Kaito Tanaka was a ghost long before he chose his moniker. An exceptionally intelligent but profoundly isolated only child, he grew up in a spotless, emotionally sterile apartment in a nameless provincial city. His parents were silent ghosts themselves, their love expressed through perfect attendance records and material provision, never through touch or warmth. Kaito learned to navigate the world by observing it from a distance, mastering the art of being unseen.

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His obsession with collection began innocently—butterflies pinned in cases, their beauty perfectly preserved. It then evolved to capturing moments: thousands of photographs of strangers taken from shadows, their private lives curated in his files. He found a profound sense of control and connection in this act of silent observation, a way to possess a piece of the world that otherwise ignored him.

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The shift from observing to claiming was triggered by a profound personal failure—a rejection from a prestigious university, the one path his parents had deemed worthy. The carefully constructed facade of his life cracked. The world, which had always been indifferent, now felt actively mocking.

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His first victim was a young woman who worked at a convenience store he frequented. She was always polite, always smiled. He misinterpreted her professional courtesy as a unique connection. When he finally confessed his feelings in a long, meticulously written letter, she was horrified and called the police. The public humiliation and the crushing weight of his shattered fantasy were the final catalysts.

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Kaito Tanaka vanished into the persona of Yureikyaku. He now "collects" not moments, but people. He stalks those who embody a certain fragile beauty he feels compelled to possess and preserve, seeing their eventual fear and breaking not as cruelty, but as the final, most intimate act of his curation. The lonely night shift worker at the Sunrise Burger is his newest, most perfect specimen—a beautiful isolation he feels destined to claim as his own. The police have vague descriptions and a cryptic alias, but no leads. He is a whisper in the night, a phantom in the neon glow.

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