ã€ŠNinthã€‹


 [Prologue]

    ¡ºStop hiding, you punk! Show yourself quickly!¡»

    A raspy voice bellowed out from the distance, as I heard another gunshot ring in the surroundings.

    ¡ºGive it up already, you have nowhere else to run, sneaky bastard!¡»

    I held my breath for a long while, until the sounds of pursuit slowly died down.

    When the tension alleviated, I heaved a sigh of relief. Wiping off the sweat on my forehead, I rested my spent body against a tree. How long had I been running, how long had I been hiding. Everything blurred in the night, as my eyes wandered up to the moon obscured by the clouds.

    My body was painful and dreary, every single warning signal was blaring at me to stop and give up.

    But at this point and at this stage, things had already escalated to a point of no return.

    Even if I did now, things wouldn''t resolve themselves peacefully, would it? After having a gun pointed at my head before, I had already lost all hope of negotiations. These guys were out to silence me after all!

    How did I even get into such a predicament. Running for my life, I was chased into a deep dark forest, wearing nothing but a wedding dress---- Through a series of coincidences, things have devolved to such a state. Believe me, I am no crossdressing pervert, I had no choice!

    Aah, aah... it seems like I''m really too exhausted that I''m thinking about strange things like this.

    I spent a bit more time resting before heading to the nearest path towards civilization once more. There was no one around this time, and taking that chance I made a mad dash towards it.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    I ran, and ran. Running madly like a wanted criminal, the lights of the nightscape seemed so foreign all of a sudden. But I couldn''t stop. I didn''t dare to stop. With my life at stake, and countless more involved, I couldn''t give up now. Finally losing my breath again, I stopped to scan my surroundings. It seems like I''m in front of an internet lounge.

    I entered it hastily, and booked a private room inside. Fortunately, there was still some money in my pockets. I locked the door behind me and found a place to sit down. Resting against the cushion of a chair, I began to think more clearly and dissect the information that I had learnt tonight.

    How did everything turn out like this was no longer important. The crucial thing was to find out how to progress from here on out. After all, staying in this city is no longer safe all thanks to this thing that I was protecting the entire time.

    What those guys in black suits were after, and what the whole country is going crazy for.

    An inconspicuous black-luster card rested in the palm of my hand.

    At first glance, it would seem like just an ordinary card, but I learnt its truth the hard way. Its true purpose was actually a key to the gates of a brand new world, the likes unimaginable to a commoner like me.

    And the catalyst for obtaining that permission, was the possession of an astronomical sum of money. The black card was the key to a sum large enough to move people behind the shadows... a sum powerful enough to grant absolute authority.

    But why did all this have to do with me?!

    If I had known, I would never put that card in the ATM that night----Had I known, my life wouldn''t have steered off course. I wouldn''t have become aware of things that I shouldn''t know, and I wouldn''t have came into contact with people I shouldn''t meet-----

    But it''s now all too late. Once the gears have started turning, there is no more going back.

    I have to accept my fate now. One who possesses this unbelievable amount of wealth, I have this responsibility. Still, I wasn''t exactly the best candidate for these kinds of heart-pumping events!

    ¡¸Please give me a break...¡¹

    Perhaps, this was simply the start to something even greater. And it seems like an inevitable life of misfortune still awaits me in the not so distant future.

 [Chapter 1] Money is Life

    My name is Yato. Tsukasa Yato, single.

    22 years old, born on the 2nd of February at 11:29:35 AM. I have okay looks and height, but some of my friends say that I have pretty sharp-looking eyes. I am fairly short-sighted so I wear spectacles when reading. Paired with my usual aloof demeanor, I am sometimes mistaken to be a mute whenever I concentrate on something like this.

    When things happen around me, I don¡¯t appear surprised, or flustered in the slightest. My face simply remains still like a stone statue. That is a good way to say that my emotions don¡¯t fluctuate much around others, but this is also a misunderstanding for I am an easily agitated person.

    I am paranoid, scared of ghosts among many other fears I keep secret. But I can never show them in front of others, as my body has conditioned itself to hide them inside on instinct. It¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve been living like this, and so I gradually got used to my dull flat expressions. Perhaps that is also one of the reasons why I¡¯ve never been able to get a girlfriend.

    My interests? Money, of course.

    A famous saying goes, ¡°There are things in this world that money can¡¯t buy¡±.

    I wonder, who said that kind of nonsensical thing. I love money, I love it dearly. Because I believe that if one is deprived of certain things, they would grow up to yearn for it even more. Money makes the world go round. ¡°Money buys even the immeasurable, intangible things like love and respect. Money is the wish-granting holy grail which brings happiness to whomever that wields it¡±, that is something I have learnt growing up. The experiences of being a young adult has made me understand many things, and now I live by that creed each and every day, reminding myself to work hard to become a successful man. But well before that, there is a slight problem.

    ¡¸Sigh.¡¹

    Back to the present, I am currently on my final year in university, god knows why I chose to study music back then, but since I¡¯ve gone and studied this far, I might pull on a bit more towards graduation. Naturally, those dregs of motivation were no longer a fraction of the interest I used to have towards it.

    Just like this I¡¯ve spent four years like a fish in troubled waters, at the beck and call for career opportunities, while my older acquaintances had already gone for their promising internships, signed their contracts for promising companies, and some who had already settled down with kids¡­

    Knowing their limits, my buddies in the same department laze around in the dorms playing when there are no lessons, while I choose to go out for interviews at times to try my luck. It¡¯s just that even I know my limits, but I simply went around unrealistically hoping for some kind of opportunity.

    These days, well-paying jobs that handle stuff in the arts are far and few in between in this country. To make the transition with such a drastic difference in expected specifications is definitely jarring to my job-finding prospects. Sometimes I feel like I might have been too rash in choosing my degree. Now, it seems like the future as a McDonald¡¯s employee seem much more prospective in comparison. Who am I kidding.

    ¡¸...Sigh.¡¹

    ¡ºYato, stop sighing and come online. Our queue is just missing you my man.¡»

    Lee Minho across my bed said that while munching on snacks. He is the one everyone calls ¡°Fatso¡±, as well as one of us bachelor squad members. He snores the loudest when he sleeps too, just like a pig.

    ¡¸Heh, you just play your game. I''ve got an interview to attend to.¡¹

    I confidently sorted myself in the mirror and arranged my tie properly, because today is unlike any other day. Besides the good news of getting shortlisted as a candidate, the company is also one of the big-names which I was hoping to enter--- Shirosanzen Group¡¯s subsidiary: Shiro Creative Industries. The brief description for the job opening was a staff member in the art direction department. Of course, I applied there as an intern. Fatso glanced at me once and then returned to his laptop screen while making a shooing gesture with his hand.

    ¡ºEy, the way you¡¯re dressed¡­ are you sure you¡¯re not going there for matchmaking? Cheh, so pretentious.¡»

    ¡¸This is called having a pompous fashion, what do you know. First impressions are everything.¡¹

    When I gave him what I would call my best smile, Fatso rolled his eyes and returned his attention back onto his laptop.

    As I prepared a gallant pose befitting of the smart wear I was dressed in, my phone suddenly rang me out of my delusional grandeur. The caller ID was registered on my smartphone as ¡¾Mango¡¿. When I picked it up, a familiar, honeyed voice immediately entered my ear through the receiver.

    ¡ºSenpai~ Where are you right now?¡»

    From her voice, this girl¡¯s probably angry about something.

    ¡¸...Shiori, good morning. What¡¯s up?¡¹

    When Fatso gave me a thumbs up, I returned him a middle finger with a smile. Everyone knew that Shiori was one of the people I couldn¡¯t keep up my smugness with for too long. Who doesn¡¯t know the poison that hides behind that cheerful smile of hers? Her widely known short fuse was also the biggest reason as to why the rumors about her still not having a boyfriend even at her age go around.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    As expected, the other end blew up after a short silence on the phone.

    ¡º...Good morning my ass! Where on earth are you now?¡»

    ¡¸Eh?¡¹

    ¡ºShiori-chi, that Yato on the line?¡»

    From her side, I heard another female voice.

    ¡ºAh, uhm¡­ sorry, hold on a minute, I have a call to make.¡»

    Shiori became a little flustered and then there was the sound of a door closing. Her voice lowered a little, it seems like she was moving to someplace quiet to talk to me.

    ¡¸...Hello?¡¹

    ¡º... ...Senpai, are you still coming to club activities today?¡»

    After some time, Shiori¡¯s clear voice entered my ears again.

    ¡¸...No, why?¡¹

    ¡ºThen, what about the rehearsal you promised to help out with...¡»

    Rehearsal? The club¡¯s? Sure I¡¯m in a club, but I don¡¯t remember promising such a thing? Just as I was searching for such a thing through my head, it seems like the girl had realized something.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯ve really forgotten.¡»

    ¡º...¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡¸Oh right, haha! The rehearsal, of course I remember! But you see, I have something urgent to do today so I might run a little late in the afternoon.¡¹

    I was entirely clueless about club activities for a long time anyway, so it wasn¡¯t strange for me to overlook some of the things she had informed the rest of the club members about. Speaking of which, it has really been whole months since I¡¯ve read the chat group for the club.

    In any case, it¡¯ll be fine as long as I make it there.

    ¡º...Haah.¡»

    As I had expected after a short pause, I heard Shiori sighed helplessly on the phone.

    ¡ºWell whatever. Just don¡¯t be too late.. ...otherwise¡­ okay?¡»

    I heard the sounds of scissors'' snipping. Rest assured, her intentions were properly translated to me. With a head full of cold sweat, I nodded profusely.

    ¡¸...O-Okay...Don¡¯t worry, I should be back at around 3 in the afternoon.¡¹

    ¡ºI got it, I¡¯ll tell the others----¡»

    Just before I was about to end the call, Shiori suddenly spoke again.

    ¡ºAh Senpai, along the way, could you---¡»

    ¡¸--Yes, yes. H?agen-Dazs, mango yoghurt flavor right? Got it, got it.¡¹

    There was another pause, but I knew Shiori was still there from the soft breathing on the other end.

    ¡¸...Shiori?¡¹

    ¡º...Un, then there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯ll see senpai later.¡»

    ¡¸Right.¡¹

    Her voice had become softer? After closing up the conversation amiably, I quickly hung up and just as I prepared to leave, I received another call. Who was it this time, why is everyone coming together to call me at this time?

    ¡¸This is Yato.¡¹

    ¡ºPhew, you finally answered. Good morning senpai. It¡¯s Nijima.¡»

    Oh, a kouhai.

    ¡¸What¡¯s up?¡¹

    ¡ºSenpai, do you have plans tonight?¡»

    I thought about the club activities, but it shouldn¡¯t extend for too long.

    ¡¸If it¡¯s after 8. Is there an event going on?¡¹

    ¡ºWell yeah, just giving you a heads up on tonight¡¯s welcoming party to our department for the freshmen later. You¡¯re coming right? As our leader.¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    I read the hidden message this sneaky kouhai is trying to convey to me. Trying to make me foot the bill huh. Nice, real nice. But still, this too concerns the face of the department as a whole, and as the actual department¡¯s council president (There¡¯s only 13 of us and 6 are part of the council including me), I wasn¡¯t exactly uninvolved here.

    ¡¸I mean, sure. I¡¯ll come over. You heard him, what about you guys? Anyone¡¯s interested in becoming the party¡¯s host?¡¹

    I turned to my dorm buddies in hopes to deflect that bullet. But when the talks turned to paying up for tonight, the guys averted their eyes in sync.

    ¡¸Oi.¡¹

    ¡º¡º... ...¡»¡»

    Fatso flexed his shoulders and replied exaggeratedly.

    ¡ºR-Right, the game¡¯s about to begin. Gotta concentrate, gotta concentrate...¡»

    I rolled my eyes. These guys actually pretended to not hear me! Where was the loyalty between brothers? But it couldn¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not like they were loaded either, so I decided to take the shorter end of the stick this time. Returning to the phone, I sighed while rubbing my temple and said.

    ¡¸Haah¡­ Where¡¯s the place?¡¹

    ¡ºWe¡¯re planning hotpot across the campus. Since senpai has plans already, we¡¯ll just adjust to gather at 8.30. So Senpai, you must come this time! Definitely okay?¡»

    I chuckled generously.

    ¡¸Of course, just ready up the red carpet and await my arrival.¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    Hanging up the phone finally, I looked at my watch and realized it was 11.35am already. I headed towards the door, without forgetting to glare at those guys who ditched me at the last minute.

    Shirosanzen Group¡¯s main building wasn¡¯t too far from campus, it would only take about a 15-minute travel taking the train, but just as I left the campus gates and cut to a corner on the street, I heard a loud blare of car horns ring in my ears. Having been disoriented, I couldn¡¯t see where I was heading so I stopped walking. But the car didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of braking, and it was then I heard the honking even more strongly from behind me.

    ¡¸Is this guy blind?¡¹

    I was prepared to turn to the back to retort, thinking that such an inexperienced driver wouldn¡¯t have the gall to buy a good ride for himself. But contrary to my expectations, what greeted my eyes was a sleek and shiny red branded car. My mind simply came to a single conclusion at that moment----

    God, is that a Bugatti?! In the next instant, a woman''s voice cut my thoughts clear.

    Hm, woman? With a wheezy yet orotund tone like an appeal for empathy, I heard her fumbling while opening the car door----

    ¡ºWho are you calling blind!¡»

    The door opened after that retort, and the polished figure of an office lady soon stepped out slowly.

 [Chapter 2] Job Interview

    A woman who was about the same age as me, stepped out of the car. She flicked her hair to one side and her eyes scanned the surroundings seemingly in search of someone. When our eyes met, her eyebrows knitted together into an unfriendly frown.

    For someone this young to drive a Bugatti, what else but rich would be fit to describe such a person? But times have changed already, and it¡¯s considered a common occurrence to find these guys getting involved in traffic accidents on the news. Thus I didn¡¯t really feel much pressure from the woman thanks to this prejudice.

    But still when I look at her more clearly, this woman was actually quite a beauty! Clear skin like malted milk, round eyes, pink-colored lips, her furrowed eyebrows from a tint of annoyance, and that black office dress which appeared to bind her thick thighs together seductively. With the red Bugatti behind her, she was the perfect representation of what an ojou-sama was.

    ¡ºHey, what are you staring at! Hurry up and pay me for the car damage!¡»

    It was when her mouth opened, that the picturesque drawing had shattered into pieces. With that furious expression on her face, her fidgety gestures that flailed her demeanor like a little mistress made me lose all hope for her personality. Admittedly, that snarky temper of hers might be a kink for a guy out there.

    Damage? I don¡¯t think I ever came close to the car.

    It was then that I noticed that the sound of metal clanking together was the car bumping into a garbage bin nearby. Some garbage grease had fallen onto the shiny hood of the red Bugatti. To make things worse, some parts of the red had been scraped off.

    ...What a grotesque piece of metal.

    My back racked up a good amount of cold sweat, thinking about how much the paint job alone would cost me.

    And of course, without all of the victim¡¯s circumstances in mind, an ojou-sama in the modern age would inevitably seek out ¡®compensation¡¯ whenever they¡¯re unhappy. Looking down on us commoners who scrape for a nickel, they think they¡¯re untouchable existences because of their money.

    Like seriously, do I look like someone well-off? If you want me to compensate for your losses, how about you steal my organs instead.

    Although I¡¯ve said all that in my mind, it¡¯s still best to avoid the worst case scenario here. After all, she was technically right. I might have a part in her car being damaged. However, I am a person who¡¯s already used to people taking advantage of these kinds of situations. I decided to take the initiative here by acting self-righteously.

    ¡¸Hm hm¡­ compensation huh...¡¹

    I took a few steps forward and squinted my eyes towards her, at which her expression suddenly turned tense and unconsciously retreated. Taking this opportunity, I continued:¡¸This lady, you have only yourself to blame for deciding to drive your precious car into this obviously narrow corner road. You want me to fork out my precious money for your own carelessness? How about¡­ no?¡¹

    But when she heard that, the woman¡¯s face turned even more furious.

    ¡ºHaaah?! How¡­ how thick-faced can you get! You¡­ you uncivilized man! I already honked once, and yet you didn¡¯t move! Just to avoid you at the last second, I had to steer away in an odd direction. That¡¯s why I hit the garbage bin!¡»

    Gnashing her teeth, the woman¡¯s face had a bloated red hue due to her anger, and she also had a frantic, troubled expression. But I had no shred of sympathy for a rich character like her.

    ¡¸I think you¡¯ll need a camera to prove that.¡¹

    That¡¯s right, the real world operates on evidence. Without evidence, her words might as well be worthless.

    ¡ºA camera is it? I have one.¡»

    ¡¸...Eh?¡¹

    Wha¡­? That declaration of hers made my confidence stiffen.

    When the woman pointed towards the windscreen of the car, I noticed a small camera rested against the glass. ...Seems like this woman was experienced. I laughed nervously, and nodded.

    ¡¸Ahahaha¡­ you should have said so earlier, miss. If it¡¯s the dirt you¡¯re worried about, let me lend you a hand with that.¡¹

    Sometimes, unfortunate events are just like the utility bills that come every month; they just had to come together at once. Just as I was about to use a handkerchief to wipe away the stain, one of the headlights fell off.

    My heart stopped then---! From her perspective, it would seem that my stretched out hand had made it come off!

    ¡º¡¸...¡¹¡»

    My god, isn¡¯t this a high-end brand?! It¡¯s Bugatti, Bugatti you know? Even the name sounds so pricey, and yet why is everything so flimsy like a second-hand car?! My body froze there and then, thinking that everything was over.

    At first I was hoping that this person would be nice enough to pass it by with a sincere apology, but now it was already impossible to get out of this situation. Without throwing away at least a few months¡¯ worth of my salary from part-time work, this matter probably wouldn¡¯t be resolved so easily.

    The ojou-sama was at the side the entire time, wholly speechless. She looked at her car anxiously with heartbroken eyes, depressed. I could faintly see her entire body trembling, and realized that she had truly reached her boiling point.

    I looked at my watch, and realized that it was almost time for the interview. Although it wasn¡¯t too good to say it now, but I couldn¡¯t afford to be even more late. Racking up some courage, I asked her.

    ¡¸...Uh, can I leave now?¡¹

    ¡º...Leave over my dead body, ...you insensitive idiot!¡»

    The woman who had not spoken for a while, glared at me with scornful eyes. All at once, she burst into an outrage.

    ¡ºI...I have never seen such a callous! Remorseless! And thick-headed guy like you! You scratched my car and now you have the gall to just leave? Ah, I¡¯ve had enough! Compensation! I want a proper compensation, you hear me!?¡»

    The woman who stood before me appeared to have a height just a head shorter, yet it was unable to completely cover up her ferocious demeanor.

    ¡¸...Ah, no. I don¡¯t mean it that way. It¡¯s just that I am running late for a job interview. So could you let me go this time? Of course, I¡¯ll take responsibility for this matter..¡¹

    ¡º...You? Take responsibility?¡»

    Disbelief definitely, with a hint of shade thrown at me from the way I dressed. Those eyes that glanced once over my outfit was doubtful at best. When she was done, the woman sharpened her gaze and scoffed.

