A strange feminine voice, faint at first, as if from a distant dream... then gradually growing larger and larger, slipping into Ryuichi's ears like mist between the branches of a tree.
"...Kagegaoka-eki..."
A slight shake in the bus, then the squealing of tires as it gradually slows down.
Ryuichi slowly opened his eyes. The world around him seemed blurry, mixed with the colors of a late sunset... he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming.
The voice repeated itself, this time more clearly:
"Next stop: Kajigaoka."
Ryuichi suddenly straightened in his seat, heart pounding, staring out the bus window...
Kajigaoka?!
His inner voice trembled. That's not his stop.
He blinked a few times, trying to shake off the effects of sleep, then stared at the scenery outside... he had already passed his neighborhood a long time ago.
"I can't believe... I slept all this way?"
He stared at the cold cup of coffee in his hands, which had little left in it, and bit his lip as he muttered sarcastically:
"Nice... I'm not even good at getting off a bus on time... Well done, Ryuichi."
He threw his head back in resignation as the bus slowed to a stop he didn't recognize, amidst a strange world of dim neon lights and shadows of the unknown.
He was lost,
not just in the road, but in everything.
Ryuichi stood at the bus door, hesitating.
The door opened slowly, and a gust of cold air greeted him as if to whisper:
"You're in the wrong place."
He stepped onto the sidewalk, looking around...
Everything here seemed too quiet.
The light from the street lamps is wavering, the street is almost empty, and only the sound of the wind creates an ominous backdrop.
He started walking aimlessly, dragging his steps on the sidewalk, when he spotted two eyes shining in the shadows in the corner.
He stopped.
His pupils constricted, trying to confirm what he was seeing.
There was a girl, standing under one of the pillars, wearing a long black coat, her hair covering part of her face...
With steady eyes, she was staring directly at him.
Ryuichi felt a chill run down his spine, but his feet didn't move.
He whispered to himself:
"Who is she? And why are you looking at me like that?"
She approached him slowly... her footsteps barely audible...
until she was only a few steps away.
Then in a low, terrifyingly quiet voice:
"Ryuichi... you've lost your way."
He took a step back, his heart pounding.
"How do you know my name?"
But she didn't answer...
Instead, she pulled something small out of her pocket... and dropped it at his feet.
An electronic card... dark blue in color, with the logo of Nagaya University engraved on it.
And the words: "Authorized: A2 Secret Unit."
He raised his head to face her, but...
she wasn't there.
She disappeared as quickly as she appeared.
Ryuichi stood in place, staring into the void where that girl had been moments before.
No trace... no sound... nothing.
He lowered his gaze to the ground...
There was no card.
He took a step back, his mind wrestling with itself.
"Am I... delusional? No, I saw her... I heard her voice..."
"But... there was no camera, no evidence, no witness... just me."
He slammed his palm against his forehead, as if trying to clear the fog from his mind.
"Shit... looks like I... didn't sleep well."
He exhaled a long sigh, then pulled out his phone, only to find that there was no coverage.
He looked around again, the place was still strange... deserted, but now it seemed less scary, as if something was "gone".
"Maybe it's just the stress of studying... and fatigue... and old nightmares..."
Ryuichi stood on the sidewalk, his eyes darting between the watch on his wrist and the road ahead. The bus that was supposed to take him home was late. He had decided to head home while the day was still leaning toward sunset, but now... night was fast approaching.
He kept watching the road, and there was no sign of the bus that was supposed to pass by, as usual. The cold air began to creep up on his skin, and he lifted his hand to roll up the sleeves of his jacket a little, but he felt something more than the coldness of the air. There was something in that moment.
"Why is the bus late?" Ryuichi thought as he glanced back at the clock on his wrist. Time was passing quickly, and there was no sign of the bus on the horizon.
He took a step forward, then looked at the point where he expected the bus to appear. Nothing. No lights, no movement on the street.
"Is something wrong?"
He sighed deeply as he folded his hands in front of him, trying to hide the anxiety that was starting to creep into his heart. The city seemed unnaturally quiet now. Lights were on in the streets, but the mood was strange. It was as if the streets were waiting for something, as if the lights were foreshadowing something that would happen soon.
