*Team 2 – Viki's Room*
The soft hum of the AC filled the room, its cold breeze barely enough to cut through the thick tension that hung in the air like fog. The night was quiet, but inside, something stormed.
Viki stood opposite kaze, her silk nightgown clinging like a second skin, shimmering faintly under the dim yellow lighting. She looked almost regal, dangerous even—like a queen waiting for her pawn to make the wrong move.
"Anything new?" she asked, voice sweet but laced with thorns.
Kaze shifted his weight, hands in his pockets, eyes avoiding hers.
"...No," he finally said, his voice flat.
She scoffed softly, but it wasn't from amusement. It was disappointment—veiled, sharp.
"Did you play too much you forgot your job?"
She tilted her head, staring directly at him like she was reading a file he didn't know existed.
"You told me to start with the basics—" he began, but the words evaporated as she took a step forward.
He froze.
The atmosphere shifted instantly, as if the windows had slammed shut and the oxygen had been sucked from the room. Her presence towered, despite her height.
"Are you the one to tell me what I'm doing?"
Her voice was low—not loud, not angry, but it struck like a whip across his confidence.She grabbed his shirt, fingers curling around the fabric, pulling him slightly forward.
Then, just as suddenly, she let go—composed herself, smoothed his collar like a mother fixing her son's uniform. Except this wasn't love. This was power.
"You know very well what would happen," she whispered, brushing an imaginary speck off his shoulder.
"One click," she raised her hand, thumb hovering above her phone like a guillotine trigger,
"and you'd get expelled—by your own deed."
She smiled, and it reached her eyes, but not in a way that brought warmth. No. Her eyes smiled like the edge of a blade before it cuts.
Then she leaned in close, her breath brushing his ear.
"Be a good boy now."
Kaze didn't flinch. Not because he wasn't scared. But because he knew—one wrong word, and this girl could ruin him.
And she knew it too.
*****
"Woohoo"
The laughter of ria could be heard over the area...
"Ayho Nao watch out"
*_spew_*
Katherine has poured water on her with a toy gun then laughing .
"Oh my..."
Nao stood up.
"Prepare too attack"
She said playfully.
They all burst into laughter.
"Lets play another game "
A girl said.
"Lets play hide and seek, anyone who gets caught on the countdown of 20 would be the tag and would find no other person than the one the before exiting tag gives her to find.."
"Woah..thats tuff"
Blue said
" Then lets begin "
Katherine said raising her gun upwards like some rapture.
"And..your hiding spot must not be any further than 100 feets from here..now beginnnnn"
Blue added as they started seperating.
Nao turned to move..she headed to the equiptment
Room (For swimming suits ..)
Before she entered she felt someone hands on her as the person dragged her to the other edge totally turning her direction.
"Huh"
*Back of the Lounge – Inside the Warehouse*
The light from outside barely reached them through the gaps in the wooden planks. Dust floated midair. The silence was heavy, disturbed only by the distant laughter of their friends echoing from the open fields behind the lounge. But here—here it felt like time had stopped.
Nao's back hit the wall gently as Kaze cornered her, his hands firm on her shoulders—not hurting, but holding. Holding enough to say: *don't move.*
Her eyes searched his, confused, caught between fear and disbelief.
"K-Kaze?" her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
"What…what are you doing?"
"Nao," he said, his voice urgent, strained like he had swallowed every ounce of hesitation just to confront her.
"Who killed Vince?"
That name. That moment. The image of Vince's blood on the ground flickered through her mind like a strobe light. Her breath caught in her throat. Her fingers twitched at her side.
"W-What?" she asked, heart pounding now, louder than the voices outside.
"Why are you asking me this?"
"It was a woman, right?" he asked again, almost pleading—almost accusing.
His grip tightened slightly. "Was it Viki? Just tell me the truth."
Nao's lips trembled. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…"He pulled back slightly, staring at her like she had betrayed him. Then he exhaled, lowering his hands slowly—but the tension didn't ease.
"Can you do something for me?"
His tone changed. It wasn't as rough, but it wasn't calm either. It was that kind of calm someone wears when they're standing over a line they can't uncross.
Nao just looked at him, speechless.
"It was Viki," he said, voice low now, as if speaking the name itself was a sin.
"I want you to tell Mr. Williams. Tell him it was her. Let her be punished. You're the only one who can end this."
Her eyes widened, stunned.
"Wh-what…? Why would I…?"
"I know it sounds crazy," he added quickly, rubbing his hand down her arm, trying to soften his tone.
"But listen—*you* were the witness. Everyone will believe you. I have proof, Nao. I'll give it to you. All you have to do is confirm it. That's all."
Nao stepped back, her body pressed to the wooden wall behind her. Her breath now came faster.
"But…no one even knows I'm the witness…" she whispered.
He didn't answer that. His jaw clenched.
"They will believe you, Nao," he said instead, gently cupping her face.
"I know you can do this. You're strong… smarter than the rest of them. This will end everything."Nao stared at him. His touch was soft, but his presence was heavy. This wasn't a request. Not really.
"I'm… so sorry, Nao," he thought, but he didn't say it aloud.
Instead, he whispered again, "Just trust me. Please."
But the silence between them said more than either of them could.
*[TWO DAYS LATER — IMPERIALS ACADEMY, JEJU ISLAND]*
The warm hum of discussion filled the large debate hall. Each table was stacked with papers, tablets, notebooks, and half-finished drinks. A digital board displayed the topic for the day in bold font:
*"Silence can be justifiedin pursuit of power"*
The students were broken into teams, all buzzing with ideas. Some scribbled notes, others argued theories. But amidst the clamor, Nao sat at the far end of her group's table, barely listening.
Her pen was still. Her mind wasn't.
Kaze's voice echoed in her head:
*"It was Viki. I want you to tell Mr. Williams and let her be punished."*
She looked up at Kaze, who was sitting just across from her, casually writing on his pad, as if nothing had happened. Like he hadn't just tried to hand her a gun she didn't ask for.
"Hey Nao, your point?" Katherine nudged her.
"Huh?"
She blinked.
"Oh, um… logic might fail when a situation demands empathy. Emotion fills in where reason collapses."
The group went silent for a beat. It sounded intelligent. But it didn't feel like her words.
Across the room, Ria watched Nao and Kaze, her fingers tapping quietly on the desk.
*—ICEBERG DISTRICT, 3:03 PM—*The wind was still. The river beside the quiet concrete road ran slow and thick.
A black SUV pulled in from the east. Simultaneously, a silver motorcycle rolled in from the west and halted in front of it.
No words were exchanged.
Windows slid down.
A sleek black file was passed through — swift and clean.
The woman on the bike gave a brief nod, then revved her engine and disappeared down the road.
The man in the SUV watched until she faded behind the curve of the hill, then started his car and turned the opposite direction.
Ten minutes later…
*A MALL – ICEBERG CENTRAL*
The biker, helmet still on, walked casually into the shopping center. Her steps were smooth, precise. She passed a man sitting quietly on a bench, reading a newspaper upside down.
The moment she passed him, he stood, dropped the paper, and walked off in the opposite direction, tugging his jacket down.
"Location, cheong_657… do you read me?"
A low voice in his ear.
"Understood," he muttered, turning into the escalator tunnel.
*—CELL BLOCK 03—*
"Miss Mira. You have a visitor."
The metallic door buzzed and opened.
She stood, a smirk already forming.
*Michelle.*
Just as expected.
"Haluu," Mira greeted in a sweet mock-tone, sitting down across the table.