Kiyoshi lay face down on the ground, blood streaming from the back of his head, trailing into his eyes. His eyes twitched—but then, faintly, he smiled.
Cut to Ren and Aoshi.
"This place looks abandoned," Ren said, trying to keep the mood light. "If there's one thing I don't wanna deal with, it's ghosts."
As they made their way through the dusty halls, Aoshi broke the silence.
"Ren, what do you think of Izumi?"
Ren froze in place, caught off guard. Her cheeks flushed pink. "I think… Izumi's a kind guy. He has a great heart. He's a positive person. Why do you ask?"
"Ahh, that so?" Aoshi replied. "I think he's a great guy too. But his 'trying to keep everyone safe' mindset... it kind of makes me sick. I'm just trying to get to know you two better. You seem close—even though you've only just met."
Aoshi knew what she was seeing. That look on Ren's face—she was in love.
Just then, a door creaked open nearby. Ren jumped, panicking, and accidentally hit a switch. The lights in the room flickered on, revealing... a floating pen.
Ren screamed, thinking it was a ghost. Aoshi reacted fast and struck the pen with her rapier. From the light, a figure slowly emerged.
"You... you're Envy, right? Part of The Reminder? I remember your face from Ana's laptop," Aoshi said.
Envy looked confused. "How do you know my codename?"
"Listen," he continued, "If you don't want trouble, don't mess with The Reminder anymore. I've gotten a lot of reports about teenagers interfering. Do you realize how dangerous this is?"
"We've gone too deep," Aoshi replied. "We can't back out now—not until we learn the truth."
"Truth? What truth... oh. You mean the mall incident, huh? Let me save you some time. All those people died… for nothing. Just so we could barely catch Raidon. I don't even know why we're after him anymore.
"Listen, I tried to stop them. But words weren't enough. I needed to do something. To make them realize. All those innocent lives, wasted. But no, they think it's a step forward. So just leave me alone—I've got work to do."
"Set what up? A bomb?" Ren asked.
"What—how'd you—Forget it," Envy sighed. "I don't care anymore. If you really want to stop the bombing, go to these locations."
He held out a map.
Ren and Aoshi froze. There wasn't just one target. There were two. Buildings B and C.
"Ren, we gotta hurry. I'll head to Building C—Kiyoshi's there. You go to Building B—help Izumi and Kenji."
They split up.
Scene cut to Izumi and Kenji – Building B
Izumi commanded the cube to strike. It launched at the enemy's face, knocking him out cold in a single hit.
"Well... that wasn't very hard," Izumi muttered.
Kenji was already brawling. He landed a powerful right hook to the attacker's chest, knocking him to his knees. They tied both of them up.
"Who ordered you to plant the explosives?" Izumi asked.
"That's none of your business!" the man shouted.
Then—a figure appeared in the doorway.
Izumi's eyes widened. "Wait... that's Sloth. What's he doing here?"
"We're in trouble," he added.
"Him?" Kenji scoffed. "He looks half-asleep. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."
"No—don't fight him. I've fought him before. He's not what he seems—"
Sloth blurred forward in a blink, slamming Kenji's head into the ground.
He's so fast, Kenji thought as his vision blurred.
Izumi tried to punch Sloth, but he was tackled to the ground instantly. Sloth leaped high into the air, aiming to stomp—Izumi rolled just in time.
Kenji staggered back up and tried to punch Sloth from behind—but without even looking, Sloth caught his arm and flung him into the wall.
"Cube—Gamma Beam!" Izumi shouted.
The cube launched a concentrated blast, piercing a hole through Sloth's arm. He staggered back.
"You okay?" Izumi asked, rushing to Kenji.
"I'm good."
"Alright. I'll trap him. You finish the job."
Kenji nodded.
The cube launched gamma threads toward Sloth. He dodged the first wave, but a second followed immediately, wrapping him tight. Kenji landed a solid punch. Izumi followed with another.
But Sloth roared, bursting out of the trap and bolting downstairs.
He plowed through the first floor, injuring several civilians to cause chaos and cover his escape. Then he spun his feet like turbines—and vanished down the street.
"Kenji—car! Now!"
They both jumped into a car. Kenji drove recklessly as Izumi called Ren.
"We're chasing Sloth! But listen—. The bomb is planted here—"
"I know," Ren said. "Envy told us. Kiyoshi's in danger—the other bomb is at his location!"
Izumi's eyes widened. Why didn't I think of that? Why didn't I consider there'd be more than one...?!
"Don't worry about Building B," Ren continued. "I'm on my way."