Gin's Hunter

"He's dead?"

"I think he already in after life."

Ten minutes.

Ten whole minutes of him lying on the floor like a human-shaped puddle, and I was about ready to just get a blanket and call it a day.

Honestly,

I was starting to think we should just start taking bets on how long it would take for him to wake up.

But then it happened.

KRYUKKKKGGG

His stomach growled.

I looked around the room.

No one else seemed to notice this absolute disaster waiting to happen.

But seriously, the noise that came from this kid's stomach?

Uhh

It sounded like a bear was inside him fighting for a life.

Nay's eyes practically lit up.

"Whoa, is that... is that your superpower? Can you make earthquakes with your stomach? That would be so cool!"

I turned my head just in time to see him twitch and mumble,

"Uh... no, that's not my ability…"

Nay grinned, clearly not fazed by his response.

"Oh. Well, still. That would be kind of awesome, right? Like, you could totally warn everyone when a storm's coming!"

"....."his face literally pictured wtf I'm doing here

He was probably wondering why he even came here.

Lia, who had been so perfect, brushing Oyen with the precision of a royal hairdresser, finally looked up, a serene smile on her face.

"We should feed him. Can't let him pass out from hunger... or from his stomach performing its one-man show for us."

Uncle, who had clearly been monitoring the situation with that patented 'parental concern' look on his face, appeared with a tray of takoyaki.

"Good call, Lia. Let's get this kid some food before he self-destructs."

The guy looked at the takoyaki like it was an ancient relic. His hands hovered over it, as if testing if it was some sort of secret initiation ritual.

"Just eat it. It's not a trap," I said, deadpan.

"You're not gonna unlock some cursed magic and turn into a giant octopus or something. I promise."

He hesitated for a second before cautiously taking a bite. And just like that, the whole room seemed to relax.

For a moment, it was like someone flipped a switch, and he became a normal human being again.

He wasn't going to pass out.

He wasn't going to explode. He was just... eating.

"...It's Haru."

"Ouh"

"Oh"

The room, however, remained awkwardly silent.

Like, too silent.

And that's when Nay decided it was time to add her usual chaos into the mix.

"So, uh, what's your ability,uh..haku? Can you do anything cool? Teleport, make stuff explode, anything like that?"

Since when his name is Haku?

Lia smashed Nay's head.

'nice!'

"It's Haru."

The guy blinked at them, looking a little caught off guard.

"Uh...is fine. I can manipulate earth. Rocks, dirt... nothing too flashy."

Nay nodded eagerly even though her head already has a lumpy on one side.

"That's still awesome! Like, you could probably make your own secret base or something. You know, like build a cool underground lair! You could even make a throne out of rocks and rule the world!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe not rule the world... but at least make a really cool backyard."

"I guess that could work," Haru said, a little relieved someone wasn't asking him to summon meteors because he was once asked before.

Lia, who had been observing quietly, now spoke in her usual calm and collected tone.

"Earth manipulation is an impressive ability, Haru. It's stable, reliable. I'm sure you'll find plenty of uses for it here."

Nay beamed at Lia.

"Yeah! I bet you could make some awesome sandcastles too, right?"

Lia glanced at Nay's sparkling eyes, her expression staying perfectly composed.Just not yet.

"I suppose that's one way to use earth. But maybe we'll start with something more practical."

Uncle, with his usual laid-back vibe, smiled.

"Alright, introductions are done. Haru, meet your new teammates. We're a bit of a weird bunch, but we'll make sure you fit right in."

"I'm Lucy, by the way," I said, leaning back in my chair.

"I'm 18.welcome to the team."

Nay practically jumped up from her seat, bouncing with excitement.

"I'm Nay! I'm 17! You're gonna love hanging out with us. We're all really fun!"

Lia smiled at Haru, her movements as graceful as ever.

"I'm Magnolia, but you can call me Lia. I can manipulate anything related with wind and I do enjoy a peaceful environment."

Haru looked at each of us, still processing what had just happened.

"Well... okay then. I'm Haru Kugaru. 17 years old. I came here because I thought maybe I could find someone like me.i guess."

Uncle gave a little chuckle and clapped his hands together.

