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The first official day of school.
In one classroom of the second-year division at Private Fujimi Academy, a petite girl with peach-colored twin-tails swayed her way in.
She might have been small, but her bust was absurdly out of proportion. More than that, she carried herself with an aloof, highborn arrogance, sweeping the class with a gaze that looked down on everyone.
Whether boys or girls, anyone caught by that glance tended to flinch and avoid meeting her eyes, as if instinctively intimidated.
Because she really was a young lady of the highest standing. In this city, her family's position could be called the greatest of all—if you wanted to put it in ancient terms, her father was practically the city's lord.
Of course, she wasn't the sort to bully others. It was simply that her status was high, she was a genius-type student, and her personality was sharp and aggressive. Most people didn't bother provoking her.
Her name was—Saya Takagi.
Just as she reached her seat, a small stir rippled through the room.
Saya looked toward the doorway.
A senior had arrived—one of the school's most famous beauties, Saeko Busujima.
To the boys, she was the number-one favorite, the dream girl: beautiful, gentle, and excellent in academics, the kind of "perfect wife" they fantasized about.
Seeing her, Saya couldn't help but frown slightly. As a woman, it was only natural to feel a flicker of irritation at someone even prettier than herself.
"Saya," Saeko said gently, "I have something I need your help with. Could you come with me for a moment?"
Being singled out like that surprised Saya.
"Alright."
Saeko was so polite and well-mannered that Saya couldn't very well refuse without looking rude. She followed.
Saeko didn't explain anything along the way, and Saya kept quiet as well.
But judging from the route… were they heading for the computer lab?
Sure enough, they arrived.
Saeko opened the door and stepped inside—and a figure came straight toward them. Before Saya could even see who it was, something cold pressed against her forehead.
A gun?!
It felt rough, like it had been handmade. The kind that might misfire at any moment.
"If you want to keep your tongue, don't talk. Otherwise, I'll have Potato shut you up."
The man's tone was lazy, almost casual.
But the moment Saya saw his face clearly, icy fear crawled over her.
What little skin he had exposed bore severe burn scars, twisted and ugly. The hand gripping the gun looked like it had been flayed raw.
Yet none of that was the worst part.
The real terror was his presence—an aura that made her body shiver on instinct, like a rabbit facing the king of beasts, pinned in place by killing intent alone.
Calm down. Don't tremble.
Who was he?
An enemy of her father's, maybe—here to seize her as a hostage.
And Saeko, the senior… was she an accomplice?
No. Saya didn't know Saeko well, but she couldn't believe she was that kind of person. And the Busujima family had no grudge against the Takagi family.
Then Saeko had to be threatened too.
Saya cut her eyes toward Saeko—
And froze.
Saeko's expression didn't look coerced at all. When she noticed Saya looking, she even offered a small smile.
What did that mean?
"Take it."
The gunman shoved something into Saya's hands.
It looked like a drive of some kind, but heavier than any ordinary hard drive.
"Open the data drive. I want to see what's inside."
"Huh?"
Saya stared at him, genuinely stunned.
So this was about making her crack a drive?
Wait—was this something stolen from her father's side? Some kind of incriminating data?
Without saying more, Saya walked to a computer and powered it on. At the same time, she examined the drive in her hands.
Should she smash it?
No. Smashing it might not destroy it completely.
Better to open it and see what it contained.
…Hm?
There wasn't even a port. How was she supposed to connect a cable to this?
"The data interface should be here."
He took it back, rubbed a fingertip along one side, and a hidden latch shifted. A square opening the size of a pinky-nail appeared—dark inside, impossible to see what it connected to.
When he released the pressure, the opening snapped shut again. He handed it back to her.
Saya tried to press it open.
It wouldn't move.
It was jammed so tightly it was absurd. She pushed until her finger felt like it would snap, but she still couldn't open it.
Only he could.
With his help, she forced an unknown cable into the opening—she couldn't even tell if the interface truly matched.
As the latch closed, it nearly sheared the cable in half.
If they hadn't jammed two thin metal strips in there as spacers, it really would have cut straight through.
Was this thing seriously a "drive"?
The moment it connected to the computer—
The computer crashed.
Blue screen. Garbled symbols everywhere.
Then something happened that made Saya's scalp prickle.
Every computer in the lab powered on at once.
Every screen filled with the same chaotic gibberish.
It was deeply unnatural.
…Then, just as suddenly, all the computers returned to normal.
But the displayed image was strange.
Saya stepped back. Then back again, scanning all the lit screens.
Genius that she was, she realized the displays could be combined.
Each monitor was one tile of a single larger image.
Suddenly, the monitor closest to her popped up an "interesting" prompt.
No—more like a math problem.
It wanted her to answer.
Why was it the computer nearest to her that showed the question?
This wasn't even the machine connected to the "drive."
It was as if whatever program was inside knew she was standing there.
Saya's pupils tightened.
She noticed the webcam beside the monitor had activated.
So the drive wasn't simple at all. Some automated system was surveying its surroundings, and it had locked onto her specifically—instead of targeting the man or Saeko.
…Was it confirming she was the "opener"?
Fine.
She would answer.
Before she knew it—
"Paper."
As soon as she said it, Saeko handed her a fresh sheet. Saya immediately began calculating, writing formulas that were far beyond what an ordinary high school student should be touching.
On a nearby table, a thick pile of filled pages had already accumulated.
Now she wasn't answering a single question.
She was cracking a sequence of mathematical locks.
No—more than that.
She could feel it teaching her.
The program was teaching her.
And it was a monstrously unreasonable teacher, the kind that in a single hour made her feel like she'd learned a month's worth of material—
No, a year's worth.
She could sense it: it was reaching the critical stage.
A final test.
Whether she could "graduate."
If she passed, it would unlock more of the content for her.
She grabbed a bottle of milk and gulped it down in big mouthfuls, then quickly stuffed down a few bites of bread.
Beside her was a spread of food and drinks Saeko had brought back from the cafeteria half an hour ago.
Because her stamina and mental energy were draining at a terrifying pace.
Then a scream rang out from somewhere nearby.
"So loud!"
Saya snapped, furious.
This was the critical moment. Couldn't they keep quiet?
Just as she was about to throw herself back into thought, she saw Saeko's expression harden.
"So it's here," Saeko said.
The armed man by the window nodded as well.
What was here?
Was it related to the screaming she'd just heard?
A terrorist attack?
A force coming to seize this drive—storming the school?
(End of Chapter)
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