The academy settled into an uneasy routine.
Classes resumed. Repairs finished. Guards doubled their patrols. On the surface, things were returning to normal—but Kaito could feel it under his skin. The tension hadn't left. It had just learned how to stay quiet.
He stood with Aria in the records hall, shelves stretching high above them, each holding logs of academy activity—movement records, security reports, maintenance schedules.
"This place hasn't been touched in days," Aria said softly. "Which means if something was altered, it happened before the attack."
Kaito nodded, flipping through a guard report. "Or by someone who didn't need permission."
Dex padded along the aisle, nose low, tail still. He stopped suddenly and let out a low huff.
Kaito froze. "What is it?"
Dex pawed at the floor near a support pillar.
There—barely noticeable unless you knew what to look for—was a faint scuff in the stone. Not damage. Not a burn.
A drag mark.
Kaito crouched slowly, ignoring the pull in his side. "This shouldn't be here."
Aria leaned closer. "Maintenance carts don't come through this hall."
"And guards don't either," Kaito added. "Too narrow."
The mark wasn't fresh, but it wasn't old either. Someone had moved something heavy through a place designed not to be used.
They followed it.
Down a narrow corridor. Past an unused stairwell. Into a storage room that should've been locked.
It wasn't.
Inside, everything looked normal at first glance. Crates stacked neatly. Shelves organized. Too organized.
Mira arrived moments later, scanning the room. "This place was cleaned recently."
Ryo frowned. "After the attack?"
"Before," Mira replied. "Someone prepped it."
Kaito moved deeper, eyes narrowing.
Then he saw it.
A crate labeled Training Equipment – Level Two Clearance.
He opened it.
Inside were restraint rounds—non-lethal, designed to incapacitate without leaving obvious wounds. The kind used by academy security.
But these had been modified.
The serial markings were filed down. The internal charge adjusted—enough to mimic uncontrolled power damage if someone didn't look too closely.
Aria's breath caught. "These could explain the injuries."
"And the gunfire," Ryo said quietly.
Kaito closed the crate slowly.
"They wanted it to look like chaos," he said. "Like something went wrong. Like I lost control."
Mira crossed her arms. "But only someone with clearance could access these."
Silence.
Then Liona spoke, barely above a whisper. "Not students."
Kaito nodded. "Staff. Or someone trusted enough to move freely."
Dex growled softly, ears flat.
Kaito stood, pain flaring briefly before he steadied himself. His expression was calm—but his eyes were sharp now.
"They didn't leave a message," he said. "They didn't need to."
Aria looked at him. "Because the evidence speaks for them."
"For now," Kaito replied.
Somewhere in the academy, a door closed quietly.
And someone realized a single overlooked detail had just become a problem.