The sun had barely crested the horizon when Jurou, Arisu, and the others arrived at the notice board. The camp was already bustling with activity, but there was an undercurrent of tension in the air. The Hybrids had all felt it—the shift in atmosphere, the sense that something significant had happened. Jurou, usually calm and composed, was anything but as he scanned the crowd for a familiar face.
"He's not here," Arisu murmured, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the area. She could feel it too, that something was off. "Where is Kazuichi?"
The question hung in the air like a storm cloud. The group exchanged worried glances, the realization dawning on them that their friend was nowhere to be seen. The notice board loomed ahead, a cluster of Hybrids gathered around it, discussing missions in hushed tones. But Kazuichi was nowhere in sight.
