Morning came again.
Daylight covered the front gate of Akademi High as students walked inside.
Taro stepped through the gate with the crowd.
His eyes were already scanning everything.
Entrances.
Windows.
The rooftop.
The courtyard.
He had two goals today.
Stop whatever was going to kill Osana.
And find her.
Taro pulled out his phone and looked at the contact.
Info Chan
He stared at the name.
'If she knows this much…'
'She has to be somewhere in the school.'
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked through the front doors.
Students were already talking about normal things.
Homework.
Tests.
Clubs.
None of them knew they were inside a repeating week.
None of them knew someone was trying to kill Osana every day.
Taro leaned against a locker and thought.
'She said she watches the school.'
Which meant cameras.
Which meant access.
Which meant—
'The network.'
Taro looked down the hallway.
Computer lab.
Security office.
Student council room.
A lot of places had computers.
But only one type of person would live on them.
'An information broker…'
He tapped his fingers on the locker.
'Someone who trades secrets.'
His phone buzzed.
Taro pulled it out.
A message from Info Chan.
[Looking for something, Senpai?]
Taro froze for half a second.
Then typed back.
["Are you watching me again?"]
The reply came immediately.
[Obviously.]
Another message followed.
[You're standing near locker row C.]
Taro slowly turned his head.
Camera.
Right above the hallway corner.
"…Great."
His phone buzzed again.
[Relax.]
[You look cute when you're paranoid.]
Taro's eye twitched slightly.
He typed back.
["Where are you?"]
There was a pause this time.
Longer than usual.
Then—
[Why would I tell you that?]
Taro leaned his shoulder against the locker again.
He typed slower now.
["Because you want to see what happens next."]
Three dots appeared.
Stayed.
Disappeared.
Then came back again.
Finally—
[You're smarter than you look.]
Another message popped up.
[But finding me is part of the game.]
Taro frowned.
["Game?"]
The reply came.
[If you can find me before lunch…]
Pause.
[I might tell you something useful.]
Taro stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
[Tick tock, Senpai.]
[Clock started.]
Taro looked up at the hallway.
Students walking everywhere.
Doors opening.
Teachers talking.
An entire school.
And somewhere inside it—
Someone watching everything.
Taro slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"…Alright."
He started walking down the hallway.
'Let's find the girl who knows too much.'
Taro stood by his locker, staring down the hallway.
'Now… how do I find her…'
'…while also protecting Osana?'
He leaned his head lightly against the locker door.
Too many problems.
Too little time.
Then a thought clicked.
'Raibaru.'
He remembered the way she reacted yesterday. The way she rushed to Osana immediately. The way she looked ready to throw hands with gravity itself if it tried something again.
Taro nodded slightly.
'Okay. That solves one problem.'
If anyone could keep Osana safe for a few hours…
It was definitely Raibaru.
He opened his locker, grabbed his textbook, and shut the door.
Clack.
'Now… where would Info-chan be?'
His eyes drifted down the hallway again.
He thought through the options.
'Student council room… no chance.'
The student council would never let some random student sit in there all day watching cameras.
And even if she somehow worked with them…
He would need permission to enter.
Which meant time.
Time he didn't have.
'So that leaves…'
The computer lab.
Taro started walking toward the stairwell.
'Someone who watches cameras… collects information… and sends messages constantly…'
He pushed the stairwell door open.
'She'd need a computer.'
His phone buzzed.
Taro pulled it out as he walked upstairs.
A new message.
[You're thinking too hard, Senpai.]
Taro stopped halfway up the stairs.
He slowly looked at the camera mounted above the landing.
"…Right."
He typed back while climbing the rest of the stairs.
["You're watching the hallways."]
The reply came instantly.
[Among other things.]
Taro pushed the door to the second floor open.
Students were walking between classes.
Normal morning noise.
His phone buzzed again.
[But I'm curious.]
Another message appeared.
[What made you think I'm in the computer room?]
Taro smirked slightly.
He typed back.
["You watch cameras."]
["You collect information."]
["And you like messing with people."]
Three dots appeared.
Then—
[Flattery will get you nowhere.]
Another message followed.
[But you're not wrong.]
Taro stopped walking.
His eyes shifted toward the computer lab door at the end of the hallway.
Students were going in and out normally.
Nothing unusual.
