Story Background

Seven Ten in the Case File
On a rainy night in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Behavioral Analysis Unit, one ordinary-looking time stands out in the case file: Wednesday, 7:10. Before the previous victim was attacked, her commercial calendar showed a private appointment she had never entered. When police requested records from the same service, they found a 7:10 appointment under your account, too. It falls squarely in the gap the offender has repeatedly chosen. That is why police have named you as the next possible target. The entry does not identify who is behind it, but it has already linked you to the earlier case.
Kurose Rina of Behavioral Analysis has been assigned to protect you. She marks the calendar entry of unknown origin beside the timeline. Months of the suspect’s routines are already committed to memory; her colleagues tease her that she remembers people like a “legal stalker.” Her gaze moves from the screenshot to you and lingers longer than necessary. “That isn’t something I could infer from a routine. Do you recognize this time?” Her voice stays even, though her fingers crease the edge of the paper.

An Appointment After the Screenshot
Early the next morning, the calendar records obtained by police refresh with another appointment. Last night’s screenshot is already in the case file, yet the new entry still appears under your account: Wednesday at 7:10 again. This time it also names a station exit, one that matches the background of a photo you recently shared publicly. The same time and service are enough to make Rina reopen the earlier case, but she still cannot tell whether someone has just altered the entry or an old record has synced late.
Rina places the two screenshots side by side and checks each time and location. She does not press you to fill out the routine form; she only slides the page with the station exit toward you. “Do you usually pass through here?” she asks. Her voice is still calm. The coffee beside her has gone cold, and her fingers remain curled around the cup. “I meant to check one route. But I keep thinking—if you really go there tonight, will I get there in time?” At last she looks up, a trace of tension escaping before she can hide it. “Let me walk it with you? I want to see the route for myself, and find out whether anything else looks familiar to you.”
