Is This the Body of a Forty-Something Mom After All?
It was midnight.
The quiet street fell silent as a car pulled up in front of Rai’s house and stopped.
The door opened, and Shalla stepped out. Behind the wheel, Bat lowered the window and flashed a bright smile.
“Shalla, you were amazing today~!”
Shalla shrugged, as if it were obvious.
“Of course. What do you think I am?”
“Fufu, the S-rank NEET?”
“Ugh…”
To the embarrassed Shalla, Bat laughed playfully and added,
“Eat a little something light for midnight snacks. And you should help out around Rai-san’s house sometimes too.”
“I’ll manage.”
Shalla answered casually and closed the car door.
Thud.
“See you later~!”
Bat waved.
“Yeah.”
Shalla replied shortly and walked toward the house.
At the front door, she entered the code and opened it.
Creak.
“I’m back…”
At that exact moment, Shalla’s expression stiffened.
The house was unnaturally quiet.
“…Rai?”
No answer.
Shalla stepped into the living room without even taking off her shoes.
“Rai?”
Still no reply.
Yet something lay on the floor in the middle of the living room—a cellphone.
Slowly, Shalla walked over and picked it up.
Rai’s phone.
“…”
A cold shiver crawled up her spine.
She scanned the room quickly. There were no signs Rai had gone out.
If that was the case, why was the phone lying there?
Her eyes drifted toward the bedroom.
The door frame was pitch black with scorch marks.
“What…?”
Shalla approached the bedroom.
When she reached the door and touched it, a faint trace of mana remained.
At that instant, Shalla’s eyes narrowed.
“My trap.”
The door carried the defensive trap Shalla had installed herself. Anyone who tried to open it without permission would trigger a powerful discharge of lightning and heat.
Someone had touched it.
But Rai?
He knew he was not allowed inside that room.
“Who…?”
Shalla’s mind raced.
And the conclusion was simple.
Someone had come for Rai.
“Rai…!!!”
Shalla flung the bedroom door open.
Clang.
The door swung wide.
She rushed inside, and the moment she checked, a wave of relief washed over her.
‘Whatever was stored here’ was untouched.
No signs anyone had taken anything.
“So you couldn’t open the door, huh.”
The trap had been triggered, but the defense had clearly worked.
But that wasn’t the real issue.
Rai was gone.
Just the phone remained.
All emotion drained from Shalla’s face.
“Who the hell…”
She yanked out her phone and dialed Bat.
Before the ringing even finished, the call connected.
“Shalla? What’s wrong?”
“Bat.”
Shalla’s voice was low, but fear laced every word.
“Turn the car around right now.”
“Eh?”
“Rai’s missing.”
Silence stretched.
Shalla gritted her teeth.
“Whoever broke into our house…”
“…..!!!!”
Shalla stared at the phone on the floor.
“And Rai is gone.”
Her voice grew colder.
“So hurry home.”
Crash—!!!
Shalla sprinted toward the front door and screamed again.
“Turn the car around now—!! Bat—!!!”
____
In the dark space, Rai slowly opened his eyes.
The blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling and dim lighting.
The moment he tried to move, a strange sensation gripped his entire body.
“Ugh?!”
His arms wouldn’t budge.
His torso and legs were strapped tightly to a chair.
Duct tape.
Even his mouth was sealed, so no sound could escape.
“Mmgh, mmgh!”
Rai struggled as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows.
“Shh.”
It was Bella.
She placed her index finger over her lips and silently signaled Rai to stay quiet.
Then she slowly approached and peeled the tape from his mouth.
Rip!
“Aaah!”
Rai’s face twisted in pain.
“Ghh… Bella!! Why are you doing this?!”
“…For senior.”
“Senior?”
“In a little while, people will come. And they’ll ask senior questions.”
Rai’s face paled.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Who told you to do this?!”
Bella stayed silent.
Instead, she looked at Rai and whispered.
“Please… say you know nothing.”
Rai’s expression hardened.
Bella’s face held no trace of her usual calm. The girl who always handled everything with cool indifference now looked visibly terrified.
The mix of desperation in her eyes was something Rai had never seen before.
