Across town, Iyuzi's husband checked his watch. It was past the time she was supposed to arrive at her family's home, so he reached for his phone to give her a routine call just to make sure she had made it safely. The line rang continuously, eventually cutting out to voicemail. He tried again, but there was still no answer. A faint knot of worry began to form; Iyuzi was always diligent about answering her phone or texting back immediately.
Unable to shake the growing unease, he decided to drive over to the Sato residence himself.
When he pulled up to the estate, the oppressive silence hanging over the property immediately made his chest tighten. The front door stood slightly ajar, casting a thin, eerie sliver of light onto the porch. Stepping inside, the dim hallway opened up before him, and his heart dropped.
Right there, crumpled near the entrance floor, lay Iyuzi.
"Iyuzi? Hey, wake up!" he gasped, rushing forward and dropping to his knees beside her. He frantically checked for a pulse, shaking her shoulders, but her hands were cold, and her chest was completely still. The horrifying reality crashed over him—she was gone.
Panic seizing his entire body, he stumbled deeper into the house, calling out for the rest of the family. As he moved from room to room, the sight of the overturned furniture, scattered drawers, and the motionless forms of the other family members turned his shock into absolute terror. The house was a chaotic, silent tomb.
Stumbling back to the hallway, completely broken and overwhelmed, he collapsed beside Iyuzi's body. The weight of the devastation crushed down on him, and the empty walls of the Sato residence echoed with his desperate, suffocating cries as he wept uncontrollably over his wife.
Soon after, the local police arrived at the scene to initiate a full forensic investigation. Iyuzi's husband was in a state of absolute devastation, sitting frozen by her side and refusing to let go of her hand. It took a few neighboring residents, gathering their courage, to gently step in, comfort him, and pull him away from the immediate scene. Clinging to the fading warmth of the room, he wept openly, crying out, "Iyuzi, you can't just leave me like this! What am I supposed to do without you?"
Shortly afterward, the medical emergency teams arrived to transport the bodies for formal anatomical and forensic evaluation. However, midway through the transit protocol, operatives from the Syndicate's covert agency intercepted the transport. Working in absolute coordination with a medical team already on their payroll, they secured the remains to control the forensic blood analysis and eliminate any trace of experimental toxins. Back inside the estate, a secondary sweep by the detectives revealed that the master safe and security lockers had been pried wide open and completely cleaned out. This carefully staged detail immediately led the local authorities to classify the entire incident as a catastrophic, targeted residential robbery.
Miles away in Taiwan , an overwhelming wave of restlessness washed over Naea. Her chest tightened with a profound sense of dread, though strangely, her thoughts drifted entirely toward Akira rather than her own family . Driven by this unshakeable anxiety and a desperate need for answers, she immediately booked an early morning flight back to Japan, determined to land as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, back in her secluded apartment, Akira stood motionless under a steady, cool shower. The water washed away the physical residue of the operation, leaving her features completely blank—showing no sign of remorse, no grief, and no expression at all.
Early next morning, Naea finished her preparations and made ready to depart for Osaka. Cradling baby Naria securely in her arms, she turned to Wei, instructing her to take care of herself and look after the house in their absence. Wei offered them a warm nod and her sincere well-wishes as they set out.
The flight from Taiwan landed in Osaka on schedule. Carrying her bags while keeping a tight, protective hold on Naria, Naea made her way through the bustling terminal toward the baggage claim area. As she stood waiting by the carousel, her gaze inadvertently drifted upward toward one of the airport's large television monitors.
A breaking news banner flashed across the screen.
The anchor reported that late yesterday evening, 5 members of the prominent Sato family had been discovered dead inside their residence. The initial police assessment indicated a severe, targeted robbery, though a comprehensive investigation was still underway.
The words hung in the air. For a fraction of a second, the ambient noise of the airport seemed to completely vanish. The small travel bag Naea was holding slipped from her numb fingers, thudding quietly onto the floor, though she instinctively tightened her grip around the baby. Her eyes welled with tears as her mind struggled, and failed, to process the reality of the broadcast. Trembling violently, she somehow managed to steady her footing while keeping little Naria safe. Forcing her legs to move, she hurried out of the terminal and hailed a taxi straight toward the estate.
During the entire ride, she frantically tried to dial Akira's number over and over, but the line refused to connect. Holding the baby close to her chest, the tears spilled continuously down Naea's cheeks, but she didn't make a sound—weeping in absolute, suffocating silence as the scenery blurred outside the window.
The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the Sato residence, where a massive crowd had already gathered. Onlookers, neighbors, and journalists lined the perimeter, whispering under the heavy morning air. Desperate and blinded by panic, Naea bolted from the cab, tightly clutching baby Naria to her chest. She didn't pause to grab her luggage, nor did she stop to pay the fare; her mind was completely consumed by a singular, frantic need to see her mother and her sisters. Behind her, the taxi driver called out repeatedly, but his voice was drowned out by the roaring static in her head as she pushed through the crowd and hurried straight inside.
Crossing the threshold, she was met with a suffocating silence. Inside, people sat in hushed clusters—some whispering in low, somber tones, while others simply stared blankly at the floor.
Naea's vision blurred, but her eyes locked onto a central altar where five framed photographs stood side by side, framed in funeral black.
Mrs. SatoHer mother, looking gentle and serene.
Iyuzi SatoHer eldest sister, poised and mature.
Natsuki SatoFull of quiet grace.
