[Scene: Shinjuku
August 11th 2016
Kavei's House
6:00 AM]

The dim morning light filtered through the half-drawn curtains, casting long shadows across the spacious living room. The air was thick with tension as the group gathered around the glass coffee table, some leaning against the walls while others sat stiffly on the couches. Kavei tapped his fingers rhythmically against the glass surface, his sharp eyes scanning everyone present.

Benio, Miyasi, Saira, Kai, Kenma, Ojiro, Narito, Sebiki, Ryu, and Himeko sat in silence, waiting for him to speak. They had stayed up late the night before, piecing together every shred of information they had collected. Fatigue clung to their bodies, but the weight of the case left no room for rest.

"Alright then," Kavei began, his voice steady but laced with a quiet intensity. "From everything that we have collected so far-solid evidence, theories, everything included-I've come to a small conclusion." He leaned forward, his fingers still drumming against the table.

The others shifted, exchanging glances. Kai cracked his knuckles absentmindedly, while Himeko crossed her arms, bracing herself for whatever Kavei was about to reveal.

"Like I said before, the pattern is clear. Every single time, it's one girl and one boy of the same age. That much was obvious from the beginning, the moment we laid eyes on the case," he continued.

Miyasi let out a slow breath, nodding in agreement. "It's too precise to be a coincidence."

Kavei's expression darkened as he continued. "But there's more. Every victim was a loner, someone who didn't have many friends. And more importantly, they all had connections to older people-people with criminal records."

A heavy silence settled over the room. Saira tucked her knees to her chest, biting the inside of her cheek. Ojiro fidgeted with his sleeves. The revelation was unsettling.

Kavei's eyes flickered toward Kenma. "And the most disturbing detail of all-their eye colors."

Kai's brow furrowed. "Oh yeah. Come to think of it, they all had unusual eye colors."

Kenma frowned, rubbing his temple. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Kavei exhaled sharply. "Think, Kenma. Pink, hazel, blue, emerald green. And then there's the fact that in some cases, both the girl and the boy shared the same eye color. Daichi and Misa-blue. Hentai's brother-also blue. But then there's Goshi and Zen. They both had green eyes."

Kai leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Why does that bother you so much?"

"Because it breaks the pattern I assumed existed," Kavei admitted, his voice carrying an edge of frustration. "At first, I thought it was always different eye colors. But then I found out about Daichi, Misa, and Hentai. It seemed like one girl and one boy with the same eye color made sense. But then Goshi and Zen had green eyes too. That means the criminal isn't just picking at random. He's collecting something."

The realization made the hairs on Saira's arms stand up. "You think he's choosing victims based on their eye color?" she whispered.

Kavei nodded. "I'm guessing different shades of eye color are what he's looking for. And he's been completing series-one boy, one girl, same grade, introverted or loners, and now the same eye color."

Benio exhaled sharply. "But why eye color? And why does it matter that much? The last case only had it happen once. It could just be a coincidence."

Kavei's jaw tightened. He stood up abruptly, pacing. "Fine. Let me put it this way-the clues we found. Cotton pieces. What do you use cotton for?"

"Uh... wiping stuff? Or first aid?" Ojiro guessed hesitantly.

"Exactly. Wiping what? Serums. Medicine. Blood. Glass shards. Those glass shards weren't random. They were small, medical-grade bottles-the kind you find in labs. And then we found an eyelash. Hidden in a locker, tucked upward like it was placed there deliberately."

Kenma's fingers curled around the edge of his chair. "Why would the criminal care about an eyelash?"

"Because it's proof that his OCD is being satisfied," Kavei said darkly. "He's meticulous. He doesn't want to lose control of his pattern, his series. That strand of hair? It wasn't left behind accidentally-it was part of the puzzle."

Sebiki shuddered. "What about the glue gun?"

Kavei's expression hardened. "The tip of the gun had a tiny drop of dried blood-so small it was barely noticeable. But the color had turned maroon-black, meaning it's been there for a few months, not a year. And Kenma's sister confirmed it-the blood belonged to a young girl."

A chill ran through the room.

"She probably fought back. Tried to save herself," Kavei muttered. "The man who kidnapped Daichi wanted him alive, but he didn't seem like the one making the decisions. That means someone else is pulling the strings."

Ojiro swallowed hard. "So... there's a chance the victims aren't dead?"

"Maybe. Or maybe they're being kept alive for a reason," Kavei said, rubbing his temples.

Saira hugged herself. "What about Aroshi? She wasn't a loner, and her family wasn't struggling. Why was she kidnapped?"

Kavei's eyes darkened. "Exactly. Aroshi broke the pattern. So did Hentai. And now Daichi too. Something pushed the criminal to take Aroshi. Either she saw something... or she was involved in something she shouldn't have been."

Sebiki felt a shiver creep up his spine. "And you think this is all because of some obsession with eye color?"

Kavei's gaze was unwavering. "I'm saying it's all connected to his obsession. The victims, the evidence, everything leads back to it."

Saira's hands trembled as she clenched them into fists. "He's... collecting eyes?"

The room fell into stunned silence.

Kavei nodded slowly. "Yeah. He's either keeping them as trophies or testing them for some sick amusement."

Sebiki's face paled. "Why are you so calm about this?"

Kavei ran a hand through his hair, exhaling through his nose. "Because I have to be. We need to stay focused."

Ryu let out a shaky breath, trying to process everything. "This is insane. It's still just your hunch, though, right?"

Kavei slammed his palm against the table. "No. There are too many clues that match up. Are you seriously suggesting we ignore this? You all came to me to help me. Do you want to sugarcoat a crime?" His voice rose, frustration cracking through his usually composed demeanor.

