Chapter 6: Factory Infiltration

We left the dorm around fifteen minutes before the Dark Hour began, given that the trip to the factory wouldn't take as long as getting to Port Island. The plan was for everyone else to stand by some distance away from the factory, and I would continue alone. I would sneak in, find out what's going on, and get out before anyone realised what was going on.

Sophie came along with us. She would be on the comms with Mitsuru, just in case I happen to get lost along the way or if there were any nasty surprises in store.

"So, how did you sneak into the factory the last time?" Junpei asked her as we walked. "More importantly, why did you sneak into the factory?"

"Bored," Sophie replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "I was bored and I noticed something strange going on with the factory. So I went to check it out. As for how, there was a small hole in the wall that I was able to crawl through. I think they'll have covered it up by now."

"Yeah," I said, almost absent-mindedly as I thought about how to approach this. "I probably wouldn't have fit in there anyway... Hmm...?"

"What are you thinking, Tomomi?" Mitsuru asked.

I didn't respond to her. My eyes darted up to the various roofs of the buildings we passed before I looked down at Sophie.

"You think the rooftop will be heavily guarded?" I asked. Sophie pondered this for a moment, wrapping a piece of hair around her finger, before responding.

"I'm not sure. At the very least, I think the roof will be your best bet. Besides, getting in isn't going to be the hard part."

I silently agreed. Sneaking in would be child's play compared to what I had to do once I'm inside. There's a lot of room for this to go wrong. Soon enough, we came upon the point where I would go on alone. Five minutes until the Dark Hour began. I needed to be quick.

"Tomomi," Mitsuru called out. I managed to turn to face her as something flew towards me. I caught it by reflex in my left hand. It was something small, solid. A flash drive to plug into PC's. "Normally, anything that runs on electricity won't work in the Dark Hour. But considering our enemy's capabilities, I wouldn't put it past them to have a computer running in that factory. Take it with you, just in case."

I nodded, putting the flash drive in my pocket.

"Right, I'm off," I told everyone as I faced the wall to the building next to me.

"Good luck. And be careful," Mitsuru told me as she prepared herself. Without a word, I ran towards the wall, activating the ring on my finger as I did so. The command I gave it: "Give me the power to climb up this wall."

A slight blue aura appeared around my feet and hands the moment before I jumped. I ran on instinct by that point, climbing the wall with ease like some kind of bug until I reached the roof. I could see the factory off in the distance. Wasting no time, I ran in that direction.

While getting into the factory before the Dark Hour began would be the optimal way of handling this, I needed to see what was going on outside the factory before I got in. Not only to see what kind of security was around and make sure there weren't any surprises waiting for me, but also to get an idea of what was happening around the factory.

Information is a valuable weapon, so it was a good idea to gather as much of it as possible.

Soon enough, I was on the edge of a rooftop near the factory. From there, I would have to figure out a way to get to the roof of the factory without being seen. A large industrial factory, perhaps worked with steel and other metals. The three large chimneys near the back had no smoke coming out of them, and there was no sign of life anywhere near the vicinity.

By all accounts, the factory was indeed abandoned.

"Senpai, mind if I ask something?" I called out to Mitsuru.

"What's wrong?" she replied a moment later.

"Why did this factory close exactly? And what exactly was it for?"

"Money, mostly." Her answer came through with a wry tone, as if she was familiar with this sort of story. "The economic bubble burst of the early nineties caused a lot of chaos, especially where expansion was concerned. My grandfather, who was head of the Kirijo Group at the time, helped steer the company away from turbulent waters, but others weren't as lucky. That factory is one example. Iwatodai isn't exactly the industrial centre of Japan, so a steel-producing factory wasn't making much money for the owners. Eventually, the money ran out and they closed up shop."

"You said that money was 'mostly' the reason. There was another reason why the factory shut down?"

"Yes..." A moment of hesitation before she continued. "There was an incident back in 1999. There were two major incidents—one on Port Island, the other at that factory. A series of explosions that caused a lot of death and injury. Investigations concluded that the owners were responsible and they were charged with negligence. They tried to keep things going, but between legal costs and loss of public trust, the company eventually crumpled under the weight of it all."

"I see... Did they ever rebuild the factory?"

"I don't believe so."

