Chapter 5 — The Missing Braver

Two weeks had passed since Taichi Konoha disappeared. Fourteen days. To most people, that was not a particularly long time. A vacation could last longer, a film production could keep an actor away from the public for months, and even famous heroes occasionally vanished from the cameras when they were recovering from injuries or carrying out confidential missions.

But Taichi was different. The Red Braver had never stayed out of public view for this long. Since the defeat of King Cosmos, he had appeared almost every day, helping rescue survivors trapped beneath damaged buildings, escorting humanitarian convoys through unstable regions, and dismantling criminal organizations that had taken advantage of the chaos left behind by the invasion. Sometimes he even accepted missions that barely required a Braver—a collapsed bridge, a burning hospital, a missing child. Taichi never refused.

That was why people had begun to notice. Television hosts asked why the Red Braver had stopped appearing, reporters gathered outside military facilities demanding confirmation that he was safe, and rumors spread across social media. Some claimed he had suffered a hidden injury during the final battle against King Cosmos. Others believed the government had sent him on a secret mission. A few more dramatic voices insisted that another alien invasion had already begun and Taichi had been defeated before he could warn anyone.

The government denied every rumor. Their official statement was simple.

"The Red Braver is currently unavailable due to classified duties. There is no cause for public concern."

It was a lie, and Endou Tachibana knew it.

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Rain struck the windows of a narrow office on the third floor of an old commercial building. The sign outside the door read:

TACHIBANA PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS

Inside, the office looked less like a professional workplace and more like the aftermath of a storm. Documents covered nearly every surface, police reports were scattered across the desk, and photographs of missing civilians had been pinned to a large board on the wall, connected by red threads to maps, dates, and handwritten notes. Twenty-seven disappearances. All within the same district. All without witnesses. All without bodies.

Endou, also known as the Blue Braver, sat behind his desk, staring at the information for what felt like the thousandth time. His blue hair was uncombed, dark shadows rested beneath his eyes, and a cup of coffee had gone cold beside his hand hours ago without him noticing. His attention remained fixed on a photograph of Taichi.

It had been taken shortly after the Bravers defeated King Cosmos. Taichi stood at the center of the team, smiling brightly despite the bandages around his head and arms. Roland rested a heavy hand on his shoulder while Saki leaned into the frame from behind. Sakura stood beside Taichi, blushing while trying not to look directly at him. Yuki remained composed, though the faint curve of her lips revealed her relief, while Ryuen stood at the edge pretending he did not care about the photograph. Endou himself stood directly beside Taichi. The second-in-command. The closest friend. The one who should have been there.

Endou lowered the photograph and returned his attention to the reports.

"No blood. No remains. No Stellar Energy signature. No alien residue... nothing. It was like Taichi had simply vanished from the world."

His gaze shifted toward the map. The final confirmed location of Taichi's communicator had been near the district where the disappearances were occurring. After that, the signal had simply stopped. It had not weakened or moved. It had simply stopped, as if the device had ceased to exist.

Endou had searched the area personally. The police had searched it, and military specialists had scanned every street, sewer, rooftop, and abandoned building. They had found nothing—no fragments of Taichi's suit, no trace of his fire, and no witnesses who remembered seeing him. There was only a narrow alley with signs of a battle and a strange black residue that disappeared shortly after being collected.

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Endou leaned back in his chair, his fingers tightening around the edge of the desk. He had solved murders with fewer clues than this and exposed killers who had spent years erasing evidence, yet every path connected to Taichi ended in darkness.

The government was not helping. They claimed to have assigned specialists to the case, but most of their effort was devoted to controlling the information—destroying recordings, restricting reports, pressuring officers into silence, and keeping the public calm.

Endou understood the reason. The Red Braver was more than a hero. He was a symbol. If the world learned that humanity's strongest protector had vanished without explanation, fear would spread quickly. But understanding the reason did not make it easier to accept.

"They care more about preserving his image than finding him," Endou muttered.

His eyes moved to the photograph again. Taichi's smile seemed almost painfully bright.

Endou remembered their last conversation. It had been brief. Far too brief. Taichi had called to ask how the detective agency was progressing, and Endou had complained that private investigation involved more paperwork than fighting aliens. Taichi had laughed. He had sounded happy—tired, but happy.

Before ending the call, Taichi had said they should all meet again sometime. Endou had told him they would arrange something after he finished his current case. There was always another case. Another mission. Another excuse. Now Taichi was gone.

