Morning came too fast.
The sky was blue. Birds were chirping. The usual chaos of second-years filled the halls like nothing terrifying had happened the night before.
Aika stood at her locker, blinking into the abyss of her half-organized books. Her brain still felt like it had been microwaved.
Ren walked by, dragging his bag with one strap and yawning like he hadn't slept at all—which, judging by the pillow mark still faint on his cheek, he probably hadn't.
He stopped. Stared at her.
"…You look like a raccoon," he said.
She didn't even turn around. "You look like someone who lost a fight with his blanket."
"Didn't lose," he muttered. "Just… called a truce."
Aika rolled her eyes. "Why are you even here this early?"
"You're welcome," Ren said, leaning casually on her locker. "I showed up to make sure your fangirl club hadn't exploded over your picture again."
"I don't have a fangirl club," she snapped.
Ren blinked. "Then who were those girls saying they want to 'protect Aika-chan with their lives'?"
"…That was one time."
"Every week."
Before she could murder him with her binder, Kaito slid in on her other side like a perfectly timed romcom lead.
"Good morning, Aika," he said, eyes soft and voice gentle. "Ignore the trash on your left."
Ren raised a brow. "Hello, Jealousy."
Aika sighed. "You both are exhausting."
Kaito opened his mouth to reply—
"—Ren! Aika-chan! Kaito-kun!"
Their class rep, Misaki, came trotting over with a clipboard and the expression of someone about to ruin lives with a smile.
"You three are on cleaning duty today!"
Aika looked like she aged ten years on the spot.
Ren pointed at Kaito. "He sheds in the hallway. Pick him."
"I do not," Kaito said indignantly.
"You do," Aika muttered.
"Anyway!" Misaki sang, walking away already, "Don't forget after lunch! Science lab!"
Aika groaned. "Great. Ghost lab."
"Don't be dramatic," Kaito said.
"Last time something moved in there by itself," she argued.
"It was the hamster skeleton," Ren said solemnly. "It's lonely."
"Can I transfer schools?" Aika mumbled.
They started walking to class, the hallway buzzing with energy. The weight of fear hadn't vanished—but for now, it was easier to breathe. To laugh. To pretend they were just three chaotic teenagers instead of targets in someone's twisted game.
But just as they turned the corner—
A student ran past them, holding a phone, shouting:
"Did you see the board outside the teacher's room?! Someone posted another photo!"
Aika stopped mid-step.
Ren and Kaito shared a glance.
Laughter faded.
Just like that—reality came crashing back.
Scene: Teacher's Office Hallway – Minutes Later
A crowd had already gathered, murmurs swelling like waves. Phones were out. Whispers flew through the air like paper planes.
Aika pushed through the knot of students, heart thudding.
And there it was—taped right to the bulletin board, bold and brazen.
A new Polaroid.
This one was different.
It wasn't candid.
It was staged.
Three desks.
Three chairs.
In a perfect triangle.
Each one had a nameplate handwritten in red ink.
> Ren. Kaito. Aika.
And in the middle—burned into the photo itself as if someone had scratched it with heat—
> "Only one walks out."
A chill danced down Aika's spine.
Kaito's breath hitched beside her. "He's trying to turn us against each other."
Ren's face was unreadable, but his fists were clenched at his sides. "Or make us think we should."
Aika ripped the photo off the board before the teachers could see.
"I'm done with these games," she whispered.
But even as she said it—she knew.
This wasn't just a threat.
It was a warning.
The triangle wasn't about who she'd choose anymore.
It was about who'd survive.
Scene: After-School Science Lab
The classroom smelled like chalk, old ethanol, and faint rust. The science lab was one of the oldest rooms in the building—barely used anymore outside experiments.
Which is why it was the perfect place for Kaito to whisper, "It had to be someone with access. Maybe a staff member. Or someone with old keys."
Ren leaned against the supply shelf, arms crossed, watching Aika as she carefully opened the side cabinet. "Or someone who's been here longer than we realized."
