
Allya looked at Asuna.
"Let's go and first check out some clothes stores."
"Okay."
Asuna reached over and held Allya's hand.
The two continued walking through the illuminated streets.
Sam watched them for a moment.
Then he turned toward Kirito.
"Let's go."
Kirito sighed and followed.
The night was far from over.