    Huh, what do you know. Money does buy one¡¯s credibility too. And because of that, it seems like she wouldn¡¯t believe a single word that comes out of a commoner like me.

    Frustration.

    ¡¸Catch.¡¹

    ¡ºO-Oi, you!¡»

    I had thrown my student ID over to her without hesitation, and the woman barely caught it before it fell to the ground.

    ¡¸It¡¯s up to you to believe me or not, but I really don¡¯t have time to continue here. I¡¯m pawning off my ID to you, if you want the recompense, find me with a proper receipt. Of course, if you¡¯re generous enough to fork the repair fees on your own, then this lowly one will be eternally grateful. Ah, but remember to return my student ID after that.¡¹Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡º...Tsukasa¡­ Ya...to.¡»

    ¡¸That¡¯s me, anyway I gotta¡¯ bounce. My dorm unit is on the card, feel free to come visit~¡¹

    With a slick wave of my hand, it was then she had recovered from her slight interest in my name. The ojou-sama suddenly realized that she had been looking at my ID a little too seriously, and realized that she had been duped.

    ¡º---You! Hey, come back! What do you mean by pawning your ID? Your ID isn¡¯t worth a single cent to me! Oi!¡»

    Of course I wouldn¡¯t really turn back at this time. Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn¡¯t chase after me with high heels, I picked up the pace and left the crash site. When the ojou-sama was no longer in sight, I sighed. Today really wasn¡¯t my lucky day. Thinking about the accident earlier, the rehearsal that I didn¡¯t plan for, and the expenses I have to fork out later for tonight¡¯s welcoming party, I felt my initial confidence for the interview sink to the pits.

    But before I left, I didn¡¯t hesitate to capture the figure of the ojou-sama a few more times in my head. No matter what anyone says, snarky personality aside, this kind of beauty is not one you would encounter a lot nowadays.

    ¡ºYato Tsukasa, I¡¯ll definitely find you again! You better remember this debt!¡»

    I heard her angered shriek from a distance away and shuddered. Personally, I think it''s better if she doesn¡¯t come looking for trouble again.

    I arrived at the lobby of Shirosanzen Group¡¯s main building with a sweat-filled face. Thank god that I managed to still arrive 10 minutes earlier, or else the interview would have been a goner from the start. I calmed myself down to an appropriate state of mind and stepped inside.

    Entering the lobby, I came to the counter to register myself as one of the interviewees today. The miss at the counter had a model-like face, not discounting her beauty, even her figure was first-rate. Seems like working here everyday would be a blessing indeed. When I took the elevator to the 16th floor, I heard an assistant calling out my name.

    ¡ºYato-sama.¡»

    I hurried over and bowed apologetically.

    ¡¸That¡¯s me. Sorry, has the interview started?¡¹

    When I said that, the people who were in line after my turn all looked at me and the female assistant. All of them looked as if they had prepared much more than me, their suits were all first-rate too, unlike the one I bought from an online store. No, I can¡¯t think like this. I came here to be accepted. Have some more confidence, Yato!

    ¡ºIt hasn¡¯t, but please be a bit more self-aware in the future. The ones who come for a job interview at the Shirosanzen Group were all waiting here for at least an hour in advance, you¡¯re the only one who came running just on the dot. This way, it¡¯s already your turn.¡»

    ¡¸I understand, thank you.¡¹

    ¡ºIt¡¯s nothing, just go right ahead. Manager Chumoto is expecting you.¡»

    I nodded and followed the female assistant to the front of a set of double-leaved doors. I held my breath, and then knocked on it twice. When I heard the words ¡°Please enter¡±, it was then that I opened the large doors and stepped inside.

    The office wasn¡¯t big but was extravagant as if I¡¯ve stepped into some corner of a palace. This was a little from the image I had imagined what the Shirosanzen Group to be like. Before the only office desk there was a slightly overweight middle-aged man. Looking so self-important like that, he¡¯s the Manager Chumoto who¡¯s going to assess me today. Small eyes beneath the lens of his spectacles, although the bottom half of his body was obstructed from view, I can still guarantee that he has quite the round belly there.

    ¡ºPlease take a seat.¡»

    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹

    I sat down on a chair before him and offered him my resume as well as some other materials I brought with both hands. The middle-aged man scanned my resume, it seems that nothing had caught his eye. Afterward, he nonchalantly asked me:¡ºState your school and current field of study.¡»

    ¡¸XX University, Bachelor¡¯s Degree in Audio Arts & Sciences.¡¹

    When he heard the first half of my words, the manager¡¯s eyes lit up but his face immediately sank after the latter.

    ¡ºThe university is decent, but it seems like the average standard of the graduates in your school is lower than before huh.¡»

    ¡¸What¡­? ...¡¹

    Without even looking once through the other supporting materials that I had brought, the manager cut me in the middle when I was about to say something.

    ¡ºOkay, enough of that. Just tell me what you¡¯re capable of.¡»

    ¡¸Ah, okay. I know how to use Microsoft----¡¹

    ¡ºShiho, pour me tea.¡»

    The female assistant from earlier entered and calmly made a cup of tea for him. When she was done, she left through the doors and closed it after her.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    What was this treatment? A feeling of unwillingness to continue filled my head. I was being looked down upon, but holding down my impatience, I asked.

    ¡¸Excuse me, can I continue speaking?¡¹

    ¡ºGo on, no one told you to stop.¡»

    Chumoto said as he took out a lighter and lit up a cigarette in his mouth, lamenting softly:¡ºHaah, the university students these days are really...¡»

    I clenched my fists under the table when I heard that. How much more is this guy going to mock me?

    ¡¸...Okay, that¡¯s all I have to say.¡¹

    I realized that the words that came from my mouth had turned cold.

    ¡ºYou¡¯re done? Oh, okay, I¡¯ve noted down everything you said. We will consider your application, so please return home and wait patiently for the news.¡»

    As if he was reading off a script, Chumoto spoke in that fake cordial business-like tone.

    ¡¸Right, but before that, may I implore you to tell me the skills that I¡¯ve just told you?¡¹

    ¡ºThis...¡»

    Chumoto froze for a moment, and then from his eyes came a glint of awareness.

    ¡ºI wanted to give you face, but it seems like sometimes it is necessary to put down a dying dog.¡»

    ¡¸You¡­!¡¹

    My previous heart that was filled with hope and nervousness was no longer to be seen. Instead, it had turned ice cold.

    To think that the guy in charge of human resources in Shirosanzen Group would be this irresponsible. All of that was one big slap to the face, I came in with the mindset that my pay was secondary, but the man had never taken me seriously from the beginning. Not as a potentially capable worker, nor as a person. This affair today extinguished all of the admiration I had for this household name.

    ¡¸Please treat humble interns like us with more sincerity, Mr. Chumoto.¡¹

    I took out my sincerity while looking at him. But the other party simply scoffed, and from there he revealed his true nature.

    ¡º...Sincerity? Then how about you show us your sincerity as well. You do realize that the job opening for our company and the field of study that you¡¯ve told me are completely incompatible?¡»

    ¡¸This and my field of study is completely two different things. I have qualified papers for the position.¡¹

    ¡ºPapers?¡»The middle-aged man laughed.

    ¡ºWhat good are these papers, there are plenty on the roadside that make these papers, you university students are always this naive. You think that just by obtaining these petty papers you can act all high and mighty? I don¡¯t want to waste any more of my time talking to these pitiful academics like you.¡»

    Chumoto then mercilessly pressed a button on the desk to end the interview:¡ºShiho, next person.¡», and faced with another scornful laugh:¡ºYou¡¯re just a nobody, but if you want to sue me then go right ahead.¡»

    He hit the spot where it hurts. It was unsatisfying. It was frustrating, but it was true. I couldn¡¯t touch someone like him the way that I am now. In the end, I had lost to his ¡®status¡¯.

    ¡¸...You better remember those words of yours today.¡¹

    ¡ºHahaha, I¡¯m rather curious what you can actually do to me.¡»

    I could no longer endure the humiliation. Although I¡¯ve been in such a situation before, this was the first time I¡¯ve seen a superior flaunt his cocky and carefree attitude before me. Perhaps it¡¯s also because of the hope I initially had for this company.

    ¡¸...Mark my words, Shirosanzen will be ruined by the hands of people like you in the future.¡¹

    ¡ºHeh, pathetic.¡»

    Leaving that remark, I opened the doors forcefully without looking back. The female assistant who led me to the room seemed to have already understood what had happened as she simply bowed her head when I passed her by. I nodded to her and went down the hallway dispiritedly.

    As I left the place under the watchful eyes of the other applicants, I felt my face heat up considerably. They were all gloating at my misfortune, every single last one of them!

    ...But it¡¯s simply pointless frustration, it doesn¡¯t concern me anymore. I didn¡¯t get the job. This company has nothing to do with me from now on. I reminded myself that as I took the lift back to the lobby and left through the glass doors defeatedly.

    ¡¸...Haah...¡¹

    Disillusioned, and feeling pretty hopeless from the words that middle-aged man told me earlier, I stood in front of the building entrance for quite some time.

    I took in a deep breath and exhaled a few times. No use moping over it, I glanced at my watch only to find that the time was still about 1pm. Things had ended much earlier than I had anticipated after all.

    This means I can arrive at the club much earlier. I loosened my tie casually and headed towards the train station. Of course, not forgetting a bucket of ice-cream for that girl in a convenience store nearby.

    Mango¡­ Mango yoghurt¡­ Ah, there it is. God, it¡¯s expensive.

    Shiori really eats everything that has mango in it huh. I still remember the strong impression I had of that girl when I met her for the first time in the Theatrics Club. ...In any case, perhaps taking some time off at the club will make me unwind some stress.

    Rehearsal huh, for a skit I¡¯m assuming. That doesn¡¯t sound too bad. I smiled wryly as I placed the tub into a basket. I paid for the ice-cream and took the train back to campus.

 [Chapter 3] Modern Theatrics Club

    The time was 1.40pm when I arrived. There were not many lessons left for fourth-years, while the freshmen were all over the campus looking around.

    Ah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s October huh. There¡¯s quite a few of them this year. I wonder how many of them would end up in our department this time.

    I returned to the dorm and changed into casual wear. No one seems to be in. Are Fatso and the others out with the freshmen already?

    Well whatever, if there¡¯s anything urgent they can just call me later. I stuffed my wallet and phone in a bag, as well as some packed lunch I brought for Shiori and the others. Leaving a note that I¡¯m going to the club for a bit, I locked the door and left.

    Joining a club is not compulsory in a university, but I had joined one anyway. While it has been 3 years already, I thought that my presence there was more of a ghost member as I didn¡¯t attend the club activities frequently. So for me to join those guys again, it might have been the first time in months.

    I arrived at a five-story block building for club activities on campus. It was one of the newer buildings, and as such there were many modern furnishings and aesthetics which made the main blocks where we usually go to have our lectures pale in comparison.

    When I approached the entrance, an elderly man in a blue uniform by the window glanced at me and then smiled. The wrinkles on his face made his welcome seem even more genuine, it had a mysterious effect of lifting one¡¯s spirits every time you see it. This person was Yamo-san, the security guard here.

    ¡ºWhy, isn¡¯t it Yato-b¨­? What kind of wind blew you over here?¡»

    ¡¸Well, it just kind of happened. Anyway Yamo-san, it¡¯s been awhile. How have you been?¡¹

    I greeted this white-haired uncle while shrugging my shoulders. Almost all the club-goers were practically acquainted with Yamo-san. We would always give our greetings whenever we come here for our club activities for his hard work here.

    Many of us think that Yamo-san should retire already at his age since he has a filial son who already sends him enough money every month to enjoy retirement, but the old man himself wanted to do something other than sitting idle at home. ¡°I feel younger talking to younglings like you guys¡±, he would often chide us while giving us snacks his son had brought from overseas. In any case, Yamo-san had become a neighbourhood uncle-like presence for us who frequent the club block.

    ¡ºOh you know, the same as usual. That aside, Yato-b¨­¡¯ you got a new hairstyle?¡»

    ¡¸I gotta be neater for my job interviews after all. Oh right, I bought a little something on the way here. It¡¯s a new brand of coffee which was supposedly good for the bones.¡¹

    ¡ºOu? That¡¯s something. I¡¯ll gratefully accept this then.¡»

    While Yamo-san was looking at the packaging of the box with interest, I dug into my wallet to look for my student ID.

    ¡¸Ah.¡¹

    Halfway through, it was then that I realized that I had already pawned it off to that ojou-sama from earlier. This was a little awkward.

    ¡¸Uhm¡­ Actually, I¡¯m here for a rehearsal with those guys.¡¹

    Yamo-san was also quick on the uptake, but he didn¡¯t make things hard for me. Since I was a registered student on the member list, Yamo-san simply smiled and said.

    ¡ºAh, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it¡­ I do recall that rowdy bunch telling me to come see their Christmas play. So Yato-b¨­ is also helping out for that huh. Mm, okay. You better hurry along then, I think they¡¯ve started already.¡»

    ¡¸Right. Sorry about that, Yamo-san. I kinda lost my card today. I¡¯ll tell you the details next time.¡¹

    I bowed while scratching my head.

    ¡ºThen I¡¯ll trouble you for a cup of coffee at the usual place next time.¡»

    Yamo-san chuckled and waved me off.

    Entering the block, I took the lift to the fifth floor and stepped out. Although the club block only had less than 10 clubs altogether in this building, the premises were surprisingly spacious and extravagant, almost as if one has stepped into some kind of entertainment district.

    From a swimming pool on the first floor, tennis courts on the second, pool tables, bowling alleys on the third, gym and a few offices on the fourth, the club block allowed the students inside to have many opportunities for recreational activities. But the clubrooms were mainly on the fifth floor. There were many empty rooms there which were filled with furniture and decorations brought from the students.

    It wasn¡¯t like this in the beginning though. I heard that this new way of ¡®learning¡¯ was suggested by the current student council president, a fourth-year like me. The board of directors took the suggestion and decided to implement it on the club block, allowing us to ¡°express ourselves freely without restrictions, to nurture more mature thinking and independence outside of conventional learning¡±.

    While most of that is babble for the riffraffs, no one would complain if the students got a nice place to hang out on campus. Although of course, you would need to join a club to come here.

    I followed the familiar path to the clubroom and arrived before a sliding door. On it was a sign that wrote ¡¼ Modern Theatrics Club ¡½.

    It has been such a long time, that I didn¡¯t know what to say when I entered. Would things get a little awkward if I did? Should I apologize? Or should I just walk in like normal? I had brought lunch for them too, so maybe it¡¯ll be natural if I just come in and drop it off like that¡­As I was contemplating on how to make my entrance, I felt someone blowing on my right ear suddenly!

    A chill ran down my spine creating goosebumps as I backed off a few steps on instinct.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡ºFufu, not even a sound of surprise... You¡¯re as calm as ever eh, Yato-kyun?¡»

    The clicking of heels came closer to me, as my eyes raised to look at who it was.

    It was a bespectacled woman with wavy brunette hair that cascaded down her firm waist. Dressed in a black OL attire and provocative stockings on her thighs, her chest volume was buttoned up at the front yet it still taunted a size that would spill out of her clothes. Of course, her long yet somewhat scruffy hairstyle indicated that this adult also had a sloppy side to her as well.

    This person was a professor in this school, Amamiya Chiyu-sensei.

    ¡ºHmm? What¡¯s wrong, is there something on my hair?¡»

    ¡¸...Chiyu-sensei¡­ Please don¡¯t blow into my ear again, I thought my heart was about to stop.¡¹

    I said with a sigh.

    But when she heard that, Chiyu-sensei laughed heartily.

    ¡ºReally? You¡¯re just as expressionless as the last time we¡¯ve seen each other, so I can¡¯t really tell. As expected of our ¡°Blank Actor¡±.¡»

    That¡¯s right, ¡°Blank Actor¡±. My supposed ¡®stage name¡¯ for the Modern Theatrics Club¡¯s performances, mainly because of my stony demeanor. Despite being a complete novice and untalented actor, I was still able to pull off many roles consistently because I never had to worry about a case of stagefright, or at least show it on my face. This was the reason why the club finds me for many of their roles. I could play all of them to a certain degree without fail, hence the stage name ¡°Blank Actor¡±.

    ¡ºWell, never mind---- that!¡»

    Chiyu-sensei came closer to me and suddenly hooked my neck under her shoulder.

    ¡¸Gehh---¡¹

    ¡ºI can forgive you if you don¡¯t come by the club often, but you¡¯ve even been neglecting this old lady recently~ How cruel~ Thanks to that, I realized that I. Can. No. Longer. Live. Without. You. Anymore~ Say, how can your own conscience bear this? How about you take responsibility for this body that¡¯s already...¡»

    She blew into my ear again, and when I tried to break free, I realized that her grip had locked me up completely! This woman---!!!

    ¡¸You''re talking about cleaning right, cleaning! I¡¯m not your maid, do the cleaning yourself you useless adult!¡¹

    I retorted while panting for breath.

    Chiyu-sensei is unexpectedly bad at housework, or rather, she lives a degenerate lifestyle outside of her perfect teacher model on campus. Various things happened, and I started to visit her apartment a few times a month when I became a second-year. But it seems like she¡¯s the same as usual, her apartment is probably a mess now.

    ¡ºAra...¡»

    ¡¸Haah, Chiyu-sensei, please don¡¯t say something that would make others misunderstand. And also, will you¡­ g-get off my back already...¡¹

    ¡ºCheapskate, it¡¯s not like you have a girlfriend anyway, little virgin~¡»

    ¡¸Kuhh...¡¹

    She really spared no effort to throw me a low blow as usual huh, the way she treats those words like normal hurts me even more.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    While hanging over my back, Chiyu-sensei seemed to have noticed the plastic bag I was holding. When she noticed the different packaging inside, her eyes lit up.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s quite a bit of food. Are those for me?¡»

    ¡¸There¡¯s enough for everyone¡¯s share, I bought different stuff for each person. Here, a shortcake for Chiyu-sensei.¡¹

    ¡ºOoh! So you do understand me!¡»

    Chiyu-sensei responded with a smile, the edges of her sharp teeth could be seen. But as she was about to grab the pastry box from behind, I moved the bag away from her reach.

    ¡¸Get off my back first.¡¹

    ¡ºWhat, you don¡¯t like it?¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not a matter of liking it or not¡­ ¡­I-Isn¡¯t it inappropriate for a teacher to do this...¡¹

    She seemed to have caught on to something from the uncomfortable twitch on my face, and suddenly her eyes narrowed with interest.

    ¡ºOh¡­? What, you mean this? Hmm~? Wow, I can finally see a little bit of red on your face, isn¡¯t that rare? Hehe, little virgin you¡¯re so cute~¡»

    ¡¸Agh!!! Get off, get off, get off! Pervert, where are you touching! This is rape! This is a crime, sensei!¡¹

    Her chest pressed against my body even more tightly as she said that.

    On purpose! She¡¯s definitely doing this on purpose!

    ¡º...Ah, I guess fun time is over. Tehe~¡»

    But just as quickly, Chiyu-sensei suddenly let go of me for some reason.

    Huh?

