Ichika awoke, her body drenched in sweat and her breathing shallow. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, almost as if she had just finished running for her life.
Her dreams had been strange again—no, not dreams. "Memories? Illusions?" She couldn't tell. Every time Rikuu did something kind, something protective, something that made her heart flutter, she was reminded of a man she could hardly recall. A faint face buried deep within her childhood memories, one she wasn't even sure was real.
Pressing a trembling hand to her chest, she whispered, "Why does it always feel like… you remind me of him?"
Trying to calm herself, Ichika dragged her feet toward the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water, brushed her teeth, and stared at her reflection. Her pale cheeks were flushed, her eyes slightly watery, her cream-colored hair sticking out in unruly strands. She slapped her cheeks lightly.
"Get it together, Ichika…"
She decided to stay in her pajamas for now—comfort over appearance. With hesitant steps, she made her way to the living room.
There, she found Takeshi and Akari seated on the couch, watching Rikuu intently. He was hunched over a notebook and a laptop, his brow furrowed, his hands moving restlessly as he scribbled symbols and tapped keys.
"What's going on?" Ichika asked, rubbing her eyes.
Akari turned to her, her voice hushed yet excited. "It's Rikuu. It's… the first time he's doing this outside of his room. He's decoding openly."
Ichika blinked, staring at Rikuu's back. His concentration was so intense that the rest of the world seemed to vanish for him. She bit her lip, whispering only to herself:
"Do I love you… because it's you? Or because you remind me of someone I've already lost?"
Her chest tightened painfully. Confusion and longing twisted together in a way she could barely withstand.
Rikuu suddenly spoke without looking up. "You don't want to sit and observe? You might learn something. Maybe even help."
Flustered, Ichika stammered, "Y-yes! Sorry, I'll join."
She moved quickly, sitting down next to him. The faint warmth radiating from his side immediately made her heart race. She clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling, but every time his pen scratched against the paper, her pulse quickened.
"Why… why does just sitting here make me feel like this?"
Her cheeks heated as she realized how close she was sitting. She could see the small details—the way his jaw tensed when he concentrated, the slight frown line between his brows, the way his lips parted just barely as he thought.
"I—I need to make a phone call!" Ichika blurted, jumping to her feet.
Rikuu, Takeshi, and Akari all glanced at her. She bolted to her room, shutting the door, pressing her back against it as her heart thumped wildly.
Inside the living room, the others exchanged looks. Takeshi smirked knowingly. Akari shrugged.
"…Should we pretend we didn't notice?" Takeshi asked.
"Probably best," Akari replied.
Meanwhile, Ichika buried her face in her pillow. "What's wrong with me…?"
Hours passed. Rikuu's concentration never wavered, though the atmosphere around him shifted. His pen scratched furiously. Lines of symbols and letters sprawled across his papers. He muttered under his breath.
"…Japanese doesn't form properly. Korean? No. Chinese? Wrong. Russian? Still nonsense…"
He clenched his teeth. The codes refused to bend into meaning. Every language he knew seemed to break apart against the strange sequences.
His last option made him grimace. "Latin script…"
He had avoided it because using it weakened his process, but he had no choice. Slowly, he began arranging the codes alphabetically, inverting, reordering, stripping them down. His pencil flew across the page.
First code:
"i k u z u s + u u y r"
Second code, the one Takeshi and Akari had obtained:
"o t o m o n e + i j o k"
Third code, taken from the lion:
> "n o i l"
Rikuu stared. His eyes widened as realization struck.
"…Lion… 'noil' inverted… Enomoto Koji…" His breath hitched.
And then—
"i k u z u s + u u y r…" He arranged it, inverted, pieced it back together.
"…Suzuki Ryuu."
His hand trembled. The pencil slipped from his fingers and clattered to the table.
"No…" Rikuu whispered. His heart pounded violently in his chest. "That name… That can't be…"
When Akari leaned over curiously, Rikuu quickly forced a grin. "I-it's nothing. I'm still not sure I understand it. Probably a dead end." He scratched his head awkwardly, hiding the sweat beading his temple.
She suspiciously looked at her older brother, he never smiled like that unless he was hiding something.
"Alright," Akari said, stretching her arms. "It's lunchtime anyway. I'll cook. We'll pick this up later."
However, Takeshi noticed.
When she left for the kitchen, Rikuu leaned toward Takeshi, his voice low and urgent. "I'll show you. But keep quiet."
On the page, the name stood out like a ghost from the past:
Suzuki Ryuu
Takeshi's eyes widened. His hands tightened into fists. "…That's… the man Father spoke of, isn't it?"
"Yes," Rikuu answered grimly. "But we thought he was dead long ago."
The weight of the revelation pressed on them like a storm. Rikuu lowered his voice further. "We can't tell Akari yet. Not until tonight. After the mission in Minato… we'll gather everyone. They need to know."
Takeshi nodded solemnly. "Then… tonight, the frenzy begins."
After lunch was ready, Akari knocked on Ichika's door. "Food's done! Wake up or I'll eat your share."
"Five more minutes…" Ichika mumbled, rolling over.
"Five more minutes my foot! You've said that three times now. Get up already!"
Ichika bolted upright. "What time is it!?"
"It's twelve-oh-six," Akari replied flatly.
Panic-stricken, Ichika rushed out, scarfed down her food, and dressed as fast as she could. "Okay! Ready!" she announced with determination.
Takeshi and Akari exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.
"Ready? We still have three hours before the mission," Takeshi chuckled.
Ichika froze. Heat flooded her cheeks. She whipped her gaze toward Rikuu, only to find him smirking faintly.
Mortified, Ichika covered her face. "N-nooo!"
By 2:06 PM, they were finally set to depart. The four climbed into the car. For once, Rikuu wasn't staring out the window with his usual distant gaze. He sat silently, lost in thought.
Ichika noticed but said nothing. Her own nerves twisted her stomach.
When they arrived near headquarters, Rikuu finally turned to her. "Are you alright? You're quiet today."
"I-I'm fine…" Ichika mumbled, her voice weak. She quickly averted her gaze, but the redness on her cheeks betrayed her.
Of course Rikuu noticed. He understood immediately.
Grinning, he reached over and gently took her trembling hand. "Breathe, Ichika. It's okay to be nervous. I'm your partner. We'll face this together."
Ichika's heart nearly burst. She tightened her grip, holding onto his hand as though it were her lifeline.
"…Thank you, Rikuu."
For once, she didn't care if her feelings showed.