-ARAKAWA RESIDENCE-
-10:18 PM, MARCH 9, 2017-
The city lights flickered again.
Brief.
Subtle.
But no longer ignorable.
Rikuu stood by the window.
Watching.
Counting.
"…Three times in ten minutes."
Ichika leaned slightly closer.
"…That's not random."
Rikuu nodded.
"…It's patterned."
Papers were spread across the table.
Notes.
Times.
Locations.
Rikuu connected points with a pen.
"…Look here."
Ichika followed his movements.
"…North sector… then central… then west…"
A pause.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…It's rotating."
Rikuu's expression sharpened.
"…Exactly."
Ichika straightened.
"…That means it's not just disruption."
"…It's mapping."
Rikuu nodded.
"…Or testing coverage."
Silence.
Heavy.
-SAPPORO CITY, VARIOUS LOCATIONS-
-10:30 PM-
Lights flickered in different districts.
A train paused briefly before continuing.
Signals glitched.
Then corrected.
Each event small.
Controlled.
But deliberate.
-ARAKAWA RESIDENCE-
-10:34 PM-
Rikuu stared at the map.
"…They're measuring response time."
Ichika's gaze tightened.
"…Emergency systems."
"…Infrastructure limits."
Rikuu added quietly,
"…And failure points."
Silence.
Ichika looked at him.
"…This isn't just intimidation anymore."
Rikuu shook his head slightly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…This is preparation."
-UNKNOWN LOCATION-
-10:40 PM-
The man observed the data.
Lines moved across screens.
Systems reacting.
Adapting.
"…Progress?"
One of the others spoke.
"Stability thresholds identified."
The man nodded.
"…Good."
A pause.
"…Proceed to escalation soon."
-ARAKAWA RESIDENCE-
-10:45 PM-
Rikuu sat down slowly.
"…They're going to push it further."
Ichika didn't look away from the map.
"…When?"
A pause.
Rikuu's voice lowered.
"…Soon."
Ichika crossed her arms slightly.
Thinking.
"…If they're mapping failures…"
A pause.
"…Then they're planning a larger event."
Rikuu nodded.
"…Yeah."
Then—
His expression changed.
Slightly.
Ichika noticed.
"…What is it?"
Rikuu looked at one specific point on the map.
A location.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"…This area…"
Ichika leaned closer.
Then—
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…That's…"
Rikuu's voice dropped.
"…My neighborhood."
Silence.
Heavy.
-UNKNOWN LOCATION-
-10:50 PM-
The man looked at a highlighted zone on the screen.
A single area.
Marked clearly.
"…Target confirmed."
A pause.
"…Prepare ignition phase."
-ARAKAWA RESIDENCE-
-10:52 PM-
Rikuu stood up immediately.
"…We don't have time."
Ichika followed.
"…What are you thinking?"
Rikuu grabbed his coat.
"…If this is the center—"
A pause.
"…Then something's going to happen here."
Ichika's expression tightened.
"…Tonight?"
Rikuu didn't answer.
But his silence said enough.
-OUTSIDE, SNOW FALLING-
-10:55 PM-
They stepped out into the cold.
The snow falling heavier now.
The city still looked calm.
Still looked normal.
But underneath—
Something was building.