Aika crouched, reaching inside. "There's dust everywhere. Nobody's touched this in—wait…"
Her fingers hit something cold.
She pulled it out slowly.
A silver USB stick. No label. Just wedged behind an old box of goggles.
Kaito's eyes widened. "That wasn't in the blueprints we checked. The layout said this cabinet was empty."
Aika flipped it in her palm. "Think it's his?"
"Or bait," Ren muttered.
Aika stood. "Only one way to find out."
As they turned to leave, the lights above flickered.
Fssssh—!
Complete darkness.
Aika instinctively reached for the closest thing—and ended up gripping Ren's sleeve.
He didn't say anything.
But she felt his arm shift just slightly closer.
Kaito's voice broke the silence. "That… wasn't a power cut. My phone just dropped signal too."
Aika's voice was low. "Someone's jamming the signal."
Then—
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps.
Right outside the lab.
Ren moved in front of her instantly, body tense.
The door handle rattled.
Silence.
Then—
The handle clicked.
Unlocked from the outside.
Kaito raised a stool, ready to swing.
But the door creaked open—
And there was no one there.
Just an empty hallway.
On the floor?
A crumpled paper, folded neatly in thirds.
Ren picked it up and slowly opened it.
No photo this time.
Just six words, scrawled in the same red ink.
> "Plug it in. See the truth."
Scene: School Computer Lab – Evening
The computer lab buzzed faintly with the sound of old machines booting up. Fluorescent lights overhead flickered like they couldn't decide whether to stay on or not. The hallway outside was dead quiet—most of the school had emptied long ago.
Ren slammed the door shut and locked it.
Kaito sat at the center desk, already powering up the most secure PC. "If this thing has malware, I'll trap it in a sandbox."
Aika hovered near Ren, gripping the USB tightly.
"You sure?" she asked.
Kaito nodded once. "We've come this far."
Aika handed over the stick, and Kaito inserted it with a soft click.
The screen blinked once.
Then—a folder appeared.
It was titled:
> _GIRL_001.
Ren squinted. "Creepy naming system, check."
Kaito opened the folder.
Inside were dozens of subfolders.
Each one dated.
> "March 10 – Window"
"April 2 – Hallway"
"April 30 – Umbrella Incident"
"May 7 – Confession Intercepted"
"May 18 – Kaito Interference"
"May 25 – Rooftop"
Each name sent a chill through Aika's spine.
"They're all about me," she whispered. "And… us."
Kaito clicked on one.
It opened into a video.
Security footage. Grainy. Low-res. Clearly taken from hidden cameras.
The video played a scene from the classroom—Aika talking with Kaito, laughing, unaware.
Ren leaned forward. "That's from before we knew anything. Before the photos started."
Then another video.
This time from the locker area.
Ren arguing with a random student. Aika nearby. The stalker was documenting their fights. Their moments.
Their proximity.
Every time they touched, got too close, smiled—it was logged.
> "Target smiles. 3.2 seconds."
"Subject Ren looks again. Marked."
"Kaito approaches. Pattern repeated."
Aika stepped back from the screen like it had burned her.
"This is obsession," she whispered.
Kaito opened the final folder. It was titled:
> Final Move
One file inside.
A text document.
He clicked.
Only one sentence appeared:
> "She will break before summer ends."
Silence.
Ren's fists clenched.
"Over my dead body," he muttered.
And for once, Kaito didn't argue.
Scene: School Computer Lab – Moments Later
The room stayed eerily silent after that message.
> "She will break before summer ends."
Ren reached for the USB. "We're taking this. There's no way this—"
CLACK.
The doorknob turned.
Everyone froze.
It was locked—but someone on the other side had a key.
CLICK.
The door creaked open.
Aika jerked away from the monitor.
Ren straightened, shielding her out of instinct.
Kaito slammed the window closed on the screen.
A figure stepped into the room.
Vice Principal Suda.
Tall. Stern. Always appearing when you least wanted him.
He surveyed the trio with narrowed eyes.
His gaze landed on the still-warm computer. "What's going on here?"
