The verdict had been delivered, and with it, their fate was sealed. Sentarō, Reiko, and Tadatoshi were to die by beheading. No appeals. No reconsideration. Just a clean sentence spoken with cold certainty, as if their lives were numbers written on parchment rather than people who bled, breathed, and dreamed.
The moment the words left the captain's mouth, the weight of death pressed down on them. Heavy. Suffocating. Final.
Bound together once more, they were escorted out of the office by the samurai assigned to guard them. The door slid shut behind them with a dull, echoing thud, the sound reverberating through the corridor like the closing of a coffin.
Inside the office, silence settled.
Tōkichirō stood frozen, his fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms. His expression twisted slowly, as though regret were carving itself deeper into his face with every passing second. The image of Sentarō's eyes lingered in his mind. Not anger. Not hatred. Just disbelief.
And disappointment.
That look hurt more than any blade ever could.
Without another word, Tōkichirō turned and ran.
"Ukon," Ueda said calmly, his voice cutting through the stillness like a practiced command. "Prepare everything tomorrow. Tomorrow, they die."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the doorway, just long enough to catch a glimpse of Tōkichirō's retreating figure.
Ukon bowed slightly. "As you command."
He exited the room without hesitation, leaving the captain alone, seated comfortably in his authority.
Down the corridor, hurried footsteps echoed sharply against the wooden floor.
"Wait!!"
The shout rang out, sharp and desperate.
Sentarō, Tadatoshi, Reiko, and the guard all turned toward the sound. Tōkichirō stood several paces behind them, breathing hard, his chest rising and falling as though he had run far more than the distance allowed. His orange hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes wide and conflicted.
Sentarō's expression darkened instantly. Whatever fragile emotion had been lingering earlier vanished, replaced by something hollow and tired.
Tadatoshi, however, reacted differently.
"You orange-haired bastard," he snarled, rage bleeding into every syllable. "What do you want now, huh?!"
Tōkichirō opened his mouth, then stopped.
The words refused to come.
He looked at them one by one, his gaze lingering just a second too long on each face. Guilt flooded his chest, thick and choking, until he finally turned his eyes away, unable to endure their stares.
That small gesture changed everything.
Reiko's expression hardened.
"Tōkichirō," she called sharply, disappointment heavy in her voice. "We know what you did during the Red Sun Incident."
His head snapped up.
Shock froze his features as he stared at her, eyes trembling. Reiko didn't look away. Her gaze was steady, unwavering.
"After what we've seen today," she continued, her tone cold and clear, "I finally understand what kind of person you really are."
The words struck harder than steel.
Tōkichirō staggered back half a step, memories crashing into him without mercy. Blood pooling in the dirt. Flames devouring wooden homes. Screams echoing through smoke-filled streets. And above all—
A little girl's face.
Wide eyes filled with terror and confusion.
A face that haunted his dreams.
"H… how did y—"
"Tch. Pathetic."
Tadatoshi cut him off with a sharp click of his tongue. His voice was low, steady, and filled with controlled fury.
"And here I was thinking you were actually a man. Turns out you're just another coward."
Tōkichirō said nothing. His breathing grew uneven, shallow. His eyes burned with intensity, yet they were wet, rimmed with regret he could no longer contain.
"Is this really what 'The Fire' is?" Reiko asked quietly.
That was the final blow.
Tōkichirō's composure shattered. His shoulders trembled. His breath hitched, jagged and out of rhythm, as though his lungs had forgotten how to function properly. The weight of every decision he had made pressed down on him at once.
But before he could respond—
"Alright, that's enough!" the guard barked, yanking on the rope. "Move."
Sentarō didn't look back. Neither did Reiko.
Tadatoshi was the last to turn, his eyes burning with disdain before he spat on the floor and followed.
Tōkichirō remained where he stood, rooted to the ground, watching their backs disappear down the corridor.
The cell door slammed shut moments later.
