Three days had passed since Rin’s birthday.
The laughter and warmth from that day still echoed faintly in the house — the sound of her shy giggle, the sparkle in Keiko’s smile. The world, for once, felt calm again.
I was still resting at ho, my abdon wrapped neatly under the bandages Keiko had put on every morning before she left for work. It had been a week since the whole Riku incident, but each morning I woke up and realized we were all safe — I felt like I could finally breathe again.
The days felt almost too peaceful. I’d sit by the window with a cup of tea, sunlight pouring through the curtains, listening to the faint hum of traffic outside. The kind of peace that made you almost forget you were ever close to dying.
Of course, that peace didn’t last long.
Because then, my phone started ringing.
The caller ID flashed: Junpei.
“Oh boy…” I muttered, already bracing myself. I picked it up anyway. “Yo.”
“Yo, bro!” ca the loud, obnoxious voice from the other side — as if the man thought my phone had poor signal and needed to shout across the continent.
I chuckled. “You’re loud as ever.”
Junpei snorted. “What? You didn’t miss ?”
“Not really.”
“Good! ’Cause I didn’t miss you either!”
There was a pause, then we both laughed.
Junpei sighed dramatically. “Alright, alright, fine — just for formality’s sake, how’s the recovery, huh? Still kicking? Or limping?”
This guy… even his concern ca with sarcasm.
I rolled my eyes, leaning back on the couch. “Better than working two shifts back-to-back.”
“Ha! Nice. That’s my boy.” Junpei chuckled, clearly amused. He laughed — that loud, contagious laugh that could probably scare pigeons three blocks away.
“Geez, man,” I said, smirking. “You keep laughing like that, your daughter might have a heart attack.”
“Nah,” Junpei said confidently. “She’s got a strong heart. Been used to my big voice since she was born! Kid sleeps through my snoring like a champ.”
I groaned. “I feel bad for your wife, though.”
“She’s used to it too,” he said proudly.
“…That’s not a flex, Junpei.”
He ignored . “Anyway, bro, I’m just glad to hear you’re sounding energetic again. Guess that ans you’re recovering well.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “It’s peaceful again. And… Riku was found guilty.”
“What?!” Junpei’s tone shot up with excitent. “You serious, bro? That’s great news!”
“Yeah,” I replied, smiling faintly. “Feels like a weight’s been lifted. I managed to protect Keiko and Rin this ti.”
Junpei let out a low chuckle. “That’s my guy. A real hero.”
“Don’t make sound cooler than I am. I’m still limping around like an old man.”
“Haha! You always were an old man at heart.”
I sighed, rubbing my temple. “You never change.”
There was a brief pause before I continued, my tone dropping slightly. “But… there’s still sothing bothering .”
Junpei humd curiously. “What’s that?”
“The mysterious body switch case. No progress yet.”
He sounded surprised. “Wait—hold on. The police are investigating that too?”
“Yeah,” I said. “They even caught Riku’s grandmother. She was suspicious as hell. Keiko t her once at the station — said she looked exactly like the woman in the intel photo your guys dug up.”
“No way,” Junpei muttered. “So the old hag’s real, huh?”
“Apparently.”
He sounded almost impressed. “Ha! I told you my intel never misses. My source deserves a raise. Or a hug. Probably both.”
I ignored the part about hugging and continued. “Even after they caught her, though, there’s been no progress. Neither she nor Riku have said anything yet.”
Junpei groaned. “That’s crazy. They’re just stalling, I bet. They won’t keep quiet forever.”
“Yeah…” I said, resting my chin on my palm. “I hope so.”
Then, out of nowhere, Junpei asked, “But bro… if you could switch again — you know, back into that other body — would you?”
That question hit harder than I expected.
I stayed quiet for a mont before answering. “Of course. I already talked about it with Keiko too. I’ve got my reasons.”
Junpei chuckled softly. “Of course, huh? You always do.”
We chatted a little longer, trading dumb jokes and random nonsense — like which of us would survive longer in a zombie apocalypse (for the record, he said , but only because I’d be too stubborn to die).
Eventually, we wrapped it up.
“Anyway, take care, bro,” Junpei said. “And for god’s sake, don’t lift anything heavier than a sandwich.”
“Copy that.”
The call ended with a soft beep. I set the phone down, exhaling deeply. My chest felt lighter sohow. Junpei was an idiot — but a comforting one.
“Man…” I muttered, staring at the ceiling. “Maybe life’s finally normal again.”
I wanted to believe that. I really did.
---
That night, Keiko ca ho looking tired but cheerful. She’d been working overti the past few days, so I’d already prepared the couch for her to relax.
“Welco ho,” I said.
She smiled softly, setting her bag down. “Thanks. Did you eat?”
“Yeah, I reheated the soup you made this morning.”
“Good.” She nodded approvingly before heading to the shower.
By the ti she ca out, her hair still damp, the clock read 9:47 p.m. I was half-asleep on the couch when her phone rang.
“Who’s calling this late?” I asked.
She glanced at the screen and frowned. “The police.”
My drowsiness vanished instantly. “The police?”
“Yeah.” She quickly answered, her tone turning serious. “Hello? Yes, this is Keiko…”
I sat up straight, trying to read her expression. Her face remained calm at first, but as she listened, her brow slowly furrowed.
Her eyes flicked toward for a second — confusion, shock, sothing unreadable.
Then she hung up.
“What happened?” I asked imdiately. “Was it about Riku?”
Keiko’s voice ca out quiet. “They said…” She paused, still processing it. “Riku’s grandmother ended herself.”
I froze. “...She what?”
Keiko swallowed. “They found her dead tonight.”
The words hit like a drop of ice down my spine.
For a mont, all the warmth in the room disappeared.
“She killed herself?” I repeated slowly, disbelief creeping in.
Keiko nodded weakly. “That’s what they said.”
My stomach tightened. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head at once — the strange woman’s eyes, that eerie smile when I first t her.
Sothing about this didn’t sit right.
Suicide? Now? Just when things were calming down?
I looked toward the window. Outside, the winter night was still — no wind, no sound, only the distant hum of the city. Yet for so reason, I felt watched.
“Ryusei?” Keiko called softly, her voice trembling slightly.
I forced a smile, trying to ease her nerves. “It’s okay. Maybe it really was suicide. She was probably just… afraid of what would co next.”
But deep inside, I wasn’t convinced.
Because as I stared at the window’s reflection, I could’ve sworn I saw sothing — just for a second — a faint, fleeting figure of an old woman standing behind .
When I turned around, there was nothing.
Only silence.
Only shadows.
I swallowed hard.
Maybe… peace didn’t last long for people like us.
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