Outside the garden, waiting for Daichi was his mother. Kavei let go of Daichi's hand, but Daichi refused to go back to his mother. Saira crouched next to the kid, trying to reason with him. "Daichi, right? You should go home now. Your mother missed you a lot."

But Daichi shook his head, his eyes welling up with tears. "No! I want to stay with Kavei nii-chan!"

Just then, Kavei's legs gave out, and he fell to the ground. Kai couldn't control himself with all that was happening and letting go of the fact that they were in hiding he stepped forward for a rush to Kavei's side, when Sebiki pulled him back trying to calm him down. "Hey! Control yourself. We are in hiding!" she yelled at him.

Miyasi tried to lift him up, but Kavei pushed her away. "I'm fine, nee-chan," he said, trying to reassure her.

But Miyasi was worried. "But Kavei, you're bleeding!"

Kavei looked down and saw that his leg was indeed bleeding heavily. He must have got a major cut by the man's axe. He shook his head, trying to clear the haze.

Daichi was still crying, and Kavei looked up at him. "Daichi, why won't you go home?"

The boy's eyes were filled with a gleaming pain, and Kavei didn't understand what was going on. He looked at the boy's mother, who was watching the scene unfold with a mixture of emotions.

"Lady, is it fine if he lives with me for a while?" Kavei asked her.

The woman hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Huh? Uh...but..."

But Daichi was adamant. "Yes! I'll live with you, nii-chan!" he exclaimed, nodding furiously.

Kavei ruffled the boy's hair and sat up, trying to gather his strength. He looked at the woman and asked her to come closer to him. She crouched down to his level while Daichi remained with Benio as he was pulled to his side. Kavei whispered to her, "Lady, listen. I don't know what you have been doing to him. He looks so terrified. Either I take him in for a small little while or I file a complaint. You know of what. Your call."

The woman shuddered at the threat, her eyes wide with fear. "Are you threatening me?"

Kavei shrugged. "Pfft. Not yet, I'm not."

The woman nodded, defeated. "Fine. But take care of..."

Kavei stood up, brushing his blue jeans. He put the green hood over his head and held out his hand to Daichi. "Come on, let's go home."

Daichi took his hand, and Kavei signalled to Benio, Saira, and Miyasi to follow him. They walked off, leaving the garden, the woman who was still in a crouched position looking up at their fading silhouettes, and the chaos behind.

[Location: Kavei's house
Time: 1:30 pm
Date: 1st August]

Benio stood near the kitchen counter, drinking from the glass of water in his hand. Saira took Daichi to the bedroom to get him some rest and Miyasi and Kavei remained in the living room.

Miyasi's concern cut through the air, her eyes fixed on Kavei, who sat on the couch with his injured leg propped up on the coffee table. "Are you really alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Kavei's response was laced with frustration, his discomfort evident as he recounted the ordeal. "Of course not. How can I be fine? He choked me," he exclaimed, his voice strained with the memory of the recent attack.

Benio, taken aback by Kavei's nonchalant attitude, choked on his water. "Dude. What is wrong with you?" he spluttered, disbelief coloring his words.

Kavei's response was flippant, a mask to hide his true feelings. "What? The kid loves me because I'm an Alien. Aliens don't feel pain, you know... I guess," he quipped, his words a feeble attempt to deflect attention from his injuries.

Miyasi, sensing the gravity of the situation, pressed further. "Kavei, we really need to talk," she insisted, her tone firm as she refused to let the matter rest.

But Kavei, ever the master of evasion, brushed off her concerns with a casual remark. "We are. Now come on. Don't just stand there staring, nee-san. I'm hungry, I'm a patient," he joked, his words a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject.

Benio, resigned to Kavei's antics, busied himself with preparing a simple dinner for the group. Daichi, exhausted from the day's events, had already succumbed to slumber, leaving the teenagers to fend for themselves. Saira came out of the room then as Benio layed down the dinner on the coffee table.

They sat down to eat, the tension of the day beginning to fade, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and solidarity. After a peaceful dinner, the three bid their goodbyes to Kavei, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Finally alone, Kavei allowed his facade to slip, his pain and frustration bubbling to the surface. "Ugh. What day was I born on, dammit!" he cursed, his frustration evident as he vented his anger by tossing objects around the room.