But the bus? No sign of it.
He decided to look at his phone and tried to open the Google Maps app to see if there were any road issues or delays. He looked at the route and the time remaining. But the phone didn't do much to calm him down; it only made things more complicated. The app was displaying the bus's position, but nothing was showing up at the moment. There may have been a technical glitch, but he was still worried.
"If the bus is this late, it means I'm going to be very late getting home." *
Then he looked up at the sky, the sun had almost disappeared and the sky had turned dark blue, while the streets were starting to turn into a dark canvas with the street lights turned off. He felt as if time was running away from him, that he was in a state of endless waiting.
There was no one around, no one to share his anxiety with. He was the only one in this desolate, tunnel-like place. He wondered to himself how this could happen.
"What if...? No, I have to be patient. The bus will come soon."
But no. It didn't. The bus never approached. The longer he waited, the more shadows began to fill the street.
In the midst of this deadly silence, he felt something strange creeping into his mind. The idea of "delay" was constantly playing in his mind, as if time itself was stubborn. As if something was standing between him and that bus. As if it wasn't just an ordinary delay, there was something deeper connecting this long wait to him.
Before deciding what to do next, he looked back at the screen of his phone, swiping the screen with a quick motion to bring up the road map. Maybe this was the last chance to find a solution.
But in the midst of this tranquility, the shadows of night began to approach, leaving him standing there, in the shadows, not knowing if he had missed the bus or if it was already too late.
All he can do now is wait... wait in the dull emptiness of the city.
Ryuichi began walking slowly down the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, the sound of his light footsteps accompanying the stillness of the street. It was getting dark, and the shaky lights on the electric poles cast long, slanting shadows behind him. Everything around him was silent, but inside he was seething... not anger, but a feeling of inexplicable heaviness.
"Strange... How many times have I had to wait in my life? For everything. Almost everything, I've waited."
He looked up, the street stretching on forever. He took his phone out of his pocket again, looked at the screen, nothing new... no notification, no change of route, no bus.
"Maybe I'll walk a bit. Who knows, maybe the bus has changed its route, or maybe time itself is mocking me tonight."
He continued walking, his steps getting heavier and heavier. The darkness was getting deeper, while the reflection of the street lamps on the sidewalk shimmered as he passed by a small puddle.
Suddenly, something made him stop.
There was a light coming from far away.
A bright light, a little wobbly, but clear. A bus! Yes, a bus coming from the other side of the road! Ryuichi stopped, his body fully turned toward the road, as if he was about to run toward it. His eyes twinkle with something like childlike hope, and a slight smile spreads across his weary face.
"Finally... I'm finally here!"
He waved a little automatically, perhaps out of habit or out of joy.
But the bus... didn't stop.
It passed in front of him at a quiet speed, its tires squealing on the asphalt. It didn't slow down, it didn't turn around, the driver didn't even look at him. The wind from the bus blew some of his hair back, and the hem of his jacket rattled.
Ryuichi stood still for a moment, watching the back of the bus disappear around the far corner... then the smile disappeared from his face, and a cold sneer appeared.
"Huh... good. The ghost bus, they also seem to be ignoring me."
He looked at the road for a moment, then his eyes dropped to the ground. He sighed, then let out a short, soulless laugh.
"How ironic... the universe itself seems to be developing a sense of humor."
He put his hands back in his pockets and continued walking toward his house, his pace steady, but he wasn't angry... he was exhausted. Exhausted from everything. With every step he took, the silence spoke for him.
Ryuichi's steps were slow, heavy, pulsing softly over the cold asphalt, his breathing synchronized with the silence of the night. There was nothing but the orange lights of the street and the evening breeze playing with his black locks.
But suddenly he stopped.
He felt a tingle... and then a violent pulse in his chest, as if something inside him was waking up. His right hand trembled, followed by a strange trembling all over his body.
"Uh-huh... what's that?" He muttered as he looked at his palm.
A faint light... no, it wasn't a light, it was a faint blue mana flash dancing between his fingers. It wasn't the first time he'd felt that pain, but it hadn't happened in a long time. And that flash... he had never seen anything like it before.
