That evening, Kin Ouren turned to Shen Seizan with quiet determination in his eyes.
> "Let's go to that village… the day after tomorrow," he said.
Shen blinked in surprise.
But before he could respond, Kin continued,
> "Just call your police station and tell them you have urgent family work that day.
Tell them you won't be able to come in."
Shen let out a soft sigh and shook his head.
> "Alright, fine," he said.
"Let's go see what this Zemura Village really looks like."
But then he added, almost teasingly,
> "You know I don't believe in all this nonsense, right?
Ghosts… curses… black magic… it's all superstition.
I'm only going because you're my best friend, Kin."
Kin looked away for a moment. His voice dropped lower.
> "Please, Shen… just trust me.
I feel like Banja is there. Somewhere in that village.
I want to see him — even just once."
> "Before he died, he told me he would return for me.
That he would come back and find me."
Shen chuckled lightly and ruffled Kin's hair, trying to keep the mood light.
> "Alright, alright," he laughed.
"We'll go to Zemura Village. You can take a couple of days off and rest there.
All this stress will be gone once you breathe some village air."
But Kin didn't smile.
He stayed silent, his eyes distant.
There was a stillness in him — as if a storm was gathering beneath the surface.
He was thinking.
Deeply. Seriously.
And Shen could feel it —
this wasn't just a trip for Kin.
To Be Continued...