Hiroshi stepped out of the helicopter right after Haruna. They had waited all night for the blizzard to die down before they could finally land. His boots crunched against the hardened snow as he looked ahead.
In front of them stretched a vast, impossibly dense pine forest—so thick it was almost opaque. The radar had shown that the forest covered an enormous area, nearly swallowing some hidden expanse they couldn't scan through. Even their signals and the helicopter itself had suffered countless malfunctions and strange anomalies, enough to make them stop probing any further.
And yet… Mina's last and only signal had ended here.
He scanned the surroundings. There was no sign of human life. Nothing that suggested anyone could survive in a place like this. The blizzard had been merciless. Could Mina really have died here?
No. His brows tightened. If even her body had disappeared, that would be far worse.
He glanced at Haruna. She still wore that same aristocratic, arrogant expression she had back home. Was it really a good idea to bring her here?
Suddenly, Haruna seemed oddly excited. That was when Hiroshi noticed it too. A black horse carriage stood before them.
A carriage?
You've got to be kidding.
Did someone actually live here?
A small figure—almost like a child—was feeding hay to two large black horses. The figure wore a fur-lined coat and a black beanie. At first glance, completely ordinary. Probably just a local. If they asked, it could save them hours.
"Easy. Lower your guns," Hiroshi signaled to the special forces behind him.
Haruna chewed her gum lazily. "God, this is so boring. Just come out already, Mina, you damned corpse."
She glanced down at the unfortunate man being forced to crawl on all fours beside her like a pet dog and kicked him in annoyance. The soldiers burst into crude laughter. Hiroshi simply shook his head and walked forward with two fully armed men.
As they approached, he realized—
Not a boy.
A girl.
Her skin was strangely pale, her features clearly foreign.
"Hey… little girl."
Dali turned around, widening her eyes in feigned surprise at the sight of armed soldiers. She shrank back slightly. Her two black horses suddenly snorted violently, stomping the ground so hard that the soldiers instinctively raised their rifles.
"Idiots! Stand down!" Hiroshi snapped, pushing their gun barrels aside.
Dali ducked, covering her head.
"Ah! Don't shoot me! Who are you people?! Dressed all fancy and carrying guns too!"
"Calm down," Hiroshi said, forcing his voice into something gentle. "We're just people from the city. We're here looking for someone. Have you seen this woman?"
He pulled a portrait photo from his coat pocket. The woman in it was breathtakingly beautiful, dressed in an expensive business suit. Even through the image, her expression was stern and icy.
Dali froze for a brief second. Then a sly smile curved her lips.
"Oh, her… She was with three other women. All stunning, by the way. Too bad they were unlucky. Careless driving. Straight off a cliff!"
She gestured dramatically as she spoke.
"What?!" Hiroshi and the soldiers paled.
"They drove off a cliff?!"
Haruna, overhearing the commotion, dragged the crawling man over. "What's taking so long, cousin? You're just asking about her whereabouts!"
Hiroshi stiffened. "It's nothing…"
He steadied himself and turned back to Dali.
"They really fell? You saw it yourself? Where?"
Dali laughed lightly and shrugged.
"I said they fell. I never said they died."
Relief flickered across Hiroshi's face before he quickly masked it.
"Fell from a cliff and didn't die? Girl, explain yourself. Are you making this up? Did you actually see her?"
"I told you the truth. If you don't believe me, go around that way. There should be a red sedan buried in the snow."
They all turned instinctively. They were too far to verify immediately, but in the distance, they could vaguely make out towering cliffs. There was supposedly an old mountain tunnel above. Mina must have tried to drive through it.
From that height… bones would shatter.
"That kind of fall and you're saying they survived?" Hiroshi pressed.
Dali didn't even look at him. She kept feeding the horses.
"They survived. They even came to see me—just like you. Talking about searching for someone. Someone that woman was determined to save. Someone she loved with her life."
"Loved?"
"With her life?"
The words hit like a shockwave. Mina had risked everything… for love?
Haruna suddenly burst into shrill laughter, clutching her stomach.
"Mina? Coming here for love? With her life? Oh my god, I'm dying! Her husband hasn't even been dead a month!"
Hiroshi's face turned crimson. This was absurd. Damaging to the Kamakiri family's reputation. Mina was cold, ruthless. She hadn't hesitated to eliminate Valko for her own plans. And now this girl claimed she came here for love?
Impossible.
Rage flared. He lunged forward, grabbing Dali by the collar and yanking her up.
"Hey!"
"Listen, brat. We're not here for your stupid jokes. Tell me—did you see Mina or not? This place is isolated. Don't make us get cruel."
Dali trembled convincingly—but the faint smile on her lips wouldn't disappear. Arrogant. Brutal. Just as she expected. Before anything escalated, a soldier ran up.
"Sir Hiroshi! Miss Haruna! There is indeed a red four-door sedan buried in the snow!"
Both their faces changed instantly. Hiroshi released Dali and turned sharply.
"Anyone inside?"
"We're still digging, but preliminarily—no signs of decomposition. The car appears empty. No blood either!"
"No body?!"
That only deepened the confusion. Even Haruna frowned.
"So where did she go?"
Hiroshi shot Dali a hard glare. "Alright, brat. Where did Mina go?"
Dali adjusted her wrinkled coat calmly.
"You can see it yourselves. There's only one path here." She gestured toward the endless forest. "Through there."
