School ended beneath a heavy, uneasy silence that no one dared to name. Kaiya walked home with Ren and Mio, backpacks slung loosely over their shoulders, the echo of empty hallways still lingering in their minds like a bad dream that refused to fade.
"Man… today was seriously weird," Ren muttered, kicking a pebble along the sidewalk. "Half the school was just… gone."
"Yeah…" Mio replied, her usual spark dimmed to a quiet murmur.
In the distance, Yui Fujimoto walked alone, her sharp gaze fixed on Kaiya's back.
*What he said earlier about his mother… could it be the same?* she thought, her expression unreadable.
---
After picking up Riko from elementary school, the group waited by the gate as children spilled out in a colorful, chattering wave. The moment Riko spotted her brother, she broke into a run, pigtails bouncing.
"Kaiyaaa!"
"Hey Riko, still cute as usual," Mio said with a warm smile.
"I know," Riko replied confidently, striking a playful 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, the conversation drifting easily between games, favorite foods, and the dull lessons of the day. At the familiar 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 called, jogging after Mio with exaggerated reluctance.
Now it was just the two siblings. Riko immediately tugged Kaiya's sleeve, dragging him toward the small convenience store on the corner. He tried to keep walking, but her wide, pleading eyes won out. With a resigned sigh, he bought her the snacks she wanted.
"Thank you, big bro!" she beamed, clutching the bag like treasure.
For a moment, Kaiya's face softened into a rare, gentle smile.
The house felt dim and far too quiet when they stepped inside, the silence pressing against them like an unwelcome guest.
"Is Mom still not home?" Riko asked, glancing around the empty hallway.
"…Just take something from the fridge and eat, okay?" Kaiya said, trying to sound casual.
Riko opened the refrigerator and stared. "It's empty… nothing left except 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."
"WHAT!?" Riko's eyes widened in genuine shock.
Kaiya moved around the kitchen with surprising confidence, chopping vegetables and stirring a simple curry while Riko watched curiously from the table. When he finally served the plates, she poked at the food suspiciously with her chopsticks.
"Here. Eat."
"I hope I don't die from this…" she muttered.
She took one cautious bite. Then another. Her face lit up with delight.
"…Big bro, it's actually tasty!"
"Yeah? Glad you like it," Kaiya said, relief washing over him.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"Picked it up from Mom. Now brush your teeth and go to bed after, alright?"
Kaiya headed upstairs to his room, exhaustion weighing on every limb. He collapsed onto his bed in the darkness, faint streetlight filtering through the curtains like pale fingers.
---
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 and pulled the fabric aside.
Nothing was there.
He closed it tightly, telling himself it was only 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 glided forward by itself down a dark, endless road, headlights cutting through an impenetrable void.
Then a man slowly materialized in the driver's seat, head hanging low. Kaiya's breath caught in his throat.
The man reached up with unnatural slowness 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 heavy thud. Scrambling in the darkness, he slapped at the light switch.
*Click!*
The room flooded with harsh light.
Sitting calmly in his desk chair, legs crossed and arms folded, was Yui Fujimoto. Completely relaxed, as though 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, her eyes steady and unblinking. "I came because… I want to know everything about your mom's disappearance."
"She didn't disappear," Kaiya shot back, voice sharper than he intended. "You heard what the teacher said. It's just a coincidence."
"Really? A coincidence?"
Yui stood up. The teasing edge vanished from her voice.
"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 mother in class… I felt it. The same thing is happening. To our parents."
Kaiya looked away, unease crawling up his spine like icy fingers. "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 as a blade. "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 with both hands. "Fine. Let's go."
Yui allowed herself a small, satisfied smirk.
---
They sneaked into the hallway. Before leaving, Kaiya peeked into Riko's room. She was fast asleep — until Yui accidentally bumped his phone, and loud music suddenly blasted through the speakers.
Riko sat up instantly, eyes wide. "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
"Nowhere. Go back to sleep," Kaiya whispered urgently.
Yui stepped forward without hesitation. "We're going to the library. Wanna come?"
"YES!" Riko's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"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!"
"Yay!" both girls cheered.
---
The three of them arrived at the town library only to find the doors locked tight, the building dark and imposing under the moonlight.
"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 silent shadows. Yui moved through the dark building with surprising confidence, as if she had done this before.
They used a single flashlight, its beam cutting through dusty aisles as they combed through old newspapers and yellowed 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 close. "Did you find something?"
"I think so." He pointed at the faded 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, her voice barely above a whisper. "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, her eyes catching the light in an unnatural way.
"Isn't it too late to be outside?" she asked sweetly, her voice honeyed and wrong.
Riko hid behind Kaiya, trembling.
Yui dropped the flashlight in shock. Kaiya snatched it up and pointed the beam directly 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 and tense. "…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 at impossible angles — 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 grotesque. Kaiya, running at the back, shoved books and carts behind him in a desperate attempt to slow it down.
They burst out of the building just as the first faint rays of sunrise touched the sky.
The monster stopped at the threshold, unable to cross into the light.
The kids kept running, hearts hammering, legs burning.
Moments later, flashing police lights surrounded them. Someone out for an early jog had called after hearing the screams and commotion.
They were taken to the station for trespassing.
But as the sun rose higher, painting the town in pale gold, Kaiya couldn't stop thinking about that single name echoing in his mind like a curse:
*Gurenmaru.*
To be continued…