As Aika, Ren, and Kaito disappeared into the glow of streetlights, their laughter slowly faded.
The street went quiet again.
And from the darkness between two buildings, a figure stepped out.
Slender.
Still.
Eyes glinting beneath the hood of a school jacket.
He crouched beside the bloodied guy Ren had beaten.
"Looks like you pissed off the wrong people," the shadow murmured, voice calm—too calm.
The guy whimpered in pain.
"Don't worry," the figure whispered, brushing his hand across the bloodstain like he was measuring it. "I'll return the favor."
He stood and glanced in the direction Ren and the others had gone. Then, slowly, deliberately, pulled out a phone.
No contacts. No texting.
Just a photo.
Of Aika.
Taken from behind a school window.
Timestamp: This morning.
He tapped it once. Zoomed in on her smiling.
His voice was quiet. Dangerous.
"So this is her."
A long pause.
Then he turned, melting back into the shadows with one last whisper—
"Let's see how long they can protect you."
---
Scene Cut: The Next Morning – Classroom
Ren slammed open the door.
"Who the hell put this garbage in my locker?!"
Aika looked up, chewing a snack. "What now?"
Ren held up a handwritten note with letters cut out from magazines like a crime drama.
> "STAY AWAY FROM HER IF YOU WANT TO STAY PRETTY, PRINCE."
Kaito: "...Is that a threat or a weird love letter?"
Aika: "Honestly could go either way."
Ren's eyes narrowed, scanning the room.
And on the back of the note... was a small polaroid.
Aika.
Taken from behind. Just as she opened her locker yesterday.
Ren's knuckles turned white.
Kaito snatched it.
"...That's not from us."
"No sh*t."
Aika finally stood, dead serious now.
"Okay. Whoever this creep is... he's messing with the wrong trio."
Ren cracked his neck. "Let him come."
Kaito adjusted his glasses. "If he touches her, I'll break more than his phone."
Aika smirked, popping her gum.
"Game one: stalker," Aika muttered with a crooked smirk, brushing off her uniform like nothing happened.
The room buzzed faintly with leftover chatter from morning announcements, but an eerie tension settled over the trio's corner like storm clouds ready to pour.
Ren shoved the locker shut with a loud clang, his expression carved in stone.
"Was there anyone near your locker yesterday?" he asked Aika, sharp-eyed.
She shook her head slowly, then frowned. "Not that I saw. I mean... it's not like I'm looking over my shoulder every second."
Kaito stared at the polaroid again, turning it in the light. "This angle... he was close. Like, same corridor. This wasn't zoomed from afar."
Aika crossed her arms, lips pursed. "So, we've got a psycho with a camera and a flair for magazine aesthetics."
Ren tossed the note on the desk. "Real bold, going for me."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "You are the prettiest in school. Maybe he's jealous of your skincare."
Ren deadpanned. "Kaito, not now."
But Aika snorted despite herself.
Kaito leaned against her desk, face still soft, but voice steady. "This isn't funny though. If he's close enough to take pictures like this... he knows your schedule."
Aika blinked.
Then turned serious. "Right. This means..."
"He's in this school," Ren said flatly. "Maybe even this class."
They all paused.
Just then, the classroom door slid open with a faint shunk.
Everyone's heads turned.
It was just the math teacher, yawning with a coffee in hand.
But Aika's eyes scanned the students already seated. Someone shifted awkwardly in the back row. Too fast to identify.
Ren sat beside her and muttered, "Starting today, we don't let you out of our sight."
"I'm not some princess needing a guard."
"You're the princess, and we're the dragons," Kaito winked.
She rolled her eyes, but her smirk was back.
Math began. Boring, as always. But none of the three paid any attention.
Ren tapped his pencil rhythmically, eyes scanning the classroom like a hawk.
Kaito doodled idly—his sketchbook, when glimpsed, had a perfect drawing of a camera lens pointed at a locker.
Aika sat quietly, but her leg bounced under the desk.
They didn't know who was watching.
But he was.
And in a quiet corner of the school, behind a storage room, a pair of shoes stood perfectly still.
A camera clicked again.
The hunt had begun.
The bell rang, echoing through the hallways like a starting gun.
As students spilled into the cafeteria in waves, laughing and shouting over bentos and vending machine cans, the trio retreated to their usual corner on the roof—hidden, breezy, and quiet enough to hear your own heartbeat.
Aika unwrapped her sandwich and spoke first. "Alright, brainstorm time. How do we catch this guy?"
Ren, sprawled on the bench like he owned the entire sky, raised an eyebrow. "You want to bait him out?"
"Exactly," she nodded, eyes gleaming.
Kaito leaned on the railing beside her, thoughtful. "If he's already watching, he'll follow whatever you do. So… we give him something to follow."
Ren sat up straighter. "What, like leave another fake note? Pretend Aika's walking home alone?"
Aika bit into her sandwich. "Tempting fate a little, don't you think?"
Ren smirked. "We are the dragons, remember?"
