Chapter 54: Shadows in the Rain
The sky over Hoshikawa City cracked with thunder as rain fell in steady sheets, coating the streets in a silvery mist. The once-vibrant world seemed dulled, shadows stretching long under the grey canopy above. Students hurried beneath umbrellas, and shops lit their interiors early, casting warm glows against the gloom.
Naoto walked alone, his school bag slung loosely over one shoulder, the hood of his jacket barely shielding him from the rain. His footsteps splashed through puddles, the sound mixing with the soft rumble of thunder overhead.
The confession to Rika still played over and over in his head.
Her reaction had surprised him—more warmth than anger, more support than distance. But it also shifted something deeper inside him: the realization that his silence no longer protected her—it only delayed the inevitable.
He turned into a quiet alleyway behind the school, pausing before a rusted chain-link gate. This place, this forgotten passageway, had become something of a sanctuary for him. Here, beneath the whispers of the rain, truth could take shape.
And today, he wasn't alone.
Himari stood waiting, her hair tied back, umbrella closed by her side, allowing the rain to soak into her blazer. Her eyes were steady as he approached.
"You told her," she said simply.
Naoto nodded.
"She didn't push you away."
"No. She didn't."
Himari looked past him toward the school rooftop. "That's good. You'll need her soon."
Naoto leaned against the fence, exhaling sharply. "I still don't know the full story. About what her father's company is really doing. But the more I dig, the darker it gets."
Himari pulled a folded envelope from her pocket, water staining its corners. "I found this," she said. "Old records. From when my father worked under Hayato Corporation. There's mention of something called Project HALO."
Naoto's brow furrowed. "HALO?"
She nodded. "Hidden under layers of charity initiatives and scholarship funds. But if you connect the dots, it links back to a pharmaceutical research arm—one that shut down suddenly two years ago after an internal leak."
"Two years ago…" Naoto whispered. "That's when Mom got sick."
"Exactly."
Naoto took the envelope with trembling hands, opening it to find faded photocopies—transaction records, research notes, staff lists. And there, buried halfway through, was a file with his mother's name—Hana Hayashi.
He stared at it, the world spinning.
"She wasn't just a patient," Himari said softly. "She was a subject."
Naoto's heart slammed against his chest.
He backed away, dropping the envelope, rain splattering the papers across the concrete.
"No… no, this can't—this can't be true—"
Himari stepped forward and caught his shoulders. "Naoto—listen to me. I know it hurts. But if we don't face this, we'll never be able to stop them."
Tears mingled with the rain on his cheeks as his knees buckled. "They used her… like she was nothing…"
"She fought," Himari said. "She fought to protect you. And we're going to finish what she started."
It took minutes before Naoto could steady himself, the truth stitching itself into his resolve like shattered glass forming a blade.
"Why didn't anyone say anything?" he asked hoarsely.
"Because people disappeared. My father was one of the last researchers before the shutdown. After he tried to leak information, he lost everything. They destroyed him, Naoto. Quietly. Legally. But completely."
Naoto's jaw tightened. "We expose them. We make sure the world knows."
Himari nodded. "We'll need help. Real help."
Naoto knew who she meant.
Rika.
The very person caught between the truth and the legacy of the one man who might be behind it all.
---
That night, the group gathered in Rika's living room. The atmosphere was heavy. Mei, Souta, and Aiko sat around the coffee table, their usual banter silenced by the tension.
Rika stood near the window, arms crossed. "You're saying my father's company ran experiments… on Naoto's mom?"
Naoto didn't look at her. "It's deeper than that. They might have caused her illness. Used her as a test case and then discarded her when things went wrong."
Rika's voice cracked. "No. No, he wouldn't… he's strict, cold even, but he wouldn't…"
Naoto placed the file on the table.
Souta read aloud. "Subject #33H. Hana Hayashi. Exposure to Compound-9A. Results: Unstable. Terminated from trial."
Aiko gasped. Mei covered her mouth.
"I'm sorry," Naoto whispered. "I didn't want you to find out this way."
Rika sat down slowly, staring at the paper like it was poison.
"I need to talk to him," she said.
"It's dangerous," Himari warned. "If he's involved, he'll lie. Or worse."
"He's still my father," Rika said, her voice trembling. "If I don't ask… I'll never know if there's anything human left in him."
Naoto reached out. "Then we do it together."
She met his gaze.
And for the first time, no distance remained between them.
---
The confrontation came sooner than expected.
The next day, Rika invited her father to dinner. Naoto waited nearby, hidden but wired in through a small mic. Himari helped patch the signal from outside the mansion.
Rika dressed carefully, hiding the storm in her heart behind a composed expression.
"Father," she said once they sat down, "do you remember Project HALO?"
His hand paused mid-cut of his steak.
"I haven't heard that name in years," Shinji Hayato said. "Where did you hear it?"
"I found some papers," she replied smoothly. "With Hana Hayashi's name on them."
The silence between them stretched like a blade.
Shinji set his knife down. "That was before your time. A failed initiative. Nothing more."
"You experimented on people. You hurt Naoto's mother."
His eyes darkened. "I protected our company. Our name. Do you have any idea what kind of threats we were under? The board demanded results."
"So you sacrificed innocent lives?"
"I made decisions no one else could. You think the world is clean, Rika? It's built on shadows."
"I won't be part of it," she said firmly. "Not anymore."
Shinji leaned back, the mask slipping. "Then prepare for consequences. You and that boy."
Rika's face didn't flinch. "Let them come. We're not afraid of you."
Naoto, listening in from the comms, felt his heart race with pride—and dread.
Because war had just been declared.
And there would be no turning back.
---