    ¡º----Can the two of you move aside.¡»

    Suddenly I heard a cold voice from behind.

    As I darted my eyes over, I saw a familiar face again.

    ¡¸Shiori...¡¹

    A girl with a bob haircut stopped right before me and glared at me with her round sapphire eyes. Shiori is my underclassman on her second year, and was also a member of the Modern Theatrics Club. She was wearing the club¡¯s grey tee and a set of black tights, accentuating her petite body.

    ¡ºSenpai you¡¯ve come. Here, I¡¯ll help you carry those. Ah, I see my ice-cream inside. Thank you, sen-pai~¡»

    Shiori smiled while signalling me with her eyes.

    ¡¸I-It''s nothing...Here.¡¹

    I handed the bag of foodstuff I bought for the rest over to her.

    For a moment when Shiori swept her eyes across, I thought that her glare became several times colder when it rested on Chiyu-sensei. But it must have been my imagination.

    ¡º...What are you standing around here for, aren¡¯t you coming in?¡»

    Shiori asked me as she slid open the door to the clubroom. I turned to look at Chiyu-sensei who had been quietly standing behind me, and she smiled ambiguously.

    ¡¸...Err, are you coming in as well, Chiyu-sensei?¡¹

    Shiori¡¯s smile seemed to have stiffened when I said that, but did not say anything. On the other hand, Chiyu-sensei made a pondering gesture and said:

    ¡ºWeelll, I still have a lesson later but coming in for a quick lunch isn¡¯t such a bad idea too. It is time sensei drops by once in a while as your club advisor too.¡»

    ¡º...Let¡¯s go then.¡»

    The three of us entered the clubroom, and inside was a spacious room just like a dance studio. On the left side were some cameras, lighting and various sound equipment. It seems like a stage was already set up, seemingly for the rehearsal today so there were some unfamiliar stage props lying around. But apart from that, this place is the same as ever.

    ¡¸Has the rehearsal not started yet?¡¹

    I asked Shiori while the three of us walked together.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry about that, we have already practised a few times this week beforehand so there shouldn¡¯t be much problems. All that¡¯s left is senpai¡¯s ¡®role¡¯.¡»

    I understood immediately when she said that, and simply nodded silently.

    We went past the professionally-set stage in the studio and opened another sliding door further in with the door tag ¡¼For Club Members Only¡½.

    We left our shoes at the entrance and stepped inside.

    The interior was a small office room packed with all sorts of stuff brought by everyone. There was a mini fridge that stored plenty of drinks, a whiteboard on the wall, an 80-inch smart television screen, game consoles from Playstation 4 to Xbox, coffee brewers, portable kitchen, and a wide, circular conference table at the center. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call this paradise for a NEET if they could live here forever.

    ¡ºShiori-chan, you¡¯re laaate-su~¡»

    A lively voice greeted us as soon as we entered. It came from this guy with a crew-cut who stood up from his seat loudly. When he noticed that the other two that had come along with her, his eyes widened a little and gasped.

    ¡ºIs that¡­ Yato-senpai!? Uhaaaaa, it¡¯s really senpai in the flesh!¡»

    Wh-Who on earth is this spunky kid? A newcomer?

    ¡ºAh, that is Takata Shinji-san. A freshman who joined last week.¡»

    Probably sensing my confusion, Shiori stepped up and explained to me.

    ¡¸I-I see, nice to meet you, Shinji.¡¹

    ¡ºLikewise-su! I¡¯ve heard many things about senpai, I¡¯ll be looking forward to the rehearsal later!¡»

    ¡¸R-right. Ahahaha...¡¹

    Seems like the youngins are pretty energetic this time. But what do you mean looking forward to my performance? ...Don¡¯t you know what my role is? Shiori chuckled while covering her mouth as if noticing my unease.

    When my name was called, a few others who had been sitting around the conference table leisurely also realized my presence. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me as if I was some kind of rare animal, which made me a tad bit uncomfortable. Finally, someone broke the silence after a while.

    ¡ºWaah, Yato¡¯s finally here! Kanade-chan, Kanade-chan!¡»

    An imouto-character pranced up to me excitedly while beckoning her best friend to come over.

    I smiled wryly while patting her head. Chitose Hiyori, a second-year. She ties a bun at the back of her hair, and coupled with her rather short height makes her look much younger than she is.

    Next, a young man who looked to be the silent-type greeted us.

    ¡ºGood afternoon, Yato-senpai, Chiyu-sensei.¡»

    ¡ºAfternoon, Usui-kun~¡»

    Chiyu-sensei replied with a wave.

    This polite underclassman was Hatagi Usui. He bowed lightly towards me and then took a seat again. In his hands was a book titled ¡¼Mysteries of a Shrouded City¡½. Usui likes to read crime mystery novels, also the main reason why he joined the club. He is our main scriptwriter for the Modern Theatrics Club.

    ¡º...You¡¯re late.¡»

    An emotionless voice said so, coming from another girl sitting at the corner of the room while tapping the buttons of a controller. This was Ayanokouji Kanade, a year younger than me. Her hair is tied up neatly and is dressed in a bright, colorful dress unlike the rest of us who were in club-tees. However, her baggy eyes from gaming overnights destroyed her overall ¡®princess-like¡¯ image. She¡¯s also pretty good at video games.

    Kanade also doesn¡¯t speak up much, as most of her words are contained in her thoughts.

    ¡¸Sorry¡­ I had some matters to attend to this morning.¡¹

    ¡ºDon¡¯t tell that to me. ...Onee-chan is inside. You go explain to her.¡»

    ¡¸...Okay.¡¹

    Kanade¡¯s a third year like Usui, and she¡¯s somewhat of a freeloader in this place. Although technically, I didn¡¯t have the right to call her that as I was also a frequent ghost member in the club.

    ¡ºOh, it¡¯s Yato. Yahallo~¡»

    ¡ºYo, Yato. You¡¯re here.¡»

    ¡¸...It¡¯s been a while, you guys here for the rehearsal too?¡¹

    Next were the Iwatoji siblings who are both fourth-years like me. The sister with a gyaru appearance from her tanned brown-skin was called Iwatoji Junko, while the delinquent-looking brother with sanpaku eyes was Iwatoji Takeshi. The two were labelled as delinquents at a very young age because of their style preferences and way of speech. However once you get to know them better, you would find out that they aren¡¯t actually the stereotypes that their surroundings had labelled them as, and were instead very nice people.

    ¡ºYep, hehe. I¡¯m bad guy #1, the toughest kind. The type that talks loudly and causes a public menace!¡»

    ¡ºNishishi! And I¡¯m the bitch who tries to steal the protagonist from his girlfriend!¡»

    ...Discounting the fact that they would still try to act out their stereotypes as a hobby here. Perhaps it¡¯s also a way to relieve their stress from being judged in public. ...As for what kind of stress they can relieve with these kinds of roles... Well, I have no qualms about who they want to become in this place. Acting shares no prejudice, only a way to express oneself. That is why everyone here had gathered in this place. Mn, let¡¯s leave it at that.

    ¡ºOh right, Yato-senpai got us lunch. There¡¯s cake too.¡»

    ¡ºCake?! I call dibs!¡»

    Junko flew from her seat towards Shiori who had placed the plastic bag on the table.

    ¡º...I¡¯ll have the shortcake.¡»¡º...Oh there¡¯s fried chicken, I¡¯ll have that one-su!¡»

    Usui put down his book and came over as well beside Takata-san.

    Chiyu-sensei came to my side and watched this scene with a smile.

    ¡ºI¡¯m going to get the plates.¡»

    ¡¸...Okay. I¡¯ll come with you.¡¹

    While the rest were fumbling around the stuff I bought, we entered another room to the right. The walls hung various cabinets, a sink and a service station with neat stacks of plates and utensils.

    ¡ºYaa, Hibiki-chan.¡»

    Chiyu-sensei waved towards a girl inside, sitting on a high chair.

    She turned around, hurling her braided hair to one side and looked at the two of us. First it was Chiyu-sensei whom she simply stared at.

    But when her eyes met mine, the girl suddenly frowned and stood up without speaking a word.

    ¡¸...Uhm¡­ Hibiki¡­-sama?¡¹

    ¡ºSince when have you ever used honorifics on my name.¡»

    Hibiki stared at me as if trying to find something out of my facial expressions.

    ¡¸...Hibiki.¡¹

    ¡º---Ara, am I interrupting? My my, I guess I¡¯ll leave you lovebirds alone~¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Chiyu-sensei abruptly left with the plates, leaving Hibiki and I in the room.

    Dark hair with an indigo highlight, her sleek long bob is swept to one side covering her right eye. She was wearing an apron over her clothes, and seemed to be in the middle of brewing tea before we entered.

    Ayanokouji Hibiki. She¡¯s Kanade¡¯s older sister, a fourth-year. Hibiki is the club leader of the Modern Theatrics Club, and incidentally is also the one who had invited me to join the club back then. Her family is pretty rich too, I heard that her father was one of the directors of XX University. She doesn¡¯t spend much on herself, but pampers Kanade with whatever she wants to buy.

    She seemed to want to say something again, but when Chiyu-sensei had parted with that strange statement, Hibiki gave up with a sigh and told me,

    ¡º...Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s round up everyone. We¡¯ll begin the rehearsal after everyone¡¯s finished eating.¡»

    She then took out a script tucked behind her back and handed it to me.

    ¡ºHere, memorize your role in 30 minutes. We¡¯ll begin immediately after that.¡»

    30 minutes? ...Well, it¡¯s doable if the script isn¡¯t very long. Recalling what kind of roles the Iwatoji siblings were given, I decided to ask just in case.

    ¡¸What¡¯s outline of the performance?¡¹

    ¡ºThe school is requesting us to have something up for the graduation show as part of the club showcase before Christmas Eve. The theme is decided to be a normal school drama but well, the script can be modified as long as it¡¯s within the boundaries. I¡¯ve talked to Usui-kun about this already so if you have any suggestions, feel free to let him know.¡»

    ¡¸Mm¡­ alright. I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡­ and also...¡»

    Just before she left the room, Hibiki turned around and hesitated for a second, before she continued with a smile.

    ¡ºWelcome back.¡»

    ¡¸...Right.¡¹

    As I watched her joining the others for lunch, I heaved a troubled sigh. The strange tension between us had not been relieved just yet even after a few months, it seems. I shook those strange thoughts away, and chased the girl¡¯s back shortly after.

 [Chapter 4] After Club Activities

    As a ¡°Blank Actor¡±, my job was to simply fill the numbers required for the play and not more about how good I was acting, so there wasn¡¯t anything spectacular about my anticlimactic performance. My given role was the atypical, mysterious transfer student who helps the protagonist in between cues. I didn¡¯t have many lines, and most of my work were ad-libbed so there were not much problems.

    Shinji sets up the lighting as the newcomer while watching us work alongside Chiyu-sensei, Kanade and Usui who corrects the scenes in his head.

    Hiyori-chan is the little sister, Shiori is the childhood friend, and Takeshi and Junko act as the delinquents that harasses the protagonist¡¯s love interest, played by Hibiki. Just like Hibiki had mentioned, the play was a typical school drama with a few twists here and there thrown in from Usui¡¯s preference for mystery in his writing.

    After the first round of rehearsing, Chiyu-sensei left for an afternoon lecture. We spent a few more hours practising and getting used to our roles. Before long, the sun was already starting to set. Hibiki decided to call it a day and told us to pack up.

    ¡ºWell... I-It was a¡­ a good try-su?¡­ b-but in any case, good work Senpai! Your face hardly twitched at all the entire time-su! Isn''t that like, totes'' incredible?¡»

    Shinji beamed as I came to dismantle the equipment with him.

    ¡ºHe doesn¡¯t mean anything bad. This guy simply speaks his mind like that.¡»

    Shiori came up from behind me and whispers to me.

    ¡¸...Ha...haha¡­ I¡¯ll take that as a compliment then.¡¹

    ¡ºIn any case, you¡¯re a lifesaver. Hibiki was actually considering if she should call Hattori-san in if you haven¡¯t turned up. I''m glad Shiori managed to tri--- err... remind you to come today. A-As expected, we can always count on Yato.¡»

    Takeshi patted my back and chuckled with a guilt-filled expression.

    ...So that''s how it is. Well, whatever. I had fun today too. I came here in the first place to take my mind off things anyway.

    ¡ºHattori huh. That guy¡¯s stony in a bad way so I don''t think that''s ever a good idea. At least Yato here understands how to properly coordinate with us.¡»

    I smiled wryly at his words.

    ¡¸Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never actually seen Hattori-san act before. Did Hibiki really cast him for something before?¡¹

    ¡ºSure she did, and boy, it was a disaster. Heh, don¡¯t mention it. Though it did make up for a funny story in the end.¡»

    ¡ºEnough of that, you guys. At the very least, I can picture Hattori as the Terminator you know?¡»

    ¡ºGuhahahaha!¡»

    ¡º...No, he¡¯s Ryu from Street Fighter.¡»

    ¡ºRight, Kanade¡¯s still going on with that. He does look like him after a while huh, it¡¯s growing on me now that you¡¯ve mentioned it.¡»

    ¡ºHahahihihi¡­ M-My sides...¡»

    Hattori is a fourth-year who joined the club mainly to ¡®exercise¡¯ in the first place. He is the one who sets up the heavy equipment for us as our main manpower behind the scenes. Although honestly, I would¡¯ve wanted to see his acting if possible.

    ¡ºThat is why Yato¡¯s the best. He brings nice stuff for us. That shortcake is pretty expensive I hear.¡»

    ¡ºYato, the fried chicken too.¡»

    ¡ºIt¡¯s not very spicy though. Is there a spicy add-on?¡»

    ¡ºThe donuts. Were good.¡»

    ¡ºBullshit, anything tastes good if it¡¯s free.¡»

    ¡ºSeconded.¡»

    We exchanged friendly banter for a bit, catching up with each other. Before long, we had returned the studio back to tidiness.

    ¡ºPhew, we¡¯re finally done for the day. I need some chicken in my system.¡»

    Takeshi exclaimed as he slumped against a cardboard box.

    ¡ºChicken again, Take-nii you¡¯re gonna get fat.¡»

    ¡ºOh lay off. It¡¯s a genetic code written in humans, chicken tastes the best when you¡¯re tired.¡»

    ¡ºSweets are better. Oh, right¡­ girls.¡»

    Junko suddenly had an expression as if she had remembered something, and took out her phone. She tapped on a webpage and showed it to us.

    ¡ºJajaan~ I heard of a new patisserie at the Times East Square here. I heard it¡¯s pretty popular~ How about going there today.¡»

    Junko suggested.

    ¡ºOh, I¡¯ve heard of it too. The student discounts make them pretty affordable too I hear.¡»

    ¡ºPastry huh, that sounds good.¡»

    ¡ºMn. Let¡¯s go.¡»

    Kanade nodded while playing her Nintendo Switch.

    ¡ºWhat about Shiori and Hibiki?¡»

    Shiori glanced at me only for a moment, and nodded too. But Hibiki scratched her head and laughed dryly.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡ºI think I¡¯ll pass this time. I¡¯m going to stay behind to revise the script a little. Usui-kun?¡»

    ¡ºSorry Hibiki-senpai¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do it today. I have to fetch my little sister later from school.¡»

    ¡º...Right, you told me earlier. Then in that case, I¡¯ll revise the script first myself, and you review it tomorrow. How¡¯s that sound.¡»

    ¡ºNo problem. Alright, see you guys.¡»

    After picking up his bag and some materials, Usui left the clubroom.

    ¡ºThen, we¡¯ll go as well. Nii, I will be eating out tonight, tell mom for me will you?¡»

    ¡ºHaah, it can¡¯t be helped¡­ just be careful.¡»

    ¡ºGot it~¡»

    ¡ºCya, Yato~¡»

    ¡ºBye bye, Yato-kun!¡»

    ¡ºSenpai, see you next week.¡»

    ¡º...Don¡¯t be late.¡»

    With that, the other girls excluding Hibiki left too.

    ¡ºGeez, how about we guys eat out together as well.¡»

    Takeshi suggested.

    But thinking of the welcome party I have to go later, I smiled wryly and rejected his offer.

    ¡ºMy house is receiving some guests today as well-su! Sorry senpai-su, I¡¯ll definitely join in next time-su!¡»

    ¡ºThat sucks. Cheh, next time then,¡»

    Bidding the other two farewell, the clubroom was left with only me and Hibiki.

    ¡¸¡º...¡»¡¹

    As I remained sitting on a chair across her, I watched her pen down a couple of lines conscientiously onto the script. It was already close to evening, the orange glow of dusk shone on one side of her face, reflecting a beautiful image before my eyes. Unknowingly, I started to become mesmerized by her appearance----

    ¡º...You¡¯re not going home?¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Suddenly Hibiki¡¯s pen stopped moving and she looked up at me inquisitively. I snapped out of my daze and shook my head,

    ¡¸Yeah, just thinking about some things. Don¡¯t mind me.¡¹

    ¡º...That so? Well okay.¡»

    Hibiki returned to the script and continued writing.

    I rested my head on the chair for the rest of this time and listened to the soft scribbling of the pen.

    After about half an hour, she was finally satisfied with the changes. Hibiki placed the edited script into the bag beside her and started packing up.

    ¡¸You¡¯re done?¡¹

    ¡ºI¡¯m done.¡»

    She suddenly paused, and squinted her eyes at me.

    ¡ºThat¡­ ...Were you¡­ waiting for me?¡»

    ¡¸Well, yeah.¡¹

    When I said so, Hibiki coughed a few times and hid the side of her hair behind her ear. I noticed that she had sat back down on her seat.

    ¡ºSo¡­ you needed something from me?¡»

    ¡¸Un, so... how was it?¡¹

    ¡º...How was¡­ what?¡»

    ¡¸My acting.¡¹

    ¡º...Huh? ...Oh, it¡¯s just like usual. Why ask?¡»

    ¡¸Usual¡­ Average huh. That¡¯s good to hear.¡¹

    I heaved a sigh of relief when I heard her evaluation. Hibiki glanced at me strangely.

    ¡ºIs that¡­ all?¡»

    ¡¸Yup, it¡¯s been weighing on my mind the entire day. But from your strict evaluation, I guess my acting hasn¡¯t deteriorated too much since the last time huh.¡¹

    ¡º... ...You waited for me... just to ask that kind of question?¡»

    ¡¸Yeah. Since you guys called me for this rehearsal so suddenly, I had been worried that I would hold everyone else back today you know?¡¹

    I just didn¡¯t want to interrupt her when she¡¯s thinking about the script, and that question had been constantly bugging in my mind. As the leader who had been seeing everyone of us perform, she should be clear on the performance of each individual.

    That didn¡¯t seem to be the answer that she wanted however, as I thought I heard her muttering under her breath.

    ¡º...Idiot.¡»

    ¡¸What? You said something?¡¹

    ¡ºMou, I don¡¯t care anymore!¡»

    Hibiki glared at me with a light red face, and threw the keys at my face.

    ¡¸Wh-What¡¯s wrong with you.¡¹

    ¡ºIdiot, idiot, idiot!¡»

    She slid the door open and stomped out, infuriated.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    I scratched my head in confusion. But now that I was the only one remaining, there was no longer a point to stay around. I stood up as well, and picked up my bag.