Kaito chuckled. "How about this—we make it look like you're vulnerable, but we'll all be there. Cameras. Corners. I'll borrow my cousin's GoPro. And if he shows up…"
Ren cracked his knuckles with a grin. "We'll give him a lesson."
Aika blinked. "You're way too excited about that."
Ren shrugged. "Someone stalks you, they get stomped. Simple."
Just then, footsteps echoed across the rooftop stairs. All three heads turned.
It was Yui, Aika's sweet and bubbly best friend. She peeked out timidly, holding two canned coffees.
"Hey… um, am I interrupting something?"
Aika softened instantly. "No, not at all. Come here."
Yui walked over, glancing at the three of them. "I heard from someone in class... you found a weird note?"
Kaito and Ren exchanged glances.
Yui noticed. "Wait—Aika, what's going on?"
Aika hesitated.
Ren leaned forward. "Someone's stalking her. Taking pictures."
Yui dropped the cans. "WHAT?!"
Kaito quickly picked one up before it rolled off the edge. "Calm down, Yui. We've got a plan."
Aika touched her arm. "I'll be fine, okay? We're handling it."
Yui clenched her fists. "If you need bait... I'll walk with you."
"No way," Ren and Kaito said in unison.
Yui pouted. "Fine! But I'm not letting her go anywhere alone."
Kaito smiled, tapping his temple. "That's the point. She won't be."
Ren leaned back again, scanning the sky. "Operation Trap the Creep is officially on."
Aika finished the last bite of her sandwich, her voice cool and deadly calm.
"He messed with the wrong girl. Let's make him regret it."
Scene Cut: After School – The Fake Solo Walk
The hallway lights flickered as the final bell echoed like a silent warning.
Students trickled out, chatting lazily, completely unaware that a full-blown trap was being set under their noses.
Aika stood at her locker, calm and collected, a faint smirk on her lips as she slipped on her cardigan. Her bag hung loosely off one shoulder, her movements casual—too casual.
She could feel eyes.
Behind her, around her, just like the polaroid from yesterday.
But this time?
She was ready.
---
In the shadows of the hallway, Kaito adjusted the tiny GoPro on his wrist, hidden beneath his blazer sleeve. The screen on his phone blinked to life with a live feed. "Target camera 1... check. Ren?"
"Perched and loaded," Ren's voice crackled through the earpiece. He was crouched on the second floor balcony, leaning over the railing with the stillness of a hunter.
He looked down at Aika, his eyes sharper than usual. "She's heading out."
Aika walked down the hallway, pretending to fumble with her phone. She paused at the shoe lockers, where yesterday's stalker note had been found.
Footsteps echoed.
Too soft to belong to a student rushing to get home.
Too steady.
Too close.
Kaito's screen flashed—movement detected. Someone was lingering in the stairwell behind her. Just barely out of sight.
Ren whispered, "He's here."
---
Outside – Front Gate
Aika stepped into the fading golden light of the late afternoon. Her fingers gripped her bag tightly, but her face stayed unreadable.
From behind the bushes near the fence, a camera lens flickered. A glint of metal.
And then—a click.
Instantly, Aika turned around.
Too late.
The figure ducked, vanishing behind the school walls.
Ren was already in motion.
Kaito sprinted from the side entrance, cutting off the west path.
"Split up!" Ren yelled. "He's fast!"
Aika ran too—shoes clacking against the pavement.
She turned the corner and—
Thump.
Ren tackled someone mid-dash, the two bodies slamming into the grass.
Aika and Kaito caught up in seconds.
The guy on the ground—hood up, breathing heavy—looked no older than them.
Kaito ripped the hood off.
Aika froze.
Ren's voice dropped, full of venom. "Do you know this guy?"
Aika blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then her voice came out hollow.
"...Tatsuki."
Ren narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell is Tatsuki?"
Aika's lips pressed into a thin line.
"My ex."
The sun dipped lower, throwing long shadows across the field as wind rustled the leaves. The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade.
Ren's grip on Tatsuki's collar tightened as he yanked the boy up to his knees.
"You have three seconds to explain what the hell you're doing stalking Aika."
Tatsuki coughed, still catching his breath, but he didn't fight back. His hoodie was stained with dirt, one shoe halfway off, camera strap dangling from his wrist like guilt.
"I wasn't stalking her—"
"Wrong answer," Ren growled, fist cocking.
"Ren, wait," Aika said quietly.
Ren didn't move, but his glare never wavered.
Tatsuki looked up, eyes meeting Aika's for the first time.
"I just... wanted to talk to you again."
Kaito stepped between them, voice calm but cold. "You 'talk' by taking secret photos and sending death threats?"
"I never sent the note!" Tatsuki's voice cracked. "I swear! I just... saw you that day and thought if I could get one photo... just one... I could maybe talk to you again. But someone else must've found out. Someone more obsessed than me."
"'More obsessed'?" Aika repeated. "That's not the defense you think it is."
Tatsuki's gaze dropped. "I know. I messed up."
Ren's voice was low, dangerous. "How do we know this isn't all just a game to you?"
