The evening rush near Shinjuku Station blurred into motion as trains screeched and crowds hurried along the platforms. Amidst the hustle, a slender figure stepped out of the station gate—Kira Yukimura, dressed elegantly in muted tones, raised her hand and waved.
"Over here!" she called.
Across the crowd, Ryujin waved back, a playful grin lighting up his face. "Yo, Kira! I'm here! So... where does my kanojo want to go today?"
Kira gave him a side-glance, her smile tinted with irritation. "I thought we were here for work. Not your delusions."
Ryujin laughed, brushing a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get moving then."
The two walked side by side through the glowing city streets, chatting idly—though there was always a tension beneath Kira's calm exterior. They stopped outside a modest ramen shop tucked between towering buildings. Nothing about it stood out, but Kira had chosen it with purpose.
Ryujin held the door. "I hope this place is to your liking, my lady."
Kira stepped in without acknowledging his comment. "It's quiet. That's what matters."
They settled into a corner booth, ordered bowls of steaming ramen, and sat with a shared understanding that the realconversation was about to begin.
Kira leaned in, voice low. "So? Got anything on him?"
Ryujin's playful tone vanished. "Not much. Just a name—Kairos. He's a notorious cyber criminal. A digital ghost. Police have tried to trace him, but he's always one step ahead."
Kira frowned. "You work in the cyber crime division, right? Isn't this your field?"
Ryujin sighed, scratching his head. "Yeah, but this guy's in a league of his own. He's slippery as hell."
Kira stirred her ramen absently. "Why is he haunting me like this? It's like he's obsessed, but lately... it feels like he's gone quiet."
Ryujin met her eyes seriously. "Maybe it's the calm before the storm."
Kira flinched. "Don't scare me like that..."
He leaned back. "I'm serious. People like him don't go quiet for no reason."
---
Meanwhile—
A dim room glowed with the blue light of a dozen monitors. Wires coiled like serpents across the floor. In the center, surrounded by flickering screens and blinking code, Kairos worked silently.
His voice echoed in the darkness. "Kira Yukimura… Managing Director of Yukimura Corporation's Tokyo branch.
Always active on weekdays, but disappears every weekend. No trace. Where do you go, Kira?"
He clicked through her schedule, security logs, and surveillance images. His fingers flew over the keyboard like a pianist mid-solo.
"Tch. Always vanishing."
---
Back in the ramen shop, Ryujin lifted his chopsticks. "So, Kira—what do you do on weekends?"
Kira nearly choked on her food. "I-I rest. Just rest."
She couldn't tell him the truth. That she shed her name and face and became Luna, the masked underground idol adored by shadows.
Ryujin smirked. "Must be tough juggling with your company work."
Kira forced a nod. "It is."
Ryujin's expression grew thoughtful again. "There has to be a way to catch him. Kira, do you remember anything about him? From when he first contacted you?"
Kira closed her eyes, diving into memory. The day her laptop screen had glitched and his distorted voice echoed through her room. Then—she gasped.
"There was... a tattoo."
Ryujin's eyes sharpened. "A tattoo?"
"Yes," Kira nodded slowly. "A crescent moon, near his neck. It was dark, but I'm sure I saw it."
Ryujin sat upright. "That's huge. Tattoo artists don't forget faces, especially for something that specific. If we track down the artist, we might track him."
Kira bit her lip. "But how? We don't even know where he's hiding."
Ryujin smirked. "We don't know exactly. But I do know he's somewhere in Tokyo."
"You're sure?" Kira asked, her eyes widening.
"I'm certain. He's close."
Ryujin leaned forward, energized. "If you're free tomorrow, we can check out some shops together."
Kira hesitated. "I can't. I have work tomorrow."
"Figures," Ryujin muttered, finishing his ramen. "Well, I'll start alone."
They paid their bill and exited the shop. As they walked down the sidewalk, Kira turned one way and Ryujin the other, parting ways with a casual wave.
Across the street, a familiar figure stood frozen—Hanae.
She had been walking with Rika and Kaori when she spotted them. Her heart thudded as she saw her sister smiling... laughing. With a man.
"Hanae? Dōshita no? (What's wrong?)" Rika asked.
Kaori glanced around. "Why did you stop?"
Hanae quickly recovered. "I… just remembered I needed a book. Go on ahead, I'll catch up!"
The two friends followed her into a nearby bookstore. But Hanae lingered at the window, peeking through the narrow gap between the shelves. She watched her sister disappear into the crowd, hand brushing through her hair as she walked, the stranger beside her.
She didn't know who he was. But it felt like Kira belonged to a world she couldn't reach.
That night, Hanae sat on her balcony, gazing up at the moon—soft, white, and distant.
"There's only one moon in this world," she whispered, voice barely audible. "And everyone wants it for themselves. But the moon... cannot be shared."
---