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Chapter Text

A brown haired elementary student was walking along a sidewalk. He had a small twist ring notebook in his left hand and a pen in the corresponding other.

He stared at the notebook with a frown, tapping lightly on the page in a repetitive motion.

The boy let out a sigh, lifting the pen from to page to rub at his head. "I'm not going anywhere." he muttered.

The hazel eyed boy stopped in his tracks, he looked up at the greenly lit sky. The first time he ever saw the sky in a color like that was on the day his mother died. When she got crushed under those boulders and her blood spilled all over him-

Ken shut his eyes, he can't think about that right now.

All he has to think about is avenging her. That's what he decided 2 years ago.

The brown haired boy looked down at bullet points he noted down prior.

The headline of his notes read 'Green Hour' not very creative but it was easier having a name for this time of the night...day? He wasn't entirely sure, if it would count as the present or next day. It wasn't the most important topic but that was the first bullet point he ever gathered. 'The green sky appears after midnight.'

In the next step, he checked how long the green sky lasted for.

It took him a few attempts to get the right time, since he couldn’t use any electric devices to help him out.

The elementary student mainly tried to rely on counting, writing down every time a minute passed. Having done that for a few nights in a row and always getting the same amount of minutes back-to-back, he concluded that the green sky lasted for an hour.

Electric devices don't work, lasts 1 hour.

That's where he's been stuck for the past months, he still didn't figure out anything important to his mother's murder yet, it was really demotivating.

It would be so easy to give up, just let the case rest.

Finally letting himself have the peace he wanted...

He thought a lot about taking his own life before, he felt so alone ever since his mother left, why did she have to leave him? There must be a reason.

After a year of going back and forth of shutting himself in and trying to escape from the world and trying to find his mother's murderer, Ken thinks he finally found the reason.

He thought about it for a long time, ever since his mother left him.

The boy couldn't explain himself why she would let him suffer like that, leave him behind like she did. That is what kept him from doing it. From letting himself fall off the rooftop. From plunging the knife deep into his chest after he finished cutting the vegetables.

There had to be a purpose, there had to be!

His mother wanted him to live, so he could avenge her. It made sense. He had to at least try! That's the only reason she didn't let him join her in the afterlife, because he still needed to do something for her.

That's why she pushed him away when the ceiling above them broke away. The adults kept telling him, over and over again, she did it out of love.

He should be happy.

They are liars, they know nothing about how it feels to be left behind! Ken hated their pity, the adults acting like they would understand! They understood nothing!

That's why he's here now, trying to figure out everything about the Green Hour. If the adults wouldn't help him, he'll do it alone.

After walking around for a few more minutes, Ken gave up today's exploration. As usual he couldn't find new leads. The boy put the notebook alongside the pen into his school jacket's pocket. He needed to try something else but he wasn't sure what. Maybe...he could try visiting that back alley. The one where his house stood, before it was demolished.

The elementary student tried to avoid that place as best as he could, since he was afraid what kind of memories it would dig up again but he couldn't keep walking in circles like he did now.

It's decided, next time he will visit his old home again.

Ken only hoped it would be worth exposing himself to the haunting memories again.

When he arrived back at the elementary dorm, the boy climbed straight into his bed again. Ken's roommate was still in a coffin, laying on their bed.

The brown haired boy closed his eyes.

Ken knew the Green Hour was over, when the familiar snoring from his roommate returned.

He tried to rest but as always, nagging thoughts kept him awake.

If his mother let him join her...then he wouldn't have to suffer like this, being left all alone. It...hurt. Ken sniffled.

She wouldn't have wanted this. He couldn't bear the thought of his mother wanting him to suffer like this he...couldn't. Everything is so confusing.

Ken pulled the blankets fully over himself.

Don't overthink it. The boy told himself.

All he had to do was avenge her. The image of the shining horse monster roaring above their house...it was still burned into his mind.

He made sure to never forget it.

Chapter Text

06/07 Sunday

Ken went to the Naganaki Shrine today, like any other day really.

Ever since his mother died, he started to pray at the shrine for her. Ken never skipped a day, even on days he had zero motivation to get out of bed. Going to the shrine was something he had to do or else it would have no meaning.

After finishing his prayer, the boy sat down on one of the benches near the playground.

He looked up at the sky. Blue, cloudy, peaceful. Totally different than the haunting green color that followed him into his deepest dreams.

"Hey there, buddy!" he heard someone call out.

Ken saw a teenage boy approach him with a toothy smile on his face, he wore the Gekkoukan uniform and had a baseball cap on his head.

"Hello, can I help you?" Ken asked with raised eyebrows. What could a high schooler want from him, he wondered.

"Nothing really." The teen adjusted his cap. "I just thought mayyybe you would like some company? I'm Junpei Iori," he introduced himself, stretching out a hand for Ken to shake.

"I'm Ken Amada. Nice to meet you," Ken said with a polite smile, shaking Junpei's hand.

"You're really polite, huh?" Junpei remarked. "Your mother must have taught you well."

Ken froze. His mom…

"Uh...kid?"

Junpei must have noticed his weird reaction.

Ken blinked a few times. "Oh sorry. I was just lost in thought. I didn't mean to be rude."

The high schooler giggled, rubbing his nose. "Heyyy nothin' to apologize for, bud. No need to be so polite either. You're a kid you should allow yourself the freedom, while you still have it."

The elementary student nodded. "Right," he started, "Well I need to head back now. It was nice meeting you, Iori-san," he excused himself with a slight bow.

"Same here kid, cya around."

Ken started at his phone. Almost midnight, he thought.

As soon as he saw the green light from outside shine through the curtains, the boy knew it was his cue to go. Ken took one last deep breath.

It's time to visit his old home.

The elementary student wandered the streets once again, this time with a determined expression on his face and a goal in mind.

Soon he arrived at the Port Island Station, it was only a few more steps from here.

Ken felt his hands getting sweaty. He couldn't get nervous now. He made up his mind yesterday and now he has to pull through with it.

His hazel eyes were fixated on one particular path, leading away from the station, right into the back alley where his old house stood.

'A car accident.' Yeah right…

It was the most rotten lie he has ever heard. The whole roof collapsed, no car crashing into his house would leave damage like that.

That's why they completely demolished his house soon after the incident, to not leave behind evidence that would clearly show that the damage couldn't have possibly be done by a car.

Corrupt. Liars.

It seems like as long as you have power in this world, you could feed even the most ridiculous lies to your peers.

He hated it. He hated how unjust this world was.

Ken would show them true justice, that's what he decided.

Yes, show them the truth.

His hazel eyes shot up, did he just hear someone speak to him?

Ken shook his head, doesn't matter now. His former home was just a few steps away.

There it was, the place where all his happy memories were buried. It looked so empty without his house there, it was just an empty space now. It simply didn't look right.

Mom... soon she can rest in peace. He'll find her murderer.

All of a sudden, he could hear a gurgling sound from behind him. Ken immediately turned around to see a black blop like creature.

It's arms were wildly wagging around...and is that a knife in one of it's hands??

What is this?!

The boy froze as the creature slowly approached him.

What should he do now? It didn't look anything like the monster he saw destroying his house, but maybe it was related to it somehow? The boy finally had a lead but...what is he supposed to do with that right now...

You need to show them true justice.

There it was again, that weird voice inside his head.

Do you truly want to let it end here?

No he didn't, he still needed to avenge his mother. Ken was in danger wasn't he? This creature was about to attack, what should he do?!

The student tried to reach out to this mysterious voice inside his head but every time he tried to dig deeper, it went away further.

Is there something he can do? He started to panic.

"Get back kid!"

Ken suddenly felt a hand grab the hood of his hoodie, dragging him back in a rough motion. The momentum let him stumble to the ground. The boy let out an 'Oof' when he hit the concrete.

The elementary student saw the creature charge past him.

That was close. He thought. A sweat drop was flowing down his temple.

Ken's eyes roamed to the figure next to him, standing protectively above him. The person had some kind of an old crooked traffic sign in his hand.

Where did he get that from…?

In a blink of an eye, his protector stormed at the black creature, hitting it against a wall with the traffic sign. The swing hurled the creature against a wall, making it dissolved into black liquid on impact.

That was...so cool! Ken thought with sparkling eyes.

The person let out a big sigh. "This is no playground kid, go back home." they grumbled, throwing the traffic sign into a corner before putting their hands in the pockets of their long coat.

Ken hurriedly went over to the black puddle the shadow left behind. The student carefully picked up the knife left behind. He wiped away some of the black liquid left behind on it.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the mysterious figure called out.

The brown haired boy turned his face around, he saw the stranger stomping over to him. "What do you think you're doing with that knife, kid?" the young man asked, clearly unamused.

Ken started at the knife in his hands. "I thought...if these creatures are roaming around here, I would need something to protect myself with," he reasoned.

The man pulled his beanie further over his face, it almost covered his eyes. "For god's sake…" he muttered, "didn't ya listen when I said you should go home?"

The elementary student nodded his head. "I heard that and I will."

Suddenly, his hazel eyes widened. "Oh I never introduced myself, how rude. I'm Ken Amada."

The man looked like he's been shot. He didn't respond, seemingly frozen in place.

Did I say something wrong? Ken wondered.

"Do you not want me to tell your name too..? I would like to know who to thank for saving me today," the elementary student slowly asked.

The man sighed. "There's no need for that," he answered. Ken arched an eyebrow.

Suddenly his savior snatched the knife away from him. "And gimme that. Do you even know how to wield a knife?"

"I-well no...but I can learn. It's better than nothing." The student tried to reason.

The man released a sigh. "You really don't want to give up, huh?" 

Ken's brows drew together. "No...there's something I have to do." 

"Well, this won't do." He threw away the knife. "First of all, a pipsqueak like you could not even reach far enough to injure a shadow with a knife." Ken frowned, he wanted to argue but the stranger had a point. "Secondly, Shadows are usually much stronger than this. Nothing you could purely fight with a weapon alone, we jus' got lucky," the stranger explained.

Ken's paused. "Shadows...huh? That's what they are called? You seem to know a lot about them, can you tell me more?" he asked.

"No, that's all I know," the young man swiftly said, he turned his back towards the other. "You're a smart kid ain't ya? Then you know how things would have ended if I wasn't here today...Seriously, keep out of it."

Ken clenched his fists. "Sorry...but I can't"

"...then do whatever you want." And with that, the mysterious man left him behind.

The Green Hour was probably over soon, Ken concluded. He should head back for now.

The elementary student had a lot of stuff to think about tonight and add some bullet points on his notebook, while he was at it. Ken wondered if he would see the stranger again in the future, he certainly hoped so.

06/08 Monday

After being able to sleep it over, Ken couldn't be happier. It was only a small new bullet point on his list but it was something. The new revelation lifted his spirits.

A Shadow hmmm…

The young man from yesterday mentioned that there are way stronger Shadows than the one they met yesterday, that means that one of those Shadows must have killed his mother.

A shining horse monster…

He already knew that it wasn't a human but he couldn't make sense where that monster would have come from and now he's a step closer to the truth. The Shadows roam around when the Green Hour arrives, that made sense. He remembered the greenly lit sky clearly when that monster destroyed his house.

Ken put the pen from his notebook against his chin, he was looking over his notes again this morning. That left the question where these Shadows are coming from, he never saw any other Shadows around yet.

His hazel eyes suddenly widened, he remembered seeing a tall building in the distance, he never approached it before because...why didn't he again?

Because it was so far away, that's right.

He couldn't go there before the Green Hour arrives and he didn't know if he could make it back again if he went when the Green Hour started. Should he just attempt it? He couldn't quite judge the distance it would take him.

His eyes widened. If he knows where this tall building exactly was in the daytime, then he could walk the path to it in the day, to judge how much time he would need. Ken smiled. Yes, he was making progress, everything went well right now, he couldn't be happier.

"Ken?" his roommate called out, when he peeked back into the room. "You ready to go yet?"

His brown eyes widened, he totally forgot that he needed to get ready. "Ah sorry, I got distracted. Go without me, Akio. I wouldn't want you to be late because of me."

His roommate gave a quick nod. "Kay," is all he said before storming off.

He quickly stood up from his bed to throw on his school uniform.

Ken barely managed to plump into the chair in front of his school desk, before the class commenced.

The boy was breathing heavily from running all the way from his dorm to the Gekkoukan Elementary School. Ken's classmates were giving him a few weird looks but no one commented on it. Their teacher soon entered the room to start the lesson.

In his lunch break, Ken found himself heading to the school's library.

The student wasn't really convinced that he would find anything about Shadows that loom around in the dark in an elementary school library but it was worth a try.

He politely greeted the librarian lady and started his search. Just as he expected, the only stories he found about Shadows were fantasy stories.

Ken frowned.

Maybe it was a stretch but sometimes fantasy stories are affected by real life paranormal activities, he once heard. The boy smiled, he remembered how the Feathermen uncovered a mystery based on a hidden message left in a book one time. Deciphering such a message himself, made him motivated.

Ken looked at the book he picked out. 'My friend the monster' it said on the cover.

How creative. He told himself sarcastically.

On the cover, a black tentacle like monster was depicted. It had a happy smile on it's face as it waved towards the camera. It's other hand held onto the hand of a small girl with blonde hair, she was smiling as brightly as the monster next to her.

Ken opened the book and leafed through it quickly. He couldn't spot anything mentioning a hidden time of the day or a tall tower.

From what he gathered, the monster was a failed science experiment, the scientists tried to create the cutest creature on earth or something along the lines but when the monster didn't turn out cute like they wanted it too, they threw it out on the streets. A small girl took the monster in, even though it was just an ugly tentacle monster. A typical story about the inner values, Ken concluded.

"Oohh! That's my favorite!" A high pitched voice behind him chimed in.

Ken turned around. A small brown haired girl stood in front of him, her hair was tied into 2 buns on each side.

She was excitedly glancing at the book in his hands. "I was so glad, when the monster found someone who loved him!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Ken blinked. "I guess...I was just bored. It's not my kind of story."

"Ohh! What stories do you like?" she asked him with bright eyes.

"Hmm…" he thought about Featherman R but he was a bit too shy to admit that. "I guess...action stories are kinda cool."

"Boys always only like action stories!" she puffed her cheeks, "What about romance? I like romance stories."

Ken arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you to say?"

"What does that mean?" she asked with a pout.

Just as Ken was about to explain, the school bell rang.

"Lunch break is over. I can explain next time," Ken announced.

"Oh-okay! See you!"

After school was over, Ken headed to the shrine to do his usual prayer. When he was finished, he grabbed some Takoyaki on his way back to the elementary dormitory. The dorm was pretty quiet, the other kids were still out playing or doing club activities.

Ken was in a club himself, the soccer club, but he didn't go there too often anymore. Most days he just didn't feel like it. Besides, he had something better to be doing.

The elementary student plopped onto his bed sheets. Tonight, he would try to see where that tall tower appeared at. Ken flipped open his phone. 5pm, it read. It was still gonna be awhile until the Green Hour hit. He wondered what he should do until then.

Ken closed his eyes. Maybe he should rest his eyes a bit, yeah, that sounded good.

Staying awake until so late into the night was taking a bit of a toll on him, he had to admit, but he could deal with it.

He will...just...close his eyes...for a bit.

Chapter Text

06/09 Tuesday

"Ken!"

His eye twitched.

"Hey! Keeen, wake up!"

Wake up…? But he was…

Suddenly, his hazel eyes shot wide open. Ken's body immediately straightened. Hurriedly, he moved into a sitting position.

Did he fall asleep?!

The brown haired student scanned around his area in a panic. His roommate, who woke him up moments prior was saying something to him but he couldn't comprehend what it was, he needed to find his phone.

There it is!

He quickly flipped his phone open. 6am...it was the next day already, did he really sleep that long?

"Do you want me to get Suzuki-sensei?" the black haired boy asked.

Ken shook his head. "Ah no, not necessary. Thank you." The boy looked at himself, he was still in his school uniform.

He turned to the other elementary student. "Why did you not wake me sooner?"

Akio frowned. "I told Sensei that you were really exhausted so you could get your sleep. Did you not want me to?"

Ken's eyes widened. His roommate, Akio, he was always one of the most observant students around. No wonder he noticed the lack of sleep Ken was getting, especially as his roommate. The black haired boy didn't need to be awake to see the dark circles under Ken's eyes.

"Sorry, I should thank you Akio. That was nice of you." He showed his roommate a polite smile.

"Anytime! We're the striker duo after all!" Akio responded, his bright blue eyes sparkled.

"You should really go to breakfast this time though! Sensei is getting really worried..." the black haired boy explained.

"Yes, of course." Ken nodded, standing up from his bed.

The duo headed down the stairs.

They arrived in the main lounge, which had a long wooden table in the middle and the kitchen's entrance close by.

Ken spotted his teacher and simultaneously the matron of the elementary dormitory sitting at the long table, it was Ms. Suzuki.

She seemed to spot the boys immediately, waving them over to her.

Ever since Ken moved to the dorm, she's been a bit more lenient with him, knowing about his mother's death.

Because of that, she let him skip breakfast and even dinner sometimes, if he didn't feel well enough to attend.

Ken didn't know if she simply did it out of pity but he actually didn't care too much about that. The boy was just glad that he was able to get some extra sleeping time in, whenever he went on another Green Hour exploration.

Whatever it was, Ken was grateful for her lenience. He didn't want to make her worry too much, so he went to breakfast whenever he could.

"Good morning, would you like to set up the table with me?" she asked them with a soft smile. Her lavender colored eyes were welcoming as always. Like usual, her light brown hair was in a low ponytail, tied together with a purple ribbon.

If Ken remembered correctly, she was one of the youngest teachers at their school and she definitely looked like it too.

Both boys quickly went over to help Ms. Suzuki set up the table. The other students living in the dorm soon arrived at the lounge too.

The breakfast with everyone at the elementary dorm was loud and rowdy as always.

Ken silently ate his food, thinking about what he should do for today. He definitely still needed to keep an eye out for the tower.

"Hey, Akio," he called the boy sitting next to him. "What's up?" said boy quickly answered, stuffing more food into his mouth.

"Could I borrow your binoculars?" Ken asked him.

"Hm?" the boy's blue eyes widened. "Uh, sure! But only if you come train with us today!" the boy retorted cheekily.

Ken sighed. He didn't really have anything else planned for today and the binoculars would really help locating the exact location of the tower.

He nodded. "Ok, I'll be there for training today."

Akio smiled. "That's a promise!"

The lessons went by quickly today. Akio came over to his desk as soon as class concluded.

"Ready to go??" he pressed. Ken nodded.

The elementary students walked over to the soccer field, near the school grounds. Their fellow teammates were already waiting for them.

After some greetings, their club leader finally showed up to start the practice. Mr. Nanaki was a bit surprised to see Ken joining them again but he welcomed the change. He patted Ken on the back. After that he went over today's formation.

Practice started, Ken raced over the field effortlessly, he could feel the corners of his lips turn upwards. It was really fun, he always enjoyed soccer, he had to admit.

The goal was right in front of him now and he was right in shooting range. With one swift motion he kicked the ball.

"Score! That was awesome Ken!" Akio cheered him on. A girl with long dark brown pigtails came over to them. "You weren't bad yourself either Aiko!" She smiled. "I told you to stop calling me that." Akio retorted, clearly annoyed.

The girl snickered, "Hehe, I'll think about it." Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! We haven't met yet! I just joined recently, my name's Mai Aihara. The brunette extended her arm. "Nice to meet you!"

Ken shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Aihara-san. I'm Ken Amada."

"Just call me Mai." she told him.

"Mai has been mostly taking your place as striker in the time you were gone," Akio explained.

"And I'm pretty good at it!" Mai chimed in "Don't under-estimate me!"

Akio had to shake his head. "...She also never heard of decency." Mai stuck out her tongue.

If Ken was being honest, it was fun playing soccer again and it was also a good way to get his stamina up for his night time explorations.

"I want to go against you Ken! But I'll take Aiko with on my side." Mai looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Sure, here's to a good match," he agreed without a second thought.

Everyone walked over to their starting positions.

The students patiently waited for Mr. Nanaki to initiate the start of the match.

"Hey, Mai. Remember this is a team game, will you?" Akio spoke up with a frown.

Ken arched an eyebrow. So she wasn't much of a team player? Well neither was he really. Still, for Akio to mention it, maybe she was planning on going full solo.

But if she was really such a solo player, why did she even want Akio to join her as a striker on her side? To make this a 1 on 1 as much as possible? Ken did always make an effort to play with Akio as much as possible, despite his solo tendencies.

