"I don't know... please advise."
Ryuuto's tone was light, but his eyes had that sharp glint — the kind that cuts deeper than any kunai. Facing Gwen across the table, he spoke slowly, deliberately.
"You started this company to make money, right? But if you keep bleeding cash, you'll crash and burn. Investors pull out, everyone loses. From what I can tell, your tech's solid — cheap, efficient. So if it gets out there… people with skin conditions could treat themselves at home."
He leaned back, voice turning colder. "Do you realize what that means?"
Gwen blinked, confused but curious. Ryuuto pressed on.
"It means you're about to ruin a lot of very rich people's day. Every big-name biotech and hospital that makes money off prescriptions or treatments? Your invention just made them obsolete. The public will love you for it, sure — but those corporations?"
He tilted his head, a crooked grin on his face.
"They'll want you gone. Permanently. By the way… what's your production cost per unit?"
"About fifty dollars," Gwen said softly.
"Then it's settled," Ryuuto said flatly. "Once your tech goes public, companies will lose tens — maybe hundreds — of millions. So honestly? The fact they asked you nicely to shut it down instead of just pulling a trigger… is a miracle. If they can't buy you out, they'll bury you."
Gwen paled. "You're being scary, you know that?"
"Reality's scary," Ryuuto replied. "I've just seen more of it than you have."
That's when he noticed it — a woman, mid-thirties, standing a few booths away, pretending to browse. Her gaze wasn't on him. It was fixed on Gwen.
Ryuuto's instincts screamed.
A biotech firm tried to silence Gwen. Now a random woman keeps tailing her?
The math wasn't hard.
Mutant?
Corporate hit?
It fit too perfectly. Emma was already dead — someone out there was tying up loose ends. Gwen might just be next.
He scanned the crowd again. There — a man in a gray suit watching from the left, another near the exit. Eyes too alert. Posture too stiff.
Predators.
"Gwen," Ryuuto said quietly, "that guy who mocked you earlier — where is he now? Don't look. Just tell me."
"Uh… about ten meters to your left. Gray suit."
That sealed it.
"Thought so," Ryuuto muttered. "Gwen, you're in danger. If you trust me, we're leaving. Now."
"This is a school," Gwen protested. "Nobody's going to shoot me here. And my invention helps people! There's no reason for them to—"
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Ryuuto asked suddenly.
"Wha—? No! Why—"
"Good. Otherwise, I'd feel bad about this."
Before she could react, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the exit.
"Wha—hey!" Gwen yelped, face burning. She wasn't used to being touched, let alone dragged around by some sarcastic transfer student. But when she glanced back and saw the men following, her stomach dropped.
She stopped struggling. Started walking beside him instead.
"How do you even know all this?" she whispered.
"Read too many detective novels," Ryuuto said dryly.
"That's not funny! Should I call the police?"
"And say what? 'Hi, officer, a maybe-mutant maybe wants to kill me?' You think they'll mobilize SWAT for that?"
"…okay, fair point," she admitted. "Then let's just get off campus and hide!"
"Hiding buys time, not safety," Ryuuto replied. "Especially if they've got a Mutant."
Gwen froze. "…A Mutant? There can't be one here! They're banned from entering Axville!"
"You're really a nerd," Ryuuto sighed. "Banned doesn't mean impossible. Some can walk through walls, others can shapeshift. A science fair's perfect cover — international guests, tons of chaos.
That woman in short sleeves following us? She's one of them. No clue what her ability is yet, though."
"Then what do we do?" Gwen's voice trembled. "We can't fight Mutants! Even if they're not, they might have guns!"
"Ever heard of martial arts?"
"…Bruce Lee?"
"Yeah. He was good." Ryuuto's lips curved into a faint smirk. "I'm better."
Gwen just stared, half terrified, half disbelieving.
"You're insane."
"Probably," he admitted. "But lucky for you, I'm your kind of insane. Now—take me somewhere no one goes at this hour."
"There's… a storage wing behind the lab block," Gwen said hesitantly. "No students go there now."
"Perfect," Ryuuto said. "Lead the way."
As they hurried down the quiet corridor, Gwen glanced sideways at him — his hand still firmly gripping hers. His expression was calm, almost casual. But his eyes?
They were razor sharp.
And for the first time… Gwen wondered if this boy really was just a student.