Chapter 60; The intention to save you Pt:1

...07/09/2009 Monday; Night...

The room was engulfed in an agonizing silence, the static sound on the screen seeming to amplify everyone's discomfort.

Fuuka stepped away from the keyboard, her face pale. She murmured, almost to herself, "He knew we were watching."

Cold sweat trickled down Hiro's back. He ran a hand over his face, trying to process what he had just seen. "That guy... He walked in and out like he owned the place."

Mitsuru, still processing what she had seen, spoke with a voice trembling with frustration and disbelief. "He knew the computer's password... But how?"

Junpei, clearly worried, asked aloud, "But how did he know we were gonna watch? Is the guy psychic or something?"

Everyone fell silent, lost in their thoughts.

The mystery grew with each passing second.

How could someone obtain so much information about S.E.E.S.? How did he know so much?

And worse, he mentioned Takeharu Kirijo, Mitsuru's father, as if he were involved in something bigger.

Yukari started massaging her hands, clearly anxious. "He knows about us... He's watching us."

Akihiko turned to Mitsuru, his mind already working to find answers. "Did you notice he opened a file on the flash drive? Something that's not on the computer? Hey, Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru didn't respond immediately. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, her thoughts in complete disarray.

The mention of her father disturbed her deeply.

This man knew about Takeharu, which suggested that the threat was more personal than they had ever imagined.

The weight of responsibility seemed to intensify on her shoulders.

Hiro noticed Mitsuru's state and stepped closer.

With a gentle touch, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a light shake. "Mitsuru, are you okay?"

She blinked a few times, surprised, as if being pulled back to reality.

Taking a deep breath, she placed one of her hands over his. "I... I'm fine. I just got worried when he mentioned my father's name."

Hiro slowly withdrew his hands, but his gaze remained firm, accompanied by a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll find this guy before he does anything."

Mitsuru gave a small smile, grateful for the support. "Thank you."

She turned to Akihiko, trying to regain her composure. "What were you saying? I didn't hear properly."

Akihiko crossed his arms, recalling what he was saying. "I was talking about the file that guy opened when he plugged in the flash drive," he explained.

"We couldn't see what it was, but maybe we can enhance the image or do something to find out what he was accessing."

Mitsuru brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful. "That's a good idea." She looked at Aigis and Fuuka. "Can you enhance the image quality?"

Aigis, always precise, responded immediately. "Yes, I can enlarge the image and adjust the resolution to try to make the file readable. However, this process may take several hours or even a whole day. The camera has lower quality and requires significant proces—"

Junpei let out a nervous laugh and scratched his head, clearly not understanding half of what Aigis was saying. "Ehhh, got it, Aigis! But let's hope it doesn't take that long, right?"

As everyone talked, Ken approached the computer and noticed that a new recording from last month had just been processed.

A rendering issue had delayed its appearance in the history logs.

"Hey, guys, it looks like the computer just processed another recording," Ken said, catching everyone's attention.

Yukari, surprised, frowned. "New? But it only showed up now?"

Shinjiro, already approaching the monitor with a serious expression, responded, "Could be important. Let's see what's on it."

And Shinjiro hit play on the recording.

^^^Recording date: 08/10/2009^^^

^^^Time: 3:24 AM^^^

The recording showed Hiro's room, dimly lit by the faint glow of the early morning. He was lying down, in a deep sleep.

Hiro's desk looked like a mix between a study station and an improvised workshop, with two notebooks stacked beside an empty soda can.

The room was well-organized, except for one corner cluttered with school junk—notebooks, crumpled papers, and a bag tossed carelessly.

Then, the door slowly creaked open.

Mitsuru entered, wearing a red robe over a white nightgown, and walked toward Hiro's bed.

Her movements were silent, as if she didn't want to wake him.

Her face was calm, but there was something in her eyes—something that showed concern.

Akihiko furrowed his brows, confused. "Why did Mitsuru go to Hiro's room at this hour?"

