The Answer.
The clouds above the city slowly drifted apart.
The sunlight that had been hidden behind them gradually broke through, spilling over the rooftops and washing the streets below in a warm golden glow. The city had begun returning to its usual rhythm. People walked along the sidewalks, cars moved through the roads, and the sounds of everyday life slowly replaced the chaos that had consumed the previous night.
From a distance...
It almost looked as if nothing had happened.
Yet beneath that peaceful surface, countless questions remained unanswered.
On top of one of the tallest buildings overlooking the city, Alan sat quietly near the edge of the rooftop.
One leg was hanging over the side while the other remained bent, his arm resting lazily against his knee. His gaze stayed fixed on the endless horizon, watching the sunlight spread across the city.
A cool breeze swept across the rooftop, gently moving strands of his hair.
He didn't react.
His expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.
For several long moments, the rooftop remained completely silent.
Then...
The metal door behind him slowly creaked open.
The sound echoed across the empty rooftop before the door softly closed again.
Alan didn't bother turning around.
He had already recognized the footsteps.
Lily approached him at a steady pace before stopping a few meters away.
For a brief moment, she simply looked at his back.
Lily: So here you are..
Alan kept looking toward the horizon without saying anything.
Lily noticed the uninterested behavior.
She let out a quiet sigh before speaking again.
Lily: So, I know we are not friends, nor we have met enough. But there's something I wanted to ask you after what happened.
Alan slowly closed his eyes before turning his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder.
Alan: Sure, what questions do you have?
Lily nodded slightly.
Lily: Alright so, it's about the Nameless school mystery..
She hesitated for a moment, debating whether she should reveal that she had actually solved it and discovered who was behind everything.
After a brief pause, she decided there was no point hiding it.
Lily: You said that I should stop digging into this because "he" wouldn't like it.
She looked directly at Alan.
Lily: Who were you referring to?
The question lingered in the air.
Alan didn't answer immediately.
He turned his gaze back toward the sky, closing his eyes once more before speaking in the same calm voice.
Alan: There are two things..
He slowly turned slightly toward her.
Alan: Either you solved the mystery and what I said turned out to be true...
He paused briefly.
Alan: ...or you're asking out of curiosity.
Lily swallowed quietly.
She didn't answer right away.
Alan watched her for only a second before speaking again.
Alan: I assume it's the first one.
Lily gave a small nod.
Lily: Yeah, I solved it. And I know who you were talking about.
She paused before asking what had been bothering her ever since.
Lily: But what I want to know is... how did you know he wouldn't like it?
Alan answered almost immediately.
Alan: Isn't that obvious?
Lily blinked.
Alan continued.
Alan: If he had no problem revealing that incident, he wouldn't have hidden it in the first place.
Lily fell silent.
The explanation sounded surprisingly simple.
Simple enough that she wondered why she hadn't thought of it herself.
Still...
There was another question she couldn't ignore.
Lily: Okay... I get that.
She looked at Alan carefully.
Lily: But you seemed to know it was Jin.
She tilted her head slightly.
Lily: Have you met each other before?
Alan remained quiet.
His eyes slowly closed once again.
For the first time since Lily arrived...
His thoughts drifted somewhere else.
Back...
Three years ago.
Three Years Ago...
Three years earlier...
Before returning to Blackridge.
Before he became the person he was today.
Alan had decided that if he wanted to become stronger, he couldn't rely only on books anymore. Everything he had learned meant very little if his body couldn't keep up with it.
So, he started training.
It wasn't anything special.
Just running.
Every single day.
The rain had only stopped a few minutes earlier.
Dark clouds still covered most of the sky, while countless puddles reflected the grey light above. The streets remained soaked, forcing pedestrians to carefully avoid the shallow pools scattered across the road.
Alan ran through them anyway.
His shoes splashed against the water with every step.
His breathing had already become uneven.
Sweat mixed with the rainwater still clinging to his face.
