Terror in Resonance: If - Sphinxes of the Sleepless City
Terror in Resonance: If — Sphinxes of the Sleepless City
Nine and Touji have returned—not to the Tokyo of their world, but to another sleepless city where the festival lights flicker and the shadows of the Athena Plan still reach. The bomb is set. The detonator is ready. And the world is watching Sphinx.
But in this world, a girl sits alone in the corner of a classroom, her downcast eyes carrying the weight of a silence no one else can hear. She is not Mio. She is just a classmate. A stranger.
Terror in Resonance: If - Sphinxes of the Sleepless City - Pale Yellow Scream - The Accomplice's Place to Return To -
Third floor of an old mixed-use building. Through a gap in the black curtains, the summer morning light fell onto the floor in a thin line.
Kokonoe Arata stared at his laptop screen. Behind his dark navy self-framed glasses, his deep brown eyes caught the cold light. A small old scar on his left eyebrow surfaced and vanished in time with the flickering screen.
On the display was a map of Tokyo. Several red markers. He tapped the keyboard, and the map zoomed in. Five hundred meters from the hideout. Eight hundred. One kilometer.
"...Close."
His voice was quiet, as if swallowed by the air of the room. Outside the window, a cicada chirped once, then stopped.
In the corner, Hisami Touji was asleep against the wall. His fluffy, light-brown mushroom-cut hair clung to his forehead with sweat. His large amber eyes were closed, and his small, regular breaths continued steadily.
The third one. Mishima Risa slept beside Touji, hugging her own arms. Her shoulder-length black hair was slightly tousled. A small piercing in her left ear gathered a single bead of morning light.
Nine glanced at the two sleeping faces.
(I'll change locations today.)
Having decided that, he closed the laptop. A dry click echoed faintly through the room.
Just then, Touji's smartphone buzzed on the floor. Bzzt, bzzt—two short vibrations. Nine reached out and picked it up.
A notification was displayed on the screen.
"I know where Mishima Risa is. Come alone. The address is—"
The sender was Risa's smartphone.
Nine's fingers stopped.
(Risa is here.)
Risa was sleeping in this room right now. Her smartphone should be among her belongings.
(Then this means—)
Nine gripped Touji's smartphone. His knuckles went white.
—Five.
That woman had gotten hold of Risa's smartphone. Which meant something had happened while Risa was out alone.
Nine checked Risa's belongings. The smartphone was gone.
(Since when?)
Risa had left the room last night saying she was going to buy food. Alone.
(Why didn't I stop her?)
Nine bit his lip. His back teeth clicked softly.
Touji stirred. His eyelids slowly lifted.
"...Nine? What's wrong, you're making a scary face."
Touji sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Nine thrust Touji's smartphone in front of him.
"Look."
Touji peered at the screen. His drowsy eyes snapped awake in an instant. The next moment, the blood drained from his face. His lips trembled slightly.
"...Risa...chan."
His voice was hoarse. A sound like something caught in the back of his throat.
"I'm going. I'm going right now."
Touji tried to stand. His knees buckled. Even so, he reached for his helmet.
"Wait."
Nine's voice was low and sharp. Touji froze.
"This is a trap. I'm not letting you go alone."
"But Risa-chan is—"
"I know. That's why I'm going."
"No! I'm going!"
Touji's voice defied Nine for the first time. The air in the room pulled taut.
"I decided I'd protect Risa-chan. This has nothing to do with you, Nine!"
Touji grabbed his helmet and tried to bolt from the room. Nine caught his arm.
"Touji!"
"Calm down. If you go alone, that woman will just kill you."
"But—!"
Tears welled in Touji's eyes. Light distorted at the edges of his lids.
"I'm going to protect Risa-chan. I promised. I promised I'd protect her."
Nine didn't let go of Touji's arm. He could feel Touji's pulse through his fingers. Fast.
"Two options."
Nine's voice rang out quietly, but firmly.
