Undercurrents

The musty smell in the basement of the Old School Building seeped into his nostrils. The box cutter in Sato Maya's hand gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Kiyotaka's back was pressed against the damp wall. His fingertip slid silently along the side of his phone—the emergency button he had pressed three minutes ago had yet to get a response. The signal had clearly been blocked.

"Don't count on that little trick of yours." Sato tilted her head with a faint smile, slowly tracing the blade along Kiyotaka's uniform collar. "The secret room was designed personally by Chairman Tsukishiro. Not even a cockroach could crawl out." She suddenly leaned closer, her breath brushing Kiyotaka's ear. "But... if you hand over the 'System' access, I can make your death quick and painless."

System? Kiyotaka's pupils contracted. The word connected with "Replacement Plan" from the anonymous email that morning—had Tsukishiro already figured out that he was a transmigrator, and even tried to replicate someone like him?

"I don't know what you're talking about." He deliberately put on a confused expression, while his right hand stealthily felt for the fountain pen in his pocket.

But Sato seemed to see through his move. Her blade suddenly stabbed toward his wrist!

"Clang—"

The clash of metal rang out. A throwing knife knocked the box cutter away with pinpoint accuracy. Kiyotaka's breath caught as someone stepped out of the shadows: Ichinose Honami still wore her gentle smile, but three diamond-shaped throwing knives were pinched between her fingers.

"Sorry, Sato," she said, tossing her chestnut hair. "Kiyotaka is my partner now."

"So the vixen from Class B has gotten involved too..." Sato took half a step back, then suddenly flung a concealed weapon from her sleeve.

Ichinose spun aside to dodge. Kiyotaka seized his chance and dashed toward the iron door—but a magnetic card had been stuck into the lock. It was the library pass Horikita Suzune had lost the previous week.

I see. He remembered Horikita's irritated expression three days earlier when she mentioned her stolen pass. Someone had planned this long ago, luring him here.

"Get him!" Sato's shriek echoed down the hallway, but Kiyotaka had already burst through the fire door. A blast of cold air hit him, and he came to an abrupt halt: Karuizawa Kei stood at the edge of the rooftop, while the Class A boy behind her was injecting a syringe into her neck.

"Help... me..." Tears welled in Kei's eyes. It was completely unlike the strong-willed image she had in the original story. Kiyotaka hesitated for half a second, but the boy suddenly grinned and shoved Kei off the roof!

"Thud!"

The dull impact of a heavy body hitting the ground shook the entire building. Kiyotaka rushed to the railing, only to see Kei's body twist in an uncanny way as she pushed herself upright. Her joints made a mechanical grinding sound—click, clack.

"Oops, you caught me." The boy took off his glasses, revealing data streams coursing through his irises. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Chairman Tsukishiro's 'first-generation replacement,' code name Alpha."

He tapped his temple. "By the way, there are at least twelve 'players' like us in this school."

Kiyotaka clenched his fists. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt a chill run down his spine. This world was far more than a story with an altered plot.

Next morning · Special Cooperative Exam venue

The electronic screen in the auditorium flashed a blood-red countdown: 71:59:59.

"Due to an unexpected incident, Karuizawa Kei has temporarily withdrawn from the exam." Tsukishiro's voice came over the speakers, so calm it was suffocating. "The following additional exam rule is now in effect: each class must designate one 'commander.' If the commander dies, the entire class's points will be reduced to zero."

The D Class students erupted in an uproar. Hirata Yosuke anxiously counted the students, while Horikita Suzune fixed her eyes on Kiyotaka. "Where were you last night? The last person Kei contacted before the incident was you."

"Instead of suspecting me, you should make sure you aren't chosen as commander." Kiyotaka glanced toward the edge of the crowd. Ryuen Kakeru of Class C was talking quietly with Alpha, while Ichinose signaled to him from nearby: her thumb slid across her collarbone, the "high-threat alert" gesture used by special forces in his previous life.

He suddenly understood why Ichinose knew Morse code: like him, she was a transmigrator chosen by the "System," but she belonged to a different faction.

"Horikita, report to the faculty room immediately!" Chabashira Sae's shout interrupted his thoughts. Kiyotaka took the opportunity to slip away, but Alpha intercepted him at the stairwell landing.

"Let's make a deal." Alpha's pupils narrowed into two vertical slits. "Help me destroy the other 'replacements,' and I'll tell you how to return to your original world." He opened his palm, revealing a chip that glowed a deep blue. "For instance... the original code for the 'Hypnos' system."

Kiyotaka took the chip. A sharp electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind:

[Warning! Unauthorized intrusion detected. Memory-wiping program initiating—]

He staggered and caught himself against the wall. In a daze, he saw Alpha's smug grin. So the chip itself was the trap. What Tsukishiro truly intended to erase wasn't his body, but his memories as a transmigrator!