School ended under a heavy, uneasy silence. Kaiya walked home with Ren and Mio, backpacks slung over their shoulders, the empty hallways still fresh in their minds.
"Man… today was weird," Ren muttered. "Half the school was empty."
"Yeah…" Mio replied quietly, her usual energy dimmed.
In the distance, Yui Fujimoto walked alone. Her sharp eyes stayed fixed on Kaiya's back.
*What he said earlier… about his mother… could it be the same thing?* she thought.
---
After picking up Riko from elementary school, the group waited by the gate as children spilled out like colorful confetti. The moment Riko spotted her brother, she broke into a run.
"Kaiyaaa!"
"Hey Riko, still cute as usual," Mio said with a warm smile.
"I know," Riko replied confidently, striking a little pose.
Ren laughed. "Sometimes I wonder if Kaiya's adopted."
"Idiot," Kaiya grumbled as Ren slapped him hard on the back.
They walked together for a while, chatting about games, food, and the boring lessons of the day. At the intersection, they finally split up.
"See you guys tomorrow," Mio waved.
"Yeah… bye," Kaiya and Riko replied.
Kaiya gave Ren a light push toward Mio. "Aren't you supposed to walk with her? You live on the same street."
"Alright, alright! Bye you guys!" Ren said, jogging after Mio.
Now it was just the two siblings. Riko immediately dragged Kaiya toward the small convenience store on the corner. He tried to keep walking, but her pleading eyes won. With a sigh, he bought her the snacks she wanted.
"Thank you, big bro!" she beamed.
For a moment, Kaiya's face softened into a rare, gentle smile.
---
The house felt dim and far too quiet when they stepped inside.
"Is Mom still not home?" Riko asked, looking around.
"…Just take something from the fridge and eat, okay?" Kaiya said.
Riko opened the refrigerator and stared. "It's empty… nothing left except food ingredients." Her shoulders dropped. "Mom didn't leave us anything."
"Don't be sad," Kaiya said quickly. "I bet I can… whip something up for us to eat."
"WHAT!?" Riko's eyes widened in genuine shock.
Kaiya moved around the kitchen with surprising confidence, preparing a simple curry while Riko watched curiously from the table. When he finally served the plates, she poked at it suspiciously.
"Here. Eat."
"I hope I don't die from this…" she muttered.
She took a bite. Then another. Her face lit up.
"…Big bro, it's tasty!"
"Yeah? Glad you like it," Kaiya said, relieved.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"Picked it up from Mom. Brush your teeth and go to bed after, alright?"
Kaiya headed upstairs to his room, exhausted. He collapsed onto his bed in the dark, faint streetlight filtering through the curtains.
---
A soft sound broke the silence.
*Clack…*
Kaiya froze. The curtain moved slightly, as if stirred by an invisible hand. Heart pounding, he approached carefully. He pulled the curtain aside.
Nothing was there.
He closed it tightly, telling himself it was just the wind.
---
Sleep came uneasily. In his dream, Kaiya found himself inside the old family car once more—but this time he was completely alone. No father. No driver. The car moved forward by itself, gliding down a dark, endless road.
Then a man slowly materialized in the driver's seat, head hanging low. Kaiya's breath caught.
The man reached up and tilted the rear-view mirror toward the back seat.
In the reflection, Kaiya saw it clearly: the man had no face. Just smooth, featureless skin where eyes, nose, and mouth should have been.
Kaiya screamed.
---
He jolted awake and tumbled off the bed with a thud. Scrambling in the darkness, he slapped the light switch.
*Click!*
The room flooded with light.
Sitting calmly in his desk chair, legs crossed and arms folded, was Yui Fujimoto. Completely relaxed, as if she belonged there.
"You scream like an animal," she said flatly.
Kaiya's eyes widened in pure shock. "What the hell!? How did you get in my room!?"
"Through the window," Yui replied, pointing casually toward it.
"You're the transfer student… and—I DO NOT scream like an animal! What are you doing in my house? How do you even know where I live?"
"I followed you."
"Why?"
Yui rested her chin on her palm, eyes steady. "I came because… I want to know everything about your mom's disappearance."