"Are you sure? Because it looks pretty intact to me."

Indeed, there was no trace of any damage whatsoever. From what I saw, it was an intact, though abandoned, factory. Whoever was running the place now had clearly done some work getting it up and running again. And all without anyone noticing.

"They've done all of this right under everyone's noses," I said to myself as the Dark Hour began. Immediately, I could see something off about the factory. At the entrance, patrolling in the main grounds and the side, and on the roof, were some kind of creatures standing guard.

"What are those things...?" Since I couldn't see them very well from where I stood, I used the ring's power to improve my sight to the point where my eyes could be the scope of a sniper rifle. Using this, I was able to get a better look at what was there.

Black, humanoid creatures, with red cracks throughout their bodies. Nothing distinguished one from the other, so if they had individuality or if they were part of some collective, I couldn't tell. They carried cracked, rusted swords. And though they looked dull, something at the back of my mind told me that I should stay far away from those blades.

"Senpai, I've gotten a good look at what's guarding the place," I said. "Not Shadows, but something different. Nothing else is around."

"Copy that. Anything else of note?"

I scanned the area again.

"Hmm... Rooftop's the lightest when it comes to security. Getting up there might be a small hassle but it won't be a problem... I'd rather not pick a fight unless I have to."

The thought of fighting these creatures left a sizable weight in my stomach. And a feeling of dread built up in my chest. These creatures didn't seem any stronger than a common grunt, so why was I nervous about confronting them?

"As long as you stay out of their sight, you should be able to get in without any issue," Sophie's voice chimed in to say. "Whatever they are, they're not the brightest. Still, you're right to be cautious. I had a similar feeling when I saw them for the first time. Something just felt... wrong about all of them."

I kept Sophie's words tucked away in my mind. "Wrong" is one word you could use to describe those things.

"Tomomi," Mitsuru said. Her voice was calm, and yet I could hear worry in her tone. "If it comes down to it, do whatever you have to to get out of there."

"If I do this right, I won't need to."

Jumping off the edge of the roof, I made my way to the factory.

※※※※※

Navigating the streets quickly and quietly was not the easiest of tasks, but I made it to the factory quickly. Going through the entrance was a no go, so once I saw a gap in the patrol, I cut through the chain-link fence at the side of the factory and used the ring's power to repair it once I was inside.

The last thing I needed was for the whole place to go on high alert.

Once that was taken care of, I scaled the wall until I reached the roof. Thankfully, none of the guards ever got the bright idea to look up. There was plenty of cover, and if I remembered correctly, there were only two guards. Getting to the door that led to the stairwell would be the easiest part of this sneaking mission.

"Just in case..." I muttered to myself, drawing a little power from the ring on my finger to obscure myself. I didn't try to turn myself invisible. I wasn't quite sure if I was able to pull that off but if it was to simply mask my presence a little, I was certain I'd be fine.

As I got closer to the door, I heard something off. Garbling gibberish, their speech didn't come close to resembling any sort of language. And yet, I could make out what they were saying. One voiced concerns about the "attack on the docks," while the other said something about the boss getting angry.

It seemed that whatever strange ability allowed me to understand the Shadow's speech also applied to those creatures. Interest peaked, I got a little closer so I could hear them properly.

"Like I said, I don't know if the light security is a good idea. Especially after what happened at the docks."

"I hear ya. Still, that boy has to be insane. Going there on a whim without a second thought, and dragging that girl out with him. Gotta respect him for that, at least."

"Yeah. You hear that the Madam's going to come visit?"

"Yup, and she's bringing her assistant with her. Apparently, there's going to be an announcement of sorts. Probably the order to pack things up and move."

"And thank Asura for that. I hate this place."

"Me too. Can't wait to go home."

...Of all the things I expected from these creatures, disgruntled employees wasn't exactly at the top of the list. But thanks to those loose lips of theirs, I learned a couple of things. That our little adventure at the docks was definitely noticed, that they knew that Sophie was gone, and that a few of the people running this operation was going to be at the factory tonight.

As a silent thanks for the information, I decided to not do anything to them and just go about my business. Thankfully, the door didn't make too much noise as I opened it and closed it behind me once I was inside.

"Senpai, I'm inside the factory," I said at a whisper. "And I overheard a few of the guards talking. They said that the people running this place will be here tonight."