Ken looked towards Mai, her whole demeanor seemed to shift as soon as she took her position.

The girl looked serious, she seemed like an entirely new person. Totally different from the energized girl he met minutes prior. Her green eyes were fixated on the soccer ball in front of her.

This will be interesting, Ken smirked. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He won't lose.

Then finally, Mr. Nanaki whistled to start the match.

Mai played as determined as she looked, Ken wondered if she had any experience prior to joining the club, no one else in the club could even match her foot movement. It all seamlessly connected together, it was mesmerizing to watch but he couldn't focus on that.

He practiced and studied his footwork a lot in the past as well, trying to adjust every tiny extra movement that could leave an opening for the enemy.

The majority of the game they fought for the ball, managing to steal it back and forth. They seemed evenly matched. Ken was sweating, his concentration reached a peak.

In a moment of battling over the ball he managed to get a glimpse of Mai's face.

Contrary to what he thought she looked like, Mai smirked. The girl looked like the match is amusing to her. It felt like she wasn't taking him seriously. Ken couldn't help but frown. Sure, he was a little out of practice but she better not underestimate him.

Then, he saw it. An opening.

With a swift leg movement, he snatched the ball away from her. Ken immediately kicking it behind him, passing the ball to a teammate.

Mai seemed stunned, she probably didn't expect him to pass the ball after the last few minutes of them fighting over it.

Ken smirked, not wasting any time in rushing past her. "Pass back!" he called out to his teammate. Without hesitation, his teammate passed back but Mai was already back on his trail as well.

He rushed towards the goal but in the last minute, Mai's brown hair blocked his vision to the goal. She held out her hands as she stepped in front of him, that same smirk from earlier was back on her face. She smiled at him, as if she was taunting him. "What's your next move?" she said.

It was too risky to take the shot, he concluded. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his teammate standing timidly next to the enemy's goal.

He can't get a clear shot, so he passed the ball to the timid girl without a second thought. "Fumiko! On you," Ken called out to her. The girl looked like she got shot. Her eyes were wide open, Fumiko probably didn't expect anyone to pass to her, since she never participated much in the games.

Fumiko managed to receive the ball. The girl nervously looked around. Hesitating to go for the final shot. "Go for it Fumiko!" Akio cheered her on, despite being on the opposite team.

The timid girl was about to shoot but since she took so long, Mai was able to intervene and take the ball from her. "You need to think fast!" she told the girl before storming off to the opposite side.

Mai effortlessly stormed past several teammates. Ken wasted no time in sprinting after her.

No one has scored yet, so he can't give up yet.

The boy smiled, it's been awhile since he felt such a competitive drive. He would wipe that smirk off her face soon enough.

Ken ran after her but with each step, he felt his momentum dissolve.

Fun...

Out of nowhere, a bang of sudden guilt hit him right in the chest.

Was it ok to have so much fun, while his mother had to suffer a painful death? Brutally murdered by a monster. She suffered so much…

Why is he allowed to have fun, it's not fair for her. It's not why he's here, he's not here to have fun. All he needs to focus on, is his revenge. That's the only reason he still lives.

Now Ken remembered why he didn't go to the soccer practice anymore…

In the distance he could hear someone shout 'Score'.

Mr. Nanaki blew his whistle to announce the end of the game.

Mai wasted no time, sprinting over to Ken. "Wow that was fun! But you're way too uh...what's that word calcu-ated." She giggled. "You were in such a good position to go for the shot but you rather pass. I don't understand." Mai frowned, tilting her head to the side.

Ken blinked. "Fumiko was in a much better position than me, it was only logical," he explained.

"Sometimes you just have to take the risk! That's the most fun part!" the girl exclaimed cheerfully.

Ken didn't know why she was bothering him so much but before he could stop it, he retorted back.

"Well, I think you're way too ignorant to your surroundings," he explained with a frown. "Your teammates were standing in really good position the entire game, yet you never even looked at them."

The brunette snickered. "You think so? Hehe. I want to see what I can do though! If I never try then I won't know my limits, even Nanaki-sensei said that."

Her expression darkened. "I won't pass to anyone who isn't as passion-ate as me!" the girl stated. "Aiko told me you like to go solo on the field, like me! But that was such a lie! You always back down last second, to pass to someone else, whenever you can. It's stupid."

Before Ken could argue back, he got interrupted.

"Ok kids." Their trainer walked over, clapping his hands a few times. "That's enough training for today. Well played."

Mr. Nanaki then turned towards Mai. "And don't be so mean Aihara-san, everyone has their own play style, okay?"

"I just tried to help." She pouted.

That evening Ken laid on his bed, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. He didn't even notice Akio walking over to him, until he dropped some binoculars on his pillow.

"Like promised." He smiled. Ken met his eyes. "Thanks, Akio."

The brown haired boy straightened himself. He took the binoculars into his hands to inspect them a little.

"So-" Akio started. "What did you think of Mai?" he asked the other.

Ken hummed. "She had some good techniques and her footwork is impressive but she's also pretty narrow-minded," he explained.

"Yeahhh, no one really enjoys her lone wolf attitude to be honest! Don't let what she said go to your head, you're a great player." Akio tried to ensure him.

Ken stopped fiddling around with the binoculars in his hand for a moment. "No...maybe she had a point," he muttered after awhile.

Akio frowned but didn't commentate further. "Well, I'm sleepy. Night!"

"Good night, Akio."

Soon enough, the clock struck past midnight.

Ken immediately climbed out of his bed. Pushing the curtains aside to stare outside the window.

He could see the tower in the distance already. It was somewhere on the man made island. Ken took the binoculars to got a closer look.

The weird tower was right...where Gekkoukan High was? Ken blinked. The boy did a double take, looking at the buildings surrounding the tower.

Without a doubt, that's where the school usual stands.

One step closer, he thought.

The boy decided to leave it at that revelation for tonight, he was pretty exhausted from today. Another reason why he didn't go to practice that often anymore…

Ken closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Chapter Text

06/12 Friday

The next few days, Ken has been walking back and forth from his dorm to the school. The only real problem was the monorail tracks he had to cross.

Ken couldn’t really judge the walking distance on that part, maybe he should just try anyway? The student really wished he had some equipment that would tell him how much time passed in the Green Hour.

Sometimes you just have to take the risk.

Mai's words from the other day rang in his ears again.

Maybe he should just try or else he would never figure out more about the monster, which killed his mother.

Ken let out a sigh.

Soon, the school bell rang. The brown haired boy started to gather his belongings.

"Hii Ken! Let's play again today!" He looked up from his desk to see Mai staring at him.

The boy let out a sigh. "I'm busy today," he said.

Ken quickly finished packing up. The boy stood up to leave but a hand grabbed his arm.

"Please?"

Ken shook his head. "Sorry."

Mai pouted. "But you've also been busy the last few days! What's so important?" the girl questioned him.

The boy frowned. "Why do you want me to join so bad? Besides, you already know I rarely go to practice anymore."

Mai released his arm. "I know...it was just so fun last time, you felt the same right? I saw the look in your eyes."

"It doesn't matter if it was fun or not, I'm busy. I really need to go now." Ken walked past her, she didn't say another word.

The elementary student was walking towards Naganaki Shrine, like he always did after school.

After awhile he noticed a following presence behind him. It seems like he wasn't the only one visiting the shrine today…

"Don't you have practice today?" Ken spoke up as he kept walking straight.

"I'm busy today," Mai mimicked his words.

"I see that..." The boy frowned. "You know that kind of thing can be considered a crime right?"

The girl waved her hand up and down. "You need to loo-sen up. It just seems like we're walking the same path, what a coinci-dence!" she cheered.

The duo arrived in front of the stairs, leading up to the Naganaki Shrine.

Mai looked up the stairs. "So this is were you like to go, huh?" she muttered to herself.

Suddenly a bark rang out. A Shiba Inu dog was running towards the two elementary students.

"Kyah!" Mai screamed out. She ran to Ken, hiding behind him.

Ken surprised by the girl's sudden action, raised his eyebrows. "Relax, it's just Koromaru. He wouldn't hurt a fly." The boy tried to calm her down. Mai didn't seem like she even heard him, instead she gripped his shoulders tighter and squeezed her eyes shut.

Koromaru let out a whimper.

"Don't worry Koromaru, you probably just scared her," Ken explained.

Koromaru wasted no time in sprinting up the stairs to the shrine.

Ken released a sigh.

"I-is it gon-e?" the brunette quietly asked, slightly opening one of her eyes.

"He." Ken corrected her.

"Huh?"

"Koromaru is not an 'It'," he clarified.

Mai released her grip on Ken. "So-rry. Don..t...Dog-s."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "You don't like dogs…?" he asked.

She nodded. "I..go." She quickly turned around and sprinted away.

The elementary student stood frozen in place, he couldn't quite figure the girl out. He should be relieved that she finally left him alone but he couldn't help but feel bad.

Ken will talk to her in school tomorrow, he decided. It didn't sit right with him to just ignore her after that.

The student walked up the stairs. He saw Koromaru sitting right in front of the shrine as if he was waiting for him. The dog panted happily, he walked over to the dog, to give him a few pats.

Ken smiled. "Hi, Koromaru."

Once again, the blue night sky transformed into a sickly green hue. Ken was used to it by now.

The boy wasted no time, he made up his mind and was sprinting towards the tall tower in the distance.

Ken would lie if he said he wasn't nervous. After all, he didn't know what he would find inside. What if the horse monster was in there? He didn't have anything to defend himself with.

Maybe he should have tried finding the stranger again, they seemed to know how to defend themselves.

Ken decided he would save that for another day, if things were looking dangerous he would back down.

The elementary student sprinted over the monorail tracks, he could feel the sweat dripping down his face.

He was almost there now, that's the first time he saw the tower so close. It reached far into the sky, that must be the tallest building in the world, Ken thought.

He stood right in front of the high school gates now. With sweaty hands he took the metal bars to push the gate open.

Just a little peek inside.

The night was silent, Ken wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The elementary student finally stood in front of the door, which led inside.

He slowly pushed open the door to peek inside. He saw a long hallway, in the distance he could see the hallway leading up to a bigger room. Stairs were in the middle of it, leading to a big clock. Ken wondered if that was the actual entrance to ascend the tower.

That must be enough for today.

Ken quickly closed the door again without stepping inside. He immediately ran back to the elementary dormitory.

The student just dropped in his bed, when he saw the Green Hour end. Ken was breathing heavily. He made it back but there was no way he could try to explore the tower any further, without sneaking out a night prior.

Maybe Ken could convince Akio to help him out but it was hard to find a good explanation. Akio was a good friend but he probably wouldn't agree with him sneaking out in the middle of the night, whatever the reason may be.

The student let out a sigh. Then there was also the fact that he was pretty much defenseless.

Ken felt like he reached another wall, he didn't know how to pass. The boy made a lot of progress figuring out the murder of his mother recently but now he was drawing a blank.

Maybe he should try finding that mysterious young man once again.

Ken closed his eyes.

06/13 Saturday

After class ended today, he looked around for Mai. He realized he didn't even know which class she was in and Akio already left, he said he wasn't feeling well.

Ken figured she would probably be by the soccer field. On his way to the front entrance, the boy walked past the library, he stopped.

Was she in the library? He didn't check there yet. He couldn't imagine her hanging around in the library of all places but the girl proved to him that she was always up for a surprise.

Ken pushed the door open.

"There you are!" A high pitched voice called out to him.

The same girl with the twin buns he met in the library a few days prior approached him once again.

"I was waiting for you!" She pouted.

Ken blinked. "You mean these last few days?"

She nodded. "You said 'next time'. Did you not mean next lunch break?" she questioned.

"Oh sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I hope you didn't wait too long," he apologized.

The girl shook her head. "No, I checked every lunch break though! I'm just here after school, because I'm looking for something I lost."

"Maybe I can help?" Ken offered.

"You would? Yay! Thanks." She smiled. "You kinda owe it to me anyway."

The boy nodded. "I guess that's true, I don't think we ever introduced each other. I'm Ken Amada."

"Maiko Oohashi!" she exclaimed, putting a hand in the air.

"Oohashi-san, what is it exactly that you're looking for?" Ken asked her.

"It's my plushy of the tentacle monster friend!" she started, "It's from my favorite book, you read it last time," Maiko clarified.

"Are there any places you recently visited?" he continued to ask.

The girl frowned. "Uhmm, school, I visit the shrine too..."

"Oh yeah? I don't think I've ever seen you there," Ken intervened.

"You like to visit the shrine too!? I often visit it on Sundays!" she happily exclaimed, then her eyes dropped. "My parents like to argue a lot on Sundays...I don't like that," she muttered.

"Oh…" is all Ken could mutter.

Maiko looked back up at him. "I always play with stripy there and I met a new friend too recently! He's really cool." She offered him a soft smile.

"Ok, I'll keep my eyes on the lookout." Ken promised her.

The girl's eyes shined brightly. "Yay! Thank you!" Then the boy left to continue his search for Mai.

"Nanaki-sensei!" Ken called out, gathering the attention of their club leader. Mr. Nanaki was in the middle of coaching the on-going soccer match.

"Good afternoon, Amada-san. You're a bit late," he greeted the younger boy.

"I wasn't planning on joining today Sensei. I was just looking for Mai-san," Ken explained.

Mr. Nanaki put a hand on his chin. "Aihara-san, hm? She called in sick today, if I remember correctly."

The elementary student blinked. "Oh I see."

"Is there something you needed from her? I could tell her since I'm also her homeroom teacher," he offered.

Ken waved him off. "Oh, it's ok, Nanaki-sensei, it's not super important."

Mr. Nanaki nodded. "If you say so, Amada-san. Can I count on you to join us again for next week?" his trainer asked.

"Hm, I'll think about it," Ken muttered.

"You do that, we're always happy to have you here Amada-san." After that Mr. Nanaki focused his attention back on the match.

Ken invested a bit more time in searching around the school for Maiko's plush. When he didn't find anything, he called it a day and made his way towards the shrine. Maybe the boy would find the plush on the way there.

"Woof!" Koromaru greeted him at the bottom of the stairs to Naganaki Shrine.

The boy couldn't help but smile. "Hi, Koromaru. Did you miss me?"

Koromaru sat down next to the stairs as if he was inviting Ken to sit down next to him. The boy accepted his invite and sat down next to Koromaru. He gave the dog a few head-pats as he was staring at the sky.

"You're always protecting the shrine huh?" Ken started. He stared detachedly into the middle distance, towards nothing in particular. "Even though your master died, you're still here…"

The boy turned his head towards Koromaru. "It's hard being left all alone, huh?" he muttered with a sad smile.

"Oh, hey, Koromaru! Protecting the shrine as usual I see." A feminine voice spoke up.

Ken turned his head upwards to see a high school girl with short brown hair. She was wearing a pink sweater over her school uniform. Koromaru barked happily.

"Koromaru is such a good boy, isn't he?" she asked, it took Ken a moment to realize that she was speaking to him. The boy's eyes widened after he realized that. "Oh yeah! Definitely," he responded quickly.

Ken stood up, dusting off his shorts. "You know Koromaru too?" he asked.

The girl giggled. "Well, who doesn't?"

"Heh, right that was a dumb question." The student smiled softly.

"I'm Yukari Takeba by the way," she introduced herself. "Do you come by here often?"

"Yes, I always like to visit the shrine when I have time," he answered. "Nice to meet you, Takeba-san. I'm Ken Amada."

"Is there a reason you like to come here often?" she asked him.

"Well...today I'm looking for something an underclassman lost," he explained, trying to avoid the question. The last thing he wanted was another person pitying him for his mother's death.

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you mind if I help? I don't have anything else to do," she offered him with a smile, twirling some of her hair around.

Ken shrugged. "Sure, if you want to, Takeba-san."

"I do," Yukari assured him, then the girl placed a hand on her chin, "Soo this underclassman of yours also likes to visit the shrine?" She pieced together.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, she told me so."

"Let's look upstairs then," Yukari said as she was walking up the stairs to the shrine. Ken closely followed behind.

The duo searched around the area for awhile. Koromaru also joined them in their search party a little later, sniffing around the ground.

"Hmm, maybe we should look over by the playground?" Yukari spoke up, pointing to the playground.

Ken blinked. Maiko did say she liked to play with someone named 'stripey' in her free time, so her hanging out by the playground made sense. How could he not have thought of that.

"Oh right, she probably would hang out there most," Ken agreed.

The two of them walked over to the sandpit. Koromaru dashed in front of them, arriving at their destination first. He then turned around to bark at them excitedly.

"You found something, Koromaru?" Yukari's voice spoke up, she walked over to Koromaru. He was standing by a spot in the sandpit.

"You found it Koromaru, good boy!" Ken cheered him on. Koromaru happily spun around in a circle.

The girl went over to see a plush half buried in the sand. She bend over to pick it up, brushing some sand from it before handing it over to the young student.

"Well, sometimes it's the most obvious places. I lose stuff all the time so I would know," Yukari told him.

Ken hummed in response. "That's true. To be honest when I thought about the shrine, I wasn't thinking about the playground at all but it makes sense that we found it here." He then turned towards the teenage girl. "Thank you for helping me out, Takeba-san."

The girl waved him off. "No problem, I'll take my leave then." Yukari walked away but suddenly stopped mid step, she turned her face back around. "Oh and you can call me Yukari!" she told him, then she was gone.

Ken looked at the plush in his hand. Tomorrow is a Sunday, maybe he would meet Maiko there. She did tell him she often visited on Sunday's even if he's never seen her before.

The girl must arrive at a later point of the day, since he was always at the shrine pretty early. If he didn't meet Maiko tomorrow, he can always return it to her on Monday, he figured.

A yawn escaped Ken's lips. He should go to bed early today.

Chapter Text

06/14 Sunday

Ken's first mission was to visit Naganaki Shrine today.

He flipped his phone open, 10am already. Ken managed to sleep pretty long today, the boy was glad he could catch up on some sleep. That means he could go and explore the Green Hour again tonight.

One thing was concerning him though, Akio seemed to avoid him recently and he couldn't figure out the reason why. Maybe he was just overthinking it like usual, should he keep an eye on it? Ask Akio about it?

He wasn't sure. Maybe he should be happy that Akio is keeping his distance. He shouldn't get too close to him.

After all, Ken was still planning on killing himself after avenging his mother.

It was...really complicated.

The elementary student shook his head. He still has time to sort out his thoughts later on.

Ken walked up the stairs to the shrine. When he arrived at the top, he could spot a familiar face sitting on one of the benches near the playground.

"Hi Amada-kun!" A girl waved him over. "Do you remember me?" she teased.

"Of course, Yukari-san. We just met yesterday." The boy showed her a soft smile.

"Were you looking for your underclassman?" Yukari guessed.

The elementary student shrugged. "Somewhat, she said she's always here on Sundays."

"Maybe she'll show up later then, do you want to give me some company?" Yukari asked.

"Uh, sure." Ken sat down next to the brown haired girl. "What leads you here today Yukari-san?" he asked in return. "If you don't mind me asking," Ken quickly added on.

"You're so formal! I wish someone else I know had half of your good manners." The girl rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I actually just wanted to enjoy the day!"

"Enjoy the day…?" he echoed her words carefully.

Yukari closed her eyes. "Yeah, you knoww...enjoy the weather and stuff! It's good to take time off, to just relax and do nothing. Also helps to sort out your thoughts as well...helps me at least." She shrugged.

Ken hummed. When was the last time he just tried to relax, think about nothing and just enjoy the day? Maybe it would help him sort out his thoughts like it helped Yukari, he...could try it at the very least. "I guess that's true," he muttered.

"Heyyy, Yuka-tan! Amada!" A male voice called out.

"I suddenly got a major headache." Yukari rubbed at her temples with a growl.

A teenage boy rushed over to the two. "Didn't know you two knew each other," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't know you two knew each other either," the girl retorted. "What dare did you lose to Tomochika-san this time that made you visit the shrine?"

"Yuka-tan! The hell?! You make it sound like I'm shrine-phobic. I have you know that I'm a well-behaved student," Junpei argued, placing a hand on his chest.

"Riiight...whatever." Yukari decided to drop the topic. "It's a surprise to see you here nonetheless. I didn't expect it," she explained in a calmer tone.

"Well, me neither Yuka-tan. Guess you learn somethin' new every day," Junpei retorted.

"Weren't you planning to hang out with Yuki-kun today?" Yukari asked.

The other teen let out a heavy sigh. "I was! But this dude was still asleep. Been hammering on his door for a good 5 minutes but it was no use." Junpei shook his head. "Makoto sleeps like a literal brick, man. I jus' gave up."

