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Investigation, in the darkness

The stairs to the rooftop of the school building are always open. School authorities consider allowing students to go to the roof for fresh air. They don't want their students getting too stressed out with their studies and exam that's why they let the roof open but they are still considering their students' safety. They put up a tall fence all around the roof just in case an unexpected accident happens.

As of right now, there are only four students hanging out at the rooftop during their lunch break. The cold weather is the reason other students prefer to spend indoors but these four students did not mind it. They are werewolves. Their body heat is warmer than normal students. Without anyone else around, the roof has become a good spot for them to have some privacy to discuss among them only about anything related to werewolves.

"I heard the news from Alpha. Unfortunately, they still haven't found the attacker. Last night's search does not bear any fruit. There is no suspicious person who we can relate to the attacker. They had to stop their search at dawn so they can get some rest but they will continue again tonight and widen the search area. There are others who don't work during the day. They are self-employed. They continue the search but... considering how many of them in total, it is a bit risky for them."

Akio stops and looks at his friends and families. Akari, Kenji, and Takao stare at him back to process everything that he had said to them. They know it's crucial to take note of it because who knows what will happen in the future. Not only do they have to protect fellow werewolves, but they also need to protect the humans from being the victim.

Imagine they leave them alone and humans got hurt or worse got killed in a mysterious way. Some ignorant humans will try hard to put all the blame on them from werewolves species. Just getting blame only is endurable but if they make a decision to kill all of them and destroy the generation of werewolves? Children, women, and even the elder will be in danger if that ever happened to them. It will become a war between humanity and werewolves and the earth will be showering with blood. No more peacefulness and more families will be grieving watching each of their families die.

KRINGGG!!!

The bell rang all across the school signaling the lunch break is over, startling them all a little at sudden noise filling the intense atmosphere surrounding them. They have 10 minutes before the class start. Their important discussion end sooner than they thought. They wish it were longer but they had no choice but to comply.

As they start cleaning and picking up the scattered food waste they caused on the roof, Kenji waits for a little bit to talk to Akio. Akio notices him still lingering even though he's done cleaning his area.

"You two go first." Akio says to Akari and Takao.

"Okay." They say and leave.

Once they are out of sight and the door of the roof is closed behind Takao, Kenji walks to Akio.

"Alpha. I mean, Akio. About that new student..." Akio stops packing his lunch and sits down. He nods at him to continue. Kenji sits next to him.

"His name is Sora. He is the son of Sasaki Amane and Sasaki Miya who live near the forest."

"But their son was dead several years ago. If not, he would be an adult by now. How can their son be alive and younger than us?" Akio questions Kenji.

This isn't right. How can a mere human still be alive after that life-threatening accident? He, himself watches the funeral and pays his condolence to the Sasaki family.

"I also don't think their son is still alive. But, the current Sora... I think he got adopted by Sasaki to replace their dead son. You know how the wife still can't accept their son's death. He was their only son. No wonder they keep a secret from us. They don't want us to know. That boy has been living with them for several years now." Kenji explains to him.

"What about his real parents?"

"About that... I still don't have information about them."

"Could they be dead? No one ever reports for their missing child."

"I'm still not sure. It seems like he just appears suddenly and becomes their son and lives as their son with Sora's name."

"Go investigate more. I want full details on him. I will look for any report of a missing child at my father's office too. We may be overlooking it." Akio picks up his lunch box and walks to the class.

"Understood." Kenji nods.

-----

Around the same time, Akio's father, Takahashi Touma is sitting next to his childhood friend. The man is still lying on his bed, the wound on his back not fully healed. He could not get up and do his usual work. The only thing he could do is sleep and eat on his bed while his wife took care of him. He wants to play with his children, but he couldn't.

"Thank you for visiting me. I'm glad my kids have friends to play with downstairs. Since you forbid children from playing outside, letting them play together in my house is enough to satisfy them."

"I'm sorry. We still haven't found your attacker." Touma sadly apologizes.

"Don't be sorry. I don't mind."

"Do you think you could remember anything from that incident? How he looks like or his physique?"

"I'm sorry but I can't remember anything. He attacked me from behind when I least expect it so I couldn't get a clear view of him. I also don't sense him getting close to me. He's good at hiding himself."

"Then, he must be someone skilled and trained in combat. Is he from a neighboring country? I wonder if someone sent him here with a purpose."

"Touma. You have a lot of enemies who are jealous of your successful pack. You should be careful. Maybe they attacked me first to get to you after. Many people know I'm your right-hand man. Surely they want to weaken us slowly."

Alpha Touma looks at his friend in thought. His friend is right. It also makes sense if someone tries to harm him or his family from the inside. What if it's related to that accident several years ago?

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