Hiro, watching the scene in silence, murmured to himself, "That night..."

In the recording, Mitsuru approached Hiro's bed and spoke a few words, but the camera didn't capture them.

She then moved to the wardrobe, opening it and searching for something. Her frustration was visible.

"Where's the armband? It's not here," she muttered to herself, continuing her search.

Yukari, clearly intrigued, looked at the others. "Armband?"

The video froze for a brief moment but soon resumed, showing Mitsuru kneeling beside the bed.

Carefully, she pulled out a box from underneath the bed. That's where Hiro kept his combat gear.

She opened the box and took out the armband that was stored inside.

Mitsuru pressed the Gekkoukan High emblem, ejecting the Theurgy cartridge.

She examined it for a moment before taking it and putting everything back in place, closing the box carefully.

But before leaving, she leaned slightly over Hiro, who was still fast asleep.

Her fingers ran through his hair softly, almost affectionately.

She whispered something, but once again, the recording failed to capture her words.

Mitsuru then left the room in silence, carefully closing the door behind her.

However, as soon as she left, Hiro started stirring.

He opened his eyes, revealing that he had been awake the entire time.

Slowly, he sat up in bed, his gaze fixed on the door, clearly confused by what had just happened.

Without hesitation, he reached down and pulled the box from under the bed, opening it.

Upon realizing the armband compartment was empty, his confusion deepened.

"She... took my Theurgy?" Hiro murmured, clearly intrigued. "Why?"

The recording ended abruptly, leaving everyone in the room silent.

The heavy silence filled the air, and everyone except Hiro turned their eyes toward Mitsuru.

She was pale, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the screen.

The tension in the room was thick, as if each passing second added more weight to their shoulders.

Yukari was the first to break the silence, her narrowed eyes filled with distrust and irritation.

"Mitsuru…" Her voice was cold, almost accusatory. "You took Hiro's Theurgy without telling anyone."

Akihiko crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "I always wondered why Hiro never activated his Theurgy. Now it makes sense… because you took the cartridge."

Fuuka, her face filled with concern, looked at Mitsuru, trying to ease the situation. "Kirijo-senpai… I know you wouldn't do this with bad intentions, but… why did you do it?"

The weight of her friends' words felt suffocating, pressing Mitsuru against an invisible wall.

The room seemed to shrink around her, leaving her without an immediate answer.

Every judging gaze fell on her like a sharp blade.

"I… I didn't…" Mitsuru's voice wavered, hesitant.

It was clear she was struggling to find the right words, something that could justify her actions. But nothing seemed enough.

Shinjiro, who had been silent until then, cast a serious glance at Hiro. "You knew she took your Theurgy. So, you were pretending not to know."

Hiro looked at Mitsuru, his eyes steady and understanding.

He knew Mitsuru would never do anything without a good reason.

He knew that, above all, she wanted to protect them.

"I know she wouldn't do anything to harm us," Hiro said, his voice calm but firm, with no trace of doubt.

Ken, who had remained silent until now, leaned forward. "But, Kirijo-senpai... what was the reason for doing this?"

Mitsuru lowered her gaze for a moment, searching within herself for an answer that made sense.

When she finally lifted her head, her voice was low but filled with guilt. "It was… to protect Hiro."

Yukari crossed her arms tightly, her anger starting to boil over. "Protect? How does taking his Theurgy protect him?!"

Fuuka tried to intervene, placing a hand on Yukari's shoulder. "Yukari-san, please…"

But Yukari pushed Fuuka's hand away, her voice rising, eyes burning with rage. "Do you think you can keep hiding things from us, Mitsuru?!"

Mitsuru, already on the verge of an emotional breakdown, tried to defend herself, but her words came out confused and broken. "But I did it because—"

Yukari didn't let her finish, her anger exploding all at once. "Before Yakushima, you hid the truth about my father!"

