Chapter 23 — Documentation Matters

Monday brings Riku and Sara back into the one place where danger does not need a weapon: school.

The student wellness review is supposed to be optional. Emiko makes that clear before anyone sits down. No private questioning. No medical questions. No pressure behind closed doors.

But polite rooms can still hide traps.

As Riku and Sara try to follow the plan — visible evidence only, no overreaction — one small discovery changes the shape of the day. A badge where it should not be. A reflection that should not be possible. A school official asking questions that sound too carefully aimed.

And when tension spills into the hallway, phones rise, reporters notice, and Sara learns again that in Riku’s world, the most dangerous blade may be the story someone else records.

By the end of the day, Riku has more than suspicion.

He has documentation.

And the line between Natsume, P.A.T.H., and his father is no longer something he can ignore.