Shirokuma High had returned to its normal rhythm—or so it seemed. Students chatted in the halls, teachers moved briskly between classrooms, and the morning sunlight streamed through the windows. Yet Hiragi could feel it: a subtle tension lingered in the air, like a shadow stretching just beyond perception.
Reports came in almost simultaneously: strange messages appeared on classroom boards, lockers were subtly tampered with, and personal items went missing for minutes before mysteriously returning. Nothing violent, nothing overt—just disturbances that hinted someone was testing awareness again.
Hiragi gathered the usual group of students: Ren, Airi, Souta, Yuna, and Taku. He noticed the faint unease in their eyes. They had survived Daichi's labyrinth, but these new incidents were different—less direct, more insidious.
"Pay attention," Hiragi said, adjusting his hat. "The previous games taught you to follow shadows. These… are designed to see how you interpret them, not just chase them."
Ren frowned. "So, it's another game? But Daichi disappeared after the labyrinth."
Hiragi nodded. "Perhaps. Or perhaps someone else has begun to play. Whoever it is, they've studied his methods, and they're evolving the game."
The first clue appeared almost immediately: a note slipped into the library books, barely legible:
"Shadows rise where attention falters. Observe, and the path will reveal itself."
Hiragi examined the library quietly. Subtle marks on the shelves, faint scratches near the floor, and a slightly misplaced book formed a pattern he had seen before—but with a new twist. Whoever orchestrated this understood perception at a deeper level.
"Notice the details," Hiragi instructed. "It's not just about finding the disturbances. It's about predicting the intention behind them."
As the students split into small groups to investigate, Hiragi stayed back, piecing together the new pattern. Slowly, it became clear: these incidents were connected, forming a subtle trail across the school—one that could lead them to a new player… or perhaps back to Daichi himself.
Airi noticed a faint shadow moving past the hallway window. Yuna found a slightly open ventilation duct with dust disturbed around it. Taku observed a sequence in which the items were returned to their places, almost as if someone wanted their attention directed to specific spots.
Hiragi's eyes gleamed. "The mastermind is not just creating chaos… they're testing our understanding, teaching us the rules of this new game. Shadows rise where the mind hesitates, and the lesson is clear: the next move is ours to make—or be trapped in observation."
Outside, the wind stirred the leaves, casting fleeting shadows across the school grounds. Hiragi knew the truth: this was the beginning of a new phase, one more intricate, more psychological, and more dangerous than anything before.
The shadows are rising. And the game is far from over.