“Yeah? And how much does it cost?” Haruto laughed.

“Keep an eye on Riku.”

“What? The cops are looking for him again?” Haruto asked, still playful. He was bracing for a punchline but froze when he noticed how serious Risa’s expression had become.

“Seriously… why?” he pressed.

“The place you were back in your basement, Riku was there too. Only worse. He almost died. I had to save him,” Risa explained, her voice quiet but sharp, precise, almost as if every word was a calculated variable in an equation too dangerous to ignore.

“The what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“What? How?” Haruto asked, still confused.

“It’s a long story. But right now, you’re the only one I trust with Riku. You’ve been there. You know the signs,” Risa said.

“Will Riku agree to it?”

“Yes. We told him it’s the best thing to do. You can stay at his house or bring him to yours. Just keep an eye on him whenever I can’t.”

“Risa?” Haruto turned to her. “You saved me too… didn’t you?”

Risa only gave him a tight‑lipped smile.

》》》》》》》》》》

For the past few days, Kenji and Risa had engaged in countless arguments. Kenji wanted to stop Risa from whatever she was planning. Risa told him to leave her alone. He reminded her that he had promised to never do it again. At one point, she even told Kenji that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t been so suspicious of the burned lab—and of her.

“Fine. If I can’t stop you, at least tell me what you’re planning,” Kenji finally gave in.

“I want to see who sent the SOS signal,” Risa told him. When she saw the expression on Kenji’s face—annoyance practically written in bold—she explained further.

“I think it’s someone from the lab.”

“Risa, nobody survived the fire except us,” Kenji said.

“But there were people looking for us when we escaped. What if they knew something was wrong? Whatever happened near the lab—to Haru and to Riku—could happen again.”

“Will you please stop trying to be the hero? You promised me you’d only act again if Riku or Haru relapsed. They’re perfectly fine,” Kenji replied, his annoyance clear.

“If Aunt Yui had never asked where Riku was, we wouldn’t have known he was missing. We wouldn’t have found him near the lab. He could’ve died,” Risa said, gripping Kenji’s hand as she spoke. “I just wanted to know if the signal was connected to whatever is happening here.”

Kenji realized there was no way to stop Risa. She always did things her own way. He thought about how she had done the same for him when they were kids. The least he could do now was protect her in whatever way he could.

What Risa planned was simple—and at the same time, impossible. If Haruto could invent a machine that allowed him to talk to radio hosts on the other side, Risa believed she could do it with nothing but a simple radio. She planned to track the signal and move through each frequency until she found the source. She wanted to find whoever sent the message that triggered the domino effect of bad luck in their town—and ask whoever was on the other end what they knew about what was happening.

Kenji almost didn’t believe her. He knew Risa had a gift, but what she wanted seemed impossible to him.

“Kenji, I’m Risa. I saved your childhood from being a total wreck because I have the power to do it. Thanks to me, you only ended up a scumbag instead of a traumatized little boy,” Risa said, completely serious.

They both burst out laughing.

“But… will it hurt you?” Kenji asked.

“No. And if it does, it’s fine. You’re here—you’d snap me out of it,” she answered.

Kenji sat in silence, watching Risa close her eyes as he turned the dial on the radio. Her nose had bled three times, and Kenji had asked her to stop three times as well.

“Risa, we’ve run through the stations so many times. We’ve never sensed it once. Maybe it’s an error,” Kenji pleaded. Risa opened her eyes and shot him a look.

“One last try. Then we stop, okay?” Kenji had no choice but to nod.

He was the one responsible for turning the dial. The radio only had thirty-two stations, but the task felt unbearably heavy. He had to watch Risa and silently hope nothing went wrong.

They were on the thirty-first station, and Kenji almost breathed a sigh of relief. One more, and they could stop. Just then, a faint male voice came through the line.

“This is AK, founder of Project: SOMA. I am contacting you through Station 88.6. If anyone out there can hear this message, please see me at Mr. Inoue’s house. It’s the same as usual. Tell Mr. Inoue the word Resurrexit. This message is intended only for people who worked for Project: SOMA.”

The man stopped speaking, and the radio returned to its usual static. Kenji looked at Risa, confused. Risa looked horrified.

“Risa, why?” Kenji asked, his voice breaking with panic.

