'DOES IT HURT?' Reno wrote on his sketch pad. Kino smiled and jolted at the sudden pain he felt on his left cheek. He smiled, shaking his head and doing a thumbs up to say he’s alright. Reno patted his head with a worried expression. Reno looks just like him, just a younger version with longer hair.

The wraith hunters successfully closed the red gate after an hour. Kino apologized for fetching him so late. The 11-year-old boy and his teachers were horrified upon seeing Reno’s older brother’s wounds. Kino was also sent to the infirmary to get treated before they were allowed to go home.

Kino prepared rice porridge and tofu as Reno quietly watched TV while wrapped up in blankets on his mattress. They were rewatching Reno’s favorite movies at his suggestion it could “heal” his fever. He was born deaf, the reason why Kino has been very overprotective of him ever since he was born. He wants his baby brother to experience an ordinary life despite his disabilities. He has been working hard as both his brother and father figure since their parents' passing.

“Mhm! Mhm!” Eventually, Reno came running to the kitchen while pointing at the TV.

“R-Reno! Stop running around!” Reno quickly wrote something on his sketchpad. “What’s that?”

'YOU. TV'

Kino lowered the stove and then took a peek at the TV. His eyes widened in embarrassment.

[The Red Gate in Nether Street has successfully shut after 3 hours thanks to the three teams of Wraith Hunters Association Itaport City branch. It was the second red gate spotted for October. The first case appeared at Sunny Middle School in Eygan Province, injuring 4 children, and 7 adults. The Red Gate in Nether Street this afternoon had injured 16 civilians after the first fold was destroyed, and the whole mission resulted in a total of 21 deaths from the Wraith Hunter’s Association’s side.]

Phone camera footage of the fold getting destroyed was shown, Kino can be spotted screaming and crying while crawling on the ground in front of a B-type ogre swinging its halberd to kill him. He cringed and immediately shut the TV off. His reaction was normal for someone who was about to die, but of course, his schoolmates won’t get that. He’ll surely be the laughingstock of the whole school on Monday.

“Mhm!” Reno pointed at the TV with an angry expression.

“Oh, right! Sorry.” He turned the TV on again and changed the channel back to the movies.

[That was you on the news, wasn’t it?] Morris’ voice from the other line was teasing.

“Not today, Mo. I almost died.”

[Yeah, you almost did! All our classmates were worried about you. Are you alright? How are your face and arm wounds?]

“I’m okay. I got them treated already.”

[What about your brother?]

“He said he’s already feeling well when he woke up.”

The following morning, Morris called to check up on him while he was on his way to work. It turns out their classmates and some schoolmates were worried upon seeing him on the news, and they kept asking Morris about his condition in the group chats. For a nobody, his name was treated like a celebrity that day with how worried they were for him. He isn’t popular in school, but every student knows his face. They may not remember his name, but they know him as the lame, awkward guy with a bowl cut from the table tennis club.

“I’m about to hop on the train. Talk to you later.”

[Wait! Where’s the video?]

“I didn’t film anything. It was a mess.”

Riding the train, Kino saw a hiring poster of WHA in front of him. Hunters in navy trench coats were standing with deadpanned expressions on their faces displayed on the poster pasted next to the window. He sighed. WHA always looks for hunters to fight against the wraiths. Large numbers die every raid, the more powerful the gate is, the more lives they lose. The salary may be bigger compared to other ordinary jobs, but it’s one of the most dangerous, and deadly. Newbies can’t even make it until their first paycheck.

Kino admits he’s afraid of the idea he might become a hunter soon. He passed three interviews and the exam. Once he’s accepted, it’ll be hard to go back. The first paycheck for newbies can pay their rent for the next three months. That can calm the gangsters contacting them for a good while.

The 8-hour shift in the convenience store passed in a blur. It was already 9 in the evening and it was raining hard when he farewelled his replacement. Oh, how he hates the rain.

His work is just a 10-minute walking distance from the station. He was walking past a dark alley when large arms suddenly grabbed him in the shadows.

“Huh???”

He felt himself in danger out of instinct. He tried to escape, but it was too late.

STAB!

It was fast. Kino felt a sharp tingling pain buried deep in his stomach. “What the–Ah!” The pain was so unbearable he couldn't breathe normally. He shortened his breath in an effort to ease the pain. Tears pooled his eyes. He didn’t know what was going on. Why was he suddenly stabbed when he knew he didn’t do anything wrong?

“W-Who are you? Ah!” His still wounded face met a large fist, his blood splattering on the ground joined whatever garbage littered the alley. A few more punches and hard kicks had beat his body to a pulp until he couldn’t move anymore. He smelled alcohol in the middle of his breathing.

Don’t tell me–

He remembered the drunk customer his co-worker had pushed out this afternoon for harassing other customers. He didn’t let him purchase a beer for already being drunk and cursing the other people in line.

“That’s for my beer, you piece of shit!” Followed by another kick on the stab wound before the drunk man took his coins and ran away.

Kino was left in the dark alley bathing in his blood. He closed his eyes and prepared himself to die. He was scared. So that’s just how he’ll meet his death. He’d always been a coward and even his cause of death would be lame as hell. He’ll have to leave this world and his helpless little brother alone. He’s scared of dying, yet he wants to be a hunter. He’s about to die and yet, he still wants to fight and keep on living.

He still wants to live a peaceful life together with his little brother.

A good minute passed with Kino closing his eyes. He waits for death to hug him when blurry lights started slipping through his eyelids. He slowly opened them, only to find a yellow gate shining before him.