Part 1 — An Uneasy Walk Home
The evening sky had begun fading into deep shades of orange.
Long shadows stretched across the silent streets.
Haruto walked at his usual pace.
His school bag rested over one shoulder.
A faint smile still lingered on his face.
"..."
Without realizing it...
He reached up and touched his hair.
"..."
Amaya's strange hairstyles flashed through his mind.
He let out a small sigh.
"...She really has too much free time."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
The laughter they had shared only moments ago still echoed in his thoughts.
For the first time in a long while...
The walk home felt peaceful.
Step...
Step...
Step...
As Haruto entered the next district...
The smile on his face slowly faded.
"..."
Something felt...
Different.
His silver eyes slowly wandered across the street.
Every shop...
Was closed.
Wooden shutters had already been pulled down.
The lanterns hanging outside each store remained unlit.
Not a single merchant stood outside.
"..."
Haruto frowned.
"They're closed already...?"
That wasn't normal.
The marketplace usually stayed busy until much later in the evening.
He continued walking.
The silence only became heavier.
Normally...
Children would still be running through the streets.
Neighbours would be chatting outside their homes.
Restaurant owners would be calling customers inside.
Tonight...
There was nothing.
Only the soft whistle of the evening wind.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Haruto unconsciously slowed his pace.
"..."
A shadow suddenly darted across a rooftop.
His silver eyes instantly followed it.
"...?"
By the time he looked up...
It was gone.
"..."
"...Probably a shinobi."
He continued walking.
Not far ahead...
Two shinobi hurried past him.
Neither acknowledged his presence.
Both wore unusually tense expressions.
One quietly muttered to the other...
"...We're running out of time."
Before Haruto could hear anything else...
The two disappeared around the corner.
"..."
He stopped walking for a moment.
"...Running out of time...?"
His gaze slowly drifted back toward the rooftops.
Another figure landed silently in the distance.
This one...
He didn't recognise.
The shinobi remained there for only a heartbeat...
Before vanishing into the growing darkness.
Haruto's brows furrowed.
"..."
There was no shouting.
No panic.
No obvious danger.
Yet...
His instincts told him...
Something wasn't right.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
He couldn't explain it.
After standing there for another moment...
He quietly shook his head.
"...Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
Adjusting the strap of his school bag...
Haruto continued walking toward home.
Completely unaware...
That every step he took...
Was bringing him closer...
To the longest night of his life.
Haruto continued walking toward home.
The familiar streets of his residential area slowly came into view.
The houses stood quietly under the darkening sky.
But...
Something still felt wrong.
His silver eyes moved across the surroundings.
The streets were almost empty.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No neighbours outside.
Just silence.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Haruto walked deeper into the residential area.
Then...
A faint movement caught his attention.
His silver eyes immediately shifted upward.
On a nearby rooftop...
A figure stood.
Still.
Silent.
Watching the area.
"..."
For a brief moment...
Haruto stopped walking.
The same strange feeling returned.
It was the same type of presence he had noticed earlier.
Not like the shinobi rushing through the streets.
Different.
The way the figure stood...
The way they observed everything below...
It didn't feel like someone protecting the village.
It felt like someone waiting.
Haruto's expression became serious.
"..."
But he didn't continue staring.
He quickly looked away.
As if he had noticed nothing.
He adjusted the strap of his school bag and continued walking.
Same pace.
Same expression.
No sudden movements.
No sign that he had noticed anything.
The figure remained on the rooftop.
Watching.
Haruto didn't look back.
But his instincts had already made their decision.
Something was wrong.
A few minutes later...
His house finally came into view.
Haruto walked up to the entrance.
He placed his hand on the door.
Before opening it...
He glanced once at the quiet street behind him.
"..."
Nothing.
The rooftop was empty.
Slowly...
He opened the door.
And stepped inside.