Evening. 5:47 PM.
Moonlit Brew was packed. The warm lights glowed against the rainy evening outside, and the chatter of customers mixed with the hiss of the espresso machine. Kanashimi moved behind the counter with quiet efficiency, wiping tables and serving orders, trying his best to keep his mind empty.
The door opened with a soft ding.
Mizuki stepped inside, shaking raindrops from her umbrella. Her long black hair was slightly damp, and that familiar gentle smile rested on her lips.
It felt like a knife stabbed straight through Kanashimi's heart.
Yuna…
Every time he saw Mizuki, the resemblance hit harder. The same graceful way she walked, the same soft curve of her smile, even the small way she tucked her hair behind her ear. It was unbearable.
She's not you. She's not you… but why does my chest hurt this much?
Mizuki scanned the café and waved lightly when she spotted him. She always remembered Kanashimi — the quiet, handsome barista who seemed to avoid her more than necessary. Little did she know she was unknowingly helping track the runaway fighter her village was hunting.
Before Kanashimi could hide in the kitchen, another customer entered right behind her.
A man. Tall. Face completely covered by a dark hood and a high scarf. Something about him felt wrong — too calm, too alert.
Kanashimi's instincts screamed danger.
He forced himself to approach Mizuki first, keeping his voice steady.
"Good evening. What can I get for you today?"
Mizuki smiled warmly. "The usual caramel latte, please. And… maybe one of those cookies Haru likes? I want to bring something for him tomorrow."
Kanashimi nodded silently, writing down the order while his mind raced.
Meanwhile, Auntie Rika cheerfully greeted the strange man. "Welcome! What would you like?"
Kanashimi finished Mizuki's order and handed it to her with a small bow. As she thanked him, Auntie Rika called out, "Kana, dear! Take this black coffee to the gentleman at table 7."
Kanashimi picked up the cup, heart beating faster than it should. He walked over and carefully placed the coffee on the table.
The moment he turned to leave, the man spoke in a low, dangerous whisper only he could hear.
"Are you… Kanashimi Oketo? Of the hidden village of fighters?"
Kanashimi froze for a split second. Shock hit him like cold water.
He turned back, keeping his face blank and confused like any normal 17-year-old would.
"…Yes, I'm Kanashimi Oketo. But I don't know what the hidden village of fighters is. Sorry."
He walked away quickly and busied himself with other orders, pretending nothing happened.
A few minutes later, he returned to clear the strange man's table. The cup was almost empty. As Kanashimi reached for it —
A powerful hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward.
In one brutal motion, the man slammed Kanashimi onto the floor, his knee pressing down hard while both hands locked around Kanashimi's neck, choking him.
The coffee cup fell and shattered loudly on the wooden floor.
Gasps and screams filled the café. Customers jumped back in shock.
Kanashimi's mind stayed strangely calm even as his body hit the ground.
I knew it. He was trying to make me react… to force me to use my Special Energy.
The man leaned closer, voice a deadly hiss. "You can't hide forever, traitor."
But Kanashimi didn't fight back with his real strength. He acted like a normal, fragile human — gasping, struggling weakly, eyes wide with fake terror.
The attacker suddenly released him, melted into the shadow of a customer who was rushing toward the exit, and vanished completely.
The café fell into stunned silence.
Kanashimi slowly pushed himself up, coughing dramatically and rubbing his neck even though the pain was barely noticeable to someone trained like him.
Auntie Rika came running from behind the counter, face pale with worry.
"Kana! Oh my god, are you okay?! What happened?!"
Kanashimi sat on the floor, breathing heavily for show, and looked up with a shaken expression.
"I… I don't know. That man suddenly attacked me. He asked if I was Kanashimi Oketo from some hidden village… I told him I didn't know what he was talking about. Then he just… grabbed me."
People around them whispered nervously. Someone was already calling the police.
Auntie Rika helped him stand up. "You poor boy… Are you hurt? Should we take you to the hospital?"
"I'm fine, Auntie. Just scared," Kanashimi lied smoothly, brushing glass shards off his apron.
Then he noticed it — a black leather wallet left behind on the strange man's table.
Kanashimi picked it up slowly.
"I think… he was trying to figure something out. That's why he left his wallet in such a hurry."
He opened it slightly. Empty. No ID, no money — just a small piece of paper with a single symbol drawn on it. A symbol he recognized from the village.
His stomach twisted.
They're getting closer.
Meanwhile, back at their small apartment, the evening rain tapped gently against the window.
Four-year-old Haru sat on the floor in his yellow pajamas, surrounded by crayons, half-finished homework, and his favorite toys — a plastic superhero, a stuffed dragon, and a few tiny cars. His big brother was still at the café, so the apartment felt a little too quiet.
Haru picked up his superhero toy and made it fly around with dramatic "whoosh" sounds.
"Hey, Haru… why not use your power to defeat the monster?" he said in a deep, heroic voice he made up for himself.
Then he switched to a higher, excited voice: "Yes! I will defeat the monster and save the villagers!"
A third voice — squeaky and scared — came from the dragon toy: "Hey, superhero Haru Oketo! Save us! The monster is coming!"
Haru grinned wide, eyes sparkling with pure joy. "Great! Water, icy wind!"
He jumped up and ran to the bathroom, swinging the door open with both hands. A half-filled bucket of water sat near the sink (left there after Kanashimi cleaned earlier).
Haru swung his tiny hand dramatically, just like he'd seen in cartoons. A strange, colorful energy flickered around his fingers — his Special Art waking up without him realizing how dangerous it was.
The water in the bucket rose like mist, swirling in the air. Haru guided it with excited swings of his hand. The mist suddenly turned into sparkling ice crystals, freezing his superhero toy mid-air in a perfect block of ice.
"Boom! The monster is defeated!" Haru cheered in his superhero voice.
He stared at the frozen toy for a second, then his real little voice came out, soft and sad.
"…There is no one to play with me."
The excitement faded. Haru pouted, then swung his hand again. The ice melted back into water instantly, flowing neatly back into the bucket like nothing had happened. He quietly closed the bathroom door, hiding his little secret once more.
Haru went back to his crayons, humming a silly song, completely unaware that he had just used the same rare Special Energy his big brother was desperately trying to hide.
In a dark, narrow alley a few blocks away from the café, the strange hooded man stepped out of the shadows. Rain dripped from his cloak as he met another figure waiting in the darkness.
The second man leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Well? Did you find him?"
The attacker shook his head, voice low and frustrated.
"He is not Kanashimi Oketo… or at least, he claims he doesn't know anything about the hidden village of fighters. He acted like a normal weak kid. No reaction, no power usage."
The second man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"We have to find the real Kanashimi Oketo faster than the hidden village's hunters. If they reach him first, we lose our chance."
The first man nodded and melted back into the shadows, disappearing once again.
Rain continued to fall on the quiet city, hiding secrets that were slowly closing in on the Oketo brothers.