Night had fallen when Abe arrived home. His mind was still clouded by his meeting with Takahashi the day before. Since then, he had been trying to uncover the truth, piecing together fragments of a puzzle scattered around him.
But as he opened the door to his house, something felt off.
Silence.
Too silent.
Normally, his mother would greet him with a gentle voice from the kitchen or the sound of footsteps from the living room. But this time—nothing.
Abe swallowed hard, his heartbeat quickening.
"Mom?" he called out, his voice slightly trembling.
No answer.
He stepped deeper into the house. The air was cold, as if something had drained all the warmth from the place. When he reached the kitchen, his eyes widened.
On the floor, a trail of blood led toward the back door.
"…No… This can't be…"
His legs trembled as he approached. With shaky hands, Abe slowly opened the back door, hoping to find something—anything.
But there was only emptiness.
His mother was gone.
Despair
The next day, Abe's steps through the school hallway felt heavy. His breath was ragged, his body exhausted, and deep dark circles shadowed his eyes. He hadn't slept. He wasn't even sure how he had made it to school that morning.
As he neared his classroom, a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.
"Yo, Abe-kun! You look like a corpse!"
Abe turned around. Renji.
But this time, he couldn't hold back.
In an instant, his hand grabbed Renji's collar and yanked him forward.
"You know something, don't you?! Bastard!" he snapped, his eyes filled with rage and desperation.
Renji looked startled. "Oi, oi! Calm down, Abe-kun! I seriously don't know anything!"
Abe stared deep into his eyes, searching for lies. But there were none. Renji's eyes were honest.
Slowly, Abe released him and let out a rough breath.
"…Sorry."
Renji scratched his head awkwardly before flashing a small, nervous smile. "No worries. But seriously, what happened to you?"
Abe didn't answer. He just stared blankly ahead before walking away.
Even if he told Renji—it wouldn't change anything.
A Desperate Search
Days passed.
Day one. No news of his mother.
Day two. Abe questioned people, searching for clues. Nothing.
Day three. He sought help from Takahashi, but even he knew nothing.
Day four. He began losing hope. But in the middle of the night, a thought struck him.
The place where he first met Dr. Murase.
Maybe there was something there.
The next day, Abe sneaked back into the underground laboratory beneath the library, a place he thought Dr. Murase had erased. He pushed open a rusted door and stepped inside.
Silence.
The building was still there, but all documents and equipment had been removed.
"Tch... They already cleaned this place," Abe muttered, frustrated.
But as he walked past a corner of the room, his feet suddenly halted.
A wall.
It was supposed to be solid and sturdy, but when he touched a certain section—
It felt thinner.
His heartbeat quickened. He grabbed an old hammer from a nearby table and struck the wall with all his strength.
CRASH!
A crack formed.
CRASH! CRASH!
The wall crumbled, revealing a staircase leading downward.
Abe swallowed hard.
Without hesitation, he descended the stairs, one step… two steps…
As he reached the final step—
Someone was already waiting for him.
A Fated Encounter
In the dim underground room, Dr. Murase sat calmly.
Beside him, three guards stood tall and firm.
As if he had been expecting Abe to come.
"Ah, Abe-kun. It's nice to see you again."
His voice was pleasant—too pleasant.
But Abe didn't care.
His eyes immediately locked onto something far more terrifying in the room.
A massive meat grinder…
…And a woman tied up nearby.
Abe's heart stopped.
"M-Mom…?"
His mother was bound tightly, her eyes weary, her face pale.
"What have you done to my mother?!" Abe screamed, his voice cracking with panic.
Murase gave a thin smile. "Her? She's just a failed product."
Abe's eyes widened. "What… do you mean?"
Murase leaned back in his chair, completely at ease. "Your mother was once part of the 2-B Class System. But she failed. She ran away. And now she's come back, seeking revenge."
Abe bit his lip so hard it bled. "Then… what are you going to do to her?"
Murase smiled.
"Discipline her."
Abe's blood ran cold.
That word… It was the same as what happened to Yoshida Karin.
"You mean… You're going to…?"
"Just like Yoshida-san, of course."
Suddenly, two guards lifted his mother's body.
"Oi! Stop! What are you doing?!"
Abe tried to rush forward, but two other guards immediately grabbed him, pinning him to the ground.
Then, another guard opened a large box.
And inside—
Yoshida Karin.
Her body was still weak, her face deathly pale.
The other two guards began carrying both his mother and Yoshida toward the meat grinder.
Panic surged through Abe's entire body.
"STOP! NO! PLEASE!!"
But—
SCREGSSHHHHH!!!
The grinding machine roared to life.
Blood.
Flesh.
His mother…
Yoshida…
They were both gone.
Abe stared blankly.
His eyes no longer held emotion.
He didn't cry.
Murase laughed. "Look at you, Subject 666. Your mother just died, but you didn't shed a single tear… Hahahaha! This is a complete success!"
Inside Abe's heart…
Something shattered.
(To be continued…)