Tokyo, Koto Ward. On the top floor of a sea- and river-facing high-rise apartment building, over twenty stories tall.
This was a large flat exceeding 200 square meters. In a densely packed city like Tokyo, a place of this size could only be described as a mansion.
Nagasaki Soyo lay on her side in bed in her pajamas, eyes dull, fiddling with her phone.
Since it was the weekend, she didn't dress up like usual. She hadn't even gotten out of bed all day, her beautiful hair messy and disheveled.
Although she was just a first-year JK, Nagasaki Soyo at this moment, whether it be her demeanor or her abnormally developed figure far surpassing that of most JCs, gave off more the impression of a widow mourning her late husband than a high school girl.
She raised her phone, looking at the LINE chat interface of a certain contact.
On the screen, there was a string of messages she had sent. Some from today, some from yesterday, and even some from the day before.
But the chat still showed those messages as "unread." The other party hadn't seen any of them.
The word "unread" pierced Soyo's heart. Even though she knew deep down that being left unread for this long usually meant she'd been blocked, she still didn't give up hope, still wishing for a miracle.
"Sakiko..."
She murmured softly. Sitting up from the bed, she looked around at the huge, empty home. But instead of joy, all she felt was sorrow and a hollow loneliness.
Her mother was always busy with work, and she'd rarely been home even once a month. Soyo had been living like this since middle school.
The long passage of time didn't help her get used to it. Instead, it only made her feel fear, loneliness, and pain.
Until one day, a cheerful and gentle girl approached her, inviting her to join a band, offering her friendship. That was the moment Soyo felt like she'd found a life raft, desperately reaching for the hand extended to her.
"So, why did you disband the band? Why didn't you tell us why? If you had any trouble, all you had to do was say it, we definitely could have helped..."
"As long as we can start the band again, I'd do anything..."
She murmured as if possessed.
On the bedside table, there were the remains of a meal. She had allowed herself to be lazy today, not even bothering to clean up the dishes.
She laid back down on the bed, her eyes lifeless, scrolling through X aimlessly.
Soon, she came across a trending video about a large fire at Eguchi Library and a related terrorist incident.
"Tokyo's public safety has really gone downhill lately. I hope Sakiko doesn't get caught up in any of this..."
She spoke softly and casually opened the video.
"So many people... so many people died, save me, I don't want to die."
The screen showed bodies strewn across the ground, a horrifying scene that finally shocked and stirred Soyo.
And that voice. It sounded... familiar.
"This voice, isn't that Shiroishi?"
She finally remembered. That was her classmate, Shiroishi Keiko!
Soyo immediately sat up, her expression full of anxiety and fear. She instinctively opened her contacts and found Shiroishi Keiko's phone number.
But after a moment of hesitation, she still didn't press the call button.
Shiroishi must be in danger right now. If she called and caused her to be discovered, it could make things worse.
Soyo opened the class group chat. Sure enough, both the teacher and students were discussing the incident.
She didn't know what she could do, so she could only pray silently in her heart while constantly refreshing the thread, hoping to see good news.
Not long after, Shiroishi Keiko updated her social platform with another video. Soyo immediately clicked it.
Since she was able to upload another video, that should mean... she was safe, right?
This time, the content was even more explosive. The video showed a man in his early twenties engaging in close combat against multiple attackers, taking them all down.
The fight was brutal and intense. The way the thugs were taken down was so vicious that Soyo felt physically uncomfortable watching it, even through the screen. The whole thing looked like a scene straight out of an action movie.
She quickly scrolled down to the comments, which were already in a heated debate.
"Is this a movie? These moves are way too dramatic."
"Is this some new movie promo strategy? First a rescue clip, now a fight scene?"
"Shut up, this isn't a movie at all. Go check the trending post about Eguchi Library. This really happened. Even the Superintendent General of the Tokyo MPD showed up."
"I'm literally near the building right now. I've been to Eguchi Library before. The place in the video is the real deal!"
"Who is this guy? He's insane. Took down those armed thugs like they were nothing."
"Is he an off-duty cop or something? But he looks too young. Maybe a secret agent? Haha, just kidding."
Shiroishi Keiko also left a message with the video.
She briefly described the tragedy that happened in the Eguchi building, how many people were brutally murdered.
And it was this unknown man who stepped up, took on the criminals singlehandedly, and eliminated them all. Thanks to him, the other innocent civilians inside were able to escape.