Listening to the teenager's conversation, Ken noted that they must be pretty close to be able to bicker with each other like that. They seemed like good people.

Then, out of the corner of his eye he could see a blue haired figure arrive at the top of Naganaki Shrine. The teenage girl must have noticed him too.

"Oh, Yuki-kun!" She waved the boy over.

Another friend of them? Ken wondered how big their friend circle really was.

Would he have such a big friend circle, if he ever went to high school himself? The boy quickly dismissed that thought, he will never know and he's ok with that….he made up his mind, right...?

Yukari's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "We were just talking about you." She smiled. "Let me introduce you to Amada-kun!"

That was his cue. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Ken Amada. I currently attend Gekkoukan Elementary School," the student introduced himself. He didn't know why but he wanted to make a better impression than usual. The blue haired boy had such a captivating aura around him, Ken couldn't quite explain it.

"Nice to meet you as well," the teen greeted him back.

"Be nice to him, will ya? He's a good boy," Junpei chimed in, giving the other high schooler a rough pat on the back.

A good boy...he wondered if that was true.

"Amada-kun is visiting the shrine quite a lot," Yukari further explained, "it's near our dorm so if you ever see him just say hi, Yuki-kun."

Makoto gave her a nod. He wasn't really one with words, was he?

The elementary student figured, he should continue the conversation. "Yukari-san and Junpei-san helped me a lot," Ken started, the corners of his mouth slightly turned upwards. "Especially Yukari-san! Her advice is always really helpful." And he really meant it. Junpei offered him company but not out of pity, just because he seemed lonely and Yukari's insight wasn't the most complex but exactly that simple approach, gave him a new perspective. Ken has been overthinking a lot, worrying at every step of the way. Relaxing sometimes wouldn't make him lose his goal out of sight, that's what he figured.

"They're not that special." She giggled. "Amada-kun is surprisingly reliable and so much more mature than Stupei," the teenage girl explained to her blue haired friend.

Did Yukari really think of him as so mature? It made Ken happy thinking about it.

"Hey, I can give you advice as well you know?" Junpei said, pointing a finger to himself. The teen puffed out his chest as he continued, "I'll solve all your problems and worries one hundred percent!"

All my problems, huh?  Even if Junpei was able to do that, Ken wants to avenge his mother himself.

The elementary student noticed that he never responded.

"Uhm, okay...I'll think about it," Ken responded, trying not to be rude and deny his offer.

Junpei won't be able to help with his big problems but he's still an adult, so he is bound to have some interesting stories to tell at the very least.

The group mindlessly chattered a bit more after that. After awhile, the group of high schoolers decided to leave to grab something to eat.

"You want to come with us, lil' dude?" Junpei asked.

Ken's eyes widened, not expecting to be invited at all.

Was he really allowed to just interfere with their group like that? He didn't want to be a bother...They must just invite him to be nice right? The student was sure they don't really enjoy hanging out like a kid like him.

"Oh it's ok. I'm not hungry," he dismissed.

"Maybe next time then?" The girl of the group offered him a smile. None of them pressed him on the matter any further.

He saw the trio walk down the stairs together, continuing on with their mindless chatter.

Was he wrong? They just accepted him denying without an argument...

Ken put a hand on his chest. The student really enjoyed hanging out with the group, he hoped he would see them again another day.

Maybe they will be back next Sunday? he thought.

If they invited him again, he would say yes. Because to be honest, he was really hungry right about now. The boy heard his stomach grumble.

Really hungry…

06/15 Monday

"Yay! Thank you! You found him!" Maiko exclaimed happily. Hugging her missing plush tightly in her arms.

Ken went to the library in his lunch break to hopefully find Maiko there again and it seems like that was the right call to make. It was like she was expecting him to already have found the missing item.

"You are forgiven for making me wait all those times!" the girl added on, when she was finished hugging the plush.

"I am? I'm glad to hear that." Ken showed her a soft smile.

One less thing to worry about. The boy concluded.

When his lunch break was over, he walked back to his classroom. He saw Akio standing by his desk.

"Hey, Ken," he greeted in a low voice.

"Hello, Akio, is something the matter?" Ken carefully asked.

Akio nodded, the black haired boy had yet to meet his eyes. "Can we talk after school? If you're busy, we can talk in the dorm tonight."

It seemed like Ken didn't need to approach the other himself after all. "We can talk after school. Where do you want to meet up?" he asked.

"Just stay in class with me," Akio quickly responded.

"Okay."

Their homeroom teacher soon walked in to continue the class. Akio left Ken's desk to sit down in his own.

After class concluded. Ken stayed seated like Akio wanted him to.

The boys watched their other classmates leave. When the others were gone, Akio finally stood up to return to Ken's desk.

"So uhm…" the black haired boy started, struggling to find his words. His blue eyes were wildly darting around the room.

After awhile Akio finally let out a sigh. The student turned his head towards Ken, seemingly having build up the courage to meet his eyes.

"Sorry for the past few days…" he finally said, "I know...I've been distant but there has been a reason for it, it's...not easy to talk about." The student fiddled with his hands.

It was unnatural to see Akio so nervous.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Ken assured him.

The other released an even heavier sigh. "I know but...I mean it's stupid. I'm being so ignorant…" he muttered.

The brown haired student shook his head. "I don't think I understand Akio," he said with a frown.

"My..uh. My mom's got Apathy Syndrome," Akio finally admitted.

Ken's eyes widened at the news. "Oh." Is all he could mutter.

"It's ignorant, right?" Akio's voice cracked. "You..you lost...yours and I'm crying about mine having Apathy Syndrome..." The boy looked down.

Ken wasn't sure how to react. "You don't have to feel bad Akio…" Hhe tried to comfort him. "Apathy syndrome is a serious illness. Don't feel bad about telling me because of my...circumstances."

Akio was silent for a moment. "For some reason I thought you would be more mad," he finally admitted.

Ken arched an eyebrow. "Mad? Why would I?"

"For the reason I just named," the student explained. "I- I mean I know you're nice and polite but I didn't want to press any wrong buttons."

Typical Akio trying to be considerate like always.

"Well, I'm not mad…" He really wasn't. "I heard that some Apathy Syndrome cases were miraculously cured recently, so there's a good chance your mother will recover, I hope so at least."

Was he too logical about this?

"I do too...it was still a shock." Akio rubbed his arm nervously.

"I'm sure it was…" Ken muttered.

The black haired boy frowned. "Not really my mom getting the syndrome though…"

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"It's...what was surrounding it." Akio averted his eyes, he took a deep breath before continuing, "My dad called me the other night...he said mom almost fell onto the train tracks, right in front of a speeding train." his voice became shaky. "My dad was only able to catch her last minute. He said she suddenly didn't respond anymore and in the next moment she...almost…" He clamped his eyes shut and started to sob, "I-I'm sorry. You lost your...and..I-I'm.."

"Hey, hey I said it's ok, that must have been a real shock to hear." Ken put a hand on his back.

Was he even helping Akio? How was he supposed to console anyone? He still struggled with his own grief.

"I-I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I met Mai before that…" The boy rambled on. Suddenly, Akio's strained voice became louder. "She told me that she would be happy if her dad got Apathy Syndrome! How terrible is that?!" he practically screamed out."A-and after that I couldn't face you anymore. She made fun of me...in that moment it felt like you would too, since it was nothing compared to what you went through." Akio finally ended, rubbing his eyes.

"She really said that...?" Ken carefully asked, he had a frown on his face.

He really needed to talk to Mai, whenever she comes back to school.

Akio nodded, slowly calming down. "I'm sorry for being such a crybaby. Thank you for listening though. I didn't want to hide it from you, we're friends after all right? Striker duo for the win...?" Akio said, trying to smile.

"We..

are friends

...are the striker duo, that's right."

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes. After Akio fully calmed down, he asked Ken to walk home together today. For once, Ken accepted.

"Hey, Akio, there was a soccer tourney on Saturday, right?" the brunette student spoke up after a bit of walking.

The other nodded. "That's right."

"Let's play together, ok?" Ken offered.

That's the least he can do.

Akio's eyes shot wide open. "Woah, really? You're gonna be there?"

Ken nodded. "I will. We need to show that other school who is the best striker duo after all, right?" He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

Akio nodded eagerly. "That's true! Let's do a Featherman R marathon too after our victory!" he pressed on.

Ken got nervous. Those were a lot of promises.

"Yeah maybe, I'll think about it," he said dismissively. "First the tournament."

"True that, I hope you know that means you'll need to be there for practice the entire week!" Akio smirked.

"I know. I'll do my best."

That's the least he can do before he avenges his mom and…leaves.

He's only doing it for Akio, not for himself. He needs to remember that.

Ken Amada died a long time ago.

He needs to remember that.

Chapter Text

06/19 Friday

"Hattori-kun, Aihara-san just joined it would only be fair to let her play in the tournament," Mr. Nanaki explained.

It turns out Mai came back to school today. Ken, Akio, Mr. Nanaki and her were currently in a discussion, on who's playing in the tournament tomorrow.

Akio was flabbergasted. "B-but me and Ken already practiced the whole week for this!"

"Calm down Hattori-kun. I'm sure we can find a solution." Their coach tried to calm the student down.

"Can't we just change the formation to three strikers?" Ken suggested.

Mr. Nanaki raised an eyebrow. "One day before the tournament? That's not going to happen Amada-kun."

"Then let Akio play in my place," the boy pressed.

"Are you sure?" the club leader asked.

"Ken! The whole team wanted you to play!" Mai chimed in, she seemed a bit desperate, "and I do too."

Ken frowned. "I only joined because of Akio," he said, crossing his arms.

"Ken…" Akio muttered, surprised by his protest.

Mai fell silent, she averted her eyes. "Oh I see…"

"Hattori-kun..." is all their trainer said. Mr. Nanaki was looking straight at Akio. His eyes were saying more than words ever could.

The black haired boy released a sigh. "Fine, you can play Mai."

The girl's eyes widened. "Are you sure Aiko??"

Akio nodded. "But I will play second half. Deal?" he said holding out his hand.

"Hmm, it's better than nothing. Ok Aiko. Deal." The brunette shook his hand.

"Are you sure Akio?" Ken asked him.

The black haired student nodded. "Mhm. It's ok like this. As long as I can play with you in a tournament again!" Akio showed him a toothy smile.

"If that's what you want then it's fine with me too." Ken returned a smile of his own.

06/20 Saturday

Today was the day.

Ken was sitting on a bench near the soccer field. He'll try his best today. Because of all the focus on practice, the Green Hour investigations fell flat this week. Ken better make it count for having spend that time otherwise.

It's the least he can do for Akio

The student took a last sip from his open water bottle, before the match commenced.

"I'm happy to play with you again Ken." Mai beamed at him. "Here's to a good match!" the brunette said, holding up one of her hands. She was waiting for Ken to give her a high five but the boy couldn't manage to return the gesture.

"Let's give it our best," Ken said instead, there wasn't any emotion behind his words.

"O-okay."

The match was going well so far.

Despite the tension between the two strikers, they managed to give the other team a hard time.

Mai was in the middle of her solo advances, rushing straight towards the enemy's goal.

Suddenly the girl called out to him. "Ken!"

In a blink of an eye, she passed the ball to him.

Mai just passed to him...?

Ken didn't have much time to linger on that thought any longer, instead he received the soccer ball flawlessly. Ken saw Mai placing herself next to the goal, she was absolutely free. No one of the opposite team stood in the line between them.

However, the elementary student continued his rush to the gate, several students from the other school stood in his way but he didn't slow down. Ken maneuvered around them, he could see the goal coming closer.

In the last few meters, the brown haired boy messed up his footing. A member from the opposite team took advantage of that to snatch the ball away from him. Ken clicked his tongue in frustration.

He was so close.

Out of nowhere, Mai approached and managed to get the ball back for them. "I'll be taking this!" she exclaimed. The girl stretched her foot backwards, readying herself for a kick before-

"Ungh!" Mai yelped out, she twisted her foot, making her collapse on the ground. Ken could hear his coach blow to whistle to stop the match. The boy rushed over to her. "What happened Mai-san?" Mai didn't respond, she just continued grunting in pain.

Ken pulled down her white stocking, too take a closer look at her hurting ankle, it revealed...a bite?

A dog bite…?

Mr. Nanaki came rushing over to assist Mai out of the field. He called Akio in to replace Mai, while he brought her to the nurses office.

Despite Mai's injury, Akio and Ken pressed onward. It was harder without Mai in the team but at the very end, they managed to clutch the win with a last minute goal from Akio.

The other school's team congratulated them on the win. A few sweaty handshakes and congratulations were shared before the students dispersed.

Ken decided to visit the nurse's office right after. He wanted to check up on Mai and have a talk with her, he didn't forget about that yet.

Akio already went back to the dorm, not wanting to talk to Mai quite yet, for obvious reasons. The black haired boy still insisted for Ken to let him know about Mai's well-being later on.

Ken pushed open the door to the nurse's office. He spotted the girl he was looking for sitting on the medical bed. She didn't even look up when he entered, instead she continued to play around with the ends of one of her long pigtails.

The nurse didn't seem to be here right now.

"Hello, Mai-san," Ken finally greeted.

Mai finally looked up, meeting his eyes for a short moment. "Hi."

"How are you feeling?" the boy asked.

The brunette shrugged. "Better."

"That's good to hear…" Ken muttered. He knew he wanted to talk to the girl but now that he was at the point of doing so, he was at a loss for words. The elementary student's eyes darted around the room, trying to come up with a topic to start. Should he address the thing with Akio first? Or rather her weird interaction with Koromaru?

"You look so dis-interested," Mai's voice suddenly spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Do you hate me, Ken?" She was looking straight at him, furrowing her brows. "Is it cause of my weird pronunci-ation?"

Ken's eyes widened. Why would she think that?

"What no…"

"I'm weird, right?" she interrupted him. Mai was gripping at the sheet of the medical bed. "And I'm rude too. I hurt Aiko with my words a-a few days ago I-I think...I wanted to apolo-gize but I didn't know how," the brunette confessed.

"Just apologize," Ken said unhelpfully. He knew how rude he may have sounded but seeing Akio so defeated the other day because of her, really nagged at him.

The girl frowned. "I'm...scared if he gets mad, like you right now."

Ken blinked. "I'm not mad, sorry." He released a sigh. Well maybe a little.

"Akio told me what happened the other day. You're right it really hurt him but Akio is always really considerate, he will understand," the student explained.

Mai paused. "O-okay. I'll try then," she said after awhile.

There also has been something else that he was curious about...he couldn't help but ask-

"Earlier…" Ken started, "You...passed to me."

The girl nodded. "I did...I said I only pass to someone who's as passion-ately as me, didn't I?" She tilted her head a little.

"I'm not passionate about it at all…" The student shook his head.

Mai frowned. "Is that so…? It's still fun to play with you Ken," she admitted with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Well, we won't be able to play much in the future anyways…" he blurted out before he could even stop himself.

What was he saying??

"Are you moving away?" Her eyes were wide open.

"...Something like that." Ken tried to dismiss the topic as best as he could.

Why did he blurt it out like that?!

"That's too bad…"

Mai started to hum to herself. "You know...soccer is the only thing I'm good at. It's the only thing that's fun but no one else is so serious about it like me..." The brunette nervously rubbed her arm. "Hey Ken, can I ask why you just gave up in our first match against each other? I've been wonder-ing that the entire time."

"I just remembered...stuff…" He shrugged.

"That stuff must really suck if it dragged down your mood like that...but...I'm not going to try to act like I would understand. Whatever it is that's on your mind."

Ken didn't expect Mai to be so considerate…? Self-aware…? Whatever it was he was glad she didn't try to dig in deeper.

The elementary student didn't know if he could ever truly befriend Mai, if he was being honest.

She was a really weird case, he never knew what was going inside her head and he really didn't have the time to investigate further anyway but the conversation helped in a lot of ways, he had to admit that to himself at the very least.

Ken ultimately decided to leave the topic about Koromaru and the dog bite be. The boy felt like there's a lot more behind it, that he shouldn't poke his nose into. After all he still has his own problems to solve too.

06/21 Sunday

Ken just wrapped up his daily prayer at Naganaki Shrine. The elementary student decided to hang around the shrine for a bit longer though.

As he sat down by a bench, the boy thought about the teenager trio and Maiko again, none of which were present today. Well, he was even earlier than last time.

Ken looked up at the sky above, he wondered if they would still show up later.

"Amada-kun!" A familiar female voice called out to him. The boy immediately stood up from where he was sitting.

"Oh, hello, Yukari-san. Nice to see you again," Ken responded with an earnest smile. He shouldn't be that happy to see her again but he is.

"Sorry for my curiosity but were you praying?" she asked and he responded with a nod.

"Oh I see. It occurred to me that I never asked you so I was a bit curious," the girl admitted with a giggle. "Is that why you're always visiting?" she questioned further.

Ken paused. He couldn't beat around the bush for much longer. The topic was going to come up either way in the future, better to get it out of the way now.

"I do." he started to fiddle with his hands. "I always pray for my mom. It's...almost 2 years ago now, since she died." The elementary student told her, trying to seem as unaffected as possible. He hoped she wouldn't treat him any differently now.

"That's not too long ago.." she mused.

"I guess it isn't…"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Amada-kun."

Here it comes…

"I...lost my dad too, when I was little."

Huh?

The girl fiddled with a string of her top. "So..well I kinda get it...kinda. I'm still not over it, even after all these years." An air of melancholy surrounded her.

"I didn't know you also lost someone dear to you, Yukari-san…" Ken muttered.

"Well, now you know." The girl smiled softly. "Maybe I'm not in the position to intrude but if you don't have anyone else to talk to then, y'know I'm here to listen," she offered genuinely.

"Thank you, Yukari-san. I'll keep that in mind."

Then, out of nowhere, a male voice rang out. "It seems like this became our meeting point haha," Junpei approached them, snickering along the way.

Yukari rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face. "And look who's late again," the girl jokingly pointed at her wrist.

"Are you sure it's not just you two being wayy to early, Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked amused.

"Nope," the girl responded, popping the p.

"I would think you guys are doing this on purpose, if I didn't know any better," Ken chimed in, he couldn't help but giggle.

He kinda wished that was the case.

"If Makoto also shows up now, I'm gonna lose it." The teenage boy laughed. "Maybe I should just call him."

Speaking of which...

"Oh, Hello, Yuki-san," the young boy greeted, when he saw the blue haired teen approach. He could hear Junpei snickering behind him.

Yukari turned her head towards Makoto as well. "Hi, Yuki-kun. Somehow you always show up, when we talk about you."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Don't tell us you're just hidin' nearby, waiting for your moment," Junpei teased.

Makoto and Yukari released a sigh simultaneously.

"Anyway. I talked with Amada-kun again today, he's really mature for his age," the girl explained to Makoto, then she side-eyed Junpei. "At least he's acting more mature than Junpei over here."

"You're so mean, Yuka-tan! Look who's talking. I'm way more mature than you, right?" Junpei retorted with a smirk.

"Amada is more mature," Makoto chimed in.

"You too?! Come on, y'all can't just double team me like that!" The boy released a heavy sigh.

Ken started to feel bad for Junpei. He was a really cool and kind adult too.

"Well, for me Junpei-san is also an adult," he spoke up, gathering the attention of the group. "He's pretty tall and has a lot of interesting stories to tell," the boy defended Junpei.

"There you have it! Even Amada thinks so!" Junpei beamed triumphantly. "Well- I guess you also need a type of maturity to realize that," the teenager added in a mutter.

"Come on, he's just saying that out of pity." The teenage girl rolled her eyes. "Sorry Amada-kun."

"Let's eat." Makoto interrupted.

Junpei facepalmed. "Dude, is food the only thing on your mind? Well food and fightin' sh-"

Yukari rammed her elbow into his side. "Outch! You didn't have to put all your might into that!"

"Idiot," she muttered. Then she turned towards the elementary student. "Do you want to join us this time, Amada-kun?"

Ken smiled. "Yes. I'd love to."

Chapter Text

"That's the newly released Feather Hawk figure!! Thank you mom!"

The young boy quickly tore open the packaging to take out the figurine. He excitedly spun around in place a few times.

"And there's more." His mother teased with a wink.

Ken turned to see what she was talking about. He looked at her to see a soft smile on her lips. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

His mother handed him a book. Ken carefully took it into his own hands, turning the book around so he could read the headline.

'My friends'  It read.

"Do you like it? It's a friendship book, I know how you struggle to make friends, so I thought that would help!" she excitedly clapped her hands together.

Ken flustered at her mentioning his trouble to make new friends but nodded nonetheless. "I'll make one hundred friends with this! Thanks mom!"

