[Chiba Local Hospital
Morgue Room - August 13th, 2016, 5:00 PM, Evening]

The air in the morgue was different today - cold, sterile, and carried a faint antiseptic scent mixed with something metallic that lingered in the back of the throat. The fluorescent lights overhead cast a pale, almost ghostly glow across the rows of metal body storage units, their doors lined neatly like silent sentinels. The hum of the refrigeration units filled the space, a constant, dull noise that did little to mask the eerie stillness.

Kavei stood in the middle of the room, his fingers absentmindedly adjusting the small earpiece in his ear. Ren was on the other end, stationed somewhere safer, his voice an anchor of reassurance whenever Kavei found himself working alone in this place. But tonight, there was a problem-the other part-time workers were here.

He had no choice but to blend in.

With his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he worked alongside the two other boys, pulling out the assigned body boxes and arranging them in chronological order based on the date of registration. The process was methodical-retrieve, check the tag, slide the box into its designated spot, repeat.

But this wasn't the work he was truly here for.

Kavei's real objective was buried within these metallic coffins, hidden among the records of the dead. He needed to locate the bodies from 2002 and beyond, extract any evidence he could, and determine which hospital the remaining victims had been registered at. If he failed, the entire investigation could stall.

His brows furrowed slightly as he reached for another box, his fingers gripping the cold metal handle. How do I look through the boxes without them getting suspicious? he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the distant hum of machinery.

He bent slightly, knees flexing as he lifted the heavy tray forward, careful not to show any strain. The other two boys were occupied with their own tasks, but that didn't mean they weren't paying attention. He could feel their occasional glances-curious, maybe even wary.

Just then, the static-crackled voice of Ren filtered through his earpiece, breaking the tense silence. "You look through the boxes side by side. That's the only way."

Kavei exhaled sharply, nodding to himself. His fingers tightened momentarily around the handle before he resumed his work, shifting trays while his eyes darted discreetly over the identification tags. He had to be quick-precise. Any hesitation, any prolonged moment spent staring at a box that wasn't on today's worklist, could draw unwanted attention.

He felt a bead of sweat form at the nape of his neck despite the cold air. His fingers moved with practiced ease, shifting another box, reading another tag. The names blurred together in his mind, but he forced himself to focus. He still needed to locate ten more boxes. And beyond that, he had to track down the hospital where the remaining four victims had been registered to retrieve blood and skin samples.

With each passing second, the weight of time pressed down on him. If he didn't find what he was looking for soon, he'd be forced to return another day-and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

[Shinjuku
Benio's House
August 13th, 2016, Evening]

The soft rustling of papers filled the dimly lit bedroom, the air thick with concentration. Scattered sheets lay across the tatami mattress, some crumpled from frustration, others neatly stacked in small piles waiting to be examined. Kenma, Ojiro, and Narito sat cross-legged on the floor, their eyes scanning through the mountain of student records while Benio remained hunched over his laptop, the glow of the screen illuminating his sharp features. The occasional soft hum of the printer accompanied the clicking of keys as he continued generating more documents.

It had been a full day since they had begun their search-an exhaustive effort to find a ninth-grade boy with green eyes somewhere in Japan. The task itself was nearly impossible, but Benio had devised a plan that gave them an edge. Using a fabricated summer health check-up program, they had managed to create official-looking documents, including an authentic letterhead, a phony email address, and even access to student IDs.

To make their operation convincing, they had reached out to Nana, who worked at a hospital. With her help, the program became credible enough to be approved in several Shinjuku schools. Of course, it would have been suspicious to single out only ninth graders, so they expanded the check-up to include both junior and senior high schoolers. This gave them access to student records without raising suspicion.

Now, with three schools in Shinjuku having provided them with photos and identification details, the real challenge had begun-sorting through the massive amount of data to find a match.

Kenma flipped through yet another page, his eyes scanning the information before setting it aside with a sigh. "Nothing."

Ojiro, seated beside him, stretched his arms before rubbing his tired eyes. "We should've brought more people in for this," he muttered, exhaling sharply.