"Looks like we made the right call," she replied. "Gather as much information as you can. It's likely it won't be here after they come and go."

"Got it."

I tiptoed down the doors carefully and opened the door, revealing a connecting corridor that led to a pathway overlooking the factory's interior. There was a window in front of me. I stepped out, looking to my left and right for any guards before doing so, and walked up to the window to see what was happening.

I had heard the sounds as I walked down the stairs, but I couldn't really tell what it was until now. The sight left me in a state of shock. Those black creatures, moving like machines, continually moved glowing ice-like crystals from the conveyor belts to metal crates.

The furnaces roared as their flames tempered the crystals the creatures threw into it before spitting them back out to be stored. Over and over again, this process repeated. Twenty to thirty of those crystals were being moved in a given moment, and I didn't know how many of those crates were there.

"Holy..." I could only let out at the sight of all this.

"What do you see?" Mitsuru's voice brought me back to my senses and I reported back.

"Whatever this factory was originally meant for, it's clear that they've repurposed it," I told her, walking out onto the overlooking pathway. I hoped that the obscuring trick I used on the roof would be enough to mask my presence. "I see... ice-like crystals being stored in metallic crates. They're being careful with them so I assume they're valuable."

"Any way you can get a closer look?"

"Not from where I am. Too many of those things around... I'm going to see if I can't find out where they're shipping those crates to."

"Good idea."

I began to walk towards the room at the end of this pathway.

"Anything new on your end?" I asked, keeping an eye on what was happening below.

"No. Though I think Akihiko is starting to get restless right around now. I heard him grumbling about being left behind."

I chuckled at that. From what happened the previous night, I got the impression that Akihiko lived for the fight. And he wasn't happy about being taken out of the action.

"Half tempted to make up some outlandish story to annoy him," I said with an air of mischief. Maybe I would tell him that our search took us to a horse racing track and the true culprit was a giant flaming horse with a skeleton riding on top of it. It challenged us to a race and the whole thing ended with Junpei's clothes being burned off.

(I wonder what he'd think if I told him that?)

"I'm not responsible for anything that happens if you do," she said, sounding a little bit amused with my tone.

For some reason, it was easy for me to talk to Mitsuru. She clearly came from a place of high standing—a rich girl, pretty much. And yet, when she spoke to me, I wouldn't have guessed so. It was quite the contrast from how she spoke on stage earlier that day. Part of me wondered if there was a reason for that, and another was just glad to have something to take my mind off of what I was seeing.

Because, even though I didn't let it show, something about those crystals was making me very nervous.

(It's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong, it's just wrong.)

My mind repeated that sentiment, even though I had no clue what exactly was the problem.

I eventually managed to tear myself away from what was going on down below and entered the door after turning the corner on the pathway. I could surmise what this room's purpose was the moment I saw it. Three windows to my left overlooking the workers. A large desk with a computer on it with a comfortable chair sitting behind it, along with several windows leading out behind that. A cupboard off to my right near the middle of the room and several filing cabinets.

"I think I've found the boss' room," I told Mitsuru, heading for the desk. "And look at that. A computer." I sat down and tried moving the mouse a little. The monitor flared to life, showing the desktop. So this group figured out a way to keep electronic devices powered in the Dark Hour.

That was strange, I felt. Why leave it on? Why not power it down until you needed it again? At the very least, they should have locked it behind a password so people couldn't get to it easily.

"Someone was here before me," I said out loud, voicing what I was thinking so Mitsuru knew what was going on. "Left in a hurry as well. They didn't touch anything else in the room, so they knew what they were looking for."

"Most fortunate for us. We would have been in trouble if that wasn't the case."

"True, but I can't help but suspect something... Senpai, where should I look?"

"They'll probably keep their important documents in a place where they could easily access it. After all, it's not like anyone else would use that computer. Try any folders you find on the desktop."

I scanned the desktop for any folder that stood out. There was one that caught my eye immediately. A folder that was named "Project Snow Fairy". I opened it up and started combing through the files.

One problem I immediately encountered was that the file names were just a bunch of random letters and numbers. It probably made sense to the people who were supposed to see them, but to me, it meant I had to access each document one by one to see if there was anything useful.