    As I looked outside of the windows, I realized that the sky had turned into a canvas of dusk orange. I walked out of the clubroom, and locked the doors after me. All that¡¯s left is to return the keys to the staff office on the second floor. Looking around, the other clubs have also gone back already.

    Seems like I¡¯ve stayed in longer than I thought. The time on my watch was already 7.40pm, I guess it¡¯s about time I head over to that welcoming party.

    As I was heading towards the elevator, I consciously felt a chill from some kind of watchful gaze upon me. Like a pair of eyes watching me at a corner there----

    Huh?

    But when I blinked, that ¡®person¡¯ was gone. I must be too tired...

    Clink.

    Suddenly, I heard the faint sound of something metallic falling to the floor, like some sort of key. I approached the corner where I heard the sound, and looked around.

    There¡¯s no one?

    Beneath my feet was a black object resting there. When I bent down to inspect it, I then saw what it was.

    ¡¸...A card?¡¹

    I picked the card up curiously.

    It was a metallic black card with a light trim of gold at the ends. At the front, nothing was written on it, but when I flipped it around to the back, I could see it.

    The faint indentation of some sort of symbol it seems, as I traced it with my finger.

    I moved the card under the setting sun to see the symbol more clearly, and after a few seconds I could finally make it out----

    The symbol was actually the number ¡°9¡±, written in reverse. What does this mean? What is this card for?

    Just when I thought to put it on top of a locker to discard it, my phone rang. Since the card was still on my hand, I quickly tucked it into my pocket and answered the call.

    ¡¸Hello?¡¹

    ¡ºAh, hello? Senpai, it¡¯s Nijima. Are you arriving? Minho-senpai and the others are already here.¡»

    ¡¸Fatso and the rest came huh. Anyway, I¡¯m just about to head out. Give me like, five minutes?¡¹

    ¡ºOh okay. Also senpai, if it¡¯s not too troublesome, could you buy some beer on the way here? Hehe, seems like this place doesn¡¯t sell them and everyone¡¯s too lazy to go back to get it.¡»

    I rolled my eyes. This is going to be ¡®on me¡¯ as well? Ah whatever, it¡¯s a welcoming party anyway. I might as well be generous this one time and let the juniors look at me with a little more respect~

    ¡¸Got it. You just reserve me the host¡¯s seat and wait for me there!¡¹

    ¡ºHaha, as expected of senpai! Then, we¡¯ll be expecting!¡»

    ¡¸Roll the red carpet!¡¹

    ¡ºOu!¡»

    After I hung up, I couldn¡¯t help but press my temples on instinct. Although I¡¯ve said all that, is my bank account really going to be okay for this month? ...To hell with it, I¡¯ll just wing it until I make it. If I can''t pay for everything, I''ll be sure to drag those guys with me later. Hehehe...

    The elevator arrived as I was troubling over the expenses.

    I entered and tapped the button to the second floor for the returning of the clubroom keys.

 [Chapter 5] Black Card I

    As the door to the faculty office slid open, the cold chill of the air conditioned surroundings crept up to my body. I rubbed my arms while shivering slightly, the sweat accumulated from the rehearsal cooled my body rapidly.

    ¡¸...Must be several degrees below in here...¡¹

    Seeing that there wasn¡¯t anyone left, I took the remote hung on the nearby wall and turned it off. Biip. The inside of the faculty office was already quite dark with only a few lights up. Was there still someone around?

    As I was thinking so, a freckle-faced granny passed me by just as I entered, pushing a cart of cleaning materials with her. Judging from the fact that I had never seen her around before, she must be the new person in charge of janitor duty on this block. Noticing my gaze on her, the granny stopped for a moment to nod towards me. I gestured amiably as well, and after she pushed the cart out of the door and left.

    I continued forward until I reached a grey cabinet beside a printing machine. A small acrylic box was inside the third drawer, with the other keys for the seven clubrooms already returned. I found the one that states¡¾Modern Theatrics Club¡¿and returned the key inside.

    When I was done, I left the office silently with lights up as there was someone still sleeping in one of the cubicles at the corner. Must be a teacher who overworked himself, a good rest should be plenty as long as I don¡¯t interrupt him. I also left the air conditioner back up for him, although it was tuned a little less cold than before.

    I came down to the first floor through the stairs and met with Yamo-san at the front porch. He grinned at me with a wave while I approached.

    ¡ºYaaa, Yato-b¨­. You¡¯re the last one today? Did something happen between you and the club president Hibiki-chan? When she left, she seemed pretty angry you know?¡»

    ¡¸Haha, well¡­ things just happened.¡¹

    The old man shot me a strange look while grinning, and patted my shoulders.

    ¡ºI get it I get it, you don''t have to tell me anything more... In any case, it looks like you got over whatever was bogging down your mind before, huh.¡»

    I was surprised, but that faded away from my eyes quickly.

    Come to think of it, he must have seen it on my face earlier this afternoon. This gramps can pick up and respond to people''s emotional cues after all, that''s the main reason why he''s well-liked.

    He doesn''t approach people too closely that it intrudes on your personal space, neither does he make it seem like he doesn''t care. To put it in simple words, Yamo-san was a perceptive old man who made others feel at ease in a conversation. Since he could already tell my bad mood which lingered in the afternoon, I no longer hid it anymore.

    ¡¸...Yeah. Working with the guys in a while got rid of it.¡¹

    ¡ºThat¡¯s great. Yaaa, young people should spend their lives more meaningfully like this.¡»

    Yamo-san rotated his shoulders and continued.

    ¡ºWhen my son has project deadlines to meet and gets under pressure, he also works it out of his system by running about. Speaking of which, here¡¯s a little something I gave the others earlier.¡»

    This wasn¡¯t the first time Yamo-san had given us students something from his son¡¯s overseas travels, so I took it unhesitantly and thanked him with a smile.

    ¡¸Hm, what¡¯s this? Doesn¡¯t look like sweets this time. You got something strange from Togushi-san this time?¡¹

    Togushi was the name of his beloved son, we had met them on more than one occasion when he happened to drop by to fetch Yamo-san home. ...

    In my hands was a small cylindrical container that fit in my palm, and inside was about a dozen crystal balls that resembled clear tapioca pearls. To be more precise, it¡¯s one of those water beads we used to play when we were kids. It would grow when left in a water body for a few hours, giving us the satisfaction of ''raising something from young''. Of course, back then it was easy to satisfy children with simple yet gimmicky toys. Nowadays, it feels as if the children of this generation with their tablets and smartphones had already lost the touch of innocence the older generation once had.

    It''s slightly regrettable.

    ¡ºYou can eat them but if let it soak in water for a bit, it¡¯ll taste better. Maa, I don¡¯t really get how it works too but my son said that it was some kind of new product in the market. The packaging is all written in korean too, but he guaranteed that there wasn¡¯t any strange ingredients inside so it¡¯s safe to consume.¡»

    What Yamo-san passed to me was a big box in large korean characters that contained these small containers. But it seems edible like he had said. From the image of grapes on it, seems like it¡¯s grape-flavored too.

    I opened the container and placed one of the pearls into my mouth. As I rolled it around my tongue, the taste of grapes filled my taste buds before long. When I bit it, there was a burst of sweetened milk and tea mixing with the initial flavor, creating the very premium texture of a freshly-brewed grape milk tea. So that was it, the water somehow affects the sweetener inside. If this was done with proper ingredients without any additives or any artificial flavoring agents, then this would be pretty popular among the students as a bite-sized ¡®drink¡¯.

    As it is now though, I can say that this kind of product would not completely replace the complicated process of making milk tea, but it¡¯s amazing how close it¡¯s coming to replicating it. Either way wIth the improvements to technology as the years pass, it isn¡¯t that unlikely for something like this to appear on the market eventually.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡ºHow is it? It¡¯s good right?¡»

    When I came to, I realized that the gramps had been looking at me happily.

    ¡¸Indeed, it tastes pretty good.¡¹

    ¡ºHehe, I knew you would say that. You can have another two of this stuff since you liked it.¡»

    ¡¸But that¡¯s---¡¹

    ¡º---Don¡¯t worry about it, I still have plenty left over. Take it, I can¡¯t finish them all anyway. You can share it with your friends if you want to. Just think of it as thanks for the coffee.¡»

    ¡¸...In that case...¡¹

    I took over a few more containers and stuffed it into my bag while giving my thanks again. After that, I bade farewell to Yamo-san and left the campus.

    ¡¸Right¡­ the beer.¡¹

    I recalled that guy asking me to go get some, and entered a convenience store nearby.

    ¡ºWelcome...¡»

    An unenthusiastic voice entered my ears. The clerk was a young guy playing a game on his phone, probably working part-time here. I went down the aisles, got a case of the cheapest beer and headed to the counter. I also added a packet of mint displayed during check out.

    ¡¸That¡¯s all.¡¹

    ¡ºAight. Give me a second please.¡»

    The teenager didn¡¯t ask for my ID since this place was near the university campus and everyone was clearly above legal age. He placed the phone down and started doing his job. After a few beeps, he was finished placing the scanned items in the bags.

    ¡ºThat will be $180.45 in total.¡»

    Wait. That much? I took out a card instead and handed it to him.

    ¡¸PayWave please.¡¹

    ¡ºOkay.¡»

    ...Bip. ----Boop.

    Eh? Was it rejected?

    ¡ºUhh, your card was rejected.¡»

    ¡¸What?! Uhh, *cough cough*, how about this one.¡¹

    The cashier seemed a little impatient, but he still accepted the second card wordlessly.

    ...Bip. Boop.

    ...Wait.

    ¡ºThis card is no good too.¡»

    ¡¸...Could you maybe try swiping it this time...?¡¹

    ...Bip. Boop.

    It returned with the same result.

    ¡º¡¸...¡¹¡»

    ¡ºDear customer, do you perhaps...¡»

    ¡¸No, no! I have it, just give me a moment.¡¹

    ¡ºSure, please take your time...¡»

    The teenager shrugged and picked up his phone as if he had lost interest.

    ...At this point, it¡¯s not too late to return the items. But I can¡¯t leave empty-handed.

    Call Fatso and the others over? No, even if I did plan on making them share the expenses tonight, I would only do so when we get back to the dorms. It would be immediately exposed if I called them out here at this timing.

    Just then, my phone rang. The caller was Nijima, he¡¯s probably calling to check if I was arriving.

    ¡¸Sorry, phone call...¡¹

    I laughed awkwardly when the cashier glanced at me for a brief moment. He rolled his eyes and returned to the phone screen.

    As expected, Nijima called to ask me where I was. After a few exchanges to reassure him that I was reaching, I hung up. From the sound of laughter on the other side, seems like the girls were having a good time. Now that I thought about it more carefully, this ¡®welcoming party¡¯ was actually a mixer in disguise, wasn¡¯t it. No wonder the guys were so restless since this morning ...Now that it¡¯s come to this. I have no other choice but to buy it! Maybe adding some loose change would be enough for a case.

    Hm?

    As I was checking my pockets, I recalled putting something in there. Aside from a few receipts that I had lazily tucked inside in the afternoon, there was also that one thing.

    Card¡­ that¡¯s right. That black card he had picked up near the elevator earlier. Now that I had taken another look at it, the card was made rather peculiarly. I could tell it was made with some kind of metal, yet it was elastic enough to bend like plastic. What material was it even made out of? There was no microchip to indicate that it was any kind of useable card, neither were the words ¡°VISA¡± or ¡°MasterCard¡± there. No indicative, affiliated modes of payment, just the reversed ¡®9¡¯ etched on it.

    The teenager placed down his phone again. It seems like he had finally finished his game, but probably because he had lost a match, his mood appeared to be unusually grumpy.

    ¡ºDear customer, if you¡¯re here to buy stuff, please return the items and leave. Thank you.¡»

    Being obstinate as usual, I slid out the black card without thinking any more and replied.

    ¡¸Use this one.¡¹

    ¡º...¡»

    Of course, I didn¡¯t expect much from it. This card might just end up being a dud 99% of the time since it didn¡¯t have the microchip like a usual card. The cashier understood this too, and thought that I was joking around until he looked up at my face.

    Besides giving me a permanent complex about my appearance, the only good thing about my face was the fact that I would be able to turn a slight frown into a threatening glare. Since my expression was neutral constantly, one simple change would be easily magnified in the eyes of others.

    As expected, this frown of mine did the trick. The teenager acquiesced.

    He placed the card slowly into a card reader and keyed in the amount, and at first he looked full of grievances about it. But in the next moment, his eyes widened----

    ...Bip.

    ¡º...Huh¡­?¡»

    It was¡­ accepted! That black card was! When the cashier took the card out and returned it to me, his face was still one of confusion. How could he not be, he was prepared to give another snarky remark to this unwelcomed customer since the card didn¡¯t even look like a legitimate card you could use! But now he was unable to say anything back from this unexpected result. Let alone this guy, I was also similarly lost for words.

    However without revealing the surprise on my face, I took the bags with the card and left the convenience store with a brisk pace as if afraid the card reader might have malfunctioned or something.

    ¡º...Eh¡­? Ah¡­ s-see you again...¡»

    When I left the store, I was still a little lost on the fact that this black card that I had kept incidentally was actually some kind of cash card out of the odds.

    ...There was money inside after all! That was a whole 100 you know? Who knows how much more is left in there? Of course, it might just be the case that I had just spent all of it, but now that doesn¡¯t seem all that disappointing now that my expectations were overturned the first time.

    What did I have to lose? All I had to do was to put it in an ATM to find out. Within my chest was this strange, tense feeling, as if I was one digit away from the winning number for the week¡¯s lottery.

    I had to find out.

    After giving Nijima another short text saying I¡¯ll arrive in a few more minutes, I headed towards the nearest ATM around.

    Finally, when I arrived, I placed the bags down and stepped forward in front of the empty terminal.

    With a mind filled with anticipation, I slipped the black card into the card slot------

 [Chapter 6] Black Card II

    I came before the terminal, and took out the black card.

    Slide---

    The black card slid into the card slot seamlessly, just like any ordinary bank card.I held my breath, as the LED light flashed vividly with an emerald mint.The screen left its idle state and began to load the card credentials.

    ¡¾Please wait...¡¿

    Five seconds¡­ Ten seconds¡­ The screen still appeared to be loading.

    Was it jammed---? Perhaps the card wasn¡¯t recognized by the machine after all?In the next moment, the screen blanked out all of a sudden. I watched the empty, black display reflecting the rigid expression on my face, and felt a bad premonition.

    A malfunction? Right after the card was inserted into the machine?

    ¡¸Wh-What the!¡¹

    My fears were realized in the next moment----

    0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

    As strings of green digits starting to cascade down the display, a cold sweat trickled down my forehead. Like a matrix raining down codes of 0s and 1s, a relentless assault of figures covered the screen. And I noticed from the center, there was a blink of red which slowly dyed the code in red branches.

    While that strange virus-like webbing of digits continued to seep into all four corners of the screen, the machine began to malfunction in real life!Before long, the entire screen had been completely bleached.

    Something like this wasn¡¯t normal! The machine looked like it was being hacked!

    Crackling, and buzzing---- The sounds of circuits frying and light sparks overloaded the machine, causing me to flinch backwards.

    ¡¸Shit!¡¹

    I cried out in shock as a loose wire almost came in contact with my right arm! My body stiffened even more in the face of the severity of this situation: Destruction, tampering of bank property, in addition to attempted hijacking and misuse of the ATM¡­ But what can I do to stop it? What should I do? It was impossible to take the card out of the machine now.

    As the red wall of 0s and 1s hadcompletely enveloped the entire display, I realized how naive I had been the entire time. Had I been possessed by a demon known as ¡®money¡¯ again? Confusion, regret, anger¡­ All of those feelings swirled into a mess. I clutched my throbbing head, images of my childhood flashed before my eyes. Repeating the mistakes of the past, I was about to recreate yet another irreversible incident---

    My head immediately cooled down several degrees, and my mind started to turn.

    ...Let¡¯s not have anything to do with this black card anymore. Fortunately, this was one ATM terminal which didn¡¯t have a CCTV. In that case, no one will know that I was here if I left this whole mess alone. There wasn¡¯t anyone around in my surroundings yet.

    I took another step back. Can¡¯t be indecisive at any rate, I would be in huge trouble if someone came by and saw me with a defective machine.

    Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.The sounds of the machine continued to play incessantly, ringing unpleasantly in my ears----

    And just when I had made up my mind to get out of here as soon as possible, the next sequence of events caused me to stop my feet.

    The strings of code started to submerge back into the blank screen, as if they weren¡¯t there in the first place. The circuits began to run normally, and the display lit up again. But instead of the familiar white screen common for an ATM, the anomaly had only surfaced a single, flickering sentence with a sanguine font.

    ¡¾Name¡¿

    And below those words was an input space.

    ¡¸Name... Does it want¡­ a name?¡¹

    I stared at the card slot where the black card had entered, and started to realize something. The machine had flipped out from the start because of the black card, and it wasn¡¯t that difficult to overwrite the entire machine if it could spill out all those strings of code.

    So this ¡®name¡¯, was what it wanted me to see.

    Somehow, I felt it. I had a feeling that it wanted to know my name instead.

    My curiosity was ignited once more. Despite understanding the danger, despite understanding how strange this situation was¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but stand back up on the terminal.

    With my heart beating fast, I rested my trembling hands on the keypad below the screen.

    Name. Should I use my real name? No. I don¡¯t even know what this implies. Then, an alias. An alias will do.

    An anagram of my name? Or should I borrow a fictional name here. ...Why am I even thinking so hard about this?I typed in the characters: ¡°MONEY¡±, and pressed ¡®enter¡¯.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Immediately after, another sentence appeared.

    ¡¾Invalid name.¡¿

    ...What? Invalid name?

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­ the name is some kind of password?Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    I frowned and stared back at the screen.

    What does it want from me?

    After much deliberation, I decided to use my real name this time.

    ¡¾Invalid name.¡¿

    ...It didn¡¯t work? Maybe I should put my name down in full.

    ¡¾Invalid name.¡¿

    ...How about, ¡®name¡¯?

    Before I was even able to press ¡®enter¡¯, the sentence flickered into a new one again and resetted the input characters.

    ¡¾One try remaining.¡¿

    ¡¸...¡¹

    I closed my eyes for a moment, and then opened it again.

    Why am I trying so hard to crack the ¡®password¡¯ in the first place? What am I even doing? The phone in my coat had been vibrating for a while now, and yet I was still this focused trying to work out this mystery.

    Perhaps I hated losing. I didn¡¯t want to give up. I wanted to prove something. That no amount of ¡®effort¡¯ is worthless. I was simply a prideful, stuck-up person.

    To someone¡­ ...I wanted to prove that I was worthy.

    I suddenly recalled something about the black card itself.

    There was the digit nine etched in reverse. Perhaps¡­ the name was ¡®nine¡¯?

    Slowly but surely, I tapped down the letters on the keypad. But I stopped just before I hit ¡®enter¡¯.

    Is the answer really ¡®nine¡¯?

    What if I got it wrong again? It told me that I had one try remaining, so what happens when I fail again?