Aika's heart dropped.
Ren was already thinking fast. "Group project."
"After hours? In the computer lab? With locked doors?" Suda's voice was flat, but sharp.
Kaito adjusted his glasses, cool under pressure. "Security for a science exhibit. We were checking compatibility between our USB files and the system here. You know the network has restrictions."
Suda's eyes darted to the flash drive still plugged in.
Then slowly—
He smiled.
It wasn't warm.
"I'll take that," he said, reaching for the USB.
Ren stepped forward, blocking him. "We're not done."
"That wasn't a request."
Kaito whispered, "We can't let him see what's in there. If he's involved—"
Aika grabbed the USB herself.
"Sorry, sir," she said, her voice polite but firm. "I'll return it after school hours tomorrow. My name's on the club permission sheet for late usage."
For a moment, Vice Principal Suda's mask cracked.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Something… angry.
But he didn't push it.
Just stepped back. "You shouldn't be here alone. Go home."
As they walked past him, Aika could feel it.
His gaze on her back.
Burning.
---
Scene: Hallway – Just Outside
As soon as they turned the corner, Ren muttered, "Something's off with him."
Kaito nodded. "He saw the folder name. He hesitated."
Aika exhaled shakily. "Do you think he's involved?"
Kaito's voice was low.
"If he isn't the stalker… he knows who is."
Scene: Next Morning – School Courtyard
The sun was bright, but Aika's thoughts were cloudy.
She sat under the ginkgo tree near the gate, watching students stream past in laughter and chatter. Normal life—so easy to fake.
Ren dropped into the seat beside her, drink in hand. "He gives off creep vibes. Always has."
Aika took the juice but didn't smile. "It's more than that. He didn't ask what we were doing. He asked too little."
Kaito arrived a second later, looking unusually serious. "I looked into Suda last night."
Ren arched a brow. "Let me guess—secret basement? Illegal documents? Hidden chains in his office?"
Kaito ignored him. "He used to work at a different high school. Left under weird circumstances."
Aika straightened. "What kind of circumstances?"
Kaito held up his phone, showing an old school newspaper article. "A girl went missing three years ago. Police ruled it a runaway. But… the last person seen speaking to her?"
He tapped the screen.
Vice Principal Suda.
Ren's playful expression vanished.
"He was never charged," Kaito continued. "But he transferred right after. Quietly. No announcement. Just… moved schools."
Aika's blood ran cold. "So he's either guilty… or he's hiding someone who is."
Kaito nodded. "And get this. That girl? Looked kind of like you, Aika."
Ren muttered, "Of course she did."
Scene: Teachers' Hallway – Afternoon
Later that day, the trio slipped near the teacher offices during cleaning time. Kaito stayed by the stairwell as lookout. Aika and Ren crouched near the supply closet beside Suda's office.
Ren whispered, "You sure you wanna do this?"
Aika stared at the glass window with the nameplate:
> Vice Principal Suda – Discipline & Ethics
"Yeah," she said. "He's hiding something. I can feel it."
Just then—
The door opened.
Footsteps. Heading out.
Suda walked past them, not noticing.
Once he was gone, Ren reached into his jacket and pulled out a tiny camera.
Aika blinked. "Where did you get that?"
"Don't ask."
He set it up fast, slipping it behind a potted plant outside Suda's office.
Kaito signaled from the hall. "Hurry!"
Ren ducked back just as the hallway began to fill with students again.
Scene: That Night – Ren's Room
They watched the camera feed from Ren's laptop, silent.
The screen showed the dim interior of Suda's office.
Papers. Files. Locked drawers.
Nothing suspicious… until—
Suda returned. After hours.
He locked the door behind him.
Walked to his desk.
Pulled out a hidden key taped under the drawer.
Unlocked the bottom compartment.
And from it—
He took out a folder.
On the cover?
> "Project ALICE"
Aika leaned forward.
"What the hell is that?"
Then Suda opened the folder—
And the camera went black.
Static.
Someone had found it