No good. Absolutely no good.
Fujii Senosuke's defeated voice came through the phone. No matter what method he tried, he couldn't access the website administrator's interface.
The operating system seemed to have been locked down by the other party. Apart from that string of seemingly meaningless letters in the middle indicating the site wasn't shut down, Fujii Senosuke was completely stumped.
After explaining the problem to Agnes Tachyon and the others, Fujii Senosuke said, "It seems we have to give up on this URL…"
He never expected such a small website would be targeted by a hacker.
It held no valuable information, just a small community of less than a thousand people sharing stories about the Black Ghost.
Fujii Senosuke had even asked a colleague who worked on the news webpage to see if they could bypass the restrictions, but his colleague wasn't a specialist either and could only shake his head helplessly.
"Unless the other party opens the permissions, you simply can't do anything," the colleague had said. "The only way is to find a hacker better than them. By the way, Fujii-san, what exactly are you doing to get hacked?"
After vaguely fielding his colleague's questions, Fujii Senosuke sighed.
Where would he even find a hacker?
Although he was very reluctant, this was the current situation. Fujii Senosuke was completely out of options, so he prepared to give Agnes Tachyon and the others a brief update before effectively shutting down the site.
Though 'shutting it down' wasn't quite right, since it was no longer under his control.
"Wait a moment, Fujii-san." Agnes Tachyon suddenly spoke up. Taking the phone from Manhattan Cafe, she said, "It's a bit too early to jump to conclusions."
She didn't believe this was just a simple, malicious attack.
The other party deliberately placed the word "Eclipse" there; it must have a purpose.
Think about it carefully…
"Eclipse."Agnes Tachyon pondered the meaning behind the other party's choice of word.
The direct translation was an eclipse, but it could also mean to obscure, to conceal.
Making that connection, Agnes Tachyon decided to try something.
Although with her computer skills, it was basically impossible for her to crack the other party's encryption—this wasn't her area of expertise.
But just because she couldn't do it, didn't mean others couldn't.
"Leave this matter to me."
"To you, Agnes Tachyon-san?" Fujii Senosuke asked from the other end of the line. "Don't tell me you have a way?"
"Of course I don't have a way personally, but I know someone who can manage it."
"Really!?"
"Mm. However, getting her to lift a finger might be a bit difficult. If we don't show some sincerity, she won't help."
"I see… If there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask, Agnes Tachyon-san!"
'My, my, Fujii-san, I'll remember your promise for now. I'll inform you once we have a result.'
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
With that, the two ended the call.
"Do you really have a plan?" Manhattan Cafe asked.
Although she hadn't explicitly said it, Cafe also felt it would be a shame if the website recording their 'friend's' stories disappeared.
"Naturally, I have a plan." Agnes Tachyon rested her chin on her hand.
"This person you mentioned who can solve the problem… it's not you, is it?"
"Ho? Cafe, I know you think highly of me, but even I have things I cannot do," Agnes Tachyon said, uttering words that made Cafe's eyebrows furrow.
"When it comes to computers, that logical entity built entirely from 0s and 1s with no apparent flaws, there is someone here at Tracen Academy who practically worships it like a god."
There's someone like that?
Manhattan Cafe had never heard of such a person.
"Of course, you might not have encountered her much, probably because she's planted in front of a computer all day long. But you must have seen her a few times."
Even Agnes Tachyon held a measure of respect for this person—an undeniable 'genius'.
Reaching out her hand, Agnes Tachyon said, "Come on, Cafe, I'll take you to see her. At this time, she should still be in her classroom."
--+--
On the third floor of Tracen, in the empty classroom at the end of the hallway, the rapid clack-clack-clack of keyboard typing could be heard even before entering the room.
The sharp, clear sounds echoed down the corridor.
"Good luck. It seems she's in her room."
Agnes Tachyon smiled and then knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock—
The typing paused for a moment, but then immediately resumed.
Clearly, the person inside had no intention of acknowledging the visitor.
Knock knock knock—
This time, the person didn't even pause; it was as if they hadn't heard a thing.
"She doesn't seem to want to be disturbed…" Manhattan Cafe said. "Should we come back another time?"
"Cafe, the solution is right inside this room, mere steps away from us. How can we turn back before we've even arrived?"
As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon pulled a strangely shaped key from her pocket and inserted it into the lock.
"I anticipated this situation. During my free time, I made a key that can open any door on this floor, just so I could come and go as I please."
"Hey…"
"Don't worry, I haven't touched anything inside."
"That's not the problem!"
The fact that you made a master key is a serious violation of Tracen's rules! Not that Agnes Tachyon ever paid much mind to rules anyway…
But if the disciplinary committee or the student council found out, punishment would be unavoidable—suspension and mandatory reflection would be getting off lightly.
"Rest easy. See? The door is open now."
Agnes Tachyon walked in without a care.
Seeing this, Manhattan Cafe had no choice but to brace herself and follow.
Even though it was daytime, the curtains were drawn, plunging the room into darkness. Only the flickering light from the computer monitor illuminated the space.
By its glow, the two girls could make out the figure sitting in the chair.
The girl wore a blue jacket, with headphones adorned with multicolored lights perched on her head. A sharp, black ponytail cascaded down her back. She turned her head, her golden pupils fixing on them. An intimidating, fierce aura radiated from her.
"Tch." She clicked her tongue, revealing a mouthful of sharp, serrated teeth.
"Agnes Tachyon. How the hell did you get in?"
"Just used a key like normal," Agnes Tachyon replied nonchalantly.
"That's not 'normal'! I'm the only one who has a key to this room!"
"My, my, Air Shakur. It's not like yours is the only key that can open this lock."
"Hah? What the hell are you talking about!?"
"Just stating an objective fact. Air Shakur, you're looking a bit pale. Perhaps you should supplement with some ferrous gluconate?"
"You bastard…!"
Gnashing her teeth, her gaze inadvertently fell upon Manhattan Cafe standing behind Agnes Tachyon.
"Um… sorry to disturb you."
As Agnes Tachyon had said, their encounters were few and far between, but they weren't complete strangers.
Air Shakur. Also a student in Tracen Academy.
During a certain event held previously, Manhattan Cafe had brewed coffee for her. But that time, their 'friend' had shown up, causing a paranormal phenomenon that made the coffee spin on its own. In the end, Air Shakur had run off without even touching it.
So, the person Agnes Tachyon was talking about was her.
"And so? You went as far as picking my lock to get in. What do you want?"
Seeing Manhattan Cafe, Air Shakur realized Agnes Tachyon wasn't just here to pick a fight. Suppressing the urge to kick them out immediately, she spoke in an extremely irritated tone.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.