I don’t care if it was past midnight or before midnight—I met Fuse. That’s all that matters. The most important thing wasn’t the time, but the fact that I was able to see her again with my own eyes.The last time I encountered her was in the streets, around 8:00 PM. That tells me something: Fuse tends to wander near her scheduled target locations between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. Of course, this is only an estimate—Fina calculated the timeframe by considering when the victims might arrive.But time isn’t what’s important tonight.What matters is that I’m here. I’m willing to wait in this place the entire night if I have to—until the sun rises, if it comes to that—just to stop Fuse from whatever it is she’s doing.The location is a cargo box storage yard. It’s filled with towering stacks of shipping containers from vessels docked nearby. Some of them are filled with goods, others are completely empty. This place is supposed to be a restricted area—there’s even a large sign on the gate that

South of Neo Silico Valley.A sleek, polished structure stood tall against the burning sunset, its mirrored surface reflecting artificial lights from the skyway traffic above. The building bore a pristine sign: Peaceful Home Corporation. To outsiders, it appeared to be just another tech giant—renowned for creating robotic assistants designed to help with daily chores, office tasks, and personal companionship.But beneath its steel-and-glass skin, the truth festered like rot.Deep underground, beyond the public’s gaze, in corridors colder than morgue walls, the corporation was conducting something far from peaceful.The War Doll Extension Project—a black-budget experiment buried under fake invoices and erased files—was still alive.Inside the hidden lab, a woman in a wrinkled lab coat stared at her screen, her bloodshot eyes wide with panic. Dark bags hung beneath them like bruises. Her name was Ella, lead researcher, and she had just lost connection with their most important subject.

A long, long time ago, there lived a couple—sweet and gentle, bound by a love that felt eternal. They were kind-hearted, hospitable, and always ready to help others. Everyone in the village adored them for their warmth and generosity.But even in the happiest stories, sorrow finds a place. Despite their deep love for one another, they were never blessed with a child. Their house echoed only with the sounds of wind and birds, never with laughter or tiny footsteps. Though they tried to smile, an invisible ache lingered between them.One evening, the husband confessed something that had been weighing on him for years. He blamed himself—his own body, his infertility—and with tears in his eyes, he told his wife that maybe she should leave him, find happiness elsewhere, perhaps with someone who could give her the joy of motherhood.But the woman didn’t loosen her grip on his hand. Instead, she held it tighter than ever.“Even if you can’t give me a child,” she said softly, “I will never lea

“It’s already evening why you're still working so hard?”Asked Hanayuki.“I need to finish this website. The problem happened and a bug appeared I need to fix it immediately.”“I know that you’re such a hard worker but. Working hard is bad for you’re health. Did you hear about those corporate slaves in the city? Did you know that some workers are dying in their offices? I don’t want that to happen to you.”“Don’t worry I won’t die easily.”“They all said that… Ren, you’re always like that. When you're into something you didn’t know how to break. Sometimes you forget about eating at all. I’m very worried about you.”Hanayuki walked beside Ren and gave him a cup of hot chocolate to raise the temperature of his body.The chilly breeze started to blow and snowflakes are falling from the sky. Winter season comes covering the whole town in white.Hanayuki put some wood to the fireplace and sit down on the sofa as she watches on the television enjoy her hot chocolate.Ren meanwhile continues

At exactly 6:00 PM, the living room lit up with life as everyone gathered together, waiting excitedly for the long-awaited moment.The door creaked open, and in came the girl who had been confined to the hospital for several weeks—Fina.Everyone immediately reached for their party poppers and, with beaming smiles, greeted her with a unified cheer.“Welcome back, Fina!!”Fina’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink, her expression glowing with a mix of shyness and joy. It was almost too cute to look at.“Thank you… all of you. You really didn’t have to go this far. I heard… we're running low on fund.”Fina said, fiddling nervously with the hem of her coat.“Don’t worry about that,” Mei replied with a grin, placing a cone-shaped party hat on Fina’s head and handing her a balloon. “We’ve been doing lots of normal commission jobs just to prepare for this day.”Fina blinked, slightly confused. “This isn’t my birthday, so… why the hat and balloon?”Still, her gaze wandered around the room, taking in t