-ICHIKA'S APARTMENT-
"Meet me at the river tonight."
That was all Rikuu said before he left Ichika's apartment, his expression unreadable, his eyes clouded with something she could not quite name.
Ichika stood in the doorway long after he was gone, pressing her hand against her chest as if to calm the restless thumping beneath. Her mind tried to guess what he wanted to say, but her thoughts scattered when the wind blew.
-ON THE WAY TO KAKUSU'S HEADQUARTERS-
Takeshi's shoes pounded against the gravel path as he sprinted toward headquarters, sweat rolling down the side of his face. He clutched a folded slip of paper in his hand, where the code or evidence he found was written.
If he could report this to Akihiko, they might finally understand the strange movements around Tokyo these past years.
But just as he reached the iron doors of the Kakusu headquarters, the AI stopped him.
"Cease! Master Akihiko gave you and your companions a task to complete."
"What? But this is important—"
"No excuses. Complete your task first."
Takeshi clicked his tongue in frustration, pivoting on his heel. If he could not report directly, he would tell the others first.
-ICHIKA'S APARTMENT-
Ichika's home had always been a gathering spot for them—Ichika, Rikuu, Takeshi, and Akari. That day, the warmth of the old wooden floors did little to calm the tension hanging in the air.
Takeshi burst through the door, breathing hard, shoulders heaving.
"Takeshi? What happened?" Ichika asked, setting aside the pot she had been stirring.
Akari, who sat silently by the window, only glanced up with cold, detached eyes.
"Listen," Takeshi panted, raising the slip of paper.
"I found a code, something hidden inside the Suzuki residence. Akari, Ichika—we have an assignment. We need to investigate that place."
Akari's brow furrowed slightly, but she did not speak. Her gaze flickered toward the door, perhaps hoping Rikuu would appear.
Takeshi nodded toward the paper in his hand.
"This code, I don't know exactly what it means, but it's connected to the incident, for sure."
"Incident…" Ichika echoed softly, her eyes shadowing.
Later, Takeshi found Rikuu at the fountain outside Ichika's apartment, quietly sharpening a blade with a whetstone.
"Rikuu. I found a code and the Suzuki residence—"
Rikuu did not look up.
"If I didn't encode it, then don't report it to the higher-ups. Do you understand?"
Takeshi's eyes widened. "Why?"
Rikuu finally lifted his gaze, and for a moment, Takeshi saw the turmoil hidden beneath the calm surface. "Because it's connected to the incident," Rikuu said quietly.
"And the people involved… are my family."
Takeshi fell silent, his hand tightening around the note. After a moment, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Okay. As you say."
That night, under the cold glow of the streetlights, the four of them gathered again in Ichika's house, preparing for the mission despite the tension.
Akari slipped on her gloves, checking the small vials tucked into her pouch.
"Don't talk to me unless it's necessary," she muttered.
Rikuu glanced at her but said nothing, pulling on his dark jacket and adjusting the hidden knives at his waist. Ichika and Takeshi shared a worried look but kept their silence.
They moved under cover of darkness toward the Suzuki residence, once a warm home, now abandoned and cold, with broken windows like hollow eyes.
On the way, Ichika tugged on Rikuu's sleeve, slowing their steps for a moment.
"You wanted us to meet along the river, didn't you?" she whispered, looking up at him with searching eyes. "It appears that none of us will be able to attend tonight… You can tell me your stories now."
Rikuu's eyes softened, but he shook his head.
"No, not right now. It's… a personal story, and I wanted to tell you about it. Only you."
"Why?" Ichika asked, her breath visible in the cold night.
Rikuu's lips curved into a small, pained smile.
"Because I trust you the most."
Ichika's cheeks flushed, and she looked away.
-SUZUKI'S RESIDENCE-
At the Suzuki residence, they split up to search for clues.
Akari stood before a dark stain on the floor, pressing her palm to it, allowing the blood to imprint onto her flesh so she could analyze it later.
Takeshi, sleeves rolled up, dug quietly in the yard, shovel striking the frozen ground as he searched for hidden evidence.
Rikuu and Ichika climbed onto the creaking roof, inspecting the beams for hidden messages or devices.
They moved quietly, like ghosts, not daring to speak unless necessary, each focused on the task while the memory of the incident hung heavy between them.
But as dawn began to gray the sky, the sound of heavy boots echoed against the cracked pavement.
SWAT vehicles rolled up, lights flashing red and blue, the harsh beams cutting through the shadows. Armed officers leapt from the trucks, weapons drawn.
"You four! Freeze!"
Ichika looked down from the roof, seeing the glint of metal pointed at them.
"What's going on?!" Takeshi shouted from the yard, shovel still in hand.
"You're under arrest for suspicion of murder!" one SWAT officer barked, eyes narrowing at Akari's bloodstained arm, at Takeshi's digging, at Ichika and Rikuu watching from above.
"Hey, that's not fair! We're investigating too!" Takeshi protested, dropping the shovel with a clang.
"Hands up, criminals! You're all going straight to jail for this!" another officer shouted, cocking his gun.
"Criminals? Us?!" Ichika began, but her voice cut off when a bullet whizzed past her ear.
A warning shot.
Rikuu's eyes flashed. "Run!"
They leapt from the roof, Ichika stumbling as a sharp pain tore through her thigh—a SWAT officer's blade had cut her in her thigh as she landed.
She fell, unable to move, gasping for breath as the pain flared.
"Ichika!" Rikuu shouted, rushing to her side.
Takeshi drew his concealed handgun, firing at the ground near the advancing SWAT to force them back.
"Stay away from her!"
With one arm, Rikuu lifted Ichika, he lifted them off the ground, soaring over the rooftops while the SWAT's bullets chased them through the dawn sky.
They thought they had escaped, but they had not realized the damage done. The townspeople whispered, rumors spreading like wildfire.
Kakusu has become the enemy of the public.
-KAKUSU'S HEADQUARTERS-
They returned to the headquarters, facing Master Akihiko with lowered heads.
Takeshi dropped to his knees, tears of frustration in his eyes. "It's my fault! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"
Akihiko's expression was unreadable, but his gaze was not unkind.
"Don't worry. You were acting under my orders," he said, folding his arms.
"But if they choose to play this way, then we will fight back. Properly. But first, we need to relocate our headquarters to Meguro. I already prepared it in case of situation like this."
From that day on, Kakusu was branded a rebel faction, and they could no longer return to their normal lives.
Their headquarters was moved to the underground tunnels of Meguro in Tokyo, hidden beneath the bustling streets, where sunlight could not reach. There, they lived quietly, avoiding the authorities, avoiding the people they once tried to protect.
Ichika's home was sealed off, uninhabitable. The Suzuki residence was the same. They could no longer walk the streets freely; their name Kakusu was etched on wanted lists, logo of Kakusu on posters across town.
They had become what they hated most—fugitives.
One evening, when the weight of it all became too heavy, Rikuu went to the riverbank where he had once promised Ichika he would meet her.
The river reflected the city lights, trembling softly.
Ichika, limping from her injury, followed him there, standing beside him in the quiet.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
Rikuu nodded, though he did not look at her.
"How about your thigh?"
"It's better, at least. You still think you owe me a story, don't you?" Ichika continued, her eyes searching his tired face. "Come on, say it now."
She sat down on the grass beside him, her fingers brushing the blades lightly, waiting.
Rikuu stared at the flowing water, wondering how to start, how to place into words the storm swirling in his heart.
The night air wrapped around them as Rikuu finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Listen..."