Then his heart began to beat faster, not from fear... but from that cold sensation in his veins, as if something passing through him didn't belong.
Suddenly, out of nowhere... he heard the voice.
It was faint, whispered, echoing in his head as if someone was speaking through his memory:
"I told you, Mantek can't take much more of this..."
It was Sera's voice. Clear, deep, like she was standing behind him.
He suddenly turned around.
But no one was there.
"Sera..." He whispered as if he could see her, as if the longing had materialized in nothingness.
He looked again at the sky, at the moon that was beginning to disappear behind a heavy gray cloud. Everything around him seemed to whisper: "You're about to fall apart."
He tightened the collar of his jacket and took a deep breath. Then he continued on his way... his steps faltering slightly, but his eyes... There was something new in them. A glint of doubt. A glint of fear.
Or maybe... it was a glint of realization.
Ryuichi continued to walk with hesitant steps, each step as if to untie a knot in his memory or pull on an unknown thread within him. The air was cooler, and the street lights were beginning to dim as the night wore on.
Suddenly...
"Ting!"
Ryuichi paused for a moment, then quickly pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. A notification had arrived... It was the sound of Google Maps.
He looked at the screen, only to see the map moving, updating to show his new location and the remaining path to his home.
"Location updated. Remaining to reach: 37 minute walk."
A small smile appeared on the corner of his lips, not his usual wry smile, but something more akin to gratitude... or perhaps some sort of simple relief.
"At least technology didn't let me down today..." he muttered sarcastically.
He stared at the screen for a moment, then lifted his eyes to the road ahead, long, dark, but now... he had a clear destination.
He put the phone back in his pocket and picked up the pace a bit, as if that digital notification had given him a real boost to keep going.
It wasn't overwhelming joy, but it was enough... enough to keep his feet moving and his heart beating in a less tense rhythm.
Luxury neighborhood in an upscale area of the city - 19:43 p.m.
The door of the luxury car slid open quietly, and Hiroshi stepped out with confident strides. His long dark coat sways lightly behind him, and his face still bears the traces of the tension that has suffocated him since leaving college, but he hides it behind a stern mask of arrogance.
He stood in front of the gate of the house, which was automatically opened by a smart system that responds to his footprint. The exterior lights gradually turned on, as if the house was greeting its owner's return.
The house was an architectural masterpiece of glass and metal, overlooking the entire city, as if watching it from above... like its owner.
Hiroshi slowly took off his coat as he entered, revealing a white shirt without a single wrinkle, everything about it meticulously calculated.
"A home... or a sanctuary for royalty?" He muttered to himself with a tilted smile as he walked towards the futuristically designed living room.
He passed by a servant who silently bowed to him, to which he responded with a barely noticeable nod.
He sat down on a black leather sofa and issued a low-voiced command:
"Night mode on - soft music - today's reports."
Faint piano notes played in the background, and floating screens appeared in front of him, listing security and technical reports on the college, the students... and the AURA project.
He reached for a glass of red wine on the crystal table, contemplated it for a moment, then drank half of it in one go.
"Everything is under control... Almost." He said coldly.
But deep down, Miku Sato's voice, Ryuichi's gaze, and even his arrogance that almost collapsed the moment reality hit him... They all scratched that luxurious stillness.
He glanced through the glass, where the city was shining its lights.
"It's time to rearrange the cards..." He said it inwardly, before getting up and heading to the special operations room downstairs.
In the underground gym - lights low, 20:12 p.m.
The air in the gym was saturated with the smell of sweat and rubber, and energetic music was playing in the background, but amidst the din... Ryoko was moving in surprising silence.
He was in the freestyle ring, with three opponents in front of him, all of whom were hugely built and combat-experienced. But they were no match for him. No one here was.
"Begin." The trainer said from behind the armored glass, watching from above.
In a split second... Ryoko disappeared.
The first opponent delivered a straight blow into the void, but Ryoko's body appeared behind him as if he had traveled through the air.
A swift slap to the neck - the first opponent fell motionless.
The second tried to surprise him from the side, but Ryoko had already jumped at an odd angle, his body twisting in the air like a shadow not subject to the laws of gravity.
