A gust of wind swept over Kaito's body and jolted him awake. He felt disoriented as he sat up and scanned his surroundings. The sky had changed from blue and clear to gray and cloudy, and he could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. It was going to rain soon.

He checked his phone and saw that it was already past five. He had overslept by a lot. He rose to his feet and stretched his tired muscles, while scanning the rooftop for the black cat that had kept him company, but there was no sign of it anywhere. It must have gone off to hunt for food. He wished he could have said goodbye or thanked it for staying with him, but he knew he had no time to waste. He took his schoolbag and descended the stairs.

  

 

Kaito walked down the street, hands in his pockets, taking in the sights and sounds of his hometown. The sky above him growing darker with every passing minute. He was lost in thought, pondered the cleaning duty he was about to do. As he approached the flower shop, the door opened, and a girl stepped out, clutching a bouquet of white lilies.

For a moment, Kaito didn't recognize her. It had been years since they had last seen each other, and she had changed quite a bit. She was wearing a black dress, her hair tied back in a neat bun, and her face was more mature than he remembered.

"Reina?"

Reina heard his greeting, she turned and smiled.

"Kaito-san⁽²⁾," she said. "It's been a long time."

Kaito nodded, feeling a bit awkward. "Yes, it has," he replied. "How have you been?"

Reina shrugged. "Busy, as always," she said. "But I can't complain."

Kaito and Reina were born in the same year, but their lives were very different. Reina attended a prestigious school for the elite, and was a famous prodigy who inherited a massive corporation that operated in various industries, from technology to medicine to food. Kaito met her through his dojo, which was hired by her company to train their security staff. Sometimes, they would chat when she came to fetch her younger sister Rika, who was also a skilled martial artist. Kaito admired their smiles and wondered what became of them after he lost contact with them for five years.

They continued chatting, catching up on old times. Kaito asked her about her family's company, and she told him about her plans to take over one day. He told her about the dojo, and how it had been thriving under his father's guidance. Kaito could sense that there was something different about Reina, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She seemed more mature, more serious, and colder than before.

Then Kaito made his mistake...

"So, have you seen Rika around lately?" he asked casually.

At the mention of her sister's name, Reina's expression changed. She paused for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on Kaito. The air around them seemed to grow tense.

Kaito thought he might have said something wrong. He could see the anger building in Reina's eyes.

"Reina-san, is everything okay?" Kaito asked, concerned.

"Rika," she repeated, her voice low and dangerous. "You're asking about Rika."

Kaito swallowed nervously. He hadn't seen this side of Reina before.

Reina clenched her fist, and Kaito could see she was about to slap him. But he reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist in midair before she could make contact.

At that moment, the door of a black luxury car parked on the side of the road opened, and three men in black suit stepped out, they were Reina’s guards. Kaito could see the confusion on the guard's face as he tried to understand the situation.

Without saying a word, Reina pulled her wrist away and got into the car. She walked away without looking back. The guard got back in the car and started the engine, and they drove off.

Kaito stood there for a moment, watching the car disappear down the street. He couldn't understand what had just happened. He felt a cold breeze on his face and shivered.

**The sky darkened and raindrops began to fall, accompanied by a strong wind. People clutched their umbrellas and coats, trying to keep their balance. It was clear that this was not a normal rain but a storm.**

Kaito still was unaware that his encounter with Reina was the first step in a sinister plot that would soon engulf him.

 

 

The wind howled and the rain poured down on the quiet street. The trees swayed and shook their leaves, and the lake rippled and splashed. It was a gloomy evening.

The door to the old shrine house creaked open, letting in a gust of wind and rain. Three people entered quickly. They are Kaito and his two trainee, Sakura and Boro.

"Thank you for coming with me today," Kaito said as he closed the door behind them. "I really appreciate your help."

The shrine owned by Kaito's family is located near the mountain, not too far from the dojo. Normally, it remains closed to the public, only opening its doors during family events. Initially, Kaito had no intention of asking Sakura and Boro, they approached him, offering their hands. Witnessing their earnestness, Kaito couldn't turn down their offer.

"It's our pleasure, Kaito-kun," Sakura said with a forced smile, her eyes darting around the room. She was the president of Kaito's fan club, but in this environment, her enthusiasm was nowhere to be found.

Boro nodded in agreement, his expression pensive. He was Kaito's kohai⁽²⁾. He had short blond hair and blue eyes that contrasted with his tan skin. He had joined the dojo a year ago and looked up to Kaito as his role model.

"It's our responsibility to help you," Boro said, trying to sound confident. "We'll do whatever we can."

Sakura then lowered her voice and said:

"I'm sorry that Aya-chan and Emi-chan⁽²⁾ couldn't make it, they really want to come too but Aya had to study for her exams tomorrow...and Emi just got sick because of the cold...so it's just me today..."

"It’s okay. Thank you all," Kaito said kindly.

The three of them looked around the shrine house. It was an old building that belonged to Kaito's family for generations. The spacious interior was filled with valuable items and antiques that reflected their history and culture. There were some old training outfits hanging on the walls, along with swords and spears that had been used by their ancestors. There were also some old lanterns that lit up the room with a warm glow.

Kaito smiled as he saw his heritage around him. He felt proud of being part of such a noble lineage.

"This place is amazing," Boro said with awe.

"Let's get started then," Kaito said cheerfully. "We have a lot of work to do."