Alan: It's exhausting...
He wiped the sweat from his forehead while continuing to run.
Alan: I've already run five kilometers today... I didn't know it would be this hard.
His legs felt heavier than before.
Even lifting them required effort now.
Still...
He kept running.
Alan: But I have to keep going...
As he rounded a corner, his attention briefly shifted toward a small group of boys standing near the sidewalk.
They looked a little older than him.
They were laughing among themselves, completely distracted.
Mark, Wayne and Chris.
Alan didn't pay much attention.
He simply kept running.
Unfortunately—
As he passed by them, his foot accidentally landed on Chris's.
Chris: Ah—!
Chris immediately grabbed Alan by the collar before he could even react.
Chris: Are you freaking blind?!
Alan's eyes widened in surprise.
He instinctively looked down at Chris's foot before looking back at him.
Alan: S-Sorry... I didn't notice.
Chris frowned.
Chris: Didn't notice?
Without another word, he shoved Alan backwards.
Alan lost his balance and fell hard onto the wet pavement.
The cold water splashed around him.
Mark stepped forward, looking down at the boy.
Mark: Hey.
Alan looked up.
Mark: Which school are you from?
Alan slowly got himself into a sitting position.
Alan: I... I don't go to school anymore.
Chris burst into laughter.
Chris: You're serious?
He looked Alan up and down.
Chris: Then why are you running around like this?
Wayne folded his arms.
Wayne: You should be in school.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Wayne: Or were you running away after stealing something?
Alan looked completely confused.
Alan: W-What?
He quickly shook his head.
Alan: No. Why would I steal something?
His hesitation only made the three boys exchange suspicious looks.
Mark clicked his tongue.
Mark: That's a shame.
He extended his hand toward Alan.
Mark: Then hand over whatever you stole from the shop.
Alan stared at the hand in front of him.
Alan: B-But I didn't steal anything... I was just—
Chris interrupted him.
Chris: You really don't listen, do you?
He cracked his knuckles.
Chris: Let me show you what a D-Rank can do.
He smirked.
Chris: What's your rank, kid?
Alan blinked.
Alan: Rank?
He tilted his head.
Alan: What rank?
His genuine confusion caught them off guard.
Wayne raised an eyebrow.
Wayne: That's strange...
He looked Alan over once more.
Wayne: You sure you're from this city? Everybody knows about the ranking system now.
Mark nodded in agreement.
Mark: This kid's acting weird.
He glanced at the others.
Mark: We should just take him to the police.
Alan finally became annoyed.
Alan: You're stupid. I'm fine, I just—
Wayne's expression immediately darkened.
Wayne: Watch your mouth.
Before Alan could react—
Wayne's fist slammed into his face.
The impact forced Alan several steps backward before he barely managed to keep himself from falling again.
He instinctively clenched his fists.
Not because he wanted to fight...
But because he didn't understand why this was happening.
Just then...
Another boy quietly walked past them.
He looked about Alan's age.
A blue hoodie covered most of his figure, while his black hair swayed slightly in the breeze.
His expression remained calm.
Cold.
He continued walking as though the argument beside him didn't even exist.
Chris frowned.
Chris: Another brat?
He stepped forward and grabbed the boy's shoulder.
Chris: Hey, blud.
He tightened his grip.
Chris: You should know where you're walking, alright?
The boy didn't answer.
Not a single word.
Instead—
He grabbed Chris's arm.
Before anyone realized what was happening—
Boom!
Chris's body was slammed straight into the ground.
The stone tiles beneath him shattered from the impact.
Alan's eyes widened.
His mouth slowly fell open.
Wayne froze for only a split second before charging forward.
Wayne: Bastard!
The boy calmly caught him...
Turned his body...
And threw him cleanly over his shoulder.
Wayne crashed into the pavement with a painful groan.
Mark's face turned pale.
Mark: Shit...
His voice trembled slightly.
