A week passes by in an instant.
Rin spends the entire week in distress and hopelessness.
The conversation with his father from last week keeps ringing in his head...
Maybe I was too rude?
Regret and guilt cloud his mind.
And before he can even realize it—
December 15th is right there.
December 15th, 2025.
Early in the morning, Rin wakes up in his bed.
He rubs his sleepy eyes before darting out of his room, expecting to see his father getting ready for his supposed meeting.
I bet he's gotten ready by now... For that skimpy meeting.
And there he is.
Yamai Shinjo, fully clad in a black suit.
As soon as Shinjo's eyes find Rin—
"Hey! Come on, get ready already!"
Rin's face frowns.
What...?
"What are you saying?"
Shinjo stops what he's doing and turns toward Rin.
"Did you forget?"
"You wanted to go to that inauguration..."
He smiles genuinely.
Rin blinks for a second.
His mouth opens widely.
Then closes.
"For real?!"
"Are we going?!"
Rin rushes toward his dad, stumbling with his stilt-like legs.
His eyes now hold a completely different feeling.
Excitement.
Joy.
He finally smiled after a long time...
Shinjo's heart warms at the sight.
"Yes. For real."
In a haste, they both get ready and drive to the location of the mall.
December 15th, 2025 — 10:32 AM
Central Tokyo — Hoshizora Grand Complex
A long red carpet is laid across the pathway toward the entrance of the mall.
The entire building is covered in silver-reflecting glass, stretching high above the streets of Tokyo.
Usually, malls would be wider and shorter.
But this one was different.
Thirty floors.
Rin stares up at the peak of the building while other guests pass through the red carpet.
Until—
His attention moves toward a peculiar car that has stopped right at the beginning of the red carpet.
The distracted reporters and media personnel immediately move their lenses toward the car.
"There he is... The one you wanted to see."
Shinjo says this as he too waits for the car door to open.
And then—
Click! Click!
Cameras begin flashing.
A figure in white emerges from the car, along with a kid, a butler, and an overly-fashioned woman.
Daniel.
Light.
Sophia.
Bosvel.
They have finally arrived.
Daniel walks onto the red carpet as his long white overcoat flows behind him like a Superman cape.
Photos and videos are taken as Daniel walks toward the entrance with confidence.
Meanwhile, Light literally follows Daniel while covering his eyes, unable to handle the flashes.
Just then...
Amidst the flashing cameras and microphones—
Daniel spots one little face.
His sight is blinded by the numerous flashes and a bright spotlight.
But through all of it—
The first thing he sees in that face...
The eyes.
Rin's eyes.
Not his abnormal body.
Not his unusual appearance.
Only his eyes.
Eyes brimming with admiration and excitement on the outside...
But from the inside—
There was no hope.
Completely opposite to Light's eyes that had given Daniel hope.
Hopeless eyes filled with admiration toward the only thing they adored.
Daniel calmly walks toward the figure.
Now fully in sight, Rin's unusual body becomes apparent.
But Daniel?
He ignores it all.
He kneels on one leg in front of the kid.
Right in the middle of the red carpet.
Surrounded by thousands of paparazzi, fans, celebrities, and onlookers.
Rin's eyes widen in shock and surprise as Daniel kneels in front of him.
Shinjo is surprised as well.
He looks around.
Everyone is watching.
Not a single person wants to miss the opportunity to turn this moment into another story on social media.
Daniel looks directly into Rin's eyes.
"What's your name?"
Rin immediately stutters in broken English.
"Y-Yamai Rin! Sir!"
Rin wonders why such a great person would kneel in front of someone like him.
Is he pitying me?
Is he doing this for fame?
A public stunt?
But... his eyes...
They look so genuine...
I've never been looked at like that...
Not even my father.
A wave of confused thoughts fills his mind.
Until—
"Yamai Rin, huh?"
Daniel thinks for a moment before responding.
His smile fades just slightly.
This kid...
Why do his eyes look like that?
They're not empty.
But there is no sense of hope in them...
The noise of the crowd seems to fade around Daniel.
The cameras continue flashing.
People continue talking.
But for a brief moment—
Daniel sees only Rin.
And Rin sees only Daniel.
"Do you believe in God?"
Daniel asks Rin an unexpected question out of nowhere.
But there seems to be a reason behind it.
Rin hesitates.
His eyes lower slightly.
Then, ultimately, he admits—
"No..."
Daniel looks at him.
"I see... That explains my concern."
He responds with a genuine smile.
And then asks again.
"But do you know why people pray to God?"
Rin answers immediately this time.
Almost as if he'd been thinking about this very topic his whole life.
"Because they need some imaginary figure to give them hope only when they are in trouble and there's no one left to help them?"
Daniel's eyes widen slightly.
"We got a philosophical one here."
He giggles softly.
Then his expression becomes calm again.
"Well then..."
A brief silence.
"Believe in me."
Daniel slowly stands.
The flashes behind him illuminate his white coat.
For a moment, against the overwhelming brightness, he almost seems detached from the world around him.
Like a figure standing in a world of light.
Rin stares upward.
Daniel looks down at him.
"Yamai Rin..."
His voice is calm.
"Let me be your god."
The words echo inside Rin's mind.
Daniel continues.
"Let me be the one who you can believe in when you have no one left."
A tear runs down Rin's cheek.
He doesn't wipe it away.
He simply stands there.
Trying to comprehend those words.
No one had ever made him feel like this.
Not once.
Not in thirteen years.
Rin doesn't know what this feeling is.
He can't quite comprehend what Daniel's words have awakened inside him.
But somewhere deep within—
Something that had been silent for years begins to stir.
Hope.
For the first time...
Rin doesn't feel like he's looking at a distant hero on a television screen.
He's standing in front of him.
And that person is looking back.
Rin's mind screams one thing.
Let go...
And believe.
Believe in this blinding light of hope.