"Woah, this place is huge!" Inuoka exclaimed, staring at the mansion in front of him. Nametsu's mansion, to be exact.

After wasting a whole day for the good-for-nothing Kuroo, as how Konoha put it; Kozume decided to hold the meeting the next day. Inuoka was the most ecstatic, while Konoha is almost asleep on the backseat, with Kozume trying his best not to end up in the same state.

"Eyes on the road, Inuoka. Keep driving. Nametsu says she's in front of the minimarket, after the roundabout."

"Oh, oh! Is that her, Kozume-san? Blonde hair, and-..."

"If she recognize this car, that's her."

The car stopped shortly after, and the said woman soon entered the car, sitting next to the driver. She quickly turned to look at Kozume behind her and gave him a smile.

"Morning, Kozume-san!"

"You seemed awfully cheerful today, Nametsu-san."

"A bit too much for my liking," the half-asleep Konoha added. Mai stuck her tongue out at the fellow blonde before her attention went back to the gang leader.

"Just excited, that's all. I mean, I've always been working solo until now." This time she looked at Inuoka, "You must be Dodger, right?"

"That's me. Inuoka Sou, Kozume-san's assistant. Professional programmer, hacker in training for The Strays. And you are?"

"Nametsu Mai, informant. Codename Snow White." She ran her fingers through her hair before asking, "So where are we going?"

"The Strays' main base, The Guillotine," Kozume briefly replied.

"That's quite a scary name."

"But it's cool! Though I'm curious, why would you name it like that?"

Kozume chuckled, "For death sentence, being shot or poisoned may be fatal, but it is still possible to survive. However, a Guillotine cuts your head off, you'll be dead for sure."

"Fantastic."

"I hope that's not a sarcasm, Nametsu-san."

She laughed, shaking her head, "Don't worry, it's not."

It took a while, but finally the four reached their destination. The Guillotine. From outside, it seems like a normal house. The one which would hardly ever interest anyone, with a garage beside it and some flowerpots here and there. Nothing out of place.

"Doesn't look like much to me."

"The real deal is inside, Nametsu. Can't you wait?"

"Ah, Konoha! You're awake! How about you lead the way now?"

"... Careful with your words, woman. I own this place, I can kick you out anytime."

"Glad to see you two got along so well," Kozume simply stated, before he walked out of the car, followed by the blonde pair. The three soon entered the house, while Inuoka left to park the car.

"Neat. I though you'll be the messy type, Konoha," Mai commented, wearing a fake innocent look on her face.

Konoha growled, "Can I kill her, Kozume?"

"No, not yet. Give it a month or two, and then you may."

"K-Kozume-san! What was that supposed to mean?!"

Kozume only shrugged, chuckling slightly.

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The real Guillotine, much to Mai's surprise, is located underground. The entry is a small door located inside the garage, under the desk at the corner.

And the inside seemed like another house. A small kitchen, a large bedroom (with 3 bunkbeds, so 6 in total), a living room (with a TV and two large couches), an archive room, and finally, the 'office'. A large room filled with many desks, all with a set of computer on each of them.

"Mine is the largest one at the corner. The one next to it belongs to Konoha, and that messy one is Inuoka's. You can choose one for yourself, Nametsu-san."

"Seriously? Where did you get the money to buy all of these?!"

"We're game creators, what do you expect? We got sponsors, not to mention the paid items in our product," Konoha explained, taking his seat in front of his desk, "Though, I think the second one is partially illegal."

Kozume smirked in agreement, sitting on his chair as well and turned on his computer. "Don't worry. The longer you work with us, the more we will tell you."

At that moment, Inuoka entered the room with a grin on his face. "Yo, I'm here!" He threw a flashdisk towards his fellow brunet who caught it with ease. "Shall we start?"

Kozume nodded, now typing on his computer, "For The Strays, I want to recruit a martial arts master. A fighter, or, to put it harshly, the brawn. We'll mostly be working behind the scene, so one is enough. Anyone in mind?"

"You can go to underground fight clubs, and recruit whoever beats you," Inuoka commented. Kozume gave him a flat look, while Konoha muttered his 'That's actually not a bad idea.'

"I think the Crowned Knight's a good one. Iwaizumi Hajime. Second best on both long and short range fighting," Mai decided to say, "If we'll have only one, would be best to get someone who's great at both, right?"

"Why not pick the best altogether?" Konoha asked. Kozume nodded in agreement, turning his head towards his underlings and leaned back to show his computer screen.

