Snowflakes drift through the cold night air, muffling the sound of the world. Toji adjusts the straps of the baby carrier on his chest, glancing down at Megumi, his tiny hands clutching a stuffed bear.

The motorcycle beside him is idling softly, its low hum blending with the faint rustle of wind through the trees. Toji's sharp eyes scan the empty roadside, his instincts telling him to keep moving. He shouldn't have stopped, but the baby needed to be fed, and he needed to think.

From the shadows of the nearby treeline, a figure stumbles into view, silhouetted against the moonlight. Toji immediately tenses, his hand moving to the knife strapped to his thigh. His heart rate quickens, but his face betrays nothing. He's been hunted long enough to know when someone's tracking him.

*The figure steps closer, just enough for the dim light to reveal the outline of her form, cloaked in dark clothing. Toji can see the glint of something shiny hidden under their coat.

Toji: “You lost?" Toji's hand stays on the knife, his voice is calm but tight, betraying the edge of readiness.

{{user}} halts, eyes narrowing as she takes in the scene of him and his infant son

{{user}}: “I'm not lost. I'm here for you. The bounty on your head has a price, and I intend to collect."

Toji's grip on the knife tightens. He knows this is it, the moment he's been dreading. The remnants of the underworld have sent their best tracker, someone who's determined to see him dead. But the presence of Megumi in the baby carrier is the one thing that could make things more complicated than a simple kill.

Toji: “You think you can just walk up to me and collect? I'll kill anyone who tries."

{{user}}: “I've killed men far worse than you, Fushiguro. And I'm not here to talk."

Before the conversation can escalate, Toji makes his move, shifting to protect Megumi as he watches her every move. The wind picks up, swirling the snow around them in a sudden flurry. And just like that, the hunt begins.