The train finally pulled into its last stop, and this time, Timeo and Leo managed to step off without any passengers blocking their path.
Just a few meters from the underground stairwell, the station opened up to a wide promenade. Ascending the steps, they were greeted by a striking sight.
The promenade stretched out before them, lined with sleek glass railings and shaded by rows of vibrant trees. In the distance, the skyline of Aobashi towered against the horizon, its skyscrapers gleaming beneath the warm glow of the late afternoon sun.
"That's Aobashi, isn't it?" Timeo murmured, turning on his phone now that he had a signal again.
"Yeah, man. Shit's beautiful for a place nobody talks about," Leo said with a low whistle. "Swear to God, this kinda crap should be written up in the damn tourist books or somethin'. I always wanted to check it out when I had the damn time. But, nah, today ain't the fuckin' day. We gotta catch the bus, or we're screwed six ways to Sunday."
Timeo adjusted the strap of his duffel bag and glanced down at his navigation app, reading a brief description of the Aobashi Promenade.
"You know where the bus station is?" he asked, his tone calm but firm. "We need to move. If we miss it, this whole detour will be pointless."
Leo gave a rough nod, his scowl softening slightly as he cast one last glance at the skyline.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, man. Let's get our asses in gear."
They hurried down the promenade, determined to find the bus station. But despite their efforts, it quickly became clear something was wrong. The station Leo swore he knew seemed to have vanished, leaving them wandering aimlessly.
"What the fuck, man?!" Leo snapped, glaring down the alleyway where he insisted the station had been. "Swear to God, it was right here! I took the goddamn bus from this spot last time! This is some serious bullshit! We're just gettin' tossed around like a buncha goddamn idiots!"
Frustration twisted across his face, even worse than back at the train station.
Timeo exhaled through his nose, ready to suggest they retrace their steps — when a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the glimpse of a shadow moving just beyond the streetlight's reach.
Before he could react, the figure vanished — and then, everything went black.
A sharp impact knocked him to the ground. For a moment, all he could hear was silence, his body heavy and unresponsive.
A voice echoed in his ears, cutting through the void.
"Hey, dude! Are you good? Wake the hell up! We're stuck!"
Timeo's eyes fluttered open to a blurry, dimly lit room. Iron bars filled his vision.
Across from him, Leo was already on his feet, rattling the cell door and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"C'mon! What's with today?! I'm fuckin' losin' it here! Hey! Anybody out there?! Get us the hell outta here, goddammit!"
The first thing Timeo did was adjust his glasses, wincing slightly. The lenses were cracked from the fall, but luckily, none of the shattered pieces had cut his face. Small blessings, he thought grimly.
Meanwhile, Leo was still pacing like a caged animal, rattling the cell bars in frustration. For once, Timeo had his hands out of his pockets, scanning the room with quiet focus.
"Where are we? Some kind of prison cell?" he muttered, taking in the cramped, empty space around them.
"Goddammit! I can't get this fuckin' door open!" Leo barked, shaking the bars hard enough that they groaned against the hinges.
"Calm down," Timeo said evenly. "Do you have a key?"
Leo shot him a look like he'd just grown a second head. "C'mon, man. You serious right now? Do I look like I got a key? Obviously not," he grumbled, raking a hand through his messy hair before dropping onto the hard wooden bench with a heavy sigh. "This day's just gettin' worse by the fuckin' minute."
Timeo crouched down, inspecting a basket tucked under the bench — empty. No tools, no weapons, no help.
He thought back carefully, trying to piece it together, but all he could remember was that brief glimpse of a shadow in the alleyway.
"You remember anything?" he asked, his voice low.
Leo shook his head, scowling. "Nah. Just got clocked upside the fuckin' head, and now we're here. What a goddamn joke. I'm seriously losin' my mind, man."
Timeo barely acknowledged the outburst. He was already examining every corner of the cell, every seam in the wall, every rusted bolt. Nothing.
He pressed a finger to his lips in thought, his mind already turning.
"I could make a lockpick," he murmured. "But... I don't have the materials. So that's out."
Timeo fished his phone out of his pocket, blinking in surprise to find it still on him.
"Guess no one bothered taking it," he muttered. Checking the screen, he frowned. "It's got a signal... so we're not too deep underground. But the battery's hanging by a thread. I can't even send a message."
With a sigh, he slipped it back into his pocket and leaned against the grimy, cold wall, arms crossed loosely over his chest.
Leo, still restless, shot him a glare. "So what now, dude? We just sit on our asses and wait for school to chew us out? The fuck do they even want from us, throwin' us in some busted-ass cell?"
He threw a half-hearted punch at the wall, just enough to let out some of his frustration without busting his knuckles open.
Eventually, Timeo and Leo picked up on the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor, steadily approaching their cell. Hearing them, Leo straightened up, stepping forward to stand alongside his current ally.
"The hell is that?" Leo muttered under his breath.
Coming into view were several figures dressed in sharp, distinctive uniforms, with one man leading the group. He stood out immediately—black hair, a sleek black mask completely covering his face, and an elegant, almost military-style outfit.
The group stopped right outside their cell. With the leader's face hidden behind the mask, neither Timeo nor Leo could make out who—or what—he might be.
"Good day," the masked man greeted in a low, distorted voice. The guards flanking him, unlike their leader, had normal, visible faces and carried long spears at their sides.