"Damn it! Not so hard, you bastard!" Tadatoshi shouted as they were thrown inside.
"Shut it, you damn Ashigaru!" the guard snapped back. "And since you're dying soon, I won't bother tying your hands. Think of it as a farewell present."
"You damn—"
"That's enough, idiot."
Reiko smacked Tadatoshi upside the head, sharp and precise. "Calm down."
"The hell?! Who do you think you are?!" Tadatoshi barked, rubbing his head.
"Sentarō, help me calm him down," Reiko said, turning toward him.
"There's no point."
Sentarō's voice was low. Flat.
The air in the cell dropped instantly. The shift was palpable, like warmth draining from a room. Reiko and Tadatoshi both froze, finally turning fully toward him.
Sentarō sat slumped against the wall, eyes unfocused, expression hollow. Fear and despair clung to him openly now. His thoughts spiraled, memories colliding chaotically.
His father's words echoed in his mind.
Japan cannot be saved.
"Was this what he meant?"
If even the police force, the very institution meant to uphold justice, had rotted this deeply… what hope was there? If he couldn't change this, couldn't save even this small corner, then maybe his father was right.
The doubt hurt more than the sentence of death.
Suddenly—
CRACK!
Pain exploded across Sentarō's face as his head slammed into the wooden wall.
"What—?!"
Before he could react, Tadatoshi grabbed him by the collar, spun him, and slammed him into the floor with a thunderous THUD! that echoed down the hallway.
"Hey! What's going on in there?!" the guard shouted.
Tadatoshi sat heavily on Sentarō's chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
"Get off me!" Sentarō gasped, struggling.
"Yeah, get off him!" Reiko yelled, rushing forward.
"You really are pathetic," Tadatoshi said coldly, staring down at him. "All it took was the police locking you up once for you to turn into this mess?"
"Tadatoshi, we can talk without you sitting on him!" Reiko snapped, trying to pull him away.
"Enough with the violence!" the guard barked, fumbling with the cell door.
"So a death sentence is all it takes for you to start crying?!" Tadatoshi roared, ignoring them both.
"What are you even saying?!" Sentarō shouted back.
"Do you really think I'd let you disgrace me?!" Tadatoshi yelled. "I am the Lord of Festivals!!"
Sentarō froze.
"Back at the entrance exams," Tadatoshi continued, his voice shaking with fury, "you did what I couldn't. You beat the leader of those criminals."
"You know damn well I didn't do it alone!" Sentarō snapped.
"SHUT UP!" Tadatoshi roared. "In that moment, you beat me!!"
His eyes burned.
"I've been training nonstop to surpass you! To leave you in the dust!" he yelled. "And now look at you! Whining over this little situation!"
The guard finally burst into the cell, tackling Tadatoshi off Sentarō.
"TELL ME!" Tadatoshi screamed, struggling violently. "WHERE IS THE MAN WHO BEAT ME IN STRENGTH AND RESOLVE?!"
His voice echoed down the hallway.
"BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY I SPENT MY TIME CHASING A WEAKLING!!!"
Silence fell.
Sentarō lay still.
Then something clicked.
Tadatoshi wasn't doing this for him.
He was doing it for himself.
Despite the death sentence, despite everything, Tadatoshi was still fighting. Still burning. Still believing.
Sentarō's chest tightened.
"What am I doing?"
Memories surfaced. Laughing with the Daigo twins. Talking about dreams. His vision of justice. Of a Japan that didn't bow to corruption.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
He stood.
The guard and Tadatoshi barely noticed before—
CRACK!
Sentarō's fist slammed into Tadatoshi's jaw, knocking him sideways.
"Thanks, Lord of Festivals," Sentarō said with a grin sharp enough to cut steel. "Message received."
Tadatoshi stared at him, stunned.
"Even if we die," Sentarō continued, eyes blazing, "I'm not letting you win."
Resolve flooded the cell.
Reiko smiled.
Tadatoshi laughed.
This wasn't the end.
Not even close..