"Here, the one I had in mind: Kyoutani Kentarou, The Mad Dog. The best underground fighter in Tokyo. He works solo after his partner was imprisoned-..."

"For murdering a civilian a year ago. That was the last case I worked on before I quit from the police department," Mai interrupted, "His partner's name is Yahaba Shigeru, the brain behind the murder."

"So we'll take him? That Mad Dog? What about snipers, don't we need them?" Inuoka asked.

"This guy is enough," Konoha pointed at Kozume, who stayed impassive, "He's ranked first in long-range fighting. The Crowned Knight hasn't been able to beat his record."

"The good thing is, they think Neko is dead. So no one would have known that there is someone better than Iwaizumi."

"Well, then it's decided. We'll take the Mad Dog." Kozume rose from his seat, "Inuoka, make a profile report of him. Konoha, start researching for our next plan to get the Guess Monster. Nametsu-san, come with me."

"Eh? Where are we going?"

"Taming the dog, what else?"

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The brunet kept his head down as he walked through the metal door, while the blonde behind him had started looking around, trying to find something to interest her.

"This place is way too dark. And it seems to be the worst fight club we've visited so far," she commented with a sigh.

"By 'worst', I think you mean is the smallest," the man replied, his voice a bit muffled by the white medical mask he wore. "You should stop complaining, Snow White. This is nothing compared to what I did to find you."

"I feel flattered, Hades. Really."

"Repay the favor, will you?"

"Okay, okay. Woah, they serve alcohol here! Not so bad, after all."

Kozume gave her a disapproving look, before he made his way towards the counter and called the bartender. "Can I see the list of fighters here?"

The blond bartender pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. "Sorry, no. It's for fellow fighters only, and I don't even know who you are."

"I just need to know, is the Mad Dog here?"

"I thought I already said no."

"Not even for VIPs?" The bartender frowned, and Kozume let out a huff. "Don't you recognize your first VIP, Keishin?"

Keishin blew out a puff of smoke, turning his gaze away. "They said that you're dead. Two years without a word from you, of course I'll believe it, Neko."

"Well, cat has nine lives. They need to try harder if they want to kill me."

"Ah, I was hoping to see a better reaction. He's boring, Hades," Mai stated, as she appeared from behind Kozume. She smirked at Keishin, "So you're the boss here? This place needs-..."

"Who's the lady? I would like to tape her mouth shut, Neko. Or should I call you Hades now?"

"Call me whatever you want. And don't hurt her, she's my private informant and I still need her." Kozume fixed his glasses, "I'll repeat my question: Is the Mad Dog here?"

"Be grateful that I never remove you from my VIP list," Keishin grunted, "He'll be here tonight, just wait." He motioned to the fighting arena, where some people has gathered, two of them already stood across each other. "Warm-ups lasted for about an hour. It will take a while."

Mai exhaled deeply, "This will be a long night..."

"If you don't mind me asking, Keishin; who's your current main VIP?"

"An informant called Fukurō. The Black Owl." He cringed as he saw the look in Kozume's eyes, and shook his head in disapproval.

"You're planning something, aren't you? You sly cat."

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"I think he's here, Hades~" Mai sang as she seated herself in front of Kozume. She had just finished her tenth round of poker, seven of which she had won. "It's his turn now."

"We'll talk to him once he's done," Kozume briefly replied, his gaze still on the phone.

Mai frowned. She decided not to say another word, instead setting her eyes on the fighting arena, where the Mad Dog and his opponent had gotten into their stance.

Kyoutani Kentarou, Mai noted, looked just as threatening as his nickname. He had short-cropped blonde hair, with two dark stripes running down the sides of his head, just a bit above his ears. Not to mention his sharp eyes (with... is he wearing eyeliners?), adding more to his fierce and hostile look.

"I don't think... you'll be able to tame him..." she whispered.

"Is that a dare?"

Mai shook her head. "He seems a bit too dangerous. Look, it hasn't been two minutes, and he's almost done. I don't think it's safe to be around him."

Kozume placed his phone back in his pocket, and turned to look at the female informant, "I never thought you would be worried about my safety. It's well appreciated, Snow White."

She sent him a glare, and stood up. "The match is over. Let's get this done."

Kozume nodded, leaving his seat and made his way towards his target. The Mad Dog was standing at the corner, his right hand holding a cigarette between his lips, while his left one was shoved in his pocket. His jacket's sleeves were rolled up, revealing the 'MAD DOG' tattoo inked on his left arm, from his wrist to his elbow. He sneaked a glance at the pair who approached him, letting out a soft growl before he turned away.