“Mr. Inoue… it’s Mr. Saburō,” Risa said slowly.

“What? Isn’t Saburō his last name, not Inoue?”

“No. He’s the only Inoue here in Tsuyukusa. I know because my father fixed his pension years ago. He had no relatives here, and my dad had to do what he could,” Risa explained. “I thought you knew that?”

“I obviously did not. I only knew him as Saburō and assumed it was his last name. But how sure are you that it’s him? It could be anyone.”

“Gut feeling, Kenji. And there’s only one way to find out,” Risa replied.

They drove to Old Man Saburō’s house in silence. Kenji was still filled with questions about how it could be Mr. Saburō. Risa was questioning too—questioning how the old man could be responsible for everything. In fact, she didn’t even know if she was right. The only clues she had were that he was the only Inoue in their town and that the signal was far too clear to come from a distant reception.

They stopped outside Mr. Saburō’s house, neither daring to step out. Kenji stared at Risa, who was staring at the old man’s home.

“What’s the plan? Do we ask him about the message?” Kenji finally broke the silence.

“Let’s just see what happens. First, we go in and ask about the lab’s history. And if he says he doesn’t know anything, we ask about the signal,” Risa answered.

“I still think you’re wrong,” Kenji said.

“I hope so.”

They stepped out of the vehicle, and Kenji held Risa’s hand. It was cold.

Old Man Saburō answered the door after what felt like forever. He was wearing a full hazmat suit.

“Old man… what are you wearing?” Kenji asked, trying not to laugh.

“Nothing. I was sprinkling pesticides on my plants. The chemical’s too strong—it burns my skin even with air contact. And my lungs hurt after. What are you two doing here?” Saburō replied.

“I came by to introduce my girlfriend… and to ask about the burned building near your home,” Kenji said, his grip tightening around Risa’s hand.

The old man hesitated. Then, slowly, he stepped aside and opened the door, telling them it was best to discuss this in private.

He removed the hazmat suit and hung it neatly on the rack. Underneath, he wore a sleeveless shirt—across his back and shoulders were claw marks and burn scars that looked far too violent, far too deliberate, to be brushed off as accidents.

“What happened to your back?” Kenji asked as the old man prepared tea.

“Got in an accident when I was younger. A machine broke at the factory where I used to work,” he answered, sounding a little too convincing.

“And the claw marks?”

“I used to work at a zoo.”

Risa squeezed Kenji’s hand, eyeing him suspiciously. Kenji gave a small shake of his head—not yet, without saying a word.

“What brings you here?” Old Man Saburō asked as he sat on his bed. “If you wanted to introduce your girlfriend, you could’ve informed me days earlier instead of showing up unannounced.”

“Sorry,” Kenji said, scratching his head. “We were in town earlier and figured we should stop by. Risa—my girlfriend—has been dying to meet you.”

Mr. Saburō gave Risa an approving nod.

Mr. Saburō asked how the two of them met, even joking that Risa should keep an eye on Kenji since he seemed like a magnet for trouble.

“Does the trouble include the burned lab near your home?” Risa asked suddenly.

It caught both Kenji and the old man completely off guard.

“If you think of it that way,” the old man replied, shifting uncomfortably.

“Actually, it’s the main reason we came here. We want answers about the building,” Kenji added, finally breaking the silence he’d been praying Risa wouldn’t shatter.

“I don’t know much about it. The building was already there when I moved in. Maybe it was an office or a factory. Who knows?” Mr. Saburō said.

“Or maybe it was a laboratory,” Risa countered. “And I know you know.”

“Listen… some things are better left unknown. That building is one of them. It’s far beyond your understanding,” the old man said, eyes widening like a cornered animal.

“Mister, two of my friends almost vanished because of that laboratory. If you know anything—”

“Resurrexit,” Risa cut in sharply. “Ring any bells?”

The old man froze. “Where did you hear that?”

“Radio,” Risa answered. “So I’m right. You are Mr. Inoue—the one mentioned in the message.”

Saburō Inoue let out a shaky laugh.

“When will you two ever change? Always dragging yourselves into danger,” he muttered. When he saw the confusion on their faces, he sighed and spoke again.

“Fourteen and Eight… am I right?”