[24th August 2016 – 10:00 AM – Morning – Shinjuku – Kavei’s House]

Kavei dropped onto the couch, ignoring the amused and expectant faces around him. His fingers lightly traced over the hardcover of the book resting in his arms. He flipped it open with a practiced ease, his eyes scanning the intricate sketches and notes within.

Kai, seated beside him, leaned in slightly, craning his neck to get a better look. "What is that?" he asked, curiosity laced in his tone.

Kavei turned to him, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "What? Are you going to understand this?" he asked, teasingly lifting the book a little higher as if to challenge him.

Kai raised his hands in surrender, leaning back against the couch with a chuckle. "Alright, alright. Just asking," he muttered.

Satisfied, Kavei placed the book onto the coffee table, the pages filled with complex blueprints and notes. "This," he explained, tapping a finger against a page, "is a collection of blueprints for different kinds of tracking devices I know of and some I designed myself."

The group leaned in, eyes scanning the intricate designs sprawled across the paper. Each line, each calculation seemed far beyond what they could comprehend.

"How does a fourteen-year-old know all this?" Nana asked, her voice laced with disbelief and admiration. She folded her arms, shaking her head in amusement.

Kavei exhaled, slumping slightly against the couch. "I don’t, honestly," he admitted. "I just studied it here and there."

"So then, what are the chances that you’ll actually make a perfect device?" Saira asked, tilting her head slightly in thought.

"Seventy percent," Kavei responded instantly. "Eighty, if I have the best equipment." His voice was calm, as if he had already calculated every possible outcome.

Miyasi let out a short laugh, raising an eyebrow at him. "How were you even planning on digging up this case all by yourself?" she asked, clearly impressed yet exasperated.

Kavei straightened his posture slightly, running a hand through his hair. "I can make things work somehow," he replied, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "It’s always been that way. But for you guys, I did a back—"

Before he could finish, Sebiki suddenly shot up from her seat, pumping her fists into the air. "YEAH! WE CAN DO THIS!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

Himeko, who had been sitting beside her, nearly jumped out of her skin. "What the heck?!" she yelped, glaring at Sebiki. "What is wrong with you?!"

Sebiki glanced quickly at Kavei, then looked away, her expression shifting to something more neutral. "Just hyping myself up," she said, lowering her hands and sitting back down. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "You’re pretty impressive, by the way, Kavei."

Kavei blinked, reading between the lines of her words. She had deliberately interrupted him—stopped him from mentioning the background check he had done on everyone in the room. She didn’t want them to know. Didn’t want to break the fragile trust they had started to build. Understanding her intent, he exhaled slightly, nodding at her in quiet appreciation. She met his gaze and returned the nod before looking away.

The others, having caught the silent exchange, glanced at them curiously before quickly averting their eyes, pretending they hadn’t noticed anything.

Benio cleared his throat, bringing the conversation back on track. "So, when and how are you planning to make them?" he asked.

Kavei glanced at the blueprints before responding. "Three days to build, and a day to test them. So, four days in total."

Benio sighed, leaning back against the couch with a groan. "We only have a week left," he pointed out.

Kavei mirrored his sigh, tilting his head back slightly. "I know," he muttered. "I can keep working after the holidays, but you guys will be busy."

Before they could dive further into problem-solving, Sebiki’s phone suddenly rang. The sound cut through the air, drawing everyone’s attention. She pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at the screen before answering. "Hello?"

A voice crackled through the speaker—distressed, quiet, almost hesitant. "Hello?"

Sebiki sat up straighter. "Ryu? What is it?" she asked, her voice suddenly sharp with concern.

Hearing Ryu’s name, the entire room tensed. Almost instinctively, everyone except Kavei sat up straight, their attention now entirely focused on the conversation. Kavei, however, remained still, watching Sebiki closely.

"I… uh… I need a favor," Ryu’s voice came through, softer this time.

Sebiki’s grip on her phone tightened. "What is it?" she asked again, her tone steady but expectant.