    I hesitated. Nine. Would someone be called ¡®Nine¡¯? No, that might not be the right answer.

    Then, I suddenly came across an epiphany.

    What if, the ¡®name¡¯ requested, was actually¡­ a ¡®title¡¯?

    That¡¯s right, a title. What if the ¡®name¡¯ it wanted, was more of a way to ¡®address¡¯ the user? Like how the ATM gives standard responses towards the user, their ¡®dearest guest¡¯?

    If it was a means of addressing someone, then instead of ¡®nine¡¯, wouldn¡¯t it be...

    ¡¸...Ninth.¡¹

    As the ¡®name¡¯ left my mouth, the screen suddenly changed.

    It had heard the correct response.

    ¡¾User confirmed. Welcome back,?Ninth?¡¿

    The screen was swallowed up in a familiar wall of red again, but aside from that strange coloring, the interface had finally returned to the proper one at long last. I realized that my guess was on the mark.

    However, when I tapped on the ¡°Available Balance¡± for the card, my heart almost stopped.

    ¡¸...You¡¯re¡­ kidding me, right?¡¹

    Was I dreaming? Tell me, the machine malfunctioned, didn¡¯t it? Otherwise, how would it explain the numbers shown on the screen? A string of nine, to the point of absurdity. To the point which I doubted what I had seen----

    The balance within the black card was, at the very least reflected clearly before me:

    ¡¾$999,999,999,818.55?¡¿

    And not even a digit off after putting into consideration that I had used the black card to pay for a case of beer. Otherwise, the balance would have been a perfect row of nine.

    This heavy feeling lingered within my chest for the longest time.

    It was hard to accept reality, even if it was a joke. Because if it wasn¡¯t, then I had just become one of the richest individuals in the world at this very moment.

    But what was this strange uneasiness that chills my spine? When I had calmed down a little, I had to ask the question: Where did all this money come from?

    Did I want to dig deeper? I wasn¡¯t sure anymore. The initial sparks of curiosity had long died down after seeing the colossal sum beyond my comprehension. Perhaps it was best to simply leave the unknown to an expert. I¡¯m just in charge of spending.

    This was already beyond the realm of a ¡®small fortune¡¯ after all.

    I rested my gaze on the option to ¡¾Withdraw¡¿, and consciously gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

    I-In any case... All of the money now¡­ belongs to me, right? It won¡¯t hurt anybody if I snip away a little more...

    Right, I¡¯m no Samaritan in the first place either. I came prepared to use any money that was inside. Besides, I need to confirm if this amount holds true.

    Yeah. I¡¯m just trying to see if the card is working properly or not. For now¡­ this amount should be fine, right? I convinced myself with all sorts of excuses and with the rush of adrenaline, I punched in the amount ¡°$5,000¡± breathlessly, and withdrew it.

    Rumble, rumble, rumble--- The ATM made a churning sound while it counted the bills inside. A few seconds later, a slot opened with a stack of fresh, crisp $100 notes inside.

    It¡¯s true. The notes, are all real money. Of course it is.

    At any rate, I should stop here. There will be plenty of opportunities to use the card again in the future. Glancing at the screen of nines once more,I steeled my heart and exited the bank interface.

    Beep, beep beep----

    ¡¾Please remove your card.¡¿

    The black card slid back out of the card slot, and I finally released a sigh.

    This was all too much for my heart to handle. In the future, I will have to take my time to experiment with this thing. Taking into consideration how the ATM behaved, and the words which even appeared to be somewhat sentient¡­ I had to know the limits of what I could, and couldn¡¯t do. In the case that I had infringed on some unlawful territory, it was best to dispose of the card as soon as possible.

    When I reached out to take the card out of the slot completely, I suddenly felt a sting on my fingers!

    ---Szzt---

    ¡¸T-Te! It¡¯s burning hot!¡¹

    The black card had actually emitted steam the moment my fingers came in contact with it! How high was its temperature now? My fingers had already turned numb, creating a bloated layer of peeled skin.

    It was probably due to the circuits that malfunctioned earlier within the ATM, the metal of the black card had conducted the heat inside. I took out a few tissues from my bag and pinched it out. After securing the black card, I kept it secured in a small compartment hidden inside my bag.

    I took out my phone, and realized that there were already 14 missed calls from Nijima. To be honest, I was no longer in a mood to attend the party. I wanted to just lie down on my bed and reorganize the things that had happened today.

    The existence of the strange, black card was already making my head spin, but it was also bad for my reputation if I ditched a welcoming party for the freshmen.

    I slapped my cheeks a few times, and tried to clear out my head of any unnecessary thoughts. At the very least, I should show my face for a bit before I return to the dormitory. While heading towards the restaurant Nijima had texted me prior,I glanced at the stack of money stuffed in my wallet.

    This much should be more than enough to keep them satisfied. Looking up at the night sky,another lethargic sigh escaped me.

    ...I feel so tired. So floaty, as if I''m still in a dream. But---

    ¡¸...If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up. ...Haha... hahahahahaha...¡¹

    Chuckling to myself madly, I began to pick up my pace.

    Happy... that''s right. I should be happy!I''m a billionaire... no, I''m way beyond that right now! I''m super, ultra rich now! Money is everything, which means... I can buy everything now! Hahahahahahahahaha!!! I''m goddamn rich! I''m fucking rich!!!

    Before I had realized it,my prancing feet had already stoppedbefore the entranceof a chinese restaurant. A young man dressed smartly as if he was in his graduation prom came up to me as soon as he saw me. He was Nijima, a kouhai in our department.

    ¡ºSenpai, you''re late! ...Also... what is with that creepy grin on your face...¡»

    Nijima backed off a few steps as he was unused to my smile. But at this point, I was already too high to care.

    ¡¸Hahahahaha, whaat, don''t worry about it. Come, come, take the beer here. Let''s go inside already.¡¹

    The young man looked at me strangely, but shook his head quickly.

    ¡ºWell okay... come in, everyone is waiting.¡»

    Without any more delays, the two of us entered the restaurant.

 [Chapter 7] Freshmen Party

    The party turned out to be a mixer after all. Besides a handful of guys, the majority leaned towards the ratio for females again this year. Mutual opposites attract, and that was precisely what Nijima and the other second years had been planning.

    With alcohol and flowers in both hands, the juniors got to know their upperclassmen easily. The increasingly flirtatious atmosphere went strong, as there were already couples sticking together conspicuously. Looks like the guys were going to have their afterparty after this.

    I was in a particularly great mood too. Without hesitating, I had ordered almost everything on the menu. Several sets of each ingredient for the hotpot, totalling to about five tables in this private room Nijima had booked in advance. When I did so back then, it was also the first time I¡¯d seen the lad open his eyes so wide. It seems like Nijima was set on giving me the proper introduction as our council president after that.

    The lad called for everyone¡¯s attention in the midst of the party, and I was pushed into the spotlight suddenly. After explaining that the expenses were covered by me, the host for tonight, cheers and whistles erupted all around. When the applause died down, everyone looked at me with expectant eyes. They wanted to hear a good speech.

    Hmm, isn¡¯t that easy? These guys are probably still nibbling on food in consideration for the expenses later.

    But why else would I need to hold back on the food? When I¡¯ve got money! Heaps of money! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Eat! Eat until you¡¯re all little pigs! I can afford everything you want to eat today!

    ¡¸Come! Another round! Another platter, eat until you drop! No one leaves until their bellies are packed with meat! You hear me, my adorable juniors?!¡¹

    ¡º¡ºOoooohh!!!¡»¡»

    As I hollered out with flushed cheeks, the yells and excitement in the air rose to its peak.

    That slight sense of vanity was satisfied then, and I confidently took on the looks of respect from the freshmen and accepted each and every of their greetings with a smile. Naturally, there were girls that had approached me suggestively as well, once they heard that I was the one paying for tonight. No matter where, money attracts people like seagulls to a fish.

    As the time passed by deliriously, my stiff face had also loosened up naturally. I became used to the ones with obvious intentions, and the rest who were simply enjoying themselves with a friend. Taking a step back to observe how everyone occupied themselves here, it became easier to notice the circles that had formed unconsciously around me.

    I was too high to care, anyway. Monoka-chan? Yumeha-chan? I was no longer able to recall the names of the girls I was talking to a moment ago, as I chugged down another can of beer .

    ¡¸Aahh¡­ there¡¯s no more booze.¡¹

    Tipping the empty can upside down, I frowned. I did buy only a single case for everyone after all. This isn¡¯t nearly enough. Feeling a little dizzy after a few cans, I leaned against an armrest to stabilize myself. The girl beside me looked at me worriedly and wanted to carry me on her shoulders, but I declined her offer kindly. When it became easier to walk, I moved my unsteady gait off the sofa and left the private room after letting Nijima and a few other guys know.

    Outside, there were already a few of the couples from earlier hugging and flirting about openly. I smiled wryly and slowly headed towards the convenience store across the road.

    Right, it¡¯s the same one from earlier. I wonder if that lad is still slacking off on his phone. As I approached the sliding doors at the entrance, I saw a familiar figure.

    ¡¸...Shiori?¡¹

    The girl turned to look at me when I called out her name. Those unmistakably blue eyes and that neat bob cut, it was Shiori after all.

    ¡º...Oh, what a coincidence, senpai.¡»

    Shiori stared at me for a moment, and suddenly came closer to me by a few steps. When she was right before me, her nose started to twitch.

    ¡¸...Uhh¡­ Shiori?¡¹

    ¡º(...Two¡­ no, three¡­ four¡­ ¡­)¡»

    I heard her soft muttering, as if she was counting something while sniffing me.

    ¡º---Senpai.¡»

    ¡¸Y-Yeah?¡¹

    The temperature of the surroundings fell several degrees all of a sudden, and Shiori squinted her eyes while asking:

    ¡º...Who have you been drinking with?¡»

    What a strange question.

    ¡¸The guys in our department. You know, the usual freshmen welcoming party we throw every year.¡¹

    I shrugged my shoulders casually. When Shiori saw that, she paused momentarily and then returned to her usual expression.

    ¡ºIs that so.¡»

    ¡¸Yep. Speaking of which, why are you here?¡¹

    ¡ºWhy can¡¯t I be here?¡»

    ¡¸...Yep, I totally didn¡¯t say that. But if you¡¯re here to get something, let¡¯s go in already?¡¹

    Shiori did not say anything, but we still entered the convenience store together. The teenager who was the cashier for the night shift noticed me and revealed a look of surprise for a moment. I nodded towards him with a smile and headed towards where the beer was.

    As I was taking another carton out, Shiori had came beside me before I knew it. She glanced at the carton in my basket and then returned her attention towards some ready-made sandwiches in front of her.

    ¡ºSenpai, too much alcohol is bad for your body.¡»

    ¡¸I know. It¡¯s just for today. And what about you, what happened to hanging out with Junko and the girls?¡¹

    ¡ºI had something to do so I left halfway.¡»

    Shiori replied flatly and proceeded to place a couple sandwiches into her basket.

    ¡¸That so.¡¹

    The conversation ended abruptly right there. Sighing to myself, I moved my basket over to the counter. Once again, I fished out the black card and used it to pay. The young man was also seemingly used to that strange card and procedurally handled my purchase.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    When I was about to leave, Shiori was also finished with her browsing and was paying at the counter. I scratched my head, and traced back my steps.

    ¡ºSenpai¡­? What are you...¡»

    ¡¸I¡¯ll pay for them.¡¹

    ¡ºBut...¡»

    ¡¸It¡¯s not a big deal. Let me pay for you.¡¹

    Realizing that I wouldn¡¯t give in, Shiori lowered her head and thanked me hesitantly. I could afford whatever she bought anyway, and I thought that I would be able to buy her favor easily this time. Who knows how handy this would be when she loses her temper again in the future?

    As expected, when one has money, many things become easily obtained. Relationships become much stronger with money as a catalyst after all. It is embedded within the crevices of human society.

    ¡¸Ah, I¡¯ll have these too.¡¹

    Thinking of including some sweets for her as well, I found a few colorful packagings on a nearby shelf. As I placed those into the basket too, I suddenly noticed that the cashier¡¯s expression had become a little strange.

    What? Did I do something weird? Shiori had also turned eerily silent behind me. That was when I suddenly realized something, and hurriedly took out one of those small boxes to confirm my suspicions.

    C-Condoms! At a time like this!

    In that case, the meaning of my original intention was now----

    ¡º----The worst!¡»

    Slap---

    The slight numbness on my cheek became hot.

    When I looked back up at the girl, I realized that there were crystals forming at the corners of her eyes.

    ¡¸W-Wait!¡¹

    But without listening to my explanation, Shiori had already taken the plastic bag and ran out of the store. Holding my left cheek, I watched her back as she left into the night gradually.

    A momentary flash of the past overlapped with her back. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle sadly to myself.

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    ¡­ ¡­

    ¡­

    ..

    ¡ºSe...pai...¡»

    ¡ºSenpai?¡»

    A familiar voice made my eyes flicker open to a set of bright lights.

    ¡¸Aahh¡­ Wha¡­ booze? Where¡¯s the booze...¡¹

    ¡ºSenpai, the restaurant is closing up. We have to leave already.¡»

    ¡¸Leave¡­? Uugh...¡¹

    I shook my head with a blurry, fading consciousness. I must have drunk a little too much.

    ¡¸What¡¯s¡­ the time now?¡¹

    I asked Nijima who was supporting my shoulder beside me.

    ¡º11.20. You fell asleep midway, senpai. You¡¯ve drank a little too much today...¡»

    Nijima looked at me worriedly, but said nothing more.

    ¡¸...Right, sorry about that¡­ you just had to see me wasted like this...¡¹

    ¡ºNo, it¡¯s nothing really. Senpai was the one who treated us to everything anyway, I don¡¯t even have the time to thank you instead...¡»

    I chuckled and waved my hand to tell him that it was a small matter, but in the midst I abruptly held my mouth with both hands as a wave of nausea hit my throat----

    ¡¸Umphhh...¡¹

    ¡ºSenpai?!¡»

    ¡ºAh, this guy again¡­ And we even told you not to drink so much earlier ¡­ Well, you can leave this grown-up baby to us, Nijima. We¡¯ll bring him back to the dorms.¡»

    Fatso?

    ¡ºAh, Minho-senpai, thank you. Then, the afterparty...¡»

    ¡ºSave it, save it¡­ when he gets like this, someone needs to take care of him. We¡¯ll carry him back to rest.¡»

    I heard someone else speak again. It was Sakamoto Dino, another one of my dorm buddies.

    ...Looks like I¡¯ve troubled them again.

    ¡ºIn that case, thanks¡­ I¡¯ll let the others know then.¡»

    Nijima left while bowing, and soon it was just me and the boys again. Fatso looked at me, and handed me a beer.

    ¡º...Let¡¯s go outside. You¡¯ve still not had enough, have you?¡»

    ¡¸...Thanks.¡¹

    They carried me on their shoulders as I drank another mouthful at the back. I had also noticed that they had properly shooed away the girls who were clinging near me from earlier. But they were probably just jealous seeing me like that. Chuckling to myself, I told them.

    ¡¸You can put me down now. I can walk on my own.¡¹

    We stopped at a few railings in front of the restaurant, and found some time to relax under the night sky.

    ¡ºYou still can¡¯t forget about that one time?¡»

    ¡¸...I already did. I¡¯m fine now aren¡¯t I?¡¹

    Fatso shook his head as if he was looking at a terminally ill patient. He didn¡¯t believe me, someone who was drowning in an entire carton of beer.

    ¡¸Look, I¡¯m really fine. Anyway, you don¡¯t have to follow me back, just go ahead if you want to join the afterparty. I¡¯m sober enough already to head back myself. I know you guys are looking forward to making a girlfriend today, I don¡¯t want you guys to waste this opportunity.¡¹

    When I looked at them seriously, Fatso and Dino looked at each other and finally shrugged their shoulders..

    ¡ºJust be careful at night.¡»

    ¡ºWe¡¯ll get going then, if that¡¯s the case.¡»

    ¡ºRing us if you need anything.¡»

    ¡¸Yeah, and you guys too. I¡¯d better hear about it if any of you hit it big tonight.¡¹

    After leaving a few words, I waved them off as they left with Nijima and the others to a 24/7 karaoke bar. When they were no longer in sight, I raised my head and took in the fresh air with closed eyes. The wind brushed past my hair pleasantly, as I enjoyed the night breeze quietly.

    Now that I was a little more clear-headed, I guess it¡¯s time to head back. I returned to the campus, where there were hardly anyone around any more.

    I passed by a few benches, and saw a couple who were having a late night rendezvous. I continued past a few blocks and was about to reach the student dormitories, when I saw something strange at a distance.

    A large number of shadows darted to and fro underneath a block. It seems to be the club block, but the first floor was already locked down with shutters.

    Thieves? That was the first impression I had of them. But that notion quickly faded away, as I realized the object they were carrying in their hands.

    Guns! And with those visor helmets and some kind of tactical vest strapped over their bodies¡­

    These guys were most likely special forces! What was going on? Were they filming some sort of movie? I quickly discarded that notion, as I hardly saw any cameras and lighting around. Being around in theatrics for quite some time now, it was easy to spot a stage with experience.

    If that wasn¡¯t the case, then what the hell were they trying to do here? As expected, this group of people were unlawfully breaching into private property! The rifles that were held really seemed like the real deal the more I looked at it!

    Realizing that the situation had turned serious, I immediately sobered up. But I didn¡¯t leave immediately, as my curiosity had been piqued. Without alerting them, I moved carefully and hid behind a few bushes while observing the squad of fully-armed men. They were currently surrounding the entire first floor, but no longer moved after a while. It was as if they were in position for their next instruction.

    What else were they going to do now? Should I call the police? Right, my phone! I watched apprehensively as I slowly took out a phone from my pockets and turned it to silent mode. God knows how many times someone in a spy film had forgotten to turn off their phones at a critical moment, only to be spotted at a very bad timing.

    But it seems that the night was still not out of surprises yet.

    As I was just about to heave a sigh of relief----

    BOOM!

    Without warning, a loud explosion erupted which nearly made my heart leap out of my chest! I looked over to where the sound came from, and realized that it was the handiwork of those armed men! What was going on? Was this actually a raid?!

    When the smoke cloud had dispersed, my eyes widened at the sight before me.

    A wide hole was actually left in the middle of the metal shutters!

 [Chapter 8] Decision

    Wha...?! They actually destroyed part of the shutters!

    My eyes widened as several units of the armed men gave hand signals to one another, and slowly entered the block after securing the perimeter. Looks like they didn¡¯t have SWAT equipment for nothing.

    A black van drove up near them, and the two units which had stayed behind lined up on each side like they were receiving some kind of VIP.

    The back of the van opened up, and a figure dressed in full black stepped outside with two escorts on each side. It was hard to see precisely what that person looked like at a distance, but from the long wavy hair, it seemed like a woman.

    Two representatives of each unit stepped forward and saluted once, and it seems like they were giving a report to her. The respectful demeanor they were holding seemed to imply that the woman was their superior. A moment passed, and after passing down what seems like an order to proceed, the two units bowed and quickly joined up with the rest who had already infiltrated the block.

