During science class, Senji was hard-focused on the assignment. He preferred the hands-on portions of the class over the writing portions. Thankfully there seemed to be a good balance so class was never a bore to sit through. The incentive of being granted the privilege to watch an edutainment video on Friday if the majority of class passed Thursday's upcoming test was driving him and everyone else to not fail. From what Senji learned this is a common thing with Ryoichi. Hence why he's so beloved by his students. Once Senji finished he put his pencil down then sat back in his chair. Next to him he could see Kanako reading a light fantasy novel.

"You really do always have your face buried in a book huh?" He murmured quietly next to her.

"Don't judge me. I have like, three more novels after this one to read. And the new book comes out later this year so I need to catch up before release." Kanako muttered back. Her eyes were locked down into the pages of the book.

"I-I'm not. I read manga so I know how it feels to be overwhelmed with how much there is to read."

"Manga? Really? Interesting..."

After class Kanako stopped Senji right outside the classroom door, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside.

"You know I've never actually read manga before. What... Is it like? Just stories told with purely visuals and small amounts of text?" She asked with a genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Uh-huh. Say. Where is the school's library? If you take me there I can show you." Senji proposed.

"Certainly! Follow me if you will."

Kanako lead Senji to the school's own library. Compared to his old school it was actually larger in comparison. A few students were seated alone at one of the many round tables while an old woman sat behind the desk near the door taking a nap by the looks of it. Senji noticed the shelves labeled: 'Manga.' Now he was leading the way over to the section. He browsed the spines to see if he recognized any. The selection was rather small. Instead of a multitude of various series, instead there were entire collections of a few series and several one-off stories. He took one of the singular books, called 'Rise of the Corrupted Empire' and opened it to show Kanako.

"Check this out. It's a single science fiction story detailing this totalitarian empire and it's reign on a crumbling nation. It follows these soldiers who devise a plan with some civilians to overthrow the emperor. It... Doesn't end well. Not all stories have happy endings. But see the beautiful artwork? This author loves minuscule details." Senji explained. Kanako was fascinated and showed it in her expressions as she snatched the book and flipped through the pages. This would not be the first time he's shown someone he knew manga but enjoyed seeing her reaction.

"Oh my. The strokes making up shadows. The expressions on the characters faces displaying raw emotion. The backdrops and gorgeous scenery of a dystopian city. My my this is very interesting. No wonder so many people love these... Senji. Perhaps I may need to check these out. I personally adore fantasy and romance novels so please pick out a few for me you'd recommend." Kanako demanded.

Senji did just as she asked, grabbing three specific one-off stories for her. He joined her as she went to check the manga out before leaving the library.

"Thank you. I will forego making progress of my current novella for now and give these a read. Write me a list of any full-length series I should check out and I'll get to those at some point. Please. I'll be seeing you." Kanako asked as she took off for her next class. Senji did the same.

Senji hadn't taken the time to check out downtown Nakamura yet since moving here. He had only passed through it when Hinaka was driving through on their way to the house upon first arrival. It was a brisk Thursday afternoon and he couldn't find it in himself to turn down Yunaka's invitation to a local cafe. He wasn't even sure why he continued to socialize with her after the way she talked about Ayame. Perhaps deep down he was afraid of angering or disappointing her which may result in hurting his already fragile reputation. While he was contempt with his social circle, he was also paranoid when it came to how others thought of him. Regardless he did accept. He rode his bike past the large park and into the town. From what he knows and has seen, downtown is split between the quiet, spacious series of streets with various small independent businesses and the busier, condensed district lined with tall buildings and plenty of typical city noise.

He approached the cafe he was told about where standing outside was Yunaka alongside Mika. Like him, both were still in uniform meaning they too headed straight into town after school ended. He pulled up and leaned his bike against the small tree placed near the couple sets of tables and chairs. Yunaka and Mika looked over to him and approached.

"Well well look who showed up! Hey hey." Yunaka said.

"Hello." Mika greeted him.

Senji waved, joining them before heading into the cafe. The interior was quaint but colorful despite being an average-looking cafe. The group placed their orders at the counter to the sullen-looking woman then grabbed a seat at one of the tables. Senji noticed on the bulletin board next to the door leading into the back room was a missing person poster showing a girl with long brown hair wearing a school uniform. He suddenly felt a sense of sadness seeing the poster.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Um... Either of you two know that girl on the poster over there?" He asked pointing to said poster.

"Oh you mean Etsuko? I don't but Miko does. Well, did technically." Yunaka said.

Mika lowered her head, nodding. She cupped her hands together on the table, looking back up at Senji.

