#ultimate 5

　　Hatori was an intelligence agent, an esper who knew everything.

　　That’s right, everything. From top-level government secrets to the mice brawling in the neighbor’s ceiling, he knew it all. Sure, he wasn’t the most perceptive when it came to social cues, emotions, or people in general. But still—how had this whole thing developed right under his nose, for who knows how long, and he hadn’t noticed a thing? And they were even hanging out all the time???

　　No matter how reluctant he was to admit it, the truth was obvious. Hatori, the best intelligence agent in Japan, maybe even the whole world, had been completely oblivious to what was happening right under his nose. It wasn’t until that day that something suddenly felt... off. Why that day? Who knows. Maybe two mysterious planets just happened to align? Maybe some unknowable god sneezed?

　　Whatever. Anyway, that day, the usual trio—Hatori, Shimazaki, and Minegishi—had plans to grab dinner, like they always did. Hatori got there first and stood at the street corner, headphones on, scrolling through his phone while he waited. Before long, Shimazaki and Minegishi came walking from the other end of the street. Hatori was halfway through a video; he glanced up for a second, gave a lazy wave, and went right back to watching compilation clips of pigeons doing dumb stuff. And then...

　　Something finally—finally—finally clicked.

　　He suddenly felt like something was off.

　　So he looked up again and watched Shimazaki and Minegishi walking toward him, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. The distance between them… Had they always been this close? Their arms hung loosely at their sides, their hands just a hair's breadth apart. The slightest movement from either of them would’ve made them touch. But then again… hadn’t they always walked like this? Shimazaki was tall, and Minegishi quite a bit shorter—at least a full head. Hatori could’ve sworn he’d seen this image a thousand times before. But... had he? Wait. Back when they were in "Claw," they weren’t like this. So when did it start?

　　While Hatori’s mind was still racing, the two had already reached him, wearing the exact same expressions as always. Shimazaki had that faint, unreadable smile; Minegishi was blank-faced as usual—looking vaguely annoyed, but probably thinking about absolutely nothing. They greeted Hatori. He replied, half-aware, mumbling something noncommittal before trailing after them into the restaurant on autopilot.

　　Then things got even weirder. As usual, the restaurant gave them a four-person table. Shimazaki and Minegishi sat on the same side without a second thought, and Hatori sat alone on the other—which was fine. They always did that—right? But... why? Sometimes Hatori brought his laptop bag and used the extra seat. But Minegishi had a shoulder bag too, didn’t he? And even after they sat down, Shimazaki and Minegishi stayed just as close. Their arms didn’t touch, but the gap between them was so small, it was like... almost touching. Just barely not. And. And. And. Why did Minegishi just take the menu and start reading it aloud for Shimazaki like it was the most natural thing in the world? Which—sure. Fine. That was normal too. They always did that… Right? Right???

　　"How about this one?" Shimazaki suggested.

　　"Whatever."

　　"Nope. You don't eat olives."

　　Minegishi rolled his eyes, shooting him an irritated look that screamed, Then why the hell ask? Shimazaki just smiled even wider.

　　In the end, they ordered one main, one appetizer, and one drink. Together. For the rest of the meal, Hatori sat in a daze, barely tasting his food. He just kept watching his two friends share everything like it was the most normal thing in the world—god, he couldn’t even be bothered to—okay. Fine. Yes, Minegishi had a small appetite. Shimazaki always finished whatever was left. So technically, it all checked out. But—uh. They didn’t ask for extra plates. One of them would take a bite, then just slide the dish over. There was only one straw in the drink. Whenever they reached for something, their arms overlapped now and then. Neither of them reacted. Like they’d been doing this forever.

　　At some point, Shimazaki started talking about work. Then Minegishi chimed in about his daily struggles at the flower shop, complaining about weird customers, sloppy vendors, and how the colder weather was messing with bloom times… But gradually, the conversation faded. The table went quiet. Shimazaki’s smile grew more mysterious. Minegishi furrowed his nonexistent brow, and asked what the hell Hatori was spacing out about? Why hadn’t he said a single word all day?

　　What—what was he spacing out about? What the hell could he say???

　　That night, after getting home, Hatori tore into the data like a man possessed. He pulled up every movement log he had on Shimazaki and Minegishi—first from the past few days, then weeks, then months… The more he looked, the faster he breathed. Then something in his brain must’ve short-circuited—probably the result of some cosmic planetary misalignment—and he decided to check their current location. GPS showed Shimazaki was currently inside Minegishi’s apartment.

　　Then came the one thing he absolutely, positively should not have done. With a flick of his finger, he effortlessly accessed Minegishi’s laptop and turned on the front camera. Normally, it would’ve meant nothing. Minegishi rarely used the damn thing. It could’ve been at the flower shop, in the living room, shut, folded, off… But no. That day, the laptop was open. And of course, it just so happened to be sitting on Minegishi’s bedroom desk, angled toward the bed. Where something was moving. 

　　Hatori screamed, flinging his phone across the room.

* * * * *

　　In the bare cell, a speaker was embedded in the concrete wall, used for prison broadcasts. That night, just as Suzuki was about to fall asleep, the silence was shattered by a sudden burst of clattering noise and static, followed by Hatori’s panicked voice yelling:

　　On the day of the Seasoning Tower incident, Shimazaki was with his family. They had taken him to a part of the city he wasn’t familiar with. When the riot began, his family ran away and left him behind, completely lost on the street, trying to figure out where to go. He could hear buildings collapsing and people screaming.