 

Kaito, Sakura, and Boro started cleaning the shrine house. They dusted off the shelves, swept the floor, and wiped dirty things. As they worked, they chatted about various items in the shrine that catch their attention. Sakura and Boro asked Kaito about their meanings and origins, and complimented him on his family's heritage. Kaito was not able to answer all of their questions but did his best to explain what he knew. He told them that some of the items were antiques that had been passed down for generations.

While cleaning, Sakura noticed a medium-sized wooden black box that stood out from the rest of the items. It looked clean and new compared to the dusty and old objects around it. She wondered what was inside it and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. She called Boro, who was nearby delicately polishing the precious item without damaging it, to help.

"What's this?" Boro asked.

"I don't know." Sakura answered.

"Let me see," Boro said as he carefully examined the box for any clues. He ran his hand over its smooth surface, but there was no discernible opening. He tried using force, but to no avail.

On the side, under the yellow light of the lanterns, Sakura spotted an old symbol. It was a perfectly round circle, divided into two symmetrical halves by a sinuous line. One half was black and the other white, each containing a smaller circle of the opposite color.

"Kaito-kun, do you know what this is?" Sakura shouted to Kaito, who was busy removing the spider webs from the wall with his climbing skills.

He descended from the wall and walked over to Sakura.

"Where did you get that? I've never seen it before." He examined the black wooden box carefully. He had cleaned the shrine many times before, but he had never noticed this box. Who had left it here and when?

He looked closer at the symbol on the box, but it was not his family crest.

"What's inside?" Kaito asked.

"We don't know. The box seems to be jammed. We couldn't open it." Boro said.

"Let me try." Kaito said as he took the box from Boro's hands. He felt a slight click as he lifted the lid, and it opened easily. He was surprised by how light it was.

"Wow, Kaito-senpai⁽²⁾, you're so strong." Boro said with admiration.

"That's why we love you, Kaito-kun." Sakura said with a smile.

Kaito felt a blush rising on his cheeks. He didn't want to disappoint them, but he knew he didn't do anything special to open the box. He decided to change the subject.

"Let's see what's inside."

The three together looked at the content inside with a sense of curiosity and excitement...

 

  

Aaaaaaaaah!

A piercing shriek filled the dojo, followed by a sudden blackness as the lights went out. The sky outside roared with thunder and rain.

Shou, who was instructing his trainees, quickly made his way to the source of the sound. He dodged the other apprentices in the dark with ease.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

He heard her trembling voice reply, "I...I'm sorry sensei⁽²⁾. The thunder scared me."

The girl's face was pale and her hands shook as she spoke. Sensing her fear, he gently touched her shoulder to comfort her.

"It's alright. Breathe deeply."

Without light, the trainees grew more nervous. Once Shou was sure the girl was fine, he climbed to the top of the dojo using his phone's flashlight. He spoke in a composed voice. "Everyone stay calm." He waited for them to quiet down before he continued. "I just looked at the weather forecast. The storm has gotten stronger and caused a power outage in many areas. For your safety, we will stop the training for today."

He heard mixed reactions from his students. Some were relieved, some were disappointed. He was passionate about martial arts too, and he didn't like to interrupt their practice. But he also knew that safety was paramount.

"Please gather your things and move to the door in an orderly fashion." He instructed them.

 

As he was about to leave, he heard footsteps from another door. He turned around and saw Kaito holding a lantern, followed by Sakura and Boro. Other than Kaito, Sakura and Boro looked scared. Shou was about to ask them what had happened, but Kaito spoke first.

"Is everyone okay? We were cleaning the shrine when we saw the lights go out in the hallway. We got worried."

"Everyone is fine. It seems that the storm has caused an outage. I just told everyone to go home." Shou said.

"That's a good call, Shou." Kaito said. Then he looked at Sakura and Boro. They seemed shaken by something. Kaito put his hands on their shoulders, trying to comfort them.

"Sakura and Boro, you two should also hurry home before the storm gets worse." He continued. "Forget what you saw, get some rest, everything will be okay.” He paused for a moment before expressed his gratutude.” And thank you for helping today."

Sakura broke her silence and bowed to him gratefully.

"No, thank you Kaito-kun for allowing me to assist you today."

Followed by Boro, he nodded earnestly.

"Yes, thank you Kaito-senpai for teaching us about the shrine today."

Shou was curious about what they had seen in the shrine that had frightened them so much, but he decided to leave it for another day.

 

 

Kaito bid farewell to his friends and shut the main gate of his traditional Japanese house. The storm was raging outside, but he did not head to his residence. Instead, he walked across the garden, past the pond and the stone lantern, towards the library room of his family’s main house, which was located on the right behind the dojo, where generations of books and memorabilia were stored. As he made his way through the engawa⁽⁴⁾, he could not help but think of what had happened at the shrine earlier...

 

 

 

Note for Chapter 1:

(1): A gi outfit is a type of clothing worn in traditional martial arts, such as karate, judo, and jiu-jitsu,...

(2): "-san, -kun, -chan, -sensei, -senpai, -kohai,..." are Japanese honorific suffixes, that are often used as a way of showing respect, affection, or familiarity towards someone.

** -san is "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Mrs." In English. -kun is used for young men, boys. -chan is used for young children, women, and girls. -sensei is used for teacher. Senpai refers to someone with more experience on the field, whereas kohai refers to someone younger and with less experience.

(3): "Moshi moshi" is a common phrase used when answering the phone in Japan, it means “hello”.

(4): "engawa" is a Japanese architectural feature that is typically a narrow strip of flooring that runs alongside the outer walls of a house or building.