A City that Pretends to Sleep

Ikebukuro breathes.

The train lines buzz like veins. The streets pulse like arteries.

The city is alive. It pretends to sleep, but its eyes are always open.

[18:09 — Sunshine 60 Street]

Shoppers streamed past the neon signs, arms full of bags, mouths full of laughter. The sound was ordinary, too ordinary.

Shizuo Heiwajima stood at the edge of the crosswalk, a cigarette half-lit between his fingers. He looked bored.

“Another day without incident,” he muttered. “Almost peaceful.”

Something whistled through the air. He caught it with one hand: a soda can. The lid was still cold. His golden eyes twitched.

A pair of high schoolers whispered from behind a vending machine, their phones raised like talismans.

“Task says just throw something at him. He’ll snap.”

“Film it, film it!”

Shizuo’s hand squeezed. The can folded with a metallic scream, soda dribbling down his arm.

He didn’t move. He didn’t rage. Not yet.

The boys froze, their phones shaking in their hands.

Shizuo’s voice dropped low.

“I can hear you.”

They ran.

Behind them, an idle delivery bike rumbled, rider faceless under a dark visor, watching.

[18:22 -- Shinra’s Apartment, Rooftop]

Celty sat on the ledge, the city spread below her. She typed on her phone, her helmet reflecting Ikebukuro’s lights.

[Text to Shinra] : "People are staring again. Someone spread a new rumor, didn’t they?"

Shinra burst out of the rooftop door, lab coat flapping.

“Rumors? Always. This one’s about you again, I bet. The ‘Silent Rider’ trending on some shady app called WHISPR.”

Celty tilted her head.

“Anonymous tasks,” Shinra continued. “Dares, games, proof-of-legends nonsense. It’s spreading faster than any disease I’ve studied.”

Celty typed another line, showing him.

Coordinated?

Shinra hesitated. His grin faltered just slightly.

“…Yeah. And Ikebukuro’s never been kind to coordination.”

Smoke poured from her collar. Without another word, Celty dropped from the ledge, the sound of her bike revving seconds later.

[18:45 --- Under the Overpass near Ikebukuro Station]

Masaomi Kida leaned against a pillar, hands shoved into his pockets. Beside him, Anri Sonohara adjusted her glasses.

“So peaceful, right?” Masaomi said, a little too casual.

“…I hope it stays that way,” Anri murmured.

A boy brushed past them, phone in hand. His face was blank, steps mechanical. On the glowing screen:

WHISPR // TASK #014

Leave the package in Locker #104. Do not look inside.

Masaomi whistled low. “He’s not even trying to hide it.”

They followed at a distance as the boy shoved a small white box into the blue locker, then sprinted away.

Anri frowned. “We shouldn’t.”

“Which is why we absolutely should,” Masaomi grinned.

From the shadows, a massive figure approached Simon, the sushi man, smiling as if he’d heard everything.

“Open box? Bad idea. Which means… you definitely will.”

Masaomi groaned. Anri’s eyes lingered on the locker. The white box sat inside, humming faintly.

[18:52 Chat Log: WHISPR Thread “Night Things”]

! Setton: The Rider was spotted near Sunshine.

Tanaka_Tarou: Urban myth. Buy sushi.

kanra: Heehee. Be gentle with your monsters. They get lonely.

Saikahhh: Knives whisper tonight.

Mod_Zero: Follow tasks. Disobedience is death.

The thread blinked out. Fifteen new ones appeared instantly.

[19:00 -- Tokyu Hands Back Alley]

A coin danced between long, pale fingers.

“Tasks, huh? Children and their games,” the man chuckled. His coat swayed as he walked, not even glancing at the delivery bike that rolled past him.

He flipped the coin, caught it, and smiled.

“Izaya Orihara,” the city whispered, though nobody dared say it aloud.

[19:14 --- Shinra’s Underground Clinic]

The injured teen hissed as Shinra stitched him up.

“She smiled… red coat… knife like glass. Said the blade was lonely.”

Shinra’s eyes widened, then narrowed.

“…Saika?”

The boy coughed. “Didn’t feel like Saika. Felt worse.”

Celty stormed in, helmet gleaming. Her hands signed quick, frantic motions.

Shinra’s grin vanished completely.

“Boxes in lockers. Riders lurking. New blades on the street.”

He pulled off his gloves, voice low.

“The city isn’t just restless. It’s… rewriting itself.”

[19:25 --- Sunshine 60 Street]

The high schoolers returned, phones buzzing. This time, there were more of them.

WHISPR // TASK #021:

Make the Ogre bleed.

They rushed Shizuo. He exhaled slowly. His hand reached for a street sign.

And then a coin rolled to his feet.

A shadow leaned against the wall. A smile cut sharp across his face.

“Temper, temper, Shizuo.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened, teeth grinding.

“…You.”

Izaya twirled the coin.

“Miss me?”

[19:29 --- The Blue Lockers]

Masaomi’s hands trembled as he pried open Locker #104. Anri’s eyes sharpened, lips pressed tight.

The box was plain. Humming softly.

He lifted the lid—

Inside lay a wax-pale face, sculpted perfectly, eyes closed, lips parted. Too perfect. Familiar and wrong. A hollow neck.

“…No way,” Masaomi whispered.

Anri didn’t blink.

The phone beside the locker lit up.

WHISPR // ADMIN:

Thank you for your service, Courier.

Next: Deliver to the Rider.

A motorcycle’s low growl echoed from the street.

[19:30 --- Sunshine 60 Street]

Shizuo raised his fist. Izaya’s coin rose with it.

Every phone in Ikebukuro buzzed at once.

WHISPR // CITY-WIDE NOTICE:

Ikebukuro, are you awake?

The city froze. Conversations stopped. Eyes lifted skyward.

Izaya’s smile deepened.

“…Looks like we’ve got a new narrator.”

Shizuo lunged.

to be continued...

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