    The woman gazed at the top of the building, and touched her chest while saying something. Before long, she too, entered the block with the two muscular escorts by her sides.

    All of that happened so suddenly, it took me a full minute to snap out of it. Just as quick as they¡¯d arrived, the first floor returned to its usual silence once more.

    It seemed like the suspicious people had never been here in the first place, had it not been for the gaping hole on the shutters which reminded me of what I had just witnessed.

    Just who on earth were those people? And that woman who had suddenly came out of that black van. That¡¯s right, the black van had disappeared at some point too.

    From the way they behaved, it seems like it was a coordinated ¡®assault¡¯ on the club block, and it didn¡¯t seem like some kind of half-hearted attempt to rob the place. If they had managed to enter the campus without alerting security and even came up with a countermeasure for the shutters which locked the floor down, then they must have came here for a very specific purpose.

    Purpose¡­ If it wasn¡¯t specifically money, were they looking for something else in the club block? Was there some kind of confidential file stored in this building? As far as common sense goes, a university wasn¡¯t exactly a very safe place to store industrial secrets. I racked my brain on the things someone would try to steal in a spy film. And suddenly¡­ I was reminded of something.

    What else would be more important than money? It must definitely be that.

    More money.

    The way the woman looked up at the fifth floor had also began to confirm my suspicions.

    The black card. I¡¯m not mistaken, those guys must¡¯ve been here for the black card! When I realized that, I realized that cold sweat had already formed on my palms.

    Did I actually pick up something I shouldn¡¯t have? How naive I was to think that no one would have desired such an omnipotent object! To obtain that amount of wealth, there must be people prepared to resort to extremities just like in the movies.

    I was suddenly reminded of the guns that the men were carrying. What if¡­ they were going at it for real? A seed of fear was planted in my heart as I realized that I might have gotten more than what I had bargained for.

    C-Calm down Yato. Maybe they were just here to retrieve something that belonged to them originally. If I return the card to them now, I might still make it if I apologize!

    ...To hell with that. Am I still drunk? Did I not just see them blow up the shutters? They¡¯re probably some kind of mafia, aren¡¯t they? And it¡¯s probably easy for them to throw me into the ocean if they decide to eliminate any witnesses. Not good¡­ my head hurts the more I think about it. Feels like I¡¯ve fallen into a rabbit hole all of a sudden. In any case, staying here for any longer wouldn¡¯t help me.

    Withdrawing from the bushes, I darted back to the male dormitory-----

    ----Only to find another group of men patrolling around the lobby. While they didn¡¯t have guns on them this time, I could immediately tell that they were in cahoots with the ones earlier.

    Were they crazy, trying to cast a wide net over the entire campus?! But when I thought about how much money they were doing this for, my mind quickly cooled down.

    It¡­ definitely was possible. All of this, directed by someone who knows the true value of the black card. I placed down my bag and unzipped the hidden compartment inside where I had kept it. It was still there, fortunately. Looks like I¡¯m sleeping out for tonight, but should I use the money inside of the black card again? Or¡­

    Something told me that part of the reason why those guys had come here so quickly, was because they had detected its use. Feeling a strong desire to abate my doubts, I retraced my steps to where I had gone tonight.

    The convenience store¡­

    ...I was right. There were some of them loitering around there too. And naturally when I sneaked around a spot where I could see the ATM which had malfunctioned previously, my eyes opened incredibly wide.

    A large perimeter had been cordoned off with barricade tape, and several expensive-looking black cars were parked around. The number of those guys in SWAT equipment had more than doubled, seemingly condensed around the places where people were most likely at.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    I¡¯m actually in very deep shit, aren''t I.

    I hurriedly escaped from that suffocating atmosphere and walked briskly to the nearest subway station. I passed the gantry with a card pass and entered the first train that arrived.

    It was only when I had taken a seat inside the coach that I felt a heavy rock lift from my heart. With the air-conditioner calming down my nerves, I started assessing my current situation more rationally.

    ...First things first. Those guys were definitely here for the card. And because I have it in my possession, I have essentially become the target they are looking for right now.

    So, should I give up the card? As I had tried to reason with myself earlier, this item was something probably beyond my capabilities to handle. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if I was killed once they found out that I was the one who took it. Right, so I¡¯ve answered the question myself. I don¡¯t have the guts to turn myself in, nor do I think that it is a smart way to do it.

    In that case, what about keeping it? With that kind of money the black card could give me, I would never have to work my entire life! The conceited adults who weigh us by their own standards, the jobs that forces you to bow your heads in submission, the unfairness, the office politics---- I can finally be free of all of that.

    The balance of the risks and benefits weighed within my mind, and I slowly came to an answer.

    ¡¸I¡¯ll keep it.¡¹

    That¡¯s right. It must have been fate after all. Recalling the fact that the sum of money was untouched the entire time before it came into my hands, I had the illusion of already obtaining the ¡®privilege¡¯ as its first owner.

    Besides, the moment that I had withdrawn that $5,000 already meant that there was no turning back. Money is supposed to be spent, and I who abide by that principle is just...

    ¡°Next stop¡­ Shibuya¡­ Next stop¡­ Shibuya¡­¡±

    As I heard the announcer¡¯s voice call out, my gaze returned to the black card that had been tightly gripped in my hands. The cold feeling of metal, and the indentation of the inverted nine.

    Was this a message from God after all, my chance at success in life?

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Maybe I was just trying to create a reason, because I knew deep inside that this wasn¡¯t something that belonged to me.

    But as long as I¡¯m not caught, it¡¯s alright to live a dream, right? The surrealness of reality, can sometimes be stranger than fiction. I had finally understood what that means.

    After making that decision, I started to compile and found a rough mental guide to how everything worked.

    Right now, let¡¯s call the armed group, ¡°X¡±.

    X can also be part of a bigger organization, one which probably works under the shadows. It isn¡¯t surprising for wealthy people to amass ¡®war potential¡¯ as a private asset. Even in the modern world, with proper channels, one would be able to hire mercenaries for hit jobs as long as they were paid.

    So it wouldn¡¯t be strange for X to mobilize people in SWAT equipment so effortlessly. Their efficiency and demeanor could also be explained when I went along this train of thought.

    Next, the first time I used the black card was three hours ago, in the convenience store. And for X to react so quickly to that, meant that either A, the black card was embedded with a tracking function, B, payment that processes using the black card can be traced, C, the particular ATM that I had withdrawn from was rigged, or D, all of the ATMs in the country were rigged.

    Logic A would definitely be feasible as X did not even spare the male dormitory from its scrutiny. However, if that was the case, then the tracking function must not be very accurate as I had been in close proximity around their search areas a few times already.

    B was also a likely answer, and that would also explain why their actions were slightly delayed from when I had made my purchase initially in the convenience store.

    C follows B¡¯s logic, however it would be rather inefficient to only tamper with a single ATM just for a small chance that the person holding the black card would use it.

    D operates in a large scale, and the ability to access that many machines would create the assumption that X was capable of breaching bank security, or had connections with the affiliated bank. One should never underestimate what one would do for money, even at the expense of having the bank reveal the private information of its customers.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    After summarizing the possibilities, I thought that there were still a few inconsistencies with my reasoning, and perhaps the best way to confirm my theories was to test them.

    Thinking all day wouldn¡¯t get me anywhere after all. Since I was already playing with fire, why not stretch it to its limits?

    Gaining an unusual surge of confidence, I alighted from the train at the next station. It was already close to midnight, and if I left now I would definitely not make it for the last train by 12.45am. But since I was already prepared for this, I left the station calmly.

    Kito-aka station was located near the heart of the city, and there were many shopping malls in the surroundings. And naturally for a metro scape, there would be ATMs around as well for the city-goers.

    Without walking for more than two minutes outside of a mall, I quickly located one. Noticing that there was a CCTV attached at the top of the terminal this time, I wore a hoodie and lowered my face just for good measure. I would discard these clothes later and buy new ones since I still had some money left over from the $5,000.

    When I had prepared myself sufficiently such that I wouldn¡¯t be recognized, I came to the terminal.

    With breaths of suspense, I held the black card¡­ and slid it into the card slot again.

    ¡¾Please wait...¡¿

    The familiar words appeared again, but I knew that this was just the start. Following the pattern like before, the card would then cause the machine to malfunction and request for the name. After inputting ¡°Ninth¡± correctly, the interface would then return to one where it was possible to withdraw the astronomical sum of money inside.

    In order to understand how the black card worked, even in the slightest, I needed everything to repeat again.

    Except that it didn¡¯t.Without waiting for a long time, the screen immediately faded into black almost immediately. The malfunction no longer happened, and a string of red words already surfaced onto the display from the get-go.

    ¡¾Welcome back, Ninth.¡¿

    This¡­ was different than before! It no longer required an input like the first time! Had it already removed the verification stage on its own?

    While confusion struck me, I caught notice of a timer on top of the black screen.

    ¡¾00:01:24¡¿

    ¡¾00:01:23¡¿

    ¡¾00:01:22¡¿

    The seconds passed by with each tick, as it slowly counted down to zero.

 [Chapter 9] Inn Stay

    ¡¾00:01:21¡¿

    A timer?

    ¡¸Is there¡­ a time limit to the card¡¯s use now?¡¹

    And as if it had heard my murmur, the red letters rearranged themselves and replied to me.

    ¡¾Yes.¡¿

    It came as a small shock, but come to think of it¡­ it had responded to the name ¡°Ninth¡± previously on its own, and it wasn¡¯t strange for voice recognition to be installed in an ATM. If the black card could ¡®hack¡¯ the interface completely, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to hijack that function as well.

    And precisely because it had done so, that ¡®intent¡¯ had become an evidence of its sentience, or the presence of another person behind the machine. I should probably just assume that its a moderately intelligent AI like Siri. In that case, learning about the black card had become surprisingly easier than I thought.

    Now that I had established the fact that there was a time limit, I compiled the questions in my head and sorted out the more important ones before asking again. Asking about the reason why there is a time limit might result in a very long explanation, and so I decided against it.

    ¡¸Firstly, what are you?¡¹

    The entity paused for a short moment, before quickly replying to my question. From the way the words were forming indecisively on the screen, it seemed as if the entity was finding it a hard time to answer me. As expected, when it finally finished completing a reply, all I got was an ambiguous answer.

    ¡¾Error. Unable to answer due to a lack of information.¡¿

    It doesn¡¯t know what it is? I guess it wasn¡¯t so easy to find out who X is. I decided to try a different way of asking.

    ¡¸How do you possess so much money?¡¹

    ¡¾Error. Insufficient information.¡¿

    ¡­

    ¡¸Can I really use the money inside?¡¹

    The answer came swiftly this time.

    ¡¾Affirmative. Money encrypted within this card does not have any problems with its use. Current balance is $[999,999,994,802.75]. [Recognition] has confirmed owner:?Ninth?, and authority for use had been granted.¡¿

    The entity had also given me some peculiar information.

    Encrypted¡­ Recognition.. Authority¡­.

    Those keywords gave me a very strong impression that the money was actually legitimate. Speaking of which, the card seemed to have worked without a chip. If it functioned differently from an ordinary bank card, to what extent was the range of its ¡®use¡¯?

    ¡¸How does the card work?¡¹

    ¡¾Error. Insufficient information.¡¿

    It ended up giving me a blank again.

    Before I knew it, the time limit was almost up. Thinking that it was about time, I requested a withdrawal.

    Beep.

    The middle compartment of the ATM opened after counting the money, and I retrieved $10,000 this time. Stacks of new and warm $50 rested in my hands, which I quickly stuffed into my bag.

    ¡¾00:00:06¡¿

    As the timer slowly reached zero, I suddenlythought of something I wanted to ask the entity again.

    ¡¸...Was there a previous user who owned this card?¡¹

    ¡¾Affirmative. There i-----¡¿

    ¡¾00:00:00¡¿

    However, the time limit was reached before the sentence was completed.

    Psshhaa-----The screen blacked out before I got to see the end of that sentence. A small amount of steam emitted from the card slot, and the black card slid out seamlessly.

    I guess it wasn¡¯t really an important question.

    After learning my lesson from last time, I put on a pair of gloves and retrieved the card properly.

    ---?!I felt a sting on my finger suddenly, followed bythe pulsating pain of a migraine. When I had faintly taken a look at my hand, it didn''t seem like there were anypricks. Perhaps I was just tired...Pressing down on my temple for a few seconds, that strange headache eventually subsided.

    By the time I returnedthe card intomy bag, the ATM screen had already returned to normal.

    ...

    I left the terminal and entered a washroom to change into spare clothes that I had prepared earlier. After discarding my previous wardrobe into the bin, I walked around for a bit longer before settling myself near an accommodation district.

    Kito-aka was a prefecture I had frequented when I was still in high school, so I had properly memorized the streets here. Some of the familiar sights here had been replaced with new shops and buildings, but the roads were still the same.

    Cutting a few corners and alleyways, I eventually stood before a white door framed with bevelled clear glass. There weren¡¯t many people around here as it was a rather secluded street, so the bistro exterior of the store seemed to create a very antique atmosphere from the contrast. The flowers and potted plants besides the flight of brick steps were well-maintained, and a bell was hung overhead at the entrance.

    I turned the knob and gently pushed the door open.

    Clink--- Clink---- The pleasant chime of the bell jingled above me. I followed a corridor that led to the interior where flashy yellow lights illuminated the wood flooring and walls around. Inside the store was decor with furniture of a classy pub. It didn¡¯t take long before I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me from a corner.

    ¡ºWhy did you come again, I already told you nobody came here---- Ah.¡»

    The girl who showed up before me, widened her eyes in surprise. Her words had stopped the moment she had recognized who I was, and the broom in her hands had fallen to the ground.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡¸...Are you okay?¡¹

    I picked up the broom and leaned it against a wall.

    ¡º...¡»

    ¡¸...Bailey-san?¡¹

    ¡ºA-Ah, right! S-Sorry about that, I thought you were someone else...¡»

    Why was she acting so nervous around me? This girl feels like a different person from the last time I saw her.

    ¡¸It¡¯s already closing hours anyway, I¡¯m actually sorry instead for barging in this late.¡¹

    ¡ºNo biggie¡­ I-I was just cleaning up...¡»

    I smiled awkwardly while she was losing her composure before me.

    Bailey Allard, was an old acquaintance I had made in this inn while I was working part-time here a few years ago. Dressed in the store¡¯s french maid dress, Bailey¡¯s shoulder-length hair shimmered blonde under the string of honeybee lights overhead. Her bright blue eyes which hid under the partings of her fringe also implied that she was a Westerner. Indeed, Bailey was of a mixed-race just two years younger than me. She had migrated here at a young age because of her mother¡¯s job. Be that as it may, her pronunciation didn¡¯t sound any different from the locals after living here for most of her life.

    Bailey still seemed rather stiff and suddenly started to stammer as she held the hems of her dress, her face covered with a flustered expression.

    ¡ºU-Uuhm!! P-Please excuse me for a second! Make yourself at home, ...I-I¡¯ll be right back!¡»

    As Bailey escaped into a changing room nervously, I took the time to move my shoes into cabinet near the entrance.

    The store had three storeys. The first floor was a wide open bar-area with a long marble table curved in a semicircle like those in a sushi restaurant, forming the counter. As the store was mainly an inn business, the second floor onwards were empty rooms for guests to stay in.

    I understood all this because I had worked here as a part-time receptionist before. Times were rough when I was still studying in high school, and I had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Thanks to that, I got to know many people in this prefecture like Bailey.

    After sitting near the counter for a few minutes, the girl finally returned. Hmm? Did she change her clothes? There¡¯s a flowery fragrance laced around her body¡­

    I then noticed the guitar case she was carrying behind her back. From the familiar stickers and badges adorned on the case, a feeling of nostalgia came to me.

    ¡ºS-Sorry for making you wait¡­ I just wanted to show you something.¡»

    The girl expressed in between breaths, as she unzipped the case and took out an acoustic guitar covered in small scratches.

    ¡¸That is...¡¹

    ...It¡¯s been many years, but I could still recognize those small scratches around it. After all, it used to belong to me, and I had given it to Bailey as a farewell gift.

    After taking a seat beside me, Bailey leaned against the counter and started tuning the guitar.

    ¡º...Un, I know we haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time. But first, ...please take a listen..¡»

    With a forced smile, I replied.

    ¡¸...I¡¯m all ears.¡¹

    ¡ºThen---- A one¡­ a two, a one, two three four---¡»

    ---?????????

    ¡º...Hum¡­ mmmm~¡»

    As Bailey started strumming the guitar strings with a pick, a soft melodious chord resounded in the bar.

    ¡º...Hey there Delilah~ Don¡¯t you worry about the distance...¡»

    Her smooth, mellow voice melted into the song lyrics, and it suddenly made me remember many things again.. That¡¯s right¡­ we made a promise...

    ¡º... ...A thousand miles seems so far away~ ¡»

    ¡ºBut they¡¯ve got planes and trains and cars~¡»

    ¡¸...Bailey...¡¹

    When I saw some of the light scars on her fingers, I understood then.

    She had been practising the guitar I had given her, for a long time ever since I¡¯ve left.

    ¡ºIf every simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away~¡»

    ¡ºI¡¯d write it all~¡»

    All because she loved the tunes and emotion of music that I showed her, and now she was returning the favor when we met. I could almost feel like I had returned to the days where I played music with a passion. The song that she plays had the meaning of longing and nostalgia, a feeling that probably both of us shared.

    My parents have passed away while I was still little, and it had only been just me and my little sister for a very long time.Perhaps humans become sentimental as they age.

    ¡ºI know times are gettin¡¯ hard, but just believe me boy~¡»

    Everyone continues to move on in this world, changing and maturing¡­ Yet still wanting to linger in the memories of youth, where everything was simpler¡­ But as we grow older, indifference seeps into our lives and we slowly lose touch with ourselves, and the people around us.

    But Bailey had still remembered that promise. That she would learn how to play the guitar properly when I came to visit again. It had already been so many years, but still she kept at it all this time. In the pursuit of money, I on the other hand----

    (What good are these papers, there are plenty on the roadside that make these papers!)

    I guess those words still bugged me after all. As I got tired from everything that had happened tonight, perhaps the frustration had returned.

    ¡­ ¡­

    ¡ºWhatchu¡¯ do to me¡­ whatchu¡¯ do to me~¡»

    --??????~

    The song eventually ended. But both of us had our eyes closed in silence, lingering in the afterglow of the melancholic tune.

    When we finally came to, Bailey turned to me and smiled.

    ¡ºHow was it?¡»

    ¡¸...It was great.¡¹

    ¡ºThen, then¡­ I have another one¡­ Here---¡»

    After that, the two of us caught up with each other while playing simple tunes. We took turns with the guitar like this, and soon an hour passed by unknowingly.

    Feeling the lethargy settling down unto me, I was coaxed to close my eyes under the guidance of a mellifluous lullaby. Bailey moved my head down to her lap and I silently accepted her. I felt the subtle stroke of her fingers as she looked down at my face, brushing past my hair gently¡­ ...

    ¡º...Just close your eyes and rest. You can sleep here for tonight.¡»

    To that suggestion, I gratefully accepted. Before long, I finally fell into a deep slumber.

