Kanashimi turned the key in the apartment door, exhausted from the long day and the weight of his thoughts. He pushed the door open quietly, expecting to see Haru drawing or playing with his toys like usual.
Instead, his heart nearly stopped.
There, sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, was the same hooded man who had attacked him in the café just hours ago.
And the most shocking part?
Four-year-old Haru was happily playing with him.
Haru was giggling loudly, making his plastic superhero "fly" while the man gently moved a toy car around, pretending to race it. The dangerous aura the man had in the café was completely gone — replaced by a calm, almost friendly presence.
Kanashimi froze in the doorway, eyes wide with shock.
The man looked up and calmly signaled with two fingers for Kanashimi to come inside and close the door.
For a second, Kanashimi's fighter instincts screamed at him to attack. But Haru was right there, smiling innocently. He couldn't risk it.
He stepped in, closed the door behind him, and locked it with a soft click. Then, without a word, he threw the key toward the man. The stranger caught it effortlessly in one hand.
Haru looked up with bright eyes. "Big bro! Look! Uncle is super good at racing cars!"
The man smiled softly at Haru and ruffled his messy hair. "Haru, go to your room for a bit, okay? I need to talk to your big brother alone."
Haru pouted for a moment, but then nodded obediently. "Okay… but come play with me after, Uncle!" He grabbed his toys and toddled off into the small bedroom, closing the door behind him with a tiny thud.
The moment the door clicked shut, the man's expression turned serious.
"Don't fear," he said quietly. "I am not from the hidden village."
Kanashimi's voice came out low and sharp, fists clenched at his sides. "Then who are you? And how did you find me?"
The man leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. A faint, knowing smile appeared on his face.
"Means you accepted you are from the hidden village. Good. Don't even think about trying to finish me here. Your little brother has the lost Water and Ice Manipulation art — a technique that disappeared 450 years ago. And you…"
He paused, eyes narrowing with something like respect and greed.
"…you were born with Infinite Drops and an art that no one has ever seen before. Most fighters are lucky to have one or two techniques. Yours can barely be counted on one hand. You're a walking miracle, Kanashimi Oketo."
Kanashimi's heart pounded. He stayed silent, but his mind was racing.
How does he know all this? About Haru's power… about my Infinite Drops…
The man continued, voice calm but firm.
"You asked what I want? Simple. Your heart."
Kanashimi's eyes widened slightly.
"Three years ago, during that mission, I was supposed to take it and gift it to the head of our group. But that girl — Shino, or Shime, whatever her name was — she framed you as a rapist. She made sure you ran away. She saved the village from what was coming… by making your own wife hate you and turning the entire village against you."
Kanashimi felt like the floor had dropped beneath him.
"So… on that mission… she saved the village by making me run away? And made my wife hate me?"
The man shrugged lightly. "You can say that."
Kanashimi's hands trembled. All the guilt, all the regret, all the love he still carried for Yuna crashed over him at once.
Yuna… everything you suffered… the hatred in your eyes… it wasn't even real? It was all because of this?
He took a shaky breath, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Why my heart? What do you people even want from me?"
The man leaned forward, eyes gleaming with ambition.
"Because your Special Art is something the world hasn't seen in centuries. Your Infinite Drops mean you can use techniques without ever running out of energy. And Haru… that boy has the lost Ice Art. If we can take your heart while you're still alive, we can extract and transfer that power. Imagine what we could do with it."
He paused, then added softly,
"But I'm not here to kill you tonight. Not yet. I came to give you a warning… and an offer."
Kanashimi's jaw tightened. His mind kept flashing back to Yuna's face — the way she smiled at him when they were kids, the way her silver threads used to dance around them during training.
If the truth comes out… will you still hate me, Yuna? Or will you finally understand why I ran?
The man stood up slowly, tossing the apartment key back to Kanashimi.
"Think about it. The hidden village hunters are getting closer every day. Your wife is training harder than ever to kill you. If you want to protect that cute little brother of yours… you might need allies. And we can be those allies."
He walked toward the door, then stopped and looked back with a dangerous smile.
"By the way… Haru already showed me a little of his ice. Kid's got talent. You should teach him before someone else does."
With that, the man opened the door and slipped out into the night, leaving Kanashimi standing frozen in the middle of the living room.
The apartment was silent again.
Kanashimi slowly sank down onto the floor, burying his face in his hands.
Haru… you used your power in front of a stranger?
And Yuna… everything we lost… was because someone else decided our fate?
He stayed there for a long time, the weight of three years of running suddenly feeling ten times heavier.
From the bedroom, Haru's innocent voice called out cheerfully.
