It was past eight in the evening when Haruna Mizuno finally finished her part-time shift and returned to the tiny internet café cabin she called home. Barely three square meters, the space held no chair or sofa—only a blanket spread neatly on the floor. The low desk sat just right for seated computer use. Aside from the café’s provided computer and lamp, it held Haruna’s personal items: all numerous, yet meticulously sorted and arranged without a trace of clutter.
Haruna settled at the desk, slowly opened her book *Self-Study Guide for Voice Actors*, flipped to a marked page, and read with quiet absorption. Between paragraphs, she followed animation clips on-screen, practicing pronunciation. In these moments, she truly felt the weight and warmth of chasing her dream—the quiet meaning of her life.
Wake early for school. After class, work shifts. Return to the cabin for voice training. Sleep. This was Haruna’s simple rhythm since leaving home. She’d planned to keep this pace until graduation, saving every yen from part-time jobs to leave this city and enroll in a voice actor school elsewhere.
Her dream was pure. Reality, cruel. Yohei Takagi and Tatsuya Inoue shattered it. Knowing tuition was steep, Haruna worked two after-school jobs, ate only bread at noon, relied on her izakaya shift for dinner, and slept in this cheapest of cabins—all to escape this city and reach her dream. Yet Takagi and Inoue suddenly appeared, aiming to steal the very savings she’d scraped together. To them, it was just money. To her, it was everything.
With no other path, Haruna resolved to drop out early, move cities, and work full-time. She might even save faster. Once the weekend ended, she’d submit her withdrawal. Though uncertain if the school would approve without parental consent, a decision brought relief—until Ayumu Kuroki’s face drifted unbidden into her mind, and a faint ache tightened her chest. She’d thought she could leave cleanly. A lie she told herself.
“Ayumu-kun…” she murmured.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
Startled, Haruna froze. Who would knock here?
“Can I help you?” she called, voice carefully neutralized using a voice-acting trick—masking her gender, staying cautious. Living alone as a girl in this place demanded it.
Silence answered. Pressing her ear to the door, she caught muffled voices.
“Sounded like a guy. Wrong cabin?”
“Should be right. Ask again.”
Haruna’s trained ear recognized the second voice instantly: Takagi. The first wasn’t Inoue’s. At least three boys stood outside. Targeting her.
She recalled their fake smiles earlier when she mentioned dropping out—not anger, but smug calm. She’d thought they just didn’t want to lose an easy mark. Now she knew: they’d planned this all along.
“Front desk here,” the stranger’s voice came, strained with forced politeness. “Someone reported a pet in your cabin. Please open up.”
*(They’re hiding their voices too.)*
Haruna’s pulse spiked, but she steadied her breath. “I… I don’t have a pet. You’ve got the wrong cabin.” She deepened her tone further, weaving calm into every syllable, hiding the tremor beneath.
“Open the door. Now.” Impatience sharpened his words. *BAM!* A hard slam against the wood. Her heart leapt into her throat. The lock held—but the front desk had a key. Would they dare ask?
*What do I do? What do I do? What do I do…*
*Call police? Then I’d be sent back to that “home.” All this… for nothing?*
*…Kuroki-kun…*
*If only Ayumu-kun were here!*
Then she remembered his words: *If Takagi or Inoue come after you—email me. Immediately.*
Fingers flying, she typed:
“Kuroki-kun, Cabin 38 at Lavender Internet Cafe. Takagi and Inoue are outside my door. Please hurry—save me!”
*Ayumu-kun… please come.*
In this moment of terror, Ayumu Kuroki was the only one she could trust.
