The Walk to School – 8:15 AM
The morning fog in Kozakura was thick enough to taste. It clung to the streets like a shroud, turning the world into a grey void.
Students walked toward the local high school in stiff, coordinated groups. Their uniforms were a dull, military grey, pressing against the white mist.
Ren walked alone, his hands deep in his pockets. He observed the students around him. No one laughed. No one shouted. They whispered, heads bowed, eyes darting sideways.
"Average decibel level: 30dB," Ren noted internally. "This silence is unnatural for a high school route. These aren't students; they are subjects. Conditioned by fear."
Ding-ding!
The sharp sound of a bicycle bell cut through the gloom.
"Good morning, Ren-kun! Look, I didn't crash today!"
Aoi pulled up beside him, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She hopped off her rusted bicycle and began walking alongside him. The atmosphere around them shifted instantly. The other students didn't just ignore her; they actively recoiled, whispering behind their hands.
"It's the Cursed One..."
"Stay away, or our Social Points will be deducted..."
Ren's enhanced hearing picked up every word. He glanced at Aoi. "Why does no one speak to you?"
Aoi tightened her grip on the handlebars, her smile not faltering for a second. "Oh, they're just shy! Besides, I'm always so busy with deliveries, I don't have time for socializing. Come on, we'll be late!"
Ren studied her face. Micro-expression analysis: The corners of her lips are turned up, but the orbicularis oculi muscles around her eyes remain relaxed. It's a fake smile. She is masking deep isolation.
Class 2-B – 8:45 AM
The classroom was dead silent when Mr. Tanaka, a man who looked like he hadn't slept in a week, entered.
"Class, we have a transfer student from Tokyo today. Please welcome him."
Ren stood at the front of the room. Thirty pairs of eyes bored into him. He scanned the hierarchy of the room in seconds:
Row 1: The Over-Achievers. Teacher's pets.
Row 3, Window Seat: The Alpha. Ryu, the Class Monitor. Arrogant posture.
Last Row, Corner: Aoi's seat.
Ren narrowed his eyes. Scrawled across Aoi's desk in jagged white chalk was a single word: FILTH.
"If I act too smart, I become a target," Ren calculated. "If I act weak, I become a victim. Objective: Become the unnoticeable background character."
"My name is Ren," he said, his voice flat and monotone. "Hobbies include sleeping and reading. Nice to meet you."
He walked past the empty seats in the front and headed straight for the back corner. The class gasped audibly as he pulled out the chair next to Aoi and sat down.
"Oi! New kid!" Ryu shouted from the window seat, a sneer on his face. "Don't sit there. You'll catch a disease."
Ren paused, slowly turning his head toward Ryu.
"That seat has direct sunlight," Ren said, pointing to the empty desk Ryu wanted him to take. "This seat is in the shadows. I dislike the sun."
He turned back and opened his book, ending the conversation with irrefutable, bizarre logic.
Aoi looked at him, her eyes wide with silent gratitude.
The Rooftop – 12:30 PM
Lunch break. The grey sky loomed overhead.
Aoi sat on a bench, unwrapping a humble lunch wrapped in a faded cloth. Ren stood a few feet away, sipping a juice box, observing the perimeter.
Before Aoi could open her box, a shadow fell over her.
"Aoi," Ryu's voice dripped with malice. He was flanked by two lackeys. "The deadline for the homework was today. Did you finish mine?"
Aoi shrank back. "Ryu-kun, I'm sorry! The shop was so busy yesterday, I couldn't even finish my own..."
"Don't give me excuses!" Ryu snatched the lunch box from her lap. "Your only job is to clean up our filth and do our work."
He held the box high, shaking it. "What's in here anyway? Rotten vegetables? We should feed this to the stray dogs."
Ren watched from the railing. The wind ruffled his black hair.
[Combat Calculation Mode]
Option A: Physical Intervention. Efficient, but risky. Cover will be blown.
Option B: Psychological Warfare. High probability of success.
Analysis of Target (Ryu): Bully archetype. Root cause: Insecurity. Object of interest: The gold watch on his left wrist. He keeps pulling his sleeve down to hide it.
Ren crushed his empty juice box and walked over, his steps silent.
"Excuse me. Ryu-san, correct?"
Ryu spun around. "What do you want, transfer student? Trying to be a hero?"
