It was a pleasant morning on that early October day. The sun cast its bright golden rays from the East, bringing life to the coastal city of Sagakin for another busy weekday. Hajime watched the citizens who just the other night were rushing to the safety of their homes, paranoid by the knowledge of a local serial killer, now calmly minding their daily business as if they were protected by the light, as if said light did not cast the very shadows in which the killer was hiding. Deep inside he knew that it was a mechanism to help them cope with the collective nightmare that loomed above them all, but their false sense of security still irked him. How could one not keep their guard up at all times with such a terrible threat in their home city? Maybe being burnt once was what kept him so pessimistic. Regardless, he could not find himself enjoying the relaxing morning breeze nor the sun's gentle touch.

"Hajime! Hajime, wait up!" called Jack from behind, causing him to turn around, facing the bus station.

"Ah, you got up early for once," Hajime remarked and shook hands with him.

"Yeah, I heard the alarm clock today," Jack joked, the two of them resuming their walk to the college campus. "Anyway, you won't believe how crowded these dorms are getting, man. I've got three other roomies and they're a bunch of fucking dorks."

"Oh? Do tell."

"One of them is a lazy ass who never does any chores. He always leaves his dirty dishes in the sink and his laundry in the basket for us to take it to the washer. Usually it's me who has to do the work for him just because I hate the stench. The other two are video game nerds and they host 'gaming parties', as they like to call them, till it gets very late. I mean, I ain't got nothing against no video game, partner, but I can barely do my homework."

"Heh, sounds like quite the company."

"I know, I know. But you know what the worst part is?"

"No, enlighten me."

"Because of those three I can't get any alone time with Lori in my dorm room. And our friends also have crowded rooms, it's like you can't find a good place to get some action these days."

"Meh, first world problems if you ask me. Just go look for rent."

"Oh sure, easy for you to say, mister 'I'm born in a rich family and I'll just inherit my grandma's and parents' fortune'."

"Look, just drop it, I'm not in the mood for this!" Hajime replied with obvious irritation. "Not after what happened yesterday…"

"Sorry, didn't mean to be a douche," Jack apologized and was quick to change the subject. "Anyway, I've found something last night that might interest you."

"And what might that be?"

"I was browsing some obscure sites on the deep web."

"For what exactly?"

"You know, the usual stuff – alien conspiracies, ghost footage. And I've come across a website that's actually made by someone from our campus."

"How do you know that?"

"They've said so on their site. It has something to do with the killer."

Hajime stared at Jack with disbelief. It had to be a joke, just who would have dared to make a site about that monster?

"Whoever made it said they're looking for members to form a group that seeks the killer, and they seem very positive about him," Jack continued.

"You're saying there's actually people at our campus, in our university, who might agree with the actions of that fucking sadistic animal?" Hajime spat out his disgust, his friend responding with a grim nod. "Oh no, that just won't do. I'll put a stop to this madness!"

"And how do you plan to do it? The creator of that site is anonymous."

"Listen, I've got a busy day ahead. Do you have any windows today?"

"Just two, between 10 and 12, as well as 14 and 16. What's your point?"

"Use those breaks to dig deeper into this site. Try to find out who made it."

"I don't know, partner. I may have a Computer Sciences course, but I'm not sure I'll be able to track down IP addresses. That sounds like something hackers would do."

"Then I've got an even better idea. You should contact them and pose as a potential new member."

Jack stopped and looked at Hajime with a 'You've got to be shitting me' face. That had to be the most preposterous idea he had heard from him

"Really now? Why won't you do it?" Jack countered.

"Because the killer is most likely watching me. There's a smaller chance he's watching you," Hajime argued. "Besides, I've got no windows today. Sorry to say it, but it all lies on you."

Jack sighed. He should have known what was in store for him the moment he offered to help Hajime on his quest for justice. With a hint of reluctance in his voice, he nodded and said, "Alright, fine. I'll do what I can."

His friend patted him on the back, gratefulness all over his face.

"Thank you. Now let's go before we miss our courses."

Soon enough they found themselves in the busied corridors of the university, checking their lockers for the papers they needed to bring at their respective courses. Jack felt a familiar tap on his shoulder and turned around to be surprise kissed by Lori. No matter how many times he tasted that cherry-flavored lipstick she had, it never grew old. He had to admit it, she was probably the most physical girlfriend he had had so far, and maybe also the best kisser.

"Someone certainly woke up on the right side of bed this morning," Jack remarked as he broke the kiss.

