Chapter 50: The Night Before the Storm
The day passed like a blur. Naoto barely remembered what was said in class, what the teachers taught, or what jokes the others shared. His mind was elsewhere, caught in the tension of what was about to come.
Even among the laughter of his friends — Rika, Souta, Aiko, Akari, and Haruki — he felt a strange distance, like he was slowly walking away from them. But in truth, he was trying to protect them from the path he was about to step onto.
He couldn't bring them into this. Not now.
Only Himari knew. Only she stood beside him in the dark.
---
Later that evening, Naoto waited outside the local train station, the rain now reduced to a light drizzle. Neon signs flickered behind him as people bustled by, holding umbrellas and laughing into their phones. It was the kind of night where the city pretended to be normal.
But Naoto wasn't here for normal.
When Himari finally arrived, she wore her hood low and eyes sharp. There was no hesitation in her stride.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Naoto nodded. "Tell me what I need to do."
They stepped into a small manga cafe nearby — a private booth in the back, just enough space for two. Himari opened her bag and pulled out a folder. Inside were old blueprints, keycard replicas, and copied ID photos.
"I spent the last few weeks gathering intel," she said, voice calm but fast. "Hayato Industries has a basement archive. It's old, mostly untouched since the early 2000s. But it has physical copies of contracts and deals your father was involved in. That's where the truth is."
Naoto leaned in, absorbing every detail.
"We get in," she continued, "grab what we need, and get out without being seen. Security is lower at night, especially during their routine system maintenance — that gives us a two-hour window."
"How do we get in?" he asked.
Himari opened a small box, revealing a security badge. The name on it read: Eiji Morikawa – Maintenance Team.
"My uncle worked there years ago. I kept his old badge and updated it using an internal code leak from the server. It should get us past the first few layers. After that, we use our skills."
Naoto stared at her, feeling both admiration and a strange ache.
"You planned all of this alone?"
She shrugged. "I never stopped searching. Not after what happened to your father. Not after what happened to us."
His throat tightened. "Himari..."
She looked at him, eyes shining faintly. "Don't say it. Not now. Say it when we're out. When we're safe."
He nodded.
---
Back at home, Naoto couldn't sleep. His room felt too quiet, too still.
He walked to his mother's room and peeked inside. She was sleeping peacefully for once, her breathing soft. He stepped in and sat beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I'll protect you, Mom," he whispered. "I'll end whatever they started."
Before leaving the room, he looked at an old photo on the shelf — his father, smiling with his arms around a young Naoto.
"I'll find out what really happened to you. I promise."
---
12:47 AM. Hayato Industries HQ.
Naoto stood in the shadows of the east entrance. Himari was already ahead, signaling him from a dark alcove. They were both dressed in black, every movement quiet and calculated.
They entered the building with the badge. No alarms. No questions.
The halls were quiet. Too quiet.
They moved down to the lower levels, past quiet server rooms and flickering lights. Naoto's heart was pounding now, but Himari's presence kept him grounded.
Finally, they reached the basement archive.
The door was locked with an old keypad.
Naoto stepped forward and entered the code Himari gave him: 0416.
A faint click. The door opened.
Inside were rows and rows of cabinets, dust-covered and ancient. The air smelled of paper and time.
They got to work.
---
"Here!" Himari whispered, pulling out a folder. "Look at this. This... this is the original contract with your father. But there's a second one here... signed after he disappeared."
Naoto took it, scanning the lines. His hands trembled.
"That's not his signature," he whispered. "They forged it. They took everything."
Himari nodded grimly. "This is it. Proof. We copy this, take it, and disappear."
But before they could turn, the door slammed shut.
A voice echoed in the dark.
"You really shouldn't have come here, Naoto."
Naoto froze.
The voice was familiar.
Too familiar.
From the shadows emerged a man in a dark coat, holding a flashlight.
Shinji Hayato.
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