There was quite a bit of interesting stuff in there. At least, the stuff that I was able to open. A lot of it was encrypted, meaning that even though the juicier details were tucked away in those files, I wasn't able to get to them. A shame, really.

What I did see was still interesting, though. And disturbing.

"...Senpai, you know those string of murders that happened over the last few months?"

"I'm going to guess that these people are involved with it?"

I shook my head with a dry, humourless chuckle.

"And you would be right. Someone called Airi is the one responsible. The interesting bit is that another member of the group, someone named Murasaki, opposed the plan and this message notes that it's 'not like her to speak up.'"

"It is a rather extreme thing to do, so it makes sense if someone happened to disagree. The question is why do this?"

I scanned through the rest of the letter, hoping to find an answer to that. Nothing.

"Well, this letter won't provide any answer to that... I'm going to keep looking."

After coming across several encrypted files, I found a spreadsheet, detailing the exporting of the various crates. No information on what was stored, but I did find out where they were going. An exasperated look spread across my face.

"Ha..."

"What's wrong?"

"I just found out where they're shipping those crates. Care to take a guess where?"

"...The docks."

"Bingo. Nothing on what's being stored, but we know where they're headed at least."

"Anything on their purpose?"

"Nope. They're being very careful about where they store information. There's a ton of encrypted files on this that I won't get into without a passcode. The fact that I can access this at all is fortunate... and a little suspicious."

"Agreed. Copy the files to the flash drive and get out of there."

"Will do." I was already pulling the drive out of my pocket by the time the order was given. I plugged it in and copied the entire Project Snow Fairy folder over, the process taking less than ten seconds. I took the flash drive out and put it into my pocket once more. As I stood up, a faint noise caught my ear. The sound of footsteps on metal. Two pairs, if I had to guess. "Crap," I let out in a panic as I weighed my options.

The moment I spotted the cupboard again, I rushed towards it. It was big enough to fit me, thankfully—the only thing in here being a small collection of coats. I gently closed the doors, leaving just enough room for me to see out of. The office doors opened, and the two pairs of footsteps walked in.

They walked by me, letting me get a decent look. One of them was a woman with black hair tied up in a ponytail and blue eyes.

The other was a man with short brown hair and brown eyes, looking slightly younger than the woman he was following.

"Hmm? Was someone here? I don't remember leaving the computer on," the woman asked curiously with a slightly deep tone, the noise of her movement telling me that she sat down on the chair.

I forgot to close everything down. That was a blunder that I shouldn't have been able to recover from, but I got lucky when the man responded, saying something that caught my attention.

"Raziel was probably here again," he said, a lightish tone to his voice, in contrast to the woman. "He was here for a while handling that assignment."

(Raziel? The man we fought on the docks?)

I wondered what connection he had with this group of people, and what exactly his "assignment" was.

"What exactly is he looking for, I wonder?" the woman asked.

"Who knows? It might help if you actually gave him access to the encrypted files."

"And it would help if he actually told us what he wanted to know. Besides, the Queen doesn't trust him. And for good reason."

"If that dotard Gotou didn't interfere, he might have been able to finish the job. Though, given that boy's interference, that probably wouldn't have happened regardless."

"The same boy that you and Murasaki failed to kill."

I saw a wry smile on the man's face as he raised his hands up slightly.

"Not our fault. The Queen herself ordered us to return, and we're not the kind to disobey orders."

"Hah! What a bald-faced lie... Still, what could she be thinking?"

"I've stopped trying to figure that out the moment she sentenced that girl to death. I didn't think she would be that heartless."

"She's dedicated to the cause. As are we. I suggest you keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself in the future. Or what? Do you crave death that badly?"

"Not enough to anger her on purpose."

Silence for a few moments.

"...Let's go. It seems the latest batch has arrived."

I heard the sound of the woman getting off the chair. The two of them exited the office, closing the door behind them. I waited for about ten seconds before getting out.

I took a second to absorb everything I just heard before calling out to Mitsuru.

"Senpai, you heard all of that?"

"Loud and clear. I guess this definitively proves that the attack on the dorm and what's going on in the city are connected."

"Yeah, but we don't have the full picture." I walked over to the door. "I'm going to see what they're up to."

"Be careful. You're pushing your luck."