"Kyouken-san, correct?"

"Go away," the underground fighter replied, but Kozume stayed.

"I'll keep it short: I want you to be a part of my gang. The Strays, maybe you haven't heard of it before. We mostly work behind the scenes, so-..."

"I'm not listening to any of your bullshit. Fuck off."

The brunet sighed, ignoring Mai, who's trying to stop him. "If you say so, Kyouken-san. And I heard your partner is currently in prison?"

The Mad Dog sent him a glare. "I said, fuck off."

Kozume chuckled, nodding, "I'll take my leave, then." He turned away, but stopped for a second, and glanced at Kyouken.

"But mark my words: You will follow my orders."

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The man stopped his car, and stared at the house in front of him.

"So plain. No guards or whatsoever, I hope this will be as easy as it looks," he mumbled, pulling out his phone and re-read the last email he received, muttering his comments.

"Inuoka Sou, professional hacker and part-time programmer. Mid-twenties, average height and weight, spends most of his time at his boss's place for work. Bla bla bla... Sounds like a simpleton."

The ravenette let out another huff, before he drove his van away from the place and parked it a few houses from his target's location. He got himself comfortable inside the van, now waiting for the right time to strike.

Iwaizumi Hajime, that's his name. An assassin and a bounty hunter, very selective about his clients. He works solo, quick and neat, without much demands or expectations. Rated second best in Japan for both long and short range fighting (illegally, of course).

Iwaizumi glanced at his clock. Eleven o'clock. The streets were now empty, no stars could be seen in the dark sky above him. But somehow, while almost everyone is already asleep, the lights in that house are still one, a small shadow still passed every once in a while, going back and forth from the first to the second floor.

From the shape of the shadow, Iwaizumi could almost be 100% sure that it was Inuoka, his target (the hair style isn't exactly normal), but is he not asleep at this hour?

Two hours, he decided. He'll give it two more hours. If the lights were still on by then, he'll just do what he needs to do, bring his target with force.

Well, after two torturing hours of waiting, Iwaizumi finally walked out of his van, and made his way towards the house. He stopped in front of the door, but was caught in surprise when he found it unlocked. He pushed it open, and entered the building.

"... Is he stupid or something...?" he mused, but his question was answered by a pretty loud singing coming from upstairs.

"...-Shot like a rocket up into the sky, nothing could stop me tonight! You make me feel invincible; earthquake, powerful!"

Iwaizumi couldn't help but to scrunch up his nose. He clearly doesn't realize the danger he's currently in, right?

The assassin followed the singing, going upstairs and stopped outside a certain room. The door was already open, and a brunet could be seen inside the room, sitting in front of a computer with headphones covering his ears.

The guy matched his data perfectly, Iwaizumi noted. He had found Inuoka Sou.

The ravenette silently entered the room, still unnoticed. Iwaizumi didn't waste his time and immediately grabbed his target from behind, his left hand covering the brunet's mouth to muffle his scream, while his right hand gripped his shoulder. He was about to finish his job, when suddenly someone burst into the room, holding a large frying pan in one hand, and wooden spatula in another.

"INTRUDER!!! STRANGER DANGER!!!" with that loud battle cry, the blond charged towards Iwaizumi. He slammed the frying pan onto his face, and hit his neck with the spatula, knocking the ravenette out almost instantly.

Once his body fell onto the floor, Inuoka took off his headphones, and sent the blond a meaningful look.

"Konoha-san, you shouldn't have shouted that loud. You'll wake up the neighbors," he commented, as he crouched in front of the unconscious Iwaizumi and started poking his cheek.

"Am I supposed to care?"

"Unfortunately, we should. Kuroo-san is living just next door and he can come here anytime he wants."

"... Dammit."

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Of course, kitchen tools will never be enough to bring down the great Iwaizumi Hajime. It took only a little while for him to regain his consciousness, but he woke up to find himself tied up into a chair, still inside the room.

"Two minutes and a half. She's right, he's a good one!" Inuoka explained. The blond beside him scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval. He had a handkerchief tied around the lower half of his face, so Iwaizumi couldn't recognize him.

"I told you, Inuoka, we should have used more of that anesthetic."

"But our supplies are limited, Trojan-san."

The blond, Trojan, growled. "Does it matter? We can always buy more, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Oh, and you're calling him."

