Volume 9's POV: Third Person POV

"So, uh, that's what happened? All in one morning?" David would say to Miyuki. It was now the evening of the same day. Miyuki was at the Police station, sitting on a wooden chair in an empty room. David sat across the table from her, taking notes in his small notebook while she explained the events of that morning. "You witnessed Taro's murder?"

"I-I did... Mr. Taro..." Miyuki shuddered, her eyes going blank when the image of that scene replayed in her mind. She felt like crying but there were no tears left to give. "How can someone do such a thing..."

"Hmmm..." David thought as he continued to write down what information he could from this interrogation. "Do you have any idea what the suspect looked like? I need you to tell me what you know about what happened this morning."

"I don't know! They were covered in shadows or something! It wasn't even dark clothing, it was like they were from a completely different world!"

"Sekken, I can only help you as much as you will allow me. I need you to give me a real description of what you saw. If I catch you protecting the offender, that can land you in prison in just as severe of a punishment as any I-35 member."

"Bro, I'm telling you the truth! What I saw probably wasn't human, but whatever it was that killed Mr. Taro, they have to be either one of the hooded figures or the head honcho themselves." Miyuki would explain before reaching into her pocket and pulling out something that she took from the crime scene, giving it over to David. "This note was somehow stuck to my back. It only makes my situation worse"

David then took the blood stained note, reading it over carefully while he tried piecing together what it meant:

"Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

I'm surprised that you aren't dead yet.

You will be though, because the Barricades are hunting you.

~ The Goddess of Shadows. (P.S. You don't need to worry about Omo anymore, she's in good hands now)"

" 'The Goddess of Shadows', what type of pretentious name is that?" David thought aloud while he sealed the sticky note inside of a plastic bag. "You should know that taking evidence from a scene isn't something you should do. That can get you in trouble too-"

"-I know that! I didn't notice it until I had left the scene. When I found the note, the first thing on my mind was taking it to you! I went to school early so I could get the needed evidence so you could search the school premises and stop these guys. What I didn't realize though was that this enemy is far beyond anything the police have dealt with."

"Whether it was intentional or not, we'll still need to run tests. What makes you say that the police 'can't handle' these kids?"

"These 'kids' aren't just 'kids'. You see, David, you aren't dealing with the average teenagers anymore..."

"What? Are they armed?"

"Maybe, but I'm not talking about being 'armed'. I'm talking about something even greater than that. Call me crazy for saying this, I don't care: These teenagers have superpowers!"

Miyuki could tell that David was confused, even amused by her statement. The room had settled into an eerie moment of silence which was only broken by the soft chuckles of disbelief from Detective David. "Superpowers? What is this, Super Joe?"

"Yes."

"... you're not joking, are you? Are you sure you're not just dream–"

Miyuki's fist would suddenly slam onto the table, said table rattling with a dent being imprinted on its metal top. "Have your guys search the school! You'll see the multiple holes in the ceiling, heavy dust clouds, a broken golden necklace, massive dents in the metal cafeteria doors, the destroyed bathroom, and NOT TO MENTION the LITERAL GAPING HOLE through my teacher's chest! Don't tell me that I don't know what I saw when I was literally there to experience that hell for two hours ON MY OWN WITHOUT any help."

David sat there in silence. He, puzzled by the bizarre information she had just dropped on him, began to tap his fingers on the desk slowly. Superpowers? How was that even possible? Since when did that exist in this world? After another moment of pausing to regather his thoughts, David looked Miyuki in the eye, speaking in a quieter tone. "I'll tell you this: My guys are currently investigating the school because of Mr. Taro's murder. If what you say is true and the evidence backs you up, then under no circumstances can we tell the public about the existence of the supernatural. I don't even trust the government with this knowledge because who knows what monster they will become because of it." David then returned his notebook and pen into his backpack, then taking out his laptop from that same backpack to address another problem.

"I wish you had told me earlier that you had no other place to go. The police station has received reports of you loitering at a public bus stop." The detective then typed on his laptop and went to search for something, then spun his computer around so Sekken could see the screen. "This is a homeless shelter near the town's capital. Though it is funded by the mayor, it's still pretty shit, but if you want somewhere to stay for a little while without getting into trouble, then that may be your best bet. I can't have you stay at that bus stop or else you could get a fine."

"Man, a homeless shelter? That sucks! Aren't they always super gross?" Miyuki couldn't help but cringe when she took sight of the rundown building. With the sight of old peeling paint and rusty door hinges, she could only wonder just what part of the shelter the mayor funds?

