<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Iwamura Medical</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>"This way detectives."<br/><br/>One of the doctors led the pair around the hospital halls, weaving through people and hospital staff alike. They were headed towards one of the private rooms where they were treating the Fujioka Textiles workers. Their strides were filled with a sense of urgency, the air around them tingling with anxiety. Apparently, the doctors were troubled by something and decided to call on the authorities.<br/><br/>"Please, this way." the doctor said after pushing open the door of the private room.<br/><br/>Inside, the three workers who went missing were seen fast asleep. Their vitals were stable and at first glance, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. It was only when the doctor closed the door behind them that the detectives began asking their questions. One of the detectives, a man between his thirties that looked like a hard-boiled cop, browsed through some photos given to him by the doctor earlier.<br/><br/>"Okay doc, give it to us straight." he demanded.<br/><br/>The doctor fixed his glasses and shared looking at the photos with the detective. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, struggling with finding the words to say. "W-well... today when you brought in these workers, there were no signs of physical injuries on them, not a single one. Their vitals are good and after a series of tests, it turned out everything is normal." he informed.<br/><br/>The detective squinted his brows and looked at the photos one by one. "Then... how do you explain these bruises on their backs?" he asked after stopping at a particular photo.<br/><br/>"That's what eludes us detective. When we scrubbed them clean earlier, those bruises were not there, it's not possible for those bruises to be self inflicted either. But what's more baffling is that the bruises resemble characters..." he trailed off and flipped through the photos looking for a specific one. "Here..." he said pointing at a photo of backs of the three workers lined up. "If you line them up correctly, we can form two phrases that makes sense.<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-style: italic">it has begun</span></span>and<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-style: italic">has it begun</span></span>."<br/><br/>The detective looking at the photos pondered for a moment. He cleared his throat after arriving to a conclusion. "Given the circumstance, I would say the correct one is the former. Thank you Doctor Minami, we'll take it from here."<br/><br/>When the doctor left the detectives in the room, the female one approached her partner. "<span style="color: #00BFFF">Kotarou</span>... do you think it's..."<br/><br/>Her partner cut her off and gave her a stern look, an air of melancholy almost tangible around him. "We don't know for sure<span style="color: #00BFFF">Natsuki</span>, but if your hunch is right... whoever or whatever is doing this, there's going to be no stopping it. It will be like when I first got here all over again. As much as I hate to say it, we'll just be the ones in charge of damage control... again." he sighed and turned the photos over to his partner. "It's been a rough day. I'll go get us some coffee, call me when they wake up."<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Shopping District</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>It was amazing how life shifts in this town in an instant. From the mellow parts of Residential Area B, to the lively Shopping District bursting with activity. Somehow, with all the people going on about their lives, Kei felt like he was at home again, like he never left Tokyo.<br/><br/>As he walked the streets of the shopping district, the first thing he noticed was the sheer amount of shops everywhere he looked. Food stalls, novelty shops, boutiques, pharmacies-- you name it, they got it. He could easily tell that there could be close to a thousand people in the area. Amazed, Kei browsed around some of the clothes stores he passed by. He was looking for some swim wear since he forgot to bring his own, and a basketball.<br/><br/>After almost an hour of looking around, he finally found and bought what he needed for a reasonable price. Continuing to walk around the shopping district, only stopping to get a Mochi stick along the way, Kei managed to find himself in front of I-Mart, the largest circular establishment in the district. Curious as to how it was inside, he hurriedly finished his Mochi stick and went inside.<br/><br/>The architect employed an effective layout where it was hard for one to get lost. There were several floors-- seven by his count, an elevator, a circular staircase right in the middle, and connecting walkways from them to the respective floors. All the shops could easily be seen and the lighting was just right for the eyes. There's also a touchscreen interactive directory unit on each floor, just in case someone actually does get lost on such a simple layout.<br/><br/>In the middle of his awestruck daydreaming, Kei was approached by one of the security personnel with a smile on his face. "Are you lost sir? You've been standing here for quite a while." he said. There were friendly security people too! As if the awesomeness of this place isn't enough.