"Last evening, there was a body found near the Kanda River. The victim has been dead for presumably two days or more, having been thrown into the river after stabbed fatally in the stomach. The police are further investigating this matter and warn residents of the area to stay away from—"

The newscaster was abruptly cut off by the television being turned off, and Hibiya looked up to see the impatient face of Hiyori Asahina, who stared back at him with an annoyed expression.

"What are you doing?" Hiyori asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're going to be late."

"Ah, sorry," Hibiya said as he stood up and walked to the dining table to grab his wallet and keys.

"Seriously, how long were you planning on making me wait? Is the news more important than I am?"

"Sorry, sorry, that's not what I meant."

"It better not be," Hiyori said, rolling her eyes. "We're going to part ways soon, since we've graduating and all that, so you better cherish the time we have together."

He frowned at her words; after all, Hiyori Asahina had been in his life for longer than he could remember. He grew up with her in a countryside village, a small town that consisted of approximately five thousand people. She was always the popular one, the famous one that everyone knew, because she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in their village. Everyone admired her, looked up to her, because what was there not to like about Hiyori Asahina?

Hibiya himself was one of the diehard Hiyori Asahina fanboys, but he was definitely one of the luckier ones, because the two of them actually became very good friends over the years. He still remembered how she wouldn't even look at him in elementary school, and he smiled proudly at how far they've come in terms of their friendship. Surely, he loved her, and he cherished every moment he spent with her.

Towards the end of middle school, the two of them decided that they would be journeying away from their home town to Tokyo to pursue high school education. Hiyori's parents had decided this years ago, since her older sister lived in Tokyo and could possibly help her out. As this news spread around town, Hibiya worked hard and eventually earned himself a scholarship to attend high school in the city.

He still remembered his first night in Tokyo; the city was bustling with energy, and everything was so unfamiliar and strange to him. It scared him a little, but the excitement he felt overwhelmed his fear of the unknown. Besides, he was with Hiyori, and to him, that was all that mattered at the time. She stayed at her sister's house, but she went to the same high school as him, so he saw her everyday, and soon, they became best friends, although Hiyori would slap him every time he proclaimed so.

Tragedy struck two years ago, when her elder sister and brother-in-law died and her niece vanished mysteriously. To this day, Hibiya still didn't know the details behind what happened, because Hiyori seemed to close up a portion of herself ever since the day she heard the news. She moved into his apartment because she had nowhere else to go, and of course, Hibiya welcomed her. He wanted to be by her side, because he knew that she needed someone there for her the most during these times.

Now, standing at the end of their high school days, they were facing a fork in the road; college was approaching soon, and sadly, they would be going to different places. Hibiya was accepted to Tokyo University, while Hiyori was going to Keio University — although it was only a thirty minute subway ride away, it would still be more difficult for him to see her with new responsibilities and work. He was very glad that somehow, miraculously, got accepted into such a prestigious college, but he was a little sad that he would have to live far away from her.

It was summer, the last summer they would spend together before they had to part ways, and he was determined to make the most out of it. The summer heat beat down on them relentlessly, but they ventured forward towards the subway station. They were off to Shibuya today, since Hiyori said there was some aesthetic matcha café she wanted to visit. On the Yamanote Line, Hibiya stared out the window at the scenery that flashed by, smiling at how much he had gotten used to daily life in the city. If only things would never have to change…

"What's wrong?" Hiyori asked as they took a seat at their destination. "It looks like something's bothering you."

"Does it?" Hibiya wondered. "I'm not really sure myself."

"Well, whatever it is, everything's gonna be fine," she said, leaning back in her seat. "What are you worried about? You got into one of the top colleges in Japan; shouldn't you be acting a little more proud and cocky?"

"I honestly still don't know how I got in," said Hibiya, sighing. "Honestly, everything since I moved to Tokyo seems like a dream. Sometimes it feels like I never really left the countryside because my heart still lives there."

"What, do you hate it here?"

"Absolutely not," said Hibiya, shaking his head. "I love it here. But… I don't know. I feel like there's still so much of this city that I haven't discovered yet, and as four years have gone by, all I've done is study. I wish something exciting would happen once in a while, you know?"

