Chapter 5 – The Message, the Mind, and the Mask
I stared at the message for a long time.
"I know what you are."
Six words. That's all it took to turn my pulse into a metronome hammering against my ribs.
Not who you are.
What.
Big difference.
It wasn't a misdial. It wasn't spam. Someone — someone in this school — knew something they shouldn't.
I tapped the message. No sender ID. No reply option. The phone's interface wouldn't even allow me to screenshot it. And within seconds, the message disappeared, leaving behind only a blinking cursor and the faint taste of unease on my tongue.
Chronos ticked in my palm.
"Security breach. System anomaly. Information leakage beyond acceptable variance. This is… irregular."
"Can you trace it?"
"No. The encryption was layered through ghost protocols. Whoever sent that—"
Tick.
"—is very good."
I leaned back into the mattress, exhaling slowly through my nose.
This wasn't just a warning.
It was a challenge.
The Next Morning – Courtyard Benches
The morning sun filtered through the thin line of cherry blossom trees on the eastern side of campus. Most students were rushing off to class or breakfast. I sat alone at one of the stone benches, nursing a half-drunk bottle of green tea, replaying the message in my head.
I know what you are.
The phrasing stuck with me like a splinter.
Not human. Not person.
What.
Did someone see the clock?
Or was it something deeper — something about my behavior? My knowledge? My instincts?
Someone was watching me, same way I watched everyone else.
"How's the tea?" a voice asked from behind me.
I didn't flinch.
Kushida Kikyo stepped around the bench, wearing her usual innocent smile, hugging a folder to her chest.
"Bitter," I said.
"Fitting."
She sat beside me without asking, crossed one leg over the other, and stared out across the grass.
"Word around class is that you're Horikita's new... advisor."
"People are talking about that?"
"They talk about everything. Especially when people like you pretend to be invisible."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is," she said lightly. "When someone hides, they're usually dangerous. Or afraid."
I studied her out of the corner of my eye. Her voice was sweet. Casual. But her fingers were tapping the edge of the folder rhythmically. A subtle tell.
"What brings you here, Kikyo-chan? Friendly concern? Thinly veiled interrogation?"
She tilted her head, smile never fading. "I like to know who I can trust."
"I'm not a very good answer to that."
"I know," she replied instantly, and then stood. "But I'll figure you out anyway."
As she walked away, Chronos ticked again.
"Observation: This one is volatile. Her surface does not reflect her core."
"No kidding."
Classroom 1-D, Later That Day
We were ten minutes into ethics when the door opened.
Two students walked in, flanked by a faculty member.
The boy was tall, with messy hair and the kind of slouched posture that either meant "I don't care" or "I want you to think I don't care."
The girl beside him was smaller, sharper. She wore her uniform slightly off-code — loose tie, skirt shorter than regulation — and her gaze was far too calculating for someone pretending to look bored.
Chabashira-sensei rose from her seat at the back of the class.
"Allow me to introduce our two new transfers. Due to unique administrative circumstances, Class D will be accepting them as of this week."
She gestured toward the pair.
"This is Miyamoto Ren, and that is Chisaka Rika. They'll be evaluated as part of your class moving forward."
The class stirred with murmurs. Transfers this late in the semester? Rare. Suspicious.
Ichika leaned back in her chair in front of me and whispered, "Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"That… tension. Like when you're playing a game and the boss music starts before the boss appears."
I looked at the two transfers again.
Ren scanned the room like he was already bored with us. His eyes barely stopped on anyone. But Rika… hers landed on me. And stayed there.
Just for a second.
Then she smiled.
And I knew.
It wasn't friendly.
Lunch – Vending Machine Corner
The vending machines near the south end of campus were less populated. Quieter. A good place to think.
I was leaning against the wall, soda can in hand, when someone slid in next to me.
Rika.
"Hanabira, right?"
I turned. "You're quick."
"Names are easy," she said, sipping from a strawberry milk. "People are harder."
"And yet you're trying."
She shrugged. "Curiosity. You looked interesting."
"I look tired."
"Same thing."
She leaned her shoulder against the machine, her gaze not leaving me.
"I heard you're clever. That you keep to yourself. That you don't spend much. That Horikita talks to you, which she doesn't do for anyone."
"And what have you heard about yourself?" I asked.
She smirked. "That I talk too much. Spend too much. Pretend not to care."
She paused, then added, "The pretending part's true."
I sipped my drink. "Why transfer into Class D? It's a downgrade."
"Exactly," she said. "No one sees it coming from here."
That gave me pause.
She tapped her drink against mine, like a silent toast.
"See you around, Kazuki."
She walked off before I could answer.
Later – Dorm Hallway, Evening
The day ended with a message slid under my door.
Plain white envelope. No name.
I opened it.
Inside was a single sentence, typed neatly on thick card stock:
We're watching you. Tick-tock.
And at the bottom right corner, a drawing. Pencil-sketched, rough.
A clock.
Identical to the one embedded in my palm.
Chronos pulsed once.
"This is escalating."
"No kidding."
"Someone has knowledge beyond what's publicly available. This system is compromised."
I held the card in my hand and stared at it.
This wasn't a warning.
It was a signal.
Rooftop – Late Evening
I needed air.
I stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring into the night sky. Stars barely visible through the city glow. The air was cold. Sharp.
Ichika found me again.
"You always come up here when you're brooding?"
I nodded toward the stairwell. "You always follow me?"
"Only when I think you're about to do something dramatic."
She joined me at the railing, silent for a while.
"Something's wrong," she said.
I looked at her. "How much do you know?"
"Enough to know people are lying. A lot. You. Kushida. Ayanokouji. That new girl? Rika? She's... watching everything."
I didn't deny it.
Ichika looked up at the sky.
"Class D's a mess. But you... you're like a mirror. You reflect whatever people throw at you."
I exhaled slowly. "And what do you see?"
She didn't answer right away.
Then she stepped closer, shoulder brushing mine.
"I see someone who's already in a fight. He just hasn't admitted it yet."