SHIN·EN — THE ABYSS

Episode 1 — The Mark Rain fell over the city before dawn. The streets were almost empty, illuminated only by streetlights reflecting against the wet pavement. Behind a tall office building, a police car sat with its lights flashing. Yellow crime-scene tape surrounded the entrance. The First Crime Ren Kurosaki stepped underneath the tape, his dark coat already damp from the rain. He looked around the alley. A body lay several meters away. The victim was a man in his fifties, dressed in an expensive suit. Haru Takamori followed closely behind him, holding a notebook. "Male, approximately fifty-five. No identification yet." Ren crouched beside the body. "Cause of death?" "One gunshot to the chest." Haru glanced toward the victim's hand. "But there's something strange." Ren looked at him. "What?" Haru pointed. Carved into the victim's wrist was a black symbol. A circle. A single line cutting through its center. Ren's expression hardened. "You've seen it before?" "Not personally." Haru swallowed. "But I've seen it in the case files." Ren slowly stood. "How many?" "Two." Rain continued to fall. "Three now." --- The Victim The victim was identified several hours later. Masato Kirihara. Former deputy minister. Wealthy businessman. Publicly respected. His television appearances showed a calm, respectable man who often spoke about improving the city. But when Ren began digging into his private records, the picture changed. "Three offshore accounts." Yuna Mori placed several documents on Ren's desk. "All registered under different names." Ren scanned the papers. "How much?" "Enough to buy a small island." Sora Hayashi leaned over the desk while eating a convenience-store sandwich. "That's unfortunate." Ren looked at him. "What's unfortunate?" "I was hoping to become a corrupt billionaire." Yuna stared at him. "You'd have to become a billionaire first." "...That was unnecessarily personal." Haru tried not to laugh. Ren ignored them. "What was Kirihara using the money for?" Yuna's expression became serious. "That's the problem." She placed another file on the desk. "We don't know." Ren opened it. Several names had been blacked out. "Someone removed the records." "Not just removed." Yuna pointed toward the bottom of the page. "They were erased from the database." Ren's eyes narrowed. "By who?" "We're still checking." --- Someone Watching Across the city, inside the glass tower of Shinomiya Group, Kaito Shinomiya stood in front of a window overlooking the streets. His office was quiet. Elegant. Almost unnaturally clean. Rei Kisaragi entered without making a sound. "The police found Kirihara." Kaito continued looking outside. "I know." "The Abyss Mark was left behind." Kaito finally turned. "Who is handling the investigation?" "Detective Ren Kurosaki." For the briefest moment, Kaito's expression changed. "Ren..." Rei noticed. "You know him." Kaito walked toward his desk. "We grew up together." Rei remained silent. Kaito picked up an old photograph. Two boys stood beside each other. One smiled brightly. The other barely smiled at all. Ren and Kaito. Kaito turned the photograph face down. "How much does the police know?" "Not enough." "And Ren?" "He appears determined." Kaito gave a faint smile. "Of course he is." --- The Suspect That evening, Ren stood outside Shinomiya Group. The building towered over him. He looked at the company logo. SHINOMIYA GROUP. The company's name had appeared in Kirihara's financial records. Ren entered. Minutes later, he found himself sitting across from Kaito. The man sitting before him looked nothing like a criminal. Perfect suit. Calm expression. Polite smile. "Detective Kurosaki." Ren stared at him. "You know who I am." "Your reputation precedes you." "I came to ask about Masato Kirihara." Kaito calmly poured himself a glass of water. "I assumed you would." "Your company had financial dealings with him." "Many companies did." "Did you know him personally?" "Yes." "How well?" Kaito looked directly into Ren's eyes. "Well enough." Silence. Ren placed a photograph on the desk. "The Abyss Mark." Kaito's eyes moved toward the photograph. For one second— something changed in his expression. Then it disappeared. "I've never seen it before." Ren watched him carefully. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "You didn't know Kirihara was going to die?" "No." "Where were you last night?" "At a charity event." "Any witnesses?" "Several hundred." Ren's jaw tightened. Kaito leaned back. "Detective..." "Ren." Kaito paused. Then he smiled slightly. "Ren." Hearing his name from Kaito felt strangely familiar. Too familiar. "You're looking for the wrong person." Ren stood. "Then who should I be looking for?" Kaito's expression became unreadable. "Someone who doesn't want you to find the truth." --- The Mark Late that night, Ren returned to the crime scene alone. The rain had stopped. The alley was silent. He stood where Kirihara's body had been found. His eyes moved toward the wall. There was something he hadn't noticed before. A tiny black circle. Painted beneath the fire escape. Ren stepped closer. The same mark. His phone suddenly rang. It was Yuna. "We found something." "What?" "A hidden account belonging to Kirihara." "Where?" "Not a bank." A pause. "Shinomiya Group." Ren froze. "Are you sure?" "Yes." Ren looked up at the dark windows of the buildings surrounding him. For a moment, he thought he saw someone standing on a rooftop. A black silhouette. Then lightning flashed. The figure was gone. --- Final Scene On the opposite side of the city, Kaito stood alone on a rooftop. Rei approached him. "You shouldn't have let him see you." Kaito looked toward the distant police lights. "I didn't." "Then why was Ren at the scene again?" Kaito remained silent. Rei studied him. "Do you still trust him?" Kaito looked down at the old photograph in his hand. The photograph of two boys. "I never stopped." Rei's expression hardened. "Even after what happened?" Kaito's fingers tightened around the photograph. "Don't talk about that." For the first time, his voice carried something other than calmness. Pain. Far below, the city continued to sleep. And somewhere in the darkness, the black symbol waited. The Abyss Mark. Three victims. One mystery. And a detective who had just stepped into a case far older than the murder he was investigating. END OF EPISODE 1