Kaito groans from the passenger seat.He slowly opens his eyes, blinking at the windshield.
"Wha… huh?"
He sits up—Eyes widening.
"What… where are we?!"
Outside, just ten meters ahead and left—an ancient Japanese shrine.Floating faintly.Like reality forgot to render everything else.
Ren's already out of the car.
Standing.
Still.
Staring at the shrine.
His expression unreadable.
Kaito stumbles out after him, still bruised but completely healed.
"Ren… Sensei? What is this place?"
Ren doesn't answer.Just walks—towards the shrine.
Kaito, confused and jittery, starts following.
Just as he opens his mouth—
Ren stops.
Turns slightly.
"Be quiet. Don't even breathe loud."
Kaito shuts his mouth instantly.
They climb the stairs together, heading toward the unknown.
Creeeaaak—The shrine doors open slowly.
Dust swirls in.Wooden floors. Tatami mats. Incense burners.Perfectly normal. but uncoloured
Inside, it's an old Japanese shrine.where the world twisted—black void, glowing edges of white mist.
Ren steps in first. His eyes dart.He's clearly processing.
Kaito follows, arms behind his head casually."So uh… this is the infamous Yorei airnbn or…?"
Ren doesn't answer.
Kaito pokes around.
"…Ren, seriously. Where are we?"
Ren exhales sharply."I don't know. I think… we're in the Yorei's realm."
Kaito shrugs, weirdly calm."Oh. Okay. Cool."
Ren pauses. Side-eyes him."…You think this is normal?"
Kaito scratches his head."I mean… I just assumed this is like, Step 2 of Akamichi training arc or something."
Ren clenches his jaw."This isn't training. This isn't protocol. This is not supposed to happen."
Ren scans the shrine interior."Look around. Anything—anything that looks colored, glowing, even mildly off."
Kaito points around lazily."Ren. The whole place is 'off.' You're asking me to find unusual in the unusual."
Ren snaps, tone sharper:"Kaito. Listen to me—"
He turns to him. Eyes cold."We are in deep trouble.I'm not fluffing around.Even I have no idea what this place is.So get your head in the game… and look for anything that breaks the pattern."
Kaito blinks. But the words dont hit.He nods.
He still doesn't grasp the weight.Not yet.
Ren and Kaito split.Two doors. Two choices. Same beat.
Ren's door creaks open…
A long, endless hallway.Shrouded in mist. Still.
Then—eyes.
Hundreds.Dozens of Yorei, silent, just watching him.Not moving. Not breathing.Just staring.
Ren's face drops.A rare look of pure dread.
Kaito's door swings open—
A single giant Yorei.Twice the size of the last one.
It turns slowly.Eyes glowing.
Kaito smirks.
"Huh… big fluff. I know you could break me—"He cracks his knuckles."—but not my sensei."
A pause.
"I might've gotten myself into a little troubl—"
GRAB.
Ren's hand wraps around Kaito's neck mid-word.
Kaito: "AREE—?!" 😵💫
Swoosh. Ren's running. Sprinting like hell.Dragging Kaito like a sack of potatoes.
Kaito flails. "BRO WHAT THE FLUFF IS HAPPENING?!?"
Ren doesn't speak.
Behind them—doors slam.
And from both ends…
Steps. Echoing. Louder.The realm just got aware.
BAM!Ren slams the shrine doors shut with full force.The wooden frame cracks. Dust erupts.
He turns to Kaito, dead serious:
"RUN. TO. THE. CAR."
Kaito's like: "Wait, what? Bro??"Ren growls—"GO!"
They sprint.
Behind them—Yorei flood out like shadows unchained.
Kaito dives into the back seat.
Ren jumps in, engine already roaring—vroom!Slams the gear—drives straight through the side bushes to the left (technically the right).Full speed.
Kaito (bouncing in the back):
"WHY IS THIS EVEN A ROAD?!"
Ren:
"It's not."
Then—they fly.The car launches off the edge of the mountain like a rocket.
Mid-air. Silence.
Kaito's face plastered against the rear window.Eyes wide. Mouth open. Zero gravity.
Right mid-air—everything glitches.Colors surge. Smoke folds inward.POOF!They're yanked out of the Yorei realm—
—and teleported straight above Tokyo's expressway.Still mid-air.
Kaito's eyes snap open just in time to scream:
"WHA—"
CRASH!Ren lands the car—tires screeching, metal grinding asphalt.One headlight bursts. Bumper snaps.
Silence.
Ren, still gripping the wheel, mutters:
"Ouch… my car."
Kaito? Blacked out. Slumped. Mouth drooling. Zero dignity.
Ren's car crawled into the driveway, bumper dragging like a dying beast. The headlights flickered once before shutting off completely. He stepped out, eyes dull, shoulders low—not injured, but drained to the bone.
"Airi, open the door."
"You're late," she said softly, her eyes scanning the wrecked bumper, then Ren's face.
Ren didn't answer. He opened the passenger side, slung Kaito over his shoulder like a sack of guilt, and walked in. No stairs today. He dropped Kaito gently on the couch in his own room and stood there for a second, staring.
Then he dragged himself to the dining table.
"Water," he muttered.
Airi poured a glass without a word and handed it to him. He gulped it, leaned back in the chair, and exhaled like a man who'd just punched death in the throat and survived. Then… silence.
Airi watched him, concerned.
He muttered just before dozing off, "We weren't supposed to be there..."
And then he was out cold—head tilted back, mouth slightly open, posture like a worn-out warrior finally resting.
Next Afternoon.Sunlight streamed through the window as Kaito slowly blinked awake, face buried in Ren's guest pillow. For a second, he thought it was all just a twisted dream—until his body ached in places he didn't know existed.
Dragging himself to the living room, he spotted Airi arranging books on a shelf.
He cleared his throat. "Uh…Airi-san…where's Ren-sensei?"
She turned with a gentle smile. "At the Akamichi headquarters. He left early. Said you'd know the way—and not to waste time asking questions."
Kaito scratched the back of his head, awkward. "Right…"
Then she tilted her head, curious. "Is everything okay? I've… never seen my man that drained before. And there's not a single bruise on him, so I know it wasn't a fight. Can you tell me what happened?"
Kaito hesitated. His eyes dropped to the floor."It's actually—" he paused, lips tightening. "…I'll let you know once Sensei gives me permission."
Airi narrowed her eyes, clearly unsatisfied, but nodded slowly. "Hmph. Fine. But don't keep me in the dark too long."
Kaito steps out of Ren's house, the sun hitting his face as he tightens his jacket. His steps are heavy, mind replaying the earlier exchange.
"I shouldn't have worded it like that… Airi-san didn't deserve that cold tone. I should've been more polite. Gosh, she's… so pretty. It was hard to hold back. Damn you, Ren-san, how are you living with her under one roof?"
Just as he nears a crossing—
Screech.
A sleek, matte-black bike skids to a stop in front of him. The rider's gear is all black—helmet, gloves, boots—everything.