Chongzong woke up in a nightmare.

He dreamt of Mizuo being carried away by a man with an unclear face, regardless of Mizuo's struggles. No matter how hard he chased after them, he couldn't catch up, and watched Mizuo slowly disappear into the distance.

Then he woke up in despair and fear.

Dreams are like this, they transform your thoughts and desires into a different form and feed them back to you.

Even if you don't want them to.

Even if you seek temporary peace and rest in sleep.

Unfinished business, unfulfilled wishes, and impending pressures will not leave you alone in your dreams.

Chongzong pushed the sweat-soaked pillow aside, took off his damp shirt and threw it aside, and got out of bed to wipe the sweat off his face and head.

"Whoof..."

Chongzong took a deep breath and expelled the lingering fear from his body.

It was all just a dream.

Chongzong told himself that.

He looked outside the window, it was just getting light, he had probably slept for about three to four hours.

The fatigue in his body hadn't left despite the sleep, the soreness in his joints and muscles bluntly expressed that fatigue was still present.

But Chongzong's mind was strangely alert.

There still wasn't any news about Mizuo's whereabouts.

An eleven-year-old girl, alone in such a big city, had been missing for more than twelve hours after one night.

—I really admire myself for being able to sleep with a conscience.

Chongzong mocked himself while putting on clean clothes, grabbing his phone, keys, and wallet. To avoid disturbing the Uesugi family or being noticed by them, Chongzong jumped out of the second-story window and walked along the eaves to the familiar big tree. He agilely jumped onto a branch and slid down the trunk, leaving the Uesugi residence and embarking on the road to find Mizuo once again.

The chilly morning air helped Chongzong calm down.

He noticed that in the month since Koga Mizo and Watanabe Gengo's deaths, whether it was himself or the others in the Uesugi family, they were all thinking about Mizuo and wanting to help her get her life back on track, but...

But no one had seriously speculated on what Mizuo was thinking, or what Mizuo wanted.

Everyone just imposed their own thoughts on Mizuo.

This way of thinking, this behavior, could not be considered as helping Mizuo.

At best, it could only be said that they were unintentionally doing harm with good intentions.

Realizing this was important, perhaps it could help bridge the gap between Chongzong and Mizuo in the future, breaking the unintentional "distance" that had been created before.

But for now, the most important thing was to find Mizuo.

—Where on earth did Mizuo go...

I've searched everywhere, how can there be not even the slightest clue?

A person, as long as they walk in the city, will always be seen by someone, always leave some traces. It's impossible to be completely invisible like a ghost...

Chongzong walked aimlessly, pondering.

Under what circumstances would someone leave no trace?

How can one leave no trace?

He noticed that he seemed to have found the right way of thinking, and by putting himself in someone else's shoes, he could avoid the blind spots in his previous thinking.

Yes, a person, as long as they walk in the city, will always be seen by someone, will always leave some traces, unless...

Unless, she hadn't moved from the beginning.

On the streets of Kyoto in the early morning, Chongzong dashed forward.