    <hr>

    When I opened my eyes to the sunlight, I realized that I had already been brought upstairs to a guest room. When I took out the phone in my pocket, the time displayed there was 9.34am. There were no lessons scheduled for today, so I wasn¡¯t in any hurry to leave. My bag was left against the wall, and there was a note beside the bed.

    ¡°Come visit again.

    ~Bailey¡±

    There was also a hot cappuccino packed in a thermos flask on the table, which I gratefully accepted. After a day¡¯s rest, I felt much better. I packed my belongings and went downstairs.

    Bailey was no longer around, and the usual innkeeper who was an old lady nodded when she saw me. I returned the gesture silently and passed her a note to give Bailey later if she wakes up. There was my contact information this time, and I knew that she would understand what I meant by that.

    Leaving the inn, I faced the sun and stretched out my arms lazily. I hadn¡¯t taken more than two steps, before my phone rang.

    The caller ID was from an unknown number. Thinking that it was from Bailey, I answered the phone.

    ¡¸Hello?¡¹

    Silence ensued for a few seconds¡­ and soon I started to doubt if it was actually Bailey who called.

    ¡¸Hello? Who¡¯s calling, is anyone on the line? H-¡¹

    ¡º---Tsukasa Yato.¡»

    ----!!!!

    A voice as cold as ice, permeated through my body when my name was called through the phone.

    ¡¸...Wh-who is this¡­!¡¹

    The voice no longer spoke, but I could still hear breathing on the other end so I knew that person was still listening. I felt an ominous feeling¡­ a strange, unsettling feeling that this was probably connected to X. Was it really X, had they tracked me down already? So quickly?! The suspense made me hold my breath unconsciously.

    It didn¡¯t take long to get my answer. In the next moment, the words that followed didn¡¯t come from the phone. Instead, that chilling voice----

    ¡º---Found you.¡»

    ----came from right behind me.

 [Chapter 10] Number Seven, Hyperbolic

    Without warning, the edge of a knife floated right before my neck.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t move.¡»

    It was a feminine voice without a single shred of emotion within it. When she spoke right behind me, the animosity within her words grew even sharper by several degrees.

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡ºGood. Now drop the bag you¡¯re carrying, slowly.¡»

    The bag?

    This woman(?) must be here for the black card, she must have been sent here under X¡¯s command! Feeling a sense of danger, I tried to----

    ---!!! Before I realized it, the cold steel had pressed down harder on my neck! A painful ember singed my neck with the scent of blood slowly wafting into the air, and I immediately stopped moving.

    ¡º...Hey. Did you not hear what I said? I said... Drop, the bag!¡»

    Her next action became even more aggressive, as the knife plunged deeper.

    But I couldn¡¯t move. Fear had started to take over my mind, as I stood there, trembling. From her perspective, it must have looked like I was defiant till the end.

    Noticing my inaction, the woman moved closer to my right ear, and whispered.

    ¡ºCommendable bravery¡­ But unfortunately, I need it back. The card that you stole from us.¡»

    My body stiffened even more from the mention of the card.

    ...As expected, she was here for it!

    But where did I go wrong? How did they find me this time? I made sure not to expose myself, but it still wasn¡¯t enough? Shit! Am I so easily¡­

    Frustration and unwillingness filled my heart. It shouldn¡¯t end so easily! I still had so much more to do!

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry.¡»

    Her knife slowly cut deeper into my flesh.

    ¡ºI will grant you a painless death.¡»

    A painless¡­ death.

    Ah, I¡¯m going to be killed. Just like this?

    I can¡¯t even move an inch. If I cry for help, I would be dead before I could. Disarm the knife? I¡¯m not that agile to pull it off quickly before I lost my head. There is no way to prevent it. There is no way to avoid it. I knew too much, and so I had to die.

    I was going to die. She had given me a death sentence that could not be overruled.

    I had plans. My everyday life.

    Had it been turned upside down before I realized it?

    Playing with fire? Change my life with money?

    Why did I still think it was a game?

    I know, I must have believed that everything was too unreal to be true.

    I should have known, that money bore some kind of unknown risk. And I had not taken enough precautions.

    Because of this, X had tracked me down.

    When you play with fire, you get burnt. The moment I was caught in this game where life was a collateral, the price would be paid in blood-----

    Realizing my inevitable end, my mind throbbed painfully. I closed my eyes, frightened, afraid to face the consequences of my short-sighted choices.

    ¡º...Goodbye.¡»

    Hesitation was heard within that one word, but her decision was merciless. Whenshe was finished,the blade smoothly slid past my neck.

    Immediately, I felt the searing hot pain burning my throat.

    But I had a feeling that she would keep her promise. I believed in the fact that the pain would only last for an instant.

    Once I had accepted the fact that I was going to die quickly, I no longer felt the pain.

    With my eyes closed, I began to think about everything calmly.

    Was this strange stillness what people call a state of recollection? My best buddies, guys in the club, Bailey, acquaintances I¡¯ve made my entire life¡­ and¡­ my little sister who was still waiting for me, Yama...The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    As I watched my life through a revolving lantern, I began to see memories of us.

    ¡¾---Alert, fluctuation.¡¿

    The tomatoes I would steal from the orchard for us to eat at the countryside. When we eventually came to the city for the first time, we saw red cars, traffic lights. As the seasons passed, we saw candy canes on glass displays as Christmas drew near, people dressed in Santa¡¯s costumes all around the streets...

    ¡¾Critical condition detected, activating emergency protocol.¡¿

    Roses in the hospital garden, apples I brought when I visited her. The blood packets hung on the IV racks, and the color of her heart as I¡­

    ...Hold on. Why was everything in my recollection red?

    ¡¾Number Seven, [Hyperbolic].¡¿

    Within the space of my conscious mind, I saw a familiar string of red words. But I did not understand what it meant.

    ...Hyper...bolic?

    Before I could comprehend them, my eyes were forcibly opened all of a sudden! A strange soreness seeped into them, but more importantly---

    ¡¸...!!!¡¹

    Wait. What is going on?

    The sight that greeted me was too strange.

    The buildings, the clouds above, everything around me¡­

    ...Had turned to grey!

    Was I dead? No, I could still ¡®feel¡¯ myself alive. But something was different about this ¡®space¡¯.

    There was no longer sound in my surroundings, and all I could hear was the rhythmic pace of my heartbeat. When I saw the splash of blood on my throat hovering and moving slowly in mid-air, I realized then.

    Everything had seemingly gone into slow motion. Even the woman behind me did seem to be moving incredibly slowly, although it seems like my body was affected by the unusual time flow too, thus I was unable to turn around or escape.

    Was I perceiving time differently?

    But there was no time for me to understand why I had entered this space.

    Before long, I felt it. A wrangling pain on my neck! Followed by burning eyes, ringing ears----My entire body was screaming.

    Every orifice of my skin felt as if someone had poured a bucket of lava onto it. I burnt, blazing up like a witch nailed onto a stake. Every strand of torturous flames crawled restlessly in my bloodstream like fire ants, as if they were trying to burn me from the inside.

    It hurts unbelievably bad, and yet in an immovable world, I was unable to scratch that ¡®itch¡¯. In that state, I could neither move nor scream. Experiencing a flow of time that was different from the world, it was no different from hell.

    And yet, I could feel it succinctly. From the rapidly moving blood vessels that condensed and vibrated around my throat, I understood from the blood that was ¡®returning¡¯ back into my flesh that the fatal wound was being healed in this monotonous domain. As if I was looking at a video in reverse, the cut slowly returned to a point where a wound had never been there in the first place.

    ¡­ ¡­

    ¡¾Body tolerance has dropped to 37%.¡¿

    ¡¾Effect of [Hyperbolic] has ended.¡¿

    After a long period of agony, time had returned to normal and suddenly a burst of steam emitted from my throat!

    ¡¸...!!!¡¹

    ¡ºWhat!?¡»

    A cry of astonishment came from behind me, as she immediately jumped back a few steps.

    From within the steam that had formed a hazy cloud around me, all the woman could see was a pair of bright red eyes.

    While I was still confused from the change in time perception, I heard the woman muttered under her breath.

    ¡ºNo way¡­ you¡¯re telling me, the card was already synchronized with him? But that¡¯s impossible... !¡»

    What was going on?

    The card? Synchronized?

    When I touched my neck, I realized the wound had completely disappeared.

    The mist finally dispersed, and the color of my eyes had returned to normal. However because of the earlier pain, I had unconsciously formed a frown on my face while trying to adjust my eyes with a squint.

    If I had seen it from the perspective of that woman, I would know that she had seen my appearance differently because of the shift in my blank, detached expression:

    With a dangerous glint in my eyes, and a savage look that imposed an aura of unconcealed menace, this ¡® normal university student¡¯ struck her as someone with a background. In her mind, the existence of ¡®Tsukasa Yato¡¯ had garnered her attention, which while not unheard of, was certainly not someone to be taken lightly.

    Flicking the knife back into its sheath at the side of her left thigh, the woman intensified her glare by several levels. Like a hunter who had alerted a beast, she assumed a more vigilant stance towards me.

    ¡º...Noir doesn¡¯t just accept anybody.¡»

    The woman suddenly spoke.

    ¡º...Tsukasa Yato¡­ who on earth are you.¡»

    A hint of nervousness could be seen from her figure, it was then that I had taken a closer look at her.

    The woman turned out to be a beauty!

    My heart skipped a beat as I looked at what was considered my ideal type of woman.

    Amber orange hair tied with a ponytail at the back, an effeminate nasal bridge, spotless white skin, the woman¡¯s porcelain face looked exquisite to the touch.

    She wore a long-sleeved white collared uniform, giving off a youthful vibe. Her chest area clasped together with three leather buckles created an emphasis on her skin-tight figure, and the addition of those white stockings over her long, slender legs created an unsullied impression, like a single white tulip blooming utop a hill.

    Her deep-set eyes glared at me as if she had noticed that I was checking her out, and I quickly removed my gaze.

    Of course, no matter how attractive she looked, I did not have any plans of forgiving her for what she tried to do to me. From the dangerous look in her eyes however, it would seem that she would not let me go that easily. Feeling a little conflicted inside, I decided to stall for time for now by returning her a question.

    But because I had still not completely recovered from the bodily strain that I had experienced earlier, my voice came off as a little more bothered.

    ¡¸Before asking for a person¡¯s name, isn¡¯t it common courtesy to identify yourself first?¡¹

    ¡º...¡»

    It was to the point where it even surprised me because of how deep it had gotten.

    The woman had shuddered for a second when she finally heard me speak. But soon things returned to a standstill once more, as both of us continued to stare at each other in this empty morning street.

    While I wasn¡¯t sure of what had just happened, I could tell that this fragile moment of ¡®peace¡¯ would soon break. And so I braced myself for the impending, turbulent face-off that was about to occur once more between the two of us...

 [Chapter 11] Successor I

    It is now in the afternoon, and I am currently in my dormitory lying on my bed deep in thought. The guys were out for a seminar, so I unexpectedly found some time alone.

    I was defeated, tired and alone. And yet, the pain in my chest still reminded me of the one-sided confrontation.

    ¡¸Shit¡­ it still hurts...¡¹

    Feeling a dreadful sense of loss, I sighed heavily. Slowly rubbing the knife wound resting there, I started to recollect the things that had happened a few hours earlier¡­

    <hr>

    The woman who had targeted my life for the black card in my possession, wouldn¡¯t let me go that easily. Interrupted by some kind of steam that came out of my neck, it was inevitable she would come after me a second time when it dispersed.

    As I had anticipated, the woman immediately dashed forward to strike me with her knife again when her vision became clearer. But this time, it didn¡¯t seem like her second attempt contained any killing intent. However, her cuts came quick and many, as my body revealed multiple red slits almost instantaneously!

    But once again, when my body was on the verge of getting hurt, I entered the monochrome space. The pain assaulted the places which had been slashed, making my blood boil and condense around it---!

    ¡¾Body tolerance has dropped to 0%.¡¿

    This time however, once ¡®body tolerance¡¯ had reached 0, those words inside my head gave me a different response.

    ¡¾Warning. [Hyperbolic] is now inactive until full recovery.¡¿

    Following a faint whirring in my head, I could feel the rejuvenating effects I felt until now, lessen considerably.

    Recovery---- it must be talking about my body¡¯s ability to resist the pain that came from this strange phenomenon. And every time it did, my wounds would miraculously disappear.

    No matter how I looked at it, this [Hyperbolic] was some kind of ¡®healing factor¡¯!

    It seems like ¡®body tolerance¡¯ was like a HP gauge in games, and if it reaches 0, I would no longer have that kind of self-recovery effect on my body. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t want to be hurt in the first place, as the healing was a slow and painful process, a double-edged sword which messed with my senses when I ¡®returned¡¯ to the real world. If I were to experience it too many times, I¡¯m afraid that I would go insane before I even faced death properly.

    And something told me that it had to do with the existence of the black card as the red text seemed identical to the one I saw on the ATM¡¯s screen. Come to think of it, I had felt a prick on my finger yesterday while I retrieved it. Did it inject me with this ¡®ability¡¯ back then?

    There¡¯s no use thinking too deeply about it. The origin of the black card was already a mysterious one to begin with. I should be grateful that I am even alive.

    That¡¯s right, I wasn¡¯t in a state to be excited about this superhuman development. If the woman tried to attack me again while I could no longer use this strange ability, I was dead for sure!

    It was impossible to fight back as my senses were constantly blurred by the aftereffects of that healing ability, and even if I was in top condition, I probably wouldn¡¯t be a match for her. The way she ducked and weaved her body around like a snake made her movement unpredictable. And because it felt dangerous to randomly react to her assault while I was disoriented, I would always find myself defenseless by the time the knife had struck me.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised about her tactical reflexes, as the militant uniform that she was wearing suggested a certain amount of experience with that kind of CQC.

    ¡º...It looks like it¡¯s true.¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    Fortunately, the woman no longer seemed intent on continuing any further. As she stared at the chest wound that was patching itself up slowly this time, the woman flicked the knife around her fingers dexterously.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    While breathing heavily, I clutched my weakened body with both knees collapsing to the floor. My frown deepened as my vision blurred once more. Feeling a sense of defeat, I couldn¡¯t do anything but glare at her as if she were my mortal enemy.

    Her fingers stopped moving around the knife after observing the subtle change in my facial expression. Her head lowered, obscuring her expression with one side of her fringe. Before long, she muttered with a low, threatening voice.

    ¡º...Change of plans.¡»

    The woman narrowed her eyes after meeting with my gaze, and I thought I saw a smile for a moment.

    ...Was she going to spare me?

    After returning her knife to its sheath she suddenly fished out a phone from a pocket, and started tapping on it rapidly.

    ---????

    It was then, a familiar melody started to play inside my bag, causing me to tense up again. At this timing too, there¡¯s no way right? She has my phone number? Don¡¯t tell me--!!

    When I hurriedly took my phone and slid down the toolbar, I realized that ¡®location service¡¯ was active.

    N-No way...

    ¡ºDon¡¯t be too surprised.¡»

    She slid out an object behind the phone.

    And it turned out to be the student ID that I had given to that office lady yesterday¡­!

    ¡ºIt¡¯s easy to obtain someone¡¯s phone number in this day and age.¡»

    The woman walked towards me again with a casual stride, and I on the other hand was helplessly lying on the ground, motionless.

    ¡ºGive me the bag obediently this time, and you won¡¯t be hurt.¡»

    I had no other choice, so I let go of the bag that I was hugging tightly with all my life, and watched painfully as she started helping herself to the stack of money and the black card inside.

    It hurt even more when I saw every stack of note vanishing into the pockets around her attire. Those were¡­ mine¡­

    Ah! She¡¯s taking my wallet too!

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, they¡¯re all for safekeeping. I¡¯ll return them to you later.¡»

    The woman continued after giving me a glance.

    Safekeeping¡­?

    ¡¸...Later?¡¹

    Was she really going to return them? Along with the black card? No, I shouldn¡¯t have any more expectations...

    ¡º...¡»

    No matter how much I desired my questions to be answered, she no longer talked, and continued rummaging through my bag with a focused expression.

    Amongst some of the valuables, she had unexpectedly taken the grape-flavored pearls Yamo-san had given me with her. Was she trying to check if it contained some kind of wiretapping device? She had dumped out its contents within the containers without leaving a single one intact, and then she crushed the transparent pearls with her boots.

    When she had finished, the woman then gave me an impression like she was finally about to leave. However----

    I didn¡¯t have time to heave a sigh of relief before she took out her knife again...

    -----And pointed it straight at my eye.

    ¡ºOne more thing.¡»

    She spoke coldly as I carefully swallowed my saliva.

    ¡ºFirstly, one word about this, and you¡¯re dead.¡»

    When I nodded immediately, she paused for a few seconds before letting me go.

    Right. It¡¯s no longer possible to run. If I have now come clear within the sights of X, I have nowhere else to run.

    My life is now at the will of this woman, or rather, the organization behind her.

    ¡ºSecondly...¡»

    ...There¡¯s more after all.

    ¡ºI know taking your valuables isn¡¯t enough to make you listen. I can still tell that you are trying to resist.¡»

    And so in order to break me completely, she¡¯s trying blackmail now, is she?

    ¡ºCome to think of it, you have a little sister---¡»

    My eyes turned red almost immediately at the casual mention of her. Because to me, Yama was the only family I had left.

    ¡¸----Don¡¯t you dare touch my sister! ---Kuhh!¡¹

    The moment I tried to raise my head, the woman pressed her feet and pushed it right down, just like a dog. The words she spat out after, was like splashing cold water on me.

    ¡ºLook at your current situation and tell me again. Are you in a position to make any demands right now?¡»

    I looked down lifelessly and clenched my fists, the nails cutting into my palms, creating deep incisions.

    ¡¸...I¡¯ll do anything you tell me to, so please don¡¯t do anything to her.¡¹

    ¡ºLooks like you really treasure her very much. ...Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t do things that I¡¯m not forced to. If you still treasure your life, and those around you, you will follow my instructions very clearly from now on. Are we clear?¡»

    ¡¸...Yes.¡¹

    I nodded feebly, my voice no longer had any semblance of resistance in it . She was right, and I was wrong in resisting. I should have remained like the coward that I was...

    ¡ºOpen your phone now. There should be a set of coordinates sent to you.¡»

    I caught the phone weakly as she threw it back to me.

    When I unlocked it, there was a message sent from an unknown number. A set of coordinates was written just like she had said.

    What was she planning to do now?

    Glancing at a small retro watch on her wrist, she continued.

    ¡ºTwo hours from now, I want you to go to that place and meet up with me again.¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    ¡ºWhere is my answer?¡»

    She raised my chin with her knife, and looked at me seriously.

    ¡¸...I understand.¡¹

    ¡ºGood answer, but I¡¯ll give you my word just in case. Should you try anything funny¡­ The things that I have said, I will execute without hesitation. Do not force me to show my hand.¡»

    A double meaning, which leaves no room for refusal. Taking my silence as confirmation, the woman stood up promptly and began to leave.

    ¡ºYou should know this by now, that the moment that you¡¯ve used it, there is no longer any turning back.¡»

    She was right. I asked for this. There is no turning back.

