The alley fell quiet as Akane and Yui rushed up to Kaizen.
"Whoa—are you even in your senses? What was that, Kaizen?" Akane snapped, half-angry, half-worried. "Rex is okay now, and you kept beating them even though they were out."
Yui's voice wobbled. "I thought you were going to—" She broke down, tears spilling. "I was so scared."
Kaizen froze at the sight of her crying. He sank to his knees beside Rex, breathing hard. "I'm sorry, Yui. I—seeing him like that… I lost it. I won't let it happen again." He turned to Krish. "Thanks for pulling me back."
Krish nodded. "Your aura was scary, man. But yeah—focus. Rex needs a hospital."
They carried Rex to the nearest ER. Hours crawled by in the waiting room—Akane pacing, Yui clinging to Kaizen, Krish checking the door like a guard dog. Finally a doctor emerged.
"He's stable," the doctor said. "Concussion, some internal bruising. He'll need observation for a few days, but he'll be okay."
Relief hit them like rain.
"Can we see him?" Kaizen asked.
"Yes. Keep quiet," the doctor warned.
Rex was pale but awake. Kaizen didn't wait. "Why, Rex? Why did you ignore me? Why were you hiding here? Who did this to you?"
Rex's eyes filled with shame. He spoke in a small, broken voice. "It's my fault. I messed up."
"What do you mean?" Akane pressed.
Rex drew a breath. "When I came back, I wanted to help—stop the bullying. I fought for a girl called Hana once. She told me about the groups, and I started messing with them. I thought I could handle it."
Kaizen's face hardened. "So? You stopped going to college? You ran away? Why didn't you tell us?"
Rex swallowed. "Because they trapped me. Hana—she asked me to meet on the terrace. She said she loved me. I believed her. We… I trusted her. Then a group of students jumped out with a camera. They filmed everything. Hana laughed. They called me a moron."
"What? They blackmailed you?" Kaizen cut in.
Rex nodded. "Kaito was the one. He said, 'Pay one million rupees or we'll leak it and say you forced her.' I gave them what I could, then they asked for more. I couldn't tell my parents—they're teachers. If this leaked, they'd lose everything. I thought I could fix it alone. I went to some bad people in the slums for help—took loans, made deals. They used me. I ended up hiding, broke, scared."
Kaizen's jaw clenched. "So your parents didn't know. And you went to shady alley guys instead of coming to me? Seriously, Rex—geeze."
Rex's shoulders shook. "I was ashamed. I thought I'd ruin you too. I didn't want to drag you in. I'm so sorry."
Akane crossed her arms but her voice was soft. "Next time you come to us first. Got it?"
Yui sniffed, wiping her eyes. "We're your friends, Rex. We don't let you deal with monsters alone."
Krish moved closer, hand on Rex's shoulder. "You're with us now. We'll handle this—no more hiding, no more feeding those gangs."
Kaizen gripped Rex's hand tight, voice low and fierce. "You idiot. You don't carry this alone. You lean on us. We'll pull you out of this hole. The Reaper Squad doesn't leave anyone behind."
Rex blinked, grateful and broken. "Thank you. I— I don't deserve this, but… thank you."
Krish gave a small, flat smile. "First step: rest. Next step: plan. Dashing Peeps and Kaito? They picked the wrong guy to mess with."
Akane and Yui nodded. "We'll find them," Akane said.
Kaizen's eyes were steady. "Tomorrow we start. No more secrets. We dig them out—one by one."
They stayed with Rex until the nurse insisted on quiet. As the lights dimmed and the machines hummed, a new resolve settled over the four friends. The Reaper Squad had a new mission—and a wounded brother..