Do You Want to Live?

Elsewhere.

Three children in raincoats ran swiftly across two streets, laughing and talking as they went. Behind them, two men vaulted over the railing and gave chase.

"Hey, you little brats up ahead, stop right there!!"

One of the men, his face scarred, let out a vicious roar. His voice was thunderous, instantly reaching the ears of the three raincoat-clad children.

Two of them stopped in confusion and looked back, fear appearing in their eyes.

They were a boy and a girl, but neither was the Scarred Man's target.

The other child in a raincoat did not slow down in the slightest. She weaved swiftly through the streets as the gale swept over her, blowing back her hood and revealing a young but determined face.

"Catch her!" The Scarred Man ignored the two children who had stopped and rushed toward Yurina with the other man.

Although Yurina was already running with all her strength, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl simply could not match the speed of a sturdy adult man. In only a few moments, the Scarred Man caught up to her.

Yurina gritted her teeth. Instead of continuing forward, she suddenly stopped and swung both hands from beneath her raincoat at the charging Scarred Man!

A cloud of insanely spicy chili powder scattered from her palms.

The wind blew the chili powder into the Scarred Man's eyes. He cried out miserably and immediately curled up on the ground in agony, his eyes bloodshot and veins standing out one by one on his hands.

Just as Yurina turned to flee again, the other man suddenly grabbed her wrist and forcibly yanked her back. Then a whistling palm struck beside her ear. Her cheek flared with pain, and her right ear began to ring!

Thin streams of blood ran from the