August 19, 2023 | 11:45 AM
Raito Kurogane's Apartment
Raito sat motionless at his desk, his fingers resting on the notebook's cover. The message left for him—"You are not God"—kept replaying in his mind.
The implications were clear. Someone knew.
But how much did they know?
He had been careful. No cameras, no witnesses, no fingerprints left behind when he used the notebook. His plan was flawless—until now.
There were only three possibilities:
1. A bluff. Someone was trying to scare him into making a mistake.
2. A spy. Someone had been watching him without his knowledge.
3. Another Pen.
His eyes narrowed. The third possibility was terrifying. If another Pen existed, did that mean someone else had the same power?
If so, they could be even more dangerous than him.
He needed to test something.
Raito flipped to a fresh page, gripped his pen, and wrote a name.
Takahiro Fushida – CEO of a pharmaceutical company, accused of bribery but never convicted.
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest. Time of death: 12:15 PM.
The ink dried on the page. Now, he waited.
If Takahiro Fushida didn't die, then the rules had changed.
If he did, then the power of his pen remained intact.
But what worried him most was something else entirely.
If another person had a pen—could they kill him with it?
The thought sent a rare chill down his spine.
For the first time since he had started playing this game… he wasn't sure if he was safe.
---
August 19, 2023 | 12:14 PM
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters
Yume Sazanami leaned back in her chair, staring at her monitor.
Renji was on the phone, speaking in his usual calm, measured tone. But Yume could see it—the slight tension in his jaw, the flicker of frustration in his eyes.
Something was wrong.
When he hung up, she asked, "What is it?"
Renji exhaled. "Takahiro Fushida is dead. Heart attack. Just a minute ago."
Yume blinked. "Wait—what?"
Renji tapped his fingers against the desk. "That means the killer is still active. And more importantly, their method still works."
Yume frowned. "So what does that tell us?"
Renji's voice was quiet. "It tells us that Kurogane is still making moves. And he's trying to see if something has changed."
Yume considered that. "Meaning he's… testing something?"
"Exactly."
Silence stretched between them. The pattern was clear—Raito had always killed for a reason. But this? This was different.
If he was testing the notebook, that meant something had happened to shake his confidence.
Something had made him question his own power.
Yume's fingers tightened around her coffee cup. "Renji… do you think there's another one?"
Renji didn't answer immediately.
But the look in his eyes said it all.
---
August 19, 2023 | 12:30 PM
Unknown Location
The figure in the shadows pick their red pen, a small smile playing on their lips.
Kurogane had reacted exactly as expected. He was testing his abilities, trying to confirm if his Pen still worked.
Good.
Because this was only the beginning.
The figure flipped through the pages, skimming over the names already written.
Unlike Raito's Pen, this one didn't just kill.
It could manipulate. Influence. Change the course of reality in ways even he hadn't imagined yet.
Their pen hovered over the page before they wrote:
Raito Kurogane – 5:00 PM. He will visit an abandoned parking garage in Shinjuku, believing he is following a lead.
A single stroke of ink.
A single command.
And just like that, the next move in the game was set.
The figure leaned back, watching the clock.
Let's see what you do now, Kurogane.