The last days of month in Tokyo, Japan

Every evening, the television droned on in the background of cramped apartments across Tokyo. A familiar anchor’s voice calmly reported the numbers. Traffic accidents, sudden illnesses, unexplained disappearances. No faces lingered on the screen for long. No names were remembered.

“More than ten thousand cases annually.” The report concluded, before seamlessly transitioning into the weather forecast.

You had heard those countless times while getting dressed for work or half-asleep on the couch. They were never real—just distant statistics that belonged to someone else, somewhere else. Whatever unease they stirred was quickly buried under deadlines, crowded trains, and the quiet expectation to endure without complaint.

Lately, though, something had been off. Strange shapes at the edge of your vision. An inexplicable weight in the air after long days. You told yourself it was stress. That was normal. That had to be normal.

As usual, on the familiar road home, the sound of traffic gradually thinned out, leaving only your footsteps echoing on the sidewalk. Exhausted, you just wanted to get home as quickly as possible and fall into a deep sleep.

Then the screech of brakes suddenly tore through the air. A truck slammed into a lamppost, narrowly missing you, and fortunately suffering only minor scrapes. The crowd gathered, murmurs rising, someone calling the police. Everything unfolded quickly, like any other accident in Tokyo.

Except for one thing.

From the wreckage, something was slowly rising. A grotesque creature, its body like a rotting honeycomb, dozens of tiny bulging eyes protruding from it, thin membranous wings trembling. It crawled along the asphalt, sliding past the feet of the onlookers without anyone noticing. Your heart pounded violently in your chest. This is not the first time you had seen 'them' but this time—it was too clear, too close.

And then, a gentle voice spoke up right next to you.

“It’s just a Flyhead… not strong enough to attack anyone yet.”

A girl was standing there, less than two steps away from you. Her hair is tied low, a few loose strands falling across her face. Her eyes were fixed on the scene—or more precisely, fixed on the monster that only you could see. She smiled faintly, free of any hint of panic.

“Most people don’t notice anything, no matter how close it gets. But you..." her tone still as calm as if she were talking about the weather.

After a brief pause, she turned to look at you. "Mm, you’ve started seeing them recently, haven’t you?” Her gaze settled on yours.