"She's the owner's daughter. Like the others... Nobody knows what happened to her. Sweet girl. Quite a few guys were into her too. She was the last person reported missing actually-"

"Not true. Hanako was declared missing just the other day remember? She hasn't shown up to school for days now and her father doesn't know where she went from what I was told by her friends." Yunaka added.

"Oh you're right."

"This shit is ridiculous. What the hell is happening around here anyway?"

"I..I don't know. I just hope they're all okay... Wherever they are."

"We should know soon enough. I heard that detective from Sendai arrived yesterday."

Senji's attention was focused the entire time on the conversation. He finally chimed in after being silent;

"Detective? I think I heard him mentioned on the radio the day I got here." He added.

"Oh yeah? Apparently he's quite the hunk. Gruff mid-thirties guy who always has a cigarette in his mouth. Like one of those guys in the shows. The real deal. He's quite famous apparently."

"Did you catch his name?"

"Nope. I'm sure they'll announce his arrival on the news tonight though."

A young lady wearing a black apron came to the table with everyone's food and drinks. She silently bowed and left. The group remained quiet as they dug into their sandwiches and delicious sugary drinks. Senji was savoring every bite. This was the best sandwich he had ever tasted that wasn't made by his mom. Once everyone was done eating they casually sipped on their drinks while chatting.

"Mika don't forget that you're in charge of providing food at the party next weekend." Yunaka stated.

"Oh I know. Believe it or not Senji but I'm actually quite the decent cook."

Senji raised an eyebrow. He was learning more about Yunaka and her friend in particular.

"Really?"

"It's true. Mika is a hell of a chef. Her mom's been teaching her since fourth grade. Whenever me and the crew go to a party or host one, she's always the one making food or bringing it. You can ask literally anybody."

"Aw y-you're too kind Yuna. I do want to open up my own cafe someday. But I'll probably just be inheriting my mom's when she decides to retire and that's okay. I'll be full time there once I graduate."

"Hell yeah girl. You'll be a hell of a master chef in due time."

Despite the rude remarks towards Ayame that Yunaka had made, Senji was noticing that she didn't seem like a bad person. He wondered why she viewed Ayame in such a negative light though. He would have to understand her point of view sometime. For now he was rather enjoying this time with her and Mika. Seeing their close friendship was comforting to him.

Senji decided to stick around town for a little while longer after saying goodbye to Yunaka and Mika. He wandered down the streets eventually coming across a couple of ladies at a fruit stand outside of an abandoned shop. The woman behind the stand was much older then the woman at the stand browsing the fruits on display. As he drew closer he could overhear their conversation;

"-I'm just not sure what we're going to do. Thankfully, that detective is here now. He will be our savior I just know it. He'll find out what's happening." The older woman with gray hair done up in a bun said.

"I sure hope so. A dear friend of mine, her daughter went missing months ago and she still grieves over it. Whenever I visit her for tea I do my best to bring the mood up. She does still smile and laugh but whenever I look into her eyes... All I see is fear and sadness. It breaks my heart." The younger woman with long black hair said.

"I understand. Those poor children. Wherever could they be I wonder..."

Senji felt his heart sink somewhat just hearing what the ladies were saying. He continued onward. He noticed another missing person poster taped to the display window of a bakery. This girl had medium black hair and wore casual clothes. He thinks he's seen enough for today and headed back to the cafe. On his way back having crossed the street, he caught wind of a few conversations random people were having. Two out of the three were related to the missing girls. The town seemed to be thriving and active with people but the uncertainty of the mysterious disappearances really had everybody on edge and worried sick to their stomachs. Senji left to go home, worrying more about the situation since some of his own friends were possibly vulnerable to vanishing as well.

The sky was an ominous shade of red with the sun setting over the horizon. A soft wind blew in the brisk air. Leaning against a black coupe, the man flicked the lighter open to spark a gentle flame, lighting the cigarette. He puffed, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke out of his mouth. The rush of nicotine kept him at ease considering what he would be dealing with. A bit of ash fell from the tip of the cigarette onto his dusty brown dress shirt with a deep red tie. He brushed it off. He took the chained watch out of the left pocket of his black jeans to check the time: '7:52 P.M.'

A police officer rounded the corner of the building. He was a dashing younger man, taking his hat off to comb his freshly-trimmed short black hair. Straight in front of him he noticed the gruff, older man with the black trilby and grizzled five o' clock shadow. He approached him with a welcoming smile on his face.

The man, who's head was titled downwards towards the pavement, slowly raised upwards. His cold brown eyes met the bright blue eyes of the young officer who wore that smile with confidence. The tides were about to change for the dark clouds looming over the heads of every citizen in Nakamura.