She was right. I'd gotten what we came here for, there was no reason to stick around any longer. Still, my curiosity compelled me to follow through with this.

"I've gotten this far, haven't I?"

I opened the door quietly and stepped out onto the pathway. There, I kept a low profile and watched the factory interior. The man and the woman who talked in the office were just arriving on that floor. I heard the loud slam of large doors being opened, and the heavy sound of something being dragged.

Eventually, the source of the noise came into sight. Two of those creatures were pulling a trolley, and on it... were five lifeless bodies. Three male, two female. They were slashed to ribbons, so badly that they were virtually unrecognizable as human beings.

Their faces... there was no such thing for these poor souls. Even if the police got to them first, they wouldn't have been able to identify the bodies. Clean, precise cuts across some of the bodies told me that those weren't just kills for the sake of a goal.

No, rather, it was the work of someone who truly enjoyed human pain and suffering. Revelled in it. I could imagine the terror on those people's faces as their killer closed in on them, with a satisfied grin on their face.

The thought almost made me explode in a fiery rage that moment, but I kept those emotions in check through force.

"Shit..." I let out quietly, angrily, as I gripped the handrail tightly. The only show of emotion I allowed myself.

"What's wrong?"

I breathed in, and then out, to calm down completely before I replied.

"...We're going to see five missing people on the news in a few days."

A heavy sigh came from Mitsuru. I didn't need to explain what I mean. I focused my attention on what was happening below, using the ring to amplify my hearing to hear what they were saying.

The man looked at the bodies, repulsed by the sight.

"To be honest, I find the whole thing to be ghastly. Is this truly the only option we have?"

The woman turned to face him, an annoyed look on her features.

"It's the best, and quickest, way to get what we need. Raziel assured us of this, and it's worked out so far."

Even if the woman said this, the man clearly still had his doubts.

"Even so, Airi's methods are... questionable, at the very least. And even if we gather this much, there's still the matter of Sophie. We still need her for⸻"

"We've already found a replacement. While Sophie would have been more ideal, it won't cause any delay. The Mirror will be completed in a matter of days, rest assured, and with plenty of raw material to spare."

My expression hardened as I realised what her words meant. If what I saw was spare materials, then that could only mean⸻

"We're too late," I said. "Whatever they're building, they're close to completing it."

"Without any idea where this 'Mirror' could be, there isn't much we can do. You have those files, so we have something to work with, at least."

Mitsuru was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. The bodies, those creatures, the crystals that left such a horrible feeling within me. Everything about this was abhorrent in my eyes.

"...Using a child in such a way is..." the man almost whispered, looking down at the ground.

The annoyed look on the woman's face actually cracked at this. For a moment, as she turned away, her expression became that of pained guilt. Though the man behind her didn't see this, I was able to see it clearly. It quickly returned to a still, stoic look, like a stone. It was like she killed whatever emotion was inside her at that moment.

"...The cause is worth any sacrifice. You agree, don't you, Mikazuki?" the woman asked. The man called Mikazuki lifted his head, staring at the back of the woman's head for a moment before responding.

"...Yes, Asuka." His expression became almost stone-like as well, and his voice even more so.

(...I should leave. I should leave right now.)

With that thought going through my head, I moved carefully to stand up and make my way back to the office. I wasn't careful enough. When I moved my foot slightly, I knocked over a stone that was resting near the edge. The moment I realised what I did, I realised that it was going to draw the attention of the person who was able to take shots at me and Yukari from across the city.

By the time I stood up and opened the door, the stone landed on the ground with a sharp crack.

"Who's there?!" I heard Mikazuki yell, but I got into the office before he was able to get a look at me. I ran to the window and opened it. If I just jumped straight out, they would be able to see me running. So instead, I climbed out, closing the window behind me and used the ring's power to cling to the wall just under the window ledge. It was large enough to conceal me, but if this failed, then I would have to fight my way out.

I heard the door slam open. They got up here very quick, I thought. It looked as though I made the right call in not wasting time. I had to assume that they could teleport like Raziel could. Noise like they were searching the room reached my ears, even through the closed window.

Eventually, I heard the window slide open. I stayed completely still. I even cut off all air to my lungs entirely to stop them from hearing my breathing. A few seconds passed before the one who opened the window turned around.

