The bell rang.
Its sharp echo cut through the classroom, snapping Ren back to the present. Chairs scraped against the floor as students stood, conversations resuming as if nothing strange had happened.
Nothing strange… except the feeling still crawling at the back of his mind.
Ren closed his notebook slowly. The word written on the board—EVOLUTION—remained there, untouched, like it had been carved into the wall rather than written in chalk.
Mr. Sashimoto hadn't erased it.
That bothered him.
"Ren."
He looked up.
Kaito Moriyama stood beside his desk, hands shoved casually into his pockets. Unlike Ren, Kaito looked completely at ease—messy hair, confident posture, eyes sharp with curiosity.
"You zoned out pretty hard," Kaito said with a grin. "Biology finally fried your brain?"
Ren shook his head. "No. I was just… thinking."
"Dangerous habit," Kaito replied lightly. "You coming to lunch?"
Ren hesitated. His eyes drifted, just for a moment, toward the front of the room.
Mr. Sashimoto was still there.
The teacher stood by the window now, staring out at the campus below. His reflection in the glass looked distorted—elongated, warped—almost like it didn't quite belong to the body casting it.
Ren felt that pressure again.
"…Ren?"
"I'll catch up later," Ren said. "I need to stop by the lab wing."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Again? You're really serious about that engineering dream, huh?"
Ren managed a small nod.
Kaito smirked. "Don't stay buried in machines forever. The world's more fun when you look up once in a while."
With that, he turned and left.
Ren remained seated for a few seconds longer before standing.
⸻
The science wing of Kurogane Science Academy was quieter than the rest of the campus.
Here, the walls were reinforced, the doors secured with biometric locks. Advanced equipment lined the corridors behind thick glass panels—projects funded by private corporations and, in some cases, the government itself.
Ren liked it here.
Machines followed rules. Data made sense.
People didn't always.
He paused near a restricted hallway—one students weren't supposed to enter without permission. A red indicator light glowed above the door.
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
Ren frowned.
He had passed this corridor dozens of times, yet today… something felt different.
The air felt heavier.
"Curious minds are dangerous things."
Ren turned sharply.
Mr. Sashimoto stood a few steps behind him.
"I—sorry, sir," Ren said quickly. "I was just—"
"Observing," the teacher finished calmly. "That's good. Scientists should always observe."
Mr. Sashimoto stepped closer to the restricted door. The red light flickered briefly, then stabilized.
Ren noticed.
His heart skipped.
"I've read your academic records, Takahashi Ren," Mr. Sashimoto continued. "Top percentile in applied mathematics. Strong aptitude in engineering theory. Yet you hesitate."
Ren stiffened. "Hesitate…?"
"Yes." The teacher smiled faintly. "You think too much about consequences. About outcomes. About failure."
Ren didn't know how to respond.
Mr. Sashimoto leaned in slightly. "Tell me, Ren—if you had the ability to change humanity… would you?"
The question landed like a physical blow.
"I—" Ren swallowed. "I'd want to end suffering. Not create more."
Mr. Sashimoto chuckled softly.
"A very human answer."
He stepped back. "If you're free after classes today… I may have something that would interest you."
Ren's pulse quickened. "What kind of thing?"
The teacher turned away.
"The kind," he said, "that challenges the limits of evolution."
⸻
That afternoon, Ren couldn't focus.
Equations blurred together. Words lost meaning. Every thought circled back to the same questions.
Why him?
Why today?
Why now?
When the final bell rang, the campus slowly emptied. Students boarded buses, laughter echoing across the grounds.
Ren stood near the exit, hesitating.
"Ren?"
He turned.
Aiko Nakamura stood there, holding her bag with both hands.
"Yes?"
"I heard Mr. Sashimoto asked you to stay behind," she said quietly. "He… asked me too."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ren nodded.
"Let's go," he said.
Somewhere beneath Kurogane Science Academy, a locked laboratory waited—silent, hidden, and hungry for change.
And humanity stood closer to the gamma threshold than anyone realized.