"Good! That's the spirit! We'll figure it all out. Welcome to the madness, Haru. We'll take good care of you."

"Madness?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"More like, 'Welcome to the mess that is us.'"

Nay beamed.

"Exactly! It's gonna be so fun! You'll see."

Haru blinked and smiled weakly, probably questioning his life choices, but hey, at least he wasn't dead from hunger anymore.

The day end just like that.

---

The sun was barely up when Haru was thrown into the trial that no one could escape—Nay's Pancake Gauntlet.

His face was fresh, his eyes bright, but he had no idea what was about to hit him.

Nay, already bouncing in place like a child in a candy store, was way too excited.

Her hands were shaking as she plopped stack after stack of pancakes onto Haru's plate.

"You have to eat all of these, Haru!" she practically squealed.

"It's for your own good!"

Haru looked at the pancakes like they were poisonous snakes, but he didn't want to be rude.

"Uh... okay?"

Big mistake.

I exchanged a look with Leonard. We both shared the same thought:

'Oh, he's so dead.'

'Indeed.let set the funeral first.'

Haru took a tentative bite, and immediately I saw it—the regret. It was like a flicker in his eyes, the kind you see when someone realizes they've just made a massive mistake, like when you accidentally text the wrong person and your entire life flashes before your eyes.

But he kept chewing, probably out of politeness. Nay was practically glowing.

"You're doing great, Haru!" Nay cheered, putting another stack of pancakes onto his plate.

"You're almost halfway through! This is so exciting!"

'help'

Haru's eyes screamed for help.

They darted around the room like a trapped animal looking for an escape route, but we all just watched.

There was no savior here. This was his fate now.

Yah.

And that's when I remembered—this was me.

This was us.

We had all been there before, sitting where Haru was, looking at a pile of pancakes the size of a small mountain, knowing full well we were about to make a mortal enemy out of food.

Lia leaned back in her chair, sighing deeply.

'I still have nightmares about the pancakes.'

Her hand instinctively rubbed her stomach.

'It's gave me PTSD.'

Leonard shook his head, remembering his own pancake-induced horror.

'If I ever see another pancake in my life, I'll burn it down.'

He grimaced, and for a moment, I thought he was going to have a flashback to the trauma.But he still keep do pancake ,I suspect my uncle was masochist.

Meanwhile, Nay was oblivious.

She was shoveling more pancakes onto Haru's plate like it was the last meal on Earth.

"You've got this, Haru! I know you can finish all this food!"

Haru looked like he was considering a dramatic escape, maybe running away to join a monastery, or, you know, trying to fake his own death.

But instead, he just kept eating. One bite, two bites, and then I saw it—the tears. Yes, tears. Haru was silently crying into his stack of pancakes, but Nay didn't even notice.

"Almost done! Almost done!" she cheered. Her excitement was more than his ability to chew.

But as Haru slowly pushed the last bite into his mouth, I saw his soul leave his body. He slumped over the table dramatically like he had just been hit by a pancake truck. He gave the world one last look of pure despair and then... passed out.

Yep, out cold. Pancake-induced coma.

'rest in peace, friend'

'rest in peace,kid'

'rest in peace,Haru'

"Noooo!" Nay gasped in pure shock.

"But you were so close, Haru! So close!"

We all stared at his limp form like he had just been sacrificed to the pancake gods.

Poor guy looked like he'd just survived a battlefield. The room was silent for a moment—except for the sound of Nay's voice, breaking through the silence with a level of optimism that should be illegal.

"He's just... napping, right?" Nay asked, looking at us like we should've had an answer.

But we knew the truth.

There was no coming back from that pancake grave.

Lia looked at Leonard, who looked back at her. They both sighed in unison.

"We did that too," Leonard said.

"We didn't listen. We thought we could handle it." He gave Haru a sympathetic glance.

"It's just... pancakes, man. They'll get you eventually."

I looked down at my plate, thinking about my first pancake nightmare. The pancake gods were merciless. And now, Haru was one of us.

Nay's innocent smile remained unshaken. She was happy. She was fulfilled.

She loved watching people eat. It was like a hobby for her.

