Tetsu's gaze remained fixed on the stack of photos, a knot of confusion and a faint sense of betrayal tightening in his stomach. Mio. He saw her face, laughing, vibrant, alive in the snapshots.
She had never said a word about Hideo. Was she embarrassed? Or was there something more to it?
His thoughts swirled, trying to reconcile the image of his quiet, unassuming friend with the secret life these pictures hinted at.
"Ishizawa."
The voice was crisp, cutting through the internal turmoil. Tetsu spun around. It was his homeroom teacher, a stern but usually fair man, his expression unreadable.
"Yes?" Tetsu replied, trying to sound nonchalant, his heart still thrumming from the photo discovery.
"Can you come with me?" the teacher said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Tetsu glanced around, hoping to spot Hideo again, but the class president had vanished.
With a sigh, Tetsu nodded and followed, a sense of impending doom settling over him.
The teacher led him not to the principal's office, but to the quieter, more official teacher's office. Inside, the same two police officers from before – the one with the sleek black hair and the other with the perpetually unkempt yellow mop – were waiting.
The yellow-haired officer offered a tight, professional smile.
"Thanks for coming, Ishizawa. Pardon me for the late introduction, my name is Nakano."
"The investigation… it's not going as smoothly as we hoped."
He gestured to the chairs.
"Please, have a seat."
Tetsu sat, a cold dread seeping into him. Nakano continued, running a hand through his already messy hair.
"We're hitting a wall. No fingerprints, the security cameras around the perimeter were all out, almost like they were… silenced. And there's no trace of forced entry, no property missing from either victim's home. It's like they just… vanished, or were taken by a ghost."
He looked at Tetsu, his eyes earnest.
"We need more information. Anything you can recall, any strange occurrences, no matter how small, could be crucial. We're requesting your help to piece this together."
Of course, you guys can't find anything, Tetsu thought, a bitter, almost sarcastic chuckle echoing in his mind.
It was an organization. A secret one. The EERF. There's no way you'll find anything about them in your databases. That's why I'm here. That's why I had to fight every day just to uncover the truth, to avenge Haruto and Mio.
Outwardly, Tetsu maintained a polite, slightly confused expression, acting as if he knew nothing.
"Yes, Officer Nakano. I want to help. I want to discover the truth more than anything."
They talked for a while, Tetsu carefully deflecting questions, providing vague answers, and feigning ignorance about anything beyond typical high school life.
The officers seemed frustrated but also desperate, clearly at a dead end.
Eventually, they let him go.
As Tetsu walked out of the school gate, the afternoon sun warm on his face, he saw a nondescript black car parked casually by the curb. The kind you wouldn't look twice at.
As he approached, the back window hummed down, revealing Saya in the backseat, her expression as unreadable as ever.
"Get in," she said, her voice flat.
Tetsu stared at her for a moment, then at the sleek, dark interior of the car. He sighed and complied, sliding into the backseat beside her.
The front seat was occupied by a Darkside Destroyer driver, a burly, silent figure whose presence made the car feel less like a civilian vehicle and more like a tactical transport.
The car moved smoothly through the afternoon traffic, a quiet hum filling the cabin.
Tetsu leaned back, the image of Mio and Hideo, smiling in that photo, replaying in his mind.
Mio never told us. Not a word. Were they secretly dating? Was she embarrassed? Or… was there a reason she kept it quiet?
The questions churned, a heavy weight in his chest. He was so lost in thought that he barely registered Saya's first two calls to his name.
"Tetsu."
The third call was sharper, cutting through his reverie. He snapped his head towards her.
"What?"
Saya's amber eyes, observant as always, were fixed on him.
"Did you find anything suspicious today?"
Tetsu's mind immediately went back to the photo.
Should I tell her?
He ran the possibilities through his head.
It might not be directly related to the EERF. It could just be a personal thing. And if I tell her, I'd have to explain how I found it, and then she'd probably give me another lecture about emotional outbursts and maintaining cover.
He decided against it. "No," he said, shaking his head.
Saya's gaze sharpened, a faint frown touching her brow.
"Really?"
"Yeah. How about you?"
She returned her attention to the blurring scenery outside.
"Same."
The car soon arrived at the disguised building that served as the Darkside Destroyer's base.
They exited, the cool, sterile air of the underground facility a familiar contrast to the outside world.
"Good job for today," Saya said, her voice reverting to its detached, professional tone.
"I'll handle the report so you can go back and rest."
With that, she turned and headed towards the debriefing area, leaving Tetsu to make his way to the living quarters.
It was well past 10 PM. Tetsu lay on his bed, scrolling aimlessly through his phone. He yawned, a deep, weary stretch.
Ugh, still wired. I'll go grab an energy drink.
He pulled himself off the bed and headed to the elevator, descending to the basement level where the mega vending machine was located near the cafeteria.
He bought a cold can of his favorite energy drink, its metallic tang already a welcome promise.
As he walked back towards the elevators, a rhythmic series of thuds and grunts caught his ear from the direction of the training rooms.
His curiosity piqued, Tetsu instinctively moved towards the sound, pushing open the heavy, sound-dampening door just enough to peek inside.
His eyes widened.
It was Saya.
Four shimmering, translucent blue figures—projections of the dreaded Carulean Canis, the lilac wolves he'd fought—rushed at Saya from different directions. She moved with impossible fluidity, her body a blur of motion.
A thin, almost invisible rope materialized from her hand, coiling around the leg of one wolf. With a powerful, graceful swing, she used the tied wolf as a projectile, slamming it into the others.