"She didn't disappear," Kaiya shot back. "You heard what the teacher said. It's just a coincidence."
"Really? A coincidence?"
Yui stood up. Her voice lost its teasing edge.
"My dad is missing too. When I woke up two days ago, he was gone. Vanished. No calls, no answers. Even his friends haven't seen him."
Kaiya stared. "What?? Two days?"
"When you spoke about your mom in class… I felt it. The same thing is happening. To our parents."
Kaiya looked away, unease crawling up his spine. "Why didn't you report it to the police?"
"I did. But they didn't take it seriously. Just like everyone else is turning a blind eye."
"None of this makes sense…"
"Which is why we need answers," Yui said, standing tall. "The library. Tonight. Old records, missing-person files… Maybe this isn't the first time."
Kaiya hesitated. "I don't want to go. And it's late."
Yui stepped closer, her gaze sharp. "You're scared."
"No, I'm not. I just can't leave my sister alone."
"No… you're scared."
Kaiya sighed deeply, rubbing his face. "Fine. Let's go."
Yui smirked softly.
They sneaked into the hallway. Before leaving, Kaiya peeked into Riko's room. She was fast asleep—until Yui accidentally bumped Kaiya's phone, and loud music suddenly blasted through the speakers.
Riko sat up instantly. "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
"Nowhere. Go back to sleep," Kaiya whispered.
Yui stepped forward without hesitation. "We're going to the library. Wanna come?"
"YES!" Riko's eyes sparkled.
"No," Kaiya said firmly.
He grabbed Yui's wrist. "I'm not taking her anywhere. It's the middle of the night, and the library won't even be open."
"I'm sure it is. And if you can't leave her, take her with us. Problem solved."
"Yes! Take me!" Riko cheered. "Who is she anyway?"
"She's from school. And I'm NOT taking you," Kaiya insisted.
Both girls started chanting in unison: "Take her! Take me! Take her!"
Kaiya threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay—she's coming!"
"Yahoo!" both girls cheered.
---
The three of them arrived at the town library, only to find the doors locked tight.
"See? I told you," Kaiya said.
Yui shrugged. "I have another way in."
"That's breaking and entering! That's a crime!"
But Yui and Riko ignored him, slipping through a side entrance like shadows. Yui moved through the dark building with surprising confidence, as if she had done this before.
They used a single flashlight, combing through old newspapers and dusty reports. An hour passed. Kaiya was about to suggest they give up when he pulled out an old police file.
"Hey," he whispered.
Yui leaned in. "Did you find something?"
"I think so." He pointed at the yellowed page. "This man was suspected of causing the disappearance of his wife and kids. In court he kept repeating one name over and over… even when they called him crazy."
Yui read the word aloud. "Guren…maru?"
Suddenly the flashlight flickered violently.
When the beam steadied again, an old woman stood far down the aisle, watching them. She smiled—too wide, too perfect.
"Isn't it too late to be outside?" she asked sweetly.
Riko hid behind Kaiya, trembling.
Yui dropped the flashlight in shock. Kaiya snatched it up and pointed the beam at the woman.
"We don't want trouble," he said quickly. "We're sorry we broke in. We'll leave now. Come on, guys—apologize."
Yui's voice was low. "…I don't think we should do that."
A security guard appeared behind them. "Kids? What are you doing here—"
He turned toward the old woman. "Who are you?"
He took one step forward.
The woman moved—unnaturally fast, joints bending wrong—and in a horrifying snap, she broke the guard in half.
The children screamed.
The guard gasped with his final breath: "Run…!"
They bolted.
The creature chased them through the narrow shelves, its movements jerky and wrong. Kaiya, running at the back, shoved books and carts behind him to slow it down.
They burst out of the building just as the first rays of sunrise touched the sky.
The monster stopped at the threshold, unable to cross into the light.
The kids kept running.
Moments later, flashing police lights surrounded them. Someone jogging early in the morning had called after hearing the screams and commotion.
They were taken to the station for trespassing.
But as the sun rose higher, Kaiya couldn't stop thinking about that single name echoing in his mind:
*Gurenmaru.*
To be continued…