With his gun loaded and aimed, he fired back at the source of the danger. But Von was too quick, dodging the hail of bullets with a deft sidestep that would have left most people sprawled on the ground. He chuckled darkly, his eyes shining with an unmistakable glint of murderous intent.
Bon's eyes narrowed, his grip on the gun tightening as he braced himself for whatever came next. With a steely determination, he prepared to defend himself and those around him against the threat of Von and anyone else who dared to threaten their lives.
As the gunfight rages on, Von takes a moment to criticize Bon, shouting, "Your aim is as lousy as ever!" The tension between the two is palpable as they continue their face-off. The air in the store becomes so thick with tension that the temperature begins to rise by 2 degrees.
With each loud bang, Katsu is reminded of his past and the trauma that he's experienced. The sound of gunfire sends him reeling, and he quickly takes cover behind the store shelves, covering his mouth to stifle his cries. His body trembles with fear as he struggles to keep himself calm in the midst of the chaos. In that moment, he wishes for nothing more than to be able to escape from the terrifying situation unfolding around him.
Suddenly, a voice whispers in his ear, "Do you want history to repeat itself?" The words jolt him back to reality, and time seems to slow down around him. His vision is blurry, and he struggles to brush away his tears, but he knows that he needs to find his strength and confidence if he wants to survive.
Taking a deep breath, Katsu steadies himself and focuses his attention on the task at hand. He knows that he cannot let his past traumas control him any longer.
Then, once again, he hears the voice whisper, "You must fight for what you want. And protect the ones you love."
The smell of gunpowder fills the store, and Katsu peeks over the shelves to see Bon hiding behind the counter, slightly wounded and fiddling with his rifle. He's out of ammo.
"What's wrong, Bon? Are you out of ammo? You always forget the most important rules of a hunter!" Von exclaims.
"I told you not to return here ever again!"
"Today is an exception. I'm here on a bounty. Now, where's the kid!?"
"Don't you dare go near him!" Von aims his rifle at Bon and demands, "Where is the child, or I'll blow your brains out of that PATHETIC head of yours!"
Katsu closes his eyes and does the only thing he can think of and pushes the heavy shelf. The shelf falls and separates Von and Bon.
With a sudden burst of energy, Katsu grabbed a heavy sack of flour and swung it towards Von. Before the sack could connect, Von pulled out his rifle and shot the sack, causing a cloud of flour dust to fill the room. Von stumbled back, covering his mouth and nose to avoid breathing in the fine particles.
In the chaos, Katsu made a run for the door, hoping to escape. But Von was quick to react. He threw away his rifle and chased after Katsu, catching him just outside the store.
"Gotcha! You're not escaping again!" Von shouted triumphantly.
Katsu struggled to break free from Von's grasp as he tried to tie him down. "Stay put, kid. You're being way too troublesome!" Von grunted, his face contorted with effort as he wrestled to secure Katsu. "This job pays way too little for all this trouble."
With a final tug, Von managed to tie Katsu's hands behind his back, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally caught the thief who had been stealing from his store for weeks.
Without warning, a bullet tore through Von's side, striking near his liver. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his wound in agony.
"Don't think I won't hurt you just because you're my brother," Bon threatened, stepping out of the smoky store with Von's rifle in hand.
He aimed the weapon at Von's head, his finger poised on the trigger.
"Ehh? Do you now?" Von teased, his voice strained with pain.
But before Bon could pull the trigger, Von grabbed Katsu and pulled out a revolver, pressing the barrel against Katsu's temple.
"Don't move any closer or this little brat's brains will end up on the pavement," Von snarled, his eyes blazing with a dangerous fire.
"Bon! Help!" Katsu pleaded, struggling to break free from Von's grip. "Shut up, brat!" Von yelled, his voice cold and menacing. Bon hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But then he saw the look in Von's eyes and knew he had to act fast.
"Von! Don't do it!" Bon pleaded, trying to talk some sense into Von.
"Make me," Von replied coldly, his finger on the trigger of his gun.
Katsu closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. He prayed that he would be saved and that something good would happen. Suddenly, he heard the voice whisper once more, "Not yet."
Before he could even react, a gunshot rang out, causing Katsu's ears to ring. He opened his eyes to see policemen surrounding Von, their guns drawn.
"Stand down! His Majesty's Royal Military Police! And let the boy go!" one of the officers shouted.
Katsu's heart leapt with hope as he realized that he might be saved after all. He watched as the gunshot he had heard was actually someone shooting Von's revolver out of his hand, sending it flying across the ground.
With his gun now useless, Von reluctantly surrendered, realizing that he was no match for the armed authorities. Katsu felt a wave of relief wash over him as the policemen approached to free him from his captor's grasp.
Von felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he realized the gravity of the situation. He knew he couldn't win against the armed authorities, and the risk was no longer worth the reward.
"Well… this is getting out of control," he thought to himself. "I guess I'll give up. This is more work than it's worth."
With a heavy sigh, Von released his grip on Katsu, admitting defeat. "Alright! You got me; I surrender," he said, raising his hands in the air.
Katsu ran over to Bon, relieved to see his friend unharmed. "Monsieur Katsu! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Bon asked, concern etched on his face.
"I'm okay. What about you?" Katsu replied, equally worried about his friend's well-being.
"Just a few scratches. Don't worry about me," Bon reassured him, patting his shoulder.
As the police handcuffed Von and took him away,
"I just have a few scratches. Don't worry about me," Bon replied, smiling to reassure Katsu.
But their brief moment of relief was interrupted by the arrival of a police officer. He strode over to them, his expression stern and uncompromising.
"You two! We're taking you into custody!" he barked. "You've got a lot of explaining to do…"
Katsu and Bon exchanged a bewildered look. "What? Why?" Katsu asked, his heart racing with anxiety.
The officer scowled at them. "Don't play dumb with me. You were involved in a dangerous altercation with a known criminal. We need to sort this out."
"Eh?" both of them exclaimed.
End of chapter 13