The chapter picks up right where we left off. Izumi sits hunched over the broken laptop, tapping its power button repeatedly with growing frustration. Nothing happens.
"Still dead," he mutters, sighing. He leans back, staring at the ceiling while Ren paces behind him, arms crossed.
"I can't believe it," Ren says. "All that risk, and now the laptop's fried."
Izumi pulls out his phone and stares at it for a moment. Then, without a word, he dials a number.
—
Moments later, the doorbell rings. Ren peeks down the stairs as Izumi walks over and opens the door.
"Jeez, guess I'm your tech support now," Ana says with a grin, stepping inside with her laptop bag.
"Ana! I'm sorry for calling you so late," Izumi says, relieved.
"Nah, it's fine," she shrugs. "Honestly, I'm curious too. But why didn't you want Kiyoshi or Aoshi to come?"
Izumi lowers his gaze. "After what happened at the building… they're exhausted. I don't want to bother them with this. It's my problem anyway."
Ana raises an eyebrow. "You're tired too, Izumi. You don't always have to carry everything alone."
"I know," he says quietly. "But just this once, I need to handle it myself."
Ana doesn't press further. "Alright. Let's check the laptop quickly—my mom's making mushroom stew at home, and I'd hate to miss it."
Upstairs, Ren greets Ana cheerfully. "Hey, you must be Ana! Thanks for coming."
"Anytime," Ana replies with a smile as she sets up her laptop on the table. She pulls out a USB device. "This should help transfer the data from the damaged drive—assuming it's not completely fried."
The transfer begins. Hours pass as the three of them wait anxiously, watching the progress bar inch forward.
Finally—success.
Ana double-clicks a folder titled "List." Inside are dozens of files. She clicks the main document, and the contents make all of them freeze.
"It's… a list of all the Reminder operatives," Ana says slowly.
Izumi leans in. "Wait—that's the maniac girl! That's her face, right there!"
The document contains detailed profiles. Each entry includes names, ages, professions, and what appears to be a unique technology associated with them:
Pride — Age: 29, Profession: Ex-Military, Tech: Microphone
Greed — Age: 27, Profession: Ex-Navy, Tech: Gauntlet
Envy — Age: 25, Profession: Ex-Military, Tech: Watches
Lust — Age: 25, Profession: Ex-Military Aid, Tech: Gloves
Gluttony — Age: 26, Profession: Ex-Air Force, Tech: Body Suit
Sloth — Age: 27, Profession: Ex-Military, Tech: Exoskeleton
Wrath — Age: 30, Profession: Ex-Military Lieutenant, Tech: None
"There's even pictures of all of them," Ana adds, scrolling through grim mugshots—except one.
"Except Wrath," Izumi murmurs. "No picture. Just... blank."
"And why are they all former military?" Ren says, frowning. "This is starting to feel way bigger than just some rogue group."
Silence hangs in the room as the weight of the discovery settles on them.