Tetsu heard the accusation, sharp and clear, cutting through the murmurs like a knife. The words hit him like a physical blow, stealing his breath.
What? They think I... killed them? Haruto? Mio? My best friends?
A hot wave of disbelief, quickly followed by blinding rage, surged through him.
He stormed forward, propelled by fury, toward the cluster of girls huddled around a desk, their whispers like venomous insects.
He slammed his palm flat on their table, the sudden, loud impact echoing in the stunned silence of the classroom.
"What the hell do you mean by that?!"
He roared, his voice raw, shaking with indignation.
Tetsu paced back and forth, gripping the edge of the table he had just slammed.
The faces of the girls he'd startled were still wide with shock, and he could feel the heat creeping up his neck.
"What was wrong with him?"
His mind raced as he took a breath to calm himself.
This wasn't right. Ugh, what am I doing? he thought, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Just then, a voice cut through his thoughts.
"Then tell me," came a sarcastic drawl from behind him.
"What business did the police have with you?"
"Just… for some minor questions," Tetsu replied, trying to shrug it off like it didn't matter.
"Minor questions, huh?"
Tetsu finally got a better look at him–sleek black hair boy that was staring at him yesterday, standing there, arms crossed with an all-too-calm expression.
He was Hideo, the class's president.
Hideo had this way of commanding attention without even trying.
"What exactly are you trying to imply?"
Tetsu challenged, trying to maintain some semblance of control.
"You should know," Hideo said smoothly.
Tetsu felt his pulse quicken. "I said I'm not responsible!"
"Then who? You, Mio, and Haruto were practically glued together. Especially Mio, she was too quiet to make enemies," Hideo countered.
"Why would I do something like that?"
Tetsu shot back, but the doubt was creeping in.
"Maybe, because they know your secret," Hideo said, his tone almost accusatory.
"My secret?"
Tetsu's heart sank.
"Yes," came the clipped response.
"You've been hiding the fact that your parents are missing."
Tetsu felt his stomach drop at the word 'missing.' He didn't want to think about it.
"How did you find out?" he thought, panic strumming in his chest.
"I discovered it accidentally."
Hideo said, his voice calm but probing.
Around them, the murmur of other students began to build.
"He might be correct. It's true that we've never seen his parents."
"So, he is actually the culprit?" another voice chimed in.
"Was he jealous of Haruto and Mio because they have parents?"
Tetsu's heart raced with anger.
They don't know what they're talking about! he thought.
"So the motive was his parents' death right?"
Then the word 'death' hit him like a punch to the gut.
"My parents are still alive."
Before he could stop himself, he'd grabbed the collar of the guy who had spoken up.
"My parents are still alive!" he spat, his voice trembling with fury.
He turned back to Hideo, trying to keep his composure.
"I did not kill them. Trust me."
"Then who did it?"
Hideo pressed, his eyes narrowing.
Tetsu hesitated, knowing the truth but feeling the weight of the words on his tongue. "I know—it's the EE—"
But he cut himself off, panic swirling.
Wait. I couldn't say that. If I did, it would be like admitting I was a spy or something worse.
Hideo, looking slightly confused, leaned in closer.
"Who?"
"Y–You don't have to know," Tetsu stammered.
"Can't say because it's you?"
Hideo fired back.
"NO!"
Tetsu snapped, frustration bubbling over. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room burning into him, their whispers a cacophony of accusations and suspicions.
Overwhelmed, he turned and rushed out of the room, desperately needing air.
But as luck would have it, he collided with his homeroom teacher in the hallway.
The teacher stumbled slightly but regained his balance, looking mildly annoyed.
"Ishizawa? Where are you going? Back to your seat!"
Tetsu felt the urge to run but turned back reluctantly.
"And also, stay after school today," the teacher added, eyes narrowing. "The police want to talk to you."
"Why?" Tetsu shot back, his heart sinking further.
"The police wanted to talk to you," the teacher repeated, not offering any more context.
After the long, torturous hours of lessons that felt like infinity, lunch finally arrived. Tetsu stood up and headed outside, deliberately avoiding the bustling cafeteria, where laughter and chatter filled the air.
He needed a break from all the noise—both inside his head and outside. The hallway was quiet, but it felt heavy, like he was trudging through molasses. Each step seemed to drag him deeper into his storm of thoughts.
What did he know? How could he know?
Ignoring the churning knot in his stomach, Tetsu made his way towards the deserted dorm. Was he really going to be the suspect? The weight of those judging eyes felt like chains dragging him down, and he desperately needed a moment to breathe.
In the sterile privacy of his sparsely furnished dorm room, Tetsu slammed his plastic lunch tray onto the small desk, the sharp sound cutting through the silence like a knife.
He sank down onto the edge of his narrow bed and buried his hands in his already messy hair, feeling the day's accusations weigh down on him like a heavy blanket.
"What am I even doing?" he muttered to the empty room, his voice raw with frustration.
The mission seemed miles away, buried under the suffocating reality of being an outcast. The accusations—they were like a corrosive acid, slowly eating away at his resolve.
Just when he thought he could drown in self-pity, a soft, hesitant knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.
Tetsu stared at the closed panel, willing whoever was out there to just go away. The knock came again, this time firmer, more insistent.
