I. The Tower

Itsuki Fujioka was a last-ditch attempt by his parents to raise a kid. They'd had two, already—but one had died from illness at fifteen, and the other they'd lost to suicide shortly after. In fact, it was a miracle Itsuki was born at all—his mother's family had a history of fertility issues, and his parents weren't getting any younger.

So in essence, Itsuki's birth was either a blessing, or an apology on the universe's behalf. After all, his very existence is conditional on the deaths of Ryo and Asuka Fujioka.

II. The Hermit

When he was a kid, Itsuki noticed an odd pattern: whenever he had really good luck, the people around him would have really bad luck (and vice versa). At age 10, he started logging the fluctuations. It started out simple enough, but as he grew older, his logs only got more complex. Shortly after turning 15, he even created a mathematical formula to aid his calculations—and told nobody, save for his best friend, Piper.

He'd met Piper at school as part of one of those mentoring things, where younger students would get paired up with older students. The older students were supposed to serve as good role models. And although Piper wasn't exactly a model role model—having introduced Itsuki to cheap beer, and whatnot—he wasn't a delinquent, either. On the contrary, he was a pretty decent student, intent on going into medicine and becoming a nurse. Considering Itsuki's family history, that really spoke to Itsuki.

It also helped that Piper was soft-spoken, and looked responsible (?) enough for Itsuki's parents to allow the two space. Since losing their first two kids, the Fujioka parents had had a tendency to hold on a bit too tightly; and while Itsuki knew deep down that his parents only meant well, their overprotectiveness had strangled most opportunities for him to build substantial friendships. Piper was the first they let in.

III. The Lovers

After Piper graduated, Itsuki zoomed through high school, intent on getting out of there as soon as freakin' possible. Having skipped a grade prior, he graduated early; and enrolled in a two-year college, where he developed a keen interest in civil and criminal law. But Itsuki wasn't the lawyer type: He wanted to investigate. He wanted to log things; he wanted to find clues and patterns.

When he was 21, he got his PI license and landed a job at the Aoyama Agency, where he became good friends with—and ultimately caught feelings for—coworker Shinobu Aoyama. Having never experienced romantic attraction before, his immediate conclusion was that he was ill, and needed time off. When he confided in Piper about his concerns, Piper let out a very long sigh, before diagnosing Itsuki with "terminal idiocy." The only cure, he told Itsuki, would be to give Shinobu a kiss on the lips.

But that seemed too risky, and potentially dangerous (?) so Itsuki waved him off. He was this close to quitting entirely, when something important, yet unspecified happened and TLDR; Itsuki realized his feelings were mutual. So, he didn't end up quitting—and the world is honestly better for it.

IV. Temperance

Itsuki's luck started to even out the more people entered his life. He adjusted his formula once, and then twice, before shelving it altogether. Months later, he took it out and revised it to account for variables.

But, nothing was adding up. Frustrated, Itsuki scanned the paper copies, sealed the journals in a lockbox, and buried it on his parents' property. His blueprint slash horoscope wasn't working, he was upset; and besides, it felt like the right thing to do.

Over a year later, he came back, and began to dig again. But the box—once full of his journals, and calculations, and musings in childish handwriting—was empty. All that remained in the box was a smooth, pale stone the size of an egg; a key with no lock; and a compact mirror.

Itsuki reached for the items. A split second before his hand came into contact with the rock, something deep and instinctual flared up in the back of his head—a vision of feathers, window netting, blood, and prickly heat. With a muted sense of dread, Itsuki pulled away, shut the box, put it back in the ground—and re-buried it.

As he left the property, the memory of his discovery slipped away. But even so, he felt eyes on him.