<br/><br/>Kei shook his head sideways. "No, I'm just admiring how efficient this layout is and how beautifully this establishment is designed."<br/><br/>The security personnel's smile grew wider after realizing that Kei was a tourist. "It is quite the beauty isn't it? This is the first ever establishment founded here by none other than Takeshi Yukishiro. We strive hard to keep its beauty intact." he said with a sense of pride in his tone.<br/><br/>"Takeshi Yukishiro?! One of the legendary business tycoons?" Kei asked in surprise.<br/><br/>"None other." the man smiled. "It's a shame he's no longer with us today. He had done so much for this town." the man continued, failing to hide a slight expression of sadness.<br/><br/>"Yeah, I read about it in some magazines a while back. He was the reason why Iwamura ended up the way it is now. It truly is a shame." Kei trailed off and looked at the security guy. "Well then, sorry if I disturbed you, I'll be on my way."<br/><br/>"Oh it's nothing. Please, do enjoy your stay. You'll find this place has everything you need." the man smiled once more and waved goodbye.<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Residential Area B</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>It was already night-time with just a little time to spare before dinner when he got back to the Yamada Inn. Still feeling a little energetic, Kei changed to his sports gear and took his newly bought basketball out to the nearby court, just across the Yamada Inn. He was excited about tomorrow's agenda, visit the beach front, that he couldn't sit still. Warming up with light dribble routines, Kei reminisced his basketball days. Feeling himself starting to sweat a little, he then began shadow basketball with an imaginary opponent, the scene he had in his head was that of the inter-high championship between Meisei High and Yamagata High.<br/><br/>That moment will always be clear in his memories. With his team Meisei High down by one point in the last quarter, only eight seconds remaining and ticking away fast, their point guard passed the ball to him after he shook off his defender with a juke. Kei was known as Meisei's ace for his uncanny speed and deadly accurate outside shot. With the ball in hand, he was just about to pull up to take the shot when Yamagata's number one player picked him up defensively. In this moment, Kei stopped and hesitated. He dribbled twice, did a lightning quick cross-over followed by a spin move before pulling up for the fadeaway jump shot. Kei did the motions again on the empty court, took the shot and watched the ball fly and fall in effortlessly, he made it.<br/><br/>However, in that specific moment in his memory, Yamagata's ace telegraphed his moves resulting in his shot getting blocked and with Meisei High losing the championship to Yamagata High by one point. A display of sadness formed in his eyes as he went for the ball.<br/><br/>"Ahh... the bitter taste of defeat..." Kei trailed off and decided to shoot more hoops before retiring for the night. He could only hope he was not disturbing anyone with the sound of his dribbling.<br/><br/><br/>___________<br/><br/><br/>In the darkness of night, a figure clad in the blackest robes observed the town quietly, hovering high above it with an ever watchful eye. All seeing, all hearing, he quietly breathes as the town stirs into the calmness of the night. He took a slow glance around the entirety of Iwamura, admiring the surreal beauty of the night lights. As the clouds loomed ahead and his vision panned around town, he suddenly stopped upon catching glimpse of several unusual people. A man playing ball, a young female student spending evening time with her sister, a young man on his way back home, another man busy attending to the needs of other people, and a familiar lady looking for furniture.<br/><br/>"Well, well... now this is unexpected." he mused, shifting his non-existent footing lower for a closer look.<br/><br/>"In spite of my best efforts to seal off this town from a particular outside influence, you still managed to get them here. Given that miniscule chance that you might succeed, you gambled everything in sending out 'The Call'. Admirable, but futile..." he trailed off.<br/><br/>Amused as he kept his watchful eyes over the individuals, the figure hovered restlessly, almost like a kid that could not contain the excitement he was feeling. With each second that passes, the cloaked figure's assessment of them grew, until he could bear it no longer, the growing disappointment.<br/><br/>"What's this? How is this possible? The Call was meant to bring in saviors! I never once dreamed it would bring in such... raw individuals..." he trailed and looked closer. "I see. While they all do possess the aptitude to bear the gift, none of them has actually seen them yet, let alone do they have any knowledge of it. A shame..."<br/><br/>Disinterest heavy in his eyes, the cloaked figure began to elevate. "To entrust this town's fate in the hands of such people...<span style="color: #00BFFF">Fumihiko</span>, my dear priestess, you have just made a grave mistake. The curtains will once again rise for the overture... and there is nothing you can do to stop it."<br/><br/>The cloaked figure risen above the skies only to disappear beneath the moonlight, his laughter echoing in the vastness of the atmosphere.