With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly pushed off the bed and opened the door.
To his surprise, Saya stood there, arms crossed over her chest, her expression as unreadable as always.
"You've been gone long enough to make me wonder if you'd spontaneously screwed your job."
"Mind if I come in? Or are you planning on holding your pity party in the doorway?"
Caught off guard by her blunt demeanor, Tetsu blinked.
Before he could muster a response, Saya pushed past him into the room, casting a cursory glance around.
She then settled onto the single chair by his desk, crossing one leg over the other with an air of casual authority.
"Cozy," she remarked dryly, though it was clear she didn't care about the aesthetic of his temporary abode.
Her amber eyes locked onto his, sharp and assessing.
"So, you're engaging in some advanced-level sulking now? Is this your highly effective strategy for infiltrating a dangerous enemy stronghold?"
Tetsu frowned, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
"I am not 'sulking,'" he shot back, but the defensive tone in his voice betrayed him.
"Really?" she challenged, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Because storming out of the class like a wounded animal, leaving half the school whispering conspiracy theories in your wake, certainly bore a striking resemblance to it."
Leaning against the closed door, he crossed his arms defensively.
"I don't have to explain my reactions to you, Kamizaki."
"Quite right, Ishizawa. You're under no obligation to detail your emotional fluctuations."
"However," she paused, her gaze unwavering.
"I require a certain level of operational functionality from my partner. If you're going to let a few ill-informed teenage taunts derail your focus, perhaps Commander Arata made a grave miscalculation in assigning you to this critical mission. I could request a more… emotionally stable replacement."
Tetsu clenched his jaw, her veiled threat hitting home.
"I am perfectly capable of handling this mission."
"Your current performance suggests otherwise," she replied smoothly.
"You let a minor social discomfort compromise your composure and draw unwanted attention to yourself. That is not 'handling' anything; that is a liability."
"You have absolutely no idea what it's like," he retorted, his voice raw with emotions that ran deeper than mere teenage angst.
"To have people look at you like you're some kind of monster, to whisper accusations behind your back, to imply you had a hand in the deaths of your best friends…"
Saya's tone softened slightly.
"You are correct, Ishizawa. I do not know your specific trauma. However, I understand operational focus. Whether the stressors are social ostracism or enemy fire, the ability to maintain composure and adhere to mission objectives is paramount."
She leaned forward slightly, her amber eyes holding his with ironclad intensity.
"You returned to this school for a purpose, did you not? One that cuts across the petty opinions of your classmates?"
Silence hung heavy between them, broken only by the distant sounds of students laughing and chatting.
Finally, Tetsu expelled a heavy sigh, raking a frustrated hand through his hair.
"You're annoying but… good at cutting through the bullshit."
A small, almost imperceptible smirk flicked across Saya's face.
"It's a necessary skill in my line of work. Now, are you going to continue this solitary brooding session, or are you ready to re-engage with why we're both stuck in this less-than-charming educational establishment?"
Tetsu hesitated, her words weighing heavily on him. She was right, of course. He couldn't let his personal pain become a hindrance. Straightening up, he felt a flicker of determination reignite within him.
"I'll… I'll get my head back in the mission."
"Excellent."
Saya stood, making her way to the door.
"We have a long day of observation and information gathering ahead of us tomorrow. Try to refrain from further emotionally charged outbursts that might compromise our carefully constructed cover."
With a final assessing glance, she slipped out of the room, leaving him in silence once more.
He stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door.
Saya's blunt words echoed in his mind.
Clenching his fists, he felt the initial sting of her criticism transform into begrudging respect for her focus.
He wouldn't let the whispers of classmates, or the weight of grief, derail him. He had a promise to keep, a purpose to fulfill.
Later that afternoon, after school had ended, Hideo was walking away as he said goodbye to some classmates.
Tetsu found himself hiding behind a wall near the corridor, watching him.
His heart raced with suspicion.
Hideo seemed to be the most suspicious one, after all. How could he know everything about my living situation?
As he followed Hideo down the corridor, something suddenly flew out of Hideo's pocket.
Curiosity piqued, Tetsu quickly picked it up. It was a stack of photos, and his heart raced as he realized what he was looking at.
This is… Mio? he thought, his mind racing.
Why did Hideo have these?
He quickly flipped through the stack of photos, each one showcasing Mio in different situations.
And then he froze at the last photo—Mio and Hideo standing close together, smiling like they shared a secret.
Tetsu felt a rush of memories wash over him.
He recalled a day from the past, Valentine's Day, to be specific.
He, Haruto, and Mio had gone shopping.
Mio had excitedly bought a mountain of chocolate bars.
Haruto had teased her, "Don't tell me you're planning to make chocolate for a boy in our class?"
Mio had just looked away, a tiny blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Could they… be a couple?
Tetsu's mind raced as the realization crashed over him. A mix of feelings surged within him—a strange combination of betrayal and hurt.
Why hadn't he seen it before?
Hideo's smug demeanor suddenly took on a more sinister implication.
Did he know something he wasn't sharing? And how long had they been close? Tetsu's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't shake the feeling that the stakes were higher than ever.
As he ducked back into the shadows, a newfound determination surged within him: he had to confront Hideo and uncover the truth behind those photos.