The city’s pulse felt different now.

Aiko didn’t know if it was the bookshop’s strange warning, or the cryptic name Kurohana that haunted her thoughts, but as they stepped out into the crowded streets of Tokyo, it was like the air had thickened around her. Every shadow felt alive. Every face seemed like it might belong to someone else — someone watching them.

Sora didn’t say much as they walked, his expression unreadable. His usual confidence had slipped just a fraction, but it wasn’t fear in his eyes. It was... determination.

“We’re not going back, are we?” Aiko asked, breaking the silence.

“No.” Sora’s voice was firm. “We’re going to the source. We need to find Kurohana before they find us.”

Her heart beat faster, but she nodded. “Where do we start?”

“We already have.” He pulled out his notebook again, flipping to the page with the name written in the back of Ren’s book. “Kurohana... It’s not a person. It’s a syndicate, an underground network of influential figures. They’ve been involved in everything from corporate espionage to illegal trade for years.”

Aiko’s mind raced. “Ren was involved with them?”

Sora nodded grimly. “He was. He didn’t just disappear. He was trying to escape them.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Because people like Kurohana don’t just kill. They erase.”

The next morning, they tracked down the last lead they had — Kenta Nakamura, Ren’s former roommate. He lived in a small apartment near the edge of the city, his name just another in a long list of forgotten people.

Kenta opened the door, eyes wide with caution. When he saw Sora, his posture relaxed slightly, though the wariness never left his face.

“You’ve found me, then.” His voice was soft, and he stepped aside to let them in.

The apartment was cramped and filled with stacks of old books, papers, and various oddities. It smelled of incense and stale tea. Aiko and Sora sat at the small kitchen table.

“I don’t know how you two even got my name.” Kenta rubbed his neck. “But I’m not going to lie to you. Ren... he was scared. He didn’t trust anyone at the end. Not even me.”

“Why?” Aiko asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kenta’s face tightened as though the memory pained him.

“Because they were closing in. Kurohana. They had their eyes on him. He tried to get out. Tried to run.” He sighed, looking out the window at the city beyond. “He was obsessed with it. He thought they were going to kill him. But before he could leave… he found something — something that could destroy Kurohana. He said it was in his family’s old home.”

Aiko’s breath caught. “His family’s home? But that place burned down years ago…”

Kenta nodded. “I know. Ren didn’t think it was an accident.”

Hours later, Aiko found herself standing at the edge of an empty lot — the remnants of what used to be Ren’s family home. It was a desolate, ash-streaked place now, the charred foundation barely visible beneath overgrown weeds. The air still smelled faintly of smoke.

Sora was beside her, watching the ruins with a quiet intensity.

“This is it. This is where he came.” Aiko whispered, her eyes scanning the lot, as though Ren’s ghost might still be there, hidden in the dust.

“Let’s see if he left something for us.”

They moved cautiously, as if afraid the very ground might give way beneath their feet. The closer they got to the wreckage, the more Aiko felt like she was on the verge of an important discovery — a piece of the puzzle that had eluded her for so long.

Suddenly, Sora stopped.

“Here.” He crouched near the corner of the property, where a blackened piece of wood stuck out from under the earth. Gently, he pulled it free.

It was a small, leather-bound journal — the kind Ren used to carry. Aiko’s hands shook as she took it, her heart racing.

The journal’s pages were burned at the edges, but the writing was still legible. Her eyes scanned the ink:

They’re closer now. I can feel them watching. I thought I could leave, but I’m wrong. It’s too late. Kurohana has already found me. The only way out now is to destroy them from within. If anyone reads this — I hope you’ll finish what I couldn’t. Please. You must stop them before it’s too late.

Aiko’s breath caught in her throat. “Stop them.” The words echoed like a distant warning.

Sora stood behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“This isn’t over, Aiko.” His voice was low, determined. “We’ve only just begun to understand what Ren was trying to protect you from.”

To be continued in...

Chapter 5: Names Written in Ash

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