Hyōryū III — Those Who Watch

Hyōryū III follows Ren on a single walk through a narrow alley in Higashi during a slow, steady rain. As he walks, he realizes for the first time that the silhouettes in doorways, behind half-drawn curtains, on balconies above him, are not strangers passing through. They are watchers. Some are fading like him. Some are watching to remember those who have already gone. Some are watching simply because watching is all they have left. The chapter introduces the idea that fading is not a solitary act. It is collective. It always has been.