Chapter 67; Maximum alert Pt:1

...10/09/2009 Thursday; Night...

Yukari carefully closed Minato's bedroom door and began walking down the hallway toward the staircase leading to the ground floor.

However, she stopped as soon as she reached the top of the stairs, staring into the void as Fuuka's words echoed in her mind.

"You should talk to Mitsuru about what happened in the command room."

Taking a deep breath, Yukari pressed her lips together. Memories of the argument between her and Mitsuru resurfaced, the heated discussion flaring up in her mind.

The anger she felt over Mitsuru hiding the truth again, even if she had a valid reason, now seemed disproportionate.

"I need to talk to her…" she murmured, as if trying to convince herself.

With a determined movement, she turned on her heels and headed up the stairs to the third floor.

Her steps were slow as she approached Mitsuru's door.

She stopped in front of it, raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. A brief moment of doubt made her pull back slightly.

At that moment, the door opened, revealing Mitsuru, who looked surprised to see her there.

"Takeba? Did something happen?" Mitsuru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah… hey, Kirijo-senpai… nice weather today, huh?" Yukari said, forcing a smile as she scratched her head.

Mitsuru crossed her arms, clearly confused. "Huh? But it's already eight-thirty at night."

"Ahh… I give up," Yukari sighed, her expression shifting to a mix of embarrassment and nervousness. "Sorry, senpai… but can we talk?"

Mitsuru nodded, her expression softening. "Of course, come in—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yukari bowed deeply in front of her, catching her completely off guard.

"I'm sorry, Kirijo-senpai," Yukari said without lifting her gaze. "For doubting you and yelling when I saw the recording of you taking Hiro's Theurgy."

"Takeba, there's no need—" Mitsuru started, but Yukari didn't let her finish.

"I shouldn't have doubted you… I'm sorry for everything," Yukari insisted, her voice heavy with regret.

Mitsuru remained silent for a moment, observing Yukari's remorseful posture. Despite the initial discomfort, a small smile appeared on her lips. She recognized the sincerity of the gesture and felt the tension between them begin to fade.

"It's alright. You can stand up," Mitsuru said with a gentle gesture. "There's no need to apologize."

Yukari straightened up, but her eyes still reflected sadness. "But… the way I spoke… and Hiro getting that way with me was…"

"I should be the one apologizing," Mitsuru interrupted, crossing her arms with a sincere tone. "I understand why you were angry with me. I've already hidden the truth about your father… and now this."

Yukari was caught off guard by those words. She saw something deeper in Mitsuru's eyes—a silent guilt that seemed to weigh on her.

"Yeah, but…" Yukari started, hesitating for a moment. "You had a good reason for doing it… but Hiro didn't say anything?"

"I talked to him after that meeting," Mitsuru answered with a faint smile. "Even though he saw me take the Theurgy, he didn't doubt my decision. Maybe I should have told him beforehand, but… he would have understood."

"Not just him," Yukari said with a shy smile.

"What do you mean?" Mitsuru asked, curious.

"You wouldn't lie about our safety… and I was dumb not to think of that," Yukari admitted, looking away. "I guess I shouldn't doubt you anymore."

Mitsuru placed her hands on her hips, her tone calm and confident. "It's normal to question someone's decisions. My father always said that making mistakes is human, that no one is perfect."

Yukari let out a small laugh, finally relaxing for the first time during the conversation. "And he's right. Thanks for listening to me."

"You're welcome," Mitsuru replied with a gentle smile. "I needed to talk about this with you too."

The tension between them was finally replaced by a mutual sense of relief.

Sudden, hurried footsteps echoed on the stairs, growing closer, making Mitsuru and Yukari exchange worried glances. Yukari frowned, her heart beating slightly faster.

"Kirijo-senpai! Are you there?" Ken's muffled voice rang out just before his figure appeared at the top of the stairs, visibly out of breath.

Mitsuru took a few steps forward, her eyes narrowing with urgency. "Amada-kun, what happened?"

