The girls lay pressed together inside the garbage bin, shoulder to shoulder, their bodies stiff with tension. The foul stench of rotting waste clung to their skin, but none of them flinched. Their fingers intertwined, gripping tightly, as if that fragile connection was the only thing keeping them from spiraling into panic.

Sebiki's breath came in shallow gasps, her heart pounding so loudly she almost didn't hear the static crackling in her earpiece.

"The garbage truck will be here to take the trash," Ren's voice came through, steady but urgent. "Get into the bags, and you'll get in the truck. Okay, Kavei?"

Sebiki swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry, her pulse erratic.

"It's... Sebiki," she murmured, hesitating.

Ren paused. "Huh? Well, fill me in later. You got the plan, right?"

Sebiki's fingers clenched tighter around Saira's. "We can't get in the bags without a distraction," she said quietly, dread settling in her stomach.

Silence.

They all knew what that meant.

Sebiki's blood ran cold as the realization sank in. Kavei hadn't jumped. He was still up there. He had taken it upon himself to create the distraction.

Up in the vent, Kavei moved with quiet precision. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small, thin card. With practiced ease, he tore off a strip of paper from its surface, then slipped the remnants back into his pocket. His pulse was steady, his breathing controlled. He had one shot at this.

The deep rumbling of an engine echoed through the night. The garbage truck rolled through the gate, coming to a halt directly in front of the bin. Its doors hissed open as the sanitation workers prepared to load the waste.

Kavei's fingers tightened around the card. He waited. The timing had to be perfect.

The second the workers grabbed the first bag, Kavei flicked the card out of the vent with a sharp snap of his wrist. It spun through the air and hit the metal fence wall with a clink.

A deafening alarm blared through the facility.

The workers flinched at the sudden noise, instinctively dropping one of the garbage bags in their hands. A few of them cursed under their breath, but before they could react, security officers stormed in from the other side of the lot.

"Move!" one of them barked. "Get out of the way!"

The workers barely had time to protest before they were ushered toward the front of the fence wall, the officers moving swiftly to assess the situation.

Kavei exhaled, pressing his forehead to the cool metal of the vent.

Lucky. Very lucky.

From this height, there was no way they would notice the vent was open. The fifth floor was too high for their eyes to catch such a small detail amidst the chaos.

Wasting no time, he reached into his bag again, pulling out a rope with a grappling hook attached. His fingers worked quickly as he secured the rope, then with a practiced flick, he tossed the hook out of the vent.

It sailed through the air, metal clinking against metal as it latched onto the back of the garbage truck. The hook caught. Secure.

Kavei peered down.

Below, the girls had emerged from the trash, one by one, slipping into the back of the truck as fast as they could. Their movements were swift, practiced, but Sebiki hesitated for just a second.

Her eyes locked onto the rope.

She knew.

She knew exactly who had thrown it.

Her hands balled into fists at her sides as she looked up at the vent.

And there he was.

Kavei crouched inside, peeking out just enough to gauge his jump. Then he disappeared back into the darkness.

Sebiki's stomach twisted. Her pulse roared in her ears.

This was suicide.

Kavei dropped onto his hands and knees, gripping the rope tightly. His palms were slick with sweat, but he didn't falter. He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. There was no room for hesitation now.

His legs coiled beneath him.

Then he sprang forward.

The world tilted as he launched himself out of the vent, soaring into the open air.

Time slowed.

The wind howled in his ears.

His body twisted midair-too much. The angle was off. He wasn't going to land straight.

Sebiki's breath caught in her throat.

If he missed-

If he hit his head-

If he fell outside the truck-

It would be instant death.

Kavei braced himself as he soared through the air, his grip on the rope tightening as the truck loomed closer. His heart pounded against his ribs, the rush of adrenaline making the moment stretch impossibly long. The cold night air whipped against his skin, and for a second, it felt as if time had frozen.

Then, the impact came.

He reached the truck with the momentum of the swing, shifting his weight to adjust. At the last second, he yanked one hand away from the rope, stretching toward the top of the truck. His fingers brushed the rough surface, then clenched tightly around the edge. Relief barely had time to settle before his body, still mid-swing, slammed forward.

His forehead collided hard with the metal.

A sharp jolt of pain exploded through his skull. The world blurred for a split second, a wave of dizziness washing over him. His vision swam, the truck spinning in his periphery, but he forced himself to focus. He couldn't afford to black out now.

His grip tightened. His breathing came in ragged bursts as he steadied himself. He had to get down and into the truck before his body gave in to the dizziness.

With a quick, controlled movement, he let go of the rope.

Below, Miyasi had already anticipated his move. She reached out, unhooking the rope from the bottom ledge of the truck with practiced ease. Without hesitation, she coiled it into a tight roll and shoved it deep between the garbage bags, making sure it was hidden.

Meanwhile, Kavei caught onto the truck's side edge as he fell, his muscles straining as he dangled for a second. His feet searched for solid ground, finally scraping against the truck's lower ledge. The moment his boots touched metal, he pushed off and swung himself inside.

The others barely breathed as he landed, collapsing onto the heaps of trash with a muffled grunt.

A single minute.

That was all it had been.

But to them, it felt like an eternity.

Their chests rose and fell in unsteady sync, their bodies tense, their hands gripping onto whatever they could as they lay buried beneath the filth. The stench was unbearable, but none of them dared to move.

A few moments later, the sound of boots crunching against gravel made them all freeze.

The garbage workers had returned.

Through the tiny gaps in the trash, the team could make out two men dressed in green uniforms and matching masks. They moved methodically, lifting bags and tossing them into the truck with practiced ease.

"It was nothing after all," one of them muttered, adjusting the mask over his nose.

Sebiki held her breath as they continued to load the garbage. Every movement felt like a potential disaster. If one of them so much as shifted at the wrong moment, it was over.

"You think security's too tight these days?" the other worker asked, heaving another bag into the truck.

"Probably," the first man replied. "I mean, a piece of paper flying through the air and hitting the fence? That doesn't mean it's an intruder."

Kavei's jaw clenched. He could still feel the dull throb in his forehead from where he hit the truck. If he had been even slightly off in his timing, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

"Still," the second worker continued, his voice lowering slightly, "considering that maniac who kidnapped that kid-what was his name? Daichi? The police have to be extra careful."

Sebiki's fingers dug into the garbage bag she was gripping.

Daichi.

She exchanged a tense glance with Miyasi, who had heard it too.

The conversation between the workers continued as they tossed in the last of the trash.

With one final heave, the truck was fully loaded. The driver climbed into the cabin, and with a deep rumble, the engine roared to life.

The truck rolled forward, its massive wheels crunching over the gravel as it carried them away from the building.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

They had done it.

But at what cost?

Next: Advancement Arc