Rachel's departure made Jirou's newfound depression all the more pronounced. Her cheery demeanour would have been very welcome at the moment. Instead he was left alone with his thoughts, none of which were exactly pleasant. Try as he might he couldn't turn his mind away from the image of all those bodies, lined up somewhere on this very floor. For all he knew they could be a few feet away, separated only by one of the corridor's walls.

The magazines were no help at all as a distraction. Despite the comfiness of the chairs, it wasn't long before Jirou had left his seat and started pacing. Not so much out of irritation, but more out of a desire to be ready to act. He walked the corridor like a policeman patrolling his beat. There was nothing he could do to help all those kids who had already been taken, but there was at least one who still had a chance. If someone thought that Anthony would be as easy to snatch as the others, they were in for a very big disappointment.