The Whisper of the Old Ghost

Jinsei High – Rooftop

The wind howled over the rooftop of Jinsei High, carrying with it the faint echoes of past battles. The sky, painted in hues of orange and violet, cast long shadows over the schoolyard below. Kaito stood at the edge of the rooftop, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes locked on the city beyond the walls of Jinsei.

This place… It was once his brother's battlefield.

Behind him, the sound of the rusted rooftop door creaking open barely registered in his mind.

"You got some nerve standing here alone, new guy."

Kaito turned his head slightly. Three upperclassmen walked toward him, their uniforms slightly unkempt—Jinsei High's unofficial badge of authority. The one in the middle, a tall guy with bleached hair and a nasty smirk, cracked his knuckles.

"You know what happens to guys who act like they own the place, right?"

Kaito said nothing. He had expected this.

One of them lunged first, throwing a wild punch aimed at Kaito's jaw. He sidestepped, his movement precise, and the attacker's fist only met empty air. The next moment, Kaito's fist buried itself into the guy's stomach, knocking him flat with a single strike.

The other two hesitated. They had expected the new kid to crumble, not counter like a veteran.

"Who the hell—" the bleached-haired one began, but Kaito cut him off.

"I have no business with you," he said, his tone calm, detached. "Leave."

The leader's smirk returned, but this time it was tinged with something else—wariness.

"You ain't bad, rookie," he muttered. "But you should know something—Jinsei isn't a place where you can walk alone."

Kaito's eyes flickered.

"I was never alone to begin with."

Down in the courtyard, whispers had already started. The first storm had arrived at Jinsei High.

And Kaito had just stepped into it.