His mother giggled. She opened up the book in his hands, pointing to the first page. "Don't forget to write yourself in too. You can't make friends if you're not friends with yourself first."

"With myself?"

"That's right."

Ken stared down at the book with a frown. "I want you to write in it too."

"Of course, dear. I would love to."

06/24 Wednesday

He woke up with tears rolling down his eyes today.

A great way to start his birthday, he thought.

Stupid dream.

Ken looked around his room, Akio seemed to have left already. The boy couldn't bother to check the time, he frankly didn't care right now.

The friend book.

He mindlessly pulled out a storage box under his bed. There it was.

Ken picked up the friend book that he got for his 7th birthday, there was a little bit of dried blood on the side of it. His mother's blood.

The elementary student flinched at that thought entering his mind.

Ken hesitantly opened up the book in front of him.

The boy remembered just having started elementary school 2 months prior, in April. He had issues making friends, that's why his mother got him this book.

I am Ken Amada. I am seven years old and mom just gifted me this book.

I like watchin Featherman the most! Its my favorit series!

Mom said I need to write myself down first. Silly how can you be your own friend? I think I kinda get it thou. You need to like yourself first before liking others. That's what mom always said!

Ken had to huff at his younger self's innocence.

Mom is always trying her best. She even writes letters and tells me it's from dad. I think its because I said I was sad about not having dad around one time. Silly her

I know your handwriting mom.

I love my mom.

I don't need dad around.

Ken turned the next page to see his mother's familiar handwriting. Maybe he should read it later, he didn't feel like tearing up again. After all, it's probably almost time for breakfast, so he should head down.

Down the stairs he was greeted by Ms. Suzuki, Akio and his fellow dorm residents sitting at the large dinning table. The elementary students took their turns to congratulate him to his birthday and even sang a song for him, the boy felt really awkward sitting through the song but he just had to bear through it.

"Hey Ken," Akio called out to him, after they finished with breakfast. "Happy Birthday again!" the black haired boy said, approaching him with a neatly wrapped gift in his hand. It was something small and rectangular.

"Oh, thank you Akio, you didn't have to," Ken responded, wide-eyed.

"No need to be humble, it's your birthday after all!" Akio retorted, brushing him off.

Ken chuckled. "I guess that's true."

The brown haired student took the present into his own hands, he wasted no time in tearing apart the wrapping to reveal a pack of cards.

"Those are Tarot cards!" Akio explained.

Right. Akio was really into astrology and fortune telling.

"I thought maybe you would want to give it a try too…" the black haired boy appeared to be a bit flustered.

Ken looked at the card pack in his hands. He wasn't totally against the idea, far from it.

Maybe there was something about the Tarot cards worth diving deeper into. The elementary student wasn't really averse to the supernatural.

After all, praying at the shrine always made him feel closer to his mother, as if she was still somehow there with him in spirit and if he thought about it the Green Hour phenomenon was a supernatural occurrence in itself too.

Ken nodded. "Sure, I'll give it a try. Thank you Akio."

"I'm glad to hear that. If you want me to teach you I can do that!" the boy eagerly offered. If he was trying to hide his excitement, he was doing a terrible job.

"Hm, why not. Would you mind giving me a reading then?" Ken figured that was the best way to see if there was some truth to these cards.

"Huh? I mean sure! I'm not the most experienced either tho," he sheepishly admitted.

"That's fine. It's just for fun, right?" Ken assured him.

Akio nodded. "Right! Ok, give me the card pack."

Ken obeyed and gave them to Akio, he saw the other boy taking out the cards and putting a pamphlet that was inside of the card pack next to him.

As the other began to shuffle the cards, he asked Ken a question. "I never asked but did you know anything about Tarot cards before this?"

The brown haired boy shook his head. "Not really."

"Ok, let me explain a bit then!" Akio smiled. Ken could see how much the other enjoyed talking about this.

The black haired boy cleared his throat. "So, the deck has 78 cards total, under those cards there are 22 that are the most important. They are the Major Arcana."

"The Major Arcana?" the student echoed.

Akio nodded. "Yes, they are the core and foundation of Tarot. They describe a journey, the Fool's journey." Ken saw Akio constantly peek on the pamphlet next to him as he explained, "In other words. These cards tell a story of humanity's spiritual evolution into enlightenment...and individuation..?"

"Which means?" Ken raised his eyebrow slightly, he was intrigued.

"Uhm..." A sweat droplet trickled down the black haired student's temple. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm just repeating what it says here…Anyways! Time for your reading, ok? Check out the pamphlet which came with it for more info, it also tells you about the meaning of each card."

Ken let out a sigh. "I thought you knew about Tarot?"

"I do! Only about the cards meaning though, that is the most important part, right?" Akio sheepishly smiled.

"I wouldn't know."

"Right...ok anyway." Akio messily laid out the cards in front of Ken. "I need you to choose 3 cards. One is for the past, one for the present and one for the future!" the boy explained. "Oh! This is a general reading, there are more types by the way."

Ken nodded, he chose 3 cards that were the most appealing to him. After he did so, the other quickly gathered the rest of the cards to put them back in the box.

"Ok, uncover your first one, Ken." Akio giggled like a little school girl. He seemed to enjoy this more than he did. The boy wondered, if Akio ever read a fortune for someone else before.

The brunette turned over the first card.

Five of cups

"The other ones too, you need to read them together!" Akio informed him.

Ken turned over the next one.

Two of swords

And the last one after that.

Justice

Justice

It felt like that card was calling out to him.

The student stared at the card in front of him. "What does it mean," he muttered.

"Let's see.." He could hear Akio's voice speak up.

When Ken looked up from the card, he could see the boy fiddling around with the pamphlet in his hands. He resisted the urge to facepalm.

"I thought you knew about the cards, Akio..." Ken deadpanned.

"I'm just checking! I don't wanna tell you something wrong," he defended himself, "so uhm that first card, five of cups. It's well…it's about…" The boy's voice became quieter.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"It-" Akio cleared his throat. "Stands for grief, loss and such…"

Ken frowned. "Doesn't sound...wrong, and the next one?

"Two of swords, that's your present conflict or situation. Did you have to make a difficult decision recently?"

"Hm?...uhm not really?"

"Ok, what about being indecisive in general?"

"A little?"

Ken really didn't like being questioned like that, it felt...intruding.

"A stalemate?"

The boy nodded. "I do feel like in a stalemate, yeah."

"Mm, I see…"

Ken frowned. "I can't quite understand the purpose of these readings. They have more meanings than just one is what I noticed, right? So they can apply to any situation."

"Yeah, well it's kinda the purpose, I think. Tarot is mostly about reflecting about your situation and looking for solutions to them. That's what I think...they are meant to have a broader meaning," Akio explained.

"Ok I see…"

"Want to move on to the last one?" the black haired student questioned.

The brunette shrugged. "Sure, let's get this over with."

Ken didn't need his private matters revealed any further, no thanks.

"The Justice Arcana, it's one of the Major Arcana."

You need to show them true justice.

That voice again...he heard it before but it still seemed so far away. Yet, it was still calling out to him.

"Ken?"

"Huh?"

"Are you good? It seemed like you zoned out there for a minute. Did you listen to what I said?" Akio asked.

"Oh no sorry, Akio. Can you repeat it?" Ken sheepishly asked.

"No problem. The Justice Arcana stands for cause and effect, clarity and the truth. So, it seems like you are still struggling with something from...your past and you are indecisive about how to process right now. It feels like you're going in a circle but it's not going to be like that for much longer, you will find your answer. Find the truth," the boy concluded.

Talk about being indirectly exposed.

Ken didn't know how to respond.

"Boys, school is about to start. Get yourselves ready, alright?" Ms. Suzuki's soft voice spoke up.

"Will do, Suzuki-sensei," Akio responded.

Ken decided to explore the Green Hour again tonight.

Maybe the Tarot reading today was a good omen? He'd like to think that at the very least.

The elementary student still couldn't find the mysterious man, which saved him at the start of this month.

He decided to check the back alley again today. It became easier going there, the more often he went.

Ken had to keep trying. It took literal months to get more information about the Green Hour, so he can't expect all the answers to suddenly fall into his lap now.

They maybe will...if he finds that man again

He shook his head, he shouldn't get his hopes up too high.

Ken just turned the corner towards the back alley, his eyes widened when he saw a figure sitting by the stairs.

Maybe he can get his hopes up a little bit after all…

The boy approached the young man with a wave. "Hey, Senpai!" he called out to him.

The man looked like he got shot, his voice must have startled him pretty badly. "For god's sake. What are ya doin' here, kid? And I'm not your Senpai…" he grumbled.

"You never told me your name. How else should I address you then?" the student asked.

"How about not at all," he retorted.

Ken huffed. If he wanted to be rude about it, that would be fine with Ken.

"Ok, Not-at-all-san. If I recall correctly, you said I can do what I want. So I'm here, 'doing what I want'." 

"You lil' smart ass, know when to quit," the other grumbled.

"If you can answer me some questions I will at least quit bothering you…?" Ken offered with puppy eyes. He didn't even care how desperate he seemed right now, the boy wanted answers.

"Kid, why would I help the likes of you?" The man furrowed his brows.

"Uhm, as a present to me?" the student innocently answered. Ken actually had no good argument for why a stranger should help him, a child.

The stranger arched an eyebrow. "A present? Your birthday today or sum?

Ken paused. "Uh, yes, actually."

"Oh, I see." The man stood up, his face was turned away from him, so Ken couldn't see his expression.

The elementary student was sure that he was about to leave without another word but then he spoke up again, to his surprise.

"What do you even want to know?" the young man questioned.

Ken blinked a few times. He actually didn't think he would get that far. "Oh uh…"

The stranger fixed his beanie. "Don't tell me you don't even know?" He frowned.

"The tower," the young boy quickly said, pointing at the building in the distance.

"What about it?"

"What's inside?"

"Shadows like the one that attacked us," the stranger answered him.

So Ken was right about that…

Granted, the man could be lying but he saw no reason why the stranger would lie about that.

"Do you know that, because you were in it before?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"What if I was?" the man retorted.

"Just curious...because uhm, I wanted to explore the tower myself," he admitted.

The other let out a heavy sigh. "You're not the brightest after all, huh?"

"Wait, you didn't even let me finish!" Ken interrupted with a frown. He didn't even care if he seemed childish right now. "I know, I don't have the means to defend myself...yet. But that's why I wanted to ask you."

"Me? Why would I help?"

Ken was getting tired of these counter questions. "Uh, out of the good of your heart…?" he said nonchalantly.

"Listen. You don't have to go with me just...maybe teach me some defending?" the boy asked.

"Bother someone else." The man was about to walk away.

"But there is no one else!" Ken suddenly blurted out. "I mean uhm, you are the only other person I met that experiences the Green Hour...like me." Ken shifted on his feet.

"Green Hour? You mean the Dark Hour, kid," he clarified.

So it's called the Dark Hour…

"Y'know what...fine. But only if ya don't ever enter that tower. It's too dangerous and I'm sure whatever you're looking for ain't there," the older one declared.

The student arched an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm looking for something?"

"You just told me."

"Oh...uhm anyway. Thank you very much!" Ken did a deep bow. "Do we start tomorrow then??"

"Someone's eager, huh?" The young man smirked slightly. "How old are you now?" he asked.

"Eleven."

"Eleven...well, congrats. See ya on Sunday." Then the stranger turned on him and walked away.

Tomorrow was Thursday though…

The elementary student shook his head.

This guy...he does whatever he wants.

Whatever, he can wait those few days. Ken was just happy that the stranger decided to help him out. He clenched his fist.

Mom...I'll do my best for you.

Chapter Text

06/28 Sunday

Ken happily skipped up the stairs to Naganaki Shrine.

Today was going to be a good day.

He was really looking forward to talk with the teens at the shrine again. The elementary student just hoped they were there again, he was a bit late today.

Luckily, at the top of the stairs, the brunette saw the two familiar teenagers in the middle of a discussion. It seems like, he was the last one to arrive today. Well almost, Makoto was also not there yet.

"Hello, Yukari-san, Junpei-san," the boy greeted them.

"Amada-kun, it's nice to see you again."

"Hiya, Amada."

The high schoolers greeted him back simultaneously.

"What were you two talking about?" Ken asked curiously.

"We were talking about you actually," Yukari answered with a soft smile.

"Me?" he echoed.

Junpei raised his hands in surrender. "Nothin' bad of course. You're always here pretty early, you must live nearby, right?"

Ken blinked. "Oh yeah, I live in the elementary dormitory."

He could see Yukari's expression sadden. It didn't take rocket science to figure out why that is. Suddenly, Ken started to feel a bit more uncomfortable.

"Hey! Jus' like us, turns out we were dorm neighbors the whole time." The teenage boy snickered.

The girl put her hands on her hips. "The elementary dormitory isn't even that close to ours. We're anything but neighbors." She shot him a dirty look.

The high schooler let out a sigh. "Why do you always have to take anythin' so serious, Yuka-tan? Whatever...tell us a bit about your dorm life, I'm curious."

Ken's eyes widened. "Uh, what do you want to know?"

"Hm, do you have a personal maid there?" Junpei asked slyly.

Yukari wasted no time to slap him over the head.

"Outch! That was a serious question! I'm sure they don't expect you kids to cook for yourself, right?" The teen tried to defend himself.

"Uhm, we do have someone who takes care of that. There's also a teacher from elementary school that takes the role of the matron for the dorm," Ken explained. He didn't know why they were so interested in an elementary dorm if he was being honest.

Out of nowhere, Makoto suddenly approached them. It seems like no one noticed him until he stood right in front of them. The blue haired teen must have improved his sneaking skills.

Yukari was the first one to greet him. "Hi, Yuki-kun. Amada-kun just told us about the elementary dormitory he lives in," she explained.

"By the way, Yuki-san also lives in a dormitory, right?" Ken asked. Junpei said they all lived in a dorm earlier, he assumed that included Makoto too.

"Jepp, that's right," Junpei chimed in, "We all live in the same dorm together."

Ken had to do a double take. "Really? Are boys and girls allowed to live in the same one?"

"Uhm, no...normally not...but there are some special circumstances that apply to us." The girl of the group tried to clarify.

Junpei poked the blue haired teen with his elbow. "That's no problem for us, am I right Makoto?" the high schooler wiggled his eyebrows. Yukari fought the urge to kick him but before she could make a move the teen continued. "What rules do they have at the elementary dorm? Is it less strict there, since y'all are still kids?" Junpei questioned.

"Hmm...it's pretty normal. We need to keep order and ask for permission, if we want to take something out of the fridge. Just...normal stuff," Ken explained.

What's with all these questions about his dorm? Were they worried about his life circumstances?

"Oh...that sounds more strict that I thought," Junpei muttered.

Yukari released a sigh. "Why don't you move to the elementary dorm instead, Junpei? Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about discipline," she finished, crossing her arms.

While Yukari and Junpei continued their heated discussion, Makoto took the time to approach the younger one. "Are you joining us again?" he asked Ken. It almost became a tradition to always go to eat something after their meet up at the shrine.

The other two teenagers must have noticed their conversation, since they quit theirs to join in to listen.

"I would like to but I still haven't done my prayers," Ken responded, playing around with the fabric of his shirt.

"Why don't we pray together?" the blue haired boy suggested.

"Huh? I don't even know how to do that, man," Junpei chimed in.

The girl shook her head. "Why am I not surprised." She tilted her head towards the youngest of the group. "Is that ok with you, Amada-kun? That we pray with you?"

Ken blinked. "Sure, I don't mind. You don't have to ask me for permission, Yukari-san." He showed her a polite smile.

With Ken's okay, the group went over to the shrine together. The young boy saw Makoto teaching Junpei the basics, while Yukari stood behind, shaking her head in disappointment.

When the blue haired teen was finished teaching Junpei, they started their prayers together.

Ken silently wondered what the others were praying for.

He could hear Junpei snicker besides him. The elementary student fought the urge to sigh, it was probably nothing good by the sounds of it...

Almost...

Ken thought, staring at his phone in anticipation.

Then it happened, the clock finally struck midnight. It was time to go.

Ken has never been this excited before, waiting for the green light to shine through the curtains. What once was a dreaded wait turned into anticipation.

The student wasn't even sure why he was so excited, maybe it was because he didn't feel so alone in the Dark Hour anymore or maybe it was because he felt like he was actually using the Dark Hours well. Using them to train and not just mindlessly walking through the night, hoping for something to happen.

The elementary student wasted no time, jumping from his bed and rushing to the familiar back alley.

That was another thing that changed.

He still remembered the first time he dreaded stepping back into that alley but now those worries were no more, instead they were replaced by hope, hope that he could finally avenge his mother with the combat experience he'll gather.

Ken saw the man sitting at the same place he saw him in a few days prior. "Hello, Not-at-all-san, are we ready to start?" he greeted him.

The man released a sigh. "Stop with that crap. I rather have you goin' back to that Senpai thing."

"If that's what you prefer, sure."

Oh man, if looks could kill…

Maybe Ken shouldn't rile up his Senpai too much...

"Did you bring somethin'?" he asked the younger.

Ken blinked. "I was supposed to bring something…?" he asked, unsure.

"Yeah, if you don't want to defend yourself with your fists," the older one retorted.

"You could have told me so," Ken quietly muttered.

Turns out his Senpai wasn't the best teacher, when it came to giving him assignments but he has to work with it.

"Whatever, wait here." His Senpai left and returned with a long metal pipe. "What about this? A pole-arm weapon should do you more favors than a short ass knife," he said, handing him the metal pipe over.

Ken took it into his own hands, he nodded. "That's true."

The younger boy stared down at the metal pipe in his hands. He was waiting for the older one to say something but he just kept quiet. "And...what now…? the student asked, slowly.

His Senpai huffed. "Try for yourself first. Get a feel for it."

"Uhm...ok."

Ken swung the metal pipe around stiffly, fighting an imaginary shadow in front of him.

When he was finished, the student turned back to the older. "Like that…?" Ken asked.

His teacher paused. "Hm, you focus more on strong swings than defense. Defense should be your priority."

Ken frowned. "I mean it's hard to practice that against...air." He tried to make a case for himself.

The older one clicked his tongue. "Idiot, it ain't about if it's air or not, it's about making it a habit. Later, ya don't even have to think about blockin' anymore, since your body will do it automatically," he explained

Ken blinked a few times. His Senpai's wording was rude but he had a point.

"Oh I see, that makes sense."

After their training was over, both boys were resting on the familiar stairs near their training ground.

"Sorry if I'm being rude but how old are you, Senpai?" Ken spoke up after awhile.

"Seventeen."

"That means you're in the third-year in high school, right?" the boy followed up. So, his Senpai was still in school, he looked a bit older. Maybe it was the way he was carrying himself.

The teenager didn't answer. Ken decided to switch topics.

"Senpai, are you not hot in that coat? Even in the Dark Hour, the summer heat is still really hot," the student asked.

The teen clicked his tongue. "Mind your own business. You ask too many damn questions." He pulled his beanie further over his eyes.

"Ok, you don't have to tell me." Ken turned away with a frown on his face.

Why did his Senpai always have to be so rude? He was just asking a few questions.

"To make a few things clear," the teenager started. "I'm just teachin' ya self-defense for the worst case scenario, got that? Don't go out of your way to fight these things," he pressed.

"I won't." answered the elementary student.

The only shadow Ken was interested in fighting was that horse monster.

"Good." Was his short reply.

The elementary student returned home for tonight, soon after.

When he laid down on his bed's blanket, staring up at the ceiling, Ken thought back to the last few days.

He met a lot of new people recently and they were fun to hang out with, especially the teenagers from Naganaki Shrine. Maybe after he avenges his mother he could try to...no, was he even allowed to? He didn't know.

The boy didn't know where this feeling was coming from, why did he suddenly want to hang onto life after all... he swore that his sole mission in life was to avenge her death.

He needed some more time to think…

Chapter Text

07/04 Saturday

The elementary student had a particular hard time getting out of bed today. Luckily, he had his roommate to help him out with that.

"Morning, Ken! I went ahead and fed hamburger for you, like usual," he could hear Akio say.

Hamburger…? The boy rubbed his eyes, he was still half asleep. Last night, he didn't get a lot of rest.

Suddenly, Ken's eyes shot wide open. Oh yeah! His pet hamster.

How could he forget?

Ken's eyes glanced at the hamster cage at the foot of his bed. "Thanks Akio, I appreciate that," he thanked him.

Hamburger...he still remembered it like it was yesterday.

