Chapter 49: A Promise Reborn
The rain fell harder the next morning. A grey mist blanketed the city, blurring the world outside Naoto's window into watercolor smears of light and shadow.
He sat at his desk, half-dressed for school, staring blankly at a notebook he'd left open. The page was still empty.
It wasn't that he didn't know what to write — it was that he didn't know where to begin.
How do you start planning to take down a monster?
Especially one hidden behind smiling faces and powerful names.
The quiet creak of the house settling was the only sound besides the rhythmic patter of rain. Naoto's mother was still asleep. She'd had a rough night — the illness was slowly stealing more from her, and the doctors, despite their best efforts, could only do so much.
Naoto clenched his fists, feeling the helplessness gnaw at him again.
But not this time.
This time, he would fight back. Quietly. Smartly. He wouldn't be alone anymore.
---
When Naoto arrived at school, he found himself looking at people differently.
Every conversation, every smile...
he wondered: Who else knows? Who's part of it? Who's innocent?
The burden of knowledge sat heavy on his shoulders, but strangely, it sharpened his focus.
Rika spotted him by the shoe lockers and hurried over, waving a little awkwardly.
"Hey! Um, good morning...!" she said, her voice slightly nervous, cheeks a little pink from running through the rain.
Naoto gave a small, tired smile. "Morning."
She hesitated, then fell into step beside him as they walked toward class.
"You seem... different today," Rika said carefully. "Like you're carrying something heavy."
Naoto almost laughed at how accurate it was.
"I guess I am," he said. "But it's... something I have to carry."
Rika looked up at him, worry knitting her brows. She opened her mouth, but hesitated.
Instead of pressing, she simply said, "If you ever want to talk... I'm here. We're friends, remember?"
Naoto's chest ached at her kindness.
He nodded. "Thanks, Rika. I'll remember that."
In the distance, he caught sight of Himari watching quietly from the classroom window. Their eyes met briefly, and she gave him the smallest, saddest smile.
She knew the path he was about to walk.
She knew it wouldn't be easy.
---
Classes passed slowly.
Naoto kept his head down, taking notes, but his mind was elsewhere, building a mental map:
Hayato Industries.
Mr. Shinji Hayato.
The old promises made to his father.
The mysterious illness targeting his family.
He needed evidence. Real evidence. Not just rumors and half-memories.
And he needed allies. But not too many — too much trust could be fatal.
By lunchtime, he had a rough plan forming.
First step: Get inside Hayato Industries.
Find their archives. Find what his father found years ago.
But how?
He glanced around the classroom.
Rika Hayato — Shinji Hayato's daughter — sat nearby, laughing with Akari and Aiko.
She had access he didn't. She could walk into her father's office if she wanted. No questions asked.
But dragging her into this...
No.
He couldn't.
Naoto knew the risks. If she helped and they found out, it wouldn't just be him they targeted.
Still, the seed of an idea rooted itself in his mind.
Maybe there was a way she could help — indirectly, without even realizing it.
---
After school, he stayed behind under the pretense of cleaning the classroom, waiting until the halls emptied.
When Rika came back to retrieve a forgotten notebook, he seized the opportunity.
"Rika," he said, voice low but steady. "Can I ask you something... weird?"
She blinked. "Uh, sure?"
Naoto leaned on a desk casually, trying not to look too intense.
"Your father's company," he began. "Do they keep old files? Like... paper documents, old contracts, stuff like that?"
Rika tilted her head. "Hmm... I think so. My dad has a huge archive room in the company's HQ. I've only seen it once or twice when I was little. It was... kind of creepy, honestly."
Naoto tried to keep his voice calm. "Would it be possible to get in there?"
Rika laughed. "Not unless you have a company badge. Security's crazy tight. Even I can't walk around freely without permission."
Naoto nodded, pretending to be disappointed.
But inside, gears were turning.
"I was just curious," he said lightly. "I bet there's all kinds of interesting stuff buried in there."
"Probably," Rika said with a shrug. "My dad's super secretive about old business. I'm not even allowed to ask sometimes."
Naoto smiled faintly. "Thanks. Forget I asked."
Rika grinned. "You're weird, Naoto. But... it suits you."
And with that, she waved and headed down the hallway, humming to herself.
Naoto stood there a moment longer, alone.
His plan was forming:
He needed a company badge. He needed a way inside. And most importantly — he needed to do it without dragging Rika, Himari, or any of his friends into danger.
---
That night, Himari called him.
Not on their usual number.
But through a secure app — one they hadn't used since they were younger.
He answered immediately.
"Naoto," she said, voice low and urgent. "They know you're getting suspicious. They might make a move soon."
"Let them," Naoto said quietly. "I'm ready."
Himari was silent for a moment.
"...Then we move too. I'll help you. But you have to promise me something."
"Anything."
"No matter what happens," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "you'll survive. You'll live."
Naoto's breath caught in his throat.
It was the same promise they had made once long ago —
Under a summer sky, when they were just kids clinging to each other against a world too big and cruel.
"I promise," he said hoarsely.
"I'll survive. We both will."
---
The first pieces were falling into place.
Soon, the past would be unearthed.
The truths buried under years of lies would come crashing into the light.
And when they did...
Naoto would be ready.
Even if it cost him everything.
He looked up at the night sky — heavy with storm clouds, the faint glow of the city struggling to pierce the darkness — and smiled grimly.
The storm was coming.
And he would meet it head-on.
---