When Yashiro arrived at the library, she found the room in chaos and dust. The book stacks had fallen over like a domino effect and books were lying everywhere, as if a tornado had come in to tear apart what she had once considered a shrine. She stopped short when her foot hit something, and as she looked down, she could see the shape of a dominator. For some moments she was unable to breathe, as if the mere touch transferred to her a deadly poison. Although her mind was telling her to go back where she had come, she searched for a body in pieces and the only thing she found on the floor, were drops of blood as if a fight had broken out.

She continued to examine the room for any trace of human life, until her attention returned to the vivid image of a hand sticking out of the books. For a few seconds Yashiro's whole body was petrified but an unconscious impulse managed to direct her there, even jumping over some books that were in her way and trying to keep her balance so as not to fall. Then she knelt down and started to push aside the debris, but the figure under that book stack stopped her, being utterly different from what she had actually imagined. It was Sasayama, who had a wound on his neck and a half-deep cut on one of his arms, from which blood was dripping.

Yashiro instantly relaxed her entire body, but felt a chill when a mournful and hoarse moan came from that body and her wrist was suddenly grasped by something solid. Sasayama's eyes opened wide with a desperation that left her freezing, and were fixed on the silver ones as if announcing that he had returned from the very underworld. A shock of pain stunned his entire body as she tried to lift the book stack, and he winced with his lips. Yashiro raised her hands to indicate that he should stay still, which he desisted in by remaining motionless.

"Kirino-san," the enforcer whispered while looking around. "He took her away. We got to find her. We got to…"

Yashiro opened her eyes further and her fists twitched on her knees, eager to pounce on that vulnerable neck. Kirino Touko was once again slipping through her fingers. The only one who could bring her back was Sasayama himself, and she hissed to keep silent, seeing that life was slowly returning to his face. The appreciation he felt for Touko was greater than she had expected and she wondered if the other agents would be like him, since the few she had seen so far turned out to be not very empathetic with the relatives of the victims. Yashiro got up determined to find the inspectors and Sasayama looked at her with a gleam of remorse in his eyes, as if he felt guilty about the kidnapping of Touko.

"Do not move. I will get help," she urged sharply.

Yashiro ran out of the library, leaving behind the dying body of the enforcer. She leapt down the stairs until she came to a halt when at the end of the corridor, she saw the silhouette of Inspector Kougami, who looked at her with an arched eyebrow. Yashiro raised one of her arms to get his attention, but suddenly a sharp, annoying sound burst through the academy making her skin bristle. She closed her eyes automatically, and when she opened them again, she noticed that many students were coming out of their rooms just as confused as she was, but utterly frightened. Kougami started running toward Yashiro, with his hand on his waist, where the dominator was hidden.

"A fire?" one of the students exclaimed in a trembling voice. "What should we do?"

Yashiro felt her heart beating fast. The girls were trying to speak out so they could be heard by the others even though the fire alarm was still sounding over their heads. No fire had ever broken out at Ousou Academy, and neither knew how to react to it. It was the first time they felt in real danger and the adrenaline was getting to all of them equally. The students stepped aside for her to meet with the inspector, as if they unconsciously knew they had the answers.

"Where is Sasayama?" he asked firmly as if the world depended on it.

Yashiro hesitated for some seconds as she observed the obvious concern on his face. He was utterly different from the other inspector, since Kougami was interested in what was happening to his colleagues and was willing to help them. Although Yashiro wondered if there might not be personal issues involved. When Kougami raised his eyebrows demanding information, Yashiro went back to his question and blinked. Impatience welled up in his eyes and it was even intimidating for a few moments.

"In the library," she blurted out. "He cannot move."

When the inspector fell into the idea that Sasayama might be injured and in serious trouble, his face briefly paled until it was consumed with rage.

"That fool…!" Kougami said clicking his tongue.

After a few seconds of pure uncertainty, he passed by Yashiro and took the stairs two at a time. Yashiro then looked back at the students and proposed to leave the academy, an idea that everyone else savored to the letter, like a herd seeking salvation. Seemingly they had forgotten the existence of the curfew as soon as it was imposed, in those moments they just wanted to get safe.

The academy courtyard was filled with students who were unaware of the source of their fear, and they turned away in terror at the sight of police drones. Yashiro ran to the artificial fountain and took advantage of the height to look through the crowd, but Touko's face was nowhere to be seen and the constant movement made it difficult for her to find it. She opened her lips when she wondered if she was inside the academy and instinctively raised her eyes, directing them to the different windows that were part of the classrooms.

Time stopped for her when she glimpsed a standing figure contemplating the outside in one of the windows. She squinted and ignored her surroundings, until she could finally see that the image belonged to Makishima Shougo. When the latter's gaze found her, he turned to stare intently at her for a few long and eternal seconds, bowing his head in silent affirmation. Yashiro felt her breath come back to her once more, and was carried away when one of her classmates took her by the forearm, joining her with the others.

It must have taken half an hour for the academy to return to normal, and all students went about their daily routines as if nothing had happened, though Yashiro knew that everyone was talking about the incident and some were even spreading it around the net. Parents were notified of the accident and many of them filed complaints with the institution, demanding more security.

