The Confinement Room, and Hikaru's New Idea / A Sudden Turn, and Atsuomi Ayanokoji's Backup Plan

After more than a year of physical strengthening and consistent training, even without using any skills, the boy's 8 points of stamina are enough to easily climb mountains without feeling tired at all.

The mountain is not steep, and since it is private property, this is the only way to get to the building without an invitation or pass.

"Hashiba- kun's physical abilities certainly did not disappoint me."

Togo Ryo moved nimbly along the rugged mountain path. When he looked back, he found that the boy had been following closely, without showing any sign of strain.

"Uncle Ryo is also very physically fit. I thought you were just an ordinary middle-aged man."

Because they had talked quite a bit in the car, Hashiba Hikaru could now joke around with him.

"Haha, I really am just an ordinary middle-aged man."

Togo Ryo's gaze shifted from Hashiba Hikaru to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was further back. "Your companion looks quite nice too."

The other person was about a body length away from him, and also showed no signs of being out of breath, appearing to be in excellent condition.

"He is indeed very capable."

Hashiba Hikaru offered a compliment, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka simply nodded indifferently without providing any further response.

After all, they were getting closer and closer to the [White Room], and the boy's mood was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

"I can already smell people; we should be able to see the building in a few minutes."

With a smile on his face, Togo Ryo said something remarkable and continued running forward with the two boys behind him.

"What does a person smell like?"

Hashiba Hikaru wasn't afraid of someone like Togo Ryo, who had a terrifying past; on the contrary, she was quite interested in him. As a friend invited by Sakayanagi Narimori, there might be opportunities for cooperation.

"Hashiba you have some experience in this area, you might be able to smell it."

"..."

Not quite understanding what experience he was referring to, the boy simply smiled and didn't respond.

Upon seeing this, Togo Ryo immediately chuckled. He was pleasantly surprised by the strength that Hashiba Hikaru had displayed. Although this boy was only a teenager, his qualities in all aspects were top-notch.

No wonder he had heard Sakayanagi Narimori say that Hashiba Hikaru would become the son-in-law of the Sakayanagi Family. It seems that the man who aspired to become an educator had long recognized the boy's potential.

"Arrive!"

After running through the mountains and forests for more than twenty minutes, the three of them soon saw a building swallowed by darkness ahead. It was located on a relatively open grassland, surrounded by dense forests.

"Is this the [White Room]?"

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the building in front of her. It looked to be only two or three stories high, with two other small buildings connected to it by corridors on both sides. Under the pale moonlight, it looked like a venomous scorpion lying in wait.

"Yes, there are Monitoring Tower on the left and right sides, and the most important breeding area is in the middle."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka explained coldly, "Although it appears to have only two floors on the surface, there are actually three underground levels."

"Tsk tsk tsk!"

Hashiba Hikaru touched her Night Suit and looked at Togo Ryo standing to the side. "Uncle Ryo, are you going to wait for us here, or go back to the car?"

"I'll wait for you here. After all, if anything unexpected happens, I can provide timely assistance."

Although Togo Ryo man, his eyes were shining brightly at this moment.

"Thank you for your help."

Hashiba Hikaru and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the building together. It was already past ten o'clock, and there was no light source outside the building. Even though the Monitoring Tower was still running, there were still no lights on because it was equipped with infrared cameras.

"Once we get to the first floor, let's split up."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka explained the plan they had devised, which involved three targets for investigation: the [Combat Training Classroom], the [Confinement Room], and the [Main Monitoring Room].

The Main Monitoring Room is on the third basement level, the Combat Training Classroom is on the second floor, and the Confinement Room is on the first basement level.

"Okay, I'll go to the [Confinement Room] first. Ayanokoji, go to the [Combat Training Classroom]. After you've checked everything, we'll meet at the entrance of the [Main Monitoring Room]."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded solemnly.

"Set off!"

The boy prepared to sprint, but at the same time, a slight thought crossed his mind.

[Activate Exclusive Talent?]

[Startup successful!]

[Stealthy Trace activated!]

Chapter 802 The Confinement Room, Hashiba Hikaru's New Idea.

When Hashiba Hikaru activated [Stealthy Trace], the aura emanating from the boy shrouded in darkness changed abruptly in that instant.

His movement speed increased, and his movements became more agile.

As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka charged forward, both of them noticed something amiss.

"This is..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's perception is already very strong, so there's no possibility that he wouldn't be able to detect Hashiba Hikaru. However, after witnessing this scene with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka clearly felt that the boy's presence had suddenly diminished considerably.

Is it really possible to control one's own sense of presence?

This situation was clearly beyond Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's comprehension. Although he did not choose to ask directly, he kept this scene firmly in mind and felt a sense of relief that he had made the right choice.

If I were not Hashiba Hikaru's ally, but an enemy, that would be an extremely dangerous situation!

As for Togo Ryo, who was standing in the woods, he also noticed this. The eyes of this usually cynical man widened considerably. He could clearly see Hashiba Hikaru's movement trajectory, but he couldn't figure out the specific reason for the change in his presence.

"This kid really does have some secrets..."

The man stroked his stubble. Before coming to pick them up, he had a brief chat with Sakayanagi Narimori and roughly knew what the two boys were planning to do.

Togo Ryo initially thought that Sakayanagi Narimori wanted him to act as a babysitter and protect the two kids, but what he saw and heard along the way greatly changed his mind.

