The Unsigned Note

She looked up at Yuefeng, her light brown eyes filled with worry. "Yuefeng, be careful. Ishizaki... he might not let this go so easily."

Yuefeng's heart tightened. Deals? Taking care of problems? That sounded exactly like something Ishizaki would do.

Using violence or coercion to profit in the gray areas of the school rules, or "settling matters" for others while building his own underground influence.

If the rumors were true, then Ishizaki's threat was more than just a personal grudge.

"I understand. Thanks for the warning, Shiina." Yuefeng thanked her solemnly. "You too—watch out for yourself. Especially... don't be alone with Ishizaki or the people around him."

Hiyori Shiina nodded firmly. "I'll be careful." After a pause, she added, "Ibuki... she told me to be careful too."

Ibuki Mio? Yuefeng remembered her timely appearance in the Garden that day.

That seemingly cold-hearted fighter girl appeared to have an extraordinary protective instinct toward Hiyori Shiina.

The two parted at an intersection. Yuefeng walked back toward the dormitory alone, replaying Hiyori Shiina's words over and over in his mind.

Ishizaki's "deals," Airi Sakura's fear, Class D's possible moves... These scattered pieces of information seemed to be forming a far more dangerous picture.

Just as he was about to reach the Class C dormitory building, a boy who looked vaguely familiar—but was definitely not a Class C student—suddenly stepped swiftly out of the shadows beneath the trees and blocked his path.

Yuefeng immediately went on alert, taking half a step back as his hand tightened slightly. His "Slow Motion" perception activated at once, scanning the other boy's expression and movements.

The boy was short and ordinary-looking, with shifty eyes. Yet he did not seem hostile, only nervous. He was wearing a Class D uniform.

"A-Ayanokoji?" the boy asked quickly in a lowered voice.

"I am. What is it?" Yuefeng kept his distance, his tone calm.

After confirming his identity, the boy seemed to relax. Then he nervously glanced around before swiftly pulling a tiny folded note from his pocket and shoving it into Yuefeng's hand.

"Someone told me to give this to you," the boy said at a breakneck pace. "Watch out for Ishizaki. He's at the Old Gymnasium Warehouse... dealing with some 'goods'... He might do something to you... That's all!"

Without waiting for Yuefeng to react, he turned and fled like a startled rabbit, quickly vanishing into the night.

Yuefeng clutched the note, still warm from the other boy's body heat, and felt his heart shake.

Another warning? This one directly named the location—the Old Gymnasium Warehouse! And it mentioned "goods"?

He immediately thought of the rumors about "deals" that Hiyori Shiina had just mentioned.

Could Ishizaki really be involved in some shady business, with the warehouse serving as his base?

Who was that Class D boy? Why had he risked coming here to warn him? Had someone sent him, or had he seen something himself?

Countless questions surged through his mind. Yuefeng did not open the note right away. Instead, he quickly scanned his surroundings. After confirming that no one else had noticed, he hurried into a patch of shadow beyond the reach of the streetlights before carefully unfolding it.

There was only one line of crooked handwriting on the note, as though it had been scribbled in haste:

"After lights-out tonight. Old Gymnasium Warehouse. Ishizaki is making a move. Be careful."

There was no signature.

Yuefeng's heart began pounding wildly. The Old Gymnasium Warehouse—the place where discarded equipment was stored, a place usually ignored by everyone... What was Ishizaki going to do there?

Did "making a move" mean an ambush aimed at him, or some other kind of deal? Who had written this note? How trustworthy was it? Could it be a trap?

Countless thoughts churned through his mind. Go, or not go?

If he did not go, he might miss the chance to learn Ishizaki's true nature—or even catch him with evidence. But if it was a trap, going alone would be no different from walking into a net.

Going carried enormous risks. But he had the "Slow Motion" ability and was relatively familiar with the area. If he was careful enough, perhaps he could uncover something.

Maybe... if he could obtain solid evidence of Ishizaki breaking school rules...

A bold plan gradually took shape in Yuefeng's mind.

He could not recklessly charge in, but he could lie in wait beforehand and observe.

If anything seemed wrong, he would retreat immediately. If there truly was a "deal" or a plot against him, he might gain something from it.

He checked the time. There was still about an hour and a half until lights-out. Enough time to make some preparations.

Yuefeng took a deep breath, carefully put away the note, and his gaze turned sharp and calm.

Ishizaki... Old Gymnasium Warehouse...

It seemed this long-running shadow war was finally reaching a turning point.

It was time to take the initiative and meet this "old friend."

Yuefeng returned to his dorm and changed into a dark tracksuit, then silently moved through the shadows between buildings and bushes.

Rather than heading straight to the Old Gymnasium Warehouse, he took a wide detour and approached from a relatively concealed area behind the Gymnasium, near the open space where he usually trained.

He knew this route well. He knew where the camera blind spots were and where he could hide himself.

His heart was beating quickly, but not from fear. It was a strange feeling mixed with tension, vigilance, and a faint thrill of adventure.

The old injury in his left arm seemed to throb faintly as well, reminding him of the risks of this trip.

He set his phone to silent, turned on the recording function, and placed it in a specially designed pocket on the inside of his jacket—easy to access, but difficult to notice.

When he was still several dozen meters from the warehouse, he stopped, concealing himself behind a thick cluster of holly bushes. Holding his breath, he watched carefully.

The Old Gymnasium Warehouse was a separate, one-story building. Its windows were high and coated with dust, and its front doors were tightly shut. It looked as decrepit and silent as ever.

But Yuefeng sharply noticed a side door on the warehouse, one normally kept locked for moving large equipment.

It was now slightly ajar, leaving a barely noticeable crack. An extremely faint light seeped from within—not lamplight, but more like the glow of a flashlight or phone screen.

Someone was inside. And they were deliberately concealing their presence.

Yuefeng did not rashly approach the main entrance or the side door. Using the moonlight and the faint glow of distant streetlights, he silently circled around to the shadows behind the warehouse like a nocturnal cat.

There was a row of abandoned pipes there, along with several massive wooden crates used to store damaged sports equipment, creating a visual blind spot.

He carefully climbed onto one of the crates and peered inside through a damaged vent high on the warehouse's rear wall.

His angle was limited and the view was dim, but he could barely make out part of the area near the side door.

The warehouse was piled with dusty old mats, broken pommel horses, rusted weight plates, and other clutter.

In a relatively open patch near the side door, several figures were gathered together.

Yuefeng narrowed his eyes, trying to identify them by the faint light from the phone screen in one person's hand.