Yashiro was blinded by the flashing lights of the ambulance that illuminated the surrounding space, and observed some academy officials discussing in the courtyard about the fire and the disaster in the library. A destruction whose only witness had been taken to the ambulance, and his body was then resting on a stretcher next to the van. He had temporary bandages on his body and some parts of his clothes were covered in blood, yet he was still breathing.

The fire alarm had been manually turned off and it did not take long until a team arrived to stop the flames, that had actually only spread in the academy kitchen, leaving one cook as the only victim. According to the analysis, there was a gas leak due to carelessness of the staff, but it was not known who had been responsible, and Yashiro had the feeling that they would never find out.

She had to declare to Inspector Ginoza everything that had happened, from the failed pursuit of Sasayama and Touko to the search for the inspectors to ask for help. Then she went to where Sasayama and Inspector Kougami were talking, but when she saw them sharing some kind of confrontation, she decided to distance herself, so that she would not attract attention, but at least she would be able to hear what they were saying. Kougami reproached him again and again for having ignored orders, created a scandal in the library that could have been avoided, and especially for being responsible for Touma Kouzaburou's escape by kidnapping a civilian.

"Why would the chief transfer the case to Aoyanagi-san's division? Why is she so intent on capturing him alive?" Sasayama questioned, immersed in his own thoughts.

Yashiro was attracted by his exasperated tone, and could understand the outrage. She did not know who he was talking about, except for Touma as the then fugitive, but what struck her most was that they wanted to capture him alive. If the Sibyl System was supposed to be a divine judge, capable of deciding who was good and who was bad in that city, it was not necessary to capture a person alive unless it was to interrogate him for answers. But if no one believed that there were accomplices in that case, why would they want him alive? What did they have in mind to ask him? Curiosity invaded her as if it were music and she sharpened her ears.

"It is not our job to know," answered Kougami.

Sasayama was still spinning around the matter, and he had every reason to. They had started the case and should close it when they caught the culprits, as they used to do. If they were pushed aside as the initiators, it was because either they did not like the behavior of one of the members of that group, or they did not adapt to the new rules of the game imposed.

"It doesn't make sense… it's not funny," Sasayama shook his head as he looked at the palms of his hands. "If we catch Touma Kouzaburou we'll be closer than ever to finding the mastermind."

Yashiro felt a stab in her chest. Sasayama was as solid and firm as ever, yet he really surprised her that time. Kougami, on the other hand, looked tired and rolled his eyes for a few moments, until he was focused on him again.

"That theory again?"

Sasayama took a photograph out of his pants pocket, sharply showing it to him as someone who owns the truth and is irritated to share it even with those closest to him. Kougami held it in one of his hands, but barely glanced at it.

"This is the man we're looking for," the enforcer suddenly blurted out with an enigmatic impetus. "The true mind behind these crimes."

Kougami huffed and shook his head, giving him back the small piece of paper. He seemed to be making a great effort to go along with it.

"And what about Touma Kouzaburou?" the inspector asked, placing a hand on his hip.

Sasayama tilted his head to the side, making a casual gesture with one of his hands.

"Touma Kouzaburou is just another piece of his chessboard. He will find more…"

To Yashiro's surprise, Kougami burst out laughing loudly as he raised his head. He did not believe a single word of the enforcer, and that lack of confidence disconcerted even her.

"You are too paranoid. Ever since we met Kirino Touko at Ogishima, you became sensible and overprotective of her. Somehow, she managed to influence your emotions," Kougami stated in a tone that expressed disappointment, sighing deeply as if he were making a great effort. "You are off the case."

Sasayama frowned, more outraged than angry, and pulled out a cigarette. A desolate silence fell as he lit it and placed it in his mouth, and after releasing a long puff of smoke, he turned to his partner with unusual and sudden indifference.

"You sure, Ko?"

His voice sounded dry and certainly arrogant, as if he were rubbing his nose in the fact that he was the best enforcer they had so far, and that they could not catch the culprit so quickly without his presence. He seemed to say in silence that if they took him away from the case, they would no longer be able to use his highly developed sense of smell. They would be adrift, utterly blind, and without a current to push them somewhere.

"I cannot allow an enforcer to work on a case if he does not know how to separate emotion from rationality," Kougami declared, making a heart-rending echo with his voice.

Yashiro frowned and waved her lips, as if she had witnessed a great explosion in the distance. Sasayama, on the other hand, looked extremely calm and showed no offense; to everyone's surprise, he left a faint smile on his face. Kougami had turned around to leave, but stopped for a few moments when he heard him behind his back.

"Talking like that you already look like Gino," he joked in a whisper. "Hey, Ko… I'm going to catch him. I'll find the truth behind all this. And then we'll have a beer… that I still owe you."

Yashiro saw that a brief but flawless smile enlightened Kougami, although it went completely unnoticed, as if he even regretted letting himself be carried away by the words of his partner. As he walked away to join the other inspector, he could easily make out the silhouette of Yashiro on one side, who was observing him walk with her hands in her coat pockets. She was still dressed in the same elegant manner and he allowed himself to stop for a couple of seconds to examine her, even though it was not the right time to do so. He found it hard to remember that she was just another student at that academy, but something about her made him hesitate to take the next step, and he did not realize that he was moving toward where she was until he had her two meters away.