"It's either that or you live on the streets and risk getting mugged in broad daylight by criminals. By this note, the Barricades, who I'd presume to be those hooded figures, are coming after you. We can put you in protective custody, but if they truly have superpowers then I'm not sure how 'protective' having the constant attention of the police would be. If you want to lay low for a while then that's all I can do for you, Miyuki. This is your choice to go to that shelter or not. Unfortunately for you, your parents aren't here to hold your hand until you're eighteen. You have to make your own decisions and live for yourself."

Miyuki gave a slow nod before standing up from her seat. David then printed out a referral sheet for her to take to the shelter for whenever she chose to stop by. Once that paper was in hand, Miyuki somberly walked out of the police station without another word.

Sekken was now left alone on the streets of New Tako Town. Her arms hugged her sides while she kept her head low to avoid the view of other passing pedestrians. New Tako Town was a decent sized town, ranking close to the average area of a standard town in Japan. Though its size was average, its population was not. The town suffered from severe cases of overpopulation near the town's heart mainly due to having the highest poverty and homeless count in the surrounding district. Every block one could see at least three or four tents being put up in the middle of alleyways or even public sidewalks. Walking through the large crowd during rush hour reminded Miyuki of getting through the transition period in Maguro High, but instead of crowds of at most thirty students with occasional brawls sprouting here and there, it was crowds of thousands of grown adults on each block with police cruisers parked and on standby.

Sekken usually never came to the heart of New Tako. Her adoptive mother always tried to keep her in the third of the eight different areas of the town. The third area was the suburban section and where they lived. To make travel more convenient, it also included Maguro High and the Junior High. The heart of the town was considered the first area which had the town hall, important office buildings, the hospital, and the homeless shelter just to name a few. Being in the heart for the second time in a week was something she was reluctant about due to the sheer anxiety the crowds caused her.

While Miyuki strolled by herself down the sidewalk, the wail of sirens could be heard passing by, and two police cars would be seen disappearing down the middle of the town's main street. What followed the sirens was the crashing sound of windows. From behind Miyuki, two grown men stood in their hooded outfits with rags over their faces. Each of them held stones which pelted the windows of the store until it broke, allowing the two to freely enter the store and loot it clean of its items.

Sekken stood there frozen, watching as it went on. What further instilled fear in her were the desperate cries of help from employees. Her body told her to run, yet she just stood there like her shoes were glued to the cement. Within a minute, those thieves would bail out of the store with arms full of bags of money before running down the street.

Miyuki would notice that a stone was in her hand, which she happened to grab without noticing until a moment later. She had the idea to throw it at the robbers, but her body wouldn't move to act. Just a moment of stalling allowed those robbers to disappear from her sight before she could convince herself to retaliate. Her chance slipped through her fingers... and with those chances, that stone came with, which would hit the pavement as Miyuki left it behind.

("Superpowers exist in this world. Real people wield fictional powers... It sounded exciting when I first learned about it, but this is turning out to be a total nightmare! They know they can get away with doing the shittiest things, and no one wants to be a superhero. The superpowered just fill their desires, and here I am... metaphorically sitting on my ass because not even this city's protectors can save themselves from them. Even if I had the power to stand up, I'm too scared to do it! I coward out so much that I even coward away from myself. I don't know how to stand up... or when I do, I am more focused on saving myself from pain, and then end up being more miserable and disappointed than I was before.

"I can't save myself, let alone my own friends and family... maybe I should just stop. If I can't live in peace, have a family, and save myself from inevitable doom... then I guess I should embrace it. It's not like I have any other choices left. They call me 'Slippy the Untouchable'... yeah, I guess you're kinda right..." )

Miyuki continued to walk down the streets, eventually coming up to the block where her previous place of stay was: the bus stop. All she had there was a bag that had her remaining school items inside which were only some textbooks, a few pencils, and her gym clothes. It wasn't surprising to her that when she returned this time, those were no longer there.

"Well, I guess those are gone too then." Miyuki emptily muttered to herself, then sat down on the empty bench. The cars continued to pass by, crowds of people moved along main street, and Miyuki now was left alone. After these dark hours that have passed, Miyuki could only bear to sit down and think. Sekken's mind would get lost in the white noise of the city, eventually going into a daydream, a dream that filled her vision and took her back to that very morning.