Endou pressed both hands against the desk.

"I should have been there."

The words came quietly. There was no one in the office to answer him.

He looked through another report, then another, but found nothing. His breathing grew heavier. Fourteen days. Fourteen days without a single useful lead. Fourteen days of imagining every possible fate. Captured. Injured. Experimented on. Dead.

"No."

Endou gritted his teeth.

"He isn't dead."

He forced himself to examine another photograph taken from a damaged security camera. The image showed only a dark alley and a blurred shape that might have been a person—or might have been nothing at all. He enlarged it again, but the pixels broke apart. Useless.

"Damn it!"

Endou slammed both fists against the desk. Documents jumped into the air, and the cold coffee spilled across several reports, but he did not care. Small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as he lowered his head, ashamed of them despite being alone.

"I was supposed to watch his back."

His voice cracked.

"I was his second-in-command."

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"He was sixteen."

The title of leader had made everyone forget that sometimes. Taichi had been brave enough to stand before armies, strong enough to challenge King Cosmos, and kind enough to smile after losing almost everything. But he had still been sixteen. A child carrying the expectations of an entire world. And Endou had left him alone.

A gentle knock came from the office door. Endou did not answer. He assumed it was a client. He had stopped accepting new cases days ago, but people continued visiting. The door slowly opened, and a familiar voice entered the room.

"Is this a bad time?"

Endou froze. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and turned.

Saki Nidou stood in the doorway, her long blonde ponytail resting over one shoulder. She wore a yellow jacket over casual clothing, and her usual playful smile was softer than normal. Beside her stood Roland Stronoff. The tall, green-haired man nearly filled the doorway. He wore his military instructor uniform, though his posture lacked its usual rigid confidence. Both of them looked at Endou with bittersweet expressions.

For several seconds, no one spoke. Saki glanced at the papers covering the floor.

"Well, I've seen cleaner crime scenes."

She said, attempting a light tone. Endou stared at her. Saki's smile faded slightly as Roland stepped into the office.

"You look terrible."

Endou gave a humorless laugh.

"Good to see you too."

Roland approached the desk and examined the board on the wall—the photographs, the maps, the red threads. His expression grew heavier with every detail.

"You've been doing this alone?"

"I'm used to working alone."

"That wasn't my question."

Endou looked away. Saki entered and closed the door behind her. She picked up the fallen photograph of the Bravers, and for a moment, her eyes rested on Taichi before she carefully returned it to the desk.

"You could have called us," she said.

Endou remained silent. Saki folded her arms.

"Endou."

"I didn't want to drag everyone back into this without evidence."

Roland looked toward him.

"Taichi is missing. That is evidence enough."

Endou's jaw tightened.

"The government wants this contained."

Saki raised an eyebrow.

"And since when do you care what the government wants?"

"That is not what I meant."

"I know."

She stepped closer, her voice losing its teasing edge.

"You thought you had to solve it before involving us."

Endou did not deny it. Saki sighed.

"You really haven't changed."

Roland placed one hand on Endou's shoulder. The gesture reminded Endou painfully of the old team photograph.

"You don't have to carry this alone."

Endou looked at them both. Saki was trying to smile even though her eyes were red, while Roland had left his family and military responsibilities to come here. His former companions. His friends. For the first time in two weeks, the office did not feel completely empty.

Roland glanced toward the overturned coffee.

"Have you eaten?"

Endou hesitated. Saki groaned.

"That means no."

Saki stared at him. Endou surrendered with a tired sigh.

Roland moved toward the door.

"There's a bar nearby.

Endou looked back at the investigation board. Every part of him resisted leaving. There could still be something he had missed—a detail, a connection, a single clue—but the words on the documents had begun blending together hours ago. He was exhausted. And Taichi would have told him the same thing. Rest. Eat. Then try again.

Endou slowly stood.

"All right."

Saki's expression brightened.

"Good."

She walked beside him as they left the office, while Roland waited in the hallway. Before closing the door, Endou looked back one final time at the maps, the photographs, and Taichi's smiling face. His hand tightened around the doorknob.

Wait for me.

Wherever you are...

I'm going to find you.

The door closed. None of them noticed the tiny black shape crouched on the roof across the street. A small goblin watched through the rain, its round eyes following Roland as the three former Bravers walked away together. Then it quietly slipped into the shadows.