Chapter 06

Tadashi’s breath was steady, but his pulse hammered against his ribs. Four days in, and this was the longest he had ever survived. But something felt wrong. Too quiet. Too easy. Rin walked ahead, her gaze sweeping every alley, every rooftop.

“Something’s off. We should change course.”

“Paranoia or actual threat?” Tadashi asked.

“Call it ‘instinct,’” Rin muttered. “Move. Now.”

Kei groaned, dragging his feet.

“Oh great, we’re doing the serious thing again. I was hoping we could at least enjoy our last meal before the inevitable doom.”

“Hey Rin, if I die, promise me you’ll cry at least one dramatic tear for me. Maybe two if you’re feeling sentimental.”

“Kei, shut up and keep moving,” Rin snapped.

They veered off the main street, taking a winding alley behind a closed-down bookstore. That’s when Tadashi saw them—three figures, standing at the other end, blocking their escape.

A slow clap echoed off the damp walls. The man in the center stepped forward. A sharp suit. A lazy grin. Eyes that gleamed like a cat playing with its prey.

“Finally, prey.”

Tadashi’s stomach turned to ice. “Who are you?”

“Aw~, no need to be shy,” the man said, stepping forward. “Let’s skip the formalities. You have something we want.”

“And what’s that?” Rin asked, shifting her weight, ready to strike.

The man smirked. “Cash. Aparrently, an arm costs over a hundred thousand nowadays.”

Before Tadashi could blink, the first shot rang out. Rin shoved him aside just in time, the bullet barely missing his head.

“MOVE!” she shouted, sprinting toward their attackers.

Tadashi ducked behind a dumpster, heart pounding. Kei was beside him, oddly calm.

“You know, I had a bad feeling about today,” Kei mused, cracking his knuckles.

“But hey, at least we’re going out together. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

“Shut up and focus!” Tadashi hissed.

Rin had already engaged in hand-to-hand combat, a blur of precise strikes. But there were too many. The suited man watched, amused, as his henchmen overwhelmed her. She held her own—until the knife plunged into her side. Her breath hitched. She staggered. Blood spread across her uniform. Tadashi felt something crack inside him.

“RIN!”

She turned her head slightly, eyes fierce. “Run.”

Kei stood up instead. “Nope. Not how we’re doing this.”

He threw himself forward, slamming into one of the attackers. For a moment, it looked like he had the upper hand. Then another shot rang out. Kei stumbled. He looked down. A gun pressed against his stomach. Blood staining his hoodie.

“Oh. Well. That sucks,” he muttered before collapsing.

Tadashi barely processed what happened before rough hands grabbed him, slamming him to the ground. The suited man knelt beside him.

“You almost made it, kid,” he said with a sigh. “Impressive, really. But you didn’t actually think you could win, did you?”

Tadashi’s vision blurred as he struggled. Rin was still, unmoving. Kei’s usual smirk was gone. His chest felt tight, like the world was closing in.

“Scared?” the man whispered. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to sell you for a higher price.”

The last thing Tadashi heard was the gun cocking against his temple. The shot fired. The world faded to black. And just like that, it was over. Tadashi gasped, eyes snapping open. He was back.

The chalk screeched against the blackboard.

Another stroke.

Another failure.

Simon sighed, shaking his head.

“Took you long enough to get here.”

Tadashi sat up, still feeling phantom pain in his chest. He looked at the board. One long column of tally marks. Too many to count.

He swallowed hard. “So what now?”

Simon smirked. “Now? Now, you try again.”

Tadashi’s body was still trembling when he opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling greeted him once again, but this time, it felt heavier—like it carried the weight of every failed attempt. Kei was sprawled out on the floor, arms behind his head, lazily staring at the ceiling.

“Man, dying sucks. Feels like we barely had a break before getting tossed back in.”

Rin stood by the window, scanning the street below.

“We lasted four days. That means we can last longer. We just need better planning.”

Tadashi sat up, rubbing his temples. The memory of Rin’s blood, of Kei’s smirk fading as life left his eyes—it was too fresh. Too real.

“What’s the plan, then?” Tadashi muttered.

“We can’t just keep repeating the same cycle.”

Rin turned to him, her gaze firm.

“We change the approach. We stop treating this like survival and start treating it like integration. We need connections. Allies. Resources.”

Kei raised an eyebrow.

“You mean… friends?”

He smirked. “Wow, Ice Queen, that almost sounded emotional.”