It was the afternoon after he went shopping with his mom, she just got her paycheck. That's were he first saw the little hamster in a store window.

They didn't plan to buy a hamster but he was so enchanted by this little creature, his mom bought it for him anyway.

Hamburger is always so quiet, he tended to forget about his presence more often these days.

His stomach twisted into knots, he felt really bad about it.

Usually it was Akio who took care of his hamster nowadays.

Wasn't Ken supposed to be more responsible? Like an adult?

The boy really needs to pay more attention to Hamburger, he can't leave that task to his roommate for much longer. Hamburger was his responsibility and also one of the few things he still had from his old home...Dammit, how could he be so ignorant, he wanted to pull out his hair out of frustration.

Sorry Hamburger...I'll take better care of you again from now on. he promised himself.

At least the elementary student knew that Akio didn't mind taking care of Hamburger, that's what he always told him at least.

"You took really good care of Hamburger when I...didn't," the brunette muttered.

"Oh I guess...don't blame yourself," Akio tried to ease him.

Ken shrugged. "I don't know. I feel really bad for neglecting him recently. I had a lot on my mind...I guess," he answered, truthfully.

"Well, you can catch up with Hamburger in the Summer break, right?" the black haired student retorted.

Ken blinked. Oh yeah, Summer break is starting soon.

"I suppose that's true, I really need to catch up with Hamburger," the student admitted.

Ken looked up at the calendar on the wall. It's the 4th of July...in three months it's October 4th.

After breakfast, Ken headed to school with Akio.

He sat through the lessons like usual but it was really hard to focus today. The student caught himself dozing off more often than not.

These lessons seem to go on forever…he thought.

Akio seemed to have caught wind of his weird behavior, since he came over to his desk right after class concluded, to confront Ken about his observations.

The black haired boy put a hand on his school desk, leaning on it. "You seem pretty exhausted these days Ken, are you alright?" he questioned the other.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he quickly responded. "A little sleepy, maybe," he added on, before Akio could even protest.

"Yeah about that...you haven't even been to practice the last few days and yet, you seem like you're about to collapse from exhaustion," the student told him with a frown.

Akio must be overreacting right?

Ken continued to practice with his Senpai almost every day in the past few days but it wasn't every night. The teen was strict in the regard that he should get some rest in-between too.

Even though...on the nights the older teenager wasn't there, he still practiced a bit. Of course, he didn't tell that to his Senpai, since he insisted on the younger boy taking a break in-between the days.

Maybe he has been overdoing it a bit...but he felt fine! He can pull through.

Before the brunette could respond, Akio interrupted him. "Can you hear that?" he asked, wildly looking around the classroom.

"Hear what?" Ken asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Did Akio want to prank him? He wasn't one for jokes though...

"I-I don't know, maybe I need some sleep too, it's like I heard a voice calling me…" he explained warily.

Ok...that was weird.

What does he mean? A voice? Like the one Ken heard a few times before…?

"That's weird…" Ken responded.

That night, he's supposed to train with his Senpai again. The elementary student hoped that the teenager wasn't as perceptive as Akio or he would be in trouble. He can't lose this opportunity to strengthen his combat skills. Ken already learned a lot in those last few days.

The student did his usual routine to get out of bed as soon as the Dark Hour commenced.

Ken immediately rushed to the door, in such a hurry he almost didn't catch it.

The coffin on Akio's bed it was...missing. Instead, the black haired boy was still lying down in his normal state.

Okay...today was a weird day it seems like.

The student did a U-turn, away from the door to walk over to Akio's sleeping body.

"Akio…?" he carefully called.

The other's student body started twitching. He was waking up.

Ken watched attentively as Akio slowly position himself upright into a sitting position, his head was hanging low.

"Uhm, Akio? Hello...?" he called out once more.

The black haired student didn't respond.

Was this some kind of weird sleep walking…? Ken couldn't wrap his head around it.

"I need...to talk...to...Mai…" he suddenly muttered.

Ken had to do a double take. What is Akio talking about??

"Huh? What are you talking about? In the middle of the night??" the student almost shouted out.

Then, his classmate got up and started to walk towards the door. He swayed back and forth, looking like a zombie.

Ken grabbed his arm to stop him. "Hey, what's up with you?" If this was a prank it wasn't funny.

Out of nowhere, Ken heard a gurgling sound.

It sounded just like…

The boy's head snapped towards the window. He released Akio's arm to walk over to it, with a swift motion he pulled aside the curtains.

"Ah!" he screamed out, stumbling over his own feet and falling to the ground.

Directly outside the window was one of those shadows, hanging onto the window frame.

"I...need..to…go..to...school." He could her Akio's quiet voice behind him.

Ken's eyes darted from the shadow to Akio. The black haired boy walked past him, towards the shadow.

What does he mean? He wants to go to the school that transformed into the tower??

He saw how the black haired student put his arms by the window, trying to pry it open. Ken's eyes widened upon realization on what he's trying to do.

The brunette immediately moved into action, to pull Akio away from the window. "What are you doing Akio! That's dangerous!"

The student looked back towards the shadow, it raised an arm, getting ready to punch through their window. Ken reflectively put an arm over his face, clamping his eyes shut and getting ready for the impact of the glass breaking.

But...it never came.

Instead he heard a screeching sound, it must have come from the shadow.

The elementary student warily opened one of his eyes.

The Shadow it was...gone?

Ken stared wide-eyes at the window. It was gone.

The student wasted no time running to the window. He looked through the window but no one was there. Was it his Senpai who saved him again or...someone else entirely?

The brunette shook his head. That wasn't important right now.

He turned back around to his roommate, he laid on the floor motionless. It seems like he just fell asleep again?

Ken dragged Akio back onto his bed.

It seems like today he had to sit out on training. He didn't discuss another meeting date with his Senpai except this one, so he'll have to look for him the following Dark Hours.

07/05 Sunday

"Akio about last night. Why were you trying to go to school?" Ken asked as they got ready for the day.

The other quirked an eyebrow. "School…? Uhm, Ken what are you talking about? Why would I go to school in the middle of the night, did you have a bad dream?" Akio looked concerned.

He doesn't remember last night?

If Ken thought back to it, Akio really seemed out of it last night.

Was it some kind of sleepwalking after all?  He wasn't sure. Ken just hoped Akio would label his weird question as sleep deprivation and not question further.

"Ehm, I guess it was just a dream, sorry," Ken tried to dismiss.

"Uhm.." Akio spoke up again, "speaking of school, I do feel like I should talk to Mai for some reason."

Mai? Akio did mention her last night.

"I noticed that she wanted to approach me a few times in the past but I kinda tried to keep my distance," Akio explained.

"You should do that. I talked to her after the tournament and she really regretted what she said," he informed him.

Akio looked at him, wide-eyed. "She told you?"

Ken nodded.

The black haired student rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I've been kinda unfair to her, I'll approach her next time."

"You should it's been two weeks…" Ken deadpanned. He can't believe it took Akio this long.

Akio nervously fiddled around with the ribbon on his school uniform. "It's been that long already, huh?..It's just."

"It's just..?" Ken echoed.

"All signs have been pointing to a disastrous outcome, if I let that conversation happen!" the black haired student screamed out. Ken slightly flinched from the sudden increase in his voice.

Overreacting much?

"Uhm, what do you mean? Do you mean like you got a bad tarot reading?" the brunette asked concerned.

"Yes! It's no use!" the other student whined.

Ken never expected Akio to take these readings so seriously...

Huh, I guess you learn something new every day.

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say yourself that the readings aren't really to predict the future but to reflect?"

Akio sighed. "I mean yeah…that's what my mom always told me. I got my enthusiasm for astrology and fortune telling from her. I always believed a bit more in the cards messages though...They were right in a lot of cases before," the black haired student shook his head.

"I'm just searching for excuses at this point...I think I just need to let it happen...like you said it's already been two weeks."

"Well it's good that you realize that at least," the brunette told him.

From all of the elementary students Ken met, Akio definitely stuck out as one of the more mature ones, maybe that's why Ken was able to connect to him the most out of anyone.

"Hey, Ken..." Akio shot him a pleading look.

Oh uh, that can't be good…

"Would you like to tell me about your horoscope? I just picked up this book recently..." he questioned with a toothy grin.

Ken gulped. "Uh, maybe another time…"

"Awe…" the other whined.

If there was one thing he noticed, then it was Akio being more open with his enthusiasm with these kinds of things recently. It seems like the other student was becoming more comfortable sharing his interests with Ken.

He wished he was as open as Akio with his interests.

Ken decided to focus on some of his homework today, he was still tired from the lack of sleep but it was an appreciated distraction from his nagging thoughts about last night.

No matter how much he thought about it, Ken still couldn't wrap his head around what he witnessed last night.

Maybe his daily prayer at the shrine would help bring him some clarity.

As usual, the group of teenagers were at the shrine again as well. Even Makoto is there before him this time. He wondered if they all came together.

"Hello. You all visit the shrine pretty often, huh? Well, I do too…" he approached them with the best smile he could muster.

Makoto nodded. "I was wondering, do you have friends in your own age to hang out with too?"

Why were they so concerned nowadays, it was getting frustrating.

It wasn't always like this, was it? At the start they were just hanging around, having some mindless chatter...

Ken knew deep down that he wasn't being fair but the reason he came to the shrine was to get his mind of things. Not to be reminded of them. "I do," he responded, "sometimes I play with them but today I just didn't feel like it."

"I get that feeling. Sometimes I just want to relax in peace," Yukari responded.

"This is where we first met, right Amada?" Junpei chimed in.

Ken had to pause at the sudden topic change. "That's true. You were the first one to speak to me, then Yukari followed, she offered her help with something."

Their first meetings, it was nice to think back on.

"That's how Junpei is, he wants to befriend everyone. When I first found out Junpei knew Amada-kun too, I was worried that he's going to bother him too much," the teenage girl explained.

"Why are you saying that, Yuka-tan? If someone's alone they're happy about company, right?" Junpei argued.

Makoto turned towards Ken, addressing him. "Let's pray together again today," he said.

The elementary student couldn't figure out what was going on in the teenager's head most of the time but somehow he always knew what Ken needed.

He nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

After their prayers were over, Ken turned around to address the group of teenagers.

"I have to go soon, since I still have to catch up on some homework," he half-lied. The boy wasn't really in the mood for more small talk. What happened with Akio last night was still nagging at him, he couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

Maybe his Senpai would know more about that, whenever he would see him again.

Junpei frowned upon hearing the news. "Aw man, that's too bad. Cya around, little dude."

The elementary student said his goodbyes, heading down the stairs of Naganaki Shrine.

That reminded him that he hasn't seen Koromaru in awhile, maybe he could buy him some dog treats on the way home and Hamburger too, while he was at it.

Yes, that would get his mind off things for now.

Chapter Text

07/07 Tuesday

It was a full moon tonight.

The sickly green colored moon was so big, it almost seemed like it was about to fall down any minute.

Ken remembered, it was a full moon too, the first time he tried to explore the Dark hour.

Ever since his mother died, he was aware of the hidden hour.

At first, he thought it was just a reoccurring nightmare. Ken didn't even think about walking anywhere the entire first year of experiencing this phenomenon. And now it almost seemed like a routine, going out and taking a stroll.

For old time's sake that's what the student decided to do today as well, even though he really needed to catch up on some sleep. Maybe, he'll also meet his Senpai again, hopefully he'll be at their meeting spot this time.

Ken walked down the stairs of the elementary dorm. He still remembered how nervous he was the first time he snuck out, even though everyone else in the dorm couldn't perceive him.

The elementary student opened the door.

"Good evening, Amada," a middle-aged man with long wavy brown hair greeted him. He had dark brown eyes and wore a tan jacket over his black turtleneck.

Ken's eyes widened. There was a man standing in front of his dorm. He was definitely an adult.

"How do you know my name?" The boy asked warily.

The adult snickered, Ken didn't know what he was so amused about.

"Have no fear, I've been keeping a watchful eye on you for awhile now," he started, "you're not alone in your endeavors. I'm interested in exploring the mysteries surrounding the Dark Hour as well."

Ken kept quiet as the man rambled on.

How much did he know about him?  It was kinda creepy.

"You experience the Dark Hour and you keep your memories, that's pretty rare," the man explained.

"How do you know about me…?" Ken questioned. The man was really suspicious, to say the very least but he also seemed to have the answers that Ken was looking for so desperately. He would play along for now.

The man paused, "I know about the incident with your mother."

His mother? He knows about it?? Ken's eyes shot wide open.

He fixed his glasses. "Even though...should I really call it an incident? It really wasn't one, right?" Under the green shining moonlight, it almost looked like the man smirked just now. "You must be confused why I know about this but I do have my connections. The reason I've been keeping an eye on you was because I simply suspected you to have the 'potential', as we call it. Tragedies like these tend to awake the inner self," the brunette finished.

"The...inner self?" Ken echoed. What was he talking about? Did he mean that weird voice that kept trying to reach out to him? That had to be it.

The other nodded. "Yes, you should have felt it by now, right?"

The elementary student didn't reply.

"I have no ill intentions," the man tried to assure him. "Truth is, I've only been watching you since I was hesitant on approaching you. You're still quite young but it's not fair to be left in the dark like that, right? I'd like to help you is what I decided."

"Help me?" Ken echoed once again.

He nodded. "Indeed. I could help you get stronger, if you want to that is."

"Can you tell me more about these shadows as well??" Ken urged him.

"That kind of information is a bit more confidential you see…" the brunette explained.

"Can I change that in any way?" the student followed up.

The man thought about it. "You would need to join a special club but I don't want to pressure you into anything. Here." He handed over a little calling card. "How about you think about it first and call me when you're ready?"

Ken nodded, looking at the card. "Shuji Ikutsuki." he read the name on the card. "That's your name?" the student asked, looking at the other.

"Yes, that's me, quite hard to say isn't it? Anyway. I'll be hearing form you, Amada-kun."

07/08 Wednesday

Ken wasted no time, he called Ikutsuki the day after. After all, he made up his mind a long time ago.

Ikutsuki picked up after a few rings. "Yes, Shuji Ikutsuki speaking?"

"Hello, this is Amada, from yesterday," he answered.

"Ah, Amada-kun! I didn't expect to hear from you that soon." He didn't sound very surprised but it was hard to tell over the phone. "Have you made up your mind already? It hasn't even been a day."

"Yes, I would like to accept your offer," Ken informed him.

"Well if you're sure, I won't complain. How about you stay in the Iwatodai Dormitory for the summer break then? I'm the chairman there. You don't have anywhere to stay during summer break anyway, right?" The man asked him.

"Yes, that's true but why should I switch dorms?" the boy asked.

"Since you experience the Dark Hour it is safer for you there. Also it would be easier discussing further procedures. You must know I'm quite the busy man," he explained.

Ken wasn't sure if Ikutsuki's reasonings lined up that well with what he knows so far. The man didn't seem to care about his safety considering the Dark Hour before this but he didn't care about that too much right now, if he was being honest. Ken was excited about the answers Ikutsuki could bring to the table.

"Ok, when will I move?" Ken asked.

The student could her a chuckle through the speaker. "Eager, are we? The high schoolers living at the dormitory are currently busy with their study preparations for their exams, we shouldn't intrude in their endeavors at the moment." Ikutsuki seemed to think for a moment. "How about we introduce you to them after they are finished with their exams? I'll be picking you up on the 18th this month, right after school, got that?"

"Ok understood, Ikutsuki-san."

"I'll be seeing you, Amada-kun."

"Goodbye."

They ended their phone call.

07/09 Thursday

"What?! You're moving away? Will it stay that way?" a black haired student yelled out.

Ken blinked a few times. He didn't expect Akio to act so emotionally, after the brunette told him about his move to Iwatodai Dormitory.

"It's only over the summer break for now," Ken explained, trying to calm his classmate down.

"Oh I see," Akio paused. "I thought you're going to move away in general. It would be pretty boring alone here, so."

Ken didn't know if Akio just said that to be nice or if he would really miss him, he couldn't imagine it being so fun with him around.

"Iwatodai Dormitory…" He could hear the other mutter. "Isn't that a dorm for high schoolers though?" the student raised an eyebrow.

Ken blinked. He hasn't thought about what kind of dorm he was moving into too much, if he was being honest. Ikutsuki mentioned high schoolers living there though. "Uhm...yeah," the boy responded, "they didn't want to leave me in the elementary dorm alone, so they moved me."

The boy figured, he couldn't just tell his roommate a suspicious man invited him to live there yeah...no way he could say that.

"OH WAIT!" Akio screamed out. "I know where I heard about that place before, the legendary Akihiko Sanada lives there! I'm so jealous, Ken!" he whined.

Hold up, Akihiko lives there? He was kind of a legend even among the elementary students.

Ken couldn't help but admire him too. The high schooler never lost a fight, they say. The brunette wished he could be as strong as him.

"I guess you'll be living with the cooler Aki now," Akio muttered.

"Don't sell yourself short, Akio." Ken chuckled. "Uhm you do have tough competition though, Sanada-san is pretty cool."

"Can you get me an autograph?" The other begged.

Ken hits him with a pillow. "Don't be ridiculous, do it yourself!"

The elementary students shared a heartfelt laughter.

"It's nice…" Akio spoke up after awhile, his voice was close to a mutter.

"What is?" Ken raised an eyebrow.

"Seeing you able to laugh like that! Did you find the solution you were looking for?" the black haired boy asked.

The student blinked. "Hm?"

"Our Tarot reading! Don't tell me you already forgot?" Akio frowned.

"Oh, no. I didn't." Ken smiled. "Yeah, you could say I made progress in that regard."

"Glad to hear that!"

Ken felt fit enough to explore the Dark Hour tonight. It's been awhile since he trained his pole-arm weapon skills, so if he didn't find his Senpai again this night, he would train by himself.

He was in luck though, since he found the teenager at their meeting spot. He was sitting on the same stairs like always.

"Senpai!" he called out.

The older one didn't seem to flinch as bad as the other times, it seems like he got used to his voice calling out to him.

"There you are, kid," he greeted. "Thought you changed your mind after all."

Ken rubbed his arm, nervously. "No, I- eh, something happened. I'm back to train."

"Somethin' happened, huh?" the other muttered. "Well, not my business…"

"Uhm, I don't mind if you make it your business just this once though," the brunette admitted. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about, actually."

"Shoot," his Senpai responded, he didn't seem very interested but when did he ever.

Ken thought about his formulation. "My roommate started to act weird last Saturday. He doesn't experience the Dark Hour like we do but he was awake that night...even though he was more like in a trance, yes that describes it better."

"And?"

"Aaand, do you know what could have been the cause of that? He said he didn't remember being awake and the following nights he was back in a coffin," Ken informed him further.

"Occasionally, some people ain't transmogrifying into coffins, then they become prey of the shadows. Probably what happened," the teen explained.

"And what happens if the Shadows manage to get to them?" asked Ken, wide-eyed.

"They get Apathy Syndrome."

Akio almost…

"I see…" Ken mumbled, "and you were not there, right?"

"What do ya mean, kid?" he arched an eyebrow.

"There was a Shadow that attacked the elementary dorm, when that happened to my roommate," the brunette explained. "The Shadow was about to burst through our window but before that happened, someone defeated that shadow."

His Senpai's eyes widened slightly. "Is that so…?"

"Do you know who that could have been?" Ken followed up.

"No idea...wasn't there," he dismissed, averting his eyes.

Ken wasn't sure if he was being truthful but he knew better than to try and pressure his Senpai on that matter further.

The elementary student nodded. "Okay, thank you for your input. Shall we move on?" Ken walked over to where he last left the metal pipe at.

For a moment Ken thought about also bringing up Ikutsuki but he decided against it. The night was short and he still wanted to train.

The student wanted to get strong enough to defend himself and protect the one's dear to him, himself.

Ken got into his battle stance, he felt much more comfortable holding the long metal pipe by now.

As he swung around his weapon, he thought back about Ikutsuki talking about him having 'potential'. Ken wondered what that might be.

Whatever it was, it had to be a sign. He would make use of that potential.

Chapter Text

07/12 Sunday

The high schoolers weren't present at the shrine today. Ken would be lying if he said he wasn't upset about that. Granted, he was really late this time around. He'd been catching up on all the missed hours of sleep today it seemed like.

Somehow that made him just as tired though.

"Hi! Ken!" A high pitched voice called out to him. It was the underclassman that he met in the library a few times prior. "Do you want to play with Stripey and me today?" she asked with a toothy smile.

Stripey?

Ken looked towards the pale, white-haired man sitting on the bench by the playground. The man was looking at him. He did a quick bow to be polite. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Ken Amada," he introduced himself.