"I want this factory locked down, search every corner of this building, I want updates by the minute! Go!" Asuka yelled at whoever was in the room with her. Many footsteps scattered in all directions. The window closed, and I allowed myself to breathe again.

(That was close. Time to get out of here.)

Looking down to make sure there weren't any guards, I pushed off the wall and soared over the chainlink barrier. I slowed my descent using the ring until I gently hit the ground, landing on my feet. I took off running.

"Senpai, get the others back to the dorm. I'm on my way there now."

"Roger."

That could have gone a bit more smoothly, but I wasn't going to complain about the results. We found more than we could have hoped for at this point. Though a troubling thought crossed my mind. That Sophie was very lucky that we came along and saved her.

I couldn't help but think that she was destined for a terrible end.

※※※※※

The trip back to the dorm was long, as I took a longer route back to shake off anyone that might have spotted me. Thankfully, no one was following me. The Dark Hour ended by the time I closed in on the dorm, which I found rather strange. I wasn't keeping track of the time, but it definitely didn't feel like an hour had gone by.

I chalked it up to losing track of time while I was in the factory and focused on getting back to the dorm safely. A few minutes later, the dorm came into sight. I was never more happy to see a building in my life. I quickly got to the door and entered the dorm, closing it behind me just as quickly.

"You're back!"

I turned at Yukari's voice, seeing that everyone was in the front hall waiting for me. They all sported a relieved look when they saw me. One person in particular charged at me, nearly knocking me over as their tiny arms wrapped around my waist.

"Ahh?! S-Sophie!" I let out in surprise as the golden-eyed girl hugged me.

"Do you know how worried I was?! You should have gotten out of there when you got the files, idiot! Stupid! Stupid idiot!" she yelled, looking up at me with an angry, yet sad expression.

"Uh... um... I..." I didn't know how to respond to this. I looked to the others with a silent plea for help. They simply gave me looks that said "Your responsibility. You're on your own."

I sighed and kneeled down so I was eye-level with Sophie.

"Sorry for scaring you," I said sincerely. "I'll be more careful next time."

"...What happened there was how I got caught," Sophie explained, looking down at the ground. "When I heard that sound, I thought the same was going to happen to you."

Scary coincidence that was. I chuckled and shook my head in response.

"Well, it's a good thing it didn't, eh? Don't want history repeating itself."

Once I got free of Sophie's grip, I dug through my pockets and pulled out the flash drive.

"Here." I threw it to Mitsuru, who caught it with ease. "Hope you can do something with it."

"I'll send it over to the Kirijo Group and tell the high-level guys to start digging through it. Perhaps they can crack the encryption."

"Here's hoping."

Mitsuru turned and made her way to the stairs. Probably headed up to the command room. That left myself, Sophie, Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko in the front hall. I walked over to the empty couch and dropped myself onto it. After that experience, I was happy to have the chance to rest, and I let the exhaustion I felt show through a heavy sigh.

"What did you see in there, Tomomi?" Akihiko asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Well, Sophie was right," I told him simply. "Creatures—not Shadows—were working on something in the factory. Manufacturing glowing, ice-like crystals and shipping them off to the docks where Sophie was being held. All to do with something called 'Project Snow Fairy'. And..."

I hesitated in continuing. I recalled the sight of those bodies, torn apart by another human being. I eventually gathered the nerve to continue after seeing the others patiently waiting for me to continue.

"You remember those string of murders you told me about, Junpei?" I asked Junpei, who nodded in response. "I know the name of the one responsible. And I've seen more of their handiwork. Don't be surprised if you happen see news of five people going missing in a few days."

A similar reaction to Mitsuru's when I told her this. There wasn't any need to explain what I meant by that, as they understood full well what that could only mean.

I avoided talking about what I suspected they were planning to do with Sophie. Mostly to avoid scaring her, but also because if what I suspected was true, then it was far too late to help the one they got as a "replacement."

"Mitsuru said that we're too late to stop whatever they're up to right now," Akihiko said. "If we were only faster⸻"

I interrupted him right there. There was nothing for us to feel sorry about or have regrets over. The reason why was very simple.

"We covered every base we had to. And we did this as fast as we possibly could. There's nothing more we could have done, so let's not worry ourselves too much with what ifs. We just have to keep up with them the best we can."

