Kai walked and walked towards his home, with all of his thoughts wondering about Hana.
"Who was that guy?" he kept asking to himself, trying to figure out who that guy was.
A lot of things came up in his mind.
He was probably someone from the Kurotaka Syndicate... or her boyfriend, who knows.
The only thing he could say was that Hana was smiling, just like she used to do when she was with him.
He kept walking and walking while listening to music with his earphones.
During his walk, he randomly kept looking around in him in search for any possible threat.
Another strange thing that happened that day was that Hina was disappeared.
When Hina disappears, it usually means that she's going out alone to investigate.
But, without any particular reason, she didn't text him about anything.
Hina was also a part of the festival organization with him , and she didn't come with him that day.
Kai didn't ask himself other questions.
All he did was listening to music to drift the bad thoughts away, until a strange book shop caught his attention.
It was... quite unusual.
It looked like an ancient library, like the ones you find in a fantasy world.
He then saw a tall adult man, maybe in his 30's , with long black hair tied in a ponytail and a very wise-looking face adjusting some books outside.
Kai stopped to see the place and removed his earphones.
As soon as he stopped, the man noticed him and said "Welcome!!" with a wide smile on his face.
Kai immediately returned the welcome.
"Oh! H-Hello." He said, with a formal tone.
"What brings you here, young man??" The man asked, with a warm smile on his face.
"Oh, I was just looking around... I've never seen this place before... despite it looks very...-" Kai's voice got interrupted by the man.
"-Very Unusual, right?" The man said, jokingly.
Kai smiled softly.
"Yeah. Pretty unusual." Kai replied.
"Haha! I know. Well... let's say that this place has a strange kind of magic in it." The man said, this time with a more serious face.
Kai looked at him in an almost confused way.
"Magic? What kind of magic?" He asked.
"The same kind of magic that made you notice this place despite it being here since 1960." The man replied, while crossing his arms.
His phrase had a strange effect on him.
In fact, the place was always there, but Kai had never noticed it.
"...Guess it really does have magic then," Kai muttered, his voice half-joking.
The man simply smiled.
Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the shop.
"Mmh... wait me here, young man-" The man said before walking in his store.
Kai nodded his head, waiting for the man.
Kai watched as the man vanished inside.
There was something different about this interaction. It wasn't just a friendly encounter. It felt deliberate—like the man had been waiting for him.
He took a rapid glance at his phone to check the time.
It was 5:42 PM.
Minutes passed.
Then, the man returned—this time, carrying a small, dust-covered book in his hands.
It was probably around 200 pages.
"You are a kind soul, boy. And this is my gift for you." The man said, helding out the book to him with a soft smile on his face.
Kai hesitated before taking it.
He then ran his fingers over the worn cover, brushing away a bit of dust.
The title read:
"The Angel and the Succubus."
Kai stared at it.
The name itself felt… eerie.
"This is a dark romance tragedy about love and madness, young man..." Kuroni said softly. "This little story will make you think about a lot of things." He added.
Kai looked up at him.
"Perfect shot." Kai said in his mind.
"...I'll be sure to read it when I get home. Thank you, uh—?"
The man let out a small chuckle before introducing himself.
"Kuronu Chiwa."
He spoke his name slowly, deliberately, as if he wanted Kai to remember it.
"Just a man with a passion for helping people. And you seem like someone who's desperately calling for help."
Kai froze.
His words hit him like a bullet.
For a second, it felt like Kuronu had seen right through him.
Like he had read something inside him that even Kai himself hadn't fully admitted yet.
"...Is it that obvious?" Kai muttered under his breath.
Kuronu simply smiled. "You wouldn't be here otherwise."
Kai remained stunned as he didn't know how to respond
Kuronu then took a step back, his expression shifting to something more serious.
Then, in a low, almost prophetic voice, he said:
"Only those who embrace madness more than any other can survive in this crazy world."
Kai's breath caught in his throat.
The words resonated within him.
And immediately—his thoughts went to Hina.
She's already embraced madness.
Maybe that's why she's still standing.
Kai opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Kuronu's cheerful expression returned.
"Now you can go, boy. When you're ready, this place will call you again."
Kai felt frozen in place.
He had so many questions.
But the moment passed.
Kai took a step back, gripping the book tightly in his hands.
"...Thank you, Kuronu-san."
He bowed slightly.
Kuronu waved at him before turning back to his shop, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Kai, still feeling the weight of those words, continued his walk home.
Step by step, he kept replaying the conversation in his mind.
"That man... was probably from another world."
Ater a while, Kai finally arrived at his home.
The good magic that Kurono gave to him made his soul feel better , but the good feelings disappeared as soon as he saw the door of his house.
Every got feeling got replaced by intrusive thoughts about Hana and his missing girlfriend.
"I wonder what's gonna happen now..." Kai said to himself.