The vending machine stood in the shadow of the trees, half-sunk into the hillside like a forgotten relic from a world that made more sense.
Kentaro stood in front of it, staring into the glass. Bottles reflected back at him in neat rows: water, tea, soda. But not the drink Tengen had claimed he wanted.
"Hey, Tengen," Kentaro called without turning. "Your mystery drink's not here either."
Tengen leaned in beside him, hands in his pockets, gaze unreadable. Then shrugged.
"Guess there's nothing you can do," he said, punching in a number for plain water like he was settling for a tax write-off, not a beverage.
Kentaro blinked. That's it? No swearing? No rants about 'cheap-ass vending machines' or 'false advertising'? He'd seen Tengen lose it over cold fries before, but now?
Now the guy looked… too calm.
Kentaro grabbed a cola for himself, cracked the tab, and turned to head back.
But the voice behind him came quickly.
"Hey, Kenny. Let's take a walk. Heard there's a cave down this path, hidden treasure stuff, old island legend. People say gold's buried in there. Cursed, probably."
Kentaro turned, eyebrows lifting. "We're not seriously doing ghost stories now, are we?"
Tengen smiled. Too fast.
"C'mon. It'll be fun. Quick detour. The cave's just up that trail. I've always wanted to see it. You know—real 'boys on an adventure' stuff."
Kentaro scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe after I check on Serica. She and Kira might've killed each other by now."
But Tengen waved him off with a grin that looked a little too sharp.
"Nah, bro. She's probably already on the beach, doing karaoke with the other girls. Let her breathe, man. You gotta stop playing bodyguard."
Kentaro hesitated. His gut was whispering no… but his guilt was louder. He'd been turning Tengen down since they got here. And honestly? Maybe he was babying Serica a little too much. She could handle herself. Probably.
"As long as we don't get caught," Kentaro muttered.
Tengen lit up.
"LETS GOOOO!"
He whipped out his phone, tapped something quickly, then tucked it away before Kentaro could glance over.
"It's up the mountain. Should take twenty minutes, tops."
Kentaro looked toward the right, and sure enough, there it was, rising behind the tree line. A jagged hill more than a real mountain, capped in wind-carved rock and shadows. The trail was narrow and partly overgrown, but walkable.
He glanced back toward the main building one last time.
Then followed.
Together, they began the climb.
The wind changed halfway up.
Subtle at first. Cooler. Thinner.
Then quiet. Too quiet.
No birds. No waves. Just the crunch of gravel and the distant rustle of wind through trees that didn't quite feel like trees anymore.
Kentaro's fingers clenched the soda can a little tighter.
He didn't know why.
But something was waiting.
Not up the trail.
Watching it.
Elsewhere, at that same moment, a different tension was beginning to rise.
Serica froze, her breath caught in her throat. Kestrel stood beside her, watching the bush like it might explode.
And then, it rustled.
A head popped out.
Followed by a phone being casually clicked off.
"KIRA?!" they both shouted in unison.
The black-haired girl stood up, brushing off leaves like she hadn't just been crouching in a bush behind an abandoned building. She blinked, tilted her head… then sighed.
"Well, if it isn't the homewrecker… and some creep."
Kestrel straightened up instantly, clearing his throat. "Kestrel. I'm Kestrel. Just a freelance photographer helping the faculty with documentation. Strictly professional." His voice was stiff, but his eyes kept flicking toward Serica.
Kira ignored him. She turned to Serica with her usual deadpan stare.
"I assume you came to take sexy pictures for Kentaro. He must've asked for some."
Serica blinked. "What-?"
"Camera man," Kira barked, pointing at Kestrel, "Take pictures of me. Make me look desirable. It's for my husband."
Kestrel blinked. "U-uhm… Sure. I mean, I was going to -I mean, we were-uh…"
He stopped talking. Kira was already walking off toward the building, like she'd just commandeered a military unit.
Serica hesitated.
She could walk away. Pretend none of this happened. But Kira would never let her hear the end of it. Worse, she'd claim victory.
Serica bit her lip. What was Kestrel going to pull out of his pocket earlier…? Was it a camera battery? Or something worse?
Her instincts screamed no. But her pride whispered You'll look weak again.
And Kentaro… he'd been so proud of her lately. She couldn't crumble now.
Kestrel looked back over his shoulder, flashing that too-white smile.
