The air inside Airi's living room was silent, save for the faint hum of Kaito's laptop fan. The glow of the screen bathed his face in blue, casting faint shadows under his tired eyes. Pages of articles, cryptic forums, and encrypted messages scrolled across the screen like a stream of whispers in the dark.
Stacks of paper surrounded him. Scribbled notes, printouts, photos—all organized in a chaotic way only someone drowning in obsession could understand. On the whiteboard next to the desk, the words "Red Star", "Unknown Organization", and "Sayuri" were circled multiple times in red ink.
Kaito's fingers moved methodically on the keyboard, his eyes scanning every word like a hawk. He hadn't eaten since lunch. Sleep? Not even a thought.
Airi, who had been quietly helping beside him for hours, sat on the floor with a small notepad in her lap, yawning. Her hair was a mess and her sweater sleeves drooped over her fingers. She leaned back, stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes.
"Hey Kaito," she said sleepily, standing up and grabbing her phone. "I'm gonna buy coffee. I feel like I'm gonna pass out."
Kaito didn't even look away from the screen. "Be careful."
She gave a tired smile and slipped on her coat. "I'll be back soon. Don't die from stress while I'm gone."
The door clicked shut behind her.
The second she left, the apartment was overtaken by the low hum of the laptop and the ticking clock on the wall. Kaito opened another tab and resumed his hunt.
[Article: Disappearance in Shibuya Mall]
Four men reportedly vanished without a trace at 3:45 PM yesterday. Witnesses claim they "popped like bubbles." No physical evidence remains. Security footage shows distorted static during the exact time of disappearance.
Kaito stared at the footage frame—grainy, flickering, but unmistakably showing the faint glow of something red just before the distortion. He leaned closer.
Red glow. Static. Vanishing.
"This isn't normal," he muttered. "It's not just murder… It's something else."
He opened a new browser tab and logged into an anonymous forum he frequented: VeilNet. A place for conspiracy theorists, hackers, and those who saw what others refused to believe.
He typed quickly:
Kayto139pi: "Anyone know about red star-shaped objects that glow?"
He refreshed the page three times before a reply appeared:
Nelnel120: "I've seen it before."
Kaito's fingers stilled.
Kayto139pi: "Where?"
Nelnel120: "Near the back alley trash bins on cake store. It was glowing red when I found it."
Kayto139pi: "Describe it."
Nelnel120: "At first it looked like glass. White and warm to the touch. But when I picked it up, it turned red. Almost… alive."
Kaito's brows furrowed.
Alive?
Kayto139pi: "Did you keep it?"
Nelnel120: "No, I dropped it when it glowed too bright. Didn't want my fingers to burn. It pulsed before disappearing."
Kayto139pi: "Was there anyone else nearby?"
Nelnel120: "Didn't see anyone. But I swear something was watching me."
Kaito sat back, staring at the conversation.
A pulsing red star. Changes color. Burns to the touch.
His mind flashed back to the assassin—the one who killed Sayuri. The glove he wore had pulsed purple. Was it the same material? A refined version?
Kaito reached for his notepad and scribbled:
"Star-shaped material — organic? Glowing. Color shift (white > red > purple?). Maybe related to rank? Tech?"
He stood up and paced the room.
"What are they using?" he whispered. "How are they hiding it?"
He turned and looked at the whiteboard. Strings of red yarn connected names, dates, and locations. Everything seemed disconnected, but the glow—the glow—was the one constant.
10:48 PM.
The clock ticked louder in his ears.
Suddenly, his laptop pinged.
Nelnel120: "Hey. I found something. A burn mark. Like a star. On the wall next to where I dropped it. Sending pic."
A blurry image popped up. It showed a concrete wall with a faint outline of a five-point star, burned like acid into the surface.
Kaito zoomed in. It wasn't just burned. It was etched—as if something had seared reality itself.
He exhaled sharply. "They leave marks…"
The door opened.
Airi returned, holding two coffee cans. Her eyes widened when she saw Kaito hunched over the screen.
"Did something happen?" she asked, kicking off her shoes.
He nodded. "I found someone. He saw it. The star."
She handed him a can. "You think he's telling the truth?"
"I don't know," Kaito said, cracking the can open. "But the photo he sent—it matches the shape I saw before. The glove."
Airi looked at the screen, lips pressed together.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
Kaito sat back down. "I think it's part of their weapon—or tech. Maybe something more. If we can track the glow, we might be able to find where they've been. Or where they're going."
Airi sat beside him. "So what now?"
"We wait for him to reply again. Then…" he hesitated, "…we visit the location."
Airi's brows lifted. "Tonight?"
"No," he replied. "Tomorrow. We need to be prepared. And I need to make sure this isn't a trap."
They sipped in silence.
Kaito leaned forward, typing one last message:
Kayto139pi: "Can you meet? I need to see the place for myself."
A few seconds later:
Nelnel120: "Same place, noon tomorrow. I'll show you."
Kaito stared at the screen.
Tomorrow, the investigation would become real.
And with it, the danger.
He looked over at Airi.
"You don't have to come," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?"
A tired smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Let's find the truth. Together."
The clock read 11:02 PM.
The world outside still turned, but inside that quiet living room, a war was beginning—a war built not on battlefields, but in shadows, secrets, and silent stars.
Tomorrow, the hunt would begin.
But tonight, for the first time in hours, Kaito closed his laptop and whispered:
"Thank you."