"Ah," Hiyori said as their drinks arrived. "Well, then you'll just have to venture out and discover those exciting things in the future, right? You'll still be in Tokyo, and college is going to be a whole new experience."

But it's not the same without you. He already decided that he would convey his feelings for her loud and proud before she had to leave, but every time an opportunity seemed to arise, he always seemed to lose all his courage. He didn't know that confessing to the person he loved would be so hard until now, and he envied the courage others around him had.

He daydreamed about her reciprocation of his feelings; maybe she would smile and tell him that she was waiting for him for the longest time, and that she had fallen in love with him in the same way he had fallen for her over the years. Perhaps they would be able to hold hands and spend even more time together, and he wished that these dreams would become his reality.

"I'm not very good with change," he admitted. "I don't know if I'm ready for you to leave."

"I don't think I am, either," said Hiyori softly.

He was surprised. She'd always been the one to slap him and tell him to cut out the cheesy shit whenever he tried to convey his feelings, but today, her words showed none of her previous resentment. Hibiya's heartbeat quickened in his chest as he wondered once again how she truly felt about him. He was just about to work up his courage once again, but Hiyori handed him her phone, interrupting his thoughts.

"Ah, but don't worry about it," said Hiyori, laughing it off. "Either way, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. But before you say anything, can you take some photos for me? This café is even cuter than I thought and I have to have some nice photos up on Instagram."

He smiled as he took the phone from her, and for a second, he wished this sort of mundane, everyday life with her would go on forever.


It's not like she had any obligation to come home on a curfew, but it was getting late, and he was getting worried. She said she wanted to go somewhere alone in the evening and specifically told him not to come along, so he stayed home and watched a few movies as he waited for her to come back. But she was nowhere to be seen, even at 3AM, and as he put on his shoes to go out and find her, he recalled the news he heard this morning and shuddered.

Heading down the road they usually took as they walked home from school, he wandered aimlessly forward, looking for any sign of Hiyori. She wouldn't answer his calls, so he could only walk around with no clues whatsoever. It was August, and even at night, the summer heat was relentless.

As he turned the corner, he approached a road that was rarely used, mainly because it led to a dead end, and he caught sight of a familiar figure. It was Hiyori, standing in the middle of the road, staring up at the starlit sky. He wanted to walk up to her, but before he could move, a truck sped past him, and the sudden movement caused him to do a double take.

The truck sped forward at a dangerous speed, so fast that Hibiya barely had any time to react, but when he overcame his initial shock, his heart dropped to his stomach as he witnessed where the truck was heading towards. It didn't stop even as it drove dangerously close to Hiyori, and he could barely stop himself from screaming as she seemed to turn around and focus her eyes on him. Her gaze seemed to whisper a quiet "I'm sorry" to him, but before he could get another look, it was trampled beneath the wheels of the truck.

A fountain of blood spurted from the impact, staining the road as if it were red paint on a blank canvas. His entire body shook as he looked at the spot Hiyori was standing at, and the sight in front of him made him fall to his knees, nausea forcing stomach acid up his throat. He had never been good with gory films, and the blood mashed with bits and pieces of flesh and torn limbs that lay in the center of the road did nothing for his sanity.

The truck stopped abruptly at the end of the road, but it didn't pause for long; in one swift movement, it made a quick u-turn, trampling whatever remained of its victim beneath its wheels once again before heading back the direction it came from, speeding off into the depths of the night without another sound.

How was he supposed to react? Or rather, how was anyone supposed to react in a situation like this? His head spun as he focused on the pavement in front of him and his breathing, praying that he would be able to stay sane. Over and over, he repeated one thought and one thought only, and as he put that thought into words, teardrops began falling down his cheeks:

"But I haven't even told you that I loved you yet…"

He didn't know how long he spent on his knees, teardrops falling onto the pavement, but as he stood up once again, he saw a car drive up from the direction the truck left in, parking just before the spot Hiyori had been standing at. Quickly, he hid behind the corner and inspected the vehicle. It was a black Porsche, some luxury model that Hibiya once saw in a magazine, and if it were a normal situation, he would've rolled his eyes at how 'rich people' seemed to spend their money on useless things. Two men exited the car and walked forward; the shorter man had distinct cat-like eyes, and the taller man had platinum blond hair and a strange tattoo on his face. The shorter man squatted before the battered corpse, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

"She's dead," said the taller man matter-of-factly.