Mark: What the hell...?
For the first time since arriving...
The boy finally spoke.
Jin: Do you want to say something?
His voice was completely emotionless.
Jin: If not...
He looked directly at Mark.
Jin: Stop involving me in your drama.
Without waiting for an answer...
He simply continued walking away.
None of the three boys dared to stop him.
Mark remained rooted to the spot.
He had seen enough to understand one thing.
That boy...
Was far stronger than any of them.
Alan remained standing there, staring at Jin's back as he disappeared down the street.
His eyes shone with admiration.
Alan: That boy...
A small smile appeared on his face.
Alan: He was so cool...
Alan slowly opened his eyes.
The memory faded as the rooftop came back into view.
The gentle breeze brushed past him once again, carrying the distant sounds of the city below. For a brief moment, neither he nor Lily spoke.
Alan looked directly at her before taking a few slow steps forward, closing the distance between them.
Alan: Yeah. I have met him before.
He paused for a brief moment.
Alan: Though, he certainly doesn't remember me.
Lily folded her arms as she listened.
Now that Alan was standing much closer than before, she found herself looking at him properly for the first time.
She had spoken to him before...
But she had never stood this close.
Without realizing it, her eyes wandered across his face.
His calm expression.
His sharp features.
Those unusually quiet eyes that never seemed to reveal what he was thinking.
A faint blush slowly spread across her cheeks.
Realizing what she was doing, Lily quickly looked away toward the surrounding buildings and lightly cleared her throat, pretending nothing had happened.
Alan noticed the subtle change in her behavior.
He didn't comment on it.
Lily: I see...
She remained quiet for another second before remembering why she had come.
Lily: Also...
She turned her attention back to him.
Lily: Do you know something about whatever is happening in the city right now?
Alan looked at her.
Alan: What exactly?
Lily: That crazy guy who's running around the city.
She tilted her head slightly.
Lily: You didn't see the news?
Alan shook his head once.
Alan: I was just sitting here.
He glanced toward the skyline.
Alan: I heard some noises earlier... but I don't know much beyond that.
Lily stared at him for a second before letting out a small sigh.
Lily: Seriously...
She gave a faint, disappointed smile.
Lily: For a moment, I thought you were someone special because you managed to predict how Jin would react to the mystery.
Alan answered just as calmly as before.
Alan: I knew him.
He shrugged slightly.
Alan: I made a guess based on the kind of person he seemed to be.
Lily slowly nodded.
It sounded reasonable.
Simple enough that she couldn't really argue against it.
Lily: Well... yeah.
She looked toward the city for a moment.
Lily: I didn't tell anyone about that incident.
Her expression became more serious.
Lily: I don't think I want everyone to know that the person who defeated a B-Rank back then... was Jin.
Alan gave a small nod.
Alan: That's fine.
His voice remained steady.
Alan: You solved the mystery because you wanted an answer.
Alan looked at her.
Alan: Not because you wanted everyone else to know it.
Lily smiled faintly.
Lily: ...You're right.
For a moment, silence returned to the rooftop.
The wind quietly passed between them.
Alan turned toward the rooftop door and began walking away.
Lily watched him for a second before suddenly calling out.
Lily: Hey.
Alan stopped and turned his head slightly.
Lily: You won't tell anyone about it either...
She looked at him seriously.
Lily: Okay?
Alan nodded once.
Alan: I won't.
After a brief pause, he added,
Alan: If I wanted to, I already would have.
Lily blinked before giving a small nod.
Lily: ...Yeah.
She believed him.
Still...
A small question lingered in the back of her mind.
Even if Alan had correctly guessed how Jin would react...
How had he known Jin was the one connected to the mystery in the first place?
The thought crossed her mind only briefly.
In the end, she decided not to ask.
At least...
Not today.
Alan reached the rooftop door before stopping.
Without turning around, he spoke one last time.
Alan: And Lily.
Lily looked up.
