He stood still.
For a long moment, his eyes remained locked on the screen—the image… and the location beneath it.
His body didn't move.
It was as if everything inside him had frozen.
The evening air drifted past him, brushing lightly against his clothes, but he didn't react. The faint noise of the road—distant engines, scattered footsteps—faded into nothing.
His mind couldn't process it.
"…what the helll…" he mumbled under his breath, his voice low, uneven.
"…who will even kidnapped emika…"
The words felt distant—even to himself.
His fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
Then—
A thought cut through the haze.
Sharp. Sudden.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Is it phantom units doing…"
He spoke slowly this time, his voice gaining weight, his thoughts beginning to align.
"…Thats definitely it… without them who could possibly capture someone like her…"
"she's not the type you can just take down easily…"
A brief pause.
His jaw tightened.
"…Did they captured emika so that they can lure me out…"
The question lingered.
The wind shifted slightly, rustling something nearby—but his focus didn't break.
His thoughts moved faster now.
"But isn't it easy for them to capture me tham capturing emika…"
"…i mean i am weaker than her afterall…"
"…if they really wanted me, wouldn't I be the easier target…"
A longer pause this time.
Something didn't add up.
His eyes hardened slightly.
"…or they just couldn't locate me…"
"maybe they caught emika by accident and now they are luring me in"l to capture me too " .
The realization settled in slowly.
Heavy.
Then—
another thought surfaced.
Slow. Quiet. But sharp enough to cut through everything else.
Kaito's eyes shifted slightly, scanning the road around him as if the answer might be hiding somewhere in the silence.
"…Wait…"
His fingers moved again.
He opened the map.
The screen glowed faintly against his face as he typed—
Aurex Data Center.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the location appeared.
He zoomed in.
The map expanded, details sharpening—roads, blocks, markers.
His eyes locked onto it.
Then—he compared it.
The location from the message.
And the Aurex Data Center.
His breath stopped.
"…What…?"
A faint shock spread across his face.
His eyes moved between the two points again, confirming it—
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
They didn't match.
A slow chill crept up his spine.
"…Thats unusual…"
His voice came out quieter now, heavier—each word forming with careful thought.
"…the location they sent me is not the same as the aurex data center… more clearly… their base…"
"…not only that… the location is completely opposite direction from aurex data center… and far away west…"
He paused.
The wind moved through the empty street, carrying a faint metallic rattle from somewhere distant.
His grip tightened slightly.
"…why would they bait mee elsewhere if they already have a base…"
The question hung in the air.
Unanswered.
Uncomfortable.
Slowly—
he lowered the phone.
Then slipped it back into his pocket.
The screen disappeared.
But the thought didn't.
He started walking.
One step.
Then another.
His pace steady—but quieter now. Controlled.
The street stretched ahead, dim and empty, shadows gathering between the weak streetlights. Every corner felt deeper. Every gap between buildings felt darker than before.
And his mind—
wouldn't stop.
"…Unless they are not phantom unit…"
The words formed slowly.
His gaze shifted slightly, scanning the road ahead.
"I can't think of any other reasons why would phantom unit take emika on a abondan building…"
A pause.
Longer this time.
His jaw tightened.
"…thats definitely it…"
The conclusion settled—but it didn't bring relief.
After a while, he reached the location.
The area was empty—almost unnaturally so. No people, no distant chatter, not even the usual movement of the city. The silence stretched across the surroundings, heavy and undisturbed.
In front of him stood a three-storey building.
Unfinished. Abandoned.
Only raw cement pillars held the structure together. There were no proper walls, just hollow spaces where rooms should have been. The surface looked rough and worn, as if the place had been left incomplete for years. At the base of the building, an underground garage opened like a dark mouth.
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
"I have to bet on my instinct… it's definitely not Phantom Unit. it's something else ".
His voice was low, steady—but firm.
He walked down into the garage.
The light from outside faded with each step, replaced by a dim, uneven darkness. His footsteps echoed faintly against the concrete, the sound carrying farther than it should have.
As he descended, his focus sharpened.
His eyes moved constantly—left, right, corners, shadows—scanning everything. His body stayed calm, but his senses were fully alert.
