Evening – Outside the Stadium
The crowd's noise was fading. The sky above Tokyo was deep orange, the sun slowly sinking behind the cityscape. The match had ended. The air buzzed faintly with excitement and leftover adrenaline.
Tetsuya leaned against a wall near the parking area, towel around his neck, still catching his breath. Ryota stood beside him, sipping from a bottle of sports drink, his hair sticking to his forehead with sweat.
A familiar voice called from behind.
Jung: You were incredible out there.
Both turned. Jung approached — calm, composed, yet his sharp eyes held a trace of respect.
Tetsuya (grinning): Coming from you, that means a lot. You're fast, man. I barely kept up.
Jung (smiling faintly): You're stronger than you look. Your timing, your reads — they're insane. Feels like you see moves before they happen.
Tetsuya scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly.
Tetsuya: Maybe I just got lucky tonight.
Jung: Luck doesn't dunk like that. He chuckled, glancing at Ryota. You got quite the teammate too. Quiet type, huh?
Ryota (shrugging): I just pass the ball and pray it goes in.
They all laughed, the tension from the match melting away. Jung patted Tetsuya on the shoulder.
Jung: You've got something rare. Keep training. We'll meet again — on or off the court.
He gave a nod before walking off toward his car. The sound of his sneakers against the concrete echoed faintly until it disappeared.
Evening – Near a Vending Machine
The parking lot had mostly emptied. Ryota and Tetsuya stood by a vending machine, each holding a canned drink — Tetsuya with cold chocolate milk, Ryota with canned coffee.
Tetsuya: That Jung guy... he's crazy fast. Did you see that crossover in the second quarter?
Ryota: I did. Still, you won. So who's stronger now?
Tetsuya (smiling): Maybe just today. Tomorrow, who knows?
Ryota: You're being humble again. I can't even relate. I'm thin, slow, no stamina... you're out there flying like it's nothing.
Tetsuya laughed, punching his arm lightly.
Tetsuya: Don't say that. You've got something I don't.
Ryota (raising a brow): Like what, bones?
Tetsuya (smirking): Nah. Calmness. You think before you move. Not many do.
They both laughed, their voices mixing with the quiet hum of the vending machine.
Ryota: You're seriously weird.
Tetsuya: Takes one to know one.
They stood there in silence for a while, watching the streetlights flicker on. The city had its own rhythm — cars passing, wind brushing against signs, the faint buzz of life continuing after the game.
Tetsuya: Anyway, I'll head home. You?
Ryota: Same. Long day.
They tossed their empty cans into the bin and walked toward their cars. The sound of engines starting filled the air.
Night – On the Road
Ryota's car hummed softly as it rolled down the narrow streets of his neighborhood. The streetlights blurred through the windshield. His mind replayed the match — the plays, the crowd, Jung's words.
He should've been happy. He was. But something felt... off.
His vision flickered for a second. The dashboard light dimmed, then brightened again. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Ryota (muttering): What the hell...
He blinked rapidly. For a brief moment, the world outside the windshield shimmered — like a reflection in water. The buildings seemed to stretch, distort, then snap back to normal.
His breath hitched. Sweat beaded down his neck. The car was moving fine, but something in his head wasn't.
Then, suddenly, his dashboard screen flickered — static flashed across it.
The navigation system, which wasn't even on, glowed faintly. Letters appeared across the black screen, one by one.
WELCOME, RYOTA.
His heart dropped. The car slowed to a stop on instinct.
Ryota (whispering): What... is this...?
He reached out, fingertips trembling slightly, touching the edge of the screen. The message vanished instantly. The dashboard returned to normal — only his reflection stared back at him.
He sat still, breathing heavily, listening to the faint tick of the engine cooling.
It was probably nothing. A glitch. Just a random, stupid glitch.
But deep inside, something felt wrong — as if something had seen him... and greeted him.
Later that Night – Yori's Private Lab
The hum of machines filled the underground lab beneath the Kagawa residence. Bright white light reflected off metal tables and glass containers. Yori stood in a white coat, staring at a screen filled with data.
Charts. DNA strands. Brain scans. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
A technician nearby shook his head.
Technician: No abnormalities detected, sir. The samples — blood, saliva, even cell culture — all perfectly human.
Yori (quietly): Run them again. Cross-check with last week's samples.
Technician: We did. Three times. No deviation.
Yori's jaw tightened. He turned away, rubbing his temples.
On another monitor, a medical scan of Ryota's body rotated slowly in 3D — bones, muscles, nerves — everything clean. No anomaly. No sign of foreign presence.
He dismissed the staff, one by one, until the lab was empty. The heavy door shut behind them with a soft hiss.
Silence.
He walked toward the far side of the room — a dim corner where a single chair and an old rotary phone sat. He picked it up, dialing a number by memory.
A low, gravelly voice answered after a few seconds.
Kang (through phone): Took you long enough, Yori.
Yori: I had to be sure. It's happening again.
Kang: The boy?
Yori: Yes. My son. He saw something tonight. Something reacted to him.
Kang: And?
Yori (grimly): All tests show normal. DNA, X-ray, brain activity — everything looks clean.
Kang (chuckling faintly): Of course it does. You forget, we don't play by human rules.
Yori (lowering his voice): Kang... is it possible a demon possessed him?
There was a pause — followed by quiet laughter on the other end.
Kang: Yori, you are a demon. His mother's human. That makes him half-blood. A demon cannot possess a demon, no matter how diluted the blood. You know that.
Yori: Then what could it be?
Kang: Maybe... he's not possessed. Maybe he's chosen.
Yori (frowning): Chosen?
Kang: A vessel. Perhaps something ancient seeks him — something that needs balance, not chaos. Or maybe I'm just rambling again. Who knows? He chuckled.
Yori (tightly): If a creature has entered him and shows no sign... then it's not a creature. It's something else.
Kang: Exactly. The question isn't what it can do. The question is when it will do it.
The line went silent. Only the faint hum of machines filled the air.
Yori stared at the phone, eyes heavy with thought. He looked at the monitor again — Ryota's scan still glowing faintly on the screen.
Yori (murmuring): What are you becoming, son...?
In the reflection of the monitor, his own eyes faintly glowed red before fading to normal.
Meanwhile, miles away, Ryota lay awake in bed. His phone screen was dark beside him. The world outside was quiet — too quiet.
He turned, staring at the ceiling. In his mind, the words repeated again and again.
Welcome, Ryota.
And though his room was cold, his body felt strangely warm — like something inside him had just... awakened.
To be continued...