Lily: Yeah?
Alan slowly turned his head toward her.
His expression remained as calm as ever.
Alan: Thank me later.
Before Lily could ask another question, Alan opened the rooftop door and disappeared inside.
The heavy metal door slowly swung shut behind him.
Click.
The rooftop fell silent once again.
Lily remained standing where she was, staring blankly at the closed door.
After several seconds...
She frowned.
Lily: Thank you...?
She tilted her head in confusion.
Lily: For what?
Only the sound of the wind answered her as she stood alone beneath the now-clear sky.
---
The atmosphere around Blackridge had become completely chaotic.
Only moments ago, the students had been watching Gary and Jin stand against each other, believing a clash between the two monsters of the city was inevitable.
Instead, the situation had taken a turn no one could have predicted.
Now, Jin stood between the police and Gary's unconscious body, calmly ordering them to back away.
From the broken entrance of the school, Daniel, Daisy, and Mark watched everything unfold from a safe distance, their expressions filled with confusion.
Mark scratched the back of his head, unable to make sense of the scene before him.
"What is even happening?" he muttered. "A minute ago Gary wanted to kill Jin, and now Jin's standing in front of the police like he's protecting him."
Daniel folded his arms, his brows knitting together as he tried to connect everything that had happened throughout the day.
"...Yeah," he admitted after a moment. "Today has been weird."
His eyes remained fixed on Jin.
"And honestly... why would anyone willingly stand against the police?"
Daisy quietly watched the confrontation, her expression more thoughtful than frightened.
"I don't think he'd do something like this without a reason," she said softly. "Whatever's happening... Jin must have his own reason."
None of them could understand it.
Jin wasn't saying much.
He simply stood there, facing David, John, and the four A-Rank officers behind them as though nothing around him mattered.
The tense silence didn't last long.
Daniel's phone suddenly vibrated inside his pocket.
The ringtone immediately drew everyone's attention.
Daniel pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
"...Alan?"
He answered without hesitation.
"Hey, Alan. What's up?"
The moment he heard the voice from the other side, his relaxed expression disappeared.
"What?"
Daisy and Mark immediately turned toward him.
Even Bob, Andrew, and Coner, who had only just managed to stand back up after everything that had happened earlier, looked over with confused expressions.
Daniel listened for another few seconds before nodding.
"...Alright."
"We're coming."
"Just wait there."
He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Daisy stepped forward first.
"What happened?"
Daniel didn't waste any time.
"We need to leave."
His voice carried an unusual seriousness.
"Alan needs our help."
Everyone froze.
Even Mark looked genuinely surprised.
"...Alan?"
The name alone was enough to make everyone hesitate.
Out of everyone they knew...
Alan was the last person they'd ever expect to ask for help.
Daisy's expression became noticeably worried.
"If he's asking for help..." she murmured, "...then something must be seriously wrong."
Mark frowned.
"Hold on."
"Why are you assuming the worst?"
Daniel shook his head.
"You don't know him."
"If Alan is calling us..."
"...then we have to assume it's important."
Without another word, he broke into a run toward the school gate.
Daisy immediately followed.
Bob, Andrew, and Coner exchanged confused glances before chasing after them as well, leaving Mark with no choice but to run after the group.
Meanwhile...
David kept his eyes locked on Jin.
"Jin..."
His voice was calm, but noticeably firmer than before.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?"
Standing beside him, John narrowed his eyes.
"You understand this is obstruction of justice, don't you?"
"You're trying to protect a criminal."
Jin looked at the two officers without the slightest change in expression.
"I don't really feel like talking to either of you."
His tone remained completely calm.
"So why don't you leave?"
Despite how composed his voice sounded, neither David nor John mistook the meaning behind those words.
David let out a slow sigh.
"So that's your answer..."
He studied Jin for a brief moment before speaking again.
"You spent three years in prison because of a murder committed six years ago."
"I suppose you've never forgiven us for that."