"Well, thanks for the keen observation," said the other, standing up once again. "We failed this time. Ah, Leader's going to be so mad at me — pray for my wellbeing, Konoha."

"Will do."

Hibiya didn't know who these people were or what their intentions were, but they looked like trouble, and he quickly realized that it would look terrible on his part if he were to stay at this crime scene. He turned around to run away, but his shaky legs had no strength left, and he collapsed once again.

"Who's there?"

Hibiya didn't even think his collapsing made any noise, but they must have heard him. He forced himself to get up and run for his fucking life, but as soon as he got up, he saw the taller man standing in front of him.

"What the f—" He could've sworn that the taller man was still standing near the crime scene when he decided to run. He turned around, and the cocking of a gun made his blood run cold. The other man smiled at his terrified expression, as if mocking him, and pushed the gun closer to the center of Hibiya's forehead.

"Now, what do we have here?" The taller man asked, an amused expression toying at his lips. His cat-like eyes examined Hibiya from head to toe, and Hibiya realized that he was probably done for. The taller man joined his companion and stood in front of Hibiya, staring at him blankly.

"Did you not hear me?" The taller man asked once again, pressing the gun directly against Hibiya's skin. "What's your name?"

"H-Hibiya Amamiya."

"Huh. Never heard of that one before. What's your motive? What did 'Kuroha' task you with?"

Hibiya furrowed his eyebrows. "'Kuroha?' Who's that?"

"Don't play dumb. Criminal Number 968, your boss — does that ring a bell?"

Hibiya stared at the two men in front of him. "No…?"

"I think he actually doesn't know," said the taller man. "He looks really confused."

"Yeah, so does everyone when they realize that the best way to escape this sort of situation is playing dumb," said the shorter man, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Hibiya and nodded towards the direction of the car. "Get in the car. We have a few questions for you."

Being held at gunpoint really is different from what you see in the movies, and Hibiya quickly realized this as he numbly complied to their orders. Any option of acting heroic and brave was quickly thrown at the window by absolute terror, and as Hibiya sat in the backseat, terrified, he could barely stop himself from screaming or wondering which back alley they were going to take him to for his execution.

"I'm Konoha," said the taller man from the passenger seat all of a sudden. "That's Kano."

"What are you doing, Konoha?" asked the shorter man, who Hibiya now knew as Kano. He had taken a seat next to him in the back, watching Hibiya's every move with a cautious gaze.

"I just wanted to be friendly?"

"To our captive?" Kano asked incredulously. "No, don't even answer that question. Whatever. I'm Shuuya Kano, kid. We might as well start asking you some questions now. What were you doing there earlier? There's no way you didn't see a dead body lying on the ground like that, and don't you dare use some excuse such as you were just walking by."

"I was just looking for my friend," Hibiya said, his voice wavering under pressure. "She lives at my place, and she didn't come home and it was getting late so I was getting worried, so I just walked around outside near my house hoping that I would bump into her… But when I did see her, some truck just fucking sped out of nowhere and… It killed her immediately…"

Kano stared at Hibiya, and the surprise was evident on his face. "You knew the victim?"

"Of course I did— I do. I know her. Hiyori is someone very important to me."

Kano frowned. "This is more complicated than I thought it'd be," he murmured. "Is there any way you can prove your friendship with Hiyori Asahina?"

"Wait, you know her too?"

"Answer the question."

"We have photos together," said Hibiya, fishing for his phone in his pocket. "We took a bunch together, but she never let me post anything related to her on social media. You can look through this whole album of photos and videos of me and her." As he stared at his lock screen, showing a crude selfie they took together on a trip to Kyoto last fall, Hiyori sticking her tongue out at the camera as she took the photo, evidently catching Hibiya off guard, he felt like he was about to cry again.

"Interesting," Kano said as he examined the photo. "How come Leader never mentioned anything? Well, good news, kid, we probably won't have to use any… ah, brutal methods when we get there. But I will have to ask the others about what to do with you."

