Eugen was lost in a dream. Everything around him was dark, but he could hear the soft voice of a woman, trembling with sorrow.
"I'm sorry, my baby…" The words were faint, broken by muffled sobs. "I'm really sorry you're already shouldering such heavy responsibility... But I hope your future will be filled with happiness."
Her voice echoed in the void, growing fainter and fainter until it began to fade completely.
"Eugen," another voice called, cutting through the darkness. It was gentler, but more urgent. "Eugen, wake up."
His eyes snapped open, and the blurry interior of a taxi came into focus. The hum of the engine and the flicker of neon lights outside brought him back to reality. Haruka was leaning over him, shaking him lightly.
"Eugen, wake up. We're here," she said, her voice tinged with nervous excitement.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes as the vibrant streets of Kamurocho came into view through the window. The district was really crowded, its neon signs and bustling crowds casting a busy energy even at this late hour.
Haruka, sitting beside him, clutched her small bag tightly. Her face was a mix of determination and unease. Eugen didn't need to ask what she was thinking—they had sneaking out their orphanage in the dead of night, and now they were here, searching for Haruka's mother.
The taxi slowed to a stop, and the driver glanced back at them. "This is Kamurocho. Be careful out there, kids," he said gruffly.
Haruka nodded politely and turned to Eugen. "Let's go."
He hesitated for a moment, his thoughts lingering on the strange dream, before opening the car door and stepping out. The streets of Kamurocho loomed before them, vibrant and foreboding, a district that seemed to welcome both of them.
After stepping out of the taxi, the first thing Eugen did was straighten his wrinkled and messy clothes, disheveled from sleeping during the ride.
While doing so, he noticed that the bandage wrapped around his right arm had loosened. He sighed and began rewrapping it, pulling it tighter this time.
"Did you have a bad dream again, Eugen? While you were sleeping, I heard you muttering something," Haruka's concerned voice broke through his thoughts.
[Haruka]
"…I don't know. I don't really remember much," he replied after a moment of silence, unsure how to explain it.
Haruka looked at him suspiciously, as if she thought he was hiding something, but she decided to let it go. By now, she was used to him being this way.
Ever since she arrived at the Sunflower Orphanage, Eugen had always been the quiet, lonely kid who kept to himself. It had taken her months to get him to open up to her.
Now, after years of being together, the two of them were inseparable. They had grown close, trusting each other completely.
Even earlier, when she tried to sneak away from the orphanage to search for her mother, Eugen had caught her. In the end, he insisted on coming with her.
After finishing retying the bandage around his right arm, Eugen turned to Haruka.
"So, what's the plan? It's almost morning, and we don't even know where to start," he asked.
"I'm not sure either…. If I remember from the letter Aunt Yumi gave me, it's a bar called Ares," Haruka said after thinking for a moment.
Eugen nodded in response and began scanning the area. He focused on finding street signs, muttering to himself, "Nakamichi Street," when he spotted the name of the street.
"Let's start by familiarizing ourselves with the area. But don't wander too far from me, alright, Haruka?" Eugen said, extending his right hand toward her.
"Mm, I understand," Haruka nodded, taking his hand. Together, they started walking down the street.
Of course, the sight of two children, neither older than nine, wandering through Kamurocho in the middle of the night drew plenty of curious and puzzled looks. It wasn't every day you saw kids like them in a place like this.
The two of them walked together down Nakamichi Street.
Eugen looked around in awe, his eyes wide with wonder. This was his first time visiting a big city, far away from the Sunflower Orphanage where he had spent most of his life.
Since gaining awareness during his early day in orphanage, Eugen had only ever known the orphanage and its surrounding area.
Here, though, everything was different. There were cafés, arcades, fast food restaurants, and countless buildings that towered over him, their lights and designs mesmerizing.
"It's cool, right? So many bright colors and people. This is the first time you've been to a place like this, isn't it?" Haruka said beside him, smiling as she noticed his amazed expression.