"I have to make up for not being there last night," Lori replied, a slick look on her bright face. "After all, even detectives deserve a reward every once in a while." And then she turned her sight to Hajime, ever so lonely and busy with arranging his papers, his thoughts always elsewhere besides the present. She felt nothing but pity, such a good-looking fellow was wasting his youth away being a bookworm torn apart by the loss of his best friend. "Hey blondie, why are you still single?"

"That's none of your business," Hajime said in his dismissive attitude, obviously offended by her bluntness.

"You know, maybe a girlfriend will make you forget about the killer."

Taken aback by her words, he put his courses back into the locker, arranged the scarf on the shoulders of his turquoise turtleneck and turned to face her. With a similar blunt tone, he shot back at her, "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, maybe you're growing obsessed with the killer just like the freaks who made that website. And maybe if you found a special other you could finally let Ken rest in peace."

She actually had the nerve to pick on him for his grieving. Fortunately for her, Hajime was not the type to just lash out at someone directly. He had learned manners when he was young, something which she probably did not. Through his teeth, he uttered back, "Ken won't be able to rest in peace until he's avenged!"

"Oh really? Is it Ken or just you?" Lori retorted, standing her ground.

That struck a nerve. Not even thinking about the implications of what she said, he spat back venomously, "Would you have the same attitude if Jack were in Ken's place now?"

By the stunned look on her face he knew he had also struck a nerve. Good. He was growing tired of having to argue with such a superficial bitch. Picking up the papers he needed, he added, "Guess not."

And with that said he went to class, leaving the couple behind him speechless.

Two hours later, Jack spent his break all alone in a corner of the university's library, inspecting the website on his laptop. It had a black background and red letters in an edgy-looking font. The only thing it had was an open letter, as well as the site's date of creation and copyright. Its contents were as followed:

Dear outcast,

Yes, that means you. I am talking to you, the average attendant of Sagakin University, ever so concerned with securing your future. I am writing this as a friend of yours, for I wish to help open your mind to the reality around us.

Are the courses getting increasingly boring? Are you uncomfortable in the overcrowded campus? Do you feel like nobody cares about you and they just stand in your way? Perhaps our educational system is not what we believed it to be. Have you wondered if there is a concrete purpose to all these years of study? Have you tried thinking outside the box and were shunned for it? If your answer to all of these questions is 'yes', we welcome you with open arms amongst us.

We, like you, also feel that our courses are drawn out and do not help us with building our future. We also are uncomfortable with being swallowed by the whale which is the crowd of uncaring strangers in our campus. We too wondered about the purpose of this system and suffered for being different. But we outcasts have decided that together we will cut open the whale and take back what we lost during our formative years. Think about it, our future remains uncertain even after we get our degree.

Dear friend, we might have more in common than you think. The system has made us stagnate by keeping us complacent. We seek like-minded individuals to join us and hear what we have to say, and in turn we will also hear what you have to say. Only together will we all manage to achieve personal growth.

What happened on our campus in the first week of October was highly regrettable, but if you can see beyond the tragedy, you will realize that there is someone or something out there who shares a common goal with us, the outcasts, and has left a clear message. As such, it is our goal to find this being, understand them and maybe even devote ourselves to their cause. If you wish to join us, message: beginningofanera at saguni .jp

Jack giggled silently as he finished it. What a pompously rebellious letter. Just who would have been stupid enough to fall for those sugar-coated words? Needless to say, this was probably the closest lead that they had in their quest for finding the killer. And so, he logged in to one of his fake email accounts and sent them a message:

Hi there, just read ur message & was rly imprsd! Id lik 2 know more bout ur group. I 2 think dat society sux dik & theres rly nothin 4 us 2 struggle. If theres a way 2 learn more bout a bettar way of life, Im all up 4 it!

He only hoped that his words were as sugar-coated and would have actually duped them. If he got to know this group better, maybe then he and Hajime would have had a better lead on their case. Not wasting any time, he opened Facebook and messaged his friend to inform him of what he had done. Although Hajime was busy with his course, Jack knew that he would definitely make time when it came to this. As expected, Hajime was quick to type back and congratulate him for a job well done, instructing him to wait for a reply. Maybe Lori was right, maybe it all was indeed becoming an obsession for his friend.

Just as he closed his Facebook tab, he saw that he received an email from beginningofanera at saguni .jp, thing which surprised him. Were they really that fast, or had they been online right at that moment? He quickly looked around to confirm that the library was still empty. Thankfully it was. Still, someone on campus had just responded to him. Their mail read:

Greetings, dear friend!

We have read your message and look forward to meeting you in person so that we can share more. However, before said meeting can occur, we would like for you to answer the questions in the word document I have attached so that we can get to know you better.