Something felt off.
The deeper he went, the heavier the atmosphere became. The air felt stale, thick with dust. The silence wasn't empty—it felt like something was waiting inside it.
He slowed slightly.
"something feels off about this place"
His voice was barely a whisper, more a thought than a sound.
Then—
he noticed it.
A faint light.
Coming from the right side of the basement.
It was weak. Flickering. Just enough to stand out in the darkness.
Kaito's gaze locked onto it.
Without making unnecessary noise, he moved toward it, each step controlled and quiet. The closer he got, the clearer it became—a single bulb hanging loosely, its light barely covering the surrounding area.
Shadows stretched around it, uneven and shifting.
And beneath that light—
a figure.
Kaito stopped.
His eyes sharpened instantly.
Emika.
She was tied to a chair, ropes wrapped tightly around her arms and body. Her head tilted slightly to the side, strands of hair falling over her face. She didn't move.
Unconscious.
For a moment, Kaito didn't step forward.
Instead, he looked around.
Carefully.
Every direction.
Every shadow.
Every blind spot.
Nothing.
No footsteps. No breathing. No presence.
Just the faint flicker of the bulb above… and the empty concrete space around it.
Everything looked normal.
Then suddenly—
a thought struck him.
Sharp.
Immediate.
His eyes widened slightly as realization hit.
"…why didn't it came to my mind before… damm it…" he muttered under his breath, frustration slipping into his voice.
"…if i press the button now it will take them for a while to come here…"
His gaze lifted again.
Slow.
Careful.
He scanned the area once more—every direction the dim light could reach. The weak bulb flickered above, casting uneven shadows across the concrete floor, but there was still nothing.
Keeping his breathing steady, Kaito slowly slipped his hand into his pocket. His fingers wrapped around his phone, pulling it out carefully while his eyes remained fixed on the surroundings.
Alert.
Watching.
Every small shift in the air felt amplified.
Then—
a voice.
"Well well… you finally showed up."
It came from the darkness.
Close.
Too close.
Kaito's instincts reacted instantly.
His body tensed, eyes snapping toward the direction of the sound.
A footstep followed.
Then another.
From within the darkness, a figure began to walk out.
Slowly.
His body became visible under the faint light. In his hand—a knife. The blade caught a brief glint as he stepped forward.
A smile stretched across his face.
Cold.
He walked toward Emika… and stopped beside her chair.
"It didn't took you long enough to come here…" he said, his tone calm, almost amused.
"I assume she is your lover."
Then—
another sound.
Footsteps.
One.
Then another.
Then more.
They came from behind.
From the left.
From the right.
From every direction.
Kaito's eyes shifted instantly, his gaze cutting through the dim light as figures began to emerge from the shadows. One by one, they stepped into view.
Some held baseball bats.
Some carried iron rods.
A few stood empty-handed—but the way they moved made it clear they weren't any less dangerous.
Within seconds—
he was surrounded.
Completely.
The dim bulb flickered above, its weak light stretching across multiple bodies now, casting long, overlapping shadows across the concrete floor.
Kaito didn't move.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze moved across each of them, analyzing—faces, posture, stance, weapons.
Something felt off.
"…they don't look like phantom unit to me…" he thought, his mind running fast, precise.
"…who are they… are they another group like phantom unit after the serum…"
His attention shifted.
Slowly—
back to the man standing beside Emika.
Kaito's expression hardened.
"What do you want…" he said, his voice calm but firm.
"why did you kidnapped her."
The man with the knife stared at Kaito, his eyes sharp, burning with restrained anger.
"What do I want…?"
His voice came out low at first—then rose, edged with rage.
"After demolishing our group's reputation… after dragging our name through the dirt in front of the entire university… and you stand there asking me what I want?"
His grip tightened around the knife, the faint light catching its edge as it tilted slightly.
Kaito frowned, confusion flashing across his face—but his posture didn't loosen. His eyes kept moving, tracking everyone around him, measuring distance, counting threats.
"What do you mean by demolishing your reputation…?" he asked, his tone steady but sharp.