"No," Ren said calmly. "I just couldn't help but notice your watch. It looks like a Limited Edition Gold Series. However..."
Ren stepped closer, invading Ryu's personal space.
"The second hand is 'ticking' once per second. A genuine automatic movement 'sweeps' smoothly. That is a cheap counterfeit. Or perhaps... it's the same watch that was reported missing from the Staff Room last week? I saw the notice on the board."
Ryu's face drained of color. His lackeys exchanged nervous glances.
"You... what are you talking about?! This... this is mine!"
Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I can confirm right now. I have the direct line to the Staff Room..."
"Forget it!" Ryu panicked, shoving the lunch box back into Aoi's hands. "You're not worth the trouble today!"
He turned and fled, his minions scrambling after him.
Aoi stared at Ren, clutching her lunch box. "Ren-kun... you saved me again. How did you know the watch was stolen?"
Ren took another sip of his juice, though it was empty. "I didn't. I just bluffed. A bully is always terrified that their own secrets will be exposed. I simply leveraged that fear."
Aoi laughed, a genuine sound this time. "You're dangerous, Ren. But you're kind."
The Old Library – 4:00 PM
School was over. The corridors were empty.
Ren stood in the back section of the old library, surrounded by dust motes dancing in the dim light. He wasn't studying; he was hunting.
"Picking the lock to the archive room was trivial," Ren thought, flipping through a dusty file. "But the data is disturbing. Every five years, the class size shrinks. And the students who vanish... their names are marked with a red cross."
He pulled out a file: Year 1995.
He froze. Clipped to a student profile was a photograph. It was a girl who looked identical to Aoi. Same eyes, same hair, same smile.
Name: Subject 12.
Status: FAILED.
"Is this Aoi's mother?" Ren's mind raced. "Or is this... cloning? No, cloning wasn't viable in '95. Genetics? This village has been conducting experiments for generations."
The library door creaked open.
Ren instantly shoved the file into his bag and grabbed a random physics textbook.
Aoi walked in, holding a broom. "Huh? Ren-kun? You haven't gone home yet?"
"Looking for reference materials," Ren lied smoothly.
Aoi shivered, looking around. "You know, people say this library is haunted. A girl disappeared here years ago."
Ren thought of the file in his bag. "Ghosts don't exist, Aoi. Only unspoken histories."
CLICK.
The lights flickered and died. The library was plunged into darkness.
A mechanical voice echoed from the PA system, distorted and cold.
"Protocol 4 Initiated. Cleaning required in Sector L."
Ren dropped the book. Sector L. Library.
"Aoi, get down!"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a heavy oak table.
From the ventilation shaft above, a small, spherical drone descended. A red laser beam cut through the darkness, scanning the room. It wasn't a camera; it was a weapon.
Aoi trembled, clinging to Ren's arm. "What is that? Ren... I'm scared."
"Shhh," Ren whispered into her ear. "Don't move. Hold your breath."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pocket mirror. Waiting for the drone to sweep near them, he angled the mirror perfectly.
The laser hit the mirror and reflected straight back into the drone's optical sensor.
ZZAAP!
The drone spiraled out of control, confused by its own feedback loop, and crashed into the bookshelf. Smoke rose from its chassis.
Ren quickly grabbed the drone and stuffed it into his bag before Aoi could see it clearly.
The lights flickered back on.
"W-What was that?" Aoi asked, her voice shaking.
"Short circuit," Ren said, his face a mask of calm. "Old wiring. Probably a spark."
Aoi looked at him. She didn't fully believe him, but looking at his steady hand, she chose to trust him.
Ren's Apartment – 10:00 PM
Ren sat in the dark of his room, the destroyed drone disassembled on his desk.
He extracted a small, fried memory chip and plugged it into his custom rig. Code streamed across his monitors.
A map of the village appeared. A red dot was blinking steadily.
Target Location: Aoi's House.
"The drone wasn't random," Ren whispered, the blue light of the screen reflecting in his cold eyes. "It was hunting her. The school... the village... they are all watching her. But why? What is she?"
[Scene Shift]
In a dilapidated wooden house at the edge of the village, Aoi slept soundly on a thin futon.
Around her neck, hidden beneath her blanket, the Green Locket began to pulse with a faint, rhythmic light.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
It was a signal. And something deep underground was listening.
[End of Chapter 2]