"Takahashi Yashiro?" the inspector was heard.

Yashiro looked up a few inches slowly, with a gaze that lacked expression. The young man's gray eyes opened as they merged with hers. Ever since he saw her with Kirino Touko at the entrance of the zoo a stream of curiosity embraced him completely, filling him with a strange need to talk to her. She looked very different from the first time he had met her, not only in appearance but in her way of acting.

"The miracle girl," Yashiro answered with a shrug.

Kougami blinked coming to his senses, and for a moment he stopped analyzing her features by closing his eyes.

"I see you met Sasayama," he assumed with a funny smile, as he simply shook his head. "What a guy… after that night he gave you that nickname. He would not stop talking about you, the only survivor…"

Yashiro clicked her tongue with a half-smile and lost her gaze in the sky. The sun seemed to reflect a sad nostalgia in her pupils and Kougami cleared his throat moving in the place, as he remembered that not so much time had passed. Even though Yashiro was fifteen when the tragedy occurred, memories seemed to remain entrenched in both her body and her mind, and as soon as the subject came up in conversation her whole appearance was transformed, showing for a few seconds the same insecure girl under the body of a woman.

"I can see it fading away in your eyes, Kougami. You are just as confused as Sasayama by the request for capture and your instinct tells you to follow him… to seek the truth with your own eyes… even if you risk falling into the same darkness he is part of… while your more rational side, reminds you of the importance of following orders…"

Kougami observed the slow way her lips closed, transmitting a heartbreaking magic. Her voice sounded so different from the one he had ever heard, that for a moment he thought it was someone else and could not help but arch his eyebrow. He was not sure what shocked him most, whether it was the dominant darkness in that gaze or on the contrary, the sagacity with which she came to discover his innermost thoughts.

"What is it fading away?" he decided to ask.

Kougami folded his arms and scrutinized her with those gray eyes as if she were a mere stranger. It seemed that with those words he had come to take her as someone else, as a young woman who had grown up to destroy any trace of the child she once was. Everything in her emanated an indecipherable aura that in turn, disturbed him in a way that he could not understand, reminding him of the feelings of danger transmitted by the homicide cases that he used to solve. He wondered what Masaoka would say in her presence, as he belonged to the old school and therefore, carried with him a well-developed insight.

"Kougami," the voice of Inspector Ginoza emerged, who nodded that he needed to talk to him.

Yashiro merely nodded in greeting when Kougami gave her one last look, taking several seconds to leave to follow his colleague. She watched them for a few moments and when they completely disappeared from her sight, she headed for Sasayama. The enforcer was still smoking with the same impetus and dropped to the stretcher to sigh deeply, when he noticed her presence.

"Mastermind?" Yashiro asked softly.

Sasayama looked at her with glass eyes as he inhaled his cigarette smoke. He seemed to be making an enormous effort to answer her, as if at that moment he was no longer interested in anyone but Kirino Touko herself.

"It's clear that Touma Kouzaburou was helped to escape. Police drones all over the courtyard and he magically manages to disappear after the fire alarm goes off."

Yashiro half-opened her eyes to his insight and was suddenly curious to see how far he would go with that case.

"Are you saying that the fire was not an accident?" she asked raising her eyebrow. "Who would do such a thing?"

A silence fell between them as they found no answer, but Yashiro focused on the photograph Sasayama had among his fingers and when he noticed the gloomy sparkle in her eyes, he handed her the paper. Yashiro took it very carefully, giving the young man a brief look of appreciation. At the back was written a last name and as she turned the paper over, she saw the person's face, which was so blurry that you could not really make out what it looked like. Despite that, she felt for a moment she was running out of air, with her entire heart pressing down on her, and she stayed silent for a long time while she slightly raised her head.

"Makishima," Yashiro read what was written, making a face of ignorance with her lips as she returned it to him. "I do not know anyone with that last name."

Sasayama studied her for a few moments as if he were searching for something beyond her eyes, but in the end, he put the paper in his suit pocket and raised his head to the sky, getting lost in the clous of a sunny day that was coming to an end. Yashiro then allowed herself to breathe out furtively and watched him closely. He was lifeless in those instants, as if he had become a vegetable. Yet he was more awake than ever, and she could see it through his spiteful eyes.

"If we follow the fox, we'll find its burrow," asserted the enforcer.

Sasayama's fists had clenched tightly over the stretcher, and Yashiro watched him tilting her head to the side.

"But you were taken off the case, that means you will be alone…"

Sasayama turned his head toward her arching one eyebrow, utterly amused and full of irony as if he had been told something that made no sense.

"A hound uses its sense of smell to find its prey."

Yashiro smiled and narrowed her eyes for a moment, until she bowed to his body as if she wanted to be heard only by him.

"I know how to find Touma," she confessed in a certainly grim tone.

Sasayama nodded a couple of times until he threw the cigarette on the ground. When he exchanged a look with Yashiro again, he knew then that the two needed each other if they wanted to rescue Touko.