Jin didn't answer.
John quietly reached for the transmitter attached to his shoulder.
"This is Unit One."
"Jin is preventing us from transporting Gary."
"...Understood."
He lowered the transmitter and exchanged a glance with David.
The two officers nodded almost simultaneously.
David stepped forward.
"It seems we don't have much of a choice anymore."
"If you insist on interfering..."
"...then we'll be taking both you and Gary."
Jin simply looked at them.
The faint blue glow that had once shone in his eyes had already disappeared.
He stood there silently, Waiting.
The four A-Rank officers slowly moved ahead of David and John, forming a line between them and Jin.
One of the officers calmly unholstered a taser.
Without wasting another second, he raised it toward Jin and pulled the trigger.
The officer raised his Taser.
Crack!
The probes shot forward.
He saw them coming.
He didn't move.
The probes crossed the distance between them in an instant, closing in on him until they were barely eight inches from his body.
Then..
The officer's eyes lost track of him.
The probes struck nothing but air.
The officer's eyes widened.
He hadn't even seen the movement.
In the same instant that the probes passed through the space where the man had been standing, the distance between them was gone.
Three metres.
That's all it had been.
Yet before the probes could reach the spot he'd occupied only a fraction of a second earlier, he was already standing directly in front of the officer.
His hand seized the officer by the head.
BAM!
The officer's body was driven into the concrete.
The impact exploded across the courtyard.
The ground shattered beneath him, cracks spreading outward in every direction as a cloud of dust burst into the air.
The remaining officers instinctively threw their arms in front of their faces.
When the dust settled...
Their teammate was already unconscious.
Lying motionless inside the crater.
The remaining three A-Rank officers froze for a split second.
None of them had expected the fight to end before it had even begun.
"...Move!" one of them shouted.
The three rushed forward together from different directions, hoping to overwhelm Jin before he could react.
It was a sensible strategy.
Against an ordinary opponent.
Jin calmly shifted his gaze toward the officer approaching from his right.
The man's fist had barely entered striking distance before Jin stepped to the side with the smallest movement possible. The punch cut through empty air.
At the same moment, Jin's own fist drove upward.
BAM!
The punch landed squarely beneath the officer's chin.
His eyes rolled back instantly as his body shot several meters into the air.
Before anyone could even follow his movement, Jin bent his knees and leapt after him.
For a brief moment, both figures hung above the academy courtyard.
Jin raised his leg.
Then brought it crashing down.
The kick struck the officer's chest with terrifying force, sending him hurtling back toward the ground like a meteor.
BOOM!
His body slammed directly into one of the remaining A-Rank officers.
The impact shattered the concrete beneath them.
Fragments of stone scattered across the courtyard while a violent shockwave swept outward, causing several nearby classroom windows to tremble. Most of them couldn't withstand the force, thin cracks spreading across the glass.
The last A-Rank officer felt a chill run down his spine.
His three teammates...
Had all been defeated within seconds.
He looked up.
Jin was already descending from the air.
The officer hurriedly raised both arms to guard himself.
But it was pointless..
Jin threw a fist that landed directly on his raised arms.
The officer's entire body folded around the strike.
His body was smashed against the ground beneath.
Silence fell over the school.
The smoke gradually settled across the shattered ground.
Jin stood silently in the middle of the broken concrete, surrounded by the four unconscious A-Rank officers.
David and John stared at the scene in disbelief.
David's eyes slowly widened.
"He... took them down in one hit?"
John remained speechless for a moment before letting out a slow breath.
"It wouldn't be wrong to say... he seems even stronger than Gary."
Jin slowly began walking toward them.
His footsteps echoed across the empty school grounds before he stopped only a few metres away.
"Changed your mind," he asked calmly, "or do you still want to go at it?"
David sighed.
"Sorry, kid. We don't think we're leaving empty-handed."
The two officers immediately took their stances.
Jin remained where he was.
