15:45.
The hallways were filled with the muffled hum of voices, laughter, and the creaking of doors. Asura walked slowly, pressing a carton of orange juice to her lips. Sunlight, filtering through the tall windows, painted long shadows on the floor. She scrolled unhurriedly through a chat with her friend, smiling at her phone screen. Yesterday, she had turned eighteen.
"You going to training after classes today?"
"No, Mom said I need to run some errands. You?"
"Alright, next time then. Don't forget to buy a math notebook, I ran out."
Asura typed a reply, but didn't have time to send it. Behind her, a soft rustle sounded. She turned around and saw Ria standing half a meter away, with an indifferent expression on her face.
"What time is it?" the latter asked, barely moving her lips.
Asura automatically reached for her jeans pocket, where her phone was.
"Just a second…" she began to enter the unlock code, but suddenly something heavy and cold crashed down on the back of her head.
The world exploded in a white flash. The juice carton slipped from her hands, splattering orange liquid on the floor. Asura collapsed forward, hitting her forehead on the linoleum. The last thing she heard was Ria's chuckle and Oota's voice:
"Well, here we go."
Unknown location. Time unknown.
The first thing Asura felt when she regained consciousness was pain. A dull, throbbing pain in the back of her head, as if she'd been hit with a hammer. She tried to move, but her arms and legs wouldn't obey. Something cold and hard dug into her wrists.
She opened her eyes.
The light was dim, like from an old lightbulb. She was lying on a table, wooden, wide, with jagged edges. Her skin stuck to the wood, sweat ran down her back. Asura tried to sit up but realized she couldn't. Her hands were tied behind her back, her legs spread and bound to the table legs.
She was naked.
The cold air burned her skin. She trembled, trying to squeeze her knees together, but the ropes wouldn't let her move an inch. Her throat tightened with terror. She tried to scream, but only a hoarse groan escaped her chest.
"Finally awake," a voice came from above.
Asura raised her head.
Kaoru stood before her, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were empty, like a doll's. Next to her, Ria's shadow loomed from the side. In her hand, Asura saw a black strap with something... long and rubbery.
"Where... where am I...?" Asura whispered, feeling saliva gather in her mouth from fear.
Kaoru didn't answer. She slowly raised her hand, in which the blade of a cleaver glinted.
"We're going to ask you a few questions," she said calmly. "You will answer. If not..." she ran her finger along the blade, "I'll start cutting off pieces."
Asura trembled harder. Tears streamed from her eyes, mixing with sweat.
"Wh-why...?"
Kaoru leaned in, bringing her face almost close.
"Where is Renji?"
Asura blinked, not understanding.
"Wh-who?"
"Don't pretend," Ria stepped forward, slapping the table with the strap-on. The wood cracked. "We know you've been with him. Which school? Where does he live?"
Asura tried to crawl away, but the ropes bit into her wrists. She screamed, thrashing on the table.
"I don't know! I don't know who you're talking about!"
Kaoru sighed, as if bored. Then she pulled out her phone and threw it onto the table in front of Asura. On the screen was a frozen video, blurry, with poor sound quality, but recognizable.
Asura's mother.
She was in a short skirt, hair loose, sitting on a bed in a cheap hotel. Next to her, an unknown man was tearing off her clothes. The camera shook, but her mother's voice was clearly audible, hoarse, drunk, laughing.
"No..." Asura whispered. "No, no, no..."
"You see, we take our questions seriously," Ria said, tapping the screen. The video continued. Asura squeezed her eyes shut, but the scream that tore from her chest drowned out everything.
Kaoru, meanwhile, took the cleaver and placed it on Asura's finger.
"One," she said calmly.
The blade cut into the skin. Asura screamed, yanking her hands, but the ropes only dug deeper into her wrists.
"Two."
Blood ran down her finger, dripping onto the table.
"Three."
Hit.
The finger flew off, hitting the floor. Asura howled, her body convulsing. Ria, meanwhile, stepped forward, grabbed her hips, and thrust in with the strap-on in one sharp movement.
Asura screamed so loudly that it seemed her voice would tear her throat apart.
"He's..." she exhaled through tears. "He goes to... the school near the market... in the neighboring district... Eighth district... Haruka School..."
Kaoru nodded, as if it were the most ordinary information.
Kaoru thought.
"Aki wasn't lying. Now I'm definitely convinced, and I know where he is."
"Good girl," she said, putting the cleaver away. "Ria, that's enough."
Ria snorted but stepped back.
Abandoned alley. 20:13.
Asura lay on the asphalt, curled into a ball. Her body trembled, her clothes were pulled on crookedly, her hair stuck together with sweat and tears. The finger on her right hand was wrapped in a dirty rag. They had dumped her there, saying that if she went to the police, the video of her mother would spread all over the internet.
"If you lied, we'll be back," Ria hissed before kicking her. "And next time, we'll cut off something bigger."
Asura didn't answer. She just lay there, staring at the sky, where the last rays of the sun were drowning in darkness.
Somewhere in the distance, a siren howled.