Part 1: Something in the Silence
The night had settled over the village.
A cold breeze drifted between the rows of silent houses.
Three small figures walked through the empty street.
Haruto in front.
Ayame beside him.
Kaito a step behind.
None of them spoke.
Only the sound of their footsteps echoed across the stone road.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Haruto's silver eyes slowly swept across the rooftops.
Then the windows.
Then the narrow alleyways between the houses.
Every few steps...
He looked somewhere different.
As if expecting something.
"..."
Kaito noticed.
"You've looked up six times already."
Haruto didn't stop walking.
"...Seven."
Kaito blinked.
"...What?"
"I've looked up seven times."
"..."
"...Not six."
Kaito stared at him.
"...You're actually counting?"
Haruto nodded once.
"...Without realizing it."
Silence returned.
Even Kaito didn't know what to say.
Ayame quietly watched Haruto.
"...Still thinking about earlier?"
Haruto answered honestly.
"...Yeah."
"I don't like it."
"The streets..."
"They're too quiet."
Kaito glanced around.
The village looked normal.
The lanterns glowed softly.
The houses stood peacefully beneath the night sky.
Nothing seemed out of place.
"...Looks fine to me."
Haruto slowly shook his head.
"...That's exactly what's bothering me."
He looked toward the marketplace in the distance.
"...It shouldn't be this empty."
"The village never sleeps this early."
"..."
A wooden sign hanging outside a nearby shop swayed gently in the wind.
Creak...
No voices.
No merchants.
No children running home.
Only silence.
Ayame folded her arms against the cool breeze.
"...Maybe everyone just stayed home."
Haruto didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
"...Maybe."
But...
His instincts refused to agree.
A few moments later...
A police officer appeared from the opposite direction.
His footsteps were steady.
His posture calm.
As he passed the three siblings...
He gave them a polite nod.
"Good evening."
"...Good evening."
Haruto answered without slowing down.
The officer continued walking.
His footsteps gradually disappeared behind them.
Kaito let out a quiet breath.
"...See?"
"Just a patrol."
Haruto remained silent.
A few seconds later...
He turned his head ever so slightly.
The officer had already disappeared around the corner.
"..."
Something...
Didn't feel right.
He couldn't explain why.
There had been nothing unusual about the man.
Nothing suspicious.
Yet...
The uneasy feeling in his chest only grew heavier.
Without another word...
Haruto continued walking.
Toward Red Bowl.
While three siblings continued toward Red Bowl...
Others had already begun preparing for what was coming.