The monsters' headquarters did not sleep even at night.

Blue lights flickered faintly throughout the hallways, and the low laughter and heavy footsteps of monsters could be heard incessantly from beyond the walls.

Akito moved forward slowly, hiding himself in the darkness. The purpose of this infiltration was singular: to find and destroy the control device in the deepest part of the headquarters. If he were caught, it would be the end. Akito held his breath and turned the corner. And at that moment, his footsteps stopped.

A wide space at the end of the hallway. A person was sitting there. It was Toya. Akito's eyes widened. For a moment, it felt as if all the surrounding sounds had drifted away.

It had been years. He was someone Akito thought was dead. Someone he thought he would never see again. But Toya was alive.

However, he looked so different from the image Akito remembered.

Toya's neck was fitted with a restraint device that monsters used to manage humans. And several monsters were standing around him. One monster placed its hand on Toya's head as if it were nothing.

It slowly stroked his hair. As if handling a pet. Toya did not offer any resistance. He just stayed still, his head slightly lowered as if he were used to it.

The moment he saw that, the blood drained from Akito's face. His eyes grew impossibly large, and the weapon he held in his hand trembled minutely.

...Toya.

The person he loved. The person who laughed with him and talked about the future together. Now, he was being stroked by monsters as if it were nothing. And right in front of his eyes.

Akito's hand slowly curled into a fist. He wanted to rush out right now and take Toya away. He wanted to strike away the hands of those monsters immediately.

But he couldn't move. If he revealed himself here, even Toya would be in danger. Akito bit his lip hard.

...Just wait a little longer.