Act IX - Whispers of the Past:

Fourth floor corridor - in front of the archive office - 8:27 PM :

Sohara stood in front of the metal door, holding the small key between his fingers. Misaki's words replayed in his mind, but he didn't pause for long.

"One hour."

He inserted the key and turned it, and a quiet "click" sounded as the lock opened.

He slowly pushed the door open... and the smell of old paper and dust immediately filled his nostrils.

Inside the archive office - 8:30 PM :

Shelves stretch to the ceiling, filled with dusty files and old leather binders. The lighting is dim, and the place is uncomfortably quiet.

"Okay, let's get started."

He moves through the rows, his eyes scanning the titles. Some of the files have distant dates, going back decades.

But he wasn't looking for anything random. He was looking for "Class of 2005."

Minutes passed before he found a shelf with files categorized by years. His eye fell on a folder labeled "Class of 2005 - Graduation Records."

He reached out and pulled it out... but something else caught his eye.

Right next to it, there was another folder, with no obvious title, but it looked a little newer than the others. And on its edge... an ink stain that hadn't completely dried.

He raised an eyebrow. "A recent file? In an old archive?"

Without thinking, he pulled it out and opened it.

The first page... made his body stiffen.

Inside the archive office - 8:42 PM :

His eyes read the first lines quickly, his pulse increased for no apparent reason.

"Student: Akima Sohara"

"Class: Unspecified"

"Behavioral Assessment: ..."

But he couldn't read any further, because a low, barely audible voice sounded behind him.

"You didn't have to come here."

He turned immediately, but there was no one there.

The place was the same, quiet, a little dark, no sign of anyone else.

But he felt it.

He felt someone else watching him.

Quickly closing the file, he put it back in its place, taking with him only the Class of 2005 file.

He walked out of the archive, and before closing the door behind him, he took one last look inside.

There was no one there.

But his hunch wasn't wrong.

There was someone, hiding in the shadows.