The tension in the air was suffocating. No one spoke.

Finally, Kavei turned to Kai. "What about Daichi's family?"

Kai, who had been silently absorbing everything, straightened. "Daichi's mother runs a cake business from home. His father is out of the country for work, and his older brother lives with their uncle in Tokyo."

"Did you check their relationships?"

"Yeah. The two brothers didn't get along with their parents. One of Daichi's friends told me he always seemed upset when talking about his family. He avoided the topic completely."

Kavei's fingers tapped against the table once more. His mind was racing. Every new piece of information either confirmed his theory or added another layer of unease.

This was bigger than any of them had anticipated.

The tension in Kavei's living room was suffocating. The only sound was the soft humming of the ceiling fan as it stirred the stale morning air. Everyone was tensely seated around the glass table, eyes flicking between each other, trying to process the monstrous reality they were facing.

Benio exhaled sharply, staring down at the printed records he held in his trembling hands. His voice was low, steady, but the way his fingers curled tightly around the edges of the paper betrayed his emotions. "In 2002, a young girl and a young boy, both a year old, were kidnapped on their way to school. Three months later, their bodies were found in front of their respective houses at one in the morning."

A shiver ran down Miyasi's spine as she hugged her arms tightly, shifting uneasily in her seat. No one dared to interrupt. The room felt colder despite the summer heat outside.

"2003. The same thing happened," Benio continued, his eyes flickering across the page. "A girl and a boy, this time two years old, found dead four months later. This time, it was at two in the morning."

Saira swallowed hard. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the armrest of the couch. The logic behind the pattern was sickening, each year escalating like clockwork.

"2004," Benio went on. "Three-year-olds. Kidnapped, murdered, and left in front of their houses at three in the morning, five months later."

Kai ran a hand through his hair, frustration creeping into his features. His leg bounced against the floor, a nervous tic that had become increasingly frequent. "So it just kept happening?" His voice was rough, almost disbelieving, like he couldn't accept the reality of it.

Benio nodded grimly. "In 2005, the criminals responsible for the previous three cases were finally caught. Each case had a different perpetrator. The men were arrested, convicted, and eventually executed." He looked up, meeting Kavei's sharp gaze. "But then it happened again."

Kavei leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees, listening intently.

"Unlike the previous years where the kidnappings happened in January, 2005's case occurred on February first," Benio continued, his voice tight. "A four-year-old boy and girl were taken. Six months later, they were found dead in front of their homes at four in the morning."

Sebiki's breath hitched. The pattern was horrifying in its precision.

"2006. Five-year-olds. Found dead at five in the morning." Benio read.

"2007. Six-year-olds. Six in the morning." With this, Benio himself felt his hands trembling. What he was reading to them right now, the files that he had found buried deep in the stations that no one knew of, it was dreadful.

Miyasi's hands were shaking. She clenched them into fists against her lap. "And then?" Her voice barely broke above a whisper.

Benio's jaw tightened. "That year, 2007, they finally caught the man responsible while he was dragging the boy's body back to his house. He was arrested and later connected to the previous two cases." He exhaled, a weight pressing against his chest. "But it didn't stop there."

Kavei remained silent, listening intently, his fingers tapping against the glass table in rhythmic thought.

"2008," Benio murmured. "Seven-year-olds. Found dead at seven in the morning."

Silence fell over the room. The only sound was the distant honking of a car outside, but none of them acknowledged it.

"Every year," Miyasi muttered, shaking her head slowly, "subtly, they kidnapped children and then dragged back the dead bodies."

Narito scoffed bitterly. "And what's worse? There were hardly any wounds on their bodies." He narrowed his eyes, voice laced with disgust. "Their nutrition levels were actually higher than before they were taken."

Kenma's stomach churned. He felt sick. "What the hell? So he fed them well, kept them alive for months, then killed them?"

Ojiro clenched his jaw. His fingers curled into the fabric of his pants, his knuckles taut. "It's like he was raising them for something."

Narito's gaze darkened. His voice was eerily calm. "You know, sometimes people get these... very disturbing, intrusive thoughts. The kind of thoughts that, when they surrender to them, take them to a place they can't come back from." He glanced at Kavei. "And once they let go of that restraint, they become unstable. They keep surrendering to their worst urges."

Saira shivered. Her nails dug into the fabric of the couch. "It's terrifying to think that people like that actually exist."

Kavei's fingers finally stopped tapping against the glass. "Nothing can stop us from believing it's the same person doing all of this." His voice was quiet but firm.

Ojiro nodded in agreement. "We could have talked to the criminals who were arrested, but they're all dead now."

Saira swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "So right now, based on all the evidence we've found and Kavei's theory... the criminal is kidnapping people based on their eye color, in a specific pattern of age and time."

Kai frowned deeply. "And the timing?"

Sebiki's hands tightened into fists. "It started at the beginning of the year, ten years ago, but now..." He hesitated. "There's no real pattern anymore, is there?"

Kavei leaned back, arms crossed, his face unreadable. "He's behind schedule."

The words sent a ripple of dread through the room.

"He's speeding up the kidnappings," Kavei continued, his voice sharp. "Samantha-nee is a ninth grader like us. So now our job is to identify every ninth-grade boy in Japan with unique eye colors and keep an eye on them."

Saira pressed a hand to her forehead. "Oh my god." Her voice was strained, like the weight of everything they had just pieced together was crushing her. "This is seriously getting too difficult for some mere kids to handle."

Nobody spoke. The truth hung over them, suffocating and inescapable.