"The others?" Hibiya echoed.

"We are the Blindfold Gang," said Kano. "People who have grudges against us call us the mafia, but we like to think of ourselves more similar to a secret organization. I am member number three, and Konoha is member number nine. The rest, I'm sure Leader will explain to you if it's necessary."

The rest of the car ride was silent, as Hibiya tried to wrap his head around all the new information he gained. He was lost in thought all the way until they reached their destination, and Hibiya snapped out of the daze as the car came to a stop. It was a large mansion in a rich neighborhood, and at first sight, nobody would be able to spot anything out of the ordinary about the building or the people who lived there.

He followed Kano and Konoha into the house and along a hallway, finally ending up in the living room. In the center of the couch sat a woman in a black suit, who looked up the moment they entered the room. Her gaze focused on Kano before it roamed over Hibiya, who involuntarily took a step back at her intense gaze.

"Well?" Her voice was powerful, and from all possible context clues, Hibiya guessed that this was the leader of the Blindfold Gang. "What happened?"

Kano, however, was unfazed; his serious expression was replaced with a mischievous smile. "I have good news and bad news; which one do you want to hear first?"

"Kano, I don't have time for games. Spit it out."

"Hiyori Asahina is dead."

"…Let's hope that was the bad news."

"Bingo," said Kano, grinning. "And the good news is, well, I guess not really good news. But wait! Before you hit me! It's just 'better' news, okay?"

"For god's sake, Kano, just fucking get on with it."

"Hiyori Asahina had a friend who witnessed her death. This kid right here."

Their leader's gaze made Hibiya feel rather uncomfortable, but he shook away all his fears and stared back at her. "My name is Hibiya Amamiya," he said. "I was— am Hiyori's friend. We grew up together in the suburbs before moving to the city for high school. She started staying at my place after her older sister and brother-in-law died."

"How come I've never heard of this before?" The leader frowned. "Hiyori never mentioned him before."

"Regardless, I'm sure he's telling the truth," Kano said. "I've seen a bunch of pictures and videos of the two together."

"This is bad news," said the leader. "He's going to become a target if he finds out there was a witness."

"'He?'" Hibiya echoed, his expression darkening. "It sounds as if you guys already know who killed Hiyori."

"That's because we do," said Kano. "I asked you earlier, didn't it? Criminal number 968, codenamed 'Kuroha.' That's the man who killed Hiyori Asahina."

"Where is he?" Hibiya growled. "Where is this 'Kuroha?'"

"What are you going to do with that information?"

"I'll kill him."

The words slipped out of his mouth like he'd been waiting to say them, and truthfully, that wasn't far from the truth. The entire car ride, he'd been wondering if these people that have threatened and kidnapped him had also murdered Hiyori, and time and time again, he came to the same conclusion, that if these people truly were murderers, he'd have no problem becoming one himself to avenge his love.

"I like this boy," said Kano. "He looks determined. I say we give him a chance."

"Agreed," said the leader, who turned to Hibiya. "I am Tsubomi Kido, leader of the Blindfold Gang. We are a secret organization formed under one ultimate goal: to capture and kill Kuroha. We will give you an opportunity to get your vengeance by joining us; you will work together with us, and in return, we will offer your protection against anyone that may be after your life. How does that sound?"

It didn't take Hibiya long to come to a conclusion. Although he loved his normal life, that had been taken away from him the moment the truck sped past him on the road. If it was for Hiyori, then he'd be willing to sacrifice anything.

"Perfect," Hibiya replied. "I'll do anything for Hiyori."

"Spoken like a true man!" Kano said, laughing.

"Now, it's late," said Kido. "I'm sure all of us are tired. Hibiya, I suggest you stay here for tonight at least. We'll talk about the specifics in the morning. Kano, show him to his room."

"Yes, leader."

Hibiya followed Kano up the stairs and to a room on the second floor. As soon as he fell back onto the mattress, he realized how tired he was both physically and mentally and fell into a deep slumber, wishing this fleeting moment of peace he had would last forever.


