HOSHINO CHRONICLES

Shadows I

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orced steel, its walls seem to repel both time and human warmth. Inside, the halls are adorned with artifacts that echo a forgotten past-portrait

udly against the marble floors, a reminder of the isolation that wealth and

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of people seated at its center. A long mahogany table stretches across the room, it

ty. Across from him are his parents: Daichi Hoshino, the patriarch and CEO of the Unity Network

ed fruit, steaming plates of grilled fish, and bowls of miso

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recision before addressing Sora in a

gaze never leaving the cup in his hand. "But satisfac

fens. "Ye

porcelain teacup. "The Network's stability is paramount, Sora. You understand that, d

, Mo

ore. Sora's responses are automatic, devoid of emotion. His parents speak to him not

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dining room. The tension is almost imperceptible, a current beneath the polished surface of the Hoshino

nounces, his voice measured and deliberate. He places his teacup down with a soft

mid-motion to reach for a slice of grilled fish, falters. He keeps h

s resuming their idle trace around the rim of her cup. "Nothing we can't manage, of course," she says smoothly,

ertone is clear: failure is not an option, and

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brings with it an air of dread and mystery. While his parents speak of the organization with carefully chosen wor

ll extent of their reach remains obscured, even from someone of his rank. He knows the Nexus created the Unity Network, that their scientists per

rom stone. It's not the first time Sora has wondered what his

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ou will be informed if these anomalies escalate," he says, his tone leaving no room for ar

ht is crushing. They carry an unspok

es automatically, though

ore he picks up his tea, taking a slow, deliberate s

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she addresses Sora. "You've always served the fami

alculated tool, a method of control disguised as maternal affection. He

trust in our family. It is a trust that cannot be broken-not ev

feels more li

" he replies,

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g Unity Network events-Sora finds his thoughts drifting. The word "anomalies" loops in his m

alies connected

ful as the Nexus? And why did Ayane's composure falter when Daichi brought it up? It

te suit. "Sora, report to the central district later today. There's been a surge in un

mind is too preoccupied with the gn

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, Sora remains seated, staring at his untouched plate. The polished surface of

just the beginning of a chain of events that will force Sora to confront not only the truth

the weight of expectation pressing down like

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more like a prison than a sanctuary. The walls are lined with books and screens di

tion from the previous day resurface, intertwining with his parents' cryptic words. The defiance in

r: What lies beyond the control of the Network? Wha

y calls, and for now, the chains of

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screens: a faint flicker, almost like static, before it stabilizes. It'

t sign of something larger-a crack in the fo