[Scene: Shinjuku
Kavei's house
10th August
7 am, morning
Year 2016]

A loud knock on the door shattered the quiet of the early morning, pulling Kai abruptly from his sleep. His eyes snapped open, but his body remained sluggish, his mind still caught between dreams and reality. Sitting up in bed, he blinked groggily, his head turning side to side like an owl surveying its surroundings. The knocking persisted, now accompanied by an insistent ringing from outside the house.

Grumbling under his breath, Kai swung his legs off the bed and pushed himself up, trudging towards the door in his slightly wrinkled blue night suit. His hair was tousled, and his steps were slow, still weighed down by sleep. Reaching the door, he cracked it open just enough to peek through the narrow gap, his voice hoarse with drowsiness.

"What do you want?" he muttered, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Benio stood on the other side, raising an eyebrow before offering a small, awkward wave. "Uhm. Nice to meet you too?" he replied, unsure how else to react to the lackluster greeting.

Kai blinked at him, his brain still catching up. "Oh. Yeah. Okay. Bye," he said flatly and moved to shut the door without another word.

Before the door could fully close, Benio's hand shot out, gripping onto it tightly. "Dude. Is Kavei not there?"

"Sleeping," Kai answered with a yawn, making no effort to be more accommodating.

Benio let out an exasperated sigh. "You remember us, don't you?"

"Hm," Kai hummed, his disinterest clear.

Benio crossed her arms. "Let us in. It's regarding the case."

Kai finally focused on him, narrowing his eyes. "Us?"

"Oh yeah. Saira and Miyasi are here too," Benio added, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Kai sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "It's seven in the morning. You guys don't have anything else to do? Come back later-"

"Come on, man. Please?" Benio pressed, his voice carrying a note of urgency.

Kai stared at him for a long moment, his tired brain waging an internal battle between slamming the door shut or just letting them in to get this over with. Finally, with another long sigh, he stepped aside, pulling the door open wider.

Benio, Saira, and Miyasi stepped inside, exchanging glances. They had never felt so unwelcome in all the little time they had known Kai.

Without another word, Kai turned and walked toward Kavei's room. Reaching the door, he rapped his knuckles against it lazily. "Hey, Kavei. Someone's here to meet you."

A few moments passed before the door creaked open. Kavei stepped out, his hair messily disheveled, his face carrying the undeniable traces of sleep. His eyes were half-lidded, and he stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. But as his gaze settled on Kai, his expression instantly shifted. His eyes widened in alarm, and he instinctively took a step back.

"Why are you in my house in your night suit?" Kavei demanded, his voice sharper now, his sleepiness momentarily forgotten.

Kai glanced down at himself, then back up at Kavei with a blank expression. A slow smirk tugged at his lips.

"Haha. Good find."

[Scene: Shinjuku
Kavei's house
10th August
8 am, morning
Year 2016]

Kavei folded his arms and leaned back slightly against the couch, his gaze flickering between the three standing before him. His expression was unreadable, though a hint of curiosity lingered in his tired eyes. "So, why are you three here?" he asked, his voice carrying the remnants of sleep but also a growing intrigue.

Benio, standing closest to him, shifted his weight and pulled a folder from under his arm. "Okay, so I got the photocopy of the kidnapping cases before 2012," he said, handing the folder over to him.

Kavei took it with a nod, flipping it open immediately. His fingers brushed against the papers as he skimmed through the pages, his eyes scanning each report with growing intensity. The room fell into a hushed silence, save for the soft rustling of paper.

Benio and the others exchanged glances but said nothing, their eyes drifting between each other and Kavei's deepening frown. He turned another page, then another, his brows knitting together. The air felt heavy, stretched thin by the weight of the cases in his hands.

Minutes ticked by before Kavei finally shut the folder with a quiet but firm snap, setting it down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Did you find something?" Saira asked, her voice hushed yet expectant.

Kavei exhaled through his nose and nodded.

Kai, sitting cross-legged on the armrest of a chair, leaned forward, his curiosity sparking to life. "That's amazing! What did you find?"

Kavei tapped his fingers against the folder, his voice calm but laced with something heavier beneath the surface. "There are a handful of kidnapping cases where the victims were evidently said to be dead. From 2002 onward, kidnappings happened every single year." He pulled the folder back towards him, flipping it open again and pointing to a particular page. "Look at this. This girl-she was kidnapped from a hospital three hours after her birth." His finger slid across to another report. "And this boy-he was taken when he came in for his vaccination at six months old. Another one-this boy was kidnapped when he was just a year old. There are many cases like this."

Benio frowned, arms tightening across his chest. "And?" he pressed, though a sense of unease was already creeping in.

Kavei's jaw tensed. "And these witnesses were evidently termed to be dead."

A sharp silence followed. Miyasi leaned down slightly, peering at the folder that lay open on the table. "Oh damn," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What was even happening?"

Kavei's fingers tapped against the table, his mind piecing together the pattern that was slowly emerging. "There must be a connection to Aroshi's case with all of these," he began, his voice quieter now but carrying the weight of certainty. "Starting from 2002, every year a girl and a boy of the same age were kidnapped and were later declared dead. Just like Aroshi."

Miyasi's eyes widened slightly, realization dawning. "Then the series is a girl and a boy of the same age every year."

Kavei nodded, his gaze darkening as he closed the folder once more. "It happened till now. Till this year."

Benio let out a slow breath, his fingers curling slightly as he stared at the case files, his mind turning over the implications. "Why?" he asked, his voice quiet yet filled with a gnawing sense of dread. These cases were all hard to get a hold of. Half of them were not even filed and the ones that were filed were all in the local stations who had their hands heavy with connecting the dots. But bringing them all together really did deepen the madness that surrounded them.