She could picture a light. This light could also be seen on her body, which lit up in a tense glow, and an accompanying feeling of great strength. Not only physical strength, but it also gave Miyuki a sensation of... confidence? This confidence was followed by a giddy tingling sensation, then a smile. It was her own image of that power, but now she was the one wielding it, and wielding it to protect a soul that was already far too gone in her time... Manaka.

Then she could picture a person, one that laid next to her. They appeared to be a male close to Manaka's age who had ended up in a poor physical state. Miyuki looked down at the body, lifting up their head to see who it was. Under the mangled and horrified face, the remaining features could have been made out to be Crazy Billy, who laid there with a frozen face of fear. His body was motionless and felt as cold as ice.

The setting then changed, Miyuki now picturing a room. It had Manaka tied to a chair, then her tied in the other, and a sudden wash of fatigue hitting Miyuki as she sat there. A moment later, Manaka would helplessly faded away into nothingness, like if she had vanished in air... and seen just across from Miyuki was a lifeless Mr. Taro laying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Lastly, she could picture the door opening, followed by a figure walking through. It was a single person who was about average height. Their features couldn't be made out because they were covered by shadows. This person walked with patience, taking their time with every single step. Every step they took, the floor began to shake, the walls began to quake, and their overwhelming strength made the room feel like it would collapse at any time. Their slow, deep, and intense strides were only stopped when they got face to face with Miyuki. They wouldn't say anything, just giving a small smirk and then uttering a distorted cackle.

No matter how hard Miyuki squirmed, stirred, and shook to break out of the ropes that bound her, they wouldn't budge an inch. Her ears burned, her heart was sore, and her head ached as this person laughed a never ending laugh. She wanted to cry for help, but her voice was muted. The noise only grew along with Miyuki's desperation, that desperation turning to hopeless fear once the shadowy figure reached its boney claw-like hand out towards her.

"Hey! Hey!"

Miyuki had suddenly snapped back to reality, looking to her left, then to her right. She was still at the bus stop. The sun was beginning to set behind the distant buildings which only meant night was soon to come. Sekken then noticed the man that was shaking her shoulder and then the bus that was parked in front of them. This man was the bus driver.

"Are you going on the bus or what? I've been sitting here for the past five minutes waiting!"

"O-oh, sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention"

"Say, kid, where are your parents? You don't look much older than fifteen, you shouldn't be out here this late."

"I-... I'm fine!" Miyuki abruptly responded. Without taking another glance at the bus driver, she would stand up and promptly leave. With no other place to go, all she could do now was visit that homeless shelter. The thought of what the conditions would be like made Miyuki shudder. There wasn't a better option, so it wasn't like she had a choice.

The homeless shelter then came in sight. Once Miyuki stopped in front of it, she could easily tell that the picture she saw on Detective David's screen was no different than what she saw in front of her. The peeling paint was still there, the rusted metal was still there, and Miyuki's dread was still there. She didn't even have to enter to be greeted with a strong odor that could be a mix of dirty old gym socks, spoiled food, sulfur, and rotting wood. What awaited Miyuki was a completely new way of life. It was a way of life she was reluctant to live in, but one she had to if she valued her life at all... which by now, that value was greatly depreciated.

It was a long wait to check in. Miyuki had to give the referral from David, explain to the workers why she had no home, and why she wasn't going to foster care. The headache of getting checked in took nearly an hour's worth of work, but at last she was given a spot to stay.

Just as she had assumed, the shelter was dirty, smelly, and depressing to the eye. It wasn't because care was neglected, but because there were so many people staying here that it was impossible to keep up even with over a dozen staff members working every hour on the hour.

Miyuki's bed was made pretty quickly once she got here. It sat in the far back of the shelter, so she had to weave through the maze of other homeless elderly, middle aged adults, and a few young adults. While climbing through that winding maze, there were no sights of peers her age from what she could see. Maybe there were some, but Miyuki then was too mentally drained to look very hard. All she wanted to do was lay down in her bed and get a few hours of rest from the day, which is exactly what she would do once she got the opportunity to do so.

The bed wasn't that bad for being so cheap. It was a gym mat laid on top of a camping cot with a bath towel thrown over it. The shelter ran out of pillows, so Miyuki was forced to sleep without one. It wasn't great, but it was more comfortable than sleeping on a hard metallic bus stop bench. Her body went to sleep within a few short minutes of being settled, the next day of her new life coming to her quicker than she could realize.