Act VIII - The Wind that stirs up the dust:

Student Council Room - 7:14 PM :

Sohara tossed his pen on the table and gazed at the ceiling.

"Well, I guess I'm done."

In front of him, the agenda for the graduation ceremony looked quite tidy, the papers organized, and the final edits done. But he couldn't ignore an uncomfortable feeling that had lingered since his meeting with Tojimura.

Shoji, sitting in the opposite chair, was fiddling with a mechanical pen, deftly twirling it between his fingers.

"What do you think about it?" He finally asked.

Sohara didn't reply directly, but looked toward Yukiha, who was silently reading another file.

"You know him?"

Yukiha didn't take her eyes off the papers. "Nai Tojimura... A straight-A student, but not the type to stand out socially. His grades are perfect, but he rarely participates in any school activities. He wasn't a member of any clubs, and he hasn't gotten into any trouble over the years."

"In other words, a squeaky clean person... suspiciously so." Shoji commented with a sideways smile.

Sohara closed his eyes for a moment, reanalyzing Tojimura's words in his head.

"Some doors... shouldn't be opened."

A statement like that, in an academy that claims to be perfect and disciplined, was not random.

"It's not him, it's what he's trying to tell us." He finally said.

Yukiha closed the file she was reading. For the first time since the beginning of the meeting, she seemed to be seriously considering it.

"You think he was warning us."

"Not a direct warning, but... a test." Sohara replied. "He wants to see how we react to what he said."

Shoji tilted his head to the side. "That assumes he knows something we don't."

Sohara sighed. "No, it confirms that he knows something we don't."

Teacher Misaki Shidou's office - 8:03 PM :

"The archive office?"

Misaki Shidou raised an eyebrow as she looked at Sohara over the cup of tea she was sipping.

"Yes."

"And why?"

Sohara, sitting across from her, kept his features calm.

"Something doesn't seem normal in the way the school is handling some old files. I want to take a look."

Misaki set her cup down quietly.

"Do you have official permission to do so?"

"Not yet."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "So, you want me to give you permission?"

"You're the one who forced me to join the student council." He shrugged. "I suppose that includes facilitating things when I need them."

Misaki chuckled softly. Then, slowly, she opened one of her desk drawers, pulled out a small key, and placed it in front of him.

"You have one hour."

Sohara wasted no time. He took the key and got up.

Before he walked out, he heard her voice again.

"Sohara Akima."

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Some doors open easily..." she said in a quiet voice. "But closing them may be harder than you think."

For some reason he didn't understand, he felt a slight chill run through his body.