Simon's life was simple.

Far too simple.

But all that simplicity came to an abrupt end just a few days ago.

It was Sunday, January 6, 2028.

About two days ago, Simon's school had ended. He was an 11th-grade high school student. Normally, finishing school would make him happy; after all, summer break was finally starting. But after the tragedy he had experienced three days ago, not even this could bring him joy.

After all, his closest friend—actually, when he thought about it, his only friend—Touru had gone missing. The heartbreaking part was that no matter what he did, Touru couldn't be found. Even the police had decided in just two days that the case couldn't be solved and had closed it.

Simon thought to himself:

"How can they close the damn case in just two days?!"

Though he silently cursed the police, it didn't change anything.

For the past two days, he had searched everywhere for him. Even though his hopes had already run out, he decided to search again today. After all, who knew what could happen? Maybe he'd actually find him...

Simon muttered to himself:

"Even I don't believe that..."

He got out of bed, feeling dejected, and grabbed his phone.

As soon as he picked it up, the calendar popped up.

"Right... we were supposed to go to that festival together in nine days," he thought.

Once again, something reminded him of Touru, even though he had picked up his phone to try to forget him.

Feeling a bit frustrated, he walked slowly to the bathroom to wash his hands.

He was still wearing his usual pajamas. The silence of the house pressed down on him, making him quicken his pace.

The noisy atmosphere of the old days had completely vanished, and now he was left alone. He had known this would happen when his one and only friend, Touru, disappeared. He had known that nothing would be left.

He and his wretched mind should never have been left alone in the same place.

While brushing his teeth in the bathroom, his thoughts wandered again. His family used to consist of four people: his mother, father, brother, and himself. One day, they received news of his mother's death. Since he was only five years old at the time, he hadn't really understood it. His father had fallen into severe stress and couldn't keep up with things. Events that they couldn't track or connect, like an unsolvable knot, had ultimately led to his brother leaving home. They didn't know why he left or where he was now.

For the next two years, Touru became his only friend while he lived with his father. When he turned twelve and became more self-sufficient, his father left to work abroad to earn more money. After that, he lived alone at home. His father only sent him money and visited once a year to say hello.

When he heard the awful scraping sound of the toothbrush against his teeth, he stopped and thought to himself, "I must've zoned out."

That's why he hated being alone.

When he was alone, he thought too much and involuntarily forgot many things. Finally, he decided what he needed to do. He put on a hoodie that had belonged to his brother and went outside.

Like all the clothes his brother had left behind, this hoodie was too big for him. But since oversized clothes were more comfortable, it didn't bother him.

When he went outside, the first thing he did was walk aimlessly. After all, everyone who had searched for Touru—including the police—had already checked the scene of the incident. He was almost entirely sure that there was nothing important left there. So there was no point in walking quickly. If he was lucky enough, maybe he could find a clue just by wandering around.

As Simon walked down the street with these thoughts, he came across someone.

The person he encountered was none other than Viole.

Viole was the young daughter of his neighbor in the building next door. She was only 10 years old, had a rather ordinary style of clothing, and saw herself as close to everyone around her—including Simon.

Simon had a guess about what was going on.

She had probably run away from home again, as she often did.

"Hey, Simon! You're up early today. I usually don't see you outside before 10."

Simon glanced at his watch. 8:10. He hadn't expected to run into her at this hour.

"You look a bit down today. Did something happen?" Viole asked, putting on an expression as if she were thinking about something deep.

Simon thought to himself, "I can't explain this to her..."

"It's nothing that concerns you, so don't overthink it."

Viole grumbled slightly in frustration. "I think you should tell me—" She was abruptly cut off.

"It doesn't concern you, so stay out of it!" Simon kept thinking to himself. If this continued, he planned to walk away without saying another word. Even if it damaged his relationship with Viole—the only person he could talk to right now—he couldn't mention Touru.

"Fine, if you say so. But I still don't like seeing you upset. Come on, let me buy you some ice cream."

Normally, Simon wouldn't expect such an offer from a 10-year-old. But considering Viole's friendly nature, it made sense. Her days were usually dull, so she was probably happy to have found something interesting.

Simon looked at Viole for a moment, then thought, "She's definitely doing this to get information out of me..."

Still, he wasn't stupid enough to refuse free ice cream. His days had been miserable since Touru disappeared, and maybe this ice cream would make today a little more bearable.

Simon accepted the offer, and they headed to a newly opened ice cream shop nearby. On the way, nothing strange happened—they walked through simple, ordinary streets. Yet, despite everything seeming normal, Simon felt like he was being watched.

No matter how much he looked around, he couldn't spot anyone watching him. "Maybe this feeling is just in my head?" he thought. He convinced himself of that and continued walking.

But deep inside, he knew—something was watching him...

Deep in the unlit, filthy alleyways, a pair of eyes were staring intently into his very soul.

Simon and Viole arrived at the new ice cream shop. Simon ordered two scoops—lemon and banana—while Viole got three scoops of strawberry.

As they received their ice cream, Viole spoke. "So, do you feel like telling me what happened now?"

Simon sighed. "Maybe she can actually help me..."

"Alright, I'll tell you. Touru disappeared completely a few days ago, and the police already closed the case yesterday. I'm afraid he might never be found..."

"Don't worry, I'll help you!" Viole said, smiling proudly.

"You have a lead?!?"

"??? Why would you think that? I don't have anything. Besides, I haven't run away from home for the past three days, so I couldn't have found any clues anyway."

"Then... how exactly are you going to help?"

"I know someone. Actually, a lot of strange things have been happening lately. I met this person during one of those strange events, but I trust them. I'm sure I can help somehow."

For the first time that morning, Simon felt slightly hopeful.

"Alright, let's go see them right no—"

"Sorry, they're probably busy right now. You can meet them tomorrow. There's nothing I can do today, but you can come find me tomorrow."

"Alright then, I'll head home for now. See you tomorrow."

Simon said a quick goodbye and left. He spent the rest of the day searching for Touru everywhere but found no clues. In the end, he returned home—safer than the outside world—and curled up in bed, hoping for a peaceful sleep.

Today had gone better than he had expected...

...

Simon's life was simple.

Too simple.

But just a few days ago, that simple life had come to a complete end.

It was Sunday, January 6, 2028. 7:55 AM.

He was still deeply upset about Touru's disappearance three days ago. After all, the police had already closed the case without making any progress, and his own searches had led nowhere. "I guess I'll spend today looking for him again... There's still no progress..."

Simon didn't feel strange. In fact, he felt so normal that it was almost as if he was being deceived.