"You come with me and we rescue Risa with a plan. Or you charge in alone and both you and Risa die."
Touji bit his lip. His lower lip went white.
"...With you, Nine."
Touji's voice was barely audible. Nine released his arm. Slowly, one finger at a time.
"Good boy. But this isn't your fault. It's my failure to manage things."
Nine opened his laptop. The screen's light reflected off his lenses.
"First, we pinpoint the enemy's location. Then we plan the rescue."
Touji nodded weakly. He set his helmet on the floor. His palms glistened with sweat.
The Tokyo summer sun scorched the asphalt. The inside of the abandoned factory had absorbed the outside heat and felt stifling. Mishima Risa sat on the cold concrete floor. Her hands were bound behind her back. Her ankles were tied tight too. A cloth was stuffed in her mouth. Every breath returned damp heat from the fabric.
(How did I end up like this?)
Risa was remembering last night.
She'd gone to the convenience store to buy food. Nine and Touji had been talking about something difficult, so she'd wanted a little fresh air. She bought onigiri at the register and left the store. She heard the automatic door close behind her.
That's when someone called out from behind.
"Are you Mishima Risa?"
She turned to see a white-haired woman standing there. Ice-blue eyes. Before Risa could brace herself, the woman covered her mouth. With tremendous force, she was dragged into an alley. Risa struggled desperately. She felt her nails scratch the woman's arm. But the woman's strength was beyond anything she'd imagined.
When she came to, she was in this abandoned factory.
Risa looked at the woman before her. Long white hair. Well-kept but somehow haggard. A blue earring on her left ear. She coughed occasionally. A dry, short cough.
"...Who are you?"
Risa asked in a trembling voice. Five turned around slowly.
"Me? I'm an old acquaintance of Kokonoe Arata and Hisami Touji."
Her voice was cold, emotionless. Wind blew in through a shattered window.
"You were all in the same facility, weren't you?"
Risa said it with all the courage she could muster. Five's eyes widened slightly.
"...Yes. Which is exactly why I can't let them go."
Five coughed. Her hands were trembling.
"Those children—I'll end them. With my own hands."
Five pressed one trembling hand with the other. The bones of her fingers stood out white.
"You are my pawn. A precious pawn to lure those children here."
Risa stared back into Five's cold eyes.
(This person is the same as Nine and the others... but something's different.)
(This person's eyes look so lonely.)
Risa's chest ached. In a place different from the pain of the ropes biting into her wrists.
Evening. Nine and Touji stood in front of the abandoned factory. It looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. The walls were covered in graffiti, the windows shattered, the steel frame rusted. There was no sign of anyone around. In the distance, a crow cawed once.
"Touji. You go around to the back. I'll go in through the front."
"Got it. But Nine, are you really okay going alone?"
"I'll be fine. When you find Risa, get her out immediately."
"...Got it."
Touji ran toward the back entrance. His footsteps faded. Nine stood before the front entrance. A large iron door. Red rust floated on its surface.
(Five. Is your target me, or Touji? Or—)
Nine pushed the iron door open. Giiii... a rusted sound echoed. Inside was dim and smelled of mold. The ceiling was high, and the wreckage of machinery lay scattered everywhere. Gravel crunched under his shoes.
Nine advanced slowly.
"—Welcome, Kokonoe Arata."
A voice echoed from the back of the factory. It reverberated and died at the ceiling. Nine stopped.
"Five."
"It's been a while. How many years, I wonder."
Five emerged from behind the machinery. Her white hair swayed in the faint breeze.
"Where is Mishima Risa?"
Nine's voice was restrained.
"Don't worry. The girl is fine. She's just resting a bit right now."
Five smiled thinly. Only the corners of her lips moved.
"There's something I want to ask you."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, how cold. You used to be more honest."
Five took a step forward. Her footsteps echoed on the concrete.
"The compact atomic bomb. The one you stole in Aomori. Where is it?"
Nine said nothing. Wind passed between them. Five's white hair swayed softly.
