chillifleX

Kisimoto Sasukan was only five when he lost his father in a tragic water-car accident. Alone and shaken, he was taken in by a reporter for an interview-until his desperate mother and sister arrived, searching for him, hearts heavy with worry.

Years passed, but fate had more in store. At twenty-three, Kisimoto and his family were taken by a shadowy NGO-held captive under the threat of execution. But the threats were a mere illusion; the experiments were real. He wasn't alone-forty others, scattered across the globe, suffered the same fate. Their bodies became test subjects. Their lives became data.

Until one day, Kisimoto did the impossible. He escaped, dragging his mother and sister to freedom. But the scars of experimentation ran deeper than he imagined. As the hunt for the missing subjects raged on, Kisimoto discovered something new. 
Something terrifying...

He wasn't the same anymore...
And he was done being their pawn.

Read on to uncover the truth.

Murder in Mystery: Osaka, Origins

The morning after the chaotic renovation, calmness settled over the house like a lazy cat stretching in a sunbeam. A faint smell of dried paint still lingered, but it was almost cozy now—like they were finally moving on from all that lab-coated insanity.

Kisimoto stood by the window, sipping on a slightly-too-hot cup of instant coffee. His hair was messily tied back, a pencil stuck behind his ear from last night's scribbling session. He didn't move when Maria tiptoed in—daggers now swapped for pink gardening gloves.

"You okay?" she asked softly, setting a tray of toast and jam on the table. "You didn't sleep much."

"Yeah," he said, blowing gently on his mug. "Just thinking."

Maria nudged his elbow playfully. "Well, save some brainpower. We've got work to do."

Roko entered the room holding a clipboard and wearing glasses he clearly stole from the reading table. "Alright, degenerates. Operation: 'Jobs4ALiving' is now in session."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "You named the operation?"

"I name all operations," Roko replied proudly. "Also, I color-coded the job board."

He pointed toward a whiteboard on the wall, freshly nailed up and split into columns:

SKILLS, PLACES, POSSIBILITIES, NOPE, and HELL-NO.

Maria squinted. "Why is 'clown school' in 'POSSIBILITIES'?"

"I didn't say good possibilities," Roko muttered.

Kisimoto laughed. "Alright, alright, focus. Let's actually think."

Maria started: "I'm good at fighting, jumping off high things, and being scary when needed."

Roko added: "I'm great at arguing with people on the internet and… I dunno, lifting heavy stuff?"

Kisimoto blinked. "Great. So we've got a ninja, a gym bro, and a glorified coder. This'll go well."

Maria rolled her eyes. "You, Mr. Tall-and-Broody, are great with blueprints. And you can fix literally anything. Let's not forget that."

"And don't forget the 'runs-at-superhuman-speed' part," Roko mumbled.

Kisimoto looked away. "That's not a job."

Maria softened. "It could be. One day."

They scribbled more ideas. Freelance work. Construction side-jobs. Gardening services. Odd deliveries. Online commissions. Even helping local cafes renovate.

Outside, the city slowly came to life. Birds chirped. A car honked somewhere far off.

Their lives had been nothing but labs, lies, and explosions for too long. Maybe it was time to just… live. At least for a while.

Maria suddenly stood. "Okay. Enough talking. Let's pick our first gig."

Kisimoto raised a brow. "Just like that?"

"Yup. Something small. Something real."

Roko grinned. "Something that won't blow up."

To a café where the walls were cracking, and the manager needed help.

To a flower shop run by a grandma who couldn't lift pots anymore.

To a bookstore with a dusty roof and a flickering light.

They weren't chasing monsters anymore

Just life... for NOW, as ever before...

"OK... Me — bookstore, Serena & Maria — café, Roko — pots"

The Scientist — Boruko Shikato: Um, I don't think I wanna be forgotten just really...

"YOU, Mr. Spexy" said Maria, running down her finger slowly on the top of his nose, with a slight grin, then, taking off his glasses, "First become Mr. Sexy..."

TO BE CONTINUED…

EP 022: You OK?