"Akinari Kamiki," the other responded, "are you a playmate of Maiko-chan?"

"O-oh, not really, we just know each other from school," Ken explained.

The gray-haired man had a kind of melancholy aura surrounding him, it was hard to point out why exactly. He'd never seen someone like him before.

"Keen! I wanna use the slide!" the cheerful elementary student exclaimed, tugging at his sleeve.

A sweat drop was running down Ken's temple. "Uh, sorry, Oohashi-san. I just came here to do my usual prayer."

"No fair! You just came." The girl pouted.

Akinari tried to calm her down. "You're making him uncomfortable, Maiko-chan. Let him be."

He quietly thanked the man.

"Sorry, maybe next time," he lied through his teeth.

Ken wasn't interested in playing at all.

He wasn't a little kid anymore after all.

07/18 Saturday

Just as Ikutsuki told him a few days prior, the man stood in front of the gates of Gekkoukan Elementary School. Ken felt weird.

How long was it, since someone picked him up?

"Hello, Ikutsuki-san," he greeted the man.

"Hello, Amada-kun. Are you good to go?" Ikutsuki inquired and Ken nodded.

They walked towards the high school of Gekkoukan, which was right next to the elementary school. Ikutsuki told him that he wanted to meet up with Akihiko to introduce him. Ken was kind of excited, he wondered what Akihiko was like.

When they arrived at the high school gates, Ikutsuki glanced towards the school. Ken mimicked him, he could spot a familiar teenage trio standing there, next to them was Akihiko.

"Oh, it seems like a handful of your future dorm members already gathered," Ikutsuki remarked.

Hold on, he was going to live in the same dorm as the teenagers he always met at the shrine??

"Might as well just introduce you to them now," Ikutsuki said, making his way towards the teenage group. Ken eagerly followed behind.

"Ah, friendship. How beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing. So full of vibrancy!" he beamed, while he approached the group. At closer inspection, Ken could definitely confirm that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him and those were really Yukari, Junpei and Makoto, he hang out with. Was he really going to move into their dorm as well? They must have that 'potential' then.

Was that what Yukari meant by 'special circumstance?'

No, he couldn't jump the gun yet. At the very least he was relieved to see that his future dorm mates wouldn't be total strangers.

One person cached his eye the most, though. Akihiko Sanada.

"Mr. Chairman?" Yukari said in surprise.

"Oh, hello. I just stopped by to pick someone up," Ikutsuki responded. "I might as well just introduce you to him now." The man motioned towards the elementary student.

Akihiko paled, when their eyes met.

"Hello," Ken greeted.

Why was Akihiko looking at him like that?

Yukari blinked a few times. "Oh, Amada-kun. What're you doing here?" she questioned.

"You know him?" the white-haired teen asked the girl with an arched eyebrow.

Before they could continue, Ikutsuki interrupted. "He doesn't leave during the break because of his...circumstances," he told the group.

A sadness clouded Yukari's features. "Oh, I heard about that. Something about your parents, right?"

Ken nodded. He wished she wouldn't have brought it up. "It used to only be me and my mom, but she got in an accident. So now it's just me. It happened two years ago," he explained, with as much of a straight face as he could muster.

"Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses," Ikutsuki continued, "but that doesn't mean he should stay at the elementary school dorm all by himself, right? So I decided to move him to your dorm, just for the summer."

The teenage girl's eyes shot wide open. "To OUR dorm!? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

The chairman didn't seem to be affected by her outburst. "Why, of course. He has the potential," he told her coolly.

"Then...he's the new candidate...?" Akihiko inquired slowly.

"That's right. But as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So, it's only a possibility for now."

The boxer averted his eyes.

"Are you...Akihiko Sanada-senpai?" Ken spoke up shyly. He couldn't hold in his excitement any longer.

"Uh, yeah," he responded with slightly widened eyes.

The elementary student beamed, "I've heard a lot about you. You've never lost a boxing match! Nice to meet you!"

"Um, yeah, nice to meet you…" the white-haired teen muttered.

Ken didn't expect the box champ to be so awkward but maybe that was just how he was like, he didn't come off too strong, did he? The brunette hoped he would be able to get to know Akihiko better in the upcoming days. Maybe he could give him some combat tips as well? It was definitely something to look forward to.

07/23 Thursday

The elementary student was strolling through Iwatodai Strip Mall. The sky already changed into an orange colored sunset as the light of the sun slowly left.

He spend the entire day packing his belongings and transferring them to the dorm with Ikutsuki's helpers. They were colleagues from the Kirijo Group he told him, not that it matter to him much.

Granted, he didn't have much to pack but doing all the moving in a day has been hectic. The high schoolers were coming back from their trip soon as well, he wondered what the rest of the high schoolers were like.

He just walked past Hagakure-Ramen, when in the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar red coat through the window. The figure with the coat was sitting by the counter, probably slurping down some ramen. Their back was facing towards Ken, but he could recognize that coat anywhere.

Ken hesitated but ultimately decided to go in.

"Senpai," he addressed the figure on the bar stool. The teenager didn't face him, instead he just let out a big sigh. "This must be a sick and twisted joke," he grumbled. "You can't stop following me everywhere, huh?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what his Senpai meant, they didn't even see each other that often.

"Sorry. I can leave," Ken stated.

The teen let out a sigh. "Nah, it's fine, kid. Sit down."

The elementary student blinked a few times. He didn't know what he had expected but that certainly wasn't it. "Oh, I don't have any money on me right now," he admitted sheepishly.

"On me."

"But…"

He clicked his tongue. "Sit down or leave for god's sake, the people are starin'."

The brunette glanced around, people really were staring, that was awkward. "Oh, thank you," Ken muttered, quickly taking a seat.

The ramen shop owner came up to him, as soon as he sat down. "Hello, what can I get for you?"

"The same order for the kid." His Senpai tilted his head towards the student's direction, replying for him.

"Coming right up," the man said.

They sat in silence, waiting for Ken's ramen to arrive. The junior already knew the teen was bothered if he asked too much questions but maybe a little question wouldn't hurt…

"Do you usually visit this place? No.

"What have you been up to? No, not that either.

"Senpai? When's your birthday?" Ken inquired.

His Senpai raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why would you wanna know?"

The student twiddled his fingers. "Well, you already know mine so I thought…"

A loud sigh from the other interrupted Ken. "On the 11th this month," he responded, taking a sip from his water.

The brunette pondered. "Oh, that's not far away. Any plans?"

"Got nothin' to celebrate for," he responded, looking downwards.

The elementary student couldn't say that he didn't relate.

"The summer festival is five days after," the student mumbled.

"Your point?"

Ken turned towards his Senpai. "Well, I would feel bad not being able to make it up to you so maybe we can go together for a little celebration."

God, why was he asking him again? Didn't he think he was rude and unpleasant?

But maybe that was exactly it. He didn't care, he didn't judge. He helped him train and didn't pity him at all, while everyone always had that dejected face looking at him. "...please?" he added on.

It was okay for him to take a break, right? To thank his Senpai for getting him ramen and for training him. He could relax for once, like Yukari advised him to.

The teenager hesitated, it seemed like he wanted to reply but no words left his mouth in the end. Ken couldn't tell if he was annoyed or actually pondering over an answer.

"I- I mean you don't have to, I wouldn't want to force you…" the student stuttered, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Are you sure you would want to go with someone like me there?" The teenage boy asked skeptically.

"Huh?" What did that mean?

"You don't even know me, you don't know what I did in the past…" He averted his eyes.

Out of nowhere, the ramen shop owner returned, placing a bowl of ramen on the counter. "Here's your ramen!" he announced.

"O-oh uh thanks!" Ken quickly said, taking his ramen and a pair of chopsticks.

He ate his ramen in silence. The only sound that filled it, were slurping sounds, all the while the teen sat next to him and didn't move a muscle. He expected it to be a lot more awkward but in a weird twisted way...it felt nice. To have company.

After he finished his ramen, he thanked his Senpai once again. The teenager made a sound in acknowledgment.

His Senpai left some money on the counter, then he stood up, making a move to leave the restaurant.

"I uhm!" Ken blurted out. "I will be there...if you want to come too."

"I see..."

And then he was gone.

07/23 Thursday

Ken officially moved into Iwatodai Dormitory. Currently, he sat on the couch and watched some TV, waiting for the high schoolers to return.

He'd really liked to watch Featherman right now but episodes were only airing every Sunday.

As soon as he heard the front door click open, he immediately fumbled around to find the TV remote. The elementary student switched the current action cartoon for the News. Luckily, he checked earlier which channel the news was airing on.

Yes, that would make a good impression, he thought.

"He stood up from the couch as several residents came in. Some looked surprised, while others smiled or seemed rather melancholy.

"Please allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Ken Amada. That's Ken, written with the character for 'dry'. I'll be staying here for a while. I'll try not to be a bother, so please don't mind me," the boy introduced himself with a bow.

"Almost forgot you were gonna live with us, dude. Welcome." Junpei grinned.

Mitsuru brushed some hair strands out of her face. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, if you need something feel free to ask Akihiko or me," she told him.

Ken nodded. "Ok, thank you for looking out for me."

"I was not informed that another person was residing here," a monotone girl voice spoke up. The voice came from a blonde girl in the back, she had a porcelain face. "Hello, I am Aigis. The last of the Anti-Shadow Suppressant Weapons."

Suddenly, everyone's face paled. They all seemed frozen in place.

Anti-Shadow Suppressant Weapon…? Ken wasn't sure what that meant.

"Ohhh...Ahahah! O-our Ai-chan likes to role-play sometimes!" Junpei nervously laughed, a sweat drop was running down his temple.

"A-Aigis, meet me in my room later…" The red-haired girl stuttered out.

It felt like whatever Aigis just said, was something he wasn't supposed to hear about...

A timid teal-haired girl stepped forward next. "Uhm, hello, Amada-kun. I'm Fuuka Yamagishi."

"Nice to meet you, Yamagishi-san," Ken replied.

Junpei chuckled. "Well, and you already know us," he said.

"If you ever need something, don't be afraid to ask," Yukari added on with a smile.

The elementary student nodded. "I will, thank you all."

Every high schooler seemed really nice and fun to be around at first glance.

Ken's curious to know, how his life in the new dorm will look like.

Chapter Text

07/26 Sunday

Ken had to admit, he was intrigued with the blond haired girl, or should he say robot? Right now, she was standing still on the first-floor, right next to the TV doing...nothing. She wasn't moving an inch. The elementary student wondered if she was even aware of her surroundings.

Ken practically stared at her but she didn't seem to care. She wasn't wearing her clothes from the day prior, or her "Camouflage" as the robot liked to call it.

It seems like after her unforeseen introduction, Mitsuru felt like it wasn't necessary to hide her true form anymore. Apparently, she was a robot created by the Kirijo Group for a reason he didn't quite knew about yet.

"Hello, Aigis-san," he greeted her. Testing, if she would react.

The android responded almost instantly, "Greetings, how can I be of assistance?"

The brunette arched an eyebrow, he certainly didn't expect that question. "Uh, small talk?"

Aigis nodded. "The concept of small talk is something I am familiar with. How is the weather?" Well, she didn't lie. That was the most stereotypical small talk starter ever.

If he was being honest, when Ken was first told that he would be moving to this dorm, the student would have never expected to be talking to an high tech android of all things. It was certianly an interesting surprise.

"Good..?" Ken tried. He wasn't sure why he even asked for small talk. Aigis wasn't human and didn't seem to grasp the concept of social behavior, not yet at the very least. That actually worked in his favor, Ken could just skip all the small talk and jump straight to the point. "Aigis-san, I was actually curious what you meant by...Anti-Shadow Suppressant Weapon?"

"My apologies," she started, "your circumstances were not known to me. so I revealed confidential information that I was not supposed to. I am sorry to say that I can not commentate on this topic any further."

At least she was being honest, Ken thought.

"That's fine," the student paused, "what are you usually doing when you don't have any tasks to accomplish?"

"Being on standby."

That was quick.

"And you don't get bored?"

"I am not familiar with that concept."

Makes sense.

"Do you enjoy conversing with the others?"

Aigis hesitated. It caught Ken by surprise. "I...do. Learning new information is...useful."

"I guess it is," he replied.

The elementary student pondered, "Your speech pattern is unusual but other than that it's really hard to tell whether you're a robot or not, when you wear normal clothes like we do." The Kirijo Group must be super powerful to have invented a robot like her.

"I would inform my creators of your compliment, but that is no longer possible. I heard humans are happy, when they receive them," the android girl answered.

Ken nodded. "That's usually the case, yes."

The robot tilted her head slightly. "Would you allow me to try for myself?"

The brunette blinked a few times. "Uh, Sure…?"

Aigis' eyes scanned him up and down. "...It seems like I am at a loss for words."

W-what? Did a robot just tell him he was a lost cause?

"I am programmed for battle, so it's hard for me to express compliments that are not related to my expertise and dishonest compliments are unacceptable," she explained.

Oh, that's what she meant…

"I like your straight and forward answers, Aigis-san. It makes it fun to talk with you."

"It seems you are an expert in compliments." She really thought so? He didn't even mean to make her one, it just...happened. "I am honored to receive this compliment. I hope that I will be able to return the favor someday," she finished, smiling.

"Compliments aren't really a favor but I appreciate that thought," he said earnestly.

"Of course. I am of the opinion that there will enough opportunities in the future, though," Aigis answered. He wondered if that would be the case, it was hard to believe for sure.

07/28 Tuesday

"Amada, why don't you sit down with us?"

The elementary student just entered the dorm, when Mitsuru called him over. She was sitting on the couch with a thick book, opened up in her hands.

He shouldn't be rude to her.

"Sure," the student replied.

Ken also spotted Akihiko sitting on the couch as well, cleaning his boxing gloves. The white-haired teen gave Mitsuru a quick glance as Ken walked over. The elementary student sat across the boxer, watching him attentively.

Sanada-san was so cool...

"Sanada-san, you always wear those gloves when you fight, right? I hear that, once you put them on, you're undefeatable," Ken beamed.

"Yeah...It's no big deal, really…" the other mumbled.

"Undefeatable, you say?" Mitsuru chimed in, "That reminds me of a biography I recently read."

Ken couldn't say he'd ever read one before, but it seems mature. "Who was it about?"

"You're interested?" The red-haired girl quirked an eyebrow, then her expression softened again. "Well, it was about an Invincible Warrior, the founder of Akido, Morihei Ueshiba," she explained.

"Akido?" That rings a bell. Ken couldn't quite figure out where he heard that before, though.

She nodded. "Akido is also called 'Art of Peace', since it offers a nonviolent way to victory in battle. At first glance you could think of Akido as a mere fighting style but it was born out of Ueshiba's principles. He was of the opinion that Akido's principles can also be applied to the challenges we face in every day life," Mitsuru explained. "You can learn a lot from other peoples lives from reading biographies."

Ken pondered, "and what if...you can't solve a problem the non-violent way?" he slowly asked. "There will always be those scenarios as well...right?"

The club leader frowned. "Hm, I can't quite say... In my opinion the ones with a strong heart will always strive for the best solution, which is often not the easiest."

"Everyone walks their own path," Akihiko interrupted. "What the best path was for him might not be the one for you."

"My own path…" he mumbled aside.

08/01 Saturday

"I think coffee is best taken black..." Ken stated as confidently as he could. "Don't you agree, Yuki-san? Or do you drink it another way?"

Makoto paused. "I prefer Wiener Melanges," he replied coolly.

Ken's eyes widened. "Huh? Wiener what? You mean...like the sausage?" The elementary student stared at the other but the teenager seemed stone-faced. On closer observation, he could spot the corner of Makoto's mouth twitching slightly. He must be trying to hold back laughter, that means... "Oh, you're just teasing me. I mean, there's no way anyone would put sausages in their coffee...Right?" Ken said with a polite smile, he couldn't hide the uncertainty in his voice.

A high pitched giggle interrupted their conversation. "I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," she admitted.

"How do you like to drink your coffee, Fuuka?" Makoto redirected the question.

The girl hummed. "I'm not really a coffee person. I like to put plenty of sugar and milk in mine, whenever I do, though!"

Sugar and milk are more for little kids though…

"Sugar and milk are for little kids, Fuuka," the blue-haired boy responded.

...Did he just read his thoughts?

"Big kids drink their coffee with sausages." He pointed to himself.

Ken frowned. "You're still insisting on that?"

The teal-haired girl giggled. "What about Hot-sauce?"

"Good idea," the teenage boy replied.

Ken felt like this conversation was absolutely not taken seriously, no he knew it wasn't, which was upsetting to say the least.

The last time he asked Makoto about what they were doing all night, the teen answered with "Adult Stuff".

Ken huffed, he heard them going out that night on the 29th, when the Dark Hour commenced.

The brunette knows they are doing something. Ikutsuki told him not to say anything about his familiarity with the Dark Hour yet though and that was fine with him. The teenagers tried to hide something from him as well. Ken's shoulder stiffened.

"Loosen up a bit." Makoto's soft voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Loosen up, huh…

The teenager put a hand on Ken's shoulder, then he left.

"Uhm, Amada-kun…" Fuuka whispered, sheepishly. "Wiener Melanges is an actual drink. Natsuki-chan loves to drink those." The teal-haired girl then quickly followed behind Makoto, saying something about 'cute' to the other.

Ken's face turned bright red, he grabbed a pillow from the couch to put it over his face.

The elementary student decided to look up every possible type of coffee that night.

08/07 Friday

This morning, he'd seen a news report about people with Apathy Syndrome.

Apparently, everyone was cured all at the same time, which was a little strange to say the least. There was no way everyone could recover at the exact same time. So how…?

Maybe he should call Akio sometime, to ask him about how his mother is doing.

"Oh, is that my magazine? I didn't know you were interested in fashion, Amada-kun." A teenage girl approached him. Ken currently sat at the dinner table, looking through said magazine. He saw it laying on the table before and was bored after he finished watching the news.

"Oh, is this yours, Yukari-san? Sorry. I saw it lying around and didn't have anything better to do," the student explained.

The high school girl waved him off. "I don't mind you looking through it, don't worry."

Junpei just walked down the stairs to the first-floor, when he spotted the duo by the dinner table. "Amada, Yuka-tan, you both hangin' out or sum?" his eyes then spotted the magazine in Ken's hand. He let out a large gasp. "What are you showing Amada?!" he exclaimed. "Hold on, I need to check if this is age appropriate..." he mumbled. Junpei took the magazine from Ken and immediately leafed through, until he landed on the page for swim wear. He was snickering.

Yukari immediately teared back the magazine, right out of his hands and smacked him over the head with it. "Stupei! You're unbelievable! You're the only one with a dirty mind," she growled.

"The hell!? I'm just watchin' out for Amada," he argued, holding up his hands in surrender.

Yukari took another swing at the teenage boy, which he dodged. "You're really starting to get on my nerves.."

After a continued heated discussion, the archer started to chase down the teen with a rolled up magazine.

Surprisingly, the dorm life here was more lively than the elementary dorm sometimes.

He...didn't think that was a bad thing.

Needless to say, the magazine was unreadable by the end of the day.

08/09 Sunday

Junpei has invited him to the rooftop today for a 'surprise'. Ken wasn't sure what he was expecting but it wasn't watermelon splitting.

Makoto and Koromaru were also there. Apparently, since yesterday the dog lives with everyone in the dorm. Ken was pretty happy to hear the news, if he was being honest. It has always been nice hanging out with Koromaru at the shrine.

They stood around the watermelon, which was placed on a light blue blanket with a baseball bat next to it.

"Ah yes, today's shaping up to be a glorious day. It's such a shame that the third-years and the ladies won't be joining us," Junpei spoke up.

Ken frowned. "Um, if we're splitting watermelons, I'm out." He wasn't really interested.

The teen's eyes widened. "Wha- Just like that!? You're not even gonna hear me out!?"

"You have a watermelon and a bat, What else could it possibly be? It's more for little kids anyway, plus it's really hot out. And look, I get you're trying to be nice…"

"You should join us," the blue haired-boy chimed in.

"Yeah, for real! Without you, it'd just be me and Makoto, y'know? And isn't that just the saddest thing you ever heard?" Junpei whined.

They're not going to let this go, are they? Fine.

"Well, when you put it that way...I guess I don't have a choice," Ken replied with a polite smile. They went through all the effort to set this up after all.

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru barked happily.

"I know, Koromaru. Don't you worry, boy. We didn't forget about ya! Alright, what're we waitin' for? The youngest gets to draw first blood!" The cap-wearing teen announced. "Now this is what real summer feels like! My blood's pumpin' somethin' fierce!"

