"My dad said he heard them screeching near the old bridge," a girl whispered by the lockers. "He said it sounded like metal grinding on bone."
"Did he see one?" her friend asked, eyes wide.
"No, of course not. They only come out in the dark. If you see an Alimaby, you're already dead. Unless a Shadow Crane is there."
"Gosh, the Shadow Cranes are so cool. I saw a video of one jumping off a four-story building. They aren't even human, I swear."
Zenjiro walked past them, keeping his head down. They talked about the Shadow Cranes like they were gods. Unreachable, invincible, perfect.
If they knew the "weakest link" of their school was walking right past them with a Shadow Crane badge hidden in his pocket, they would laugh.
He slumped into his seat in homeroom, resting his head on the cool desk. Just five minutes. He just needed five minutes of sleep before Mr. Yoshida started talking about history.
"Hajidan!"
Miraza called out his name, tugging gently at his sleeve. He immediately shot to his feet. That's how much of an effect she had on him.
Miraza Nakamura was five feet six inches tall, which meant the top of her head came exactly to his shoulder. It was the perfect height for him to smell her shampoo that always smelled like cherry blossoms and that vanilla body spray she wore every day.
"Did you see the news about the forest? How crazy is that?" she said while falling into step beside him. When she linked her arm through his like this, it meant that her right breast pressed against his arm. The soft pressure was something his nervous system interpreted as the most important thing currently happening in the entire universe.
"Pretty crazy," he agreed, noting how Miraza was one of those people who made everything seem more interesting just by being excited about it. He had known her since middle school, but he had never found the courage to tell her he liked her. He felt certain there was no way his feelings could be mutual.
She was wearing her hair down today instead of in her usual ponytail, which meant it kept brushing against his neck and shoulder. Each touch felt electric, like static shocks made of pure want running through his nervous system.
"They're saying it might be some kind of underground gas leak or something. Can you imagine if it was something more serious?" She laughed, but there was a nervous edge to the sound. Her eyes lingered on the news footage displayed in the electronics store window for just a moment longer than seemed natural, like she was looking for something specific in the images.
"It's probably nothing dangerous," Zenjiro said, though he wasn't sure he believed his own words. The Shadow Crane had files on things that made normal disasters seem almost comforting by comparison.
"How can you be so sure? Something weird is definitely happening. Everyone can feel it."
Her phone buzzed suddenly and she glanced at it quickly, then put it away without responding to whoever had messaged her.
"Sorry, just my mom checking in," she said, though he hadn't asked who it was.
That was typical Miraza, always questioning things and pushing back on easy answers. Zenjiro couldn't win an argument with her, so he just shrugged in response.
They made it through first period without incident. Then second period passed normally.
By lunchtime, the rumors had evolved into something more concerning. He grabbed his usual spot at their table and was halfway through his sandwich when Ginta slid into the seat across from him.
Ginta Haronide was one of the few Shadow Crane members who didn't openly mock his failures. They'd been paired together for training exercises a few times over the past two months, and unlike most of the others, Ginta actually offered constructive feedback instead of just criticism. He was quiet, competent, and had a way of making people feel comfortable around him.
"Heard about the forest disturbance?" he asked while unwrapping his sandwich.
"Everyone's heard about it," Zenjiro said.
"Strange timing, don't you think? Right after that emergency briefing Commander Yuza gave us about anomalous readings in the northern sector." His eyes studied Zenjiro's face carefully, like he was looking for some specific reaction. "You look exhausted, by the way. Rough patrol last night?"
Zenjiro's stomach tightened uncomfortably. He didn't remember seeing him during last night's patrol, and he definitely didn't remember telling anyone where he'd been assigned.
"How did you know I was on patrol last night?"
"Saw the duty roster when I checked in at headquarters," Ginta said smoothly, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I was assigned to the eastern sector. Did you encounter anything unusual out there?"
"No. Just a quiet night." The lie came out easily, probably because he genuinely didn't remember what had actually happened during those missing hours.
"Good. That's good." He nodded slowly. "Stay safe out there, Hajidan. The city's getting more dangerous every day. Especially for someone at your skill level."
There was something about the way he said it that didn't quite sit right with Zenjiro. Not mocking like Takeshi would have been, but almost concerned.
Miraza approached their table with her lunch tray, and Ginta stood up immediately.
"I should get going anyway. See you at training tomorrow, Hajidan." He gave a small wave and headed toward the exit.
As Zenjiro watched him leave, he couldn't shake the feeling that Ginta had been fishing for information during that entire conversation. But information about what?
"Who was that?" Miraza asked as she sat down next to him.
"Just someone from the Shadow Cranes," Zenjiro said. "He's actually pretty decent, unlike most of them."
She smiled widely. "I can't believe one of them attends this school."
Someone's cousin who worked at the hospital had started spreading rumors during lunch. People were coming in sick, according to her. Really sick, with high fevers, unexplained aggression, and weird blue rashes spreading across their skin like spiderwebs.
"It's probably just flu season hitting hard," Zenjiro said while biting into his sandwich.
"In April?" Miraza raised an eyebrow at him. "And since when does the flu make people aggressive enough to bite nurses?"
Zenjiro's blood ran cold at the mention of biting and unexplained aggression. It sounded disturbingly similar to Infection Protocol Sigma, a theoretical bioweapon he had read about in the Shadow Crane classified archives. The protocols described something that could turn humans into aggressive, inhuman things. He tried to dismiss it as just an urban legend, but his voice wavered with uncertainty.
Unfortunately, he was completely wrong to dismiss it.
"Aaaaaah!"
The agonizing scream of a girl broke through the quiet murmur of conversation during fifth period.