**Chapter 1: The Gloomy City**

The streets of Atashi were a desolate and unforgiving place, a city straight out of a horror movie. Gray and filthy, the sidewalks seemed to stretch on forever, lined with vending machines that cast an eerie, grayish-blue glow over the miserable office workers who stumbled out of the city at night. The air reeked of decay and desperation, a constant reminder that in this city, the only person you could truly rely on was yourself. Family, friends, and community were just luxuries you couldn't afford. Yeko, a 12-year-old high school student, walked down the sidewalk with his little sister, Yumika, who attended the junior high school building nearby. Their neighborhood was just as bleak, a sprawling suburb that seemed to blend seamlessly into the city's dismal landscape. Yeko's parents had abandoned him and Yumika, leaving them to fend for themselves in a world that seemed determined to crush them. As they walked, Yeko's gaze drifted to the city in the distance, its towering buildings a constant reminder of the wealth and privilege that existed just out of his reach. He sighed, his dark circles and disheveled hair a testament to the hardships he faced every day. At 12, Yeko already had a job to provide for himself and Yumika, a burden that weighed heavily on his young shoulders. Their destination was Atashi High School, a notorious institution that loomed over the city like a specter of despair. Rumors of bullying, teenage pregnancy, and violence swirled around the school, a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Yeko had heard it all before, but he had no choice – this was where he had to go to survive. As they approached the school, Yeko caught sight of a poor boy in glasses being brutally beaten up by Kiroshi, a popular student, and his friends, Hazuko and Firakagu. Without hesitation, Yeko pushed Kiroshi, who turned to him with an expression that was both menacing and unreadable. For a moment, the two locked eyes, the tension between them palpable. Then, Kiroshi shrugged and walked into the school building, with Hazuko and Firakagu close behind. Yeko followed, his heart racing with a sense of foreboding – something was about to go terribly wrong. The school building loomed before him, a monolithic structure that seemed to swallow the light around it. Yeko took a deep breath and stepped inside, leaving the bleakness of the city behind, if only for a little while. Little did he know, his life was about to take a dark and terrifying turn.