I look at the ceiling of my room; it is in its place, not moving, and I am in my place, but I am not really here. My body is here, but my mind is elsewhere. Everyone will disappear 365 days from now. Their lives depend on me. Can I bear this responsibility? Deep in my thoughts, my mother's shouts interrupt me: "Sarutobi, get up! Your father has run away and left us to face this alone." I got up quickly to find my mother collapsing, not knowing what to do after my father took all our savings and left without saying goodbye. I don't know how he could bring himself to leave us. Do we deserve this treatment? We were a happy family—was that only my perception? I hugged my mother, and something within me made me say, "Mom, don't be afraid. We will face any problem together, and I am with you, so don't worry."

She lifted her head, looked at me, and said, "Sarutobi, you have grown up, my sunshine." In a moment, she wiped her tears and forced a smile on her face, saying, "Come on, my son, it's almost time for school. Have breakfast and go, and I'll go to the restaurant." I interrupted her, "Mom, I want to help you in the shop. You won't be able to run it alone. You and Dad struggled with it; let me help you." She gave me a long look and said, "Go, my son, your education is more important, and I am still in good health." I had no choice but to listen to her. Besides, it was in my best interest to go to school to gather my Extermination Team—yes, that's what I called it, aptly named. I had several people in mind for my team, but there were many obstacles. The first one was that I was invisible to them. Only Loki sees me, acknowledges me, and values me, so she would be the first to join the team, and she would handle the rest.

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As I reached the school gate, I was surprised to see that less than half of the students had shown up. It seemed that the announcement had quickly affected everyone, even some teachers didn't show up, and those who did looked extremely frightened. It was strange. I entered and sat in my place. After a while, Loki arrived; I didn't see her usual smile or hear her cheerful greeting. She sat down after giving a barely audible, cold greeting. I looked at the faces of those who were present; they all showed signs of sadness and fear. Will these people really fight by my side? Can I rely on them?

I took a piece of paper and wrote on it, "Loki, I want to see you after class. I have something to tell you." I handed it to her, and she nodded in agreement. The class ended, and it was the worst lesson I had ever attended, as if we were at a funeral. I went to my favorite spot, which Loki knew about—it was a garden behind our school. Here came Loki. She sat beside me. I tried to lighten the mood by saying, "It looks like we're going to be roasted alive, my friend." She looked at me, smiled with difficulty, and then said that her parents had committed suicide yesterday. I was shocked by the news. After saying this, she broke down in tears. "Sarutobi, I have no one left but you. How will we survive, Sarutobi? Tell me, tell me." She kept crying and screaming for a while, and after she calmed down, I told her, "I can save everyone." Her eyes widened, and I sensed her confusion.