Ken stopped, taking a deep breath before responding, his hands resting on his knees. "Aigis-san brought Mikoshi-senpai… He cut his hand."

"Is it serious?" Yukari crouched slightly, trying to get a better look at the boy's face.

Ken scratched his head, hesitant. "It doesn't seem that bad… but it was dripping blood."

Mitsuru turned, her posture rigid. "Takeba, grab the medical kit from my room. I'm heading down." Without waiting for a response, she descended the stairs, Ken following right behind her.

Koromaru's incessant barking cut through the air.

The scene before Mitsuru was a mix of chaos and improvisation.

Aigis held a bottle of alcohol, carefully pouring it over Hiro's hand, while Shinjiro handed him a damp towel.

"Make a compress to stop the bleeding," Shinjiro instructed, his voice serious.

"Understood." Aigis began wrapping the cloth around Hiro's hand with precision.

Hiro smiled upon seeing Mitsuru, despite the flicker of pain crossing his face. "Hey, Mitsuru. Nothing serious, just a little accident."

She crossed her arms, her concern barely concealed in her tone. "How did this happen?"

Aigis lifted her gaze, expression neutral. "We were testing the knife Hiro-san ordered for Koromaru. During the test, the knife fell into the offering box at Naganaki Shrine."

Hiro stroked Koromaru's head with his free hand, his tone slightly embarrassed. "I went to retrieve it and, well… I didn't see the exposed nail."

He grimaced as Aigis tightened the bandage a bit too firmly. "Agh! Easy, Aigis!"

"My apologies." Aigis adjusted the pressure more delicately.

Mitsuru sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "At least it was just that. Next time, be more careful, understood?"

Yukari arrived, holding the medical kit firmly.

Without wasting time, she knelt beside Hiro, grabbing the adhesive tape while examining the cut closely. "Leave it to me. The wound isn't that serious."

As Yukari finished dressing the wound, Akihiko entered, accompanied by Junpei.

Their eyes immediately locked onto the bloodstains on the floor and Yukari's swift movements as she treated Hiro's hand.

"What happened here?" Akihiko asked, stepping closer with curiosity.

Hiro let out a low chuckle, raising his now-bandaged hand. "Nothing major. Just a knife, a nail, and a bit of bad luck."

Junpei crossed his arms, leaning in to get a better look. "Seriously? Then why all the fuss? Thought it was something worse!"

"If it were more serious, I would've done something drastic already," Yukari shot back, irritation flashing in her eyes before she refocused on Hiro.

"Thanks, Yukari," Hiro said, flexing his fingers to test the bandage.

"No problem. But next time, try not to stick your hand in places that can hurt you, alright?" She smiled, but her tone carried a clear warning.

Hiro smiled faintly, attempting to shake off his discomfort.

"I'll try to be more careful next ti…" His voice trailed off. He stopped, his gaze wandering around the dorm. Something was off.

Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Hiro? You seem tense."

The environment looked normal, yet an unsettling emptiness weighed on the air.

His eyes darted toward the others, searching for answers. "Has anyone… seen Fuuka?" The question left his lips hesitantly, yet laced with concern.

Junpei scratched his chin, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Now that you mention it, I was about to look for her. Need to return the laptop I borrowed."

Mitsuru studied Hiro's face carefully, noticing his growing unease. "Didn't she send you a message?"

Hiro shook his head, his jaw clenched. "No, not a single one."

"Oh, Fuuka went up to the command room," Yukari replied casually, trying to ease the tension. "She said she was going to check the video."

Hiro let out a quiet sigh of relief, the tension in his chest easing only for a moment. "I see… that's a bit of a relief."

Aigis tilted her head slightly, looking at Mitsuru. "Kirijo-senpai, I forgot to mention that the video should be fully processed by now."

Mitsuru nodded, crossing her arms. "Good. We can watch it later. But first, we need to discuss Arisato's condition…"

Mitsuru's words started to fade into the background of Hiro's mind.