Her voice was filled with pain, and every word felt like a strike. "Now you hid the fact that you took Hiro's Theurgy. How can we trust you?! What guarantees that you won't hide something again?!"

Mitsuru stepped forward, frustration finally taking over her voice. "I won't hide anything anymore!"

Yukari, relentless, pressed on. "What are the chances?!"

At that moment, Hiro, who had been observing the argument, couldn't take it anymore.

"YUKARI!" Hiro's shout echoed through the room, silencing everyone.

The intensity of his voice was like thunder, breaking through the thick tension in the air.

Yukari froze, startled by Hiro's sudden outburst. Everyone in the room stepped back a little, shocked by his tone.

Hiro positioned himself between Mitsuru and Yukari, his eyes blazing with controlled anger.

He stared at Yukari, his presence imposing, like a shield between the two.

"I don't know what the hell your problem is!" Hiro's voice reverberated through the room, filled with fury.

"BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN PUT ALL THE BLAME ON MITSURU, DAMN IT!"

The silence that followed was heavier than his shout.

Everyone was stunned, including Yukari, who looked at Hiro in shock.

Still catching her breath, Yukari tried to compose herself. "You're… you're defending her, even after she took your Theurgy?"

Hiro frowned, his gaze unwavering. "You didn't even give Mitsuru a proper chance to explain! Yes, she took my Theurgy, but do you think she did it to screw us over? She's always been the one who worried about our safety the most!"

The room remained silent, only the sound of their heavy breathing filling the air.

Mitsuru looked at Hiro, his back still turned to her, and a sense of relief washed over her chest.

She hadn't expected him to defend her so fiercely, but at the same time, it eased part of the burden she carried in her soul.

"Hiro..." Mitsuru murmured, her voice soft and filled with emotion.

Yukari, still burning with frustration, tried to argue. "But she—"

Hiro gritted his teeth and pointed toward Mitsuru, his expression frustrated.

"There's no 'but,' Yukari! What's happening here is that Mitsuru is trying to explain, AND YOU'RE NOT LETTING HER!"

Yukari, ready to respond, opened her mouth but quickly shut it, realizing Hiro was right.

She shifted her gaze from Hiro to Mitsuru, who still stood behind him, then looked around, noticing everyone's stares.

The irritation on her face slowly faded, gradually replaced by an expression of sadness and regret.

"Damn it..." Yukari muttered, clenching her fists. "If you trust her that much… fine."

Hiro took a deep breath, his anger dissipating. "I don't know why you're so mad at Mitsuru, but next time, don't blame someone before understanding the situation."

Fuuka stepped forward, her voice gentle but filled with concern. "Please… let Kirijo-senpai explain. Arguing like this won't solve anything."

Junpei, scratching his head with a resigned sigh, spoke in support. "I agree with Fuuka. Yukari, at least listen to what senpai has to say."

Yukari looked at Mitsuru again, seeing her with her head down, the weight of guilt and pressure clearly visible on her shoulders.

The strong and imposing leader who always stood firm now looked crushed by the tension in the room.

Yukari bit her lip, regretting pushing her so hard.

Without another word, she turned and walked to the couch, sitting next to Minato in silence.

Hiro then slowly turned to Mitsuru. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

But Mitsuru didn't have the courage to lift her head.

The leader who had always lifted the team, who never faltered in the face of danger, now showed vulnerability, unable to meet his gaze.

Hiro lowered his head slightly to try and catch Mitsuru's eyes, whispering gently. "Hey… don't be like this. We need our leader."

Mitsuru turned her face away, avoiding Hiro's gaze, her voice trembling. "Hmm?.. ah, yes… I'll try to do that…"

She stepped away from him and walked slowly to the armchair.

Sitting down, she stared at the wall, her gaze empty and distant, as if trying to find some peace amid the chaos of her own thoughts.

Hiro, sensing the weight of the situation, walked over to Aigis. "Aigis, get something for Mitsuru to drink, please."

Aigis nodded promptly. "Of course. I will bring some water."