    The woman left me some words as she parted ways with me:

    ¡ºNow that Noir has accepted you, you should prepare yourself for everything that is going to happen to you from here on. Because in various ways, your life is about to change completely.¡»

    The recollection ended there, and I too got out of bed.

    Recalling the life that I¡¯d lived for all these years, and all the things that I had once taken for granted, I slowly fell into a state of melancholy. But there was no other choice. I had to go to this place. In order for the worst to not happen, I just had to listen to that woman. And hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as it sounded.

    After leaving a note that I was going to go out so that they wouldn''t question me, I grabbed some essentials and put them in my empty bag. Feeling that it was about time, I left the campus bitterly.

 [Chapter 12] Successor II

    There really wasn¡¯t anyone in sight. After taking a two-hour train ride, I had been walking for almost 30 more minutes now. It couldn¡¯t be helped that I was beginning to feel my legs turning sore as this place didn¡¯t exactly have a very straight road. I had never been here before, and neither did I think that anyone would even think of coming here. It was as if I had suddenly entered an unknown countryside region in the prefecture. If I happened to cry for help here, nobody would hear me.

    Being far away from the city area which I was familiar with had made me increasingly suspicious and concerned about my own safety. A small feeling of anxiety crept up to me, but I didn¡¯t have the freedom to turn away from this anymore. In any case, Yamo will be in danger if I ignore that woman¡¯s warnings.

    Treading an unused road occasionally blocked by extended branches caused me to lose track of time. It was until the sun set when I saw a long enclosure of steel fences obstructing my path ahead. As expected, this was some sort of restricted zone. I could see a few silos and some cranes further ahead. Was this some sort of industrial site?

    Feeling a little curious, I stopped near the fence and opened the browser. It was probably wiretapped, but I couldn¡¯t bother to care anymore. Right at this moment, there might even be surveillance on me too.

    The reception was pretty bad here, but it was good enough to load a few articles on Google.

    From a quick search with the name listed on the GPS, the area beyond this fence turned out to be an industrial site like I thought. Amagiri Processing Pte. Ltd, was a large-scale factory site that used to create mechanical parts for various electronic gadgets.

    As the times gave way to more technological advances, it seems that the company suffered from untimely deficits and were unable to procure said technology to improve the parts available in their catalog. As a result, the business was shut down from the cruel competition and it became abandoned for a while now after the government bought over this place. Incidents like these were not rare in this day and age, as the power of money presided over many business practices. If something was not profitable anymore, the higher-ups would obviously stop investing in a failed venture and leave the workers under them to dry.

    Without the black card, I am going to return to such a life again. Ah, not good. I¡¯m thinking about such things again¡­ Besides, I wasn¡¯t clear of troubled waters yet. My life still hung delicately on the whims of that woman.

    If Fatso and the guys were here, would they make fun of me for that? ...Heh¡­

    This place was suspicious, but after hesitating for a few seconds, I began to climb over the fence (with much effort) and finally fell down on the other side clumsily.

    ¡¸Fuck¡­ it hurts...¡¹

    I had grazed my elbow in the process, so I quickly wiped it off with my sleeve. After taking in a mouthful of water from a pet bottle, I continued forward.

    <hr>

    I stopped before an abandoned factory after confirming that I had arrived at the blue dot on my GPS. The wide doors were already open, and so I silently stepped inside.

    My first impression of the place was of an excessively large warehouse in an irrecoverable, debilitated state. The rusty brown chains hung on the ceiling creaked eerily as I gazed upwards. There was a complicated set of gears, like a spider¡¯s web. It was probably used for a lever system to carry the metal parts as there was a second floor above that appeared tidier than the first. Various machinery that had long stopped working laid in rows, and from the looks of it they truly seemed like antiques. But upon closer inspection, I thought that a set of gears appeared to be more polished than the rest, almost as if they were still being used recently.

    It couldn¡¯t be, right? After all, this place had been abandoned for years. No one would be using this place for anything, especially when it was off limits. But considering that I was told to come here specifically, could it be----

    ¡ºYou finally made it here.¡»

    Before I could connect that line of logic, I finally saw the same apathetic-looking woman that had been waiting for me here. Leaning her back against a rusty pipe near the wall, her militaristic appearance exudes discipline like when I saw her for the first time. Her amber orange hair tied with a ponytail at the back was just as distinctive as ever. But it was from that indifferent tone which I had confirmed that she was the same person from before.

    ¡ºYou didn¡¯t run away. That¡¯s surprising.¡»

    I raised an eyebrow to that statement.

    What was that even supposed to mean?! Was she provoking me? She was the one who threatened me to come in the first place. I almost had an outburst, but considering the fact that I was unable to beat her and that I was being threatened, I had no choice but to nod compliantly.

    The woman took notice of my elbow which had left a bloodstain, and smiled meaningfully.

    ¡ºWell, I¡¯ll acknowledge your resolution at least.¡»

    She threw a few objects towards me, which I barely caught in my hands.

    ¡ºI hope that attitude doesn¡¯t change at the end of today.¡»

    What does she mean by that? ...And also---This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡¸This is...¡¹

    After taking a look at them, I returned my cautious stance towards the woman.

    ¡ºI told you, didn¡¯t I? That I would return them as long as you came here.¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    The items in my hand¡­ Besides my wallet that had everything intact, the other was the black card that I had thought I wouldn¡¯t see again!

    What should I make of this? Did she expect a ¡°thank you¡± from me or something? This person had ample strength and resolution to kill me, but she didn¡¯t. She had brought me to this place, and even returned my belongings to me. My impression of this mysterious woman had yet to solidify, and her motivation and intentions remained unclear even now. And from this very action, the current situation became even stranger.

    But without answering my inner confusion, the woman turned her back and for a moment there I thought I saw something shiny returning into her pockets. She actually had prepared her knife even in a situation like this! I broke out in cold sweat. No, it was precisely because the situation was like this, that she was being cautious towards me. From my understanding of our positions, I could instinctively understand that she was doing all this because she wanted something from me. Or rather, she wanted me to show her something.

    That begged the question, if I failed to meet her expectations, what would happen to me then¡­?

    Taking a few steps forward, she beckoned towards me.

    ¡ºFollow me.¡»

    ¡¸...But there¡¯s...¡¹

    I was about to say that we were approaching a dead end, but she suddenly took out a card from her breast pocket and tapped it against a rusty circuit box. At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed, but in the next moment---

    A green light lit up from a seemingly translucent screen on the wall before us.

    ¡¾Authorized.¡¿

    The words in green blinked for a few more times, before I felt the ground shaking.

    ¡¸T-This is!¡¹

    An earthquake?!

    When I looked at the woman to my side, her composure made me feel like this was a normal occurrence. It was then that I began to calm down a little.

    The creaking sounds seemed to have come from above us.

    When I looked upwards, I saw it. The planetary gears that I had grown suspicious of, had started to rotate. And the lever hidden behind the myriad of complex machinery started to lower before us.

    This was an elevator! A sleek white elevator with an egg-structure greeted my eyes, and when the doors slid open seamlessly, I saw a wide touch-screen at the center that contained information that I couldn¡¯t understand. It really had a futuristic design, I mused. However the relatively limited interior meant that it could probably only accommodate three people comfortably.

    An extension was revealed at the bottom of the elevator before I realized it too. It seemed like this thing went even deeper.

    ¡º---Are you waiting for an invitation?¡»

    ¡¸...¡¹

    An annoyed voice snapped me out of my astonishment, and I quickly entered the strange capsule-like elevator. The fact that it was surprisingly cleaner than the structures around us made me feel as if it was some sort of secret contraption. But then again, it probably was, judging from how the capsule would fit in any kind of sci-fi movie I could think of.

    Beep.

    I noticed her tapping a card on the terminal inside again and after entering what seemed like a floor number, the wide screen revealed the words,¡¾Authorized¡¿again.

    I took a look around the capsule''s interior restlessly. The way this elevator looked like, and how the woman appeared to be emotionless. Restricted area¡­ ...Aliens? ...Don¡¯t tell me, they were trying to dissect my body or something?!

    At this moment, the woman had taken notice of my anxiety. As if reading my thoughts, she suddenly scoffed and explained vaguely.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re currently thinking of.¡»

    She can read my mind too! She¡¯s an alien after all, I silently confirmed in my head. Perhaps the tension had gotten to me, but my imagination had gone wild ever since we had started on the elevator¡¯s descent underground.

    Should I attack her now? It¡¯s not too late. If I catch her unprepared, I might be able to¡­

    No¡­ I had a strange feeling that she had a pair of eyes behind her back. If I did, my neck would be severed in an instant.

    ¡ºBut it¡¯s also better for you to be prepared. It is true that the logic of common people should no longer be applied to us.¡»

    The woman stared down at the ground, listless for a moment. It was as if she was lamenting something in her mind. I understood that look on her face in an instant, because I was the same then.

    Sentimental, perhaps¡­ about her own life choices, or about someone she cared for.

    No turning back¡­ huh. What would happen to Yamo from now on. My sister had recently recovered from her illness. But I didn¡¯t feel safe leaving her alone for a long time. It had already been a week since I''d last seen her again.

    As I looked at the black card in my hand meaningfully, the elevator was beginning to slow down in speed. Were we about to arrive? The doors opened with a hissing sound of pressured steam at the sides, and it decelerated in parallel with the level of the ground it stopped at.

    ¡ºWe¡¯re here. Get out.¡»

    The doors slid open, and I followed cautiously behind her advancing back.

    ¡¸...Where¡­ are we exactly?¡¹

    After collecting my courage to raise a question, the woman turned to look at me while continuing to walk.

    ¡ºThe Examination Chamber.¡»

    E-Examination Chamber? Why does that sound so dangerous, hey?!

    Her feet stopped before a white door and I paused right behind her, frightened internally. However I made sure not to show it on my face. The door slid open automatically, revealing what was inside----

    ¡¸This is...¡¹

    As soon as we entered the wide space that was filled with various medical equipment, various eyes looked at the two of us. To be more specific, at me. Those people who were dressed in white coats, like the doctors and scientists in a laboratory, all stopped what they were doing and stared at me curiously.

    ¡ºThat¡¯s right.¡»

    Without warning, I felt a kick from my back, and I stumbled forward into the arms of two white-coats.

    ¡¸H-Hey!!¡¹

    ¡ºTsukasa Yato. As one of Ninth¡¯s wielders, you¡¯re going to take a simple aptitude test.¡»

    The one who had kicked me, simply turned her heels and left with that sentence.

    I watched in despair, as the doors closed tightly with a click.

 [Chapter 13] Successor III

    What happened afterwards was an inhumane experiment, where I was forced to varying degrees of cruelty by the lab-coats¡­ was what I had originally expected.

    It turns out that I had thought too much. Apart from when they were extracting small blood samples using a sterilized needle, they didn¡¯t look like they were going to do anything else that was directly suspicious, only performing what seems to be have been measurements and some clinical tests so far.

    A good thing to note about this place was that the equipment that spread all over this vast room covered completely in clear white walls appeared astoundingly expensive, which indicated the financial status of the organization behind all this, X.

    Ultrasound scanners, ENTs, highly advanced MRI scanners, PET scans, surgical robots were some of the few pieces of equipment that I recognized from having my little sister, Yamo undergo years of treatment in a private hospital. That did not include more than half of them which I did not know the names of with my half-baked knowledge.

    Nothing strange of the sort happened to me over the course of a few hours. Besides the tests, they had even treated the scrape I had on my elbow from earlier with frightening speed and efficiency. It was to the point where I could no longer see any traces of the wound in mere minutes. As I had my belongings taken away from me before the tests, I relied on the analog clock on the wall to tell the time.

    It had become a little tedious and boring as I moved from station to station, handled precisely by the lab-coats, as if I were a doll that would die from the slightest mistake. Most of them appeared to really know what they were doing, clearly professionals who didn¡¯t play around as none of them were idle at any point.

    Circling around me like bees, they were quick to procure reports and scribbled down notes in between intervals of the tests. Being the curious spirit that I was, I had tried to talk to them on several occasions. But beyond being ignored, I felt as if I was talking to air.

    ¡°Be quiet. We are not going to hurt you if you cooperate with us.¡± Had it not been my initial refusal to follow their instructions, I would have thought that they were mutes.

    ¡¸...Say¡­ how many more tests are there...¡¹

    ¡º...¡»

    While I was lying down on a dental engine, I casually spoke to the middle-aged man who was currently writing down notes in a flurry. But it felt as if he didn¡¯t appreciate me suddenly talking to him, as his pen suddenly stopped.

    The man furrowed his eyebrows and stared at me with a twinge of frustration. It seems that I had broken his concentration, as he finally answered me.

    ¡º...Until we find the things we want to see.¡»

    I wanted to ask him what that meant, but in the next moment a colleague appeared beside him and tapped on his shoulder. The man immediately stopped talking after that warning, and it seems that I could no longer glean any more information out of him.

    ¡­Still, what does that mean? What do they want to see from the reports they were writing about me? At this moment, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I was some kind of rare animal stuck around the company of these mysteriously tight-lipped scientists. Of course, that was probably due to the directions of X, this mysterious organization that had caught me.

    Things went on for a while more, and it wasn¡¯t until 9.20PM that I was brought to a room by two bodyguard-looking men. The woman with the ponytail came and told me that they wanted me on stand-by while they assessed my reports. Her face when she talked to me seemed to be a little impatient for some reason.

    Anyway, along the way here I was blindfolded so I no longer knew the way back to the elevator.

    ...Well, it didn¡¯t matter to me. In the hands of a powerful organization, I could only resign myself to any kind of resistance. Since there was no way out from the very beginning, I should just succumb to whatever that comes. I could only trust that they would keep their word about not placing a hand on the people around me, as long as I followed whatever that they told me to do.

    In other words, I was confident that I wouldn''t be hurt as long as I didn''t do anything stupid. It was clear that I held some value to them while alive, so I wasn''ttoo worried. But of course, I was still quite nervous at the beginning, but that feeling had died down over time.

    After the doors to this room closed tightly, I sighed heavily and took a look around this place.

    It was just like a small jail cell, with no food and nothing to sleep on¡­ was what I thought.

    In actuality, this room was rather wide even when enclosed with white walls on all four sides. Four panels of light lit up from the ceiling, and a vent which was giving the room a cool supply of air conditioning. There was a bed that appeared to be for patients at the side, and a shelf with some books. A small drawer table beside the bed had some dry biscuits inside.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    There was also a cubicle segmented by a curtain should I feel the need to use the washroom.

    Was I supposed to be confined in here for a while? Well, the room was pretty spacious and clean so I had no complaints. Since I had addressed my absence from school to my close pals already, there was no problem with me suddenly disappearing for a single day¡­ although if they were to keep me here for any longer, some of them might get a little suspicious.

    The only problem was the lack of entertainment. Since I had my phone confiscated earlier, I only had the books to pass the time with. Sighing to myself again, I picked up one of them. It was a book on the studies of human psychology. I plopped down and lied on the bed exhaustedly while flipping the pages disinterestedly.

    ...It really wasn¡¯t a very interesting book.

    <hr>

    Average. Average. Average!

    In another room, a woman was flipping through the pages of the reports while clutching her hair in irritation.

    How could this person be so exceedingly average?!

    (Had it been an oversight to bring him here after all?)

    The woman lamented as the lab-coats around looked at her with equally frustrated looks.

    ¡ºGood work, you guys can leave now.¡»

    When she had said so, they slowly left the room one by one, leaving only the woman and a single escort by her side.

    The woman frowned as she looked at the papers on the table, and at the photo of the young man. Indeed, nothing pointed to him possessing the aptitude to synchronize with Noir, the entity that was the black card. However, it was a fact that she had seen it.

    The ability, [Hyperbolic] had indeed manifested on his body earlier today.

    She was definitely not mistaken about it. She had seen it with her very own eyes.

    In that case, what was the issue here?

    The known signs and connections that they had learnt about Noir did not surface as results on the tests. That would mean either of two conclusions.

    One, the young man did not actually synchronize with Noir, and she had actually been mistaken the entire time.

    Two, the young man had indeed established the connection, but it was through some other means of ¡®authentication¡¯ that had allowed him to bypass the normal procedure of ¡®selection¡¯.

    There was also the possibility that he was withholding information secretly by adjusting his body parameters through some means, but that was highly unlikely from the background she had researched about him beforehand.

    ¡­

    The fact that they had spent so long just to draw such vague conclusions was detrimental.

    At least to her.

    The woman had wanted to obtain that clue for ¡®authentication¡¯, then there would be a chance that she could undo Yato¡¯s synchronization and seize the ownership of Noir for herself. After all, being the owner of Noir held many monetary benefits. But that wasn¡¯t the main reason why she coveted it.

    But as it stands, they truly could not find anything special about Tsukasa Yato, and so they were now forced to make a decision about the existence of this peculiar young man.

    ¡ºWhat shall we do now, young miss.¡»

    The escort holding on to the reports spoke with an indecisive tone. It was clear that he was speaking out his mind in place of his employer. There was a long while of silence after that.

    Holding her head with a frown, the woman finally muttered back.

    ¡º...What to do¡­ huh.¡»

    She then stood up from her chair and walked over to a glass window where the floors of this underground facility could be overseen clearly from above. Her eyes rested on a room where she could see the young man, Yato sleeping soundly inside the room he was allocated to.

    ¡º...We will release him first thing in the morning. But...¡»

    When she saw how carefree he looked in his sleep, the woman grit her teeth and continued:

    ¡º...Keep a close watch on him. Time will tell us if he has truly obtained the successor rights to Ren-sama¡¯s inheritance.¡»

    ¡ºWhat about the card? Is it really okay to leave him with it?¡»

    At her aide¡¯s words, the woman closed her eyes once more and spoke,

    ¡º...It is a good opportunity. They say money blinds fools. If he ruins himself with it, then it just proves that this guy amounts to just that much. Besides...¡»

    From her pockets came out a similar black card. The woman narrowed her eyes and spoke coldly.

    ¡ºRen-sama has disappeared, but this doesn¡¯t mean that any country bumpkin deserves the rights to what he has built. The only ones who do, are only the ones who had stayed by his side the entire time.¡»

    ¡º...It is as you say, young miss.¡»

    The escort bowed his head and decided not to say anything more.

    The woman was, after all, surely another one of those potential candidates for succession. His lowlystatus deemed it necessary to possessa certain amount of respect towards his employer who was a far more important figurethan anyone else in this place. Indeed, the woman was the boss of this entire underground facility.

    ¡ºFor now¡­ we will stand by and watch.¡»

    Twiddling the black card around her fingers dexterously, she turned her back and left the room with the escort in tow.

    (...Tsukasa Yato. You must be hiding something about yourself¡­ but I will find it. ...No matter what it takes---! Because no one else but me can obtain it. Master¡¯s possessions are mine, and mine alone. You can hold on to it for now, but I will definitely never acknowledge you as his successor----)

    Her eyes that flicker in the dimly-lit corridor appeared with an unwavering conviction, as well as an eerie aura of obsession. A knife had appeared in one of her open hands at some point, the sharp edge of the serrated steel glimmering in the darkness.

    (--Not even one bit.)