Nanami flinched at the volume, instinctively jerking upright and in the process, dropped the car keys, which clattered and disappeared under the driver's seat.
Nanami glanced up, confused. "What are you?"
"I found him!" Gin declared triumphantly. "Prime!"
"Huh? What? Where?" Nanami craned his neck, looking through the front window. Other drivers leaned out too. "Wait, did he say Prime?!"
"Did he say Prime?!" someone in the crowd echoed.
Iwaizumi and Tabaki looked up too first scanning the sky, then the street. That's usually where they saw Prime appear.
But they didn't see anyone.
Only Gin did.
From his point of view:
A man in gold and white armor, cape trailing behind him like thunderclouds, moving gracefully through the crowd.
Similar to his rival. It couldn't be mistaken.
"That's definitely Prime," Gin breathed.
And then without another word he sprinted off through the crowd, weaving through foot traffic with reckless speed and zero self-preservation. He bumped pedestrians, clipped a trash can, and nearly knocked over a hot dog cart.
"PRIME!" he shouted. "WE MUST DUEL!"
Tabaki blinked. "Did he just?"
"He just ran off," Iwaizumi groaned, breaking into a jog. "Come on!"
Both boys took off after him on foot, weaving through confused civilians as they chased the increasingly unhinged Gin, whose speed kept climbing.
"PRIIIIIME!!" he bellowed. "I DEMAND A MATCH! I NEED TO TEST MY STRENGTH!"
Back at the patrol car, Nanami groaned, half his torso wedged under the seat.
"Where come on get BACK HERE," he hissed, hand blindly scrabbling around.
From the sidewalk, people were pointing and murmuring:
"Did he just say Prime?"
"Did he say duel??"
A civilian shouted, "Officer! There's a crazy man running around causing chaos—you have to arrest him!"
"I know," Nanami snapped. "He's going to start a panic if he tackles the wrong person"
Finally click his fingers closed around the keys.
"Yes!"
He shot up, slammed the door shut, and jammed the ignition.
Up ahead, Gin was still running, full speed, feet barely touching the ground. Tabaki and Iwaizumi trailed behind, weaving through startled civilians.
"PRIIIIIME!" he roared. "SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!!"
Tabaki huffed, "How the hell is he that fast?! What kind of training does K-Pen do?!"
Iwaizumi, already wheezing, gasped, "Too fast... and no pulse? That's... not right."
The patrol car pulled alongside them, Nanami leaning out the window. "Get in! We're not letting him tackle some random guy in a costume!"
They dove in, just in time to watch Gin skid to a dramatic stop mere feet from his target.
A man in armor turned around, confused.
Gin's eyes widened.
He stared.
Then blinked.
"Prri…Wait a minute."
There was no glow. No gravity. No presence. The armor was a little too polished. The boots? Spray-painted. The cape? Nylon. The jawline? Way too soft.
Gin's face crumpled.
"You're not Prime," he whispered, heartbroken.
The cosplayer blinked. "Huh? You want a photo?"
Gin stood frozen, fists slack at his sides.
"You're not Prime," he whispered again, like a child who had just realized the magician at his birthday party was just his uncle in a wig.
The cosplayer, now awkward and slightly nervous, gave a hesitant thumbs-up. "Uh… I do birthday parties too, if that's what this is?"
Gin didn't answer. He just stood there, blinking at the man's nylon cape like it had betrayed him personally.
Behind him, the patrol car screeched to a halt. Nanami jumped out, tablet in one hand, the other pressed to his forehead.
Gin stared at the armored figure, brows furrowed.
"Why do you wear his armor and look like him? Are you his son?"
The cosplayer blinked, clearly confused. "Huh? I'm a cosplayer, buddy. This is what I do for a living. I mean thanks, I guess. Pretty impressed you thought I was Prime... but sorry. Nobody's seen him since."
Gin slowly recoiled, shoulders slumping. The fire in his eyes dimmed. No duel. No match. Just a guy in spray-painted boots.
A small crowd had gathered, phones up like antennas.
"Can't believe he thought that was Prime," one girl snickered.
