Fifty-two days remain until your boyfriend, Kaoru Hoshitani, is taken.
It is another Saturday morning.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the curtains, casting thin streaks of light across the bedroom floor.
A faint breakfast aroma lingers in the air—the scent of eggs fried and toast baked by Kaoru Hoshitani earlier for his girlfriend. Everything feels as it always does, warm and peaceful.
But Kaoru Hoshitani’s heart feels as though it is being scorched over an open flame.
“I’m heading out, Kaoru.”
Aina Saiten stands in the foyer, already dressed in her outfit for going out.
She has been called into work again today for overtime—just like always, the same ‘routine,’ the same ‘urgent matter.’
She turns around to look at her boyfriend, who stands in the living room seeing her off, a hint of apology on her face.
“Sorry I can’t spend time with you again today, Kaoru. I’ll come back early tonight.”
Kaoru Hoshitani stands in the living room, wearing that perfectly practiced smile he has rehearsed countless times.
It is gentle and considerate, without a single flaw.
“It’s okay, Aina. Go to work without worrying. Be careful on your way.”
He steps forward, placing a light kiss on her lips, then watches as she opens the door, walks out, and gently closes it behind her.
That soft click sounds like a verdict being passed.
The moment the door closes, the forced smile on Kaoru Hoshitani’s face collapses like melting snow.
He leans against the wall in the foyer, feeling the cold surface against his back. His legs give out as if all strength has been drained from them, and his body slowly slides down.
In the end, he sits crouched on the foyer floor, back against the cold wall, arms wrapped around his knees, burying his face deep within them.
He does not need to think to know—the blonde woman who was frustrated yesterday will definitely come for him today.
With her personality, after being outmaneuvered like that in the office by Miss Chinatsu Ayase, how could she possibly let it go?
The words she threw at him before leaving—“I don’t believe you’ll never be alone”—echo repeatedly in his mind like a curse.
And now, with him alone at home, just like countless times before, she will threaten him, pressure him, and in the end force him to open that door—then seize him, take him away, and violate him.
‘In the end… I still can’t escape…’
He thinks in despair.
He does not lock the door.
There is no point. That door cannot stop her; she has plenty of ways to make him open it himself.
He does not hide in the bedroom either.
There is no point. She will always find him and drag him out.
In the end, all resistance is meaningless. No matter what he does, he cannot escape her grasp.
So he remains crouched on the foyer floor, waiting for the doorbell that will soon ring like a death knell.
Time passes, second by second.
He does not know how long it has been—maybe five minutes, maybe ten.
Then—
“Ding-dong—”
The doorbell suddenly rings, sharp and piercing in the quiet room, like a needle stabbing directly into his heart.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s body stiffens. He lifts his head and stares at the door, as if he could see through it to the tall blonde woman standing outside with a mocking smile.
At last… she has come.
He slowly stands up, his legs numb from crouching too long, but he ignores it.
Taking a deep breath, a numb calm appears on his face—a calm that has abandoned all resistance, like someone ready to face death.
He walks to the door, reaches out, and grips the handle.
The cold metal presses into his palm. He pauses for a second, then pulls it down firmly.
The door opens.
“Good morning, Mister Hoshitani!”
A bright and cheerful voice, like birdsong in the morning, rings in his ears.
Kaoru Hoshitani freezes.
Standing outside is not the tall blonde woman.
Instead, it is a black-haired young woman in a beige suit. Her long hair falls smoothly over her shoulders, and her face is lit with a radiant smile. Her gray eyes curve into crescent shapes as she looks at him warmly.
Chinatsu Ayase.
Chinatsu Ayase looks at the man before her—his pale face, his empty, broken doe-like eyes, his posture of complete surrender, as if waiting for judgment.
Of course she knows the reason, and precisely because she knows, she finds it a little amusing.
‘Getting up this early was worth it after all.’
‘For a moment, I was worried my sister might get here first… looks like I made it in time.’
“Miss Ayase?”
Kaoru Hoshitani is clearly unprepared for her sudden appearance at his door. He opens his mouth, taking a while before regaining his voice, which comes out hoarse.
“You… why are you—”
Chinatsu Ayase does not answer his question directly.
She blinks, then suddenly grabs his hand. The motion is natural yet urgent, her tone filled with barely contained excitement.
“Mister Hoshitani, hurry and put on your shoes! Let’s go out—then my sister won’t be able to find you!”
“Huh?”
