That afternoon, in the laboratory of Roya Hospital. A twenty-five-year-old woman with long black hair tipped in red stood in the middle of the room. She scanned each corner, then pressed her fingers against the wall... her index and middle fingers tracing the cold concrete surface. Arion walked closer. "Well?" he asked.
The woman turned. Her hair swayed. "Hm... Honestly, nothing stands out," she answered.
"You said the thief didn't appear on the security camera, right?" she asked, tilting her head.
"That's right," Arion answered shortly, giving a nod.
"Where exactly is the camera?" she asked. She walked out of the room, her hand gesturing for Arion to follow.
Arion followed her until they reached a three-way intersection in the corridor. "Right there," he said, pointing to the security camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. His finger directed at the round lens overhead.
"Hm... That's strange. If you wanted to hide a secret room, wouldn't it make more sense to build it in the camera's blind spot?" she asked again, raising her head to study the camera.
Arion exhaled. "Yeah, that's probably the careless doctor's mistake. No wonder it was easy to steal from," he said, his shoulders dropping.
"Alright. I'd like to see the footage... Could you show me the way?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Sure, follow me," Arion replied. They walked through the corridor until they reached the security room.
Once there, the woman studied the footage being played... the same recording Lindsey had watched before. She smiled faintly. Her hand rose, and she began rolling her thumb slowly across her lower lip.
"Alright, I think I've found something," she said, turning to face Arion.
"What is it... Rita?" Arion asked, narrowing his eyes.
Rita turned back toward the monitor. "Well... How do I put it... It doesn't feel certain just yet," she answered casually.
"What do you mean?" Arion asked, stepping forward.
Rita turned to face him again. "Simply put... I'm not telling you until I'm sure," she said.
~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, as usual... Lindsey sat on the sofa, enjoying a warm cup of tea. Both palms wrapped around the cup. Ryuu arrived, pushed the door open, and gave a wave. "Good morning, Lindsey," he greeted.
Between sips, "Morning," Lindsey replied.
"Did you bring what I asked for?" Lindsey asked, setting her cup down on the table.
Ryuu exhaled. "Yeah..." he said. He pulled a laptop from his shoulder bag, then plugged a red flash drive into the USB port. "I copied this without my brother's permission... So you'd better be grateful," he added, raising a shoulder.
Without hesitation, Lindsey flipped the laptop toward her. Both hands gripped either side as she rotated it 180 degrees. She read through the data and files on the screen, her eyes moving swiftly.
"I already knew all of this," Lindsey monologued quietly, a hint of disappointment pulling her shoulders down. "Did I misjudge who to use?" she continued in her thoughts, fingers resting under her chin.
"Huh~" Lindsey sighed. "Well... I suppose I already know most of what happened. No... I'm pretty sure it's everything," she said aloud. She reached for the teapot and poured herself another cup.
"W-what? Really?" Ryuu said suddenly, snapping his head toward her.
Lindsey gave a single nod without a word, then took a sip of her tea.
"If that's true... do you know who did it as well?" Ryuu asked, his eyes widening.
Lindsey set her cup down, then rose slowly to her feet. She walked toward the window. "Something like that," she replied casually, lifting one shoulder.
"Then we need to tell the others right away and have them arrested!" Ryuu said with fire in his voice, his hand clenching into a fist at his chest.
"No... Don't," Lindsey replied flatly, making her way toward the kitchen.
Ryuu went quiet instantly. "Wait... what? Why?" he asked, caught off guard.
Lindsey crouched in front of a small cabinet. Her hand found the handle, pulled it open, and retrieved a jar of biscuits. "We don't have evidence yet... And on top of that, revealing ourselves could push the culprit to speed up their plan," she answered calmly.
"Y-you're right. But... we can't just do nothing, can we?" Ryuu replied, urgency creeping into his voice.
Lindsey returned to the sofa. The cushion gave a faint creak as she settled back in. She placed the jar on the table and twisted off the lid. Her hand picked out a single biscuit, and she took a bite. Chewing slowly, "So then... What exactly do you think we can do?" she asked.
"W-well, maybe we could ambush them while they're off guard?" Ryuu offered. He reached over and took a biscuit for himself, then ate it.
Lindsey sighed, swallowing her bite. She paused in thought, her gaze drifting forward into nothing. "It's not that simple. The moment they sense that someone knows what they're planning..." she began, then paused. "There's a chance they'd accelerate everything... or come after us first," she continued, mid-chew.
"W-what do you mean... come after us?" Ryuu asked, his eyes going wide with disbelief.
"That's right... This is the same person responsible for putting my grandfather in the hospital," Lindsey replied, her eyes sharpening. The biscuit in her hand crumbled under the pressure of her tightening grip.
"One wrong move... and we'd end up the same way," she continued.
Ryuu flinched, a chill visibly running through him as his shoulders rose. "I-I see. So we have to keep this completely to ourselves for now?" he asked.
Lindsey gave a single nod without a word. Though inside, her mind was far from quiet.
"Any idea what their motive could be?" Ryuu asked, tilting his head.
Lindsey raised a shoulder. "No clue," she answered casually, slipping another biscuit into her mouth.
Ryuu blinked. "I-is that so..." he murmured.
Lindsey went still in thought. Her eyes narrowed. "But really... what is the culprit's motive for going this far...?" she monologued silently. "If I think back to what happened over five years ago, it's possible. But... this feels too straightforward," she continued inwardly, her fingers resting beneath her chin.
Lindsey then rose to her feet in one firm motion. Both hands pushed against the sofa cushion as she lifted herself up. "Before you head to work, Ryuu... could you drive me to the hospital? I want to visit my grandfather," she asked, glancing over at him.
"S-sure, of course," Ryuu replied, getting up from the sofa.
Without wasting any time, they drove straight to Roya Hospital. Lindsey stepped out and sprinted inside immediately. Her feet carried her swiftly down the white corridor, her shoes striking the ceramic floor with sharp, rapid sounds.
Then... she stopped dead in her tracks in front of a frosted glass door that was pulled shut. Her chest rose and fell from the run. Through the blurred glass, the silhouettes of multiple doctors moved in hurried, frantic shapes around Yolan's bed. Their shadows swept back and forth behind the clouded pane.
Until finally...
"Beeeeep..."
A long, familiar tone sounded from inside Room 204. The tone that meant someone's journey had just come to an end. It rang out and reached Lindsey's ears where she stood in the corridor.
Lindsey's eyes went wide. Both of them... wide open, unblinking. Her legs gave out beneath her, her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor. Her body collapsed with a quiet thud. "Im... impossible..." she breathed, disbelief hollow in her voice. Her hands rose and pressed against her head, which had begun to spin. Her fingers curled into her own hair. Lindsey's gaze became hollow again, her hands trembling violently. Her breathing came in short, rapid bursts. Until finally... she fell forward, and everything went dark. Her head met the floor, and her entire body went still.