The clock turned back twenty minutes.
Because Mizuno had left halfway, and because Tokai Teio was far too restless to sit quietly reading, Symboli Rudolf and the others didn't stay long in the bookstore. They headed back together to Tracen Academy.
But when Rudolf returned to her dorm and was about to place the plush doll her fan had given her onto the bedside table, she discovered—
It was gone.
"Eh?"
She overturned her shoulder bag, searched it inside out, retraced her steps all the way to the Academy gate—but no trace of the plush.
"Strange... where did it go?"
While puzzling over when she might have lost it, her phone suddenly rang. An unknown number.
Rudolf reluctantly pulled it out and answered.
"Hello."
"Hello, is this Symboli Rudolf?" came an unfamiliar male voice.
"I'm a local police officer, badge number 1919810."
"Police?" Rudolf frowned.
Why would the police be calling her?
"Officer, what is the matter?" she asked politely.
"Rudolf-san, may I confirm—did you at noon today receive a plush doll modeled after yourself?"
"?!" Rudolf's eyes widened.
How did the police know that?
Though strange, she chose to answer honestly out of trust.
"Yes. At noon, indeed a fan gifted me a plush. But I seem to have misplaced it—I can't find it now."
"Was the gift-giver's name Tobu Makoto?"
"Yes."
"And did the plush differ slightly from the ones sold in shops? For example, heavier?"
"Yes..."
The officer's questions gave Rudolf an increasingly uneasy feeling.
Could it be... there was something wrong with the plush?
She hoped she was overthinking. But the officer's next words made her heart sink.
"Rudolf-san, I regret to tell you a truth." His voice grew grave.
"Your fan's intentions were not pure. The reason the plush differed is because inside... was a camera."
"A camera?" Rudolf frowned deeply.
"But he said—it was handmade by his sister, so—"
Her words were cut off.
"Rudolf-san, according to our investigation, Tobu Makoto has no sister. He lied."
For most Uma, hearing such news—that a pervert had hidden a camera in a gift—would be terrifying. They would be scarred, unable to accept gifts from fans again.
But Rudolf was different. Though fear flickered, what dominated was fury.
Whummm—
Though her expression remained unchanged, a crushing aura exploded from her body, dimming the colors around her.
Within dozens of meters, every living thing—the birds overhead, the flowers by the road, even passing pedestrians—was suffocated by that pressure.
Even over the phone, the officer seemed to sense it, and quickly tried to calm her.
"Rudolf-san, please remain calm! Tobu Makoto has already been arrested. With his crimes, he will be heavily sentenced. He will never again trouble you, rest assured—"
"What crimes? If it were only peeping, that wouldn't warrant such punishment, would it?" Rudolf demanded.
The officer began listing them.
"This afternoon he secretly photographed you, installed cameras at all Tracen gates, brewed illicit drugs targeting Uma at his home..."
But hearing this only made her angrier. The aura pressed heavier.
Whummm—
Birds dropped unconscious from the sky, flowers by the roadside withered instantly.
"Cough, cough..." A passerby collapsed to his knees, hacking violently under the invisible weight.
"...My apologies." Realizing the collateral damage, Rudolf pressed her temples, forcing the aura back down. She bowed deeply to the man she had harmed.
"It's fine, it's fine..." Terrified, he waved his hands and fled.
Rudolf shook her head and left the Academy gate, finding a quiet, empty place to calm herself.
But even among Uma, she who was best at controlling her emotions—took a long time before she could steady herself enough not to explode at the mere mention of Tobu's name.
Still, if Tobu Makoto appeared before her now... who knew what would happen.
But one question now burned in her mind.
"Officer, how did you uncover this so quickly? Had you been watching him all along?"
He had given her the plush at noon. By afternoon it was exposed and Tobu arrested. Wasn't that too fast?
It felt like someone had been shadowing him, collecting evidence step by step.
"No. We were told by an anonymous informant," the officer explained.
"Anonymous informant?"
"Yes. He claimed he was just a passing Kamen Rider. Said he happened to pick up the plush, discovered its secret, then happened to see Tobu filming you at the bookstore, then happened to discover contraband in Tobu's home. So he came to us."
"..." Rudolf was doubtful.
So many coincidences? Not only uncovering the plush's problem, but even following into Tobu's home?
Was it revenge? Or was it really just "happened to"?
Whatever the case, this informant had exposed Tobu's crimes and spared her from a stalker's harassment. She had to thank him.
"Officer, who is this informant? I wish to thank him."
"Sorry, we cannot disclose that," the officer refused.
"Why not?"
"Because the informant requested it. He said this matter was too frightening for a young lady to know. To protect your feelings, he asked us not to tell you—and not to reveal his name."
"But since Tobu targeted you, we judged you must be informed. That's why we called. But his name—we cannot give you."
"I see..." Rudolf's ears drooped.
Doing good without seeking return, and even so considerate of her heart—this anonymous informant, without doubt, was someone noble and gentle, like Mizuno.
But thinking she could never thank him, never even see him, she felt it a pity.
"Wait..." Suddenly she remembered.
Tobu had known her plans, because Mizuno had told him.
In the afternoon, Mizuno vanished while "searching for a book," then later messaged that he'd gone home. Soon after, Tobu was caught...
The timing matched. The knack for hiding matched...
Could it be...
"Officer, can you at least tell me what he wore? If not his name, then his appearance?"
"...Very well." The officer hesitated, but agreed.
"He wore a black coat, hood, gloves. Entirely covered. No skin exposed. His appearance could not be known."
"..." Hearing this, Rudolf froze.
In her mind, one image emerged naturally.
"Was his name Mizuno?" she asked softly.
"Eh? Rudolf-san, you know him?" the officer exclaimed.
"Yes..." Her voice grew small.
Of everyone she knew, only Mizuno dressed that way.
The anonymous protector—was Mizuno.
"Just happened" to pick up the plush? Impossible.
He must have spotted its problem immediately, and secretly removed it to spare her fear. Then he laid traps, gathered evidence of Tobu's crimes, and reported anonymously.
"So... it was Mizuno protecting me..." She let out a bitter laugh.
She had only just promised to protect him at lunch. And yet—it was she who was protected first.
"Since you know him, there's no need to hide further," the officer said.
"He's still here at the station. We detained him."
"Detained?!" Rudolf's eyes widened.
"Yes. His outfit was too suspicious—more like a thief than a thief. He refused to show his face. And since his evidence needed verification, we're holding him until someone from Tracen bails him out."
"..." Rudolf's gaze softened.
He could have simply called her. She would have come to bail him out immediately.
But he didn't. He chose to keep her in the dark—chose to bear it alone.
So he would rather suffer himself... than risk her unease.
"...Gu..." Rudolf's ears drooped, her imperial aura melting into something gentle.
Admiration for Mizuno's character. Gratitude for his silent protection. Heartache for his choice to shoulder all the pain himself.
All tangled together, creating in Rudolf a feeling she had never known before.
It was... special. Hard to name.
But she didn't dislike it.
"..." She pressed a hand to her chest, where her heart now felt heavier.
And in that moment, she wanted only one thing—
To see Mizuno.
"Officer, he is not strange, nor dangerous. Please treat him kindly. I'm coming right away."
She hung up and, without hesitation, rushed toward the police station.