Leo blinked hard and leaned closer to Timeo, muttering, "The fuck, dude... am I trippin', or are you seein' this too?"
Timeo gave a subtle nod—he definitely saw it too.
The masked man casually adjusted his tie before speaking again, his tone eerily calm and composed, the complete opposite of Leo's rough edge.
"You do realize you're trespassing, don't you?" he said. "Aobashi's under our watch. Strangers snooping around where they shouldn't be... tends to trigger alarms."
He paused, glancing more pointedly at Leo. "Although, you... blondie... you look oddly familiar. Can't quite put my finger on it."
Leo slammed both hands against the bars, glaring furiously at the man.
"You're the asshole who locked us in here?! What the actual fuck, man?! We ain't goddamn criminals! Let us the hell out, whoever the fuck you are!"
"I'm afraid letting troublemakers like you out of this cell isn't an option," the masked man said smoothly. "However, I came here with the intention of having a civil conversation. First, I'd like to know—why are you here? This area is strictly off-limits. Wandering these parts is asking for serious trouble. And judging by your appearance, you look like your average high schoolers... Perhaps you're out looking for more than just a little mischief?"
Despite the situation, the man remained unnervingly composed—far too calm for someone who had just locked up two students without so much as a warning.
Timeo stepped forward, deciding it was best to keep things measured before Leo could escalate it. Speaking politely but clearly, he answered,
"We took a wrong turn. We were supposed to get off at Aokusa Station, but the train was too crowded. There was no way to signal the driver, and we missed our stop."
He kept his voice even, doing his best to defuse the tension before things spiraled any further.
The masked man paused for a long moment after Timeo's explanation, folding his hands neatly behind his back. His masked face betrayed no emotion, but his voice carried the weight of someone who had heard far too many lies before.
"I see," he said slowly, almost thoughtfully. "An unfortunate circumstance, then. But unfortunate circumstances often lead to even more unfortunate outcomes."
Leo scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Tch... You're talkin' like we planned to end up in your damn backyard. Get real."
The guards beside the masked man tightened their grips on their spears, but a slight gesture from their leader kept them from reacting further.
He turned his attention back to Timeo, clearly choosing to ignore Leo's outburst.
"Tell me," he continued in that same even tone, "if you merely missed your stop, why stray so far from the public routes? Why hide yourselves in alleyways where only the unwanted roam? Tourists or lost commuters would have remained in open spaces, where assistance is readily available. You chose the shadows."
Timeo adjusted his broken glasses slightly, feeling the cracks in the lens press awkwardly against his skin. His mind worked quickly—he understood now that this man wasn't looking for facts. He was looking for signs of guilt, weakness, fear.
"We weren't hiding," Timeo said plainly. "We were looking for a bus station to get back to Aokusa. The alley... it was just supposed to be a shortcut. We didn't know it was restricted. You can check the route yourself if you want. It wasn't our intention to cause trouble."
The masked man tilted his head slightly, studying Timeo like a chess player considering his next move. "Intentions," he mused. "Intentions mean little when the outcome is the same."
Leo clenched his fists, but Timeo shot him a brief, sidelong glance—stay cool.
"Listen, man," Leo muttered through gritted teeth, trying to hold back, "we didn't ask to get knocked the hell out and tossed in some cell like fuckin' animals. We just wanna get to school, alright?"
Silence fell between them for a moment. The masked man remained eerily still, weighing their words.
Finally, he spoke, his voice dipping slightly lower.
"There are many forces at play in Aobashi, forces far more dangerous than two lost boys. But... even accidents can attract the wrong eyes."
He stepped closer to the bars, lowering his voice into something almost like a warning.
"You're lucky you ran into me first. Others wouldn't have bothered asking questions."
A chill crawled up Leo's spine, but Timeo held his ground, refusing to show fear. Instead, he asked carefully,
"Then what happens next? Are you going to keep us here? Hand us over to someone worse?"
The masked man seemed almost amused at the question. "That depends," he said. "On whether you continue to be a problem... or whether you prove yourselves useful."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Useful? What the hell are you talkin' about?"
The masked man leaned in just slightly, enough that even through the mask, they could feel the weight of his stare.
"You stumbled into a world you're not ready for. Normally, you'd be removed quietly. Forgotten." He let that sink in before adding, "But... I have a certain interest in seeing whether you can adapt instead. Survive. Learn."
"You want us to work for you?" Leo spat, his voice rising.
"I want you to understand," the man said calmly, "that nothing here is free. If you wish to leave... unharmed, unnoticed, perhaps even with a few favors owed to you... you must prove you are not burdens."
Timeo's mind raced. This wasn't just about punishment—it was a test. A recruitment? Or maybe a manipulation.
Either way, they had little choice.
He exhaled slowly. "And if we refuse?"
The masked man's voice dropped into something chilling. "Then the world forgets you. As simple as that."
Leo opened his mouth to yell something, but Timeo grabbed his arm—not roughly, but enough to send a message. Think.
After a tense pause, Timeo spoke up.
"Alright," he said evenly. "We'll listen. What do you want us to do?"
A small chuckle escaped the masked man, low and mechanical through the filter of his mask.
"Smart choice," he said, stepping back. "We have much to discuss. Welcome... to Aobashi's hidden side."
He snapped his fingers. One of the guards moved forward, unlocking the cell with a long, metallic key.
"But make no mistake," the masked man said as the door creaked open.
"You are not free. Not yet."
To be continued...