The next morning, while it was still barely light, Gekko Hoshino roughly dragged the Hanfu brothers out of bed.
"Dad, it's too early for school."
Hanfu checked the time. It was only a little past five, and he nearly collapsed.
The previous night, after advancing the Chakra Refinement Technique to perfection, Hanfu had spent half an hour refining Chakra. Then he practiced the Forbidden Body Activation Technique, using Chakra to stimulate his Muscle Cells. The process required precise control of Chakra on a microscopic level, so Hanfu had remained tense and focused the entire time. By eleven, his Mental Will had finally reached its limit, and he'd gone to sleep, exhausted!
"We're not going to school."
Gekko Hoshino was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt. With a solemn expression, he handed them two smaller versions of the same outfit and said gravely, "Hanfu, Hayate, hurry up and get dressed!"
"Okay."
Hanfu didn't know what was going on, but it looked serious. He didn't dare fool around, and took the clothes and put them on.
Hayate, meanwhile, kept his eyes half-closed the whole time. He sleepwalked through getting dressed and washing up. By the time he came to, he was already outside, with nothing but a rice ball in his hand.
"Big brother, where am I?"
Hayate stuffed the rice ball into his mouth and chewed, rubbing his eyes as he looked curiously at the dozens of people ahead. "Why did everyone get up so early? Where are we going?"
"To attend... a funeral," Hanfu said softly.
By then, a crowd of Moonlight Clan members dressed in black had gathered outside the Hanfu home. There were about fifty or sixty of them, young and old, men and women. Inoue Gekko, Matsushita Gekko, and Gekko Ryofu were among them. All wore sorrowful