Scene Cut: School Stairwell – Full Sprint
Kaito's shoes pounded the stairs like gunfire. Ren wasn't far behind, practically flying down the steps, fury simmering just beneath his skin.
"Split at the west exit!" Kaito barked into the earpiece.
"I'll circle the gym!" Ren replied.
Their voices echoed off the walls as they moved like shadows, trained, alert, not just chasing—but hunting.
Scene Cut: Rooftop Fence – Seconds Earlier
Aika stood still, her breath shallow. The photo trembled slightly in her fingers.
The three of them, taken from above. From today. From somewhere impossibly close.
"THE GAME JUST STARTED."
Her thumb brushed the glossy surface. It wasn't just a threat anymore.
It was a challenge.
Her eyes narrowed.
"This bastard," she muttered, fury now slicing through the fear.
Behind her, Tatsuki remained silent, jaw tight, eyes darting around the buildings like they might sprout more watchers.
"You said he overheard my name," Aika said without turning. "What else did you hear, Tatsuki?"
He exhaled. "That you're the 'one who ruined everything.' That... he wasn't supposed to care. But he did."
Aika finally turned around. "He? Who's 'he'? Say his name."
Tatsuki hesitated—then shook his head.
"I never saw his face. Only his voice. Calm. Too calm. And he had pictures. Dozens. Not just of you. All of you."
.
Scene Cut: School Back Entrance – Moments Later
Kaito burst out of the west door. The sky was bleeding into night now, purple and gray clouds rolling in like smoke. His breath came fast, eyes darting between buildings.
Nothing.
Only the whisper of wind through the trees.
And then—
A sound.
Clink.
Metal hitting stone.
Kaito spun.
There.
A figure slipping behind the maintenance shed.
He sprinted.
Scene Cut: Gymnasium Perimeter – Simultaneously
Ren stalked the outer path, hand curled into a fist. He wasn't running now. He was hunting. His breath steady. His mind razor-sharp.
And then he heard it.
Footsteps—light. Fast.
He turned into the alley between the buildings and—
Wham.
A trash bin was kicked over right in front of him, spilling papers everywhere.
Ren didn't flinch. He leapt over it without breaking stride.
"Coward!" he roared. "Come out and face me!"
But all he got was the flutter of papers and the fading sound of feet.
Ren returned just as Aika stuffed the Polaroid into her blazer.
They locked eyes.
"Did you see him?" she asked.
Ren shook his head. "He's fast. Real fast. But he made a mistake."
"What?"
"He's getting desperate. That photo?" Ren stepped closer. "He wants us to know he's watching. That means he's getting bold. And that makes him stupid."
Aika narrowed her eyes. "Or confident."
Ren gave a dark smirk. "Then he doesn't know who he's messing with."
Aika stared up at him.
The Ren from earlier—the one who was teasing, smug, annoying—was gone. What stood in front of her now was dangerous. Focused. Protective.
She hated that it made her heart skip
Scene Cut: Aika's Home – That Night
Aika stood by her window, staring out into the empty street.
Tatsuki had gone home under Kaito's watch. Ren was still out there, circling, searching.
She pressed her forehead to the cool glass.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Just one message:
"The boy who ruins everything isn't Ren. It's the one who hides behind smiles. Look closer, Aika."
Her heart stopped.
She reread it three times.
Then her eyes lifted—back toward the school rooftop in the distance.
And just for a second—
A flash.
A glint of something shiny.
Watching again.
Scene Cut: Later That Night – Kaito's Apartment
A wall of polaroids.
All photos.
All Aika.
Some blurry. Some close. Some… old.
Kaito scanned them again. Hands in his pockets. Jaw clenched.
"What are you hiding?" he muttered.
He walked to his desk, clicked open a folder on his laptop titled:
> "Suspect Patterns – Known Locations"
And just as he began cross-referencing times and angles—
Another text appeared.
From the same unknown number that messaged Aika.
This time it said:
> "Even your smile isn't real. She'll see that soon."
Kaito's blood turned to ice.
He stared at the message, fists tightening.
"Who the hell are you?" he whispered.
---
Scene Cut: Aika's Bedroom – Midnight
She couldn't sleep.
The moonlight spilled across her desk. The Polaroid was still there.
She flipped it over for the hundredth time.
> "THE GAME JUST STARTED."
It echoed in her mind, louder each time.
And then—
A THUMP.
Right outside her window.
Aika froze.
Another thump.
Slowly… she crept toward it.
Heart hammering.
She peeked through the curtains.
Nothing.
Then—
A NOTE.
Stuck to the outside glass with a single black feather.
She opened the window, hand trembling.
The note had no words.
Just a time.
"Friday. 9:00 PM. Rooftop. Come alone."
Aika stared at it, numb.
Behind her, her phone buzzed again.
A new message.
This time… from her own number.
> "Don't tell the boys. Or they'll die first."
To Be Continued…