Jenna and Shimin exchanged worried glances, the gravity of the situation not lost on them. Yone, his expression unreadable, placed a steadying hand on Kagaro's shoulder.

EPISODE TWO
GRIP OF SHADOWS

The air in the room felt thick with tension as Kagaro brushed Yone's hand away, standing up and dusting off his clothes. He straightened his back, voice steady but urgent. "Well then, I'll see you guys in the office later," he said, his words clipped but carrying an undercurrent of resolve. He shot a glance at Jenna. "I'll let Momo-nee know too."

Jenna gave him a silent nod of acknowledgment. Before Kagaro could leave the room, a shockwave tore through the space, sending dust and debris flying. Instinctively, all four of them ducked, protecting their heads with their hands. The loud rumble echoed in the spacious room, shaking the walls.

The dust hadn't even begun to settle when, suddenly, Momoko's body came crashing through the doorway, landing hard on the floor with a sickening thud. She was thrown in like a rag doll, her body slamming into the wall with a force that left a faint dent in the plaster. Low, guttural snarls and growls began to rise from the living room. Shimin, crouching low, immediately scrambled towards Momoko, who was slumped against the wall, her breathing ragged.

"Nee! What happened? Who did this to you?" Shimin's voice was tight with panic, her eyes darting between Momoko and the sound of the approaching threat.

Momoko winced, one eye squeezed shut, the other barely open. She spat out blood and grit as she answered, her voice hoarse. "Jenemes, of course."

"What?" Jenna stammered, standing up abruptly, her body trembling as the gravity of the situation sank in. "Why are they attacking our house? And how are they even here?"

Their situation was dire. They had no cloaks, no gear, not even their masks. Without those items, they were as vulnerable as any other civilian. If anyone outside saw their faces, it could expose their identities as JEO agents-something that was strictly forbidden for their own protection. The Jenemes, human-like creatures that transformed into monsters, were a danger that no one could predict. You never knew who among you might be a Jeneme in hiding.

"We can't fight them like this," Shimin said, her voice shaking as she glanced at her friends. "I don't have my belt, we don't have the items to summon our stars."

Kagaro's eyes flicked toward Jenna. "Jenna can."

Momoko, still catching her breath, glared at him. "She can, but if she does, her identity will be out in the open, too. You know what that means. And this is our house. So my identity will be out too."

Kagaro sighed heavily. "Yeah, I wasn't going to ask her to do that. Don't worry."

The conversation, though hurried, only lasted half a minute. But the situation gave them no time to think further. Another shockwave hit the room, this time even stronger, sending more dust and debris flying. They all dropped flat to the ground, shielding their heads with their arms as they lay prone. The growling grew louder, more menacing, and the door was ripped from its hinges with a violent screech. It crashed to the floor with a deafening thud, and in the opening stood the Jenemes.

The creatures slithered into the room, their slimy green bodies gleaming under the light. There were at least five of them, all varying in size but equally grotesque, their monstrous forms barely resembling the humans they once were. The group was utterly powerless, unequipped to face them.

"We need to escape, get out of here somehow," Momoko whispered, her eyes darting toward the row of large windows lining the wall. "Let's just roll out of there." She gestured toward the windows, her voice barely above a breath. Shimin nodded in agreement, their eyes not leaving the advancing Jenemes for a second.

Without hesitation, Momoko sprinted toward the nearest window. One of the smaller Jenemes lunged at her, but she was faster. With a nimble leap, she hurled herself out of the window and rolled across the garden, her body hitting the ground hard but without injury. She stood quickly, glaring back at the Jeneme who stared at her from the broken window.

"They won't climb outside," Kagaro muttered, glancing at the creatures. "But they can definitely tear down the wall and get her."

Jenna, heart racing, screamed out a warning. "Run! Nee, run! Get away from there!"

Momoko, standing in the garden, turned and waved back at them before sprinting off, her figure quickly fading into the distance.

"If she comes back with her star, she can save us, and we can escape," Shimin said, her voice filled with a sliver of hope.

Jenna nodded, then spotted a dumbbell lying on the floor. Without thinking, she grabbed it and hurled it with all her might at the Jeneme standing near the window. It hit the creature square in the head, sending it stumbling backward with a groan. But that only provoked the others. The remaining Jenemes roared and charged toward them.

"Help me out, Yone!" Kagaro shouted as he grabbed the base of the treadmill. Yone was already moving, grabbing the handlebars. Together, they lifted the heavy equipment and, with a joint effort, flung it at the approaching horde. The treadmill crashed into two of the creatures, knocking them back momentarily.