"Please, Serica. I really do think your face is perfect for this. My work will shine."
Liar, she thought. But her feet were already moving.
"Kira!" she called. "If you're going… so am I!"
She marched past Kestrel, chin up, jaw tight, following her rival into the abandoned building.
As the two girls walked inside, Kestrel adjusted his collar slightly, then tilted his head toward it.
His voice dropped.
"She's taking the bait. Kira's with her. Should I deal with the Cradle member first?"
There was silence.
Then a static-laced voice crackled through his earpiece.
"No. Do not engage Kira. Remove her if you must, but don't harm her. Priority remains the Alberline."
Kestrel gave the faintest nod.
He followed the two silhouettes into the decaying structure. His fingers brushed something in his coat pocket.
A tool. A trigger. A mistake waiting to happen.
Once inside the crumbling storage shed, Kira and Serica both stopped to scan the space, though neither would admit it; both were already calculating the best lighting for maximum photogenic dominance.
The walls were streaked with moss, rust bit into the beams like rot in old bones, and something in the corner dripped, steady and slow, like the building itself was sweating from anticipation.
Kira struck first.
"You. Photo-man. Take a picture of me. Make it good. If Kentaro doesn't like it, consider this your final gig… and maybe final breath."
Her tone was flat. But her eyes weren't.
Kestrel, sweat already forming at his temple, gave an awkward laugh and lifted his camera like it weighed a hundred kilos.
"Y-yes, of course. I believe your beauty will make the lens cry from joy."
Serica scoffed from the side.
"Weak," she muttered, stepping forward. "You! Weird guy with the lens. Picture of me. Better than hers. Now."
Kestrel jumped. "YES, MA'AM!"
He scrambled to set up the tripod, fumbling with the knobs like it was his first day with fingers. Kira and Serica both stared, unimpressed.
They traded a look.
Kira narrowed her eyes. Serica smirked.
Round one: Serica.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
Kira glided to the broken window and struck a pose, resting one arm against the frame like she was modeling for a dystopian fashion magazine.
Serica ran up behind her. "I'm going first!"
"No, you homewrecker. You're last. Because you already took Kentaro."
"He likes me more!"
"You bribed him with couch space!"
Kestrel tried to focus his lens, but his eyes weren't on their faces. His camera trembled as his gaze drifted lower, watching the chaos bounce and jiggle under their sundresses.
Then he blinked. Snapped himself out of it.
"Girls, uh, how about one together?"
"NO!"
Their voices overlapped like thunder, the kind that warns gods to back off.
Kira turned back to Serica, eyes half-lidded. "There's a legend. Says whoever takes the first photo in this building gets cursed with eternal bad luck in love."
Serica blinked. "If that's true, why were you trying to go first?"
Kira paused.
Then slowly, a smirk, barely visible, crept onto her face.
"Because I'm willing to sacrifice… for Kentaro."
"Oh my god, there's no way she believ-,"
Serica lit up. "Aw, Kira! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"
"…She's dense…" Both Kira and Kestrel muttered to themselves
Kira then turned to Kestrel's
"Photographer. Make me look sexy."
Her tone didn't change. But she meant it.
Kestrel adjusted the camera, then hit the shutter.
Nothing happened.
He frowned. Hit the button again.
Nothing.
Kira's eyes narrowed. "Hurry. Before I snap your lens over your skull."
Kestrel scrambled, muttering to himself, checking cables, popping open the back-
Click.
The shutter fired.
Kira's gaze locked on him.
"You didn't turn it on…"
Her voice was soft. Too soft.
Kestrel froze.
She stepped forward, slowly. "You're nervous. That's fine. But nervous people make mistakes."
She was close now. Too close.
"Who are you, really?"
Then-
BOOM.
The air outside exploded.
The building trembled. A distant roar echoed like thunder cracking bone.
All three of them whipped toward the door and sprinted outside, boots and sandals slapping against decayed floorboards.
Smoke billowed up from beyond the ridge, a thick, black tower twisting into the sky from the direction of the island's eastern hill.
Kira's eyes narrowed. Her hair fluttered in the wind, her body still.
Serica grabbed her arm, and her breath caught in her throat. "That's not… part of the trip, right?"
Kestrel didn't answer.
He was already turning, slowly, like a man who recognised the shape of what was coming.