Chapter 1: The Whisper of Minds

  A gentle breeze swept through the dry branches above the schoolyard, carrying dead leaves across the cracked asphalt in a quiet, melancholic dance.

  Kaito Saisho stood still by the school gate, his backpack slung over one shoulder, eyes locked onto the sign that read:

  "Hakigawa High School"

  The last place where he still dared to hope for a fresh start.

  His snowy white hair fluttered in the wind, and his bright violet eyes caught the sunlight, almost glowing.

  As students passed by him, he heard their whispers, not even trying to hide them:

  "What's with that hair?"

  "Looks like a ghost."

  "Hey grandpa, lost your way to the retirement home?"

  All they ever offered was mockery. Always mockery.

  "Why do they always stare like that... like I'm some kind of mistake."

  He took slow steps into the building. A stranger in this town—but then again, loneliness was nothing new.

  His father was gone. His mother had left the country for work.

  Now it was just him, and a small apartment in the south district.

  The teacher introduced him to the class:

  “This is Kaito Saisho, our new student. Let’s make him feel welcome.”

  No applause. No smiles. Just silence… and those same judging eyes.

  Kaito didn’t react. He walked to an empty seat near the window and sat down.

  His eyes drifted toward the sky outside.

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  "Yeah... I’m sure I’ll have a great time."

  Days passed. No one talked to him. No friends. No questions.

  Class, lunch alone, then back home. Repeat.

  Masato and his little gang—the school’s top bullies—had teased him about his looks a few times, but when Kaito never reacted, they got bored.

  But inside him, something was simmering.

  A quiet rage. A pain that had never been allowed to scream.

  At night, lying in bed, he’d just stare at the ceiling.

  "What if I had a power? Something that would shut them all up…"

  One rainy afternoon, walking home from school, Kaito took a different path.

  A narrow alley beside the town’s old park.

  His foot slipped on the wet ground, and before he could catch himself, he fell—hard—into a deep, hidden ditch.

  It was like an old sewer hole, covered with dead leaves and trash.

  Pain shot through his legs as he groaned and stood up, soaked and filthy.

  But something down there caught his eye.

  A strange metallic box, half-buried in the mud.

  "What the... a box? Wait, there's writing... 'Mind Copy'?

  Let’s open it..."

  Inside, there was only a ring. Simple, yet... something about it felt off.

  "Just a ring? Weird name for a brand. Might as well see if it fits."

  As he slipped it onto his finger, a sudden flash of yellow light burst from it.

  “Connection established. Scanning host.”

  A wave of pain crashed through his head.

  He dropped to his knees, clutching his skull, gritting his teeth to hold back a scream.

  “Host compatible. Mental analysis beginning.”

  The pain stopped. But what came next was even stranger.

  Flashes of memories—voices, feelings—rushed through his mind.

  But they weren’t his. They were from others.

  People he’d never even spoken to.

  He could feel them. Hear them.

  And one voice stood out clearly—it was Masato.

  "Crap. I crashed Dad’s bike. If I tell him someone stole it, maybe he’ll believe me... yeah, that’s better."

  Kaito froze.

  "I just... heard his thoughts?"

  Hello dear friends, I know the first chapter was short, but if you really liked this story, tell me in the comments and I will write the next chapters more than 1500 words, and please support me and keep it warm.