Although Hibiya could feel his body sinking further into the mattress with exhaustion as the seconds went by, he woke up at a fairly early time; glancing at his phone, he realized it was nine in the morning and that his mind was clearer than ever. He contemplated going back to sleep, but after the events of last evening flashed before his brain, he immediately got out of bed and cautiously opened the door.

He didn't expect another pair of eyes to stare back at him from the doorway just as the door creaked open; he gave a yelp of terror and fell back onto the floor, while the stranger jumped and took a step backwards.

"Christ, stop screaming, would you?" The stranger hissed. "You're going to wake up the entire house, and that'd be a bad idea — Ene-chan's got terrible morning anger, you know?"

"S-Sorry," Hibiya stuttered as he studied the figure in front of him. It was a woman with orangish-blonde hair and beautiful features that he recognized somewhere, somehow— but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Anyways, you're the newbie, aren't you?" she said excitedly. "I'm Momo Kisaragi; feel free to just call me Momo."

The name rang a bell, and immediately, Hibiya realized that standing in front of him was Momo Kisaragi, world famous singer, actress, and model. Hiyori had been her biggest fan, dragging him to concerts and movie screenings one after the other. In fact, he had seen her face so often that it was stupid of him for not recognizing her at first glance. She wore minimal makeup, unlike the various photos and videos Hiyori kept showing him of her, but she wasn't any less attractive — he did his best to look away from her bust.

"I'm Hibiya Amamiya," he said, flushing red as Momo walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Nice to meet you, Hibiya-kun!" Momo said as she sat down on the floor. "I've heard all about you from Leader! You're our newest recruit, aren't you?"

Hibiya nodded, taking a seat on the floor across from her. "I didn't know you were part of this organization," he said. "The world would go mad if super idol Momo Kisaragi was found to be here, wouldn't it?"

Momo laughed. "So you know who I am! I'm flattered."

"Is there anyone in the world who has never seen you before?"

"I'd say there's a handful, but moving on, welcome to the Blindfold Gang! I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I volunteered to help you out and get you situated. Consider me as your mentor; you can ask me anything!"

"That's very kind of you," said Hibiya. "I don't know anything about the organization or any of its members, so I have a lot of questions."

"Ooh, I'll do a quick introduction of everyone!" Momo said excitedly as she pulled out her phone. She opened up an image and handed her phone to Hibiya, who took it an inspected what was shown in the screen. It was a group photo of ten people; he recognized half of them — Kido, Kano, Momo, Konoha, and surprisingly, he saw Hiyori with them, which made him even more confused.

"I heard you've met Leader, Kano-san, and Konoha-san already, and obviously, you know Hiyori-chan," said Momo. "Leader makes the decisions and orders regarding our next missions, and she's really good at bringing everyone together. Kano-san is our so-called 'deceiver,' since he's mastered the art of disguising his appearance. Konoha-san is a superhuman, basically; he's super skilled in all types of fighting, from hand-to-hand combat to using guns and knives.

"This guy over here is my brother, Shintaro Kisaragi. He's kind of a loser, but he's super smart, so we run all our next plans by him before we execute them. This is Seto-san, or Kousuke Seto, and he's our spy, since he works at so many different places. Beside him is his girlfriend Marry Kozakura; you'll see them downstairs later; they're suuuuper cute! This is Ayano-san, or Ayano Tateyama; she's our medic and she's really the sweetest person! She's actually Hiyori-chan's niece; I don't know if you've met before. And lastly, this is Ene-chan, our tech support and super hacker."

"I never knew Hiyori knew you guys. She never mentioned anything at all."

"That was probably for the better," said Momo. "She probably wanted to keep you safe; this job isn't all sunshine and rainbows, you know; she didn't even mention you to us, probably so that you wouldn't ever have to deal with this sort of darkness."

He didn't know how to feel about it; he always thought he'd be the one to protect her from any harm, and he wanted to be the one to protect her. So how was he supposed to react when he was told that Hiyori was the one who had been protecting him all along? It was ironic, it really was, and he couldn't help but chuckle at how the gods played him.

"She was part of you guys, wasn't she? What jobs did she do?"

