The apartment was quiet, unnaturally so. Morning light crept through the curtains as Mina stirred from her sleep, eyes scanning the room, immediately sensing something was… off.
Vex was already stretching with a yawn. "Yo, anyone seen the old man?" he asked casually. "Prof didn't come back last night, huh?"
Ayaka blinked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Maybe he had some emergency at the academy?"
Rover sat silently at the table, still recovering, still adjusting to peace that always felt temporary.
Vex smirked. "What if he has a girlfriend? Man's still got some charm, you know? Maybe he's out on a date!"
Mina glared. "Stop it, Vex. You know Professor Kuroda isn't like that. He would've called."
"Alright, alright, I'm just saying," Vex chuckled, hands raised.
Suddenly—
Ding-dong.
The bell echoed through the apartment.
Vex blinked. "Huh. I got it."
He jogged to the front door, swung it open—then froze.
Sitting quietly on the mat, under the early light, was a box. No note. No markings. Just a box, slightly damp with morning dew.
"What the hell...?" Vex muttered, crouching. "Maybe… Mina ordered something again? You've been doing that whole online haul thing, right?"
Mina frowned. "I didn't order anything this week."
Ayaka stood. Rover looked up, curious.
Vex brought the box in with a chuckle. "It's not sealed much. Should we peek?"
Ayaka narrowed her eyes. "Careful."
Vex slowly pried the lid open.
A second passed.
Then another.
He dropped the box.
It hit the floor with a heavy thud—and something wet inside shifted.
Vex stumbled backward, eyes wide, mouth agape. His face had gone completely pale.
"What is it?" Ayaka asked, rushing forward.
Mina moved first.
She knelt, opened the box fully—then screamed.
Ayaka knelt beside her, and gasped. "No… no…!"
Inside the box, amidst a tangle of cloth and ice packs… was a severed finger.
Old, worn, unmistakable.
Professor Kuroda's.
Rover stood slowly, watching as the letter fell loose from beneath the ice packs. It fluttered across the floor, landing near his feet.
He picked it up with trembling hands.
The handwriting was elegant… cold… mocking.
> "Did you like my gift, dear Rover?"
"If you want to see your beloved father alive…"
"Come to the location marked on the back. Alone."
"Let's have a talk."
No signature.
No name.
Just a GPS coordinate scribbled hastily on the back.
Rover's eyes didn't blink. His body was motionless. But something behind his stare cracked.
"...Ayaka," he said quietly, voice hollow, "What was inside the box?"
She hesitated, tears streaming.
"It's… It's… Professor Kuroda's finger."
Rover stood in silence. Then—something inside him shifted. A flicker. A pulse.
An emotion older than fear.
Wrath.
He didn't speak again. But the air around him began to feel… heavier.
Mina backed away, gripping her tablet. Vex couldn't look him in the eyes.
Ayaka stood slowly, swallowing her fear. "What do we do now?"
And as if fate itself answered her—
The lights flickered.
The city trembled.
And the world quietly prepared… for a reckoning.
To be continue…