That evening, the meeting was held in the locked room.
Mitsuru unlocked the door on the fourth floor. She called it the command room. Inside was a big console with a big screen, and tables and chairs. They sat around the table.
Ken looked around. It seemed like there were only four people in this dorm. The Chairman shifted through the papers, most likely Ken's files. Mitsuru was calm, unlike Akihiko who fidgeted in his seat and gave Ken a weird look from time to time.
Ikutsuki smiled at them. "You must be wondering why we invited you to live in this dorm."
"Because I'm an orphan with no home to return to." Ken frowned. "Nevermind. It's because my story is the most interesting in the report, right?"
"Indeed," Ikutsuki said. "Even though a walking statue and the tale of demons are intriguing, a sky turning green is far more interesting..." Ikutsuki had that smirk again. "... and real, isn't it?"
"You… know that too, huh." There was someone else. Ken was not crazy. It was real. "It actually happens, right?"
"The interesting part is that it depends on the observer." Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses. "It is hidden from the whole world, so it could be the same as not existing."
"Don't be cryptic with me," Ken snapped.
"Don't be rude," Akihiko whispered. Ken didn't get it until he noticed a cold look from the redhead. This guy saved him from something much worse.
"Impatient, aren't you?" Ikutsuki chuckled. "Let's start with this question. Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than twenty-four hours?"
Ken thought for a moment. "Time stops moving when the sky is green?"
"It's an added time where we shouldn't exist," Akihiko said. "Even clocks don't get it. It's not meant to be for us humans."
Ken nodded. It was the time for those monsters to roam around. He never noticed the clock when it was green, but he could imagine. Did the Earth stop rotating? It would be like another dimension.
"You've seen it firsthand," Mitsuru said. "The street lights went out. Nothing was working. There were coffins everywhere… These are the signs that you are experiencing the Dark Hour, a time period hidden between one day and the next."
"People aren't aware of it," Ikutsuki said. "But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every night to come."
Ken had something to ask. "The coffins are people, right? And people are not aware in this time?"
"That's right," Ikutsuki said. "An ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."
"... That's good." Ken let out a breath. His mother didn't have to suffer. Ken assumed people like them were not 'ordinary', whatever that meant.
"But what makes it interesting are the creatures. We call them Shadows," Akihiko said. "They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not-" He paused.
Not? Not what...? Ken had never seen any Shadows except when the horse monster attacked his mother.
"Do you start to get it now, Ken-kun?" Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses. "We are a group of people who are aware of the Dark Hour and deal with Shadows when necessary."
"Group?" Ken tilted his head. "More like a pair."
Akihiko and Mitsuru looked at each other.
"We are currently seeking for more members," Ikutsuki said. "I'm sure it will be a big group in no time."
"You're not asking me to join, are you?" Ken asked.
"I'm glad you're quick to understand." Ikutsuki smirked.
"We're not in a hurry." Akihiko turned to Ken. "You can stay here without joining us. It will be safer for you."
Mitsuru quickly added, "I suggest you stay here to be more familiar with us before deciding."
"Sure." Ken nodded. "I don't mind this place."
Two seniors and an adult smiled at him. Everybody was so much older. The thought of living here made Ken nervous. He hoped he would get used to this someday.