August 18, 2023 | 11:30 AM
Raito Kurogane's Apartment
Raito's heartbeat was steady, but his mind was racing. The email had been short, direct, and dangerous:
"You're not the only one playing this game."
And that video…
Who was she?
The woman in the footage had been scanning his name, his movements. That meant she knew something. Maybe not everything, but enough to be a threat.
He closed his laptop and exhaled slowly. Calm down. Think.
Whoever sent the email wanted him to react. If he acted recklessly, he'd lose control of the situation.
Instead, he smirked.
Fine. Let's play.
He picked up the pen. His greatest weapon. His god-like power.
If he had a name… she was already dead.
---
August 18, 2023 | 11:45 AM
Yume Sazanami's Hideout
Yume leaned back in her chair, chewing on a lollipop as she watched her screen.
She had set a simple bait—an anonymous email with a tracker attached. If Raito responded, she would instantly get his location. But she knew someone like him wouldn't fall for such an obvious trap.
Instead, she was watching for any sudden change in the digital world.
And just as she predicted—something happened.
Her system detected a spike in data manipulation. Records were changing in real time.
"Predictable," she murmured, spinning the lollipop stick in her fingers.
She pulled up the latest modified data.
Subject: Yume Sazanami
Date of Incident: August 18, 2023 | 11:45 AM
Cause of Death: Accidental fall from rooftop
Yume smirked. "So, you're trying to kill me without knowing my real name? Cute."
She tapped a few keys, activating Ghost Layer, a system she had designed herself. It sent false data into government servers—multiple fake names, fake aliases, and conflicting records of her existence.
Raito's pen might be powerful, but if he had the wrong name, it meant nothing.
A direct attack? That confirmed it.
She was dealing with him.
And that meant it was time to strike back.
---
August 18, 2023 | 12:10 PM
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters | Renji's Office
Renji tapped his fingers against his desk, deep in thought.
Everything about his sudden internal investigation was suspicious. The evidence against him had appeared too perfectly, as if someone had carefully placed each detail.
And yet, no hacker had been detected. No leaks. No digital footprints. It was as if reality itself had been rewritten.
Was that even possible?
He sighed, rubbing his temples. He needed more information. There had to be a pattern.
He reached for his phone and dialed a number.
After two rings, a familiar voice answered.
"Sazanami Yume speaking."
Renji exhaled. "I need your help."
Yume chuckled. "Oh? Does this mean you believe in ghosts now, Detective?"
"Not yet," Renji muttered. "But something is messing with reality. And I think you already know what it is."
There was a pause.
Then Yume's voice came back, more serious.
"Meet me in one hour. I'll show you something that will change your mind."
Renji narrowed his eyes. "Where?"
"Somewhere that doesn't exist anymore."
Then the call ended.
Renji stared at his phone.
What the hell did that mean?
---
August 18, 2023 | 1:15 PM
Abandoned Warehouse | Shinjuku District
Renji arrived at the location Yume had sent him. The building was old, long forgotten. But something was off.
The place looked abandoned—except for one detail.
On the warehouse walls, there were names. Hundreds of them. Written in different styles, colors, some carved, some painted.
Renji felt a chill.
"What the hell is this?"
"You see it too, huh?"
Renji turned to see Yume stepping out of the shadows, her hoodie up, lollipop in her mouth.
She gestured at the names on the walls.
"These people… they don't exist anymore. They were erased."
Renji frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Yume smirked. "A person who dies is remembered. Their records, their families, their history—they still exist, even after death." She pointed at the wall. "But these names? They vanished. As if they were rewritten."
Renji's pulse quickened.
"Rewritten?"
Yume turned to face him, her eyes gleaming.
"Someone out there can change the past."
And for the first time in years, Detective Renji felt fear.