And really, that was all we were able to do at that point. We pulled together a mission based on information gotten the very same day, and we were lucky we were able to get our hands on what we did. For our peace of mind, more than anything, we had to take our victories where we could.

"...Speaking of," I mumbled before turning to Yukari. "Did you actually find anything the last time we were at the docks?"

Yukari took a moment to think, looking off to the side. She shook her head.

"No. Nothing really out of the ordinary from what I was able to see."

(Thought so.)

Given what I saw, it would make sense that the people running the day-to-day stuff there had no clue what was happening under their noses.

I nodded before closing my eyes. I needed a few seconds to collect my thoughts on everything that had occurred that night, as it was a lot to take in. I didn't get very far with that.

"Hey, at least get to your bed if you're going to fall asleep," Sophie said, shaking my body by pulling back and forth on my arm, making sure that I was still awake. Everyone else laughed heartily at that.

"I'm not surprised you're exhausted after all of that," Akihiko said, standing up. "Go get some rest, Tomomi. You deserve it."

Akihiko made his leave, heading towards the stairs. At the mention of sleep, I realised something.

"...Oh, yeah..." I was so preoccupied with the mission, I completely overlooked something else that was important. "Where's Sophie going to sleep?"

Junpei and Yukari looked at each other, and then at me, with a puzzled expression. I think that question never really crossed their minds either until now.

"Well, there's plenty of rooms up on the girl's floor," Yukari said. "I think Mitsuru-senpai won't mind if we give one of them to her." She looked towards the young girl. "Come on. Follow me."

Sophie looked at me with worry. I silently told her that I would be okay, and to go along with Yukari. After a second, Sophie followed Yukari up the stairs and out of our sight.

That left only Junpei and myself. Junpei shifted in his seat so he was closer to where I was.

"Hell of a night, huh?" he asked light-heartedly. I let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, it was... Junpei, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"...Why did you join SEES to begin with?"

It was a reasonable question to ask, I felt. We were neck deep in a situation that would quickly become very dangerous. I wanted to know the reason why he was willing to risk his own neck for something that, by all rights, shouldn't have been his problem.

Junpei was taken aback by this question, pausing to think on it for a while. Perhaps he didn't really think about the reason until that moment. Whatever the case may have been, I patiently waited for a response.

"...I saw that something weird was going on in the city, and I wanted to help fight it," he told me. That was reasonable, but I got the sense that he wasn't being entirely forthcoming.

"Is that really the only reason?"

"Yeah, dude, it is!"

(...A little too quick to deny that.)

I realised, however, that I probably wasn't going to get anything else from him at the moment. So I gave up, shrugging my shoulders.

"Alright," I said tiredly before standing up. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, good night."

With that, that eventful night came to an end. We discovered a lot, but we also came away with more than a few questions. Questions that I knew wouldn't be answered for a long time.

...Even though I didn't want to admit it, a part of me didn't want to know what the truth was. Something deep in my soul was telling me to stay away. I didn't know where this burst of cowardice came from, but I killed that part of myself while I slept. There was only one thing I needed to do: complete the mission that was given to me.

That's what I thought.

That was what I believed.


【Author's Note】

Whew, that was quite the beefy chapter, wasn't it? Next time will be a little lighter, I promise.

In the original Spring of Hope, there was quite a lot of "downtime chapters". Chapters where there wasn't a lot of action, and sometimes the broader story wasn't the main focus, it was the characters and their relationships. Sometimes it was serious and sometimes it was goofy.

At times, you just need a break from death, doom, and destruction. The next few chapters should be just that. A little palate cleanser, with some story bits, before the explosive finale of this arc, which should happen around Chapter 10.

As an aside, it was my birthday on the 14th. Yeah, I know, my birthday's on Valentine's Day. I wanted to take a break in the lead-up to it so I could enjoy myself, so that's why updates have been sporadic. Can't guarantee that something like this won't happen again, but I want to get more regular content out to you guys and gals. At the very least, I want to get this arc done by the end of the month. Chapter 7 will (probably) be shorter than this Chapter, so that'll make it easier.

Even as I say that, I still have a little surprise in store, so look forward to that. See you next time!

Next Time – Chapter 7: Shapeless Days (I)