The day after the new disturbances, Shirokuma High felt off-kilter. Even familiar corridors seemed different under the morning sun, as if the shadows themselves had shifted. Hiragi moved through the school quietly, hat tilted, senses alert, remembering the lessons of Daichi's labyrinth.
The disturbances were subtle but telling: misplaced notebooks, slightly altered seating arrangements, faint marks on the walls—all pointing to someone observing every action, every reaction.
Hiragi called the students together—Ren, Airi, Souta, Yuna, and Taku. "Today," he said calmly, "we follow the echoes of the past. The clues before you are not new—they are reflections of previous games, evolved by someone studying Daichi's methods."
Ren frowned. "So… it's a copycat? Or maybe Daichi is back?"
Hiragi's gaze was steady. "It could be either. What matters is pattern recognition and understanding intention. The shadow always leaves a trace, and if we pay attention, the echoes reveal the mind behind it."
They split into small groups, each observing minor disturbances. Airi noticed that the misplaced books mirrored the order of the clues Daichi had left during the labyrinth. Yuna spotted faint ink smudges that resembled Daichi's handwriting—but altered, refined, calculated. Taku identified a repeating pattern in timing: each disturbance occurred exactly when students' attention wavered.
Hiragi studied everything silently, connecting threads from both Daichi's previous games and these new incidents. Slowly, a larger pattern emerged: the mastermind was testing not just observation, but memory, deduction, and instinct simultaneously.
A soft note appeared on the floor, almost overlooked:
"The past echoes for those who listen. Miss it, and the shadows claim you."
Hiragi picked it up carefully. His eyes narrowed. "This is deliberate. Whoever orchestrates this knows our history, predicts our responses, and challenges our judgment. The game has evolved, and the stakes are higher than before."
Ren whispered, uneasily: "So… what's next?"
Hiragi's expression remained calm but intense. "We follow the echoes. We anticipate. And we must understand: the shadow may be familiar… or entirely new. Either way, they are watching, always calculating."
Outside, the school grounds remained deceptively peaceful. But Hiragi knew better. Every whisper of wind, every shifting shadow, every fleeting movement could be part of the new mastermind's plan. The game had begun again—and this time, it was deeper, subtler, and more dangerous than ever.
The echoes of the past are rising. And only those who understand them can survive the shadows.