"Look! He's so skinny! And now he's full! This is the best!" she cheered, oblivious to the absolute horror we had all just witnessed.

We all looked at each other. And then, as if on cue, we each placed our hands over our hearts in solidarity with Haru.

Rest in peace, Haru's stomach.

You fought bravely.

The room, still tense from Haru's pancake ordeal, quieted as Leonard's voice cut through the conversation.

"Yesterday,I've just received a call," Leonard said, his tone more serious than usual.

Haru who was in state pancake coma before now woke up in daze and confused.what call?

"There's been a series of suicides at a local school. We suspect a Gin's involved."

The word Gin hit me like a punch in the stomach. The monster responsible for my parents' deaths.

My fists clenched involuntarily, but I forced myself to keep calm.

I'am not the younger me who can't control emotion. It was about stopping whatever or whoever was hurting people.

"What's the situation?"

I asked, keeping my voice as steady as possible despite the anger that was bubbling up inside.

Uncle's expression grew grim. Uncle know me better than others.

"Several students have been found dead, all hanging in the same position, in random place. But there's something strange. Each of them looks... drained, like they've been sucked dry of life energy. We believe it's a Gin."

"What about the police?"

"Clueless."

I felt a chill run down my spine at the description.

Gin were ruthless predators.

They sucked the life out of people like they were nothing more than prey.

Some were worse than others, and the worst ones didn't stop at draining energy—they devoured the flesh or blood, depending on the type and level.

Lia, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke, her voice cool but tight.

"Suicides, you said? Or is it something else?"

I could tell by her voice, despite her calm tone, that she knew more than she was letting on.

She, like me, had seen the damage Gin could do for unknown reason.

But unlike me, Lia hid it behind a veil of indifference, a quiet detachment. Maybe she didn't want to acknowledge how personal this was, how much it hurt.

Nay was less reserved, always the one to jump in.

"Gins are tricky. Some suck life energy, some eat... other stuff,"

She said brightly, as if the subject wasn't the least bit disturbing.

"From what Leonard's describing, sounds like we're dealing with a life-sucker."

Haru, who was still trying to get a grip on everything, looked utterly lost.His face screamed what's going on.

"Wait, so... like... vampires?"

I raised an eyebrow but kept my response simple.

"Yeah,but not kind of. They drain your life force, and if they're the bloodsucking kind... well, it gets worse and worse."

Haru swallowed hard, his face pale.

"So... if I'm not feeling weird around one, does that mean I'm good?"

I shrugged.

"Let's hope so. But don't take it for granted."

Leonard slapped Haru on the back in an attempt to reassure him, but it didn't quite work.

"Relax, kid.i think those thing doesn't even think you're different from those victim corpse."

"....."

"you're being too honest,Mr.Leo"

"I always being an honest man."

"....."

Haru was still a newbie in this world, and Gin didn't play nice with anyone.

But I didn't have time to explain that to him now. We had to stop the Gin before more lives were lost.

Nay, completely undeterred by the grim situation, grinned.

"So, what's the plan? Are we going to hunt this Gin down?"

Uncle nodded gravely.

"Yes. We need to act fast. The school reached out for help, and things are escalating quickly. We need to get there before more students get hurt."

I could feel the familiar knot of anger forming in my stomach.

Every time I thought of Gin, every time I thought of what they did, it made my blood boil.

But I had to stay focused.

There was no room for personal feelings in this moment. People were counting on us.

"Let's go,"

I said, my voice steely. There was no time to waste.

As we moved toward the door, I glanced at Lia.

She was standing there, quiet as ever. Her face was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes.

Something that told me she shared my anger toward the Gin. She was as affected by this as I was, but unlike me, Lia kept her feelings locked away, hidden behind a mask of calmness.

She looked away when our eyes met, but I could feel it—she understood.

The hatred for Gin ran deep in both of us, even if neither of us said it aloud.

Haru, on the other hand, seemed completely overwhelmed.

He was still trying to make sense of the reality of what was happening, and it was clear he had no idea what he was about to face.

I didn't envy him. He was in for a crash course, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

But there was no turning back now. The Gin had to be stopped.