Morning.
The city was as crowded as ever.
People flooded across intersections.
The sound of distant trains echoed through the streets.
Everything felt painfully normal.
…
Kairi stood across the road, eyes fixed on the figure ahead.
"Kyouya Manabi."
He muttered quietly.
Not far away, Kyouya walked through the crowd.
Gray coat.
White earphones.
A cup of coffee in hand.
Nothing remarkable.
Nothing that would make anyone look twice.
"…he really looks normal."
Kairi said under his breath.
Yume's voice came through the earpiece.
"Don't lose him."
"I know."
On the opposite side of the street, Ginji let out a yawn.
"I still think this is a waste of time."
"We're tailing some college kid just because he got lucky a few times."
"A few times?"
Yume's tone immediately turned cold.
"He won a national quiz show."
"He keeps appearing right before accidents happen."
"And he constantly makes unnaturally perfect choices."
"That still not enough for you?"
Ginji stayed silent for a moment.
"…I hate opponents like that."
…
Kyouya entered a shopping mall.
The group immediately split up.
Kairi followed from behind.
Yume kept her distance on the upper floor.
Ginji positioned himself near the emergency exit.
Everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
Until—
"Special event! Only one lucky winner!"
An announcer's voice echoed through the atrium.
A small booth had been set up in the center.
One hundred identical boxes were lined up neatly.
"Only ONE box contains the grand prize!"
"Pick the right one and win a limited-edition gaming console!"
The crowd immediately gathered around.
Kyouya walked past.
Then—
he stopped.
Kairi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Kyouya stood still for a few seconds.
His gaze swept across the boxes.
Expressionless.
Then he stepped forward.
"You want to give it a try too?"
A staff member asked with a smile.
Kyouya gave a small nod.
The crowd began whispering.
"One in a hundred…"
"No way he gets it."
"He looks way too serious."
…
Kyouya raised his hand.
Paused in front of the boxes for a few seconds.
Then picked one near the center.
Opened it.
Silence for a second.
Then—
"HE GOT IT!!"
Cheers exploded throughout the atrium.
The employee stared in shock.
"I can't believe it!"
"First try?!"
The crowd erupted.
"How do you even get that lucky…"
"No way that's coincidence."
"That's insane."
…
But Kairi wasn't looking at the box.
He was looking at Kyouya.
Kyouya didn't look surprised.
Didn't smile.
Didn't celebrate.
He simply accepted the prize.
As if—
he had never considered the possibility of choosing wrong.
…
"…"
Kairi frowned slightly.
In the earpiece, Ginji spoke:
"…okay, I'm starting to see why you suspected him."
Yume didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on Kyouya.
…
After leaving the mall, Kyouya continued moving from place to place.
A café.
A bookstore.
A train station.
But the longer they followed him—
the stranger things became.
He constantly changed direction at the last second.
Switched train cars moments before the doors closed.
Turned into different paths right before crowds started forming.
Every movement looked natural.
But—
too precise.
…
At Shibuya Station.
Kyouya stood in front of the electronic timetable.
His eyes moved across the train lines.
Then he stepped toward the neighboring platform.
Three seconds later—
"Due to a technical issue, Train 04 will be delayed approximately fifteen minutes—"
The announcement echoed through the station.
Kairi froze.
"…what the hell."
Ginji clicked his tongue.
"…this is getting annoying."
Yume remained silent.
…
The train came to a stop.
Doors opened.
Passengers flooded inside.
Kyouya stepped aboard.
Kairi immediately pushed in after him.
One second.
Two seconds.
Someone blocked his line of sight.
Then—
Kyouya vanished.
"…Huh?"
Kairi turned around.
Left.
Nothing.
Right.
Nothing.
The train car was packed.
But Kyouya was completely gone.
"Kairi."
Yume's voice came through the earpiece.
"We lost him."
"…Impossible."
"I'm checking the station cameras."
Yume spoke slowly.
"There's no footage of him leaving the platform."
Kairi clenched his fist.
As if—
Kyouya had dissolved into the crowd itself.
…
Evening.
After hours of searching—
Yume finally located Kyouya's apartment.
An old apartment complex deep inside Nerima District.
The hallway was unnaturally quiet.
The ceiling lights flickered weakly overhead.
Kairi stood in front of the door.
"…there's no sound."
Yume stepped forward.
Gently pushed the door.
Click.
It opened.
Unlocked.
…
The room was dark.
But still warm.
A laptop sat on the desk.
Its screen still on.
A cup of coffee still giving off faint steam.
As if—
the person inside had only just left.
Kairi slowly stepped inside.
His eyes scanned the room.
Too tidy.
Too clean.
No personal photos.
No unnecessary belongings.
As if nobody had ever truly lived here.
…
Then—
Kairi stopped.
"…Yume."
"What is it?"
Kairi slowly looked toward the laptop screen.
Hallway camera footage.
The angle pointed directly at the apartment door.
And on the screen—
was footage of the group standing outside only seconds before entering.
Silence.
Nobody spoke.
…
Yume stared at the screen.
Her expression slowly darkened.
"…he was ahead of us."
Somewhere outside the apartment—
a stairwell door quietly shut.
Click.