Later that evening, Renjiro sat on his bed, staring at the encrypted file he'd intercepted from Katsuro's briefcase. He'd managed to slip a tracking device inside while Katsuro was distracted, but the file itself was locked behind layers of encryption.
"Come on," he muttered, fingers flying over his keyboard.
Finally, the file opened. It was a blueprint of his school, with specific areas marked in red. Renjiro's blood ran cold. Katsuro wasn't just after him—he was targeting the entire school.
Before he could process the implications, his phone buzzed.
"Clock's ticking, kid. Stop him before 10:00 AM tomorrow, or everyone pays the price."
Renjiro clenched his fists. Katsuro had set the game in motion, and the stakes were higher than ever.
As he prepared for the next day, Renjiro couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something—something critical. And then it hit him.
Aiko.
Katsuro had seen her with him. If she became collateral damage, Renjiro would never forgive himself.
The next morning, Renjiro arrived at school earlier than usual. The halls were eerily quiet, and every shadow seemed to hide a potential threat.
He slipped into the surveillance room he'd secretly set up weeks ago. The cameras he'd installed around the school fed live footage to his laptop.
"Let's see what you're up to, Katsuro," he muttered, scanning the screens.
And then he saw it—a janitor pushing a cart into the main auditorium, a red briefcase tucked inside. It wasn't the usual janitor.
Renjiro grabbed his bag, steeling himself. Time was running out, and he had a school—and a friend—to protect.