Kazuya Kamado's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Kazuya stood in the ash where the community center used to be, watching the yellow bulldozer roll up to the curb. The driver climbed down with a clipboard and a bored expression. He had until end of business today to show rebuild plans, or the city would clear the lot. Kazuya pulled the blueprint from his messenger bag and unrolled it across the hood of the contractor's truck. The paper was pristine, professionally drawn, complete with elevation sketches and room dimensions. He'd paid for it with money he didn't have, rushed the order through an architect who owed him a favor from three years back. The contractor studied it for a long moment, running his finger along the detail work. Then he nodded, marked something on his clipboard, and climbed back into the bulldozer to drive away. The lot was safe. Kazuya folded the blueprint carefully and tucked it back into his bag. He looked at the ash around his feet, still faintly warm beneath the morning sun. The drawing showed a three-story building with curved eaves and wide windows, a place that honored what had been here before. Now he just had to figure out how to turn expensive paper into actual walls and doors. His right hand sparked once, a flicker of orange that died before it could become flame. He closed his fist and started walking.