The elementary student giggled. "Look who's acting like a kid now...Hehe," he paused to glance around. "Oh yeah, where's the blindfold? We can't split watermelons with just a bat." Ken's eyes then locked onto the bat. "Speaking of...This bat seems kind of worn in, doesn't it?"

Junpei's eyes widened. "Oh wow, you caught that. That bat and I go way back. Had it since I was in little league. I've never mentioned this before?" he asked uncertainly.

"That's news to me," Makoto responded.

The other teen rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, musta never had a chance to talk about it. That I used to play baseball, I mean. Anyway, that's old news now," Junpei dismissed.

"Wait, then should we really be hitting watermelons with this?" Ken chimed in. It didn't feel right to use something so important to Junpei. It's clear that this bat meant something to the teen, based on how his tone shifted.

Junpei hesitated. "Hm? Ah, well...Nah, it's cool. Don't think I'll be usin' it much form here on out." Koromaru whined in return. "What's wrong, bud? Dyin' to chomp on some melon?" he asked the dog with a grin.

Koromaru stepped in-between Junpei and the watermelon. "Woof!"

"Hey, c'mon, Koromaru. We can't swing at the watermelon with you in the way," Junpei complained but the Shiba Inu didn't move an inch.

"Koromaru…?" It seems like he doesn't want the group to use the bat either, if Ken had to guess. "Hey, why don't we use something other than the bat?"

Makoto nodded. "Good idea."

Ken smiled, that made three of them. "See? Yuki-san thinks so, too!"

"Then what else are we gonna use?" Junpei scratched his temple.

Huh, he hasn't thought that far ahead…

"Um, anything, I guess! Just as long as it's interesting!" the student answered.

The high school boy pondered. "Interesting? Kind of a weird request...Oh, like if Sanada-san used his bare hands?"

Suddenly a door behind them clicked open.

"Someone say my name?" Akihiko asked.

Ken's eyes widened. What a timing."Whoa, Sanada-san!" he exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" the blue-haired boy questioned.

The boxer looked at the group with crossed arms. "Well, when I got back, I thought I heard voices coming from the roof, so I came to check it out. Watermelon splitting, huh?"

Ken nodded eagerly. "Th-That's right! We were just talking about what to use to hit it!"

The white-haired teen quirked an eyebrow. "You're not gonna use that bat?"

"We want you to use your fists," Makoto replied.

"My fists? On this?" Akihiko asked, wide-eyed.

The elementary student couldn't hold in his excitement. It was worth it coming up here after all. Seeing the boxer in action would be so cool.

"Oh my god, yes! I'd actually love to see that!" Ken turned towards Junpei. "That's okay, right, Junpei-san?"

Said teen blinked. "Huh? Uh, sure, if that's what you want."

Akihiko started to rotate his arm in a circular motion. "All right. Guess I better make this good, then," the boy responded.

"Hey, try not to go all out or there won't be any left to eat," Junpei chimed in.

"Hyah!"

With one punch the watermelon exploded into several smaller parts. The juice of the watermelon splattered on the gathered group from the force of the punch.

Ken clapped his hands together. "Whoooa! Sanada-san, you're incredible!"

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru barked, licking some of the watermelon juice from his fur.

Junpei stood still. Wide-eyed, he looked at what was left of the watermelon."What the heck! How are we supposed to eat it now?"

Ken couldn't help but laugh.

The group continued to eat, whatever was left of the watermelon. Everyone followed up with some mindless chatter afterwards.

There wasn't a time, when it was silent. It was...nice. Ken had fun today but this was still all so new for him.

The amount of people he met and spend time with over the past few months, was quite frankly overwhelming.

Ken didn't know how to feel.

Every time he thought he figured out what to do next, other things came up to create new stuff to worry about, like an endless on-going cycle…

He wondered if that would ever change.

Chapter Text

08/11 Tuesday

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru happily barked. He was running circles around Ken's feet.

The elementary student had to be careful not to stumble over the Shiba Inu. "Slow down, Koromaru. I can't open the door with you in the way," Ken told him with a smile.

The Shiba Inu listened and stepped aside for the brunette to open the door. Koromaru is the smarted dog on this planet. Ken was convinced of that.

The elementary student had just returned from school, when Aigis came up to him. She had asked him if he could take Koromaru for a walk and Ken had immediately agreed, he loved hanging out with Koromaru after all.

As soon as he left the dorm, the dog started to run around the streets; sniffing flowers and marking some territory on the way. Koromaru made sure not to stray too far away from the elementary student. Their final destination was Naganaki Shrine, the duo didn't have to exchange any words or barks to agree upon it.

The shrine was as peaceful as always. It was a place of comfort, both for Koromaru and Ken.

When they arrived on top of the step, the elementary student's eyes widened. He spotted a familiar face at the shrine.

"Ah! Ken? You surprised me..."

"Mai-san?" Ken retorted. He didn't expect to see her at the shrine of all places but on the other side, her unpredictability was nothing knew.

"Woof!" Koromaru barked. The Shiba Inu seemed to greet her as well but unlike last time, the dog didn't rush towards the girl again. Instead, he stayed by Ken's side.

"You brought you- your dog too.." she mumbled.

The brunette waved her off. "Oh, he's not my dog. Koromaru's owner, the owner of this shrine died some time ago. Now Koromaru's protecting the shine in honor of his master." Ken explained.

"Oh, really?" Mai's eyes widened. She held her hands close to her chest.

"Yeah, he's really nice and smart," he told her, "...you should give him a chance."

Mai hesitated. "Mm...m-maybe…"

The brunette held out a shaky hand. "O-okay! You are allowed to ap-proach!" the girl said as confidently as she could. Her eyes were clamped shut.

Koromaru slowly made his way over to her. The dog stretched out his nose, touching her palm with the tip of it. She flinched but stayed still. The Shiba Inu rubbed his head to her palm next. "So f-fluffy," the elementary girl whispered. She unintentionally started to stroke his head in return. Koromaru panted happily.

The corners of Mai's lip turned upwards. She peeked through one of her eyes, to see the Shiba Inu in front of her.

She then quickly pulled her hand back, returning to holding her hands to her chest. "O-okay..enough.." Mai took some steps back.

"See? Koromaru is totally harmless," Ken insisted.

The elementary girl mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing…" she hesitated. "Koromaru is nice."

No one can resist Koromaru's charm, Ken thought.

Suddenly, Mai started to grin sheepishly. "S-since I fulfilled your request, here's mine.."

"H-hold on," Ken stuttered, "when did I agree to that, besides.."

"Please..?" she pleaded with puppy eyes.

"That won't work.." Ken mumbled. Why did he even still bother with this girl…

"I'll tell you a secret if you do!" She grinned even brighter than before. Ken nervously glanced around, while doing so, he noticed that Koromaru already ran off somewhere else. Betrayed...

"I don't want to know," he replied, a drop of sweat was running down his temple.

"Then…" she pondered.

That girl just can't give up…

"I'll gift you my limited Feather Swallow! It was from some kind of expo a few years ago, I think? For the series debut or something..."

The elementary student's eyes shot wide open. W-where did she get that from?? Wasn't that from 1999?? Those were limited to 50 worldwide and she wanted to gift it to him?!

"YOU HAVE ONE!? But they are-" Ken stopped himself by coughing into his hand. "I-I mean I don't e-even watch that show anyways…"

Mai tilted her head. "But Akio said you two love watching…"

"Woof!" Koromaru interrupted, he was holding something in his snout. Ken had to give Koromaru a treat later on, he'd never been so thankful to Koromaru before. Thank you, Koro.

"Hey Koromaru, what do you have there?" Ken asked, taking the drink out of his muzzle. It was a Mad Bull. Where did he even get that from?

Mai continued, "So about-"

Ken suddenly threw the Mad Bull towards the girl, she barely managed to catch it. "Koromaru got that for you!" Ken exclaimed. "So anyways we have to go now, sadly..haha. See you Mai-san." The elementary student quickly stepped down the shrine steps. He exhaled loudly, once he arrived at the bottom.

Ken was relieved. But then, halfway on the way back to the dorm, a realization hit. We go to the same school...and club.

The brunette wouldn't be able to avoid her forever... "Ah.." he breathed out. He'd think about a solution, when the time arrived.

Ken just clicked the door to the dorm shut, when he came face-to-face with Ikutsuki. "Good evening, Amada-kun. Aigis informed me that you were taking Koromaru for a walk?" He fixed the glasses on his face.

The elementary student nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Good, good. I would have time today for the tests I promised, are you up for it?" Ikutsuki asked.

Oh yeah, Ikutsuki wanted to have some tests with him to test his potential. "Yeah! I'm ready to go!" Ken replied eagerly, he was really excited.

"What enthusiasm! That's what I like to see. Follow me outside," Ikutsuki instructed him.

Ken nodded. "Okay."

Ikutsuki stepped outside with Ken trailing behind. To his surprised, Ikutsuki announced that their pick-up was already parked nearby.

The duo walked a few blocks to the parked vehicle in an unpopulated area, it was a black car. Ken wondered, why the car couldn't have just parked in front of the dorm.

They stepped inside the car and drove to what Ikutsuki simply named 'the facility.' It seems like the chairman didn't want to reveal more information than necessary. Every question the elementary student threw his way, he dodged or dismissed entirely. His number one excuse had been that it was confidential. Ken had given up his questioning after awhile. Apparently, the chairman had seen his silence as his own opportunity to tell him all about the new jokes he had thought about recently.

Ken sighed. This might be the longest car ride ever, or at least it felt like it with all the jokes he had to listen to.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. The building looked pretty decayed but the inside reflected the total opposite, everything was so high-tech. It felt like Ken was in a Sci-Fi movie.

"Greetings, Ikutsuki-san. Is that the new candidate?" A blond-haired woman came up to them, she had a lab coat on and wore some glasses.

"Indeed, is everything prepared?" Ikutsuki inquired.

The woman nodded. "Yes, everything is good to go. Follow me."

Ikutsuki and Ken followed the woman until they reached a door at the end of the corridor. She opened it up to reveal a large, white room. At one side was a glass wall, similarly to an interrogation room. In the middle was a white table with a metallic briefcase placed on top of it.

"Go ahead and open it up," Ikutsuki said.

Ken walked over to the table, with the other two adults following behind. The elementary student opened the briefcase with a click and it revealed a gun with the words S.E.E.S. written on the side of it.

"This is an evoker," the lady explained, "it's used for summoning a Persona."

"A Persona?"

The woman nodded. "It's also known as your inner self. If you don't have the conviction, your Persona won't be able to come out and help you."

Ikutsuki placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder. "So they only way to get stronger is to summon one," he whispered into his ear.

He wants to get stronger…

"How do I do it?" Ken asked.

"Easy, you need to place the evoker at your head and pull the trigger," Ikutsuki explained. "If your will is strong enough your Persona will come out."

"It's not loaded," the lady added on. "So there is nothing to fear."

"Okay...I'll try."

Ken confidentially placed the evoker upside down to his forehead.

Show them justice.

There it was again...That voice. He tried to reach into himself...

"Persona!" he yelled.

Glass shattered and for a moment he could see the outline of a figure appearing in front of him. Ken dropped the evoker in shock, he held his forehead with both of his hands.

Holy crap, it really felt like I was shooting myself, he screamed in his mind, wide-eyed.

The student heard clapping behind him. "That was good for a first try, you definitely have what it takes with a few more attempts," Ikutsuki praised.

The woman behind him frowned. "That should be enough for today…"

"Hm?" Ikutsuki glanced at her. "I guess it will do. Good job, Amada-kun."

Ken stared at the evoker in front of him. So humans are able to summon these Shadow like creatures as well...which means back then…

The elementary student gulped. He may have just been thinking about this whole incident the wrong way.

The night his mother died, he also saw a man, shortly before the horse monster attacked them and their house. Ken did think it was him at first but the more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself. A person who can summon a monster? How ridiculous is that.

Ken wanted to laugh, not that ridiculous at all it seemed...

His original impression was the right one after all...He knew it since the very start and just didn't want to accept it. It was much easier to think it was just a monster who did it. He'd just been lying to himself, ever since he had started to think more about the implications of revenge towards a living, breathing person. Suddenly, Ken remembered why he wanted his original perception not to be true since the very start.

It didn't take long for him to return to the dorm with Ikutsuki afterwards. The whole ride back, Ken couldn't shake off that new realization, not to mention the feeling of summoning what they called a 'Persona' as well. It was so much to take in at once.

The brunette needed to lie down and sort out his thought, but at least he knew one thing for certain. If he could get stronger like Ikutsuki said, it would be worth it to continue. Don't think too much, just pull through, revenge your mother, even if it was a person. What does it matter, they didn't care, when they killed mom...so I shouldn't fell bad for avenging her...and then...after...

...He didn't know. What will he do afterwards?

The Dark Hour ended, as soon as Ken dropped onto his bed. It's the next day... he thought. That reminded him, he wasn't able to meet his Senpai yesterday. Ken closed his eyes. He hoped, the teenager had a good birthday.

08/16 Sunday

Today was the summer festival at Naganaki Shrine and Ken just realized he never told his Senpai when they could meet up.

He honestly was planning to go later in the day, hoping there would be less people at the shrine, since he didn't like crowded places However, this morning Junpei came up to him to ask him if he had been planning to visit the festival. An unimpressed Akihiko had been standing behind the cap-wearing teen. From what he gathered, it seemed like the boxer wasn't fond of places with large amounts of people as well. Ultimately, Ken decided to go along with the them. At least it was less awkward than visiting the summer festival alone.

"Hey, did y'all hear? Makoto and Yuka-tan went together." Junpei chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows.

Akihiko crossed his arms, unimpressed. "So?" he asked.

The other let out a large gasp. "So?!" he echoed. "I always knew Makoto had a thing for Yuka-tan, hehe." The boxer grunted in response.

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru barked.

"Yeah, yeah. You can come with us too, boy," Junpei responded casually. Ken had to raise an eyebrow at that.

"Have you been taking lessons with Aigis-san, Junpei-san?" the elementary student asked, surprised by Junpei's ability to understand Koromaru. Said teen chuckled.

"Nah, me and Koro are just one soul, aren't we?"

Koromaru whined and sprinted off. "H-hey?!"

The Shiba Inu returned with a dog bowl in his mouth and put it in front of the trio's feet. "Woof!"

Akihiko sighed, shaking his head. "It seems like he was simply hungry."

"Hehe.." Junpei rubbed the back of his head. "A slight error in communication, that can happen, right?"

After they gave Koromaru some food, the trio headed off. "The girls are already there, no?" Junpei questioned.

"Hm? Yeah, why?" the boxer replied.

Junpei didn't respond, instead he just giggled. "This will be so worth going to the shrine for."

Akihiko and Ken shared a look. They telepathically decided, it would be best not to question the other teen's motives and just ignore his shenanigans all together.

Once they arrived, the trio went around the stands and ate some Takoyaki together. If Ken was being honest, it wasn't as bad as he first expected it to be. Junpei and Akihiko were fun to be around and they made sure to include him, wherever they could. At one point, Junpei sneaked off to talk with Mitsuru, Fuuka and Aigis, who came together to the festival as well.

Right now, he sat with Akihiko on a bench, a bit further away from the commotion. "Did you enjoy yourself?" the boxer had asked, a bit awkwardly at that. The sun had already started to set in.

Ken hummed, "Yes, thank you for inviting me today."

"You should be thanking Iori," he retorted, "I got dragged here the same way you did." The brunette giggled in response.

The two of them continued to watch the sunset in silence.

After awhile Junpei joined them once again. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "Been wonderin' where you two have went."

"You were the one running off." Akihiko retorted with an arched eyebrow.

The other teen held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey. It's not good to blame each other. How about a truce?" he sheepishly grinned. "Let's get back before the girls catch me."

The white-haired teen sighed. "Do I want to know?"

"No, no you don't, Sanada-san," he quickly replied.

The boxer stood up to follow behind Junpei, but then he noticed Ken, who hasn't moved from his spot yet. "You're staying?" he asked.

"Yes, I still want to stay here, if that's okay," Ken responded. He still hasn't seen his Senpai around, and he would feel bad if he invited his Senpai to come but he had already left. That's why the student decided to stick around for a bit longer.

"Alright bud, don't be back too late," Junpei called from afar. Then he made his way back to the dorm with Akihiko in tow.

As Ken was pondering over whether it was better to go around and look for his Senpai or stay on the bench to not risk walking past each other, a familiar gruff voice called out to him, "Hey, kid." Ken looked up to see his Senpai standing in front of him. "You came," he stated with widened eyes.

"Yeah, well, didn't have anythin' better to do," the teen responded with averted eyes."Somethin' you didn' do yet?"

"Huh?"

"I assume you've been here for awhile."

"Uhm, yeah." Ken hesitated. "I've been interested in the goldfish fishing. They look cute," he admitted.

Without a word, the teenager walked over to said stand. After that realization kicked in, Ken quickly followed behind. The elementary student watched wide-eyed as the teenager started to fish for a goldfish. "Senpai? What are you doing...?"

"Fishin'"

"Uh, yeah…I see that," Ken deadpanned. The student watched his Senpai's careful movements. It didn't take long for him to catch one. The vendor put the little fish inside a plastic bag and handed it to the teen. "Here," his Senpai said, holding out the plastic bag with the goldfish he just won to Ken.

"Are you sure?" Ken hesitated to take the goldfish offered to him. "I should be the one to get you something. I mean I was inviting you-"

"Ya didn't invite me to shit, I just had nothin' better to do. Don't overthink it," the teenager grumbled.

Ken blinked, gaping at the goldfish for a little while longer. Then he smiled. "You're really nice, Senpai," the elementary student responded, taking the little plastic bag with the goldfish inside. I need to get a glass bowl for this little guy, he thought. I wonder if he will get along with Hamburger…

"It's the least I can do." The teenager sighed. The least he can do? He already did so much though… "I'll go now," he announced.

"Already?"

"It's late."

Before the elementary student could utter another word, his Senpai was already gone. Ken looked at the goldfish in his hand.

"Thank you," he muttered, even though the other was too far ahead to hear him at this point.

Chapter Text

08/24 Monday

He'd just been at the Net cafe to buy a software for Fuuka.

Apparently, the girl wanted to get a Muscle Boot Camp software for some time now but she had been too busy to get it herself. Ken had offered to go in her place, he didn't have anything better to do and the teal-haired girl was always pleasant and nice to him. The elementary student had to wonder why she wanted it in the first place, though. Ken theorized that maybe she'd gotten inspired by Akihiko like himself.

As he left the store, he heard a familiar voice coming from the floor bellow him. Sanada-san is also here?

Curiosity got the better of him, as he leaned over the railing to look down. He saw the boxer talking to someone but Ken couldn't make out who it was from the angle he was in. Who's he talking to?

"We saw someone die right before our eyes too...It'll be two years, this October," he heard Akihiko say.

...Two years ago? The elementary student stood frozen as he continued to listen to the conversation.

"How long are you gonna beat yourself up over that? That's why you're always behind the station, even though you don't actually hang out with anyone there."

"Doesn't matter. It was my fault, and nothing's ever gonna change that."

That voice... There was no doubt about it.

It was his Senpai but what was he saying? His fault? But... "What does it matter if I come to terms with it? It won't change the past. This isn't like it was with your sister...What happened to Miki was different."

"Shinji…"

"It's over now. I just want to forget it ever happened," his Senpai finished, walking away from the other - Ken could finally see his silhouette.

It was him.

Ken gripped the railing so hard, his knuckles whitened. "No way…" He couldn't believe his ears. He must have misunderstood something right? No. "It's him...so his name is Shinji."

The elementary student returned home. He was in a sort of trance all the way there - like he was a mindless zombie.

Koromaru whined as Ken stepped through the front door, seemingly taking notice of his strange behavior. Ken couldn't even bring up the energy to kneel down and pat him, instead he quickly made his way upstairs, towards Fuuka's room. Ken would love to just be able to storm into his room and hug his pillow but he still needed to give the girl the software he'd promised.

The elementary student tried to act as upbeat as possible but it was hard to even manage to put up a smile. The teal-haired girl noticed his weird behavior as well, he wasn't surprised. Before she could ask more questions Ken swiftly excused himself and returned to his room. He still couldn't fathom it all. Shinji was his mother's killer??

The elementary student became furious as reality dawned on him. How dare he act all normal and he even wanted to forget it all happened! Ken wanted to pull his hair out. He wildly thrashed around on his bed. Why, why, why?! Why couldn't it have been a simple shadow?! Why keeps the world being unfair to him?! Why does the world hate him?!

