Chapter 13: — "Evidence"

Rin and I ran through the neighborhood until Kaito’s house came into view. I barely had time to catch my breath before Rin jabbed the doorbell.

The door opened, and there stood Kaito. He looked a little surprised, like he hadn’t expected anyone, but Rin didn’t give him a second to speak.

“We got it. A photo of the logo you showed us yesterday.”

His eyes widened slightly. Shock flickered across his face, though he hid it quickly. “Already? You two found one that fast…?”

The weight in his tone told me everything: this wasn’t good. If we’d spotted the logo so soon, that meant the company was moving quicker than he thought. Too quick.

“Come inside,” he muttered, gesturing us in.

We stepped into his room, and I couldn’t stop myself from staring. It wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. The walls were cluttered with mounted weapons, half-assembled blasters, and wires that dangled like vines. A glowing PC screen hummed on his desk. Amid the chaos, I noticed a couple of personal touches: a cracked drone shell sitting in the corner, and a dusty medal shoved onto a shelf, something from his track days, maybe? It was a strange mix of genius and mess, all undeniably Kaito.

He dropped into his chair and motioned for Rin to hand him the phone. She did, her posture casual, face set in that trademark cool expression of hers. Kaito scanned the photo, then gave a small nod.

“Good work,” he said simply. “This is clear enough to track.”

Rin smirked, leaning back with a shrug. “Of course it is.”

I stood just behind her, clutching the strap of my bag so tight it hurt. A flicker of jealousy twisted in my chest. Sure, Rin had taken the pictures, but if it hadn’t been for me and the sphere, we wouldn’t have even known about the truck. Still, I bit my tongue. Picking a fight now would just make me look petty.

Instead, I forced a small smile, pretending the knot in my chest didn’t exist, while Kaito’s lips curled into the faintest smirk at Rin’s confidence.

—

Kaito slid into his chair like he’d done this a hundred times before. His room hummed with life—screens glowing, wires crisscrossing the floor like veins, shelves cluttered with gadgets I couldn’t even name. Weapons leaned against the wall like it was totally normal to have a small armory in your bedroom.

Rin dropped herself onto his bed without asking, arms crossed, looking around unimpressed. Meanwhile, I hovered awkwardly by the door, holding my bag against me like a shield.

“Alright,” Kaito muttered, fingers flying across his keyboard. He plugged Rin’s phone into his PC and the photos flashed onto the biggest screen in the room. The blurry shots of the truck filled the space, one after the other. Some were smudged, some too dark, but one, just one, had the logo sharp and clear.

“There,” Kaito said, zooming in on the symbol. “That’s the one. Same marking from yesterday.”

He dragged the image onto a map projection, overlaying it with data I couldn’t keep up with. Routes, timestamps, delivery grids, his screen was a mess of information, and yet he read it like it was simple homework.

Rin leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “So what does that mean?”

“It means,” Kaito replied, not even glancing at her, “they’re not hiding in one place. They’re moving gear constantly. Fast. Almost too fast.”

I felt my stomach twist. “Like… preparing for something?”

“Exactly.” His voice was calm, cold, but his shoulders were tense.

The room fell into silence except for the clacking of his keyboard. I watched Rin tilt her head, her expression sharp, like she’d done this all before. She asked the right questions, she kept up with his jargon. And me? I sat there staring at the glowing map like a kid lost in math class.

Every time Kaito answered her, every time Rin nodded along like she got it, the pit in my stomach grew heavier. My hands gripped my knees. I wanted to say something smart, something useful, but what? Compared to them, I was just… background noise.

I sighed without meaning to, and Rin shot me a sideways glance. “You good?”

“Y-Yeah,” I muttered quickly. “Just… thinking.”

Kaito didn’t even turn around, too focused on cross-referencing data.

The silence stretched again. My cereal-fueled exhaustion started catching up, and my head drooped onto my hand. Out of nowhere, Rin broke it with the most random thing possible:

“You ever notice how Kaito looks like he’s auditioning for some sci-fi hacker movie when he does this?”

I blinked. “What?”

She grinned, pointing at him dramatically. “Look at him, serious face, dark room, glowing screens. All he’s missing is the cheesy sunglasses.”

I couldn’t help it, I snorted. Kaito froze mid-typing and turned, glaring.

“You two done?” he asked flatly.

“Not even close,” Rin said with a smirk.

I bit my lip to hold back a laugh, but the moment slipped out anyway. “She’s right, though. You… kinda do look like a wannabe movie hacker.”

His glare softened into a sigh. “Unbelievable.” He turned back to the screen, but I swore I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, just a little.

The air felt lighter for a second.

Then, Kaito’s tone shifted back to serious as he zoomed in on the blurry images. “See this? The angle, the way it turned… it’s impossible to tell where it was headed. No route, no delivery record, nothing. It’s like it appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as fast.”

Rin frowned. “So… we don’t know where it went?”

“Exactly,” Kaito muttered, rubbing his temple. “No proof, no trail. Whoever’s behind this… they’re covering their tracks.”

“Which means we’re screwed,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Kaito finally turned his chair around, facing both of us. His gaze lingered on me a moment longer than it did Rin. “Not screwed. Just… not ahead of them yet. Tomorrow, keep watch. If you see that logo again, anywhere, you get it on camera. Understand?”

The weight of his words pressed down on me. He was trusting us. Depending on us.

I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. Got it.”

Kaito then froze, zooming in on one of Rin’s sharper shots. “Wait... hold up.” He dragged the image across the screen, fingers moving fast. “Rin, the pic you got, look at the lower corner.”

I leaned closer. There it was: a sliver of metal with numbers and letters, a license plate, half-obscured but readable if you squinted.

Rin smirked, crossing her arms. “Of course I got the plate. What kind of amateur do you think I am?”

Kaito’s jaw tightened in concentration, but his tone shifted, more excited now. “No, seriously, this is huge. If that plate’s legit, I might be able to trace it. Registry, route, maybe even the driver. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s something solid.”

He turned to Rin again, unable to hide a grin. “You’re a fucking genius.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Rin shot back, smug but clearly pleased.

Heat prickled at the back of my neck. Another compliment, another tiny squeeze of jealousy. I swallowed it down and forced a smile... no one needed petty shit right now.

Kaito finally leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking between us. “Look, just to be safe, if you see that logo again, anywhere, snap more pictures. Trucks, cars, buildings, anything. I’ll dig into this plate, but it could take a few days. I’ll hit you both up when I’ve got something.”

I nodded, heart already thumping at the thought of being useful. “Okay. We’ll keep our eyes peeled.”