My eyes moved around first, scanning the area. I got up and beneath me felt soft—too soft. I turned around, and it was a bed. I brought my hands to my view, though they still shook slightly.

  After some minutes — or maybe seconds — I turned around again and saw a window. My legs dropped to the floor. The ground beneath me was tiled. I had never seen such before. I turned around in the room and saw a big wardrobe, a window, and two doors — I was unsure which led to the main house.

  I also spotted a mirror which was big and towered over me, and then walked slowly towards it, like a baby taking its first steps.

  Soon, I was in front of the mirror. And I still looked the same. However, I had fine scars across my neck, which made me wonder if that thing had killed me, and I embraced life in another dimension.

  After a few seconds, I walked slowly to the door that felt most obvious to be the one leading to the main house.

  If I find people there and the interaction is normal, I will reciprocate. But if I don't find people, or maybe for some reason the people I find behave abnormally... I scream, yell, or ask for help.

  I thought slowly, gulping, sweat trickling down my face. I immediately tightened my grip and walked slowly to the door.

  The door was made of steel, it seemed. And when my hands were pced on the doorknob...

  "Suzaki. Dear. Are you still asleep?"

  ...she called.

  Her voice was sweet. Motherly, even. Which made me wonder where that guy had put me.

  And worst of all, she was calling me like I was her son.

  It triggered the memory of losing my mother. But I held my grip tight around the doorknob. Not. Wanting. To scream or break down in tears.

  And then I opened up.

  "Whoa~" My mouth widened in awe. The view was nothing like I had ever seen. The floor was tiled. The room was cool, as if it were winter. Bright lights were shining everywhere. And I had to climb a few steps before reaching the point where I saw a medium-sized table and chairs all around it.

  When I reached and pced my hand on one of the chairs, she came out of the kitchen on the left.

  She looked at me. She was not my mother. But she was also as sweet as her, to a fraction.

  Her hair was tied in a neat bun, and she had glowing, bright brown eyes. She was of average height. She also wore a cooking apron simir to the one my mother would wear.

  In her hand were two bowls, steam rising from each, and the scent was welcoming. Thinking about it extensively almost made me drool. Almost.

  "There you are, my boy. Come on, sit down. It's time for us to have dinner." A radiant smile spread on her lips.

  Now I was confused. It was all strange now, after I lost my parents and sibling to a very powerful creature that I did not even stand a chance against. And now, suddenly, I have a new family? Was this a trick, or was I dreaming? Or was I somewhere in between? It was hard to tell.

  But from the looks of things, she didn't seem like she wanted to harm me. So I complied without causing a scene and slowly pushed the chair where my hand y backward and took my seat.

  She moved almost immediately, pcing one bowl in front of me. Now, not only was the scent of the food inviting, but also the looks of it. And from what I saw, she served me soup. I had never seen that kind of soup before — not in my childhood, not even up till now, when I did not know where I was.

  I stared at the food a while, unsure whether to eat, or just fabricate an excuse, or pass out.

  "What is the matter, my boy? Do you not like the food?" I was so engrossed in my own thoughts, I forgot she had been staring, waiting for me to approve of the food, or give a compliment if the food was good, better than anything I ever tasted, or just mere acknowledgement.

  "It's not like I don't like the food. It's just a little new to me." My voice came out rougher than I intended, which made her frown a bit. But her smile returned almost immediately.

  "It's okay if you do not like the food. I can prepare something else for you." She said almost immediately. But I noticed the disappointment in her eyes. She was trying to hide it. And so I decided to do the needful.

  "I will eat. Do I have a spoon or something?"

  Immediately, the joy radiating from her increased even more.

  "I'll bring a spoon for you. Just hold on a minute."

  With that, she dashed into the kitchen. And from where I sat, I could hear the rustle of kitchen utensils, like a battleground. It was almost as if she were looking for the right utensil to give me. It was almost as if she wanted to impress me. I couldn't tell.

  "Here you go." She handed me a spoon. And this spoon, however — yes, it was just a spoon, but it had decorations on it. And more than that, it was golden. It had vines etched through it, and something like a dy whose hair was those vines. I stared at it a while, trying to understand why she gave me such a spoon.

  "Is there also something wrong with this spoon?" She asked again, peeking to see what had caught my eye of disgust.

  I stayed silent a while, then dipped the spoon into the soup.

  "It's... It's nothing. I just find the spoon intriguing. That's all."

  Her smile returned.

  "Alright then. If that is the case, feel free to look at it all you like, but also remember — if you do so for too long, your food is going to get cold."

  She ruffled her hands in my hair slightly. Normally, only my father would do that.

  "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen."

  She said, now returning to her normal composure, dusting some debris off her cooking apron and moving towards the kitchen while humming a song I knew nothing about.

  "Mhm." I breathed. Now, it was only me... and the soup.

  ? Somewhere Distant From Suzaki: Kokusui Suidō ?

  Drops of water dropped slowly into the sewage. The noise rippled across the empty underground. Broken pipes and slippery floors were all around the pce. But also, five different human beings — or what remained of them — were also seen.

  In front of their remains stood three men. One wore a bck coat. The other wore a simple bck hoodie. And the st one was putting on a robe.

  "What do you have to say about this?" The one with the bck coat asked, turning to meet the gaze of the one who was putting on a robe.

  He stayed silent for a little while, allowing his eyes to sweep over the remains of the dead bodies before pcing two fingers on his chin.

  "Five more deaths in the past week. The threat levels are rising faster than we can contain." He said simply, his deep voice echoing throughout the empty sewers.

  "And all have been seen to be murdered the same way." The one in the bck hoodie added.

  "We already have a lot on our ptes besides that we can't go around chasing rumors and baseless facts. We need a solid lead, so we don't spiral round in circles." The one in the coat said, almost immediately dismissing the two.

  "Neither can we let more of these deaths continue. We have already recorded more than five deaths this week and more humans to come. The more time we waste, the stronger the sin becomes." The one in the robe shot back.

  "And we can't also follow news and facts that don't hold water, or else it will just be a waste of time and effort. More or less, even our lives and the lives of our students may be on the line." The one in the coat retorted.

  There was a brief silence. None of them came to a solid agreement on whether to track the sin down or focus on the matters already facing them.

  "It seems neither of us is going to bring up a good solution to this. So, how about we go with my own solution? I propose we split into two teams."

  The one in the hoodie hushed the two of them immediately when they wanted to protest and shut him up.

  "Keep quiet and listen. One half of the team will hunt down the sin and restrain it, while the other half will deal with academy issues and matters. It would be risky for all of us to party against only one Problem, or else, if it backfires on us, and I am pretty sure none of us would want to face the consequences."