The night was cold and silent, the kind of silence that made the whole city feel empty. In a narrow dark alley, far away from the main road, the only sound was the echo of fists hitting skin.
A man in a black hoodie stood in the center of the alley, breathing slowly, almost calm. Three thugs surrounded him, holding metal rods. One of them rushed forward with a shout.
[DUCK, BITCH.]
Kenji dropped his head instantly, and the rod swung past him. He stepped in and punched the thug in the stomach. The man fell down on his knees with a loud groan.
Another thug tried to grab Kenji from behind.
[LEFT. IDIOT, LEFT!]
Kenji moved aside and hit the man's jaw with his elbow. The thug spun and crashed into the wall.
The third thug backed away, scared, but Kenji didn't let him run. He grabbed the man's collar and slammed him on the ground. The thug stopped moving after that.
Kenji pulled his hoodie lower, hiding most of his face, as more footsteps echoed from deeper in the alley. Five more thugs appeared, shouting, running straight at him.
Kenji didn't speak. He just cracked his fingers.
One tried to swing a bat at his head.
[HIGH KICK. COME ON, YOU KNOW THIS.]
Kenji lifted his leg and kicked the bat away. It flew out of the thug's hand. He followed it with a clean punch to the guy's cheek, sending him crashing into his friends.
Someone grabbed Kenji's arm from the side, but Kenji twisted his body and threw the man to the ground. Another came with a knife.
[MOVE BACK. NOW. YOU WANT A FREE STAB OR WHAT?]
Kenji stepped back just as the blade cut through the air. Then he grabbed the attacker's wrist and hit him in the chest. The man fell on his back, gasping for air.
Two more tried to attack together, but Kenji's body moved before he even thought. Almost like instinct. Almost like the voice inside him wasn't just a voice anymore.
The alley soon filled with groans and broken metal rods. The thugs lay all over the ground, defeated.
But more voices came from the street.
"THERE HE IS! GET HIM!"
Kenji didn't wait. He turned and sprinted out of the alley. His hoodie danced behind him as he ran through the empty streets. The thugs tried to chase him, but after a few turns, they finally gave up.
"Damn it… we lost him!"
Kenji kept running until he reached an old silent park. Only a few streetlights were working. He sat on a bench, pulling down his hood.
His breath calmed a little.
"How many today?" he asked softly.
[FIFTEEN. FIVE MORE THAN LAST WEEK. GOOD JOB, YOU LITTLE PSYCHO.]
Kenji leaned back, staring at the sky. For the past weeks, he had been roaming the city every night, searching for thugs to beat up.
Kenji stayed on the bench for a long time, breathing slowly as the night wind touched his face. His heart was still beating fast from the chase, but his mind was somewhere else.
The last few weeks had been strange… different from what he expected.
Emi had finally returned to the office a few days ago. For weeks Kenji thought it was because of Ryo and Shinji. Because he beat them too hard. Because he changed the timeline too early. But then he heard the truth.
Her mother had been sick. Very sick. Emi had been staying at home to take care of her.
So it wasn't only because of his actions. Not fully. That thought gave him a little bit of relief… but only a little. He still felt like his hands had messed up too many things already.
And then there was Keiko… his stepmother.
In his past life, she left him. Disappeared from his life as if he didn't matter. But in this timeline, for some unknown reason, she didn't leave. She stayed. She was still there, acting normal, talking to him sometimes, asking if he was eating well. As if nothing had changed.
Kenji didn't trust it. Not even one percent.
He felt something strange in his stomach whenever he thought about her. A suspicion. A warning. But he didn't do anything yet. He didn't know what to do. And honestly… he was too tired to think.
The office had been peaceful too. Almost boring. Everyone was working calmly, no drama, no fights, no weird events. Even Aoi and the others didn't make trouble. Everything looked clean and normal.
Kenji hated it.
Peace made him feel empty. Quiet made him think too much. So he spent his nights fighting thugs and punching walls instead of sleeping. It made his head clearer. It made Kenji2 louder.
And the only thing that truly annoyed him in the office…
The only thing that made his blood boil a little…
Haruto.
Haruto kept clinging to Emi every single day.Laughing with her. Walking with her. Acting like he owned her attention. Emi didn't seem bothered by it. She talked with Haruto normally, smiled at him sometimes.
Kenji felt something sharp in his chest whenever he saw that.
He tried to ignore it. Tried to look away. But he couldn't.
[HAHAHA LOOK AT YOU. JEALOUS MUCH, BITCH?]
Kenji didn't answer the voice.
The streetlights buzzed softly. The night felt heavier.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting everything settle inside him. The fight, the office, Emi, Haruto, Keiko… all of it tangled in his thoughts.
His story was moving again. But not in a direction he fully understood.