After leaving the bookstore, Tobu Makoto clutched his precious camera and hurried back to his apartment.
He smoothly unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind him.
The room was pitch-black, curtains drawn tight. Nothing could be seen.
But when Tobu flicked on the light—the truth of his home was revealed.
Every wall, the carpet, even the ceiling and furniture—covered with photographs and posters of Symboli Rudolf.
On the floor, every few steps lay a Rudolf plush. Every five steps, some utensil with her sticker on it. Even his toothbrush had a chibi Rudolf keychain dangling. His obsession was clear.
If it were just this, he'd only be a hardcore one-target fan, not yet a pervert.
After all, at Tracen Academy, there was also that Uma who loved taking pictures of other Uma and collecting their merch. But she only enjoyed them for herself, never planning harm—so it was all still within bounds.
But Tobu Makoto had crossed the line.
Because—as described by a certain "invisible man" hidden in the room—there were other things here, things that should never be.
In the corner stood a cluster of monitors, all surveillance feeds spread across Tracen Academy's perimeter, wired with face-recognition systems. Once a certain person stepped outside the gates, the alert would ping immediately.
And there was no need to guess who that "certain person" was.
One monitor was connected directly to the camera inside the plush he had given Rudolf today. Once activated, it would record and upload in real time.
Even more shocking—on the living room table sat chemical equipment and bottles of drugs.
Notes revealed that Tobu had been mixing concoctions aimed at Uma. Hypnotics, aphrodisiacs—every kind a banned substance. Altogether, enough to earn decades of prison time.
Tobu removed the memory card from his camera, plugged it into his computer, and saved the photos.
Watching them—the quiet, smiling Luna reading—drool slipped from his lips.
And the thought that tonight, through the plush camera, he'd see Luna in pajamas—he was so excited he nearly pitched a tent.
So Tobu pulled out a stun gun from his drawer, tugged open his pants.
"Luna, I really love you... for you, I'll shock my—"
But just as he was about to lose control, a chill ran through him. The same feeling as in the bookstore—like someone's eyes boring into him.
He quickly put the stun gun away, scanning the room nervously.
There was someone here. He was sure of it. But he couldn't see them.
He stepped to the balcony window, peeled back the curtain a sliver, and looked outside.
There—by the entrance of his building—stood an elegant gray-haired Uma, leaning against the wall, head down, quietly scrolling her phone.
He recognized her instantly: the same gray-haired Uma who had sat across from him in the bookstore.
But why was she here?
Coincidence? Or stalking?
Too many secrets filled this apartment. They couldn't be discovered.
Fortunately, the windows were one-way glass. He could see her, but she couldn't see in.
So even if she had followed him, she couldn't know what he was doing. The chill wasn't from her.
Which meant… her presence must be coincidence. No need to worry.
Then why did he still feel this dread?
As he puzzled, the chill suddenly vanished.
And when he looked again—the gray-haired Uma was gone. The street returned to silence.
He rubbed his eyes, unsettled.
Hallucination? Was it because he'd done so much stalking that now he felt stalked himself?
"No! Impossible!" Tobu shook his head violently.
"I'm not stalking! I'm protecting Luna in secret! Stopping her from being kidnapped by evil men in black! How could someone as handsome as me be a stalker?!"
Self-comfort. Desperate self-comfort.
But before he could calm down, a knock rattled the door.
"Is Mr. Tobu Makoto home? We have business with you."
"Someone... for me?" Tobu frowned, peered through the peephole—
Uniforms.
"Police?!" His heart stopped.
Why were the police here?!
He glanced back at the chemicals and surveillance gear. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
These things could never be discovered. Or he was finished.
He rushed to shove the monitors and drugs into a hidden compartment—a precaution he'd prepared for exactly such emergencies.
He decided not to open the door. If they forced their way in, it would take time. Time enough to hide everything.
But before he finished hiding, the door—supposedly locked—swung open easily. The police stepped inside without resistance.
"?!" Shock froze him.
The lock! He had definitely locked it! Why was it open?!
The officers presented their badges.
"Mr. Tobu Makoto, someone anonymously reported that you've been peeping on the Emperor Symboli Rudolf, and planning to abduct her. We've received evidence from the informant. Please come with us."
At first, they hadn't believed the bizarre report. They'd intended to explain politely, then ask him to cooperate with the investigation.
But now, seeing the contents of his room, their expressions hardened.
"It looks like the report was true. Cuff him. Bring him back for questioning." They advanced.
"Peeping? Abduction? Officers, don't slander me! Do you have evidence?!" Tobu stammered.
"Forget the illegal substances for now. What about these?" One officer pulled up photos on his phone and shoved them toward him.
"This—!" Tobu's pupils shook violently.
The photos showed him in the bookstore, secretly photographing Rudolf—from every angle.
So that chill earlier wasn't hallucination. Someone had been photographing him!
Who was this anonymous informant?! Someone who could capture him without him noticing—someone who hid even better than him!
But still, it wasn't enough proof of malicious intent. Until—
Another officer pulled out the plush.
Its belly slit open, revealing battery and camera.
The officer hooked it to a monitor. The feed appeared instantly.
"And this? Care to explain?" the officer pressed.
"!!!" Tobu went speechless.
The very plush he had given Rudolf at noon—the one with the hidden camera. Even that had been exposed and handed to the police!
And they knew exactly which monitor it connected to. Which meant—someone had been in his apartment. Someone who fed the details directly to the police.
That explained why the "locked" door opened so easily. That disgusting ghost of a man's handiwork.
For the first time, Tobu felt true fear of the anonymous informant.
But fear turned to fury.
That filthy bastard, hiding in the shadows, peeping on him! Didn't that guy realize he was the disgusting one?!
That bastard. The one who got him caught. The one who tried to separate him from Luna. He couldn't be forgiven.
But with the drugs and evidence in plain sight, Tobu knew—he might never leave prison alive. Unless he escaped, revenge would remain fantasy.
And escape was impossible, with no power, no backing.
So he had only one option left: before being dragged away, smear that anonymous rat. Drag him down with him.
"Officers!" he shouted. "That guy photographing me is a pervert too!"
"He's been peeping on Luna himself! He probably saw me as competition, so he ratted me out—to keep her all to himself!"
"He's dangerous! Think about it—how else could he uncover the plush camera so fast? It means he's always lurking near Luna, spying! If Luna doesn't know you seized the plush, she'd assume it was still in her bag. Which means he stole it! That's a crime itself!"
"He must be plotting something even worse against Luna! He's guilty too! Arrest him! Interrogate him! Find his crimes and lock him in the same prison as me!"
"..." The officers glanced at one another. For a moment, Tobu's logic almost sounded plausible.
But their duty was clear. First, take Tobu.
They swarmed him as he tried to bolt, wrestled him down, cuffed him in silver restraints, and dragged him out.