The delightful morning arrived with the chirping of exotic birds in the suburban area of Kurohashi town. It was still early, with dawn barely touched by sunlight. The boy with graphite-black hair, Seito Shouichi, felt something heavy on his forehead.
“What is that?” He opened his eyes and spotted Ayane’s delicate foot resting on him. It looked smaller than expected, considering her tall and slender frame. “It’s super soft, but... what am I thinking?!” Shouichi was conflicted.
“Man, I was a bit drunk last night. Good thing I don’t have a hangover at all. On the contrary, I feel completely refreshed! Is this the magic of the hot spring? Its rehabilitative power is almost divine!” He got lost in his thoughts.
The girls, Ayane and Momo, appeared to be snuggled together like a cute couple. From a quick glance, anyone would have thought they were best friends. Maybe they had already bonded during this trip, but Shouichi couldn’t really tell.
He stumbled out of bed and searched for his smartphone across the spacious VVIP room, trying to be as quiet as possible. He vividly remembered leaving it on the sofa when they were playing the Dare-or-Dare game. Shouichi couldn’t contain his chuckles—it was way too hilarious when he thought about it.
“Found it!” He quickly turned on his phone. It was a common ritual for teenagers to check their phones first thing in the morning, and Shouichi was no exception.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, his phone rang. The name “Akiyama Suzuki” appeared on the screen.
“G~good morning, Akiyama-san,” Shouichi answered quietly, glancing back at the two sleeping beauties on his bed. Seeing them sleep peacefully was too adorable.
“Suzuki would be mad if she knew about this,” he thought. “Wait, why am I even thinking about that? It’s not like she’s my anything.”
“Hello! Shouichi, are you at your house? Where are you?” Suzuki’s voice trembled as she fired off questions in quick succession, implying that something was wrong.
“I’m out of town, at a hotel. What do you~.” Before Shouichi could finish, the female cop interjected, “I think your mum is in danger!”
It was as though the world had stopped turning. The warning in Suzuki’s alarming tone rattled his brain. His mind went blank for a few seconds before he managed to speak. “Yoko-san?! What happened?” His voice shook, and his heart pounded like crazy. His loud and agitated words seemed to wake Ayane.
“Sorry… I saw someone take her. A man,” Suzuki replied seriously.
“Why is she apologising?!” Shouichi thought. “That doesn’t matter right now. I need to know the details!”
“So what exactly happened, Akiyama-san?” he asked quickly.
“I~I saw a man kidnap her five minutes ago. I’m trying to get to her shop, but I fear it’s too late,” Suzuki said, her voice quivering.
“Wait, how could you see someone kidnap my mum when you weren’t even at the shop?” Shouichi asked.
“...I still have the CCTV app on my phone! I’m sorry, Shouichi-kun. I’m trying to find where he took her and...” Suzuki admitted with a shaky voice.
“I’ll head back right now! Let me know if you find anything!”
“Yes! I’m asking the IT guys to track Yoko’s smartphone and check the traffic CCTVs. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I’ll keep trying!” Suzuki brainstormed desperately.
“Thanks for letting me know, Akiyama-san.” Shouichi disconnected the call and quickly turned to brief Ayane.
“I’m coming too!” Ayane insisted, springing up on the bed, still not fully awake.
“No, please stay with Momo and ask Namie to pick you up. I’ll get Shinji to escort me; he’s the driver,” Shouichi hurriedly explained before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
***
“Damn it! Why did this have to happen at the worst time?!” The silver-haired Shinji sped through narrow countryside roads in his van. The vehicle bounced over uneven surfaces.
“I don’t know! But thanks for the ride,” Shouichi replied gratefully. Shinji was a reliable friend who’d never hesitate to help. To be precise, Shinji was his best mate, the kind of friend who’d ride or die with him.
“I suspected it must’ve been someone we know. I checked the CCTV footage; he disguised himself in a black costume, covering his face,” Shouichi shared, his heart still racing.
“What else did you see?” Shinji asked, keeping his eyes on the road. He took a sharp turn, the centrifugal force sending them sideways.
“Umm… He was medium height, thin, and I think he wore glasses. And he drove off in a black van.”
“I think I know who it is…” Shinji murmured, as if having figured it out.
“Kasunagi Nabe!” They said in unison, as though telepathically linked.
“I’ll call Suzuki and let her know right away!” Shouichi fumbled for his phone, his hands trembling.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
To his surprise, his mum’s name appeared on the screen this time.
“Yoko-san! Where are you?!” Shouichi screamed after the call connected.
“Ay! Shou-kun…” It was a man’s voice. His heart sank, followed by the muffled sound of Yoko in the background. Shouichi recognised the voice from their earlier encounter at the shop. The background noise confirmed it was his mum.
“YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO MY MUM?!” Shouichi shouted, his anger boiling over.
“Stop with the whining, kid. Your mum and I are about to have some adult fun,” Nabe replied in a calm, taunting tone.
“YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! I’LL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!”
“Hahaha, hear that? Your son’s not so nice, huh? He’s a bully. Maybe you should teach him better, okay?” Nabe ignored Shouichi’s threat, then turned to speak to Yoko in the background.
“Maybe I’ll teach him a lesson. A lesson he’ll never forget.” Nabe continued to taunt.
“YOU~!” Before Shouichi could retaliate, the call was abruptly disconnected. His eyes were filled with fury, and his body trembled with adrenaline. He had never felt fear like this before. This was the most terrifying moment of his life.
“That bastard’s trying to get under your skin. Don’t fall for it, Shouichi,” Shinji advised, his voice slow and steady as he sped along. At this point, speeding tickets were just another bill for someone as rich as him.
“Right…” Shouichi sniffed, refocusing. He had to find a way to save her — this wasn’t over.
Shouichi quickly contacted Suzuki to update her on Nabe’s involvement in the kidnapping. He brought her up to speed on everything. Suzuki had checked out the shop and tried to track the culprit to his hideout, but without much success. She mentioned that checking the online CCTV from traffic was taking time, as it was still early and not enough people were available to help.
***
When Shinji’s minivan finally reached the urban area, Shinji drove aimlessly, hoping to spot Nabe’s black van.
“This is hopeless!” Shinji grumbled, scratching his silver hair. He was trying to think of a good strategy, but without more information, even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t have solved it.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
A new video clip appeared in Shouichi’s messenger. His face turned pale as he saw the preview. The cover of the clip made his stomach turn. His trembling finger tapped the play button.
“First lesson, Shou-kun. Watch your mum suck my dick! Hahaha.” Nabe’s lower half appeared in the video, but Shouichi’s mum was clearly visible, her black hair a mess, tears streaming down her face, leaving black mascara trails.
“Do it, or I’ll blow your brains out!” Nabe yelled at her, pointing what looked like a handgun to her face.
Yoko started to unzip his pants and stroke his rigid finger, her frail body shaking with fear.
“She knows how to do it! Shou-kun, I bet you didn’t know that, huh? I’m doing you a favour!” Nabe mocked, “Hurry up! Stick out your tongue, damn it!”
“Shouichi! Let me see!” Shinji reached for Shouichi’s phone, but Shouichi recoiled, his face contorting with repulsion. He bared his teeth like an animal.
“It’s not what you think! You trust me, right?” Shinji’s voice was sincere, and his serious gaze brought Shouichi to his senses.
"…I'm sorry…" Shouichi voluntarily handed it to his friend. Time and again, his emotions had pushed him to the edge.
It took about three minutes after Shinji examined the clip. He paused at a specific timeframe and showed it to Shouichi.
"Look at the curtain behind them, Shouichi."
"That's… That's… a radio tower!" Shouichi saw the breeze lift the curtain, revealing a red-and-white radio tower in the distance. It had three discs attached to the structure, with the largest disc facing their direction — directly at this window.
Shinji quickly slammed his foot on the brake pedal, bringing the van to a complete stop. Shouichi, in sync, opened the car door and stood on the seat to search for the radio tower.
"There! Judging by the largest disc, they must be somewhere in the northern part of the town," Shouichi pointed, then slid back into his seat. Shinji nodded, acknowledging the observation.
"Based on the background, I think it's probably a small apartment," Shinji began to analyse.
"Right! The wall looked pretty old, off-white," Shouichi added.
"I remember you said he's an ex-con who just got out, right?" Shinji turned to pick their brains as he drove north, towards the radio tower.
"That's right. He must have rented a place, but with his profile, it's unlikely he'd be able to afford a pricey one."
"Exactly what I thought. That narrows it down. What else do you think?" Shinji pressed.
"Judging from the angle of the tower, I don't think his hideout is on the first floor," Shouichi's brain was firing on all cylinders.
"So, a run-down apartment, low income, 3-4 floors, a black van. Alright! Let's get the bastard!" Shinji gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator, while Shouichi reported their speculations to Suzuki, hoping for police support to speed up the search.
***
After inspecting three buildings, the dazzling duo still hadn't pinpointed the exact location of Kasunagi and Yoko. Shouichi was in a complete panic, drenched in sweat.
Just then, his phone rang. "Shouichi-kun! The last unknown location of the van was at 11th Daidai Street," Suzuki shouted into the phone.
"11th Daidai Street, got it!" Shouichi repeated aloud so Shinji could hear, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"We're at 9th Daidai Street, we can make it, Shouichi!" Shinji made a sharp left turn onto 10th Street, and they were nearly there.