"It's not," Tatsuki said quickly. "Aika... back then, I thought if I liked you enough, you'd like me back. Everyone said we'd be good together, so I believed it. But I knew you didn't want it. I just didn't want to admit it."
Aika didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
Her silence was louder than anything she could say.
Kaito crossed his arms. "So what? You show up now like a ghost, take pictures from the bushes, and expect her to talk to you?"
"No," Tatsuki whispered. "I just wanted to see her one more time. But then... someone else started sending messages too. To me."
Ren blinked. "What?"
Tatsuki slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "A few days ago... I got these."
He showed the screen.
Dozens of messages from an unknown number.
> "You don't deserve her."
"You ruined her once."
"Try to talk to her and I'll finish what she didn't."
"I see you."
Kaito's face darkened.
Aika took a step back, genuinely shaken.
Ren cursed under his breath. "So there's another one."
Tatsuki looked up, fear evident in his voice. "I don't think I'm the stalker, Aika. I think I'm a warning."
---
Scene Cut: Rooftop – That Evening
The trio sat on the roof in silence, the sky turning a dusky purple as city lights blinked to life.
Aika hugged her knees, staring into the horizon.
"So... if he's not the stalker, someone's watching all of us," she murmured.
Kaito looked down at his phone, scanning the screenshots Tatsuki forwarded. "Whoever it is... they've been keeping tabs on more than just you."
Ren stood at the railing, wind tugging at his hair, face unreadable.
"He said someone's obsessed with you."
Aika looked up.
Ren's eyes were like steel. "You have any idea who it might be?"
Aika opened her mouth.
Paused.
A flash of memory—a boy at cram school, the one who stared too long. The boy she snapped at when he tried to follow her home.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I might."
The rooftop door creaked open.
Tatsuki sat with his back to the chain-link fence, bruised from Ren's takedown, but his eyes calm. Maybe too calm.
Aika stood in front of him, arms crossed. Kaito leaned casually by the doorway, while Ren... Ren just paced like a lion ready to bite.
"So?" Aika asked, her voice cool and sharp. "You were sneaking photos of me for fun?"
Tatsuki's voice came low. "I wasn't taking photos. I was making sure you were safe."
Ren scoffed loudly. "That your idea of 'safe'? Hiding in the bushes like a damn weirdo?"
Tatsuki flinched. "I saw the note too. Two days ago. I got one just like it. About you."
He pulled out a folded paper from his jacket.
Same magazine-cut letters.
> "SHE'S MINE. STAY AWAY OR GET HURT."
Kaito took the paper and compared the handwriting on his phone. "Same spacing, same source. They're from the same person."
Aika's jaw tightened. "You could've just told me."
Tatsuki looked at her, soft and regretful. "You wouldn't have believed me. Not after... us."
Silence.
Ren's eyes flicked to Aika. "What even was that?"
Aika sighed. "It wasn't a real relationship. I got pressured into dating him. I never kissed him. We barely even spoke outside school. It wasn't love. It was... convenience. Or guilt."
Tatsuki didn't deny it. "I was stupid. I thought if I waited long enough, you'd feel the same. But I never forced you. I swear."
Kaito cleared his throat, folding his arms. "Then why act like a stalker now?"
Tatsuki's gaze turned cold. "Because someone else is. And they're watching more than you think. I saw him. A man with a mask. He followed Aika before school. That's why I stayed close."
Ren stiffened. "Describe him."
"I couldn't see his face. But his eyes... they weren't right."
Aika's voice came quiet. "You're not the stalker... but you're bait. Just like me."
Everyone paused.
Then Ren stepped forward. "Then we hunt him down. Properly. No more traps. No more hiding."
Aika's expression sharpened. "And this time, we catch him."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Then it's war."
The last of the sunlight burned against the horizon, casting everyone in dramatic shadows. The wind tugged at Aika's short hair, strands lifting like the start of a storm.
Tatsuki stood now, eyes hard. "He's planning something. Soon. I overheard him talking… to someone."
Ren's jaw clenched. "Talking to who?"
Tatsuki hesitated.
Then—"He mentioned your name, Ren. Said you're in the way."
The rooftop went dead silent.
Ren's stare sharpened. "Me?"
Tatsuki nodded. "And Kaito too. But especially Aika. He called her 'the girl who ruined everything.'"
Kaito moved closer, lips tight. "Do you know what he meant?"
Tatsuki opened his mouth—then stopped.
His eyes widened.
He looked straight past Aika's shoulder, face going pale.
Ren spun around.
On the far rooftop, just beyond the school's sports building—
A figure stood. Dressed in black. Watching.
Aika turned—
But the figure was already gone.
Kaito bolted toward the stairs. "I saw him!"
"Stay close!" Ren shouted, following fast.
Aika gripped the fence, frozen.
Because nailed to it—
Right where the figure had been—
Was a second Polaroid.
It wasn't just her this time.
It was the three of them. Taken from above. From a rooftop. From today.
Ren. Kaito. Aika.
All together.
On the back?
> "THE GAME JUST STARTED."