Dad, Mom, and I were having dinner when it happened again.
Those six blue eyes.
For just a moment, I saw them in my mind.
I froze.
"Is there something wrong, sweetheart?" Mom asked softly.
I opened my mouth to answer.
But before I could say anything—
CRASH!
The front door flew open.
A strange, bright blue mist poured into the room.
It wasn't normal fog.
It twisted and curled like it was alive, spreading across the floor and swallowing everything in its path.
My heartbeat immediately sped up.
Then I heard footsteps.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Someone was walking through the mist.
First, I saw a pair of polished black shoes.
Then dark trousers.
A white shirt.
A black blazer.
The stranger walked calmly, as if he'd just entered his own house.
His hands were buried inside his pockets.
Then I saw his hat.
A wide-brimmed black hat sat on his head.
But what caught my attention was the cloth wrapped around his eyes.
A thick headband completely covered them.
I couldn't see his eyes at all.
The rest of his face was covered in strange tattoos.
They twisted across his skin like dark serpents, disappearing beneath his clothes.
He stopped in the middle of our living room.
The blue mist surrounded him.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the air felt different.
Heavy.
Cold.
I felt like something was pressing down on my chest.
Mom's hand trembled.
Dad's shoulders were tense.
And me?
I couldn't stop staring at the stranger.
Then—
I saw the six blue eyes again.
For a split second, they appeared in my mind.
Six glowing eyes.
The same ones I'd seen earlier.
I swallowed.
Do I know him?
Maybe I'd seen him before.
Maybe...
No.
That was impossible.
Dad suddenly stood up.
"WHO ARE YOU, AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO OUR HOUSE?!"
The stranger didn't even flinch.
He slowly pulled one hand from his pocket and looked at it.
Then he spoke.
"Oh..."
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
"I don't need permission."
He lowered his hand.
"It's already been granted."
I frowned.
"Granted by who?"
The stranger smiled.
It wasn't a friendly smile.
It was the kind of smile that made me wish I hadn't asked.
Then he finally introduced himself.
"By the way..."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I'm Katsuo."