A hunter disguised as prey… and a predator disguised as law.
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7:00 A.M.
St. Gabriel's High – Courtyard
The school feels quieter today. The usual buzz is there — students laughing, teachers rushing, gossip floating like pollen in the wind — but something's shifted.
It's subtle.
People are whispering more. Looking over their shoulders more.
Someone's missing. Again.
Silas walks the path to his classroom. Bag over one shoulder, tie loose, that same casual charm in every step.
A girl runs up beside him, smiling nervously. "Hey, um… can I ask you something weird?"
He turns his head, gives her his usual gentle look. "Sure."
"Do you think… The Hollow goes to this school?"
He pauses, just a second too long.
Then: a soft chuckle.
"That's ridiculous," he says. "Why would he?"
She laughs awkwardly. "Yeah. Totally stupid. Just… you know. Two students gone in a month. People are freaking out."
"They should be."
The words leave his mouth too fast. Too honest.
He covers it with a smile.
"I mean… if it's real, whoever's doing it probably isn't finished."
---
9:42 A.M.
Downtown Police Division
Detective Naomi Kisaragi leans over her desk, a dozen reports spread out in front of her. She's already had two black coffees, and her eyes haven't left the files in hours.
She circles names.
Takashi Yamano – drunk driver, Hollow victim #1
Daisuke Minoru – abusive father, victim #2
Yuji Okabe – school official, victim #3
Kazuto Mori – student, victim #4
Each was filth. Scum. But still—
Someone executed them with surgical precision, then packaged their deaths like digital theatre.
She looks at the screenshot of the masked figure from the Hollow videos. Always clean. Always deliberate. No identity, no trace.
But now she's seen something new: a face.
From that camera on school grounds. A white-haired boy. Just a blur. But something in her gut twisted when she saw him.
Not fear. Not suspicion. Something worse.
Intuition.
She starts digging.
---
12:11 P.M.
Library – Student Records Room
Silas slips into the restricted section during lunch. No cameras here. He made sure of that two weeks ago.
The school's database is on a closed system. But he has a physical key.
He unlocks a drawer. Pulls a file.
Naomi Kisaragi — temporary visitor authorization. Reason: active investigation.
He flips the page. A request for security footage from the past 30 days.
He frowns.
She's not just curious.
She's hunting.
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3:58 P.M.
Detective Kisaragi's Apartment
Naomi lights a cigarette and cracks open a window. The city glows orange outside. Neon signs blinking lazily.
She opens a new document.
THEORY:
The Hollow is a student.
Access to high-tech resources.
Likely high intelligence.
Obsessive pattern — targeting "hidden criminals."
School location ties multiple victims together.
Her fingers pause.
Then type:
Possible suspect: Silas Creed.
No priors. Excellent academic record.
White hair. Photographic memory. Popular. No enemies.
But…
> There's something off about his eyes.
She saves the document. Locks it behind two passwords.
---
8:31 P.M.
Studio
Silas sharpens a wire with steady hands. Not for a kill — not tonight — but to feel the control again. The weight. The steel between fingertips.
His mind isn't on violence. It's on her.
Naomi.
She's smart. Methodical. She isn't chasing chaos — she's chasing him.
He thinks of her eyes in that still image. Cold. Focused.
She'll be a problem. A good one.
He types a new name into his encrypted system:
> Naomi Kisaragi
Age: 32
Blood type: B
Favorite brand of cigarettes: Lucky Strike
Apartment address: Confirmed
Sister: Ayaka Kisaragi, age 10
Weakness: Unknown
He doesn't plan to kill her. Yet.
But if she comes too close...
He won't hesitate.
---
11:47 P.M.
Somewhere in the Dark Web
A new HollowNet upload goes live.
But this one is different.
It's not a kill.
It's a message:
> "They call it justice when it wears a badge. But justice dies in silence — and I make it scream."
"To the one watching: I see you too."
— The Hollow
Naomi reads it on a secure device. Her hands don't shake. But her eyes narrow.
He's taunting her.
She smiles.
"Game on, Hollow."
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Final Line:
> Silas leans back in his chair and whispers to the dark,
"Catch me… if you can."
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