Vey stood under the shelter of the bus stop near their house, rain drumming steadily on the metal roof above them. The school closure had stretched into another week, but Vey could no longer sit still. The guilt had been gnawing at them for days — they had spent so much energy fixating on Ren, on the suspicion, on the anger, that they had barely focused on the one thing that truly mattered: finding Sorine. Their friend was missing, possibly trapped or worse, and Vey had let personal rage cloud their priorities.
They pulled out their phone and typed into the group chat:
"Going to the school today. Focusing on Sorine's disappearance, not Ren. The old science lab feels important. I think whatever happened to me there is connected. Meet me there if you can. We need to find her."
Vey hit send, then slipped the phone back into their pocket and started walking toward Seika High through the drizzle. The streets were quiet, umbrellas dotting the sidewalks like dark mushrooms. Their mind raced with self-reproach. I prioritized hating Ren over looking for my friend. That's not right. Sorine deserves better.
---
Meanwhile, in his room, Kairo stared at the group chat message for a long time. The nightmares had been worse than ever, and the guilt over Tsubaki and the night with Mimo still weighed heavily. He needed to settle things with Mimo. The awkwardness between them was eating him alive. He picked up his phone and called her.
"Mimo… would you care to get crêpes with me? There's a place nearby. I… I need to talk to you."
Mimo's voice on the other end was soft and gentle, as always. "Sure. I'll meet you at the usual corner in twenty minutes."
They met under the light rain. Mimo looked the same — neat school uniform, soft smile — but she was awfully quiet as they walked together toward the small crêpe shop. Kairo's heart pounded. The air felt thick with unsaid words. When they reached a quieter stretch of sidewalk, he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry for making things awkward between us," he said, voice low. "That night… it happened because we were both hurting so much after Tsubaki. But I truly see you as—"
The sky opened without warning. Rain began to fall harder, sudden and heavy. Kairo quickly removed his jacket and held it over both of them like a makeshift shield. "Come on, let's find cover."
They hurried to a nearby popular store in the area — a well-known convenience and snack shop that sold fresh crêpes, drinks, and everyday items. It was usually busy even in the afternoon. Kairo pushed open the door, expecting the familiar chime and warm lighting.
Instead, the store was silent.
The moment the door swung open, the smell hit him — thick, metallic, sickening. Blood.
Bodies lay scattered across the floor. The famous store owner, a kind middle-aged man who always greeted customers with a smile, was slumped behind the counter, throat slashed open, abdomen torn wide with intestines spilling out in dark, glistening loops onto the tiles. His daughter, a university student who sometimes helped out, lay nearby, her body broken in multiple places, blood pooling around her. Several customers — an elderly couple, a young salaryman — were sprawled in the aisles, stabbed and beaten, their blood mixing with spilled drinks and snack packages. The scene was fresh, the blood still wet, the afternoon light from the windows making the red stains gleam horribly.
Kairo felt nausea rise violently. He doubled over and began to vomit onto the floor, stomach emptying in harsh heaves. The nightmares flooded back in full force — the repeating hallways, the white masks, Crypt's sing-song voice. The horror blended with the images of the dead bodies, and in that moment of overwhelming terror, his body reacted in the only way it had learned to cope lately. A shameful, unwanted erection stirred as the trauma triggered the same desperate habit he had fallen into after every nightmare: lusting after Mimo to push the emptiness away.
He tried desperately to hide it, turning away, hands shaking as he wiped his mouth. When he looked up, Mimo was standing perfectly still, staring at the carnage with no disgust, no horror — just calm, emotionless observation. Her face was blank, almost serene.
From the back of the store, a noise echoed — iron striking iron, sharp and rhythmic, like someone stabbing repeatedly into metal shelves or counters. The light rain outside suddenly became heavier, pounding on the roof.
Mimo turned and walked toward the sound without hesitation. Kairo hesitated, frozen in fear, but then stumbled after her.
At the back, near the storage area, stood a figure in a dark suit, stabbing anything in sight with a knife. It turned — and it was Ren Fushiwara, exactly as he had looked the day he killed Tsubaki: neat hair, calm expression, the same suit. The figure moved jerkily, stabbing into boxes, shelves, and the air itself, as if practicing or lost in some ritual. When it noticed them, it turned fully, knife raised, ready to strike.
Mimo grabbed Kairo's arm — he was still hesitating, paralyzed — and pulled him hard. They ran out of the store together, bursting into the heavy rain. They slipped on the wet road, dirtying their clothes with mud and water, but kept running until they reached a nearby bus stop. They collapsed onto the bench, gasping for breath under the shelter.
Mimo finally spoke, her voice soft but firm. "That's not something you should meddle with."
Kairo, still shaking, looked at her. "Why? What was that? Why did it look like Ren?"
Mimo stared out at the rain. "You're better off not knowing."
The rain continued to fall, heavier now, washing the streets while the horror inside the store remained untouched.
---
Vey moved like a shadow through the rain.
The school was supposed to be closed, but yellow police tape still fluttered across the main gate and around the old wing. Two officers in raincoats patrolled the front entrance, their flashlights cutting lazy arcs through the downpour. Vey waited in the bushes beside the side fence, heart hammering, until both officers turned their backs at the same time. In that brief window, they slipped forward, keeping low.
They scaled the fence quickly, landing softly on the wet grass on the other side. Mud soaked their shoes instantly. Instead of heading toward the main building, Vey crept along the narrow space between the gym and the storage sheds, using the shadows and the sound of rain to cover their footsteps. Every few seconds they froze, listening for voices or the crunch of boots on gravel. One officer passed only ten meters away, flashlight beam sweeping across the path Vey had just left. Vey pressed themselves flat against the cold concrete wall of the shed, holding their breath until the light moved on.
They waited another thirty seconds, then darted across the open courtyard toward the old wing. The side door to the corridor was unlocked — maintenance staff had probably left it that way during the investigation. Vey slipped inside, the door clicking shut behind them with a soft, final sound.
The hallway was dark and silent. Only emergency lights glowed faintly overhead, turning everything into shades of sickly green and gray. Rain drummed on the roof above, the sound muffled but constant. Vey moved quickly but carefully, staying close to the wall, avoiding the center of the corridor where their footsteps might echo louder.
They were heading toward the old science lab when they heard it — the soft creak of a door opening further down the hall.
Vey froze.
A moment later, Ren Fushiwara emerged from the old science lab, carrying Sorine in his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder, eyes half-open but unfocused, her uniform rumpled and damp with sweat. She looked exhausted, broken, as if she had been somewhere far longer than the few hours that had passed in the real world.
Vey's blood turned to ice.
Without thinking, they broke into a run.
"Ren!"
Ren stopped in the middle of the hallway. He gently lowered Sorine onto a nearby bench, supporting her back so she wouldn't slump over. Sorine blinked slowly, still dazed, barely aware of her surroundings.
Vey didn't slow down. The moment they reached him, they swung hard.
The slap connected with a sharp crack that echoed down the empty corridor. Ren's head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming instantly on his cheek.
"You bastard," Vey hissed, voice shaking with fury and relief at the same time. "What did you do to her? What the hell did you do?!"