The sudden outburst caught the attention of Kai, the sound reaching his room despite the distance. Curious, he made his way to his desk, a pen and a sheet of paper ready as always.

Just then, the doorbell rang, interrupting Kavei's tirade. He sighed as he struggled to stand up with the help of crutches. Irritated, he swung open the door to find a man standing on the other side, holding out an envelope.

"A letter for you, sir," the man said slowly, eyeing Kavei warily.

Grudgingly, Kavei accepted the letter and handed the man a glass of water and a bag of snacks as a token of gratitude. With a bow, the man departed, leaving Kavei alone once more.

Exhausted, Kavei collapsed back onto the couch, his injured leg throbbing with pain. He tossed the crutches aside. They fell with a thud on the floor. He glanced at the envelope in his other hand and with a sigh, he tore open the letter, his curiosity piqued by its contents.

As he read the message, a sense of bewilderment washed over him. "Hello. It's me, the neighbor who isn't exactly next door, please don't break things you'll only come to hurt yourself..." the letter began, its words a cryptic invitation to connect.

Confused and intrigued, Kavei stood up and dragged himself to the kitchen counter. He glanced at the whiteboard placed on his window and then immediately grabbed it and scribbled a response on the whiteboard, knowing that they would be waiting eagerly for his reply. As he awaited a response crouched underneath the window, his mind buzzed with questions and uncertainty because his question held a tinge of risk, for he wanted to finally meet this secret pen pal of his out of desperation with respect to the current events that caught him in a suffocating hold.

Just then, a sudden chill courses through his body and he cautiously stood up with the support of the window sill. On the window of his neighbour was the response to his question: "Can I talk to you face-to-face?"

A simple note on the whiteboard of his neighbour: "Sure. Come over."

Kavei's eyes lit up as he read the message. He took it as a good yes and decided to head over to his neighbour's house.

Kavei began walking away from the kitchen towards the living room where he had thrown his crutches, wincing in pain as he put weight on his injured leg. He grabbed his crutch with much struggle and made his way to the door, a small yet definite excitement building up inside him.

Kai meticulously prepared for the evening, selecting his outfit and styling his hair to perfection. His white shirt and black ripped jeans accentuated his features, making him look like a prince straight out of a fairytale. With a confident smile and gleaming eyes, he awaited the arrival of his guest.

The doorbell chimed, and Kai's smile widened as he swung open the door, revealing Kavei standing on the other side.

"What is with the outfit?" Kavei asked. The question caught him off guard, momentarily rendering Kai speechless. He stood frozen in surprise until Kavei made his way to the couch and settled in.

Kai shut the door with a hint of frustration and joined Kavei, sitting down beside him. "You were not a girl?" he asked with a pout, his confusion evident.

Kavei responded with a playful tone, "Does it look that way?" Kai's eyebrows shot up in response. "Hah... But I thought the whiteboard person was a girl," he explained, trying to make sense of the situation.

Curious, Kavei asked, "What gave you that idea?" Kai's eyes widened as he recalled their previous interactions. "But...you...that...bag.... whiteboard...you gave me food, man!" he exclaimed, gesturing animatedly.

Kavei couldn't help but tease, "And boys don't offer food to friends because?" Kai let out an exasperated sigh, "That..ugh! Did you know it was me all along?"

"No," Kavei replied simply, causing Kai to furrow his brows in confusion. "But you look so...so disgustingly calm right now," he remarked, unable to comprehend Kavei's composure.

Kavei's response was laced with humor, "Do you want me to throw the things in your house as well?" Kai's lips twitched with amusement at the absurd suggestion. "Oh yeah. Is that why you bandaged your hand?" he asked, pointing at the bandaid wrapped around Kavei's right palm.

Kavei's expression turned solemn as he muttered, "And you were disappointed..." Kai's curiosity was piqued, "What was that?" he inquired, leaning in closer.

"I said this is from my stupid Yokohama trip," Kavei explained, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Oh.. Kavei, there is something I must confess," Kai admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.

Next: Main Case Arc