Kaito couldn't stop thinking about what Tanaka sensei said.
"You're waking something up."
The words kept repeating in his head as he walked home.
"…What does that even mean?" he muttered.
He kicked a small rock on the sidewalk, sending it rolling across the street.
The sun was already starting to set, painting the sky orange and purple.
Normally he liked this time of day.
It meant training was over.
It meant tomorrow was coming.
But today felt different.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Be careful," he whispered, repeating Tanaka's last words.
Careful of what?
He wasn't doing anything dangerous.
He was just training.
Just punching.
Just getting stronger.
That's what he always did.
So why did it feel like something was wrong?
He stopped walking.
The street was quiet.
Too quiet.
No cars.
No kids.
No voices.
Just the wind.
Kaito frowned.
"…Weird."
He turned his head slowly.
For a moment, he thought he saw something on the roof of the building across the street.
A shadow.
Tall.
Standing still.
He blinked.
Nothing.
"…I'm imagining things again."
He kept walking.
But the feeling didn't go away.
It felt like someone was behind him.
Watching.
Waiting.
He stopped again.
Then spun around.
Nothing.
Just empty street.
"…Okay, that's creepy."
He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked faster.
He didn't like this.
Not at all.
...
On the roof above him, the man in the dark coat stood perfectly still.
His eyes followed Kaito as he walked down the street.
In his hand, the small device glowed brighter than ever.
The screen flickered with numbers and symbols.
Energy levels.
Movement patterns.
Signal strength.
All locked onto one target.
"…Confirmed," the man said quietly.
The device beeped once.
A red light appeared.
He smiled faintly.
"So the awakening has started."
He tapped the side of the device.
A new display opened.
Several dots appeared on the screen.
All far away.
All moving closer.
"…Looks like they felt it too."
He looked down at Kaito again.
"…You're late," the man muttered.
"For someone like you… you're very late."
The wind blew across the roof, making his coat flutter.
"…But not too late."
He turned and disappeared into the shadows.
...
Kaito pushed the door open.
"I'm home!"
His mother looked up from the table.
"You're later than usual."
"…Sensei kept me."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That's new."
"Yeah."
He dropped his bag and sat down.
She watched him for a moment.
"…Something wrong?"
Kaito hesitated.
"…Do you know what it means if someone says you're… waking something up?"
Her hand stopped.
Just for a second.
Then she kept wiping the table.
"…Who said that?"
"Sensei."
Silence.
She didn't look at him.
"…What exactly did he say?"
Kaito leaned back in the chair.
"That I shouldn't train alone at night. And that I don't understand what I'm doing yet."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again.
"…You should listen to him."
Kaito frowned.
"You don't even know what he meant."
"I know enough."
He blinked.
"…You do?"
She turned toward him.
Her expression looked calm.
Too calm.
"You train too much," she said.
"That's not what I asked."
"That's the answer."
Kaito groaned.
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Answer a different question."
She almost smiled.
"Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."
Kaito stared at her for a moment.
Then sighed.
"…Fine."
He stood up and walked toward the sink.
But as he turned his back, his mother's expression changed.
Her eyes moved toward the window.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like she felt something too.
Outside, the wind picked up.
The curtains moved slightly.
Her fingers tightened on the cloth in her hand.
"…So it's started," she whispered.
...
Later that night, Kaito lay in bed again.
Staring at the ceiling.
Wide awake.
Same as yesterday.
"…Not again."
He sat up.
His chest felt heavy.
That same vibration.
Stronger this time.
He clenched his fists.
The air around his fingers trembled faintly.
"…Okay… this is definitely not normal."
He stood up slowly.
He remembered what Tanaka said.
Don't train alone.
He looked at the punching bag.
Then looked away.
"…Just one hit," he whispered.
He walked over.
Raised his fist.
And stopped.
Something felt wrong.
Not in his body.
In the room.
Like the air itself was watching him.
He turned slowly.
The window.
It was open.
Just a little.
He didn't remember opening it.
The curtain moved slightly.
Kaito's heart started beating faster.
"…Hello?"
No answer.
He took a step closer.
The air felt cold.
He reached for the window...
And froze.
For a split second…
He saw a shape outside.
Standing on the roof across the street.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
Kaito blinked.
The shape vanished.
He jumped back.
"…What the..."
His heart pounded in his chest.
He ran to the window and looked again.
Nothing.
Just the empty roof.
Just the night sky.
Just the wind.
Kaito stepped back slowly.
"…Okay… that was real."
He swallowed.
His hands were shaking.
Not from fear.
From something else.
From that same strange energy.
From that same feeling.
Like something inside him was waking up.
And something outside…
Was waiting.
Far away, the device in the man's hand flashed bright red.
The signal spiked again.
Higher than ever before.
He looked at the screen.
"…Good."
He smiled.
"…He felt us."
The numbers kept rising.
And the night grew quieter.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.