Chapter 4

Remon worked tirelessly to hack into the CCTV cameras. What she found wasn’t a case of broken cameras—it was manipulation. Someone had tampered with the footage, making it appear as if nothing had happened or causing it to glitch at the crucial moments. But after digging deeper, she managed to recover the original recordings from nearby cameras.

Sitting side by side, Remon and Mallory watched the screen in tense silence. The footage showed Rein walking down the street… then, out of nowhere, a car came speeding toward him. The impact was brutal. Rein was thrown to the ground.

Strangely, not a single person was in sight. No witnesses. At least that part was true.

Mallory stared at the screen, her hands clenched into fists. Her entire body shook with anger. Remon glanced at her, seeing the burning hatred in her eyes.

“…We should sue the driver,” Remon suggested.

Mallory didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

She immediately informed Rein’s parents. An investigation followed, and soon, the driver was found. When confronted, he admitted he had no memory of that night—he had been drunk. The evidence was overwhelming: his car had visible dents, his brakes had failed, and now, with the recovered CCTV footage, the case was sealed. The driver was arrested.

Case closed.

But as Mallory sat alone in her room that night, staring at the ceiling, an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

“…That’s it?” she asked so many times inside her head.

She should feel relieved. The person who killed Rein was finally behind bars. Justice was served. So why did it feel so… wrong?

Why did it feel like something was still missing?

Her thoughts swirled, making her restless, but exhaustion eventually pulled her under.

Even in sleep, the unease never left.

The next day, Mallory walked into school like normal, but before she could even sit down, Remon showed up at her desk. No greeting, no explanation—just a quiet, 

“...Follow me.” 

Mallory seem confused but got up anyway, trailing after her. Remon led her through the halls, walking past classrooms until they reached some abandoned corner of the school. It was quiet, untouched, like no one had stepped foot here in ages. 

Mallory glanced around. “How’d you even find this place..?” 

Remon didn’t answer right away. Instead, she pulled something out of her pocket. It’s a weird scribbled handwriting. “Look at this.” 

Mallory squinted. “..? What is this?” 

“...It’s not over yet.” 

A weird feeling settled in Mallory’s stomach. “? What’s not over yet?” 

Remon’s gaze was sharp now. “Are you ready for what I’m about to say?” 

Mallory hesitated. “..? Just say it.” 

“Are you sure? It’s about… Rein.” 

She froze for a second. “Oh. Yea. Sure.” 

For a moment, Remon just stared at her, like she was checking if Mallory really meant it. 

Mallory felt it—Remon doubted her for a second there. But she forced a grin, trying to act normal. “Yeah, yeah, sure! What is it?” 

But deep down, she knew—whatever Remon was about to say, it wasn’t gonna be something easy.

“I found this paper, and well… yeah, so, we falsely accused a man.”

“W-WHAT???”

“Well, not entirely… That driver did hit Rein… or maybe not…”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!”

“Shh, calm down! This is why I need you to be prepared. You’re gonna attract attention!”

“Ah, sorry… So what do you mean?”

Remon sighed, lowering her voice. “Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious that the driver’s brakes were weirdly broken too? He admitted he was drunk and said he doesn’t remember much… But what if someone actually messed with his brakes? What if someone wanted this to happen?”

Mallory’s stomach twisted. “...What? That’s ridiculous… You’re seriously not saying that-”

“Yes, Mallory.” Remon’s voice was dead serious now. “There’s someone out there who wanted Rein dead.”

Mallory felt cold all of a sudden. “...But why? Rein is a good person… and-”

“You don’t know his past, Mallory. Who knows? Maybe he pissed someone off before.”

“That doesn’t make sense! He’s always kind to everyone! I don’t even understand why people at school avoid him…”

Remon’s expression didn’t change, and she went quiet.

“Anyway, yeah, that’s it. That’s what I wanted to tell you. Have a great day.”

“Wait! Remon! Noo-”

But Remon was already walking away, not even bothering to look back.

-In the Classroom-

Mallory groaned. They were in the same class, sitting right next to each other, but they never really talked much. Normally, that was fine. But today? Today, Mallory needed to talk to her.

She leaned over. “Psst, Remon.”

No response.

Mallory kept staring, whispering her name again, but Remon acted like she didn’t even hear her. Before she could try again, the teacher’s voice cut through the room.

“Mallory, don’t annoy Remon, please.”

Mallory’s face burned as she shrank back into her seat. Meanwhile, Remon, who definitely heard that, smirked ever so slightly.

Mallory clenched her fists.

Her blood boiled, but she forced herself to stay calm.

“Just wait until class is over,” she said in her head.

-In White Space-

The so-called clock person could now sit. That empty, emotionless expression still lingered on its face—eerily unsettling. It sent a small shiver down Remon’s spine.

“Leo, how do we train them?”

“Hm… I don’t know.”

Sigh. “You’re so useless.”

“H-Hey?? Fine! Let me try something—I do know how to train them!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Leo stepped in front of the clock person, crouching down slowly. He gave a warm, friendly smile.

“Hi!! Let me introduce myself! I’m Leo! And that one over there is Remon! Soo… what should we call you?”

The creature simply stared at him. It blinked. Not a single word escaped its lips.

Leo turned his head toward Remon, looking troubled. Remon only returned a weird look.

After several attempts to communicate, the two of them ended up lying on the floor, utterly defeated.

“Ahhh… I don’t know what to do,” Leo groaned.

“I thought you’d be a good guide,” Remon sighed.

“I am!! I just… forgot how to do it.”

“What should we do now?”

“Ah! I know! Let’s play a fun card game!” Leo suddenly perked up, pulling something out of his pocket.

“Huh?”

“Do you know UNO? Let’s play that!”

“Oh, yeah, I know that game.”

Leo sat close to the creature, grinning. “Hey, you! Yes, you! Let’s play together!” He handed over some cards.

Remon, watching from a short distance, took slow steps toward them.

“Okay!! So, do you recognize this color?” Leo asked, holding up a card.

The creature tilted its head slightly.

“And this number?”

It just blinked.

“…Leo,” Remon said, voice filled with doubt.

“The game is simple! You need to match your card with the same color or number as the one in the center!” Leo continued, determined.

He lifted a card. Just as he was about to explain further, the card changed color.

“Ah… well! That card is supposed to—”

Before he could finish, the card changed again.

This time, it had his face on it. And Remon’s.

Leo and Remon looked at it, confused.

“…Alright. Uh. Hold this first.” Leo quickly handed some other cards to the creature.

The creature while their head still tilted, its hands moved.

Remon’s eyes widened.

The moment of truth.

The creature’s fingers brushed the cards… and it held them.

Leo and Remon exchanged looks, their shock morphing into excitement.

“YESSS!! WE DID IT!!” Leo cheered. “OKAY, OKAY! So, next, you just need to—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the cards in the creature’s hands vanished into thin air.

Leo and Remon froze.

A long silence stretched between them.

“…Oh. This is gonna take a while,” Remon muttered, rubbing her temples.