C48 The Silent Report

The night outside Kenji and Aiko’s home was still, the faint hum of cicadas weaving through the air. Keiji stood just beyond the wooden gate, his phone pressed to his ear, voice low.

“He came,” Keiji murmured.

On the other end, silence stretched—then Riku’s voice, calm, deliberate.

“How did he look?”

Keiji’s gaze flicked back to the warm glow of the house