Aquarium

At 5:47 p.m. on Saturday, a car screeched to a halt in the aquarium parking lot.

The door flew open, and a man stumbled out in a rush, muttering over and over, "A mole on the left side of his neck. A man with a mole on the left side of his neck..."

A little girl's voice rang out in the distance. "Wow, Anya had so much fun with Mama and Papa today!"

Yuri suddenly froze. An indescribable tremor rose from deep within him, as though an invisible thread had yanked at his soul.

He instinctively pressed himself against the car and swallowed.

That's right, this feeling... She must be here. She's right nearby...

Sis!!

Yuri clenched his fists, his nails nearly digging into his palms. He desperately wanted to rush out and see his sister, but reason kept reminding him that he couldn't. If he missed his window, he wouldn't be able to catch Black Nightmare.

Damn you, Black Nightmare! You're keeping me from seeing my beloved sister. Even executing you ten thousand times wouldn't be enough!!

I'll catch you this time. I swear it on my name, Yuri Briar!

The thought raged through his mind. At the same time, a sudden stab of pain shot through his abdomen.

Yuri clutched his old injury and gritted his teeth. "I miss my sister so much that even the ribs she broke hugging me when I was little are starting to ache."

Just then, Yor, the world's top-ranked assassin, suddenly sneezed as the Forger family approached.

Twilight immediately gave her a concerned look. "Miss Yor, is something wrong? Is it too cold here? Have you caught a cold?"

Yor gently shook her head, looking a little bewildered. "No, I just have this feeling that my younger brother is nearby..."

Her younger brother?

Twilight quickly searched through the information in his head.

Yuri Briar, a government employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs... Nothing particularly concerning.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met your brother, Miss Yor."

Yor looked slightly uneasy. "That's because I... I... My brother is very busy. He works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so he has quite a lot of paperwork to deal with every day."

He's a little obsessive. If I told Mr. Loid, he might worry.

"I see. Still, family members ought to see each other." Twilight nodded, suspecting nothing.

Trusting your family is the most basic part of being a family.

Meanwhile, Anya kept her head down, her cheeks puffing as she struggled not to laugh out loud.

Mama doesn't seem very good at lying. Papa actually believed that. Hehehe...

Only after the Forger family had vanished around the corner did Yuri emerge from behind the car.

He stared in the direction the three had gone, his expression dark. "Damn it, was the man who just spoke my sister's husband...? Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Then he took a deep breath and pulled himself together. "No, what matters right now is finding Black Nightmare. The first thing I'll do after catching him is go to my sister's house!!"

Clap, clap!

Applause suddenly rang out. Karen slowly stepped out from behind a car opposite him.

He had originally planned to act at six sharp, but a sudden, inexplicable pang of unease had made him change his plans. When he spotted the woman approaching in the distance, he, too, had hidden against a car.

He hadn't emerged until Yor was far away and he was sure it was safe, only to run straight into Yuri, who was searching for him.

"You really are clever, and you certainly love your sister." Karen slipped his hands into his pockets, his tone faintly teasing.

"Damn you, Black Nightmare! Don't think you'll get away so easily this time!" Yuri shouted, lowering his stance slightly and aiming his pistol steadily at Karen's chest. "That mole on the left side of your neck gave you away!"

Karen raised an eyebrow, then flicked his neck lightly. The "mole" fell to the ground.

"Did you think I really had a mole on my neck? I just thought I might get bored, so I gave you a little hint. Still, you're very clever. Good job finding me. How about I go buy you a bone?"

Click-

Yuri quickly racked the slide, the muzzle gleaming coldly. "Don't move! I won't let you escape this time!!"

A flicker of mockery crossed Karen's eyes. "You think that lousy gun can threaten me? Have you forgotten how you lost the first three times we met...?"

"To me... guns are no different from toys..."

Before he had finished speaking, Karen shot forward like a phantom, lunging straight at Yuri.

Yuri reacted swiftly and pulled the trigger. Several flashes burst from the pistol, and bullets whistled through the air.

But Karen deftly twisted in midair, letting the bullets skim past the edges of his clothes.

"I told you, guns are just toys to me!"

The instant Karen landed, his left hand clamped around Yuri's wrist like an iron vise and twisted hard.

Pain exploded through Yuri's wrist. His grip loosened, and the pistol clattered to the ground.

Ignoring the pain, Yuri lashed out with a kick.

Karen nimbly dodged his attacks, speaking casually all the while. "Your marksmanship isn't bad, though. You've got some skill."

"But just like I told you the first time we met... you're too green."

Before he finished speaking, Karen drove a vicious side kick into Yuri's chest.

The tremendous impact sent Yuri staggering back several steps. He quickly bent down, snatched his pistol off the ground, and aimed again. "Don't get cocky!"

Karen burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You're so cute when you're angry... But you see, when you're weak, your anger... only makes people think you're cute."

Yuri pulled the trigger again. Karen leaned aside, and the bullet skimmed past his cheek.

A second later, Karen had closed in and slammed his right fist into Yuri's abdomen.

Yuri let out a muffled groan, his body involuntarily doubling over.

Karen followed with a knee strike and a spinning kick, sending Yuri flying.

Yuri struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

He flung his pistol aside and drew a dagger from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

Damn it. Whether I use a gun or fight him up close, I'm no match for Black Nightmare. I'll have to use that.

I may be green... but I'm far better at learning and improving than this old man!!