"Yeah… so many people, and the buildings are so colorful," Eugen replied, still in awe.
"Fufufu, just wait until you see the Millennium Tower."
It didn't take long for him to understand what she meant. The Millennium Tower loomed in the distance, its sheer height making it visible even as they walked through Nakamichi Street.
"Whoa! That's incredible! How can a building be that tall?" Eugen exclaimed. Despite his excitement, he tried to stay composed—it would be too embarrassing to overreact.
"Hahaha," Haruka laughed suddenly, covering her mouth.
"What's so funny?" Eugen asked, turning to her with a pout.
"Seeing your reaction is hilarious~," she teased, still giggling.
"Hmm, stop laughing. It's just because I've never seen a building like that before," he muttered, looking away and acting to be angry.
"Aww, don't be mad, Eugen. It's rare to see that kind of expression on your face," Haruka said, squeezing his arm and trying to coax him into looking at her.
The two of them continued walking hand-in-hand through Kamurocho, exploring the streets to familiarize themselves with the area.
By the time morning arrived, they found themselves at Theater Square, a public space surrounded by various shopping and entertainment venues.
"Are you okay, Haruka? Are you tired?" Eugen asked, noticing they had been walking for hours. He was sure Haruka hadn't slept at all the night before.
"No, I'm fine. What about you?"
"I can keep going. I'm more worried about you since you didn't get any sleep last night."
"I'm not sleepy. Let's keep asking around to find the bar," Haruka said stubbornly.
"You're always so stubborn," Eugen muttered under his breath.
He knew Haruka too well. Over the years they had spent together, he had come to understand her personality perfectly.
She always acted like an adult, taking on responsibilities far beyond her years. Whenever one of the kids at the orphanage got sick, she would stay by their side, nursing them with care.
"Let's ask around about Ares Bar," Haruka said, tugging on his arm as they continued their search.
They spent a while asking passersby, but no one seemed to know of a place called Ares Bar. Some mentioned a spot called Pares, but it wasn't what they were looking for.
As they continued searching, Eugen suddenly heard a loud growl. He turned to his side to see Haruka clutching her stomach, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Let's find something to eat. I still have some money from helping out at Sunflower," Eugen offered.
"No, that's the money you worked hard to earn. I'm not that hungry anyway," Haruka said quickly, trying to refuse.
"It's obvious you're hungry, Haruka. And I'm hungry too. Let's just get something small," Eugen insisted, leading her toward Gindaco Highball Tavern, where he had seen takoyaki earlier.
After buying takoyaki for both of them, they walked back toward Theater Square to sit down and eat.
But as they arrived, they noticed a large crowd gathering around the square, all looking up at a screen mounted on the arcade building.
"What's going on? Why are there so many people?" Haruka asked, staring at the crowd.
"Let's go check it out, Eugen" she said, pulling him toward the commotion.
When they reached the crowd, they looked up at the screen. It was broadcasting the news.
"[We now go to footage of the funeral service for suspected crime boss Masaru Sera, third chairman of the Tojo Clan. Reports confirm that one man began attacking other guests, causing havoc at the scene.]"
On the screen, they saw a man in a black suit dodging and punching his way through a crowd of people.
"Why are they fighting during a funeral? That's such bad karma," Haruka said, frowning.
But Eugen's gaze was locked on the screen, his expression looked really serious and couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Suddenly, his right arm began to heat up.
"Ugh…" The warmth intensified, and he dropped his takoyaki because he clutching his arm.
"Eugen?! Is your right arm hurting again?" Haruka asked, her voice filled with panic.
"No… it just got really hot all of a sudden," he muttered, wincing.
Looking around, Haruka noticed a few people staring at them after seeing Eugen drop his food and clutch his arm.
"Let's find a place to rest," Haruka said, quickly leading him to a small park nearby.