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Ryu finally spoke. "Can you tell Kavei that I’m sorry?"

Sebiki’s brows furrowed. "For what?"

"For bailing on him," Ryu admitted. "After making a big fuss about following him around and forcing him to let us join the team… I just left." His voice grew lower with each word, guilt pressing down on every syllable.

Sebiki remained quiet for a moment, glancing at Kavei. Then, making a split-second decision, she shook her head slightly. Holding back a knowing smirk, she brought the phone closer to her lips. "Can you repeat that?" she asked casually.

Before Ryu could respond, she handed the phone to Kavei without saying anything, the device now in his hands without Ryu even knowing he was listening.

Kavei kept the phone pressed to his ear, his posture relaxed as she listened to Ryu’s hesitant words.

"What I mean is, I feel guilty about walking away after forcing myself in… practically," Ryu confessed, his voice shaky with remorse. "Yeah… just… I really was scared, you know. I hope he doesn’t hold it against me… and forgives me. I’m ready to help again, but I don’t think he’ll let me…"

Sebiki kept her expression neutral as she glanced at Kavei, watching his reaction. But before she could say anything, Kavei finally spoke, his voice calm and measured.

"Then ask your brother to meet me. You know my address, right?"

There was a long pause on the other end before Ryu’s startled voice broke through. "Ka-Kavei???" He sounded utterly confused, likely wondering how Kavei had taken over the conversation.

"Can you ask Ren to text me before he comes?" Kavei continued, unfazed. "I want him to see some blueprints I have." He had no interest in explaining why he was on the phone instead of Sebiki.

Ryu hesitated. "Uh… you forgive me, right?" His voice was small, uncertain.

Kavei exhaled, leaning back against the couch, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest. "To be honest with you, Ryu," he began, his voice softer than before, "I’m scared too."

The entire room stilled.

"I’m vulnerable," he continued. "And I’m sure someone out there knows I’m looking into this. You might all get hurt—I won’t lie. But I might even die. So it’s valid that you’re afraid."

His words hung heavy in the air, sinking into everyone’s thoughts. The casual way he spoke about the dangers he faced made it clear—he had already considered all possibilities. This wasn’t just some game to him. It was real.

Ryu, on the other end of the call, stayed silent for a moment. And then Kavei spoke again, his voice gentler and steadier than before. "I understand you. And I hope you understand me. It will be nice to see you again."

With that, the call ended.

Kavei handed Sebiki’s phone back to her without a word. There was something foreign about the openness he had just shown. He had never been this honest with anyone before, never admitted his fears aloud. But somehow, it felt… okay. He was learning—to forgive, to rely on others. And that was enough.

For a few moments, silence filled the room, heavy with unspoken emotions. Then, Kavei’s phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the stillness. A message.

He immediately pulled out his phone, his sharp eyes scanning the screen. Ren Kamanoji. The message was short, straight to the point. What is it that you want to show me?

Without hesitation, Kavei flipped open his book, quickly snapping pictures of the blueprints. His fingers moved fast, selecting the best shots before sending them over.

A few minutes later, his phone rang. Ren.

Kavei answered immediately. "Nii, was there anything in there that you could make quickly? Maybe in two days?"

Ren’s voice came steady and confident. "Actually, I already have ready-built tracking devices at home because of my job. You can come and have a look at which one you want. If none of them suit your needs, I can quickly build one for you."

Kavei processed this quickly, nodding to himself. "I see. Then I’ll come to you right now and let you know what needs to be done. Thank you, nii."

"Yeah, you’re welcome." There was a small pause before Ren spoke again, his voice carrying something deeper—something warmer. "And, Kavei."

"Yeah?" Kavei asked.

"Good job. For relying on us."

For a moment, Kavei was silent. Then, he swallowed lightly, gripping the phone a little tighter.

"…Thank you, nii. Really."

It was only two words, but they held more weight than anything else he had said today.