Kai walked down the quiet street alone.
The night air was cool, and the streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement.
The small shop was just a few minutes away.
He shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, relaxed, like nothing in the world could really surprise him.
The shop bell rang as he stepped inside.
Bright lights. Quiet shelves. A sleepy cashier behind the counter.
Kai grabbed a drink for Ren first, then picked something for himself without thinking too much about it.
He paid quickly, slipped the items into a bag, and left.
Outside again, the night felt even quieter.
Kai looked up at the sky.
Stars were faint behind the city glow.
"…Tch. Too bright for night," he muttered.
Then he noticed it.
A black car parked across the street.
Engine off.
Windows tinted.
Still.
Kai slowed slightly as he walked.
His eyes shifted toward it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
No movement. No sound.
Just the car.
He walked past it.
"…Weird," he said under his breath, not stopping.
Then—
A sound behind him.
Footsteps.
Fast.
Kai barely had time to turn—
Something struck the back of his head.
Hard.
A sharp impact.
His vision blurred instantly.
The world tilted.
The bag slipped from his hand.
The drink fell and rolled across the pavement.
Kai staggered.
"…Wha—"
His knees gave out.
And he collapsed onto the road.
Unconscious.
The street went silent again.
The black car remained still.
And Kai Aoyama—
the strongest student in the school—
lay motionless under the night sky.
Ren woke up suddenly.
The room was dark now—only the faint glow of the hallway light slipping under the door.
He sat up slowly.
"…Kai?"
Silence.
No game sounds. No movement. No footsteps.
Just empty quiet.
Ren frowned slightly.
That was wrong.
Kai should've been back by now.
He stood up and walked out of the bedroom.
The house was still.
Too still.
He moved down the hallway, eyes scanning the dark rooms.
"Kai?" he called quietly.
No answer.
Then he stopped.
Voices.
At the front door.
Low. Serious.
Ren walked closer.
He recognized one of them immediately.
His mother.
"…Haruka…"
And another voice.
A stranger.
A police officer.
Ren reached the hallway entrance just as the conversation became clearer.
Haruka's voice was tense.
"What's wrong?"
A pause.
Then the officer spoke.
"…Ma'am, we need you to come with us."
Silence.
Ren stepped closer.
Something in his chest tightened.
Haruka's voice shook slightly.
"What happened?"
The officer hesitated before answering.
"…We found a body."
The world seemed to slow.
Ren froze.
Haruka didn't speak for a moment.
"…A body?"
The officer continued carefully.
"We believe it may be your son… Kai Aoyama."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Too heavy.
Ren's breath stopped.
His mind didn't process it at first.
Kai?
No.
That wasn't possible.
Haruka's voice cracked.
"…No… that's not—he just went to the shop…"
The officer lowered his tone.
"We're still confirming identity, but… the location matches his last known movements."
Ren stepped forward slightly without realizing it.
His hand touched the wall to steady himself.
Kai.
His brother.
His voice.
Just hours ago.
Haruka turned slightly, noticing Ren in the hallway.
"Ren…" she whispered.
But Ren didn't respond.
He just stood there.
Frozen.
Like the world had stopped making sense.
And somewhere far away in the city—
a black car door quietly closed.
To be continued...