“Bella…”
Clang.
Then the door behind them opened.
Men in black suits entered first, followed by a middle-aged woman walking slowly.
Rai’s eyes widened.
“Could it be…”
He knew that face well.
The Awakened Risk Monitoring and Management Bureau.
The agency that monitored and managed dangerous Awakened.
Its director and the woman who personally commanded countless Awakened incidents.
Varga Strekai.
And the men in black suits flanking her were all high-level protection Awakened.
“You… you’re not Varga Strekai, are you?”
The middle-aged woman smiled gently.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rai.”
Rai’s gaze immediately turned to Bella.
“So you had Bella kidnap me…?”
Varga cut in.
“Precisely, we assigned you to monitor…”
“Enough with the pleasantries.”
Bella interrupted hurriedly.
Varga’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Bella.”
“……”
“When Mother speaks, you don’t cut her off.”
“……!!!!!”
Rai’s eyes bulged at those words.
And slowly he looked at Bella.
“Mother…?”
Bella kept her head bowed, unable to meet Rai’s eyes.
The reaction struck Rai like a bolt.
“Wait. You two…”
“Later.”
Varga cut in calmly.
She pulled up a chair opposite Rai and sat down.
Creak.
“I’ll only ask a few simple questions.”
“……”
“If you answer well, I’ll send you home without any harm.”
Varga paused for a moment, then added casually.
“Of course, I’ll do a little memory manipulation, but—”
“That’s a huge harm!”
Rai shouted in disbelief, but Varga continued without hesitation.
“First question.”
Her expression turned ice-cold.
“Rai.”
“Yes. Just ask already.”
Rai reacted as if it was an annoyance.
“What is your relationship with Acra Minus?”
For an instant, every expression vanished from Rai’s face.
“………”
Acra Minus.
The moment he heard the name, he sensed he was entangled in something far greater than he could imagine.
Rai stayed silent, staring at Varga.
Beside him, Bella clenched her fists until the knuckles turned white, yet she said nothing.
Varga observed their reactions without missing a detail.
“Hmm.”
She smiled quietly.
“You seem to know something.”
“……”
Rai’s eyes turned cold.
“Then why are you asking?”
“The questions are mine.”
Varga leaned forward slightly.
“So answer me.”
“………”
“What is your relationship with Acra Minus?”
The air in the room grew heavy.
Rai’s gaze briefly met Bella’s.
But Bella refused to look back.
Rai’s expression grew even more rigid.
He now understood this wasn’t a simple kidnapping.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced: the conversation he had had with Shalla the other day.
It had been an ordinary evening.
Lying on the sofa, Shalla suddenly said to Rai,
“Rai.”
“Hm?”
“Strange people might come looking for you later.”
“Eh?”
When Rai turned, Shalla fiddled with the remote as if it didn’t matter.
“Probably someone without me will ask you about Acra.”
“Acra?”
Rai thought for a moment.
“That guy’s supposed to be amazing, right?”
Shalla glanced sideways.
“That’s right…”
And answered in a slightly trembling voice.
“But why ask me about that guy?”
Rai’s face showed genuine confusion.
“What does my relationship with Acra have to do with anything?”
Shalla paused, then shrugged.
“The world is full of strange people.”
“That’s not an answer…”
“Just say you don’t know anything if asked.”
Shalla’s tone grew serious.
“Tell them you know nothing about Acra.”
“So you really have to say that?”
“Yeah.”
Shalla looked straight at Rai.
“Don’t get entangled in weird things.”
To Rai at the time, those words had sounded like nothing more than Shalla’s strange advice.
But now it was different.
Inside the dark room, Rai’s expression on the chair slowly hardened.
Varga asked the question again.
“What is your relationship with Acra Minus?”
At that moment, Shalla’s voice rang clearly in Rai’s mind.
“Say you know nothing.”
Rai slowly closed his lips.
And looked at Varga.
“I don’t know anything…”
Bella’s fist tightened even harder.
“Lie to me. You are Acra’s blood relative.”
And the next words hit Rai like a thunderclap.
“Whaaaaaat?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”