"There! That's the van!" Shouichi pointed out a black van, half-covered by a black sheet, parked in front of a three-story rundown apartment with a shared balcony. Shouichi shared his location with Suzuki before leaping out of the van before it had even come to a full stop.
"Please be right. Please be right. Yoko-san, I'm going to save you!" That's all he could think as he rushed toward the short fence. He jumped over it easily, with Shinji following close behind.
Shouichi ran up the metal stairs, their creaking under his weight. He checked the angle of the tower and matched it with the one in the video clip. From his observation, he deduced that the room must be on the third floor, at the end of the balcony.
"It's the last room, number 304! I think." Shouichi turned to inform Shinji. They arrived at the door, everything completely silent. The only sound was the rapid beating of his heart.
"Wait, Shouichi. This room has a name card on it. It can't be!" Shinji examined the name card attached to the door.
"But room 303 doesn't have a name card. Maybe it's this one," Shinji suggested. He had a point — if Kasunagi was renting, he would have removed the name card to keep his identity hidden.
"Something doesn't add up. I'm pretty sure the angle matches better from room 304," Shouichi carefully inspected the name card holder.
"Shinji, someone tampered with it recently, I'm sure! Look at the dust on the ledge. There was no dust on the door itself. Someone must have swapped the name cards, but they didn't do a very good job of hiding it." Shouichi reasoned. He wasn't going to underestimate Nabe, but he wasn't exactly the smartest criminal.
"Jeez! Let's just break the door for room 304!" Shinji agreed with a nod and prepared to ram the door with brute force. It shouldn't be too hard to break open, as the whole apartment was old, including the door and hinges.
"You trust me, right?" Shouichi asked to confirm.
"Always!" Shinji quickly responded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rusty hinges snapped off, sending the door flying open, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
Nabe, who had been assaulting Shouichi's mother, was startled and immediately grabbed his gun, aiming it at the two attackers. His hand trembled in fear, but his twisted finger still clung to the trigger.
The room was exactly as Shouichi had expected — a rundown, small apartment. A bed at the far end of the room with a dirty curtain, a PC and strange equipment scattered to the left. Shouichi's heart sank as he saw his mother, huddled in the corner, her face horrified. He was too late. She had been violated beyond recognition by the vile scum.
"How the hell did you find me so quickly?" Nabe growled, waving the gun at them. It was a strange model that Shouichi didn't recognise.
"YOU BASTARD!" Shouichi screamed, his fists clenched in rage. He was ready to kill the man with his bare hands, but the gun stopped him.
"Hehehe, I guess there's some magic to it," Nabe sneered, talking to his gun. "How about I continue while you boys watch? Wouldn't that be a great lesson, right? Yoko-chan?" The sickening man grinned, exposing his crooked teeth, and reached for Yoko's arm. It was clear she had already lost her will. She was like a doll — emotionless and expressionless.
"Crap! I can't do anything. Yoko is right there, but I can't reach her…" Shouichi thought, despair creeping in.
"You F*cking Scum!"
Shatter!
Without warning, Shinji moved faster than anyone expected, punching Nabe square in the face. The force was so powerful that it sent the man flying, crashing through the window. His upper half was hanging out, while his lower half, along with his exposed genitals, remained inside the room.
"Such an awful sight!" Shinji commented as he walked to pull Nabe back into the room.
"Hehehe… It's too… late… I live-streamed everything…" Nabe muttered his last words, his consciousness slipping away.
Shouichi quickly rushed to the computer, ending the livestream and disconnecting the camera's wire. After making sure everything was settled, he turned to face his petrified mother. Yoko hadn't spoken a word since. She trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom…" Shouichi reached out to her, but she recoiled instinctively, jerking back as though touched by a live wire. Her eyes widened in fear, and in that moment, it was clear that she was terrified of him.
"Damn it! You two!" Suzuki's voice broke through, echoing from the entrance. The female cop had finally arrived, though once again, it was too late. She swept her gaze over the room, landing on the lifeless body of Nabe, his naked backside exposed. Shinji and Shouichi instinctively stepped aside, allowing her space.
Suzuki checked Nabe's pulse. "He's alive," She confirmed, her voice detached.
"This is Officer Akiyama. Requesting backup. We've located Kasunagi Nabe at…" Suzuki reported on her radio. A buzzing sound followed, and a confirmation came through.
She then turned to speak to the boys. "Please leave the room for now. I can take care of Yamamoto-san," She reassured them with a soft, gentle voice.
"But…" Shouichi began to protest, hating the thought of leaving his mother in such a state.
"Please believe me, she doesn't want you to see her like this. I hope you understand," Suzuki said, her eyes full of sincerity. With a heavy heart, Shouichi gave her a respectful nod. Though it tore him to walk away, he trusted her words as he left his mother in her care.