Slick and Baldy stopped short at the edge of the platform, just as the doors slammed shut. The train began to inch forward. Slick’s lips curled into a snarl as he pulled back the left sleeve of his suit-coat. Strange, sibilant sounds began to slip off of his tongue as arcane symbols seeped from the faint, dark-red glow of his manaccelerator.

Baldy clapped a hand over his friend’s wrist. “No magic. Too many people around.”

His spell interrupted, Slick wrested his arm from the other man’s grip and asked, “You got a better idea?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact.” Baldy’s smile was feral as his eyes fell on a pair of girls in high-school uniforms. One of the girls carried a large, pear-shaped case strapped to her shoulder. It was almost as big as she was and the easy way she carried it was impressive. The grinning man moved forward, grabbed hold of the strap and ripped it from the girl’s shoulder.

“Hey! My cello!” she shouted. “What’s your problem, creep!?”

Hefting the case in both hands, the man hurled the cello case towards the tracks. It spun end over end, describing a downward arc as it soared past the edge of the platform and onto the tracks, directly in front of the train Kusa boarded a moment before. The horrified schoolgirl shrieked as her instrument came crunching down to the ground an instant before the train rolled over it, further ensuring it would never again be played.

“Sorry,” the man purred, the nasty grin spreading even wider, making him look truly sinister. “It must have slipped.”

Something cold and sticky crawled down the teenager’s spine. She grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled the other girl away, practically dragging her, then broke into a run. She didn’t stop until they were well out of the station.

“Hey, I saw that! Stop right there!” A police officer shouted, charging towards the man, flanked by a trio of station attendants.

The slick-haired man pursed his lips. “Any more bright ideas?”

Shaking his head, the bald man replied, “It’s your turn this time.”