"Big bro! Are you done talking? Come play cars with me and Uncle!"
Kanashimi closed his eyes, a single tear slipping down his cheek.
How much longer can I keep you safe, Haru?
The mysterious man had just reached for the door handle when Kanashimi's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"You chose the wrong move."
In that instant, something inside Kanashimi snapped.
His eyes turned cold. The gentle, tired barista disappeared completely.
"Village Art: Lightning Bird."
Blue-white electricity crackled violently around his right hand. The air hummed with raw power as his fingers transformed into crackling lightning shaped like sharp wings. The technique he hadn't used in three whole years surged through his body like it had never been gone.
Before the man could even turn around, Kanashimi moved.
In less than a second, his electrified hand shot forward.
Schlick—!
The lightning bird pierced straight through the man's chest, tearing through his heart with terrifying precision. Blood sprayed out in a violent arc, splattering across the walls, the floor, and the toys scattered on the ground.
The man's eyes widened in shock. A gurgling sound escaped his throat before his body went limp, collapsing heavily onto the floor.
At the exact same moment, the bedroom door creaked open.
Haru stepped out, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Big bro… are you done tal—"
His words died in his tiny throat.
Blood was everywhere.
It flowed from the man's chest like an open tap, pooling on the wooden floor and spraying in fine mist across the room. Some of it had even landed on Haru's chubby cheeks and yellow pajamas.
Haru stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide with pure confusion and terror.
"Big… bro…?"
His small voice trembled. The plastic superhero toy slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
Kanashimi's hand was still buried in the man's chest, electricity slowly fading from his fingers. Blood dripped from his arm onto the floor with soft plip… plip… sounds.
The moment Kanashimi saw Haru's face — those innocent eyes now filled with fear, blood streaked across his soft cheeks — the reality of what he had just done crashed into him like a tidal wave.
No…
Haru…
He yanked his hand back instantly. The lightning vanished. The man's lifeless body slumped forward with a heavy thud.
Kanashimi's legs felt weak. He stumbled forward, hands shaking violently as he tried to wipe the blood off on his shirt.
"Haru… Haru, look at me—"
Haru took one shaky step back, his little body trembling.
"Big bro… why… why is there blood? Why did you… hurt Uncle?"
Tears welled up in Haru's eyes. His bottom lip quivered as he stared at the dead man, then back at his big brother's blood-covered hand.
"I… I was just playing cars… Why did you do that? Is Uncle sleeping? Why is he red everywhere?"
Kanashimi dropped to his knees in front of Haru, ignoring the blood soaking into his pants. His voice cracked, filled with panic and crushing guilt.
"Haru, listen to me. That man… he was a bad person. He wanted to hurt us. I had to… I had to protect you."
But the words sounded hollow even to him.
Haru's eyes filled with more tears. He raised his tiny hands and touched the blood on his own cheek, then looked at his fingers in horror.
"Big bro… you're scary… There's blood on my face… I don't like it…"
He started crying — loud, hiccuping sobs that broke Kanashimi's heart into pieces.
Kanashimi reached out to wipe Haru's face, but the moment his bloody hand came near, Haru flinched away hard.
"Don't touch me! It's red! It's scary!"
Kanashimi froze, his hand hovering in the air. Tears burned in his own eyes now.
What have I done…?
He saw everything… My little sunshine… I just showed him the monster I really am.
He quickly grabbed a clean cloth from the table and gently — so gently — wiped the blood from Haru's face and hands, whispering over and over,
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Haru… Big bro didn't want you to see this… I'm sorry…"
Haru kept crying, his small body shaking.
"Big bro… did you kill Uncle? Are you a bad guy too…? Will you hurt me next?"
Those words stabbed deeper than any blade ever could.
Kanashimi pulled Haru into his arms despite the flinch, holding him tightly against his chest, blood and all.
"No… no, Haru. I'm not a bad guy. I promise. I will never hurt you. Never. I did this only because he was dangerous. He knew about our powers… He wanted to take me away from you."
Haru buried his face in Kanashimi's shirt, sobbing harder.
"I want the old big bro back… The one who makes breakfast and runs with me… Not the scary one with lightning…"
Kanashimi closed his eyes, tears slipping down his cheeks as he rocked his little brother gently.
Yuna… if you saw this right now… you would really believe I'm a monster.
And maybe… I am.
The apartment that had once felt like their safe little home was now stained with blood and fear.
Kanashimi whispered into Haru's hair, voice broken,
"I'll clean everything up… I'll make it go away. Just… please don't be scared of me, Haru. You're the only reason I'm still here."
Outside, the night was quiet.
But inside, the Oketo brothers' fragile normal life had just shattered completely.