"Village people for you," another added, laughing.
Nanami pushed through the crowd, exasperated.
"Gin, sir, why did you run off like that?!"
Then, turning to the onlookers, Nanami raised both hands like a stage magician wrapping up a show.
"Alright folks nothing to see here. Just a misunderstanding. My friend here's… from out of town. Sorry for the commotion."
The crowd, realizing the entertainment was over, dispersed like fog in sunlight. Nanami exhaled deeply, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead.
"Well done, Nanami," he muttered to himself with a smug grin. "And no need to call up Chief Megnon. Hehe."
At last, Iwaizumi and Tabaki pushed their way through the last of the stragglers, both breathless from the sprint.
Tabaki looked Gin up and down in disbelief.
"Were you in the Olympics before this or something? That speed with no Pulse? If you ever awakened, you'd be a speedster for sure. You moved so freaking fast."
Iwaizumi didn't say a word. He just stared at Gin like someone trying to solve an equation that refused to balance.
Nanami, meanwhile, was still muttering under his breath, clearly annoyed.
Tabaki nudged Iwaizumi. "This guy has no Pulse and still outruns a patrol car. What kind of place is K-Penitentiary?"
Gin muttered, "How was I supposed to know anyone could just wear the bodysuit? I thought it was bonded… proprietary or something…"
Then, turning to the others with a curious glance, he asked,
"You guys know much about Prime, right?"
Tabaki shrugged. "Not really. I'm more into Dungeons & Heroes. But Iwaizumi? He's the Prime guy."
Still silent, Iwaizumi kept his eyes locked on Gin.
Gin tilted his head. "Well?"
Iwaizumi finally spoke, his voice flat.
"You're aware he's not around anymore, right? He's not coming back. Rank A Gates are gone. Don't bring up that kind of talk."
Nanami returned just then, holding a tablet and glancing at his watch.
"Please. Sign the transfer form so I can finally leave." He handed it to Iwaizumi. "Chief Megnon's definitely going to kill me."
Iwaizumi signed without a word. Nanami gave them a lazy salute.
"Good luck. You'll need it."
He turned to head back to his vehicle when
Gin slapped his forehead. "My bags!"
Iwaizumi stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing.
"You left your bags to chase a cosplayer."
Gin nodded sheepishly. "Let's go back and get them?"
Iwaizumi groaned, already walking off. "They're long gone. This is a city, not a daycare. You don't abandon your stuff to play tag."
Tabaki winced. "Chill, Iwa."
Then, more quietly to Gin, "He means well. Just… doesn't like it when Prime gets brought up."
Gin watched Iwaizumi's back. "Hmm. He wants to be Prime's rival too?"
Tabaki stood beside him. "Something like that. He wants to be a hero… but he has no Pulse."
Gin squinted. "How does not having a Pulse stop someone from being a hero?"
Tabaki hesitated. "Well… you can't be one without it."
"Says who?" Gin asked, voice sharper now.
Before Tabaki could answer, Iwaizumi's voice rang out.
"Well?! Are you guys coming or not?!"
"Coming!" Tabaki called back.
Gin gave Iwaizumi one more look long, thoughtful, unreadable before finally following. The idea of needing a Pulse to be a hero... didn't sit right with him.
Nanami gave them a wave from the driver's seat, pulling the door closed.
But then
A scream tore down the street.
The air shifted. People were already running, fast and frantic, some tripping over themselves. Something was coming.
All three turned instinctively. Gin's fingers twitched.
"What is this sensation… this ominous presence?"
At the far corner of the street, people backed away, gasping. A shimmer hovered above the pavement like heat waves folding and pulsing in the air, warping the light.
Then came the sound: a deep groan of pressure, like steel twisting on itself.
A Gate was forming.
Chaos ignited. Drivers slammed brakes. Horns blared. Pedestrians screamed and fled. A glass bottle shattered in the street someone's grocery bag abandoned mid-run.
The distortion pulsed once. Twice. Then with a flash, it snapped open, fully stable.
It was massive.
And fresh.