The scene opened in the clubroom
Ruri scanned the room. Everyone was present except one person-Ryo.
"Where's Ryo?" she asked, turning to Reina.
Reina glanced up from the scattered documents on the table. "He said he forgot something in the classroom. That was about five minutes ago, right before you came in. I think he'll be back soon."
Ruri's gaze lingered on the door as her thoughts began to drift. What is he really up to? Something about his absence tugged at her suspicions.
Around her, the other club members were busy chatting in small groups and forming theories. Investigation reports provided by the town officials were spread across desks and shelves. Reina, clearly excited, wore a rare smile; this was her first time dealing with a real case, and it showed.
Ruri wandered to a corner of the room and noticed a folded piece of paper peeking out from beneath a stack. She pulled it free. It wasn't part of the reports.
It was a message-no, a letter. At the bottom was a smudged red fingerprint, almost like a seal.
_____________________________________
The scene shifted to the rooftop.
The rooftop was quiet, save for the wind tugging at Ryo's sleeves.
He stood still, facing a man whose appearance kept shifting like water refusing to settle. One moment, he looked like a familiar teacher; the next, his face twisted into something half-formed and uncanny.
"Ryo," the man said with a smirk, his voice smooth yet hollow.
Ryo didn't respond immediately. Instead, his gaze sharpened. "Drop the disguise."
The illusion peeled away like cracking paint, revealing a face Ryo hadn't seen in years but had never forgotten
Kurose Ren. Second Grade Circle Sorcerer. A Man from the Higher Echelons of the Arcane Domain. Cold, calculating, and loyal to a fault. His eyes gleamed with a predator's calm.
"Still as sharp as ever. I was hoping we wouldn't have to meet like this again," Kurose remarked.
"What do you want?" Ryo's voice was low. "Is this about her?"
Kurose raised an eyebrow, amused. "Straight to the point. Must be important to you."
Ryo's fists clenched. "You're using her and controlling her life as if she's just a pawn on a board. That's not protection; that's manipulation."
Kurose didn't flinch. "We do what's necessary. You know that better than anyone. Peace isn't free, it's built on choices most people aren't strong enough to make."
Ryo's eyes darkened. "That's just an excuse for cruelty. You talk about peace, but I see you turning people into pawns."
Kurose stepped forward, his voice rising. "Do you think this world runs on kindness? Do you think your feelings matter more than the lives we're trying to shield from the chaos beneath? If one life secures the safety of thousands, then yes, I would make that trade again and again."
Ryo didn't move, but the air around him felt charged and tense. "And if that 'one life' was someone you cared about?"
Kurose paused, looking at Ryo for a long moment before chuckling. "You really have changed."
Ryo didn't respond.
"I used to believe you'd surpass all of us," Kurose continued. "Before you began formal training, you understood pain in a way none of us did. That pain made you powerful. Focused."
Kurose leaned in slightly, a hint of mock sympathy curling at the edge of his voice. "And yet, you're willing to betray your own comrade, stop the mission for a girl you barely even know."
He stepped past Ryo, slow and deliberate, his words trailing behind like a shadow. "You know… Miro-sensei still worries about you. He still believes you'll come back, that you'll open your eyes and remember who you really are."
He stopped at the edge of the rooftop, not looking back. "Don't keep him waiting too long." And with that, he vanished down the stairs
____________________________________
The scene shifted to the clubroom
The room is filled with stacks of documents and scattered papers cluttering every surface. The rustling sound of papers accompanied the determined efforts of the members of the Phenomena Research Club.
Reina stood by the whiteboard, holding a marker in one hand and a notebook in the other. Her sharp eyes darted between maps and highlighted reports.
"Most of the victims were found deeper in the forest," she murmured, mostly to herself as she calculated patterns on a sheet spread before her. "I think... there's still more we haven't uncovered."
Across the room, Koharu zipped open a duffel bag, checking off items from their equipment list. Another member was busy packing flashlights and rope, while Minato sorted through a pile of weathered folders, searching for anything they might have missed.
Just then
The door creaked open. Ruri glanced up instinctively and paused. He stood at the threshold, the light from the hallway catching his features. Something seemed off. There was a strange stillness in his expression, a flicker of thought that hadn't quite settled.
Reina offered a brief nod. "Welcome back."
Koharu smiled gently. "Hey."
He blinked, nodded back, and quietly stepped inside. Without saying a word
He joined Minato, offering help where needed, but his movements felt distant and detached, as if his hands were here, but his mind was still somewhere else entirely.
____________________________________________________
The scene shifts to the late afternoon clubroom.
The last rays of sunlight filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the cluttered desks and the walls filled with pinned articles and notes. A quiet stillness settled over the clubroom, broken only by the soft rustling of papers and the murmurs among the members.
Ruri leaned back in her chair, stretching slightly. "Okay, I think that's everything we need: maps, flashlights, and the recorder."
Minato groaned as he packed up his things. "Don't forget the snacks. I'm not risking a ghost chase on an empty stomach."
Reina smiled tiredly as she stood. "Be here at 7 a.m. We move out together." The others began to pack and drift toward the door, laughter softening the tension.
But Ruri lingered behind, double-checking her notes.
She didn't notice Ryo approaching until he stopped beside her. "Ruri," he said quietly, "can we talk?"
She glanced up, surprised by his serious tone. "Sure… is something wrong?" He hesitated, his gaze flicking toward the half-closed binder on the desk labeled "Street 07 Incident Records," then back to her. "I don't think you should come tomorrow."
The words caught her off guard. "What? Why?" she asked, puzzled. He looked straight at her. "Because I've seen it. Not just the case. The forest… and the things tied to it. There's something about it that pulls people in and changes them. I think it's already started for you."
Ruri stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Ryo was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice low. "You've been dreaming about things that don't make sense, right? The festival, blue lights, a girl who looks like you but isn't you."
Ruri's breath hitched. Her fingers curled slightly over the edge of the desk. "How do you…?"
"I just know," Ryo murmured. "That place… it leaves traces. Sometimes in dreams. Sometimes in feelings. Sometimes more."
He looked at her, not with fear, but with a quieter concern laced with knowing. "I'm asking you to stay because I'm afraid the forest will recognize you. That it's already watching."
Ruri's heart thudded in her chest. After a pause, she shook her head gently. "I'm not turning back. Not when we're this close. Whatever's waiting out there… I have to face it."
A long silence stretched between them.
Ryo finally gave a faint nod, though reluctance lingered in his eyes. "Then at least stay close to me."
She smiled faintly, though her mind was spinning. "Deal. Just don't look at me like you did during the fireworks. It felt like… like you saw something I didn't."
He blinked once, and for a brief moment, the corner of his lips twitched upward. "Maybe I did."
The two stood in the quiet room a little longer before walking out into the fading light, the door closing behind them. Tomorrow, the forest will reveal its secrets.