They looked at the towering wall of trees. In a modern industrial world, a forest this massive was almost mythical.
Mina went in there? To find someone? Who could possibly be worth that risk?
Haruna's patience snapped. Without waiting, she stepped straight toward the forest. And then something stopped her.
Haruna looked down—and saw Dali standing there. How dare this country bumpkin block her path?
"Move, you little rat!"
Haruna snapped, swinging her leg without hesitation. But in a blink—Dali knocked it away.
The movement was so fast that everyone froze in stunned silence. Haruna shrieked, hopping back while clutching her leg.
"Cousin! That bitch just—!?"
The guards reacted instantly, rushing in and throwing kicks from every direction. None of them were amateurs. These were trained men.
And yet—
Somehow, the young girl slipped past every single strike with ridiculous ease. Their frustration grew with each failed hit.
"You little piece of shit!"
Now they looked less like elite fighters and more like kids playing tag in the snow. Haruna's face burned with rage. She pulled out a handgun and aimed it straight at Dali.
Instantly, Dali froze stiff—like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She spun around and dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't shoot me! I'm just a poor little lumberjack girl! Don't shoot!"
Haruna let out a cold scoff and strode toward her. Too fast. Her heel snapped.
"Ah—!"
She twisted her ankle again. Hiroshi had to catch her, looking utterly done with life. The humiliation only made her more furious.
"This damn shoe!"
She yanked it off and hurled it straight at Dali's head. Dali tilted her head slightly. The shoe flew past. Haruna's face turned purple.
"You—! Who told you you could dodge!?"
Dali gasped dramatically. "Oh! I'm sorry! I won't dodge anymore! Go ahead! I promise I won't dodge!"
Without a second thought, Haruna grabbed the other heel and threw it too, ignoring Hiroshi's attempts to stop her.
And once again—Dali dodged.
"…Oh. Sorry. Reflex. Just reflex!"
"You little bitch! Let's see you dodge this!"
Barefoot in the snow, Haruna forced herself upright, lifted the gun, and aimed straight at Dali.
This time—There was no dodging a bullet.
Her finger tightened on the trigger—
But suddenly—
Something shot through the air at blinding speed and slammed into Haruna's hand.
She cried out in pain and dropped the gun.
Everyone panicked. The guards raised their weapons toward the forest.
Who attacked?
And then. As if the fog itself parted—A long line of women emerged from the trees. They wore fox masks. Each carried spears and blades. Short, sharp-cut yukata skirts swayed in the snow—uniform, deliberate, unmistakably theirs. More women stepped forward into the center, moving with the authority of generals entering a battlefield.
One by one—Haru. Hasuko. Dao. Nayeon. Yu. Shana. Duyen. And Mina.
"M–Mina!"
Hiroshi and Hasuko both went pale. She was alive. Not only alive—
But radiating an overwhelming, suffocating presence that could belong to no one else. Her eyes glowed faintly red as she swept her gaze across them. Even the armed special guards hesitated under that pressure.
What was this invisible weight crushing their chests?
Standing before them was Kamakiri Mina—the future head of the Kamakiri clan. The women beside her carried the same chilling aura. None of them were to be underestimated.
And in sheer numbers—They outmatched the Kamakiri guards.
Hidden deep in the forest, Amuro watched silently. He pulled out a skull mask and slipped it over his face.
What the hell was happening? Where had all these women come from?
Haruna couldn't believe it. Just one look from Mina—and she felt fear crawl up her spine.
But they had guns. They had guns.
Still… those numbers…
Mina looked at her sister. Cold. No—cold wasn't enough. Her eyes carried something far worse. The eyes of a true predator. Since when had Mina become this terrifying?
"Oh?"
Mina's gaze drifted lazily to Haruna's unbound wrists.
"When did I give you permission to leave the house?"
Her tone snapped Haruna back to reality.
Jealousy swallowed the fear whole.
"You filthy…"
Haruna muttered.
"You're still alive?"
Mina tilted her head lazily.
"You were hoping I'd die, weren't you? Thought if I disappeared, you'd just slide right into that chair? Is that it?"
Her eyes flicked toward Hiroshi. He flinched.
"…You're involved too?"
"N-No, Mina! I'm not—!"
Haruna shot Hiroshi a venomous glare. She hadn't expected him to fold this easily. Mina had barely spoken. But he wasn't the only coward there.
Dali suddenly scrambled up from the snow and ran toward the women.
"Help! Help me! They were bullying me!"
Haruna blinked. "Huh?"
Dali dove behind Duyen, who looked completely confused.
"She! It was her! Teach her a lesson!"
Haruna sputtered. "What? But that little bitch was—!"
Though she didn't understand the full situation, Duyen gently stroked Dali's hair and guided her behind her.
"It's okay, Dali. We're here. We'll protect you."
Dali grinned mischievously and clung to her arm.
"Thanks, Duyen. You're seriously the only one who's nice to me."
Mina heard that. Her lips twitched. Without warning she slapped Dali across the face. Dali fell backward into the snow.
"Ow!"
"Sorry," Mina said flatly. "Thought I saw a mosquito." Her voice was ice.
Dali clutched her cheek. "You're lying!"
Haruna stared at the absurd scene in front of her. What is this?
Are they putting on a play in front of me!? It was like she didn't even exist to them. That was the final straw.
Haruna drew another gun and pointed it straight at Mina.
"Kamakiri Mina! You die here today!"