All four projections collided in a burst of shimmering light and vanished.
Saya stood in the center of the training room, chest heaving, a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin.
The rope dematerialized, revealing her hands.
Tetsu's breath hitched—her palms were crisscrossed with a myriad of faint white scars, some newer, some older, a testament to countless hours of grueling, intense training.
Saya closed her eyes for a moment, regaining her breath, then her voice, though strained, was clear.
"Is there a problem?"
Caught in the act, Tetsu stepped fully into the room.
"Uh, no. Just… what are you doing here at this time?"
Saya opened her eyes, meeting his gaze.
"Right back at you."
"I was just getting a drink. Is it not normal to train this late?"
Tetsu sighed, feeling exposed.
"Sorry if I'm disturbing you. I'm leaving."
He turned, heading for the exit.
"Wait."
Tetsu stopped, turning back. Saya was wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
"Since you're already here," she said, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes.
"Be my training partner."
"No," Tetsu said immediately.
"I'm going back to my room. I'm wiped."
"Are you scared?"
Saya's voice held a subtle taunt. "Because I defeated you yesterday?"
"I'm just tired today," Tetsu insisted, though the challenge had pricked at him.
Saya looked at him, then a faint, challenging smirk touched her lips.
"Or perhaps you're not confident that you could beat a girl?"
That did it. Tetsu felt a surge of annoyance, his pride stung.
"Oh, fine. Don't expect me to hold back."
They moved to the main training field, a large, padded area. Saya's expression became serious, all traces of the earlier teasing gone.
"One on one. Only one rule: No Kinesis activation."
"Sure," Tetsu agreed, a surge of competitive energy pushing his fatigue aside.
Saya counted, her voice sharp:
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Go."
Tetsu exploded forward, a burst of pent-up energy, launching a quick, powerful punch aimed at her face.
But Saya was faster. She grabbed his wrist, spun, using his own momentum to destabilize him, and launched a kick towards his head.
Tetsu barely managed to lean back, the wind of her foot grazing his nose.
But before he could even regain his balance, Saya's other leg whipped out, a low, sweeping kick aimed at his supporting leg.
He blocked it with his arm, the impact jarring, but he was still knocked off his feet and onto the padded floor.
Saya capitalized instantly, dashing forward and launching another sweeping kick, this time aiming to trip him while he was down.
Tetsu, surprised by her relentless assault, instinctively pushed off the ground, rolling backward out of her reach.
"You relied too much on strength," Saya said, her voice calm, a hint of a teaching tone.
"Strength is just one of the combat factor. Skill is equally important."
Tetsu scowled, annoyed by her accuracy.
He sprinted forward again, a flurry of punches and kicks, aiming to overwhelm her.
Saya dodged every single one, moving with effortless grace, a blur of orange and black.
She consistently kept just out of his reach, darting backward as he pressed his attack.
He launched a right hook, feigning an opening.
Saya dodged, leaning back. But Tetsu followed up instantly with a left jab.
Saya reacted swiftly, using her arm to lock his extended arm, then quickly locked his other arm with the same arm, trapping him.
Tetsu struggled, trying to break her surprisingly strong grip.
Saya, with a quick, fluid motion, grabbed his back and let herself fall backward, using his momentum to pull him over her shoulder.
Tetsu hit the ground with a soft thud, Saya landing on top of him, pinning him.
"I won," Saya stated, her breath a little ragged, but her voice firm.
Tetsu, knowing he was beaten, stopped resisting.
Saya released him and rolled off.
Tetsu shifted, lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, still slightly winded.
Saya, still catching her breath, looked down at him.
She noticed something. With a curious expression, she bent down, reached out, and gently brushed her fingers through Tetsu's slightly messy hair, pushing a few strands from his forehead.
"I just realized that…" she murmured, her voice soft, almost lost in the quiet of the training room.
"You're quite handsome."
Tetsu's mind flashed back. He saw his mother, her gentle hands brushing his hair back, a loving smile on her face. The memory was fleeting, warm, then gone.
A moment of silence hung in the air, broken only by their heavy breathing.
Then, Saya's eyes widened, a deep crimson blush spreading across her face.
She practically jumped back, a mortified expression replacing her calm one.
"Never mind!" she exclaimed, her voice suddenly loud and flustered.
"Forget it! I must have been too tired. I'm going back to rest now. Bye!"
Without another word, she practically bolted out of the training room.
"Uh. Okay."
Tetsu said, still lying there, a little dazed. He slowly reached up, touching the spot where she had touched his hair, and a faint blush crept onto his own cheeks.
Back in her room, Saya was in the shower, the hot water cascading over her, but her face was still burning.
Ugh. What was I thinking? She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the feel of his hair, the surprising softness.
She looked down at her hand, the one that had touched him.
A memory, clear and distinct, flashed through her mind.
It was Arata, his stoic face etched with concern.
"You'll be pairing with a partner, Saya."
"He has just recently suffered a lot. So please, comfort him."
Back in the present, Saya sighed, the hot water steaming around her.
Maybe I could be a bit nicer to him.
Meanwhile, in his own room, Tetsu was sleeping soundly, utterly exhausted from the day's emotional turmoil and physical exertion.
And from above the basement, unseen by either of them, the vast night sky was covered in a trail of beautiful, twinkling stars.
At the center of the celestial expanse, an orange star and a yellow star shone brightly, side by side, a silent testament to the strange, budding connection below.