Chapter 11: Hideout

Night, at Shiro’s Apartment

A dark room, the only light spilling from the laptop’s screen.

Shiro Kenoshita, headphones on, adjusted the volume, low band, pitch correction, while replaying the footage of the mall incident. Each loop seemed to reveal new fragments of a puzzle. His glasses caught the glow of the screen as his focus stayed fixed on the black-haired boy in a high school uniform. Every movement, every punch and kick, was executed with uncanny precision against the armed terrorists.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up without taking his eyes off the screen.

“It’s Miyori. Did you watch the footage I sent you?”

“Yeah, just finished.”

“Any clues you got?”

“Not really. The vision’s too blurry. Even after the restoration, upscaling, noise reduction, whatever you call it, it doesn’t reveal much. But I must say, ‘Suspect C’ is a well trained fighter. Any updates on the tracking operation?”

“Negative. With the footages we’ve gathered, it’s almost impossible to pin down ‘Suspect C.’”

“I see…” Shiro leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “So basically, we’re chasing a ghost… Anyway, I’m leaving the sub-inspection to Kanako and Kisara. Pinpointing ‘Suspect C’ is their job now. Our primary target is still the Abyss. We need to track them down before their next attempt; That’s the top priority.”

“Right. And about the captured terrorist, the medical division reported he’s regaining consciousness. Senior Detective Aizawa wants to know if you’re interested in handling the interrogation.”

“Well. I’ll handle that.”

“Great. Just don’t push too far… Then I’ll leave it to you. Call me if anything surfaces.”

The line clicked off. Silence reclaimed the room. Shiro unplugged his headphones, closed all the windows on his laptop, and shut it down. With a stretch, he stood from his seat.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. Yoko barged in calmly, arms crossed, her expression half-annoyed, half-drowsy.

“Hey, Shiro. You’re still awake? Not sleeping?”

“Ah, just finishing some assignments. Now it’s time to sleep.” He gave her a sly glance and added, “And you? Awake in the middle of the night? Going to the washroom? Scared to go alone? It’s okay—”

“Shut up! I’m not scared!” Yoko snapped, slamming the door shut. A second later, it opened just a crack, and her head popped through. “And I’m a grown woman, okay?”

Before Shiro could reply, she slammed it again with extra force.

Shiro chuckled, shaking his head as a small smile tugged at his lips.

“Grown woman, huh…”

Next Day, at North State Academy

The last bell rang. Classes were over for the day.

Tokio Yukawa lazily packed his things into his bag, his head resting on one hand while his eyes drifted toward the window, lost in thought.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. A text popped up on the screen.

“Now what? Hibe?” He muttered, unlocking it.

The message read: “Meet me at the Station Café. Everyone’s here. Hurry, it’s urgent.”

Before he could react, two girls from the corner of the classroom, Fumino and Meai, waved at him.

“Yo, Yukawa-kun! You’re coming to the festival tonight, right?” Meai called out.

Tokio looked up. “Not really my thing.”

“You’re so boring, dude,” Meai pouted.

“As always,” Tokio said with mock seriousness, then added with a crooked smile, “…ah, just joking. I’ve actually got some stuff to take care of after school.”

“No probs. But—” Meai leaned closer with a mischievous grin. “Don’t tell me you’re going on a date afterward?”

“Definitely a no,” Tokio replied flatly. Then, softening a bit, “Anyway, thanks for the invite. Hope you two enjoy the festival.”

“Okay then, see you later,” Fumino said.

“Later,” Tokio waved, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he headed out.

At Station Café…

Tokio pushed through the glass door of the café. The place was moderately crowded, yet there was no sign of Hibe, Blade, Shina, Memeko, or Anya anywhere.

“Excuse me, miss, where can I find the boss lady?” Tokio asked the staff at the reception desk.

“Sir, do you mean Master Yatoizawa? She’s in the guest room. Room 204, second floor,” the staff replied politely.

“Thanks a bunch,” Tokio said aloud, though in his head he was grumbling: Master? She actually calls her that? What is she, some kind of dictator? Didn’t even leave the staff out of her little empire…

Meanwhile, in Room 204—

Served in a tall, elegant, crystal-clear glass, the café’s strawberry premium parfait glistened under the light. Shina, spoon in hand, was just about to take a bite when the door swung open without warning.

Tokio stepped inside and casually called out, “Anyone here?”

Shina froze mid-bite, cheeks tinting pink. “You’re supposed to knock before entering someone’s personal space, you know?” she snapped, half-annoyed, half-flustered.

“And who enters a room through the window unless they’re a burglar or a weirdo, huh?” Tokio shot back instantly.

Shina huffed, lowering her spoon. “…Anyway, so you finally decided to show up.”

Five minutes later…

Shina scooped the last spoonful of her parfait and set the empty glass aside with satisfaction. Across from her, Tokio sat tapping his finger against the table in a steady rhythm, counting the seconds with growing irritation. Finally, he spoke.

“So, are you done now? Watching you slowly devour dessert is not exactly my idea of fun.”

“Yep, just finished. And thanks for following our rule,” Shina replied with a cheerful tone.

“No talking while eating, huh?”

“Correct.”

Without another word, she stood up and walked to the tall bookshelf against the wall. She picked a book, flipped it backward, then slid it back into place. With a low rumble, the entire shelf shifted, opening wide to reveal a hidden passage.

Tokio blinked, deadpan. “…What the heck are you guys? Some kind of anti-terror evil organization?” His voice carried more sarcasm than surprise.

“Shut up and just follow me,” Shina said firmly.

The passage led them to a steel-plated door. Shina pressed her finger against the scanner, and with a hiss, the metallic door slid open, revealing a secret room beyond.

Tokio whistled. “Wow… you’ve got some cool stuff in here.”

Fancy, high-tech, shiny… She must’ve drained her family’s business funds for all this junk. What a waste, he thought bitterly.

Shina glanced at him sideways. “Hey, are you imagining something about me?”

Tokio froze. “Nope.”

Wait, did I say that out loud? he panicked silently.

They stepped into the room. Inside were already Blade, Eyepatch, and Memeko.

Blade was sprawled across the sofa, looking bored and lazy. Eyepatch sat upright, calmly reading the day’s newspaper. Memeko, headphones in, was glued to her laptop screen, typing away with total focus.

“You finally came, dude,” Blade muttered without moving much.

“Took you quite a while, Tokio-senpai,” Eyepatch added smoothly.

“Yeah, yeah… someone was wasting time eating vanilla cupcake parfaits,” Tokio grumbled.

“Hey! Are you referring to me?!” Shina shot back, cheeks puffing slightly.

“Anyway,” Tokio said quickly, changing the subject. “So this is the place you ‘Phantoms’ use to hide from the shadows of the rulers? … A secret hideout, huh? Pretty fancy, if you ask me.”

Finally noticing him, Memeko unplugged her headphones and blinked. “Wait, isn’t that my senpai?” She tilted her head, scanning Tokio up and down with curious eyes. “Did you bring anything to eat? I’m starving.”

Seeing nothing in his hands, her expression dropped. “Tch. Disappointing. Anyway… welcome to the lab.”

With a sigh, Shina reached into the shelf and pulled out a cup of instant noodles. She tossed it lightly toward Memeko. “Here. Take this.”

Memeko caught it and lit up instantly. Hugging it to her chest, she said in a childish singsong tone, “Thaaank you~ Boss-yy!”

“Ahh, these kids are never gonna change,” Tokio sighed under his breath.