"Why me?!"

"It's your turn." Trojan threw the phone to Inuoka, who barely caught it. Iwaizumi could barely see the ID on the phone, but it reads like 'Zombie'. Another absurd thing.

"Hello?"

'I thought we already told you not to call unless it's urgent.' A woman's voice, he noted.

"Snow White-san, we just caught an intruder. What should we do now? Could I talk to him?"

'Wait.' Some shuffling could be heard, along with muffled voices, before another speaker began to talk. 'I hope this is as important as you make it sounds to be.'

"Someone sneaked into the house! He tried to strangle me from behind, and he almost killed me-..."

"You're exaggerating!" Iwaizumi protested, causing his two captors to give him an absurd look. But he still spoke to the phone, "I don't know who you are, but these underlings of yours are straight out insane. If they don't stop, I'm going to finish them-..."

"Shut up." In a blink, Trojan already had a gun pointed at the assassin's head, "You don't want to die by your own gun, right, Kishi-san?"

'Trojan, calm down. You can do whatever you want with him later,' the 'leader' said through the phone, 'My underlings aren't insane. Probably it's just you who is incapable of understanding the meaning behind all their actions.'

Iwaizumi growled, yet the speaker continued, 'You're in no position to threaten me or my men. I know what you're capable of, but obviously you know nothing about us.'

"We've been watching you since the moment your van stopped outside, we just decided to wait for you to come in." Inuoka commented, before his attention went back to the phone on his hand."So what should we do to him, Ko-san? I thought he's your friend."

"I don't even know him!" Iwaizumi exclaimed.

'So cruel, Hajime. I thought I'm the heartless one here, that's what you once told me.'

Trojan couldn't help but to smirk at Iwaizumi's expression. "I think you broke him, Kozume."

The sound of the name only made the ravenette grew paler, but 'Ko-san' continued, 'Do you really think they killed me? I'm not that weak, you know that, Hajime. Have you forgotten of who I am?'

"N-Neko... I mean... Kenma?"

'Bingo.'

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After the phone call, the two programmers untied their hostage. "He's too shaken to even think of leaving," the blond one, Trojan, had said.

But Iwaizumi knew that's not the case. He stayed, because he needed to see it himself. Is Neko, is Kenma really alive?

Currently, he was still inside the same room, reading a book the two freaks lent him. Hamlet. Who the hell still-...

Anyways. His phone had been confiscated, and they said they wouldn't return his weapons. Good thing he didn't bring anything fancy tonight, just a handgun and an old dagger.

"Oi, they're back," Trojan suddenly said, causing Inuoka to groan in disappointment.

"Already? Do they bring food, at least?"

"You wish. No, they don't bring anything. Or anyone."

The door was then slammed open. "Hello, nerds! I'm back!" a blonde woman announced, along with her dramatic entrance.

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"That's so kind of you, Trojan," she commented, in an overly-sweet smile. "I would like to return the favor, so how about you take the remaining paperwork on my desk?"

"Snow White, your name truly doesn't suit you."

"I don't think so. Like in the fairy tale, I'm the most beautiful woman in the world who is stuck inside a cramped house and had to live with annoying, troublesome men."

"I hope you excluded me, Snow White," a voice calmly replied, and this immediately caught Iwaizumi's attention.

It's a bit muffled, but it sounds like Kenma's.

"O-Of course, Kozume-san! The only bastard here is him!" she answered, pointing at Trojan as she stepped aside to let their leader enter the room.

And, there he is. Neko, alive and well.

The brunet pulled off his mask, and looked at the ravenette. "Did you not recognize me, Hajime?"

Iwaizumi shook his head, slowly placing his book on the table. "... You never change, did you? It has been a while."

"What do you expect? It's the way I am."

Iwaizumi nodded. "What happened back then? Where have you been?"

"We can save the questions for another time." Kozume took the laptop on the table and turned it on, plugging in a flashdisk Snow White handed him. "I'll tell you whatever you want if you agree to work with me."

"From the way you said it, this work won't end well."

"Trust me a bit more, Hajime. I just need to break into a prison, and help two criminals to escape."

"And who are they?"

"Tendou Satori and Yahaba Shigeru," Kozume answered, as he showed the screen of his laptop. It has the profiles of both the criminals he had just mentioned, and Iwaizumi couldn't help but to sigh.

"I'll never understand you, Kenma. I don't think they'll be worth it."

Kozume only chuckled, waiting for the answer.

"Fine. I'm in."

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