August 19, 2023 | 10:15 AM
Raito Kurogane's Apartment
The weight of the notebook in Raito's hands had never felt heavier. His name—his own name—was staring back at him from the page.
And beneath it, those three taunting words:
"You are not God."
His fingers clenched around the pen as his mind raced. This wasn't just a trick. Someone had written in his notebook.
But that was impossible.
No one had ever touched the notebook except him.
No one even knew about it.
So how?
Raito's breathing steadied, the initial shock giving way to cold calculation. He had made one mistake—assuming he was the only one playing this game.
Clearly, he wasn't.
He flipped the pages frantically, checking if any other names had been tampered with. But everything else was untouched. Only his own name had been written.
And that meant only one thing:
This wasn't an attack. It was a message.
Someone wanted him to know they were watching.
Someone powerful enough to break into his world and leave their mark.
Raito shut the notebook slowly, exhaling through his nose.
Whoever this person was, they had just made their biggest mistake.
Because now, they had his full attention.
---
August 19, 2023 | 11:00 AM
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters
Hoshino Renji and Yume Sazanami sat in silence, staring at the screen in front of them. The file had been modified—someone had altered Raito Kurogane's record.
But there was something else.
When Renji had searched Raito's name again, a strange anomaly appeared in the system logs.
The name could no longer be edited.
No deletions. No modifications. Not even by the highest security clearance.
It was as if his name had been permanently locked in the database.
Unchangeable.
Yume leaned back, rubbing her temples. "Okay, so let's get this straight. Someone erased Raito's file last night. Then, a few hours later, it's suddenly back—but now, it's impossible to touch?"
Renji nodded. "And it wasn't us."
Yume tapped her fingers against the desk. "Meaning whoever did it wanted us to see this."
Renji exhaled. "I don't like it. This isn't just someone covering their tracks—this is a power move."
Yume crossed her arms. "A fourth player."
A cold feeling settled in Renji's chest. "Yeah. And they're just getting started."
A notification popped up on Renji's screen.
[INCOMING MESSAGE: ANONYMOUS]
Yume shot him a glance. "That's never a good sign."
Renji clicked it. A single sentence appeared in the chat window:
"The game is bigger than you think."
No sender. No traceable IP.
And then—just as quickly as it had appeared—the message vanished.
Yume exhaled sharply. "Well. That's creepy as hell."
Renji stared at the empty screen, his mind working rapidly.
They weren't just chasing Raito anymore.
They were being watched.
And if this fourth player could manipulate data at this level…
Then the rules of this game had just changed.
---
August 19, 2023 | 11:30 AM
Unknown Location
The figure sat in front of their monitor, watching the chaos unfold.
Renji and Yume were getting closer. Raito was spiraling.
Good.
The real fun was about to begin.
They opened their own notebook—a mirror image of Raito's, except for one difference.
The ink they wrote with wasn't black.
It was red.
And the names inside?
They weren't just records.
They were commands.
The figure tapped their pen against the page, smiling.
"Your move, Kurogane."