Narito, who had been silently working, didn't lift his gaze. "More people means more risk," he pointed out, his voice flat. "Too many hands on classified data, and someone's bound to slip."

Just then, the sudden vibration of a phone cut through the quiet tension. Kenma glanced at his phone screen and immediately sat up straighter. "Oneesama?" he said as he answered.

Nana's composed voice came through the speaker. "Yes, Kenma. I just got a call from the Naha schools. They're ready to conduct the health check-up."

Kenma's eyes flickered toward Benio, who had momentarily stopped typing to listen. "What time?" Kenma asked, already reaching for a pen.

"Tomorrow morning at nine. You three need to be there."

Kenma nodded to himself, pressing the tip of the pen against the back of his hand and scribbling down the details. His fingers smudged slightly against the ink, but he barely noticed. "Got it," he murmured.

"And after that, adjust your schedule to head to the Chiba schools," Nana continued.

Kenma's jaw tightened slightly. "When?"

"They want you there before two in the afternoon," she replied.

He let out a small exhale, shaking his head. "Sheesh. Tight schedule." He glanced at Ojiro and Narito, who were both now looking at him expectantly. "Fine. Just say yes to them. We'll figure it out."

There was a brief pause before Nana's voice softened slightly. "Good. Be careful."

Kenma didn't respond, but he heard the concern in her tone. With a quiet click, the call ended.

He set his phone down and let out a slow breath, pressing the palm of his hand against his forehead. The search was far from over, and now, their workload had just doubled.

Benio, still seated in front of his laptop, glanced over at him, noticing his pause. "What? What is it?" he asked, shifting slightly to get a better look at the papers in Kenma's hands.

Kenma sighed, tapping his fingers against the page before setting it down. "The good news is that we've been cleared to conduct our search in the Naha and Chiba schools," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Ojiro looked up from his stack of papers. "And the bad news?"

Kenma let out a deep breath before answering. "The timing is a problem. We need more people. We can't pull this off with just the three of us. And since we're pretending to be a 'hospital' staff, we have to look the part," he said, making air quotes around the word hospital.

Benio exhaled sharply, pushing himself away from the desk. "I'll call Kai and see if anyone's free," he said as he grabbed his phone and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. He pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear, waiting as the line connected.

After a few rings, Kai's voice came through. "Hello?"

Benio didn't waste time. "Yo, Kai. Is anyone free? Like, unoccupied with their own business in this case?"

There was a pause before Kai finally responded. "Hm. I'm not. Kavei needs time too since he's looking for evidence alone. But the girls are free. You could also talk to Ren-nii. Nana won't be available-she's busy running tests to check if the samples match the evidence."

Benio nodded, absorbing the information. "Okay. Thanks, man. Let Kavei know I asked about this."

"Mm, okay, nii," Kai said before the call ended.

Benio lowered his phone and stretched again, letting out a slight groan. "Well, Kai was helpful. The girls are free. Let's put together a schedule and head to these cities tomorrow."

Kenma, still sifting through papers, scoffed under his breath. "Yeah. He just told you what was happening. What's so helpful about that?"

Benio turned to him with an amused grin. "Haha. Why do you hate Kai so much?" he asked as he dropped down next to Kenma, resting one elbow on his knee.

Kenma's fingers fidgeted with the edge of a paper as he avoided Benio's gaze. Ojiro and Narito were still busy scanning records, barely paying attention to their conversation. After a few moments, Kenma muttered, "I don't know. I just don't like his friendship with Kavei."

Benio leaned back, resting his weight on his hands as he stared up at the ceiling. A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Haha. I see. Well, if it's about Kavei, I get it. After all, I don't like him being all friendly with someone else either."

Kenma's head snapped toward him, his eyes widening slightly. "What?"

Benio smirked but didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he stretched his arms and sat up straight again. "Nah. Nothing," he said dismissively.

Kenma watched him for a moment, his fingers stilling against the paper. He was sure he had heard something unexpected-something he hadn't expected to come from Benio's mouth. But rather than press further, he only nodded, his thoughts quietly stirring as the night deepened.