Then his phone buzzed again.
[But if you think I'm just sitting in the computer lab like some nerd…]
Pause.
[You're going to be disappointed.]
Taro stared at the message.
"…Of course."
He muttered under his breath.
Then another message appeared.
[But you're getting warmer.]
Taro slowly looked down the hallway again.
Computer lab.
Library.
AV room.
Server closet.
'Warmer…'
He started walking again.
'Alright.'
'Let's narrow this down.'
Taro slowed his pace as he walked down the hallway.
'Warmer.'
That meant he was close.
But not right.
His eyes moved across the doors.
Computer Lab.
Students inside.
Typing.
Talking.
A teacher standing near the front.
Too public.
Too many people.
'No way she'd work here.'
Next door.
Library.
Quiet.
But still open.
Students studying.
A librarian watching everything.
Too many witnesses again.
Taro kept walking.
Then he saw another door.
Audio / Visual Room
Locked.
Dark.
Unused most of the day.
His eyes narrowed.
'Maybe.'
But before he could step closer—
His phone buzzed.
[Careful Senpai.]
Taro stopped.
Another message appeared.
[If you open random locked doors you might get detention.]
Taro typed back immediately.
["You're watching me right now"]
The reply came instantly.
[Obviously.]
He looked up at the camera above the hallway corner.
"…You really are everywhere."
His phone buzzed again.
[Not everywhere.]
[Just the places that matter.]
Taro looked back at the doors again.
'If she sees the cameras…'
'Then she must have access to the system.'
Which meant…
His eyes slowly shifted further down the hallway.
Past the classrooms.
Past the stairwell.
To a small door near the end.
It had a simple label.
Network Maintenance
Taro stopped walking.
'Server room.'
No students went there.
No teachers used it.
Just cables.
Routers.
School network equipment.
And most importantly—
Security access.
His phone buzzed again.
[You're getting very warm now.]
Taro slowly smiled.
["Found you?"]
The typing bubble appeared.
Paused.
Then—
[Maybe.]
Taro walked slowly toward the door.
His heart beat a little faster.
Finally.
After all the messages.
After all the watching.
After all the mystery.
He was about to meet her.
His hand reached for the handle.
Then his phone buzzed again.
He stopped.
Another message appeared.
[Before you open that door…]
Taro stared at the screen.
The next message popped up.
[Are you sure you want to meet me?]
The hallway suddenly felt quieter.
Like the whole school was holding its breath.
He opened the door, and walked in.
Taro stared at the empty room.
Wires ran along the walls.
Routers blinked quietly.
The low buzz of electronics filled the air.
But there was no one.
No student.
No chair.
No mysterious girl sitting behind a computer.
Just equipment.
Taro frowned.
"Okay… impossible."
His phone buzzed.
He pulled it out.
["Cold"]
He didn't even read it fully.
Instead, he started looking around the room.
Boxes stacked against the walls.
Maintenance supplies.
Cable spools.
Dusty equipment crates.
His phone buzzed again.
["Hey, why are you looking there"]
Taro narrowed his eyes.
"…Because you said cold."
He walked toward the boxes anyway.
His hand pressed against one of the stacks.
It shifted slightly.
A strange scraping sound came from behind it.
Taro paused.
Then pushed harder.
The boxes slid aside with an uncomfortable grrrrk sound across the floor.
Behind them—
A small door.
Hidden.
Taro blinked.
His phone buzzed again.
["Wow, you found something interesting"]
Then immediately—
["Cold"]
Taro didn't even reply.
He grabbed the handle and pulled the hidden door open.
Inside—
A small room.
Dark.
Filled with computer monitors.
And sitting in the middle of it—
A girl.
She jumped slightly when the door opened.
Red hair.
Glasses glowing from the monitor light.
Her phone still in her hand.
The same number Taro had been texting.
She grabbed a nearby folder and quickly lifted it to hide part of her face.
"…Uh."
For the first time since they started texting—
She looked genuinely surprised.
Her eyes peeked over the edge of the folder.
"…Well."
She adjusted her glasses slightly.
"I wasn't expecting you to actually find me."
Taro leaned against the doorframe.
"You literally told me I was getting warmer."
She shrugged from her chair.
"Yeah, but most people give up before the hidden door part."
Her eyes studied him carefully now.
Curious.
Analyzing.
