The skies over Osaka hang heavy, a blanket of dark clouds cloaking the tiny yard outside Hiroki's house. Rain no longer falls in gentle droplets but pours down in sheets—cold and relentless.
Beneath that curtain of water, Yuna and Hikari stand beneath an umbrella, laughing and playing as if the storm can't reach them. Hikari giggles as she splashes through puddles, hand in hand with her mother.
"Just a little longer, then we head inside, okay? Thunder might come soon,"
Yuna calls out, her smile radiant.
"Okaaay~" Hikari chirps, her rain boots squelching in the mud.
"But I don't wanna go in yet~"
Just then, the silhouette of a man emerges from the front gate.
Yuna freezes.
The moment her eyes catch sight of him, her entire body stiffens. Her hand loosens. The umbrella slips from her grasp.
Rain lashes her face.
Hikari hasn't noticed yet, but Yuna instinctively wraps an arm around her, pulling her close.
"Yuna," the man calls out.
His voice is hoarse, trembling like someone chilled to the bone—yet his eyes show no weakness. He holds something behind his back, stepping closer.
"Come here, sweetie. Daddy has a present for you."
Yuna backs away instantly, pulling Hikari toward the house, her eyes wide with alarm. Without a word, she flings the door open, ushers her daughter inside, and slams it shut.
Seconds later, hurried footsteps echo from within.
The door bursts open.
Hiroki storms out like a thunderclap, rain drenching his hair and shirt, but he doesn't care. His eyes burn red with fury.
Without a word, he clenches his fist—and drives it into Ryusei's face.
Ryusei reels backward, blood mixing with rain and spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Be careful, Hiroki!" Yuna screams from the doorway.
She tries to run to them, but it's too late. The two men are already grappling in the mud-soaked yard, fury igniting the downpour.
"You have the nerve to show your face here?!" Hiroki roars, pinning Ryusei down.
"She's my daughter!" Ryusei bellows, pulling a knife from behind his back—a long fruit knife with a scratched handle, gleaming in the rain.
Hiroki wrestles with him, muscles straining to keep the blade at bay. The knife grazes Hiroki's arm, leaving a deep red gash.
He grits his teeth, clutching harder, blood mingling with the rainwater.
"You took everything from me! Her! The child! My whole damn life! Now I'm taking it back!"
Hiroki stumbles in the mud but musters enough strength to ram his elbow into Ryusei's stomach, toppling them both.
The knife clatters to the ground. Ryusei reaches for it again. Hiroki kicks hard at his ribs, but it's not enough.
The blade flashes once more, this time aimed at Hiroki's chest.
Grunts. Gasping.
The clash of two lives unraveling in the rain.
A flash of the photo of their family of three streaks through Hiroki's mind.
He manages to grab Ryusei's wrist just as the blade nears his throat. Their eyes lock, one fighting to survive, the other drowning in hatred.
Then—
"RYUSEI!"
A voice tears through the storm.
A strong arm yanks Ryusei backward. Shimaki.
He lunges forward, wrapping Ryusei in a tight hold. Ryusei struggles violently, but Shimaki holds on—hands trembling not from cold, but from pain.
"Ryusei, snap out of it! It's me—Shimaki! Come back to your senses!"
He clings to him, desperately trying to pull back someone he once called a friend.
Ryusei roars, eyes ablaze, his growls feral.
Hiroki steps back, clutching his bleeding arm, gaze never leaving the scene.
Shimaki lands a punch on Ryusei's chest.
"Wake up, you idiot! How many more people do you plan to hurt?!"
Ryusei doesn't respond. His body collapses, the knife slipping from his hand.
Raindrops cling to his lashes, sliding slowly down his cheeks.
He can't see. Can't hear. Can't feel.
Only the taste of salt lingers at the corner of his mouth.
Then—the wail of sirens.
Red and blue lights pierce the rain.
Police officers storm in, cuffing Ryusei, dragging him away on unsteady legs.
Yuna stands on the doorstep with Hikari in her arms.
The little girl clings to her mother, her face buried in her chest, unaware of the storm that just passed.
Hiroki approaches them silently, eyes heavy with fatigue and helplessness.
Shimaki stands alone in the rain-soaked yard, head tilted toward the sky, letting the storm swallow him whole.
Everything... had slipped beyond his reach.