**A Silent Night at Kazuki's Family Home**
The clock on the wall continued to tick, showing 11:45 PM. *Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.* The monotonous sound seemed to mock Akira's anxiety as she stared out the window nervously, her fingers tapping on her study desk in a sporadic rhythm.
*"It's strange... Brother never comes home this late,"* she thought, glancing at her phone for the umpteenth time. Its screen remained dark. No notifications.
"What are you doing out there, brother?...
**CREAK!**
"The sound of the door opening shattered the silence of the night, causing Akira to jump from her seat.
"Is that you, Brother?!" Akira rushed down from the second floor, her feet pounding down the stairs in a hurry. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the empty house.
"However, what she found at the front door was not her brother, but her parents.
"Oh? Akira, you're still awake?" her mother asked, her face weary. Dark circles were clearly visible under her usually bright eyes.
"Mom... Brother hasn't come home yet..." Akira said, her voice trembling.
"Eh? Where did he go?" Her mother looked surprised, her eyebrows raised high. "Actually, we were supposed to come home together, but on the way, he told me to go ahead…"
"I don't know where he went...
"Kazuya-kun..." Their mother turned to her husband with a pale face. "What should we do?"
"Calm down," her father tried to reassure them, "I will contact my friends in the police…"
*Several days later...*
"Nngh…"
"His consciousness gradually returned to Kazuki, like fog being swept away by the morning wind. His heavy eyelids slowly opened, revealing a strange ceiling he had never seen before.
*"Am I... still alive?...
But where am I now?...
It feels like I'm in someone else's body...
"His mind was cloudy, trying to recall the last events he experienced. Fragments of memory spun like a broken film in his mind. *"Wasn't I dead? I'm sure they attacked me with poison, and that attack hit right at my chest...
"A dull pain still lingered in his chest, reminding him of the burning sensation when the attack penetrated his skin...
"Kazuki lay on a soft bed that felt unfamiliar. A faint aroma of lavender mixed with the scent of medicine wafted in the air. Slowly, he sat up. The mattress creaked quietly under his weight.
"Whose room is this?
"It looks like a woman's room...
"There's a laptop on the study desk...
"And school books on the desk...
On the wall, there's a blue girl's school uniform...
"I'm very sure this is a girl's room...
"Something felt off. Very off. His body felt different, like wearing ill-fitting clothes. *"Why do my hands feel lighter? And... wait, since when is my waist this slim?"*
"His eyes caught sight of a large mirror in the corner of the room. An antique mirror with an ornate wooden frame that looked expensive.
"His heart seemed to stop when he saw the reflection in the mirror. His usual blonde hair had turned red. The blue eyes he once had were now a dark purple, and his hair was now much longer than it used to be.
"W-What happened to me?!...
This clearly isn't my body...
"Kazuki clutched his hair with trembling hands. *"This... this is impossible! Am I dreaming?"*
"He pinched his cheek hard. "Ouch!" No, this isn't a dream. The pain is too real.
"Memories of that night flooded back - the people in red cloaks behind the abandoned house, the glint of metal in the moonlight, the unexpected gunfire, the burning pain like hellfire, and the cold river water swallowing his body.
"The sound of the door opening startled him, making his heart race again. A girl appeared in the doorway—her long black hair and light blue eyes. With a beautiful face...
"Hah, so you're awake," the girl said in a flat tone.
"Wh-Where is this?" Kazuki asked hesitantly.
"This is Grandpa Fujita's house! He found you floating in the river while fishing," the girl placed a tray of food on a small table. The enticing aroma of miso soup tickled Kazuki's nose. "Eat up. Before he left the room, he said not to touch any of his things in this room, okay?"
"Before Kazuki could ask further, the girl had vanished behind the door. So this is her room?
*"What a strange girl..."* Kazuki thought. *"But she seems to be my age...
"By the way, Fujita... I feel like I know that name, but from where?...
"His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in who knows how long...
"After finishing the food provided—warm miso soup and rice—Kazuki dared to head downstairs. His legs still felt wobbly, making him grip the wall for support. The wooden floor creaked softly under his steps.
"In the kitchen, he saw a very familiar figure: an old man washing dishes. His messy white hair and thick glasses slipping down his nose brought back long-lost memories to Kazuki.
"Oh, you're awake!" the old man greeted warmly, a broad smile lighting up his wrinkled face.
"Yes... thank you for saving me..." Kazuki bowed politely, but his mind was racing. *"It can't be... but that face, that voice..."*
"Suddenly, like a thunderbolt, his memory became clear.
"Grandpa Fujita?!"
"Huh? You know me?" The old man adjusted his slipping glasses, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny.
"Of course! It's me, Kazuki! Kazuya's son!" His heart raced, waiting for the old man's reaction.
Grandpa Fujita burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha! No way! Since when does Kazuki have red hair like this?"
"This is really me!" Kazuki insisted. His voice quivered with emotion. "I can prove it! Grandpa, you have a hobby of making strange gadgets, right? You even accidentally blew up half the neighbor's house with one of your failed experiments!"
"Grandpa Fujita's laughter abruptly stopped. The dish he was washing nearly slipped from his grip. His eyes narrowed seriously at Kazuki.
"Kazuki... Is this really you?"
"Kazuki nodded, then recounted everything that had happened—how his body had changed and how he ended up in the river. Grandpa Fujita listened carefully, the furrow in his brow deepening.
"So that's how it is..." Grandpa Fujita sighed deeply. "Those red-cloaked people... Kazuki, they seem to be very dangerous, considering how they managed to do this to your body...
"I'm quite sure you're not the first person to end up like this... they might think you're dead now...
"Ahh, I don't care about that right now. What's much more important is that I need to call my family first...
"Fujita, please lend me your phone...
"Oh, here you go...
"After that, Kazuki called his mother...
"Hello, who is this? It's me, Mom, Kazuki...
"Eh? Where have you been? Do you know how worried we are at home?...
"I'm sorry about that, something happened to me. Huh!? What happened to you? Are you okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine. By the way, from now on, I'll be living with Grandpa Fujita at his house...
"What!? Grandpa's house... Why all of a sudden? It's a long story if I have to explain it, so can you bring my clothes tomorrow?
"Alright then, I'll hang up now, Mom...
"Eh, wait! Explain what happened first, Kazu-kun...
"After that, Kazuki hung up the phone...
What does that mean?! Are you going to live here, Kazuki?...
What is it that you really want to do, Kazuki?..." said Fujita...
"I'm going to find out about them...
"What? Are you crazy! You know those people are very dangerous...
"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless. I won't make the same mistake a second time...
"If you try to find out about them, your whole family will be killed by them...
"Huh!? Kazuki looked back to see the girl who had brought him food earlier...
"What do you mean by that?
"I'm just going to tell you one thing: don't look into them if you want your family to be safe. Just forget about them...
"Alright, I'm going out to buy ingredients for dinner...
"After that, the girl left the house...
"What's up with that girl...
"By the way, who was that girl... who is she? I've never heard that you had a granddaughter?"
"Oh, Chiharu Rin?" Grandpa Fujita's expression turned serious. "I also found her in the same river as you, a few weeks ago. She's a pretty closed-off child... She never talks about her past...
"I also think she was attacked just like you...
"Just like me, huh?...
"Hmm... I don't care about that right now...
"Maybe I'll find out about that girl and the man in the red cloak on my own..."