Nene finally made it back to her place after the school day wrapped up. The absolute first thing she did was drop her bags by the door and collapse into her desk chair, her mind already racing as she replayed everything she'd just uncovered about the distortions—specifically, those chilling actual names and titles.
"If those names are real, and those are the exact distortions we've been warned about, there is absolutely no way I can just look the other way," she muttered to herself, staring blankly at the wall. "What does the world government even have to do with them being here? And how do these things tie into Project Zero? Out of everyone... why is Takumi the only one who can actually see them?"
She grabbed a pen and pulled a blank sheet of paper toward her, scribbling down her thoughts in messy, frantic lines as she pondered the cryptic text from the website. "I need to dig deeper, and my best bet is probably getting out there on the streets. If I can somehow figure out a way to stay completely under their radar, I might actually be able to study them. But the real problem is... how am I supposed to do that if they're completely invisible to the naked eye?"
Back within the administrative upper levels of the Vanguard Institute, Theo stepped back into Director Mozen's office, presenting a freshly compiled tactical report detailed over the course of the evening.
Mozen remained silent for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he analyzed the shifting atmospheric radar sweeping across his primary terminal display. "The localized pressure is dropping significantly," Mozen observed, his voice carrying a calculated weight. "We are looking at a severe atmospheric anomaly just after midnight. A storm of this caliber invariably correlates with a spike in spatial instability, meaning we should anticipate a higher density of Ghoul manifestations across the urban sectors than our standard baseline metrics account for."
Theo nodded in agreement, adjusting his posture. "The meteorological data aligns with your assessment, sir. Given the projected increase in activity, what is our operational directive? Should we mobilize the vanguard units ahead of schedule and establish containment perimeters before the storm hits?"
Mozen leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping a rhythm against his desk as he weighed the variables. "Standard mobilization won't suffice tonight, Theo. If the CPA detects a heavy Institute presence in the lower districts during a peak distortion event, it will complicate our jurisdictional boundaries. We need a surgical approach."
"Understood," Theo replied, his eyes sharp. "I can coordinate a covert interception detail. We focus strictly on the unstable sectors nearest the academy lines, ensuring our assets secure any high-threat entities before the local law enforcement or the CPA networks even register the spatial spikes."
"Precisely," Mozen murmured, a cold, clinical look passing over his features. "Let the CPA handle the public panic caused by the weather. Our priority remains the retrieval of pure distortion data. Monitor the resonance levels continuously, and ensure our operators understand that failure to contain the perimeter tonight is not an option."
Cinder dropped her bags by the door as she kicked it shut, looking ahead to find Timotheo and Lyss already settled at the table. Lyss was completely glued to her phone, while Timotheo actually had an open book in his hands for once.
"Well, look at you with an actual book, Timotheo," Cinder said, crossing her arms as she caught the smug little smile on his face. "Honestly kind of refreshing."
"Hey, what can I say? There's more to life than just video games," he muttered, letting out a soft laugh. He tried to play it cool, though the act was wearing thin even to himself.
"Don't fall for it," Lyss sighed, not even looking up from her screen. "He only picked that up because the tracking app he built pinged his phone the second you walked into the dorm. It's honestly pathetic."
Timotheo's face instantly fell, his casual vibe completely ruined. "Hey, come on! Why do you gotta do me like that? For once, Cinder was actually throwing a compliment my way, and that's way rarer than me reading a book!"
Lyss just stuck her tongue out at him, clearly enjoying how easy he was to rattle.
Cinder didn't really care enough to get caught up in their back-and-forth. She walked over to the table and dropped a heavy bag right in front of them with a solid thud. "Here. Take it as a little bonus for a successful mission."
Shrugging off her red jacket, she tossed it over the back of a nearby chair and rested her left palm flat against the dark wood of the table, looking down at the two of them.
"A gift?" Even Lyss looked genuinely impressed, her attention finally snapping away from her phone. She looked straight at the bag, a slight frown crossing her face. "But... I barely did anything out there, to be honest."
Timotheo immediately cut in, entirely derailing her moment. "Hah! Speak for yourself! I was practically carrying Takumi on my back in that tunnel, helping him clutch the win. So please, shower me with all the praise and loot you've got!"
The exact second Timotheo reached out to open the bag, Cinder slapped his hand away. He froze.
"You said it yourself. You backed up Takumi," Cinder said, her voice dropping into that firm, no-nonsense tone. "Which means you're going to appreciate his hard work and wait until he gets here. This reward is split between all three of you. Takumi did the actual heavy lifting out there—he literally stopped the CPA from wiping Shinsei off the map. He's the MVP, as you love to call it."
Timotheo's face fell into a quick pout and he looked away, though he didn't argue. Deep down, he knew exactly what Takumi had gone through to pull off that win. With a quiet huff, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, matching Cinder's posture.
"Cinder, can I ask you something?" Lyss asked, breaking the sudden quiet. Her shift in tone caught Cinder's attention immediately, and the older woman turned her full focus toward her.
"Of course," Cinder replied, leaning slightly against the table. "Speak your mind."
Lyss hesitated for a few seconds, swirling her phone in her hands before finally looking up. "What's your honest opinion on the Institute confiscating Takumi's Binder?"
Cinder's expression hardened, a cynical flash passing through her eyes as she let out a sharp, quiet breath.
"If you want my honest opinion? I think it's complete garbage," Cinder said, her voice dripping with quiet contempt. "But honestly, it's just par for the course with the Institute. I've disagreed with their backward laws and bureaucratic nonsense for as long as I can remember. That's the exact reason I threw in the towel and quit teaching up at the main academy."
She stood up straight, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I couldn't stand watching them treat students like government property or security risks. That's why I chose to come down here, take care of this dorm, and handle specific Binder lessons on my own terms. Out here, I can actually teach you kids how to survive, instead of just training you to be compliant little soldiers for the administration."
"Speak of the devil..." Cinder murmured, her gaze shifting toward the front door just as it swung open.
Takumi stepped inside, his hands casually shoved deep into his pockets. He paused, looking around the room as he realized all three pairs of eyes were locked directly on him.
A look of mild confusion crossed his face. "Uh... did I miss something?"
To be continued...