"Not answering? Then the girl's life is forfeit."
Five snapped her fingers. A dry sound echoed through the factory. A noise came from the back. Risa's voice could be faintly heard.
"...Nine! Don't come!"
Risa's scream echoed through the factory. Nine's expression shifted slightly. The scar on his eyebrow twitched.
"Risa."
"She's a good girl. She's worried about you."
Five said it with apparent pleasure. A little warmth returned to her voice.
"But what a shame. You can't save her. Because you have no intention of telling me where the bomb is."
Five pulled a small device from her pocket. A black plastic box. A red button in the center.
"This is a detonator. I've planted a small bomb on the girl's body. If I press this button, she'll scatter in pieces of flesh."
Nine clenched his fist. His nails dug into his palm.
"...Cowardly."
"Cowardly? Oh, there's no such thing as cowardly for a terrorist, is there?"
Five laughed. A cough mixed into the back of her throat.
"I don't have time. Now, choose. Tell me where the bomb is, or the girl dies."
Nine fell silent.
(Two options.)
(But I can't choose either.)
(Save Risa. And don't hand over the bomb.)
(To do that—)
Just as Nine opened his mouth, the factory's back entrance burst open. Light poured in.
"Risa-chan!!"
Touji came flying in. His footsteps echoed through the factory.
"Touji! I told you not to come!"
"Shut up! I'm going to protect Risa-chan!"
Touji ran toward the direction of Risa's voice.
"—Hisami Touji. You came at just the right time."
Five stood in Touji's path. Her white hair crossed his field of vision.
"I was thinking of making you a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yes. Mishima Risa's life, for the location of the compact atomic bomb. Care to trade?"
Touji stopped. His shoulders heaved. His breathing was rough.
"...The bomb's... location."
"That's right. If you tell me, I'll set the girl free."
"Touji! Don't tell her!"
Nine shouted. His voice hit the factory walls and bounced back.
"Nine, shut up! Risa-chan's life is at stake!"
Touji glared at Five. His amber eyes were burning.
"...You'll really set Risa-chan free?"
"Yes, I promise."
"...Fine. I'll tell you."
"Touji!!"
Nine broke into a run. His shoes kicked up gravel. But he was too late. Touji told Five the bomb's hiding place. His voice was trembling, but clear.
"...Good boy. But you're naive."
Five laughed. Her mouth twisted.
"I'll release Mishima Risa. But you—I'll have you restrained here."
Five raised her hand. Several men emerged from the shadows of the factory. Multiple footsteps overlapped.
"What—!? That's not what we agreed!"
"Oh, I said I'd release the girl. I never said I'd release you."
The men lunged at Touji. He resisted desperately. He swung his fists, kicked one man in the stomach. But against so many, he was overwhelmed. His arms were seized, his legs swept out, and Touji was pinned to the floor. His cheek scraped against the concrete.
"Let go! Let Risa-chan go!"
Touji's scream echoed through the factory. It reverberated at the ceiling and died.
Meanwhile, outside the factory, a car pulled up quietly. Shibasaki Kenjirou gazed up at the abandoned factory from the car window. Short black hair mixed with white. His sharp black eyes stared fixedly at the factory entrance. The car's air conditioning hummed low.
"...So this is the place."
Shibasaki pulled a bag of Pon de Ring donuts from his pocket and took a bite. A sweet smell spread through the car. The sound of his chewing seemed oddly loud.
Shibasaki took out his smartphone. The screen showed the movement history of Five's car. Shibasaki had been tracking Five's movements. A nuclear scientist who'd come from America. Shibasaki had intuited that she was deeply involved in the Sphinx case. And that intuition had now turned into near certainty.
Shibasaki got out of the car. The heat struck his cheeks.
"...The puzzle isn't solved yet."
Shibasaki headed toward the back entrance of the factory. As he walked, he popped the last bite into his mouth. He wiped the sugar off his fingers on his trousers.
Inside the factory, Nine faced off aga
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