We stepped into the room with hesitant steps
The air inside was heavier than outside
As if the walls were holding old breaths that refused to leave
The weak light coming from the hallway slowly revealed parts of the room
A large metal box
Exposed wires
Small pieces scattered on the floor
And a digital panel blinking with a faint red light
And with every blink
The sound became clearer
"Tick
Tick
Tick"
I froze
My heart lost its rhythm for a moment
Miyoko looked at me, her expression turning slowly into silent shock
"Genso… this is…"
She stopped before finishing
As if saying it would make it too real
I lifted my eyes toward the box
Toward the panel
Toward the wires
Two seconds were enough
To know what it was
A bomb
Real
Carefully assembled
And its timer… had been running for a while
"Miyoko… what do we do?"
My voice came out weak and tight
I reached for my phone, but she grabbed my hand sharply
"No!"
She whispered fast
"There's no time for the police… and if you call now, we become the main suspects… and they won't arrive in time"
My hands trembled
"So… what now?"
Her eyes moved quickly around the room
Scanning it like a doctor searching for a heartbeat
Then her gaze stopped on something attached to the wall
A microphone
Old
Connected to the bank's internal warning system
She didn't hesitate
She whispered firmly
"Genso, follow me… I have an idea"
We moved carefully
Half a step
Half a breath
Half a second of life
I tried not to touch any wire
Any piece
Anything that could make the timer speed up
We stood in front of the microphone
She touched the button gently
Then said:
"If I'm right… this will save everyone in the bank"
"What do you want me to do?"
She looked straight at me
As if handing me a responsibility ten times heavier than my age
"Press the button… and order an evacuation… now"
I didn't think
I reached out and pressed it
A small beep came before the channel opened
I inhaled shakily
Then spoke loudly
My fear breaking my voice:
"To everyone inside the bank…
Please evacuate immediately
This is not a drill
If you want to stay alive—
Leave now!"
The words dropped into the building
Like a stone thrown into still water
Only seconds passed
Before everything changed
Customers turned around
Employees froze
Then their faces shifted
Fear spreading faster than footsteps
Security officers reacted instantly
"Everyone to the exit! Evacuate the building!"
Alarms started ringing
And the whole bank pulsed with panic and movement
Inside the room
I was shaking
But Miyoko grabbed my arm tightly
"Genso… we need to leave… now!"
We stepped out with careful movements
As if each step was placed on a thin wire stretched over a deep pit
Avoiding every wire
Every shadow
For a moment
I looked toward the security camera in the corner
Its cold lens pointed directly at me
Like the eye of the man in the black coat
Watching
Observing
Knowing I had ruined his plan
A weak smile formed on my lips
Small… but real
As if telling him:
"This time… I won."
Miyoko shouted
"Genso! Move!"
We ran down the hallway
The echo of our steps chasing us
The stairs appeared
We climbed them
One step
Two
Ten
Our lungs burning
We reached the lobby
Almost empty
Everyone rushing outside
We got out
We were the last two to leave the building
The last shadows escaping the danger
We stepped back a few meters
Breathing hard
Barely standing
We looked at the bank
As if the whole world was holding one breath together
One second
Two
Three—
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
A massive explosion
Lit up the sky
Shook the ground under our feet
A column of fire shot up from the basement
Followed by a cloud of thick black smoke
Glass shattered and rained down like sharp pieces of night
I felt the heat hit my face
Miyoko covered her ears
But I couldn't move
We both
spoke the same words
At the same time
With the same shock
The same realization:
"It… really happened."