The unease from earlier surged back with full force—a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong.

His gaze flicked toward the stairs, his heartbeat pounding in his chest.

Without saying a word, Hiro took a careful step back, then another, until he was out of the group's line of sight.

He moved toward the stairs, but before he could ascend, a firm hand grabbed his arm.

"Hiro," Shinjiro's deep voice called his attention, the tone serious and low. "You're thinking something's off too, aren't you?"

Hiro met his friend's steady gaze and slowly nodded. "Yeah... and it doesn't feel good."

Shinjiro pressed his lips together, reflecting for a moment before releasing Hiro's arm.

He made a discreet gesture to Koromaru, who immediately started following Hiro. "Go check if everything's okay in the command room," he whispered. "Take Koromaru. Just in case."

Hiro gave Shinjiro a grateful punch on the shoulder before starting up the stairs.

Koromaru followed closely, occasionally letting out short barks as if checking whether Hiro was alright.

"I'm fine, buddy," Hiro said quietly, glancing at the dog. A brief smile crossed his face, but it didn't erase the weight in his expression. "Just... worried about Fuuka."

He quickened his pace, but doubt kept hammering in his mind.

Why does it feel like something is about to go wrong?

His hands clenched into fists as he kept climbing, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the empty stairwell.

The sound of footsteps resonating in the staircase made Minato, who was walking down the hallway, stop and look up.

He saw Hiro with Koromaru beside him, both moving quickly.

A curious look crossed Minato's face, but he said nothing, simply observing for a few seconds before continuing on his way.

Meanwhile, Hiro and Koromaru reached the fourth floor.

The hallway was silent, but an unexpected chill ran down Hiro's spine.

Unnoticed, Noir's eyes—those of the man in black—watched intently from a dark corner near the stairs leading to the rooftop.

His posture was relaxed, but there was something profoundly unsettling about the grin he wore beneath his mask.

Before disappearing, Noir made a theatrical gesture, bowing in an exaggerated manner toward Hiro.

Hiro stopped with his hand on the doorknob, frowning and glancing back.

There was nothing there, just empty space. He narrowed his eyes, irritated.

"What the hell..." he murmured to himself, while the unsettling feeling lingered.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and opened the door to the command room.

The room was as usual: the sofas neatly arranged, the soft glow of the monitors illuminating the main computer.

Everything seemed normal, but something was wrong.

"Fuuka?" Hiro called out, his eyes scanning the space.

No response.

He took a few steps, looking around, until something caught his attention.

On the floor, near the computer, he saw a pair of motionless feet.

His heart stopped.

"No..." he whispered, hoping what he was thinking was wrong.

Hiro rushed to the collapsed figure, his eyes widening as he saw Fuuka on the ground.

A deep gash on her forehead leaked blood down her face, and her nose was visibly broken.

Near the computer, bloodstains indicated it had been used to knock her out.

"FUUKA!" Hiro's voice rang out in a desperate cry, echoing through the silent room.

He knelt down, trembling, and pulled Fuuka's torso into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. "Hey! Wake up, Fuuka!" He shook her lightly, but she didn't respond.

His hand brushed against her face, revealing dried tears mixed with blood.

Fuuka had cried when she was attacked. The pain and fear were still etched onto her features, even in unconsciousness.

Koromaru let out a low whimper, stepping closer to her.

He nuzzled her hand, as if pleading for her to wake up.

Hiro looked at the dog, urgency burning in his eyes. "Go, boy! Get Mitsuru, the others. Aigis needs to know Fuuka was attacked!"

Koromaru responded with a sharp bark and bolted out the door, his quick steps fading into the hallway as he dashed down the stairs, barking loudly to get attention.

Back in the command room, Hiro held Fuuka carefully, pressing her against his chest while his trembling hands tried to wipe the blood from her face.

He closed his eyes, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"You're gonna be okay, Fuuka... I promise. Just... hold on, alright?" He gently stroked her head, a fragile attempt to offer comfort as panic consumed him.