“Shut up, Kei.” Rin crossed her arms.

“If we’re seen as loners, we’ll always be targets. We need people to notice us—not as threats, but as part of the world.”

Tadashi thought about it. He had spent so much time keeping his head down, avoiding connections. But she was right. If he was going to break this cycle, he had to stop trying to survive alone.

“Fine. But where do we start?” he asked.

Rin turned toward the door. “At school. We observe, we interact, and we pick out the people who can be useful.”

The school grounds were as bustling as ever, but this time, Tadashi wasn’t just passing through—he was watching.

Their first class was Literature, and Tadashi noticed a boy sitting at the back, flipping through a thick novel with a bored expression. His glasses slipped slightly down his nose, and he absently pushed them back up.

Kei nudged Tadashi. “That’s Hikaru Aizawa. Top of the class, doesn’t talk much, but he knows everything.”

“So, an information broker,” Tadashi mused.

“More like a walking encyclopedia,” Kei grinned.

“You need dirt on teachers? He has it. Need past test questions? He’s got ‘em. But good luck getting him to talk unless you impress him.”

Tadashi made a mental note. Hikaru might be quiet, but someone who collected knowledge was always valuable. As class ended, they moved toward the cafeteria. A loud voice rang through the halls before they even stepped inside.

“Move it, people! I need a clear path to the food!”

A tall, athletic guy with short-cropped hair pushed through the crowd with the confidence of someone who belonged everywhere. His energy was infectious, even as people groaned at his theatrics.

“And that’s Daiki Sakamoto,” Rin noted. “Sports star, social butterfly, and way too loud.”

Kei chuckled. “But everyone loves him. You want someone to open doors for you? He’s your guy.”

Tadashi watched as Daiki high-fived one student, playfully wrestled another, and effortlessly charmed the cafeteria staff into giving him extra portions. He was loud, sure, but his presence commanded attention. They grabbed their food and found an open table. But before Tadashi could sit, a tray slammed down across from him.

“You’re new,” a girl’s voice stated.

Tadashi looked up. A girl with short brown hair and sharp eyes studied him carefully. She wasn’t smiling, but there was something assessing in her gaze.

“You are?” he asked.

“Nao Takahashi. Second-year.”

“…Right.” Tadashi raised an eyebrow.

“And why are you watching me?”

“Because you’re interesting.” Nao leaned forward, her chin resting on her hand. “You don’t act like someone who just transferred in. You move like someone studying the battlefield.”

Kei grinned. “Oh, you’ll get along just fine with the ice queen.”

Rin shot him a glare, but Tadashi had to admit—Nao was perceptive. If she had noticed his behaviour this quickly, she could be dangerous. Or useful. A sudden clatter of trays drew their attention. A boy with soft silver hair and a nervous expression struggled to balance his lunch as he bumped into a chair.

“S-Sorry!” he mumbled, bowing repeatedly to no one in particular.

A group of older students snickered, whispering among themselves. One of them deliberately stuck out a foot, tripping the boy. Before he could hit the ground, Daiki caught him by the back of the shirt.

“Whoa there, buddy! Gravity’s not your friend today, huh?”

The boy’s face turned bright red. “I—uh—t-thanks.”

“That’s Haruto Miyazaki,” Rin supplied.

“Soft-hearted, too polite for his own good.”

Kei nodded. “Yeah, but he’s got a sharp mind. He’s top in science and tech. If you need something built, hacked, or repaired, he’s your guy.”

Haruto quickly scurried away to a far-off table, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. Daiki turned back toward Tadashi’s group, raising an eyebrow.

“You lot are looking pretty serious over here. New guy, right?”

Tadashi nodded. “Murata Tadashi.”

Daiki grinned and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, welcome to the rejects, Murata! Stick with us, and maybe you won’t get eaten alive.”

Nao smirked. “Or maybe he’ll be the one doing the eating.”

Hikaru, who had silently appeared next to their table at some point, adjusted his glasses.

“Statistically speaking, the quiet ones usually are.”

Tadashi blinked. When did he get here? Kei snickered.

“See? Told you this school’s got characters.”

Rin tapped her fingers on the table. “This might actually work.”

Tadashi exhaled slowly. Four new faces. Four new personalities. Maybe this time… he wouldn’t have to survive alone. He looked around the table, absorbing the moment.

A new attempt.

A new approach.

For the first time in a long while, hope flickered in his chest.

“Alright,” he said, smirking slightly. “Let’s see where this goes.”