Room A-0174 no longer felt like a place to rest.
It was supposed to be their space.
A small, shared dorm where exhaustion, laughter, and quiet nights existed side by side.
Beds slightly messy. Clothes thrown carelessly. The faint scent of everyday life lingering in the air.
But now…
None of that remained.
The room felt different.
Heavy.
Like the walls themselves were listening.
Haruka sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers loosely intertwined. His head was slightly lowered, eyes unfocused—not from tiredness, but from thought.
Too many thoughts.
Too many connections.
Yume's idea wasn't just reckless anymore.
It had shape.
And that made it dangerous.
Across from him, Yume stood near the window, faint light brushing against her face. She wasn't looking outside—just standing there, thinking.
Still.
Unusually still.
Saito leaned against the wall beside the door, arms crossed, one foot pressed against it casually—but his expression didn't match his posture.
"…Alright," he muttered.
The word broke the silence.
He looked between the two.
"Let's say we actually go through with this."
A pause.
"What's step one?"
Yume didn't turn.
"We don't act like idiots."
Straightforward.
Cold.
Accurate.
She slowly faced them.
"We move quietly."
She raised a finger.
"No attention. No slipping up. No acting suspicious."
Haruka's gaze lifted slightly.
"…So we pretend nothing changed."
Yume nodded.
"Exactly."
Saito sighed.
"So we're just… normal students during the day and—what—future villains at night?"
Yume shrugged.
"Something like that."
Haruka leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
"…We need information first."
Yume smiled faintly.
"Glad you get it."
She stepped away from the window, moving closer.
"The academy isn't just a school."
Her voice lowered.
"It's a filter."
Saito frowned.
"…Filter?"
Yume:
"Students come in."
A step closer.
"Most don't make it out as heroes."
Haruka's eyes shifted.
He had noticed.
But never said it out loud.
Yume continued:
"They don't all fail."
A pause.
"Some just… disappear."
The room went quiet again.
Saito scratched his head.
"…That's kinda messed up."
Yume looked directly at him.
"Exactly why we start here."
Haruka nodded slowly.
"…We observe."
Yume:
"We learn everything."
Saito:
"And we find people?"
Yume's expression sharpened.
"Not just people."
A beat.
"Broken people."
That word hit differently in a room like this.
A room meant for rest.
Now being used to plan something far from peaceful.
Haruka's fingers tightened slightly.
Yume continued:
"People who got rejected."
"People who don't trust the system."
"People who don't belong here anymore… but still exist here."
Saito let out a dry laugh.
"…You just described us."
Yume didn't deny it.
Haruka exhaled slowly.
"You're making this sound way too smooth."
Yume tilted her head.
"It's not."
A pause.
"That's why we take it slow."
She looked around the room briefly.
Their room.
Now something else entirely.
"Three people is enough… to start something dangerous."
Haruka's right eye pulsed.
That same strange feeling again—
Like something slipping ahead of time.
A voice echoed—
Saito's voice.
Not now.
"And what if we get caught?"
Haruka blinked.
Then—
Saito:
"…And what if we get caught?"
Haruka went still.
Again.
That gap.
That delay.
Chrono Split is glitching again.
When Haruka first got into this universe and used Chrono Split to kill βHaruka, he considered himself a vicious criminal. So since then,, he never wanted to use Chrono Split ever again.
And after the moment he controlled his own dead body using Erythal Crimson, he was too disturbed to use it ever again.
Yume answered without hesitation.
"Then we don't get caught."
Saito groaned.
"That is NOT a real plan."
Haruka stood up slowly.
"…We'll need structure."
Both of them looked at him.
Haruka continued:
"We act normal."
He gestured lightly around the room.
"This stays our base."
Saito raised an eyebrow.
"…Base?"
Haruka:
"We plan here. Think here. Build here."
A pause.
"But outside…"
Yume finished it.
"We're just students,"
Saito smirked.
"Double life already, huh?"
Yume stepped forward and extended her hand.
No teasing.
No jokes.
Just intent.
"Alastor."
Saito stared at it for a second.
Then placed his hand over hers.
"If we go down… we go down making noise."
Haruka looked at them.
That moment felt… heavier than it should.
His right eye flickered.
A faint glow.
A silent warning.
Or maybe—
A confirmation.
He stepped forward.
Placed his hand on top.
"…Alastor."
The room fell silent again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was sealed.
Then—
A knock.
Right on the door behind Saito.
All three froze instantly.
Another knock.
Louder.
A voice came through.
"Room A-0174… open the door."
Saito slowly turned his head toward it.
"…You expecting someone?"
Yume shook her head.
Haruka's right eye flared.
Stronger than before.
A flash—
Door opening.
A figure.
A badge.
A smile that felt wrong.
Then—
Nothing.
Back to reality.
The knocking stopped.
Silence.
Yume whispered:
"…That timing is kinda crazy."
Haruka stared at the door.
Unblinking.
"…No."
A pause.
"…That's not timing."
A faint glow lingered in his eye.
"…We got noticed."