What puzzled him most was Hashiba Hikaru.

Despite being just a high school student in his teens, he is exceptionally skilled in both physical Thinking Ability, and even manages to deliberately minimize his "presence," which seems rather odd.

Who exactly is this guy?

While Togo Ryo was still puzzled, Hashiba Hikaru and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had successfully bypassed the positions of the two guards, knocked them unconscious, and entered the lobby on the first floor of the [White Room].

The "White Room" is, as the name suggests, a white building. Hashiba Hikaru gained a more intuitive understanding of this description after personally walking into the first-floor area.

Everything in sight is white, from the wall tiles to various decorations and different design structures; every place is pure white, giving it an eerie sense of purity.

And even though there's clearly no one here, the lights are always on.

Amasawa Ichika said that the lights in the [White Room] are kept on 24 hours a day, but she didn't know the specific reason.

"According to the schedule here, 9 p. m. is everyone's rest time, in order to ensure that everyone gets enough sleep."

As a "native" who has lived here for many years, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that he probably wouldn't run into many people today.

After all, the [White Room] has an extremely strict schedule, and both the children and the corresponding management personnel need to live according to the schedule.

"Let's split up and proceed."

Reaching a corner, Hashiba Hikaru Hashima glanced at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing beside her. Ayanokouji's target was the [Combat Training Classroom], while she herself needed to go to the [Confinement Room] on the basement floor.

"Okay, meet here in fifteen minutes."

After agreeing on Good Time, Hashiba Hikaru and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka started moving in opposite directions.

It was almost eleven o'clock, and as Hashiba Hikaru moved, she could only hear her own footsteps and her heartbeat.

"This place is really strange..."

He sighed, because the [White Room] itself was not a normal educational institution, but a harsh Trial ground for discovering outstanding talents.

Many children fail because they cannot endure the intensity of the Trial. If these scenes can be captured, they will be truly irrefutable evidence.

"Call..."

After exhaling, Hashiba Hikaru seemed to hear some noise ahead, so he immediately pressed himself against the wall.

After a while, he felt the sound was getting clearer and clearer. It should be the footsteps of two people, and judging from the direction the sound came from, the other party was coming up from the basement.

"What a hassle."

Hashiba Hikaru silently complained to himself, then braced himself against the wall with both hands. After a few quick maneuvers, he was now positioned at the very top of the two walls.

After activating [Stealthy Trace], doing this is incredibly easy; the boy can't even feel his own weight, and it doesn't cause much of a commotion.

"Professor Ayanokoji will be back for an inspection in three days. You need to give out all the tasks in the next few days, and there must be no mistakes."

Ayanokoji Atsuomi's male secretary pushed up his glasses. When Ayanokoji Atsuomi wasn't there, he was in charge of most of the affairs here.

"Yes."

Following behind him was a male researcher in a white lab coat. To ensure the growth of each trainee, he was responsible for their individual nutritional needs and had earned dual degrees in nutrition and medicine.

"By the way, the academic lessons these next two days can be more advanced; don't forget to increase the difficulty."

The secretary said something else, then walked past Hashiba Hikaru.

"Clear."

After the two people left through the entrance passage on the first basement floor, one after the other, Hashiba Hikaru, who was lying across the top, pressed the pause button on the recording and then put her phone back into her pocket.

Once their footsteps had completely disappeared, the boy lightly jumped down from the wall.

"Ayanokoji Atsuomi isn't here today? What a coincidence."

After confirming this extremely important information, Hashiba Hikaru headed down to the basement level.

Since Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Amasawa Ichika had explained the situation in the [Confinement Room], the boy was already mentally prepared.

Confinement Room is a place used to punish disobedient children by confining them to make them repent. This is an inhumane punishment, even for adults, let alone children.

After walking for a while, Hashiba Hikaru arrived at the area of Confinement Room.

This is a fairly spacious corridor with rooms on both sides sealed off by iron doors. Below each iron door is a horizontal window, presumably used for delivering food.

Because the iron gate is very secure, there are basically no guards here. Only patrol people pass through during the day, while nighttime is their rest time.

When Hashiba Hikaru walked over, she didn't see anyone.

"If we want to gather evidence, simply taking pictures of the outside isn't enough; it would be best to go inside and take a look."

Walking down the corridor of the [Confinement Room], Hashiba Hikaru snapped a few photos, but felt they might not be enough.

Is anyone in here right now?

An idea struck him, and he paused slightly.

Chapter 803 Sudden Turn Events: Ayanokoji Atsuomi's Backup Plan.

When Hashiba Hikaru realized this, he stopped in front of an iron gate.

"If we could get inside, the pictures we took would probably be really good, right?"

After having this thought, the boy immediately pressed his ear against the iron gate, listening intently to see if he could hear any faint sounds coming from inside.

There were ten [Confinement Room] sealed off with iron doors here. Since he had this idea, Hashiba Hikaru decided to investigate. Since there was no one around for the time being, he tried them one by one.

"No movement..."

After trying five or six times, there was only deathly silence inside the iron gate; not even a single breath could be heard.

Upon reaching the seventh iron gate, Hashiba Hikaru pressed her ear against it once more.

"Thump--thump!"

This time was different from before; the boy clearly heard a soft knocking on the door.

There's someone inside?!

Although she noticed this, Hashiba Hikaru did not greet the other person hastily.