A brief silence followed.
Then—
the man exhaled slowly.
His expression shifted.
The anger didn't disappear—but it settled.
Controlled.
"I am Daichi," he said calmly, almost cold now.
"The strategist of the Night Raiders."
The words hung in the air.
Kaito blinked once.
Then his face twisted slightly, confusion taking over completely.
"What…?"
A small pause.
Then—
"…are you a horse riding group or something?"
For a brief moment—
the entire place went… awkward.
The men surrounding Kaito exchanged glances. A few shifted uncomfortably, their grips on their weapons loosening just slightly. Even the ones who had been staring coldly a second ago now looked… confused.
Daichi's face stiffened.
Then twitched.
His jaw tightened as he raised his voice, irritation slipping through.
"You've… never heard of the Night Raiders?"
Kaito tilted his head slightly, still genuinely confused.
"Naah… I don't," he said plainly.
A short pause.
Then he added, completely serious—
"As far as I remember… I never signed up for a horse riding competition."
Silence.
One of the guys in the back coughed, trying to suppress something. Another looked away, biting his lip.
Daichi snapped.
"What is wrong with you?!"
His voice burst out as he stepped forward angrily, his body moving sharply, frustration spilling out.
"Why do you keep mocking us like that?!"
Kaito flinched slightly—not out of fear, but awkwardness.
"Seriously, dude… I don't know anything about Night Raider," he said, raising his hands a little as if trying to calm the situation. "I'm not mocking you."
Daichi stared at him.
Long.
Hard.
Then—
he let out a deep sigh.
His shoulders dropped slightly as he rubbed his temple, looking at Kaito like he couldn't decide whether to be angry… or just disappointed.
"…Are you seriously a student of Steam University?" he asked, his tone turning oddly flat.
Kaito gave a small, awkward nod.
"…Yeah."
Daichi's expression tightened again, irritation creeping back into his voice.
"Then how do you not know about the Night Raiders?" he snapped, his tone clearly pissed now.
Kaito paused for a second.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly, as if something finally clicked.
"…Wait," he said, lifting a finger a little.
"Are you a political group from the university…?"
A strange silence followed.
Daichi's face shifted.
Not anger this time.
Something else.
Almost… horrified.
"You could say that…" he replied slowly, his voice lowering into something darker, heavier.
"…we are like the underground remote of the university."
The moment those words landed—
Kaito's shoulders dropped.
The tension left his body almost instantly.
His breathing eased.
A deep sigh of relief slipped out of him.
"…I was worried for nothing," he mumbled under his breath.
Then—
he looked back at Daichi.
Made a slightly awkward, almost casual face.
"Dude… how the hell did you even kidnap her?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Did you give her sleeping pills or something…?"
For a second—
no one spoke.
Then Daichi smiled.
Slowly.
But something about it felt… wrong.
Unsettling.
"You are really sharp…" he said, his voice stretching slightly, almost amused.
The knife in his hand tilted just a little as his smile deepened.
Kaito stood there, completely relaxed now.
The tension that had filled him earlier was gone. His shoulders were loose, his breathing steady, his gaze calm—almost bored.
I was worrying for nothing…
The thought passed through his mind like a quiet dismissal.
Then he spoke, his tone almost tired, as if the entire situation had already lost its weight.
"…So," he said, glancing at Daichi,
"why did you kidnap her anyway?"
Daichi's expression darkened instantly.
Rage surfaced again—sharper this time.
"You and your girlfriend…" he said, his voice heavy with anger,
"the two of you manipulated everything… set up a plan… and framed one of our members—Masato."
His grip on the knife tightened.
"Because of that… our group's reputation has been tarnished."
A short pause.
His voice dropped lower.
"And this morning… Masato was found outside a hospital."
Silence lingered for a second.
Then—
Kaito smirked.
A small, knowing curve of his lips.
"…I see," he said quietly.
"So that's how it is."
He shifted slightly, sliding both hands into his pockets, his posture completely at ease.
Then his eyes lifted again.
"…So what do you want from me now?"
Daichi didn't answer immediately.
When he did—
his tone had changed.
