Kirigiri;Paradigm Hoboken

ONE - INTERRUPT;SIREN

   Makoto sat up from the couch. The warmness of the cushion playfully invited him to sit back down. He shook his head and gathered the paperwork spread out on the coffee table. In the background, the buzzing of the air conditioning quietly hummed the same time it had always played. The television was turned on and dialed to the news channel. The remote control lay on the floor, unable to make an active decision on the content being displayed. Makoto glanced at the window. The sun leisurely fell out of the sky as darkness enveloped the starry night sky.

"Hey Makoto! Don't forget to get the groceries I told you about!"

"Yeah, I'm going!"

   Makoto quickly zipped up his bookbag. His supplies had been neatly packaged away. He walked to his bedroom and tossed his backpack on his bed. He then patted down his pants, eager to find his wallet. He turned around and began to rummage through his cabinets.

"Man, where'd I put my wallet?" he muttered.

   He walked out of his room and through the hallway. Several framed pictures adorned the warm walls. Makoto leaned down towards his couch. He slid his hand from within the couch cushions, pushing the cushions down with his palms. Soon enough, his small fingers bumped into a piece of mass. He thrust his hand even deeper, grasping at the object. He got a grip on the item and gently pulled it out. In his hands lay a cloth wallet with papers, receipts, and a small amount of money. Makoto tucked his wallet back inside of his pocket before standing back up.

"Makoto! I thought you left already! It's gonna get dark!" Komaru complained.

"Y-yeah sorry, couldn't find my wallet." Makoto replied.

   At that moment, Makoto took a glance at the television. For some reason, out of sheer curiosity, his eyes fell upon the contents of the screen. The television had been turned on and dialed to the news channel. As he watched the news, a sharp, painful alarm sound emanated from the tv. An abrupt message popped onto the top segment of the screen.

"Civil authorities have issued a Hazardous Materials Warning for Japan. Effective until September 29, 02:16 AM."

"Hey Komaru, are you seeing thi-"

"Would you."

"???"

"Could you."

   There was no movement from the living room. Everything immediately stopped. Static reverberated through their eardrums. A sharp sound stung their hearing. They were as shocked as they were confused. What was this sudden broadcast? Why was it playing just now? Makoto's pupils remained glued to the screen. The red banner and white words burned within his retinas. At that moment, they could not have possibly anticipated the following words that would flash on the screen.

"On a train?"

In the end, Makoto never went to the grocery store...

...

"Hey, are you busy right now?" a feminine voice stated over a telephone.

"Yes, Imai, I am. What do you need?" Kyoko responded. She pressed her finger on the speaker function located at the center of the device. The translucent button began to emit a faint, green glow. A notification was displayed on the dot-matrix display.