"Hiyori-chan was the least involved in our matters, because she was still a high schooler at the time. It was more like we took her under our wing; this was just a while after Kuroha killed her sister and brother-in-law, when the gang first formed. She knew she was being targeted by Kuroha, because she was the only one who managed to escape that day, and Kuroha would never let that go. We protected her to the best of our abilities, and she just stayed on the lookout for any suspicious activity."

"That reminds me," said Hibiya. "What is this 'Kuroha' person after?"

"We're honestly not completely sure about his motives," said Momo, sighing. "But what we've grasped so far is that he is looking for a way to revive the dead. For that, he needs a large amount of human test subjects, and the best way for him to obtain that is through organized criminal activities. Through what we've gathered, he has employed scientists and researchers to create something that would somehow raise the dead against the stream of time."

"Why did you guys create this organization to combat him? I don't think it was purely due to your senses of justice."

"Of course that wasn't the only reason," said Momo, her expression growing serious. "Kuroha has threatened and taken away all of our loved ones before. For me and my brother, it was our dad. We all bonded over this shared traumatic past and vowed to take him down."

"I guess I fit right into the Blindfold Gang, then," Hibiya said, his gaze darkening into one of hatred. "I will never forgive him for what he did to Hiyori."

"None of us will," Momo said softly. "Hiyori-chan might have only shown up a few times here, but she was always a good kid and I really wanted to be friends with her."

"We've known each other for so long," Hibiya whispered. "For most of our lives. We moved from our home town to Tokyo together, and we saw each other everyday. We became best friends, and I really thought I knew her well. Turns out I didn't know what weight she had been carrying, and the fact that she's been protecting me all this time, too…"

Pitter patter. He wasn't someone who cried often, and his own tears surprised himself. Ah, if Hiyori were here, she'd scold him for 'being such a pussy' and tell him to 'man up and stop crying.' It hurt, it really did; it hurt how much he missed her, but even more, it hurt how much he loved her, that he'd never be able to tell her, that he'd never be able to see her smile again.

With a gentle touch, Momo wiped away the tears that rolled down his cheeks. Slowly, she pulled him into a tight embrace, hugging him as if he were a child, as if it was okay for him to cry. So he did, tears streaming down his cheeks one after the other and bawling like he was three again. Because losing her hurt him more than anything ever could.

When he finally stopped crying, Momo held onto him for a little longer, smoothing out his hair. As his breathing reverted to a normal pace, he realized how many people would kill to be held by world-famous idol Momo Kisaragi and quickly let go.

"It's okay," Momo said softly, smiling at him. "If you wish for it, then you'll meet again."

Her words filled him with warmth he hadn't felt in what seemed like a long time; last night dragged on for a long time, too long, if you asked him. He wiped at the tear stains on his cheeks one last time before smiling back at her.

"Yeah. I'll do it, just you wait."

Momo stood back up on her feet and offered a hand to help him up. Hibiya took her hand, and the two left the room, with Momo rambling on about how his arrival shocked many of the other members. As the reached the dining room, Hibiya saw that all the other members were already there, some sitting while others walked around to grab their own share of breakfast.

"Good morning, Hibiya," said Konoha, looking up from the mountainous pile of food in front of him momentarily before returning to his meal.

"Did you sleep well?" Kano asked. "Hopefully the bedbugs didn't bite!"

"I was out like a light," Hibiya responded. "Thank you guys for letting me stay."

"No worries," Momo chirped as she took a seat at the table.

"I'm hoping that you're finding everything alright," said a man in a green jumpsuit that Hibiya recognized to be Seto. Beside him, his girlfriend Marry nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you," said Hibiya. "I'm doing great."

"If you ever need anything, let us know!" Marry said.

"Hey, can you pass me the soda over there?" Shintaro asked, and quickly, Hibiya complied.

"Shintaro, it's really not healthy," said Ayano, frowning. "You should drink some water instead."

"Yeah, man, also soda's gross in the morning," said Ene. "Also, you scream social recluse to me in that outfit."

"Hey, watch your words, Enomoto—"

"Hibiya," said Kido, calling Hibiya's attention to her instead of the fight that was currently going on between Shintaro and Ene.

"Yes, Leader?"

"Welcome to the Blindfold Gang."