Darker.
Heavier.
More controlled.
"Because of both of you… our reputation is already damaged," he said slowly.
"And if this continues… students will stop fearing us."
A brief pause.
His eyes sharpened.
"And we don't want that to happen."
The air around them felt tighter.
"Which means…" he continued, his voice dropping even lower,
"…you… and that girl of yours…"
"…both of you have to drop out of the university."
Silence.
Kaito didn't react.
Not immediately.
Then—
he smirked again.
This time more clearly.
Both hands still in his pockets, standing there like none of this really mattered.
"…I understand," he said calmly.
"Is that all?"
Daichi's eyes narrowed, a crooked confidence settling across his face.
"…Aren't you way too confident for your situation?" he said slowly, his tone edged with mockery.
"And yes… you do have to pay for the damage you caused us."
Around them—
the others began to move.
Slowly.
Step by step.
Closing in.
Weapons shifted in their hands—bats, rods, metal glinting faintly under the weak light. The circle tightened, the space around Kaito shrinking with each step.
But Kaito didn't move.
Didn't even react.
He stood there, hands still in his pockets, his expression unchanged—calm, almost indifferent.
Then he spoke, casually—
"I mean… if she was awake by now…"
A small pause.
His eyes flicked toward Emika.
"…you'd already be paying hospital bills."
That was enough.
Something snapped inside Daichi.
"STOP."
His voice exploded through the space.
Instant.
Sharp.
Every movement halted.
The men froze where they stood, the circle tightening—but no one took another step.
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
Daichi moved.
With his free hand, he suddenly grabbed Emika by the collar, yanking her upright slightly despite her unconscious state. Her head tilted weakly to the side, strands of hair falling across her face.
His eyes dropped to her—
Then lifted back to Kaito.
A dark, twisted smile spread slowly across his face.
"…This bitch…"
A short, uneven breath slipped through his teeth.
"…this bitch…"
His grip tightened.
"…this bitch will send me to the hospital…?"
He let out a low, unhinged chuckle.
Then—
he slid the knife back into the belt behind him.
For a split second—
everything stilled.
And then—
SMACK.
The sound cracked through the basement.
His hand slammed across Emika's face with full force, her head snapping to the side from the impact.
The echo lingered in the dark.
Daichi threw his head back and laughed—loud, sharp, unstable.
"Come on…" he said, his voice dripping with something twisted as he stared at her.
"Wake up…"
Another laugh.
"Go on…"
His grin widened.
"…send me to the hospital."
At that instant—
a faint movement ran across Emika's face.
Her fingers twitched slightly against the rope.
Then, slowly… her eyes opened.
At first, everything was blurred. Light bled into shapes, figures moved without form, and the weak bulb above flickered in her vision like a distant pulse.
She blinked .
Her breathing was uneven.
The world slowly began to settle into place.
A figure… standing in front of her.
Kaito.
Behind him—shadows.
No… not shadows.
People.
Many of them.
Her gaze dropped.
Her body felt heavy.
Restricted.
Tight.
Her brows pulled together faintly.
"…My head…" she murmured, her voice dry, strained, almost distant.
"It hurts…"
A small pause.
Her vision steadied a little more.
"…What happened…?" she continued, slower this time.
"…why am I here…?"
Her eyes moved again, scanning the dim space, confusion spreading across her expression.
Then—
a voice cut in.
"You finally woke up…"
Said by daichi with a cold tone .
He smiled.
"Now…" he continued, his tone light but twisted underneath,
"…how are you going to send me to the hospital…?"
Emika didn't respond immediately.
Something flickered behind her eyes.
A memory.
The cafeteria.
The bottle.
The girl.
Her pupils sharpened.
Her breathing steadied.
"I can't remember anything…" she said quietly, her voice turning colder with each word,
"…after drinking that water that girl gave me."
Her gaze lifted.
Locked onto Daichi.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"Tell me…"
A pause.
"…are you the one behind it?"
Daichi didn't even hesitate.
A grin spread across his face.
"Yesss… I did," he said, almost proudly.
"So what…?"
Silence.
Then—
something shifted in Emika's expression.