A double kick to the shoulder and chest - the opponent flew a few meters and crashed into the metal barrier.
The third was the most cautious, but Ryoko read his breathing, noticing a small tremor in his right foot before he pounced...
"Foul." Ryoko muttered as he disappeared from in front of him, appearing behind him in a flash, pulling his shirt to lose his balance and then pinning his knee to his back until he fell to the ground.
"Three in ten seconds." One of the observers uttered in amazement, checking the timing of the cameras.
The auditorium was suddenly silent. Some of the new trainees were staring at Ryoko as if he were another being, not human. He was smiling, his breathing was calm, and his sweat was almost non-existent.
"What's that speed?" One of them muttered,
"He's not moving... It's disappearing and appearing!"
Ryoko walked over to one of the heavy bags, and began hitting it with lightning-fast motions. The goal was not strength... but speed and precision, so much so that the sack was moving before the blow reached it, as if the air itself preceded it.
Between blows, Ryoko spoke to himself:
"If I have to protect Ryuichi... I have to be faster than everything, even his bad decisions."
After Ryoko finished his usual workout, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the ring. He didn't turn around, but he felt that dense aura creeping towards him.
"Ryoko-san... Are you still pretending to be humble in front of these kids?"
Ryoko raised an eyebrow and turned around quietly.
There was a man in his mid-thirties, bulky, but muscular and taut, with a prominent scar on his left shoulder and a red tattoo running from his neck to his palm.
"Yamaji... I didn't expect to see you here."
"I didn't come to see you... I came to test you."
He stepped into the ring with a confident stride, and suddenly there was silence. Some of the trainees started filming surreptitiously.
"A first-class fighter..." One of them whispered.
"Former National Security Advisor..." Another muttered.
Ryoko smirked:
"All this noise for a friendly fight?"
"Fight me with all your might, or you will be defeated."
The first attack was launched!
Yamaji lunged like a bull, his punches clearing the air in front of her.
Ryoko dodged the first punch with a neat sidestep, and countered with a low kick to the leg... But Yamaji blocked it with his foot, pushing him back hard.
"You're faster, but I'm heavier... I know how to take you down."
Ryoko smiled... then disappeared.
He appeared behind Yamaji, aiming for a blow to the neck, but the man defended with an elbow and almost hit him in the face.
The clash was quick, precise, like a deadly dance of death.
After a minute of violent exchange, Ryoko jumped back, his eyes glinting madly:
"It's okay... I'll show you a little bit of real play."
He raised his right hand, and whispered:
> "Technique: Shadow Phase - Shadow Phase"
His body became translucent, and his shadows multiplied on the ground.
Yamaji tried to attack him, but Ryoko became a traveling flash, striking from every direction, and the opponent could barely keep track of him.
"The level of movement... crazy..." one of the observers gasped in amazement.
Ryoko delivered a double blow to Yamaji's chest and then rose into the air with astonishing speed, his hands blazing with a faint aura of light, and then:
> "Technique: Kagejin - Shadow Split"
A dark crescent-shaped downward blow exploded like a bolt of lightning on Yamaji's shoulder, knocking him to the ground, but he rolled over and dodged the fatal blow.
He stood up slowly, blood running from his nose, and smiled:
"This... It wasn't bad."
Ryoko leaned in slightly, placing his hand on his thigh, his breathing was regular but he could feel the friction:
"And I still haven't started."
The clash started again, but this time... The shadows were fighting with Ryoko. Tiny reflections of his body were attacking from the sides, confusing the opponent, throwing him off balance.
Yamaji used a bloody vicious attack, almost breaking through Ryoko's defense, but the latter deflected at the last moment and then...
> "Third Technique: Yoru Senkō - Night Shimmer"
completely disappeared from view, and suddenly his image appeared as he landed three swift punches to the abdomen, shoulder, and face... while his opponent lay on the ground.
The fight is over.
Everyone in the hall stood up. Some were stunned, some scared, others applauded.
Ryoko stood in the center of the ring, breathing slowly, his eyes half closed:
"It's just practice..." he said as he stepped down from the ring and headed for the water bottle, not looking at his opponent, who had begun to wake up and was smiling.