Horikita Manabu Appears

Xu Nuo walked out of the small path.

His appearance had changed drastically; his height had forcibly increased by a small margin, his short black hair had become sharper, and there was even a pair of rimless glasses on his face.

Most importantly.

It was that cold, stern, iceberg-like aura radiating from his very bones.

At this moment, he.

Was already the pinnacle of this university's student council—

Horikita Manabu!

A perfect disguise.

Xu Nuo, no, Horikita Manabu walked back into the plaza.

The moment he appeared.

The surrounding clamor stalled for several seconds, and pairs of dumbfounded eyes looked his way.

The upperclassmen who had been enthusiastically recruiting freshmen a second ago were as if hit by a mute button the next, straightening their backs one after another and watching him pass with expressions of awe.

A salute of attention!

This was the prestige possessed by the Student Council President.

Tsk tsk.

This person's aura is above mine.

Xu Nuo clicked his tongue inwardly, but on the surface, he acted as if he saw none of it; he had only one goal.

Behold.

In the center of the Gymnasium Plaza.

At the student council recruitment site, the youth with short golden hair, surrounded and fawned over by second-year students—

The Student Council Vice President.

Nagumo Miyabi.

Clearly.

This arrogant guy was his target for this time, the future uncrowned king of the second years.

Xu Nuo strode forward and walked straight toward him.

At the same time.

Nagumo Miyabi had been enjoying the adulation of the crowd, a relaxed and frivolous smile on his face.

But the moment he sensed the change in the surrounding air.

His smile froze.

"Hmm?"

Nagumo Miyabi turned his head in displeasure, wanting to see who had stolen his spotlight, and then he saw—

That man!

Oh my~

Isn't this my dear senior? What a rare guest.

Nagumo Miyabi whistled inwardly, but the expression on his face shifted seamlessly. He waved his hand to signal the people around him to disperse, then crossed his arms over his chest.

He struck a pose that said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Although he didn't know why he had come.

Acting like this was definitely the right move.

"Nagumo."

Xu Nuo stood still in front of him, without any superfluous pleasantries, and spoke crisply with a blank expression.

"Regarding the security protocols for the internal campus network, the Board of Directors has proposed new requirements. I need to confirm the location of the servers and the security situation."

His voice had no inflection; he was merely stating facts.

The most fitting episode for the persona.

Although he had only spent a dozen minutes with him, with the Phantom Thief's observational skills, it was enough to replicate "Horikita Manabu" vividly, and this excuse was also perfectly reasonable.

Upon hearing this.

Nagumo Miyabi raised an eyebrow.

The location of the servers? Why would the President need to come and ask me specifically when he could just check it himself? Is he testing me? Or is it that...

He wants to assert his presidential authority in front of me?

Clearly.

He did not suspect a thing, assuming only that Horikita Manabu was a busy man with a poor memory, or that he was using this as an excuse to find fault.

After all.

Who would ever think of the school in a non-academic way for no reason?

Very well.

Since you want to play.

Then I shall accompany you to the end.

A frivolous smile curled the corners of Nagumo Miyabi's mouth. He leaned in closer on purpose, speaking in a tone that seemed respectful but was actually full of provocation:

"Oh my!"

"President, why bother yourself with such a trivial matter?"

"You really don't know how to make use of your juniors."

He paused there, savoring the pleasure of seizing the initiative in conversation before this senior.

"The Server Room, it's on the fourth floor of the School Building, behind that utility closet on the far east side. There are two combination locks; most teachers don't even know about it."

"However..."

His voice dropped a few notches, carrying a sense of showing off, smug about having bested his rival.

"To me, it's not exactly a secret."

He took the bait.

Xu Nuo gave Nagumo Miyabi's performance a perfect score in his mind; this guy's competitive nature was truly useful.

Information obtained in just a few words.

Subsequently.

Hearing these insubordinate and provocative words.

Horikita Manabu's face showed no change in expression, only a cold glance cast from behind his lenses.

"Mm."

One word, concise and to the point.

He didn't say another word, turned around directly, ignored the surrounding gazes, and strode away before anyone could react.

It was as if he had come here solely to confirm this one insignificant matter.

That composure.

That sense of entitlement.

It made Nagumo Miyabi's smile stiffen for a moment.

Damn it...

He pulled it off!

However, he soon regained his smile.

Well, well, never mind. This high-and-mighty guy coming to ask me personally counts as a win for me.

Nagumo Miyabi thought to himself, his mood becoming increasingly pleasant.

And the girl who had been standing not far behind him, silently observing everything—Asahina Nazuna, this second-year senior, tilted her head slightly.

A flicker of confusion flashed in her chestnut eyes.

Perhaps it was a woman's intuition.

She couldn't help but feel... that today, Horikita-senpai... was there something not quite right about him?

Unfortunately.

That was all; she was destined to never get an answer.

"Fourth floor."

"Two combination locks."

Walking straight out of the Gymnasium area, Xu Nuo pondered internally while maintaining his disguise.

It wasn't that he enjoyed it.

But there was one more thing to do.

A matter neither big nor small that required Horikita Manabu, the "Student Council President," to handle personally.

That was.

To deliver a flamboyant Notice Letter on behalf of the Phantom Thief.

Yes, how could a Phantom Thief's performance be without a Notice Letter? That was the core setting, after all.

Otherwise.

What would be the point of obtaining a treasure without a sound?

Although.

This was merely a game.

But the Notice Letter was a part of the process that had to be savored.

With that thought in mind.

Xu Nuo lengthened his stride, heading in the direction of the Student Council office. The speed and distance of every step perfectly mirrored the posture and style of Horikita Manabu.

This was what you called professional!

Along the way.

Many people greeted him with respect, but whether he knew them or not, Xu Nuo responded to them all with indifference.

Equality for all was the name of the game.

After all, there were too many people.

If he responded to each one individually, he feared he would drop dead from exhaustion.

However.

Judging by the way everyone seemed accustomed to it, this was likely Horikita Manabu's usual attitude.

Xu Nuo quickened his pace.

Yet.

Fate sometimes loved to play jokes.

Just as he passed the entrance of the Supermarket and was about to turn toward the General Building where the Student Council was located, a familiar figure slowly walked out of the store.

He took a closer look—

Long, straight black hair reaching her waist, reddish-purple fox-like eyes, and that exquisitely beautiful face, even when expressionless. Her frame was slender and tall, with delicate yet curvaceous lines.

Slender at the waist, and with curves in all the right places.

Who else could it be but Horikita Suzune?

Xu Nuo paused, a faint, ambiguous smile flickering across his face, but it returned to normal in a mere tenth of a second, too fast for anyone to catch.

What a coincidence.

Truly, what a coincidence.