Saeko Sato Captured in a moment of bright warmth.
Hikari Sato Her youngest sister, frozen mid-laugh with a radiant, innocent smile.
Looking at Hikari's bright smile, Naea's lips began to tremble violently. The tears spilled continuously from her eyes, yet she remained utterly soundless, unable to even draw a proper breath.
Yumi was present among the mourners. The moment she spotted Naea, her heart broke, and she immediately rushed over. "Naea..." she breathed, reaching out.
But Naea was entirely unresponsive to her surroundings; her consciousness was already slipping into a numb, detached void. Without a single word or even a glance toward Yumi, Naea instinctively extended her arms and handed baby Naria over. Realizing the gravity of the moment, Yumi quickly caught the child, cradling Naria securely against her shoulder.
With her arms empty, Naea moved forward like a ghost, her footsteps drawing her inexorably toward the altar. The pristine arrangement made it devastatingly clear—the immediate funeral rites and containment had already been finalized by the handlers. Watching her hollow, mechanical movements, Yumi knew instantly that the fragile strength Naea was trying to project was a complete facade; she was entirely fractured inside.
Yumi instinctively glanced back toward the entrance, half-expecting to see Akira walking in behind her to offer support, but the doorway was entirely empty. No one was coming.
Acting quickly, Yumi passed little Naria to a trusted lady nearby and rushed back to Naea's side. The moment Yumi wrapped her arms around her in a supportive embrace, Naea's legs completely gave out. The sheer weight of the trauma crushed her remaining strength, and she lost consciousness entirely, slumped limply in Yumi's arms.
Panic instantly pierced the somber room. Holding her up, Yumi screamed across the hall, "Yamato! Call the doctor right now! Naea's condition is relapsing!"
"Naea, this time we're definitely going to win!" Iyuzi said, laughing brightly as she pointed toward her side of the room.
"No way, Iyuzi-san! We're the ones taking the trophy today!" Hikari chimed in, leaning into her team's huddle. Her team consisted of herself, Naea, and Mr. Sato. On the opposing side, Iyuzi was backed by Mrs. Sato, Natsuki, and Saeko.
It was a family game night—one of those rare, perfect pockets of time where the outside world completely ceased to exist. Everyone was smiling, their faces illuminated by the warm light of the living room. Even Mr. Sato joined in with a gentle chuckle, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, stop fighting, you two. Let the game decide."
Naea sat back, simply taking it all in, her heart full as she watched the people she loved most laughing together. Then, the entire family paused, turned toward her in unison, and said with affectionate amusement:
"Naea, you're late again."
With a sudden gasp, Naea's eyes flew open. The laughter instantly vanished, swallowed by the oppressive, clinical quiet of the room.
It was just a dream.
The realization hit her like a physical blow, crushing the fragile warmth that had lingered for a split second. There was no game night. There was no laughter. Her parents, her sisters—everyone who had just been smiling at her in that vibrant living room—were gone. She was entirely alone. As the truth settled in, tears spilled continuously from the corners of her eyes, dampening the pillow beneath her head.
She felt utterly hollow and physically exhausted. The prolonged, agonizing tension from her final conversations with Akira, combined with the fact that she hadn't been able to force down a single bite of food, had completely drained her body's reserves. Even lifting her head felt like an impossible battle against gravity.
Summoning what little strength she had left, she slowly began to push herself up from the bed. But just as she shifted her weight, the quiet click of the doorknob echoed through the room, and the door slowly began to swing open.
The door opened wider, and Yumi stepped into the quiet room. She looked exhausted, her eyes carrying the heavy strain of the past hours, but her expression softened the moment she saw Naea sitting up.
"Naea, you're awake," Yumi said softly, walking closer. In her arms, little Naria was fussing, her tiny face flushed from crying. "This baby just won't calm down. Can you tell me what she eats? And please, don't stress yourself out right now—you need to rest. The doctor explicitly said your body is extremely weak."
Yumi set a quiet, protective boundary, stepping closer to the bedside. "Do you want me to bring you something to eat first?"
Naea looked up at Yumi, her voice barely a whisper as she insisted she was fine. Ignoring her own physical exhaustion, she slowly slid her legs out of bed and reached out for Naria. The baby was crying continuously, her tiny hands reaching out blindly, and Naea couldn't bear to let her sit in distress. The moment Naea pulled the little girl into her arms, Naria's frantic cries began to quiet down, settling into small, hitching breaths.
"Is she adopted?" Yumi asked quietly, her eyes tracking the natural, fiercely protective way Naea held the child.
Naea gave a faint, heavy nod. She carried Naria back toward the center of the bed, carefully tucking the blanket around them.
"What's her name?" Yumi asked, her voice dropping to a gentle murmur.
Naea settled Naria into her lap, her fingers softly stroking the baby's hair. "Naria," she whispered.
A sad, wistful smile touched Yumi's lips. "It's a beautiful name, Naea. Really beautiful." She paused for a brief moment, looking toward the empty hallway before looking back. "By the way... where is Akira? Didn't she come with you?"
The mention of the name sent a sharp, cold ache through Naea's chest. She kept her eyes fixed on Naria, her voice completely flat. "I don't know. I don't know anything about her."
Yumi noticed the sudden shift in Naea's demeanor, reading the unspoken tension instantly. She chose not to push. "Look, Naea... I have so much I need to ask you about everything . But right now, Naria needs your time, and you need to recover. We can talk about the rest later. Let me go arrange some food for you first."