Yuya Kazami stood on an upper floor with binoculars raised, watching the street corner from afar.
More than half an hour had passed since Teitan High School let out, yet Tangze had not appeared. It made him anxious.
"It's fine, Kazami." Seeing him staring through the binoculars again, his Zero Division colleague standing behind him reassuringly patted his shoulder. "Tang Ze Zhao sometimes wanders around Shibuya after school. Being a little late is no big deal."
"Yeah..." Yuya Kazami lowered the binoculars pressed against his lenses, revealing the dark circles beneath his eyes as he tried his best to ignore the strong smell of instant noodles in the room.
Mr. Furuya was away, leaving him fully in charge of the operation. He had no confidence in keeping Tang Ze Zhao under watch, so he had simply rented an apartment not far from Polo Cafe. Several of them took turns monitoring him around the clock for forty-eight hours. God knew how he had survived these past two days.
"Hang in there. It'll be over soon," the colleague who had patted his shoulder comforted him.
Yuya Kazami pressed a hand to his throbbing temple, then still uneasily told the surveillance team, "It's the last day. Don't let your guard down."
Several people answered in unison, and the room fell quiet again. Yuya Kazami took a deep breath, made a gesture indicating a shift change, and stood up from the window. "I'm going to sleep for an hour. Switch out."
Before he could reach the couch meant for short rests, the surveillance team suddenly stirred.
"Target spotted."
"Target spotted."
Yuya Kazami stumbled, then stubbornly straightened his back. He took a deep breath.
That guy Tangze was probably born to torment me.
Though his heart was bleak, he still steadily raised the walkie-talkie clipped