2008, April 5; 4:00 PM
[How was the meeting? Mmm, it was wonderful. I’ll send some details about our next operation in the following days.]
Miyako walked out of the meeting room, slipping her phone into her pocket with a quiet satisfaction. The weight of the discussion lifted, and she felt good. She draped her overcoat over her shoulders and strode confidently down the hallway, her footsteps echoing softly.
Reaching the elevator, she pressed the button without a second thought, her fingers lingering for just a moment on the cool metal. As the elevator doors slid closed, a faint, knowing smile crossed her face.
"Wonderful," she murmured to herself, watching the floors light up one by one as she descended, her mind already moving to whatever lay ahead.
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2008, April 12; 12:00 AM
For the last few days, Aiko's phone had been buzzing with cryptic messages from someone called "Nihilia," each containing coordinates scattered across Tokyo. He didn’t know who they were or why they kept reaching out to him, but the messages felt too precise, too carefully timed to be random. He sighed and tossed his phone aside, flicking on the TV. The screen flashed to life, tuned to a 24/7 news channel reporting on a recent murder at a trendy beauty parlor called "She & Co. Boutique."
“What a joke,” he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. “They’re out here hunting down serial killers, and they don’t even know I’m busting my butt tracking manifestos?”
The reporter's voice became background noise as he zoned out, frustration simmering under the surface. Suddenly, his phone buzzed again. He blinked, picking up his flip phone to find yet another message from Nihilia. This time, the coordinates matched the beauty parlor on the news.
A chill crept up his spine. Without wasting a second, he began frantically dialing Ryo.
“Come on, pick up… pick up!” he muttered, pacing back and forth. After what felt like an eternity, Ryo finally answered, sounding dazed and barely awake.
“...What?”
Aiko didn’t waste any time. “Tell Miss Miyako—I think I’ve got something!”
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2008, April 12; 1:00 PM
Aiko burst into Miyako’s office, breathless with anticipation. Ryo was already seated, sipping a coffee with his usual composed expression. Miyako, however, was focused on her paperwork, flipping through files as if Aiko’s excitement were barely worth a glance.
"Miss Miyako! I think I’ve got something!" Aiko said, practically bouncing on his feet.
"Is that so?" Miyako’s voice was casual, as if she hadn’t even heard him. She kept flipping through the papers, her brow furrowed in concentration. Aiko’s enthusiasm waned for a split second, but he refused to let it stop him.
"So, I was watching the news last night, and—"
Miyako’s eyes never left the page in front of her, and Ryo cast a pitying glance at Aiko, already anticipating that his words would likely get lost in the noise. He sipped his coffee with a small smirk, knowing the routine by now. But then Aiko spoke that one word that instantly cut through Miyako’s indifference.
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"Nihilia!"
Miyako’s head snapped up so fast it was almost like a reflex. Her eyes, previously clouded with disinterest, sharpened immediately. "Mmm?"
Aiko saw the shift, and it was enough to reignite his energy. "Nihilia—the one sending me random coordinates all over Tokyo."
“Ah... right. Go on.” Miyako leaned forward slightly, her voice calm but with a sharp edge that indicated she was fully paying attention now. Her fingers tapped lightly on the desk, a small sign of her growing interest.
"Okay, so these strings of murders across Tokyo? They’re all happening at the places Nihilia’s been sending me coordinates for!" Aiko’s voice was filled with excitement, his earlier frustration forgotten as he leaned closer to the desk. He didn’t notice, though, that the room had shifted from excitement to something more serious.
Ryo, arms crossed, let out a sigh and shook his head. “This doesn’t help us in any—”
“It does, actually,” Miyako interrupted him, her tone cool and calculating. She exchanged a glance with Aiko, one that seemed almost approving. "I’ve been getting those messages, too," she added, her voice soft but filled with an intensity that none of them could ignore. "I was going to bring it up later, but it looks like you’re ahead of me."
Ryo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What exactly are you playing at, Miss Miyako?” he asked, though the question was more a formality than anything. He could already guess where this was headed.
Before Miyako could answer, the door swung open suddenly, and Yasuka stumbled in late as ever. She looked slightly disoriented, her movements a little more frantic than usual.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t think it’d open that fast…” Yasuka said, breathless as she quickly composed herself, her face turning a shade pinker than usual.
“It’s fine.” Miyako waved her off, motioning for her to take a seat. "As I was saying, this 'Nihilia' seems to be tracking someone of particular interest to us."
Ryo raised an eyebrow, always a step ahead of the others. “The enemy of your enemy is your friend?”
“Exactly.” Miyako’s lips curled into a small but knowing smile. She pulled a few sheets of paper from the stack and spread them across the table. “Nihilia has been one step ahead of us, tracking our target. She’s been following him to these places.”
The trio leaned forward as Miyako slid the papers toward them. Each of them grabbed one, scanning the names and locations on the sheets.
“The Is-Land Shores Café, March 29th,” Ryo read aloud, his voice steady as he noted the significance.
“The Coming Home Inn? What kind of name is that?” Aiko said, squinting at the paper in confusion. He tapped it lightly, trying to make sense of the name that didn’t quite fit the pattern.
“T-The For the Record Vinyl Shop, near Shibuya…” Yasuka murmured, clearly reading through the list with growing apprehension.
“The Me Time Spa, March 30th,” Ryo said again, his voice now tinged with something darker as he saw the places where the murders had occurred.
“And last night… the She & Co. Boutique,” Aiko finished, his voice trailing off as the weight of the revelation finally hit him. There was a pause, and the air in the room shifted—tension hanging thick like fog.
Miyako clapped her hands lightly, snapping them all back to attention. “Exactly.”
The three exchanged uneasy glances, each of them beginning to see how the pieces fit together.
"Now, if you organize them in a certain way..." Miyako trailed off, watching as her words sank in.
“She… is… coming… for… me?” Yasuka whispered, the chill of realization creeping up her spine. She looked from the paper to Miyako, her voice barely audible as the weight of what they were uncovering hit her all at once. Aiko and Ryo were no different; the puzzle pieces were falling into place, but the truth was darker than they’d expected.
“Lovely,” Miyako said, her voice smooth as ever, but there was a certain gleam in her eyes. "Both of you could learn a thing or two from her," she added, her tone almost playful, but the words carried a heavy meaning. Aiko and Ryo both shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
"It seems this 'Nihilia' figure is after the same person we are—and she’s keeping him on the run," Miyako continued, leaning back in her chair with a small but calculating smile. She paused, letting the silence drag out before the final reveal.
"And who is this person of interest?" Ryo asked, his voice steady but filled with anticipation.
Miyako’s eyes glinted with sharp intensity, her gaze fixed firmly on them. “The Anarchy Signatory.”
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