"We're going to get squashed before she even comes back," Jenna said, her voice frantic. "We need to get out of here now." She sprinted toward another window, avoiding the one where the Jeneme lay recovering from her earlier attack. She threw herself out, rolling across the garden's edge. Shimin followed close behind, narrowly avoiding a swipe from one of the Jenemes as she leapt through the window and rolled onto the grass.

Kagaro and Yone, however, were still trapped inside, the Jenemes closing in. "Geez, chivalry is such a drag sometimes," Kagaro grumbled. "What, men don't want to live too?" He clicked his tongue as he continued to hurl whatever he could get his hands on at the advancing monsters.

Yone, beside him, was doing the same, his face tense with concentration. The Jenemes were relentless, and without their gear or stars, they were running out of options fast.

Kagaro's sharp eyes scanned the Jenemes' grotesque forms, immediately recognizing their distinct structure. The creatures' stout legs were hardly a single inch apart, supporting their massive, hulking bodies. Their wide, fixed grins and large, burning yellow eyes glowed ominously in the dim light of the room. The way their bulky torsos swayed with every step, coupled with their disproportionately long arms, confirmed what Kagaro had suspected from the moment they burst into the room. These were E-type Jenemes.

"They're E-types," Kagaro muttered under his breath, though he knew the others had likely already reached the same conclusion. These particular Jenemes were slow, lumbering creatures, more of a nuisance than a deadly threat if handled right. That's why Shimin, Jenna, and Momoko had been able to escape relatively easily. Keeping the E-types engaged was straightforward, but Kagaro was well aware of their danger. One wrong move, one slip-up, and those long arms could reach out, grab you, and crush you like a twig. Even a glancing blow from one of their powerful limbs could send a person crashing into the wall.

Outside, Shimin and Jenna were already on the move. Shimin stood up immediately after her escape, her adrenaline spiking as she began to sprint across the garden. However, after only a few strides, she noticed that Jenna wasn't following her. She stopped mid-run, looking over her shoulder. "Jenna! Let's go! They'll make it out too! If we stay here, we might only slow them down!" she whispered harshly, urgency laced in her voice.

Jenna, shaken but understanding, nodded in response and began to run after Shimin. Yet, even as her feet hit the ground, her mind was racing with a different concern. She couldn't risk summoning her star. Not here, not now. The risk was too high. You never knew who might be watching-a Jeneme in disguise, lying in wait for a chance to expose her. The JEO agents were targets, and paranoia was not just common; it was a necessity. The possibility of a hidden enemy lurked around every corner. This could easily be a mission by the Jenemes to gather intel on the JEO's stars and their agents, to unmask them.

As they ran further from the house, the familiar surroundings of Jenna's home blurred behind them. But as her fear and hesitation began to subside, something clicked in Jenna's mind. Her breath hitched for a moment, and she remembered the secret way to call her star without drawing attention. It was simple, quiet, and untraceable.

"Please go to my house and help Riyu Kagaro-san and Ken Yone-san, Hibiki-san," Jenna whispered the plea in her mind as they continued running.

***

Back inside the house, things had taken a darker turn. Yone and Kagaro had used up most of the smaller equipment in the gym, throwing whatever they could find to keep the Jenemes at bay. All that remained now were the larger pieces of gear-the treadmill they had already tossed earlier, the bench press, and a few other heavy machines. But lifting those would be risky. If they focused too much on the task of picking them up, the Jenemes might attack when their guard was down.

Kagaro's heart pounded in his chest as he exchanged a quick glance with Yone, both of them silently weighing their dwindling options. But before they could decide on their next move, one of the Jenemes lunged forward. Its long, slimy green arms shot out and wrapped around Kagaro with sickening speed, the gooey texture making his skin crawl.

"Ah, gross! Let me go!" Kagaro shouted, writhing and struggling in the creature's grasp. His feet slipped on the floor as he squirmed, but the grip only tightened.

Across the room, Yone found himself in a similar predicament. A second Jeneme had reached out and ensnared him, its grotesque, clammy arms coiling around his torso like a serpent. Yone's muscles strained as he attempted to break free, his breath coming in short, desperate bursts. But the creature's grip was relentless, growing stronger with each second.

Kagaro's chest heaved as he fought against the Jeneme's crushing hold. He could feel the pressure mounting, threatening to snap his bones like brittle sticks. "Damn it! This thing's going to crush me!" he gasped, his arms flailing as he tried to break the vice-like grip.

Yone's situation wasn't any better. The creature's arms were squeezing tighter, and his body felt like it was on the verge of being crushed. He gritted his teeth, trying to push against the slimy appendages, but it was no use. The more he struggled, the tighter the hold became, until it felt as though his ribs were moments away from shattering.

Both men, despite their strength, were pinned helplessly by the monstrous Jenemes, the situation growing more desperate with each passing second.