Forming an alliance

Rain pattered softly against the school windows the next morning. The air was heavy, thick with the smell of wet earth and tension.
Shiromi sat at her desk, staring blankly at her notebook. Recent scene keeps on playing over and over again, when she saw Hayato’s face in the dark and heard his calm voice, the way he said "help me find the truth".
She didn’t trust him. She couldn’t.But she couldn’t ignore him either.
When class ended, he was waiting by the door.
“Can we talk?”
Her classmates glanced curiously, but Shiromi ignored them and followed Hayato into the quiet corridor.
He handed her a small USB drive. “This is from my mom’s old laptop. I found files she was keeping hidden before she died. Some of them mention your father’s company.”
Her eyes snapped to his. “My father?”
Hayato nodded. “Yano Industries. There was a joint project between them and my dad’s trading company. Something went wrong. After that… everything fell apart.”
Shiromi took the USB slowly, her fingers brushing his. “Why are you giving this to me?”
Hayato smiled faintly. “Because if we want the truth, we’ll need each other.”
She hesitated. The logical part of her screamed to refuse trying to walk away before emotion clouded her purpose again.But the photo of her family flashed through her mind. Their smiles. Their warmth.And the promise she’d made.
“…Fine,” she said quietly. “We work together. But don’t think this means I trust you.”
Hayato pats on her shoulders and shouted. "Let's do our best then partner!” Startled by his sudden pat, Shiromi blushed and then punched him on the face. 

"Don't scare me like that!". Hayato laughed like nothing happened. "Alright, alright. I will remind you next time~"

Later that night, they met at an internet café. The lights were dim, the hum of computers masking their whispers.
Shiromi plugged in the USB and scrolled through the files—old reports, financial records, and encrypted documents. One stood out:"Project Shinra – Confidential"
Hayato leaned closer. “That’s the one I couldn’t open. It’s password-protected.”
Shiromi frowned, typing different combinations. Nothing worked. Then she noticed a text file beside it titled: “For H.”
She clicked it.
Inside was a single line of text:

“If anything happens to me, find the man with the black phoenix tattoo.”

Hayato’s expression hardened. “The third suspect…”
Shiromi’s pulse quickened. The mystery deepened, and so did the connection tying them together.
For the first time, she wasn’t alone in her search for justice.But deep down, she knew—Hayato shouldn't be dragged into this mess the first place.