Haruka led Eugen to a small park on West Shichifuku Street. Spotting an empty bench, she guided him to sit down and then sat beside him on his right.
"Is it still hot?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"No, it's just warm now—not as hot as before," Eugen replied, testing his right arm by moving it. It didn't hurt at all, though he can still feel the warmth that envelop his right arm.
"Let me remove the bandage and check if there's a wound or anything unusual," Haruka said, leaning closer to examine his arm.
Eugen hesitated, looking visibly uncomfortable, but he didn't protest and simply let her do it.
Haruka understood why he always kept his right arm bandaged. The other kids at the orphanage used to make fun of him because of the strange tattoo covering his arm, which looked natural as if it had always been there. Some of them even said it was "weird" or "creepy," and their teasing had led him to wrap his arm to hide it from view.
Haruka struggled at first, as Eugen had wrapped the bandage tightly, but she eventually managed to remove it.
Once the bandage was off, the blue flame-like tattoo covering his arm was fully revealed, stretching from his shoulder all the way down to his wrist.
"It's really weird, isn't it…" Eugen murmured, breaking the silence.
Haruka turned to him, startled by the sadness in his voice.
"Aunt Suenaga said I already had this tattoo when she found me outside the orphanage. I don't know why I have this... this weird thing, but it's so annoying. Everyone just keeps making fun of me because of it…" His voice trembled, and his eyes glistened as if he was on the verge of tears.
Without a moment's hesitation, Haruka wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug.
"No, I don't think it's weird. Actually, I think your arm is really cool with that flaming tattoo. You don't need to worry about what anyone else says," she said firmly, her voice full of warmth and reassurance.
Eugen's eyes widened at her words, and the weight of his sadness seemed to lighten, if only a little
After a few moments, Haruka managed to calm Eugen down.
"I'm sorry for suddenly acting like that," Eugen said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He felt awkward about nearly crying in front of her.
"Fufufu, it's fine. Honestly, seeing you like this every now and then is nice too~," Haruka replied playfully, teasing him as she began rewrapping his arm with the bandage.
Once they finished securing the bandage properly and hiding the tattoo, Haruka picked up the takoyaki she had set aside earlier.
"Since your takoyaki fell earlier, we can share this one," Haruka said, holding up the cooled takoyaki.
Using her chopsticks, she picked up one piece and offered it to him. "Here, aaahhh."
Eugen immediately turned red with embarrassment. "I can eat it by myself. You don't need to feed me like that."
"Aaahhh," Haruka repeated, completely ignoring his protests as she tried to feed him.
In the end, Eugen sighed in defeat and allowed her to feed him. She smiled in satisfaction before popping a piece into her own mouth. They continued eating like this, alternating between feeding each other, until the takoyaki was gone.
"Here, drink this," Haruka said, handing him a bottle of water she had bought earlier with the takoyaki.
After they finished eating and drinking, the two of them remained seated on the park bench, watching people pass by in front of the small park.
Nearby, there was a place called Pocket Circuit Stadium, and they could see many children going in and out of the building with excitement.
Haruka leaned her body against Eugen's shoulder, trying to rest for a while.
Though she had insisted earlier that she wasn't tired, it was clear that she was exhausted.
"Just sleep, Haruka," Eugen said softly.
"Okay… let me sleep for a bit," she murmured, her voice heavy with fatigue as she slowly closed her eyes.
However, since she was shorter than Eugen—being 125 cm compared to his 133 cm—it wasn't very comfortable for her head to rest on his shoulder.
After a moment of shifting around, Haruka decided to change her position and lay her head on Eugen's lap instead.
"Make yourself comfortable and go to sleep," Eugen said, looking down at her with a soft expression.
Haruka gave a small nod and a sleepy smile before drifting off quickly, the exhaustion finally catching up to her.
Now, it was just Eugen sitting there, quietly watching the people walking by while letting Haruka sleep peacefully on his lap.