Then she slowly lowered the folder.
"…So."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You're Senpai in person."
Taro folded his arms.
"And you're Info-chan."
She smiled faintly.
The same smug tone from the texts returned.
"Nice to finally meet the guy breaking the timeline."
Taro stood in the doorway, arms crossed.
"You said if I found you, you'd tell me something important."
Info-chan leaned back in her chair slightly.
The monitors around her reflected in her glasses.
"Yeah, I did."
She tapped her phone against the desk.
"So… which question?"
She looked at him directly.
"Is it about how I know about the loops…"
She raised one finger.
"…or something else?"
Then she added calmly,
"Choose carefully."
She leaned back further.
"Because I will only give you a direct answer this one time."
The room went quiet except for the low hum of computers.
Taro didn't answer immediately.
Inside his head, his thoughts raced.
'I should ask about the loops.'
If he understood why time was resetting, maybe he could stop it.
Maybe he could break it.
Maybe—
But another thought pushed forward.
Osana.
The bucket.
The poison.
The flower pot.
'Right now…'
'Osana is the one dying.'
He exhaled slowly.
'She's more important.'
Taro looked up at Info-chan.
"What's the ponytail girl's deal?"
Info-chan froze.
For a moment she didn't move.
Then the folder she had been holding slipped from her hand.
Tap.
It hit the desk.
She stared at him.
Just stared.
"…You're gonna ask that?"
Her glasses glinted slightly in the monitor light.
She studied his face carefully.
Like she was checking if he was serious.
"Not the loops."
"Not why time resets."
"Not why you remember things that technically never happened."
She pointed at him.
"You want to know about her?"
Taro didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Info-chan leaned back slowly in her chair.
For the first time since they met…
Her smug expression faded a little.
"…Wow."
She rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"You really are something, Senpai."
Then she looked back at him.
"Alright."
She folded her hands on the desk.
"You asked."
"So here's the one direct answer you get."
She paused.
Then said it plainly.
"The ponytail girl's name is Ayano Aishi."
Taro stayed silent.
Info-chan continued.
"And the reason she keeps trying to kill Osana…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…is because she's in love with you."
The hum of the computers filled the silence.
Info-chan watched his reaction carefully.
Then added casually,
"And unfortunately for Osana…"
"…she's willing to kill anyone who gets between you two."
Taro stood there in the doorway.
Silent.
His brain tried to process what she had just said.
Ayano Aishi.
In love with him.
Killing anyone in the way.
His face cycled through emotions like someone flipping TV channels.
Confusion.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Concern.
Embarrassment.
More confusion.
Then finally—
He spoke in the most teenage-boy way possible.
"…She's a yandere?"
Info-chan blinked once.
Then leaned back slightly.
"Oh."
She tilted her head.
"You watch anime."
Taro gave her a completely flat look.
"…We are in Japan."
Info-chan stared at him for a moment.
Then burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay, fair point."
She waved a hand dismissively.
"Still, I wasn't expecting you to label the situation that fast."
She leaned forward slightly.
"But—"
Before she finished the sentence—
She suddenly pulled something out.
Taro's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
Splash!
A bright flash filled the room.
Taro blinked several times.
When his vision cleared—
Info-chan was holding her phone up with a huge grin.
"…And saved."
Taro stared at her.
"You just took a picture."
"Correct."
She turned the phone toward him proudly.
On the screen was a perfect photo of him standing in the doorway.
Confused.
Half stunned.
And clearly not ready for a photo.
"Congratulations," she said cheerfully.
"You are now the only guy who has ever found me."
Taro's eye twitched slightly.
"…Delete that."
Info-chan leaned back in her chair again.
"Nope."
She locked her phone.
"That's valuable data."
"Delete it."
"No."
"Delete it."
She pointed a finger at him.
"Careful Senpai, you're starting to sound desperate."
Taro exhaled slowly.
"…You're enjoying this."
"Immensely."
Then her expression shifted slightly.
Less teasing.
More analytical.
"So."
She tapped her desk.
"Now you know about Ayano Aishi."
She tilted her head.
"What are you going to do about it?"
The question hung in the air.
Because now the problem wasn't just saving Osana.
Now Taro knew something much worse.
Someone at school was in love with him.
And she was willing to kill for it.
To be counted
Hope people like this ch and give me Power stones