The brunette stopped his thrashing after awhile and tried to calm himself down instead. Ken should be happy, excited to have the information he wanted but it just felt awful, he felt like throwing up.

He needs to become a killer himself...like him, like the one who killed his mother but he's not as selfish, he'll do it so his mother can rest. Then he will join her, he can atone for making his hands dirty as well. There is no way he could keep on living after doing the deed, he wouldn't have anything to life for after that anyway it only made sense.

Ken has decided. The next opportunity he has, he will ask the chairman to join S.E.E.S. He will get stronger and avenge her.

He finally found his target.

08/29 Friday

Yesterday, Ikutsuki introduced him to the team and they were planning to head to Tartarus tonight. He'd been assigned to a team with the leader, Akihiko and Junpei. It'd been more of a test run to test out how he could handle things but he thought he did good – the leader seemed satisfied at least. Ken wasn't sure if he could ever get over the dreadful feeling of shooting one's head but he tried to act like it hadn't been bothering him too much. He wondered, if they others had trouble with the act of summoning as well; the stress and the feeling of it all had been unlike anything he'd experienced yet.

Everyone in the team seemed nice and accepting, no one had said anything directly about their dislike about him joining - not to Ken's knowledge at least.

No…

He shouldn't care what they think.

He shouldn't get too attached.

He only needed to focus on him.

09/02 Wednesday

He joined…

His mother's murdered was living across from his room, it felt awful but he couldn't say it didn't did do wonders for his motivation.

Everyone had been accepting him into the team with open arms. Ken was furious that he acted like it never happened, as if he didn't have blood on his hands, it made him want to puke. Ken couldn't blame the others though, he'd been deceived by him as well. But now he knew the truth. He also knew.

The days went by…

09/05 Saturday

They defeated the Full Moon Shadow. Next full moon he would take revenge, on the anniversary of his mother's death – October 4th.

??/??

Nothing important happened today.

??/??

He trained – the only thing that mattered...

??/??

Going to the movies with leader had been fun. He trained some more when he got back.

??/??

Akio and Mai seemed to get along again – good for them. Then they don't need me anymore.

??/??

Everyone's so nice... Did he already train today...?

??/??

Leader said he'll take care of Hamburger for me. I'm sure he'll take good care of him.

??/??

...How many days has it been now?

He would need to check the calendar soon.

The days seemed longer but his will to live shorter. He just couldn't be bothered anymore: hanging out, watching TV it's useless. What was the point?

Weeks, days…

Every day was just a means to ready himself for the inevitable – that's his purpose.

His only purpose.

He needed to remember that.

Every time he'd spend time with someone else at the dorm – he needed to remind himself of that. He just did it because they were nice people, if they wanted to spend time with him for unknown reasons he could do that...that's the least he could do.

…

He hated him.

He hated him with all his being – he hated him so much it hurt.

He hated himself too – for being such a fool.

And the others would hate him soon as well.

But he didn't care.

He doesn't care about anything anymore but he didn't care either when he murdered his mother in cold blood.

This...unbearable hatred he felt...after he lied to him – he would show him what he thinks of these lies soon enough…

Training him, hanging out with him, acting like everything was right. Nothing was right!

Ken only hoped his mother would forgive him, when he sees her again, for falling for his lies.

He was a murderer and a liar and he hated him and he would get his revenge...

10/04 Sunday

He'd been stuck in his room for the majority of the past month - just training and letting all these ugly feelings accumulate and his grudge grow.

Besides the occasional trip to Tartarus, he didn't do much. What was even the point? The only important thing that mattered was getting stronger. All that was to prepare him for today - October 4th. Ken heard footsteps outside his door. The brunette made sure that everyone left the hallways before sneaking out of the dorm, he couldn't risk running into someone and endangering his plan. He had to do it tonight. He had to…

Determined, he began his journey to their meetup spot. The back alley of Port Island Station; where his mother was killed and where they first met…

He didn't have to wait long.

Shinjiro showed up not long after; Ken was ready for anything.

"You came...just like we agreed," the student said coolly – he was met by silence.

"...Do you know why I called you here? You probably have an idea, since you skipped the operation for it." Ken paused, he couldn't back down now - not when he'd come so far. The brunette clenched his fist before he continued. "Two years ago today...on October 4th. That was the day my mom died here…"

He would never forget and he would make sure Shinjiro wouldn't either until he took his last breath tonight. They shall be both remembering it before their deaths. That's how it should be...

Ken continued, "They called it a car accident..but it wasn't." The elementary student took a deep breath."I saw the whole thing...I saw my mom get killed. YOU murdered her!" he exclaimed with a hoarse voice.

After that, he couldn't stop himself anymore. He had to tell it all, he released all the emotions he'd been bottling up so far – all for this moment. "Since then, not one good thing has happened. Just being alive is torture. And all I get from people is sympathy, no matter where I go. What's the point of living like this…? I've even thought about killing myself...but, I wouldn't be able to face mom like that. That's why I vowed to live until I found her killer – YOU!" Shinjiro still refused to say anything. Why didn't he say anything?!

Ken furrowed his brow. "I once heard you say you wanted to forget what you did on that day...So, when I realized it was a full moon today, I knew I had to confront you." The brunette looked towards the sky. "Today, mom is with me."

Determined – he shifted his gaze back onto Shinjiro, then he aimed his spear towards the teenager. "I'll make you remember what you did to her...I'm gonna kill you!" Ken clenched his spear so hard that his knuckles whitened.

...

"...Do it. I won't stop you."

W...what? This had to be some sort of twisted mind game. What is that supposed to mean?! Does he want to act as some sort of martyr? Even if he was the villain here?! Even if he was the cold-blooded murderer!?

"You're right...I just wanted to forget. That's why I left everyone behind, and tried to use the drugs to suppress my power...but nothing I did could erase the memory. No matter what I do, I always end up back here."

...

"It's my fault. This is what I deserve."

Yes it was.

"...but I gotta give you a warning."

"A warning…?" Ken voiced his thoughts out loud.

"You take my life, and you're gonna end up just like me. You better be prepared for that."

He almost wanted to laugh. "What?" he dryly chuckled. "Are you begging for your life?"

"Even if all you have now is hatred, one day you'll regret it."

Ken couldn't stand it anymore. What did he know about him?!

Nothing.

"Shut up! That's bullshit!" he yelled.

Suddenly, a voice behind them interrupted their heated debate, "...I must say, I agree."

Who...?

Ken slightly glanced to his right, where a shirtless man with long gray-hair approached from. The first thing the elementary student noticed was the revolver tugged under his belt.

The mysterious man continued, "These are not his sins to bear…That is the nature of revenge. Is it not permissible to kill those who are themselves killers?"

"...Th-that's right," the brunette stuttered out before he could stop himself. He didn't sound as confident as he wanted to be. Get it together!

"Whaddaya want?" Shinjiro scowled.

"Losing one of our own has posed a slight challenge for us...but we cannot simply turn a blind eye to all the trouble you've caused," the man explained, then he reached for the revolver under his belt and aimed it towards their direction.

"You bastard…"

The gray-haired man smirked. "Fear not. This life is but a stepping stone. I shall deliver unto you both...salvation."

Suddenly, Shinjiro ran in front of Ken. What was he...

"What'd you say!?" the teen yelled, cutting through his line of thoughts.

"My...protecting your would-be murderer…?" the man quipped. "Ohhh, but that's right! Whether or not to this boy's revenge, you are fated to die, regardless."

W...what?

"What...What does he mean!?" Ken yelled at Shinjiro. That can't be true...

"You've been taking those suppressants for some time now. You don't have much longer," he stated.

"That's bullshit!"

"Listen to your body...The signs have already begun."

Ken's eyes widened. "What are you talking about..? You're just going to die...no matter what!? Even if I don't do anything..? That's not fair! This is all I've been living for...What was even the point then!?" His only reason for living had just been taken away from him in front of his very eyes. No...this, this wasn't fair!

"The cause of death is hardly of importance," the man chimed in. He was starting to piss Ken off. Why did he even have to intrude in the first place?! If he didn't, then the brunette could have just lived in the ignorance of knowing that Shinjiro was going to die by his- "Besides," the revolver-wielding man continued, "the breath of life is faint in you as well, child. You were planning to join him once the deed was done, were you not?"

How does he...

"Amada, what..?" the teen uttered – his tone softened. No...that's exactly what he didn't want – pity from the murder of his mother.

The gray-haired man chuckled, seemingly amused by this whole ordeal. "This may be a bit ill-timed, but no matter. It matters not whose life I take first. You're both destined to perish anyway."

Ken saw the teenager's hand twitch in front of him. It almost seemed like Shinjiro was about to leap at the man.

"Shut the fuck up!"

A bang echoed through the area.

"Ngh..!" Shinjiro groaned in pain as he fell onto his knee, he was holding his wound, trying to stop the bleeding as best as he could.

"N-no…" H-he really shot him..oh my god- Ken was horrified as he watched the scene play out in front of him.

The revolver-wielding man put the weapon back under his belt and stepped forward. Ken fought the ringing in his ears as he tried to focus on the words the man was spitting out. He was continuing to ramble on about a suspected navigator in their ranks and tries to inquire the identity of them. He wants Fuuka! Is all Ken's mind could scream at him.

"If you don't expedite your answer, then this will hurt you more than it hurts me."

Hurt...he will hurt Fuuka too if they spill the beans.

Suddenly, the gray-haired man kicked Shinjiro across the face, making the teen fall onto his back.

"Ugh...Augh…" Shinjiro's painful groans echoed in his mind. Ken imagine himself in the man's position – standing over the teenager as he winces in pain and suddenly he felt the need to puke.

"...What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" The revolver-wielding man ridiculed him. "Or are you ready to talk?"

Ken eyed Shinjiro. There was no way he would reveal her identity, right!? He could only half-listen to Shinjiro's strained voice as he tried to force out an answer.

"Wait!...It's me," Ken stepped forth and blurted out these words before he could stop himself. It didn't matter what happened to him now...

"Really, now?" the man asked in doubt.

"It's the truth," Ken insisted. "That's the only reason they let me join, even though I'm a kid." He saw the gray-haired man's features soften, he hoped that meant he sounded confident enough to convince him.

"Ngh...What are you-!?" the teenager tried but he got silenced by another kick from the man. Shinjiro winced in pain, it should've made Ken feel glad, relieved – something! But he didn't feel anything watching the man on the ground struggle to catch a single breath.

"It doesn't matter now...I'll never have my revenge." Ken muttered with downcast eyes. "I don't have any reason to live...What's the point in fighting anymore...?"

The man smiled mischievously as he reached for his revolver once again, this time it was aimed straight at him – directly between his eyes. "...I see. So, you accept salvation. What a beautiful end to your life."

The end of my life...hah.

That's not how he expected it to go….

"Rest peacefully…"

Ken closed his eyes as he waited for the impact; he wondered if it would feel similar to an evoker shot. He always aimed these in-between his eyes too...

Weirdly enough, he doesn't feel anything anymore…

Mom…

Suddenly, he felt himself being embraced from the front.

Then, A shot.

Involuntarily, Ken opened his eyes as he fell to the ground.

...of course it didn't go as Ken expected it to go, it never goes according to his plan.

The one who had his hands wrapped around him was none other than….

...Shinjiro.

The weight of the teenagers body knocked the wind out of him as he made impact with the ground.

No! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!

Desperately, and out of shock, Ken grabbed at the hole in Shinjiro's back; he felt a sticky substance on his hand. Ken raised his hand from the wound to see it covered in blood.

His bloody hand… Ken remembered how his hand was bloody as well, when his mother died in front of him.

The gray-haired man seemed to ramble about something in the background, but Ken couldn't hear it anymore - his ears were ringing too much.

"Shinji!"

Was that...Akihiko?

When did the other's arrive?

...Did it matter?

Ken couldn't help but stare at Shinjiro's dying body the whole time. Akihiko raised Shinjiro's crushing body from him and turned him around in his arms. In return, Ken was able to sit up - he crawled back.

No…

He could feel a light touch on his shoulders. He couldn't care who it was - all that mattered was Shinjiro's dying body in front of him.

"Heh...What's with the long face? Isn't this...exactly what you wanted? It's alright...Hold onto that anger. Let it be your strength...You've still got your whole life ahead of you...Don't ya, kid…? From now on...You're gonna have to live...for yourself…

Live for himself?

"But I...But I can't…"

Koromaru came to the teenager's side to nuzzled his muzzle on Shinjiro's hand – the teen patted the Shiba Inu with a smile in return. Afterwards, he turned towards the white-haired teen. "Aki...Look after 'im." Shinjiro muttered, extending his hand towards his best friend.

Akihiko didn't hesitate in taking the teen's hand into his own. "I will," the boxer assured him, trying to hide the waver in his voice.

"This is how it...should be…" Shinjiro closed his eyes – they would never be opened again. His whole body became motionless, he didn't move a muscle, no matter how hard Akihiko tried to shake him awake and repeat his name over and over again.

Ken hit the ground with his fists. Why, why, why!? This isn't how it was supposed to be!

The brunette couldn't hold it in any longer, all his frustration and anger and sadness spilled out all at once.

He screamed towards the bleak, green-colored sky. Secretly wishing that if he screamed loud enough, Shinjiro could hear him, wherever he was right now.

His tears didn't stop running for a long while.

10/05 Monday

The elementary student was vising Naganaki Shrine, like he always did – but it was already night by the time he had arrived.

He ran away – and now he was curled up next to his mother's grave. Ken didn't have anything to report to her, he just wanted to be here right now...

The brunette still had trouble processing everything that has happened yesterday. He wasn't supposed to be alive today, he shouldn't be...but he was – because of Shinjiro.

After school, they had been wanting to meet up in the lobby and hold a meeting – to discuss what had happened yesterday. The more Ken had sat in his room, twiddling his thumbs and thinking about how to break it all down to them, the more he hesitated and the more anxious he became. He had stared at the time on his phone-screen, just watching the minutes pass by and he still drew a blank.

There's no point…

They probably hate me now...

I was responsible for this.

Overwhelmed, he had pried open his window and just ran. Where to? He didn't even know...He just ran far, far away.

Now, Ken was curled up and couldn't stop his tears from falling down. When did he become such a crybaby anyway?...That wasn't mature at all.

Ken's gaze shifted to the engraved name on the tombstone, he wished she could tell him what to do - Ken was utterly lost.

Everything was a mess – he was a mess. The brunette thought he knew what to do, he thought that…

Ken digged his nails into his arms as he hugged himself tightly. If it wasn't for the protection of his sleeves, he was sure, he pressed hard enough that it could draw blood.

I should have just killed myself.

The words sprang into his mind unwillingly, but they were true. All he did was cause problems. Everyone at the dorm was so nice to him and he went and ruined it all for them. He just...he knows his mother wouldn't want him to…

Ken stood up and sat down on a bench near the graveyard, the nightly breeze gave his legs goosebumps so he put them up on the bench and hugged them – all the while burying his head between his knees.

His eyes felt heavy, he didn't try to fight against it. For once, Ken just let it happen.

...

..

.

"Hey…"

A voice?

"Are you okay?"

Ken wasn't sure if he recognized that voice…

The elementary student slowly opened his eyes – the first thing he saw were legs but they were...sideways? No, the legs weren't sideways – he was. Huh, he must have collapsed on the bench after he fell asleep. Ken sat upright, searching for the man's face.

"Are you lost?" the sickly looking man asked. On second thought, Ken remembered the man – they were friends with Maiko - Akinari Kamiki, if he remembered correctly.

"I'm…" Ken started. What is he supposed to say? He ran away from home? Akinari would surely call the cops..."I- eh..."

"Can I take a seat?" Akinari changed his question.

"Sure," the brunette quickly responded.

The man sat down but didn't question further. Ken appreciated the silence - he listened to the tree's leaves slowly rustle in the wind.

It was already bright again, he really slept for a long while, and yet he still felt exhausted and his muscles were a bit sore too. A sudden cough made him flinch, Ken turned his head towards the origin of the cough.

"Sorry," the gray-haired man apologized. "I'm sick."

"Are you dying?" Ken blurted out. Maybe he could have formulated that better...

Surprisingly, Akinari softly chuckled. "It's a genetic disease." he said. "I always like coming here in the mornings...it gives me inspiration. You see, I'm currently writing a story."

"A story," Ken hummed. "What is it about?" 

Akinari hesitated. "You're friends with Makoto-san, right?"

Ken's eyes widened. "Friends uhm…" Could he call them that after everything? "We live in the same dorm…"

The man nodded. "He...was the one who inspired me to write this story so I want to show it him first but...you can ask him."

"Hm, yeah, maybe." Ken muttered, swinging his legs around.

Akinari brought a hand to his mouth to muffle his coughs. "Makoto-san always talks highly about his friends in the dorm. He talked about you as well…"

"He..did?"

"Yes. He talked about an elementary student, he didn't know how to approach, I assume he meant you."

"What else did he say?" Ken inquired.

Akinari tilted his head and showed him a soft smile. "I think you should ask him that yourself. They are probably already waiting for you."

The brunette blinked. They are waiting for him? He did wondered what his teammates were doing right now.

Ken bit his lip; he stood up from the bench. "Thank you for talking with me, Kamiki-san." The elementary student walked a few steps before stopping in his tracks. "Uhm...Sorry if that's inappropriate to ask but...how do the people closest feel about you..."

"About me dying?" Akinari finished his sentence, Ken nodded. "Well, the closest person to me is my mother. She is always so worried...so I try my best to smile. I think…" Another cough interrupted his speech. "I think that's the only thing I can do right now – the only thanks I can give her. I can't do much else these days."

"I see..."

Ken spend the rest of the day wandering around, staying as far away from crowds as possible – he didn't want to be found...not yet.

Before he knows it, it's already dark outside again. The brunette bought some Takoyaki, popping one into his mouth as he thought about his next steps. He already went everywhere...well...almost.

The back alley behind Port Island Station came into his mind; the same place his mother died, and Shinjiro, and where he would always meet up with the latter as well...why...why was Ken sad thinking about never being able to train with the teenager again?

Maybe...maybe going back there would give him a new direction.

Hah...yeah right.

If only it would be as simple as that...

However, for once, Ken allowed himself to hold onto that childlike wishful thinking, he didn't have anything else he could be doing right now anyway. After finishing the Takoyaki he made his way towards his destination - Ken couldn't help but gulp.

The bloodstain was still there.

Ken clenched his fists – just staring at the dried out bloodstain on the concrete ground. Shinjiro protected him – like his mother. And he told him to live... Ken wondered if his mother would have said something similar, if she had been able to.

"You look half dead," a voice called out - It was Akihiko. Ken didn't know how to respond, what could he say? He spend the whole day wondering about that but he had...nothing.

"What are you doing out here?" the white-haired teen continued in a soft tone. Ken couldn't tell what Akihiko was thinking right now.

He should probably answer….he owns the boxer that much. Ken wasn't blind to see the bond these two shared.

"When Mom died protecting me, no one believed the truth...To this day, they say she died in an accident that didn't even happen...That's why I wanted to clear the record…" Ken admitted. Surprisingly, it was easier admitting the truth than he first thought, the brunette continued on, "I thought that's what she would've wanted. Maybe then she'd finally be at peace...They said he died in some violent crime, right? No one knows the truth...Just like with mom, and now I'm going to be left behind, just like always…"

I don't want to be alone...

Akihiko spoke up, "The dead are never coming back. You have to accept that, but you still have your life."

My life...

He continued, "I'm not here to bring you back. You can waste away here, if that's what you want...but if you still have the will to fight, then come back and stand on your own two feet." The white-haired teen didn't wait for an answer - instead he just walked away – to prove his point.

Only he can decide for himself...as if he doesn't know that, he always knew – deep down. He's just been...lying to himself – from the very start. Ken didn't know what to do without her, the thought of being alone hurt so much and no one wanted to understand – no one believed him! All he got was pitiful looks, it felt so hopeless. He needed...a purpose, so he started to lie to himself...His mother wanted him to avenge her. The more he told himself that over and over again, the more it became the truth. It was easier to think that way and it was easier to direct this hatred towards something...

"All this time I've just been running away…" Ken muttered to himself.

Not anymore.

Ken looked up towards the sky.

I...I want to go back to the dorm and fight. Fight for you, mom and Aragaki-san. Ken hoped Shinjiro and his mother would be good friends, if an afterlife exists.

"I'll be okay from now on..."

He felt something warm and tingly in his chest, it was unlike Nemesis but it felt similar.

Kala-Nemi.

This is my new resolve.