Her jaw tightened slightly.
Her head tilted just a fraction.
"…My cheek…" she said slowly, her voice dropping lower, deeper.
"…it feels heavy…"
A small pause.
"…Tell me…"
Another pause
"…did you slap me…?"
The air changed.
Completely.
From the side, Kaito exhaled quietly, almost like he had already accepted what was about to happen.
"…I'm really feeling bad for them," he muttered under his breath.
Daichi lifted his chin, smirking, his tone turning dramatic again.
"Yesss—wha—"
He never finished.
In that exact moment—
a thin, razor-like strand of water formed out of nowhere.
A flicker.
A whisper.
SHHK.
The rope snapped cleanly.
Instant.
No resistance.
Before anyone could even process it—
Emika's hand tightened into a fist.
Water gathered around it—not flowing, not loose—but compressed, dense, vibrating with pressure like something barely being held back.
Her eyes darkened.
Cold.
Furious.
"How dare you…"
Her voice cracked—not weak, but filled with something sharp.
"…touch me…!"
She moved.
fast.
One step forward.
And then—
her fist drove straight into Daichi's chest.
BOOM.
The sound didn't just echo—it hit.
The force exploded outward.
Daichi's body lifted off the ground instantly, his words still unfinished, his expression frozen between arrogance and shock—
—and then he was gone.
Thrown.
Violently.
CRASH.
His back slammed into the wall with brutal force, the impact cracking the surface slightly before his body dropped—
lifeless.
Unconscious.
At that instant, the entire atmosphere snapped.
The men surrounding the room moved almost together, as if a single signal had passed between them. Footsteps echoed sharply across the concrete as they rushed toward Emika, weapons raised, expressions twisted between anger and hesitation.
But Emika didn't flinch.
Her gaze remained lowered, her breathing steady, as if none of them even registered as a threat.
Then her hand moved.
A subtle motion—almost effortless.
From her palm, water formed. Not spilling, not dripping, but shaping itself with unnatural precision, twisting mid-air into a rope-like structure that glistened faintly under the dim light.
Before anyone could react, it shot forward.
It wrapped tightly around one man's leg.
He barely had time to shout before his body was violently pulled off balance and slammed straight into the ground, the impact sending a dull, heavy sound through the basement.
That was when everything changed.
The others froze mid-step.
Shock spread instantly.
"Where did that rope come from—?"
"No… that wasn't a rope… that was water—!"
"Who is she…?"
"…It's a monster—"
For a brief second, fear took over.
Then it twisted back into aggression.
"Attack her!"
They rushed again, this time faster, more desperate, closing the distance from all sides.
But Emika still hadn't lifted her head.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
How did this happen…?
How did they drug me so easily…?
How did I let my guard down like that…?
Her fingers slowly tightened.
Then she moved.
Both hands came together.
At that moment, the air around her shifted.
Water surged outward—not chaotic, not uncontrolled, but precise, calculated, deadly.
Dozens of rope-shaped streams burst out in every direction, twisting through the air like living extensions of her will, wrapping tightly around each of them—binding their chests, arms, locking their movement instantly.
They struggled.
Panicked.
"What is this—?!"
"I can't move—!"
"Get it off—!"
Emika didn't look at them.
She simply pulled her hands together.
And in the next instant, all of them were dragged inward at once.
From every direction.
Their bodies collided violently in the center, crashing into each other with a brutal, bone-rattling force before dropping lifelessly onto the ground.
Silence followed.
Not sudden.
Heavy.
The kind that settles after something irreversible.
Emika stood there for a moment, her breathing calm, her posture still.
Then slowly—
her gaze lifted.
And moved toward Kaito.
There was no hesitation in her eyes now.
Only something darker.
Something colder.
"If you tell Raizen… or anyone about this…"
Her voice was low, controlled, but it carried a weight that made the air feel tighter.
"…I am going to kill you ."
Kaito froze instantly.
His body stiffened, every instinct screaming at him at once.
"D-don't worry!" he blurted out quickly, the words rushing over each other.
"I'll take this with me to my grave—I swear—I won't say anything!"