— Ryo Pov —
Everything felt heavy.
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a white ceiling… too bright, too quiet. My chest tightened and a cold wave rushed through me as memories slammed back into my head.
Kaiya… the man… that horrible grin… and-
My right arm throbbed. I squeezed it and felt bandages instead of skin.
"Ryo!"
Dad's voice cut through everything. I sat up quickly, but my breathing wouldn't steady. I was trembling before he even reached me.
Dad rushed in from the hallway, his two exoskeleton arms gripping little Ren safe against his chest. Ren was half-asleep, head resting on Dad's shoulder, but when he saw me awake, he lifted his tiny hands.
"Bwother… bwother hurt?" Ren blinked at me with big worried eyes.
"I-I'm okay," I tried to smile. I wanted to look strong in front of my brother because Ren always cried when I cried. "See? I'm fine."
But my voice broke. And when I thought about Kaiya… about him being dragged away… something inside me just cracked.
A tear fell. Then another.
"Bwother?" Ren reached out and touched my cheek, confused and scared. "No cry… no cry…"
I bit my lip hard. I didn't want him to see me like this. I didn't want to make him cry. But the image of Kaiya reaching out… disappearing… it wouldn't leave me.
Dad suddenly dropped to his knees and wrapped both his arms around us with his hard exoskeleton plates clicking lightly as he pulled us close.
"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I should've protected you both... I should've been there!"
"Dad… it's not your fault…" I whispered. But he held on tighter, like letting go would break him.
The room fell silent except for our quiet breaths and Ren's soft sniffles.
And in that silence… all I could think was one thing:
Kaiya… where are you?
— Naomasa Tsukauchi Pov —
Outside the hospital entrance, a tall man in a beige coat stepped through the doors with a tired expression.
Detective Tsukauchi was exhausted.
'Fifth case in two months… and no closer to catching them.'
'If the pattern continues, more children will disappear.'
He rubbed his temples. He hated these cases—hated seeing families torn apart. And today might not be any different… but he had to try.
He walked to the front desk.
"Excuse me. May I speak with one of the victims? The boy named Ryo Aotsuki," he asked calmly.
The nurse nodded and directed him to the recovery wing.
As he reached the hallway, he spotted Aoto stepping out of the room, holding little Ren in one arm. The father looked drained, eyes red from crying.
"Sir," Tsukauchi approached gently, "I'm Detective Tsukauchi. Are you Ryo's father?"
Aoto nodded stiffly. "Yes… but please… he just fell asleep. Let him rest for now. He's… he's been through too much."
The detective looked at the sleeping toddler in Aoto's arm, then at the father's trembling eyes.
He sighed.
"I understand. I'll wait until he wakes up."
— ~~ — ~~ — ~~ — ~~ — ~~ — ~~ — ~~ — ~~
Tsukauchi pulled a chair beside the bed.
"Ryo," he said softly, "I need you to tell me everything you remember. Anything can help."
Ryo hesitated, but slowly explained:
The playground.
Kaiya Running.
The strange man watching them.
The sudden attack.
The man examining their quirk like a prize.
And one detail that made the detective's chest tighten.
"He seems too interested in our quirks"
Tsukauchi's mind raced.
'So it's confirmed… he's targeting children for their quirks.'
'How many more families have to suffer.'
When the questioning ended, Ryo lay back down, drained. He hadn't stopped shaking since he mentioned Kaiya.
Tsukauchi quietly stepped out of the room.
— Tsukauchi —
'In the end, I couldn't gather enough clues.
The kid said the attacker was checking their quirks… just like the others.
Tch. This group is getting bolder.'
I pulled out my phone.
"There's no time to waste," I muttered.
We can't let this happen again.
—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~
Name: Aoto Takatsuki
Relationship: Single dad
Quirk: mutation arms that have an exoskeleton like an ant