Kaoru Hoshitani cannot process it at once. Go out? Just like that?
“Hurry, hurry!”
Chinatsu Ayase urges him, tugging his hand.
“If you keep hesitating, my sister will be here!”
Affected by her urgency, Kaoru Hoshitani has no time to think and simply does as she says.
He turns, grabs his shoes from the cabinet, and hurriedly puts them on.
He is dressed lightly—a light gray knit sweater and a pair of dark casual pants.
Although it is already early winter, there is a down jacket hanging by the foyer rack. He grabs it and slips it on.
Chinatsu Ayase seems to have already considered the possibility of being seen by neighbors who might recognize him.
She takes out two disposable masks from her bag, hands one to him, and puts the other on herself.
The masks cover most of their faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
“Put your hood up too.”
She pulls up the hood of her coat, covering her smooth black hair.
Kaoru Hoshitani does the same, pulling up the hood of his jacket.
Fully covered, only their eyes remain visible.
Then, Chinatsu Ayase grabs his hand, pushes open the slightly ajar door, and rushes out.
They run through the corridor and down the stairs, their footsteps echoing rapidly in the empty stairwell.
Kaoru Hoshitani is pulled along, hearing only the rushing wind and his pounding heartbeat.
He does not know where they are going or what will happen next. He only knows that the hand holding his is warm and firm.
They rush out of the apartment building into the crisp early winter air. The sunlight is bright, almost blinding.
Without slowing, Chinatsu Ayase pulls him straight toward a black Cadillac parked by the roadside.
They open the door, get in, and shut it—
Thud.
The moment the door closes, it feels as though the entire world has been sealed off outside.
“Whew—ha, that was exciting!”
Chinatsu Ayase grips the steering wheel, breathing lightly. Her cheeks are flushed from running, and her gray eyes sparkle with excitement.
She turns to look at Kaoru Hoshitani in the front passenger seat, unable to hide her smile.
“If we ran into my sister, we’d be done for!”
There is a playful cunning in her grin.
Kaoru Hoshitani is also catching his breath, his cheeks flushed.
Looking at her bright smile, at the undisguised excitement and pride in her eyes, somehow the tension in his chest eases a little.
The corners of his lips lift slightly despite himself.
Even though he still does not fully understand the situation, even though he has no idea what will happen next, at this moment, looking at the girl before him, he feels a faint sense of… relief.
“Miss Ayase, where are we going to—”
“Shh!”
Chinatsu Ayase suddenly lowers her head and places a finger to her lips.
Her movement is abrupt, filled with undeniable urgency.
Then she raises her other hand and gently presses down on the back of his head, signaling him to lower it as well.
Kaoru Hoshitani complies, lowering his head and peering through a gap in the window—
His pupils shrink instantly.
From the direction of the apartment building, a tall figure is walking toward them.
That striking long blonde hair, that athletic figure, that terrifyingly familiar gait—
Rika Kawasaki.
She strides forward, her gray eyes fixed ahead, an unapproachable aura surrounding her.
She clearly does not notice the black Cadillac parked by the roadside. After all, she has rarely seen Chinatsu Ayase drive, so nothing feels familiar to her.
And she would never imagine that the person she is looking for is hiding in a car less than twenty meters away.
Kaoru Hoshitani holds his breath.
He can hear his heartbeat, amplified in the silent car—thump, thump, like a drum.
His palms grow sweaty, his back chills, every muscle in his body tenses to the limit.
At that moment—
His hand is gently grasped by another.
It is warm and soft. Her fingers slip between his, interlocking tightly, firmly holding his cold, trembling hand.
Kaoru Hoshitani turns to look at the girl beside him.
Chinatsu Ayase is looking at him too.
In her gray eyes, there is no fear, no tension—only a calm that brings reassurance.
She curls her lips slightly, her smile carrying a hint of comfort, as if to say:
Do not be afraid. I am here.
Outside the window, Rika Kawasaki walks past the car without slowing.
She heads toward the apartment building, pushes open the glass door, and disappears inside.
From beginning to end, she never once glances at the car.
Only after the figure completely vanishes does Chinatsu Ayase slowly lift her head.
She releases Kaoru Hoshitani’s hand, lets out a soft breath, then turns to him with that bright smile again.
“We’re safe.”
Kaoru Hoshitani looks at her—at the light in her gray eyes, at her slightly flushed face, at the undisguised satisfaction and delight in her smile—
For some reason, his heartbeat quickens once more.