A shadow loomed over him.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm a bit late."
The voice was lighthearted, almost too casual given the situation.
Elaine slowly turned his head, and standing there was Yuko.
A tall man with a smirk that screamed confidence. His silver hair was slightly tousled, and his hand lazily scratched at the back of his head.
"I don't think Aika has a pet," Yuko muttered, looking at Renji with mild amusement.
Elaine clicked his tongue. "Where the hell have you been?"
Yuko grinned and pulled out a plastic bag. "Oh, you know, I figured you could handle Aika, but I didn't expect her to have a pet, and it's a high-level Jinju in the top of that. So, I thought I'd take a little detour—found a store selling my favorite muchō."
Elaine blinked, his exhaustion briefly overshadowed by disbelief. "You're late because of fucking muchō?!"
"Hey, don't be mad!" Yuko held up two packages. "I got one for you too. Chocolate flavor."
Elaine exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "Unbelievable."
Before he could yell at Yuko further—
Rustle.
Renji moved.
The monster was rising, his form still crackling with residual energy from the laser. His red eyes locked onto Yuko, but there was something different now. His breathing was heavier, his body slightly shaking.
Yuko took a bite of his muchō, chewing thoughtfully. "So this thing's a high-level Jinju, huh?"
Elaine, still trying to comprehend his partner's priorities, sighed. "Yeah."
Yuko stretched his arms above his head. "Alright, hold my muchō for a sec."
Elaine begrudgingly took it, watching as Renji vanished from sight.
Then—
Boom!
Renji reappeared in front of Yuko, lunging straight for him.
But Yuko didn't move.
Instead, he simply raised his hand—
And in an instant, a cage of light formed around Renji, trapping him mid-air.
Renji let out an inhuman roar, struggling against the glowing prison. His body twisted and contorted, golden energy flickering wildly.
Yuko's eyes narrowed as he slowly began to shrink the cage.
The smaller it got—
The more Renji screamed.
The golden glow in his eyes dimmed. His monstrous form began to shift—bones cracking, limbs retracting—until finally—
A human collapsed onto the ground.
Renji was back to his normal self.
Yuko lowered his hand, tilting his head as he observed the unconscious figure. "Huh. So Aika's pet was actually a human."
He turned to Elaine. "Alright, mind explaining? Where's Aika?"
Elaine, expression unreadable, simply pointed at Renji's stomach.
Yuko stared for a moment.
Then—
"Oh."
His smirk faded.
"Well… that's not good."