Without exchanging another word, David and John rushed toward him simultaneously, both aiming straight for his head.
At that moment, a blue glow slowly appeared within Jin's eyes.
He lowered himself slightly, effortlessly slipping beneath both attacks.
David and John's expressions changed.
"He dodged it like it was nothing?"
Neither of them had even touched him.
They attacked again.
Jin simply moved several feet away, avoiding both strikes with minimal movement.
David frowned.
"Kid... you were always extraordinary. But you're taking a wrong step here—"
"You talk too much."
Jin's voice remained calm.
"You're not even old enough to be talking like some child who doesn't know when to stop, do you?"
John clicked his tongue.
"Still the same as back then... no respect, huh?"
Jin gave no reply.
Instead, he charged straight toward David.
David's eyes widened.
Before he could react, Jin had already closed the distance.
A heavy punch slammed into David's stomach, launching him backward into the wall behind him.
The impact carved a crater into the wall, sending fragments of concrete scattering across the ground.
Jin immediately turned.
John had already moved toward Jin's blind spot, attempting to strike while his attention was elsewhere.
But Jin was faster.
He avoided the attack with a slight movement, grabbed John's leg, and swung him directly into David's body.
Both officers coughed up blood from the impact.
Even so, they forced themselves back onto their feet.
Jin stepped forward once again.
This time, both officers managed to raise their arms and block his punch.
The force behind it still smashed both of them into the ground.
Jin glanced at them briefly.
They blocked it, but couldn't move.
His expression remained unchanged.
John struggled to lift himself.
"Fuck... you..."
David gritted his teeth, pain spreading throughout his body.
"My arm's bones are cracked..."
He looked at Jin in disbelief.
"What kind of monster are you?"
Jin stood silently for a brief moment before turning around.
He began walking away with his back facing them.
"If you try to meddle in my things again..."
He continued walking without slowing down.
"I won't stop after cracking your arm bones."
Without another word, he knelt down and picked up Gary's unconscious body and walked out of the school.
No one stopped Jin.
With Gary's body resting over his shoulder, he silently walked away from the abandoned school, leaving behind the shattered concrete and the officers who could do nothing but watch him disappear.
David and John eventually called for a police transport van. The four unconscious A-Rank officers were loaded inside before they left the scene themselves.
The chaos that had consumed the city finally came to an end.
Not long afterward, an official announcement spread throughout Blackridge.
Gary—the criminal responsible for the destruction—had died.
Although the police hadn't been the ones to kill him, the public still credited them for handling the crisis and restoring peace to the city.
Within a few hours, people slowly returned to the streets.
The shops reopened.
Traffic resumed.
Life returned to normal.
At least... on the surface.
Because only a handful of people knew what had truly happened that day.
...
Jin never held a funeral for Gary.
Instead, he dug a grave himself.
He buried Gary in silence before remaining there, standing in front of the freshly covered grave without saying a single word.
He hadn't expected anyone to come.
He wanted to be alone.
A few moments later, the quiet sound of footsteps approached from behind.
Jin turned his head.
A young man with white hair and calm gray eyes had stopped beside him.
Jin didn't question it at first.
Perhaps he had known Gary.
Perhaps he had come to pay his respects.
But...
How?
No one should have known where Gary had been buried in such a massive graveyard.
Alan: "Don't be surprised, Jin."
Alan's calm voice broke the silence.
Jin looked at him.
Jin: "You know me?"
Alan gave a slow nod.
Alan: "I do."
He paused briefly.
Alan: "Maybe you've forgotten."
Alan: "Three years ago... when three boys bothered you and you beat them."
Jin's eyes narrowed slightly as the memory slowly resurfaced.
Jin: "...I remember."
He looked at Alan more carefully.
Jin: "Were you there too?"
Alan: "Yeah."
Alan's answer was simple.
Alan: "And I also know the truth about Gary's life."
He lowered his gaze toward the grave.