Best of luck!

~S

Jack opened the document and skimmed through them. Only five questions, all with four choice answers, and they seemed rather innocuous, but from the way they were worded he realized that said answers actually counted. Unsure of how to tackle them, he messaged Hajime once again, explaining the situation and asking for help. He received no response, only a 'seen'. Just typical… Deciding that he had done enough investigations, he closed Tor browser, minimized the Word document and went on Youtube to kill some time until his next course.

Not even five minutes passed when he heard the library's door open and saw Hajime walk in, his own laptop and courses under his right arm. As expected, he probably did not even bother to reply and opted to come right there.

"I lied to my professor that I wasn't feeling well and skipped the rest of her course," Hajime explained as he brought a chair near his friend's table.

"Don't worry, it'll be worth it," Jack promised and showed his laptop, putting the Word document on screen. "As I said, they want me to answer these questions and email them back. But I'm not too sure about them, so I thought you should take a shot at them."

"Hmm, let's see then." Hajime pulled Jack's laptop closer to him. The questions were as followed:

1) If you became a professor and had the chance to change the structure of your course however you wished, what kind of changes would you make?

A: Make it even more detailed so that the students can have a better grasp on the subject matter. That always leaves a good impression.

B: Make it even more detailed so that the students can have a better grasp on the subject matter. It's the best way to stimulate their minds.

C: Shorten it to the basics and leave those interested to study at their own leisure. Being clear and concise always leaves a good impression.

D: Shorten it to the basics and leave those interested to study at their own leisure. That way the good students are separated from the rest.

2) You are in a busy crowd, hurrying to catch an urgent appointment. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a weak little boy fainted and stepped upon by the hurried people. What do you do?

A: Pretend you want to help him, then snatch his valuables.

B: Ignore him, there are plenty poor children out there.

C: Alert the authorities, they will take care of him.

D: Run to his aid, you can't leave the poor soul in misery.

3) Every day we are bombarded with advertisements, commercials and billboards that lure us in with a false sense of hope and stir us into buying products, dressing in a certain way, even acting in a certain way. All of it to promote a progressively shallow society. If you had the chance to be the head of our country, what would you do to reform the country?

A: Keep things as they are.

B: Create laws to prohibit false advertising and lessen aggressive marketing.

C: Ban all companies that push for aggressive marketing.

D: Allow companies even more freedom into how they conduct their marketing.

4) If you had to choose between a poorly paid but easy job and a well paid but hard job, which one would you pick?

A: Poorly paid, so there can be no stress.

B: Well paid, so you can afford a better life.

C: Either, as long as you can contribute to our society.

D: Neither, we will all die anyway.

5) Our current society is working like a machine. Children are brought to this world and nurtured so they can enter an educational system which will turn them into working obedient adults, ready to keep stability at the price of their individuality. What would you do to change this?

A: Nothing, it's the way we've always done things.

B: Try to improve the quality of each citizen incrementally by fighting for political change.

C: Crush those at the top of the system and leave society to prosper in anarchy.

D: Nothing, in the end all is meaningless.

It was hard for Hajime to answer, he understood why Jack called him. Those questions were designed specifically to determine one's character and philosophy. If this group had any connection to the killer, then he had to put himself in the shoes of one as he answered. But even then, it was not easy, as sometimes there were two answers that both fitted the required profile. In the end he went with: 1C, 2A, 3C, 4D, 5D.

"Wow, I didn't know you were so fucked up," Jack remarked.

"I'm not, I just answered like one who is," Hajime explained as he got up and packed his stuff. "I answered question 1 to show that I am selfish, question 2 to show that I am an opportunist, question 3 to show that I would abuse power, and the last two to cement that I am a strong nihilist."

"And you think this will convince them to let me in?"

"If yes, then go. Sooner or later they might just lead us to the killer."

"I'm not sure about this, partner. This might be dangerous."

"If we don't, who knows how long it will be till the killer strikes again. We have to act fast!"

With that said, Hajime left to the cafeteria, Jack remaining all alone in the library's silence once again. He shook his head, now certain that Hajime was definitely obsessed. Still, he was his friend, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made for their friendship. Besides, he would be extra careful, just as they had discussed the previous night. As he returned to browsing Youtube, he received an email notification. He opened it and saw that it was from beginningofanera at saguni .jp, and it read:

Congratulations!

You have been deemed most worthy of joining us. Please come tonight to the city center, at the former Hellhole bar. Knock four times at the door. The password is "For power".

We look forward to having you among us.

~S

A shiver fell down Jack's spine. He could not shake the feeling that somehow this was all a very bad idea.