Her tone carried sincere gratitude and admiration, with a bit of criticism aimed at the Japanese police for their lack of action.
And it wasn't just Shiroishi's video. Other survivors had also uploaded videos taken from different angles inside Eguchi Library, showing the man fighting and defeating the criminals.
Though some of the footage was blurry and low-quality, all of them told the same story as Shiroishi Keiko. Her video simply had the most views and shares.
After verification from multiple sources, it was confirmed that the video was real. This incident actually happened.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a real cold weapon fight. It's amazing. I saved it to watch again later."
"He started with a cold weapon but later switched to Karate moves."
"Karate? How does he compare to Makoto Kyogoku, last year's national champion?"
"Kyogoku? Please. He's just a showman. The guy in this video is a real combat fighter. Kyogoku just won a trophy. This guy saved lives."
"Look at the corners of the video. So many dead people... My god, what really went down inside that building? If not for him, I can't imagine how many more would've died."
"I'm telling you, this guy is the savior of the Japanese police. Without him, the entire Tokyo force might as well resign."
"I agree. He really is the savior of the Japanese police. A true hero."
Online reactions were nearly unanimous. Anyone who dared to criticize Toru would instantly be flamed by countless netizens.
This was the new political correctness. Anyone who stood against this man was essentially declaring themselves an enemy of humanity and decency.
While everyone admired Toru's combat skills and raved about how incredible the fight had been, one question kept popping up:
Who was he?
People kept refreshing for updates, convinced that someone would eventually dig up his identity.
Soyo was the same. She watched the video over and over, her heart pounding each time.
She was at the age of first love. Seeing a cool and handsome man who gave off such a strong sense of security, she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
She messaged her friend, Wakaba Mutsumi: "Mutsumi, have you seen the trending post on X? If not, I suggest you check it now."
A few seconds later, Mutsumi replied, "Yes, I saw it, Soyo."
Even though they weren't face to face, Soyo always imagined Mutsumi as a doll-like girl who spoke slowly and calmly.
After thinking for a moment, Soyo sent Shiroishi Keiko a message—first to ask if she was safe, and second, because she was curious about what really happened and wanted more details.
...
Hospitals in Chiyoda Ward and surrounding areas were packed. All the injured from the Eguchi incident were rushed to the nearby major hospitals for emergency treatment and exams.
"Make way, everyone make way!"
A nurse held up an IV drip while pushing a hospital bed. The patient lying on it was covered in blood, with some wounds exposed and visibly gruesome.
Scenes like this were happening in every nearby hospital.
In one medical room, Toru was being examined by a doctor.
"You're saying he was stabbed here?"
The doctor looked at the wound on Toru's arm with disbelief.
Before Toru could respond, Haruno, who was accompanying him, quickly said, "Yes, Doctor. He was stabbed. The knife went in really deep."
The doctor glanced at her, thinking she must be exaggerating out of worry for her boyfriend.
Stabbed? This wound? At most it looked like a slightly deeper cut.
"Doctor, how's Fujiwara-senpai's injury?" Yukino asked.
The doctor replied helplessly, "It's nothing serious. Doesn't even need stitches. I'll just disinfect it, apply some ointment, bandage it, and tell him not to let it get wet. It'll heal on its own soon."
Yukino hesitated and asked in her soft and elegant voice, "Doctor, just medicine? No stitches or anything?"
The doctor shot her a glare. "Am I the doctor or are you?"
Yukino shrank back and didn't dare say another word.
Though she was usually stubborn, she wasn't the type to argue with a doctor in a hospital.
"Young man, bear with it. I'm going to disinfect and dress the wound now."
As the doctor treated Toru, Inspector Megure and Officer Sato knocked and stepped inside. Seeing that Toru was still receiving treatment, they stood silently at the door.
At the same time, the Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Hakuba, also rushed to the hospital. He had come to visit the injured and to personally thank Toru on behalf of the police.
Chairman Fujiwara Yoshitaka of the Japan National Security Committee, after hearing about what happened and seeing the video, also immediately headed over.
And the mother of the Yukinoshita sisters in Chiba, upon learning that her daughters had been in danger, dropped her work and had her driver bring her straight to Tokyo.
Countless reporters swarmed the hospital like bees drawn to nectar, all desperate to interview Toru.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)