Alan: "Today was a rough day."
Alan: "...May he rest in peace."
After a brief silence, Alan spoke again.
Alan: "Also..."
Alan: "Shouldn't you pay a visit there?"
Jin paused.
His eyes remained fixed on Alan's face, trying to understand what he meant.
Jin: "Where exactly?"
Alan quietly told him.
Jin's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Before he could respond—
Several familiar voices echoed through the graveyard.
Daisy: "Alan!"
Daniel, Daisy, Mark, Bob, Andrew, and Coner hurried toward them.
Daisy let out a relieved breath.
Daisy: "Are you alright? Why did you call us back then? We've been searching for you everywhere."
Alan blinked.
Alan: "Oh... sorry, guys."
Alan: "My bike wasn't starting, so I wanted a ride here."
Daniel: "...What?"
Daniel froze.
The next second—
Everyone except Mark dramatically collapsed onto the ground.
Bob covered his face.
Bob: "We thought something huge had happened."
Daisy sighed helplessly.
Daisy: "It was already a terrible day, and then you suddenly asked for help. Of course we assumed the worst."
Alan scratched the back of his head.
Alan: "That's my bad."
Alan: "I wouldn't have called if I'd known you were already dealing with something."
While they spoke, Jin quietly looked at the group.
Without saying another word...
He turned around and began walking away.
Mark watched him leave.
Mark: "...Why did he leave?"
Alan shrugged slightly.
Alan: "He probably has something to do."
Daisy's eyes shifted toward the fresh grave.
Daisy: "...Wait."
Daisy: "That grave..."
Alan: "Yeah."
Alan: "That's Gary."
Daniel blinked.
Daniel: "Hold on..."
Daniel: "So you two were just standing on a criminal's grave?"
Daniel: "For what?"
Alan: "Jin had a history with him."
Alan: "I just came to visit."
Alan: "Nothing more."
Mark lowered his head slightly.
Mark: "He was... a tough guy."
Daniel immediately shook his head.
Daniel: "Don't remind me."
Daniel: "I seriously need to start training again."
Alan quietly watched everyone before lifting his eyes toward the sky.
Dark clouds slowly began gathering overhead.
Tiny snowflakes drifted gently through the air.
Alan: "...It's going to be a great winter."
Everyone instinctively looked upward.
For the first time that day...
They smiled.
...
Meanwhile—
Somewhere within the city.
Somewhere near the old streets surrounding Nameless School, Jin walked through the aging neighborhood, where old buildings lined the quiet streets.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a small house.
He looked down at the piece of paper Alan had handed him at the graveyard.
After reading the address one last time, he folded it and slipped it back into his pocket.
Then he stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door.
Naya: "Coming."
A woman's voice answered from inside.
Her footsteps approached quickly, almost as though she had been waiting for someone.
The door slowly opened.
A middle-aged woman wearing glasses stepped outside.
The moment she looked up, hope appeared across her face.
Naya: "Gary—"
Her voice stopped.
The smile faded as she realized the person standing before her wasn't her son.
She slowly placed a hand over her chest and took a quiet breath.
Naya: "You're not... Gary."
Her voice became softer.
Naya: "So..."
Naya: "What brings you here this evening?"
Jin remained silent for a moment.
Then he bowed politely.
Jin: "Good evening, ma'am."
Jin: "I used to be Gary's classmate in elementary school."
Jin: "My name is..."
Jin: "Jin."
The name lingered in the air.
The woman's eyes slowly widened.
Naya: "J-Jin...?"
Naya: "It's you?"
She looked at him with pleading eyes.
Naya: "So..."
Naya: "Do you know anything about Gary?"
Naya: "I'm so worried..."
Naya: "I just want to ask him about—"
Jin gently interrupted her.
Jin: "Ma'am..."
She fell silent.
Looking directly into her eyes, Jin spoke calmly.
Jin: "...Gary, he won't be coming home."
To be continued...