It started with a phone call.
Keon's phone buzzed in his pocket halfway through lunch period. He almost ignored it — until he saw the name.
Uncle Mai.
He quietly excused himself from the library table. No one really noticed, except Nova, who tracked his movement like a hawk. As always.
Keon stepped into an empty stairwell and answered.
"Keon, my beautiful, reliable nephew," came the cheerful voice on the other end. "You're free after school today, right?"
"…I guess?"
"Perfect! I need you to do a teeny little favor. You'll be helping your loving uncle maintain harmony in our respectable trade network."
"Uncle," Keon said flatly, "last time you said that, I almost got hit by a pastry truck and interrogated by a woman with a flamethrower."
"That was a unique week, and I apologized in writing! This is simple. Just deliver a briefcase to a man named Mr. Yureda. Neutral ground. No funny business. I even told Nova not to tail you."
"Wait, what?"
Mai laughed. "You're growing up. I trust you."
Keon stared at the phone like it had personally betrayed him.
"I'm sending you the location," Mai added. "Just hand it off and go. Easy."
The line clicked.
The address popped up: a location near the old shopping district.
After school.
Keon slipped out through the back gate, keeping his hood up. He didn't like sneaking around. But sneaking was better than dragging his friends into things they didn't need to know about.
That was the plan.
Until he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned. "...Fuyu?"
The silver-haired boy raised a brow. "You're awful at being subtle."
Keon froze. "Were you… following me?"
Fuyu crossed his arms. "You left lunch early. Didn't come back. Then ditched through the back gate. Thought maybe you were planning to run off and become a vigilante or something."
"I'm not."
"Then what are you doing?"
Keon hesitated. "Just... something personal. You should head home."
Fuyu narrowed his eyes. "No."
"…What do you mean, no?"
"I'm coming with you. You're not acting normal. That usually means something's about to explode."
Keon groaned.
The old shopping district was half-alive and half-dead. Some storefronts flickered with neon signs and life. Others were boarded up or had security cameras blinking like tired eyes.
Keon found the meeting point: an abandoned pet grooming salon, of all places.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of antiseptic and old fur.
A man waited behind the dusty counter. Tall. Thin. Dressed in black. Wearing sunglasses indoors like it was still cool in 1998.
"You're Mai's nephew?" the man asked.
Keon nodded and carefully placed the briefcase on the counter. "He said to give you this. And that's it."
The man smiled.
Then his gaze drifted behind Keon.
"…And who's your friend?"
Keon turned. Fuyu had stepped inside, arms still folded, eyes sharp.
"This isn't part of your business," Keon said quickly. "He just followed me. I'll handle it."
The man's smile faded.
Two others appeared from the back of the shop.
"Mai didn't say anything about a second party," one of them muttered.
"We can't take risks. Not with outsiders."
Keon's heart dropped.
One of them reached for something under the counter.
"Hey!" Keon stepped forward. "I'm doing this as a favor. You touch him, and I guarantee Mai will know before you even blink."
There was a pause.
Then, slowly, the man behind the counter lowered his hand.
"Tch. Fine. But tell your uncle he's slipping. And next time, he doesn't send kids."
Outside.
The sun had started to set, casting orange light across the cracked pavement.
Fuyu shoved his hands in his pockets. "You want to explain that?"
Keon didn't answer.
"Those weren't normal people," Fuyu continued. "You walked in like you'd done this before. And they looked ready to kill me."
"…I didn't want you involved," Keon finally said. "It's not your problem."
Fuyu stopped walking.
"You're really bad at keeping secrets."
Keon sighed. "It's complicated."
"No," Fuyu said. "It's not. You're involved with something dangerous, and you're pretending it won't catch up to you. But now it's caught me, too."
A gust of wind rustled his coat.
Keon looked at him. "Fuyu…"
"I'm not stupid, Keon. You owe me answers."
Far above them, on a rooftop, Nova crouched in the shadows. Watching.
She muttered into her earpiece.
"He's safe. But Fuyu knows something now."
A pause.
Then she added, cold and precise: "Do I need to erase it?"
Mai's voice came through, casual as always.
"Nah. Let the boy stew. Let's see what kind of friend he really is."