Chapter 98
"There's a class distinction. Most of the students in the Shuchiin come from extremely wealthy families and were basically promoted directly, so of course they look down on these rich kids. Similarly, they look down on these Shuchiin kids who are just born into privilege."
Hayasaka Ai felt a little awkward at these words, as if she had been unwittingly offended. She nodded stiffly, "Yes, that's why Shuchiin rarely has any outsiders."
Foreign students?
When she mentioned this, Yuki had a connection. This world was a mix of various anime and manga, so could Miyuki Shirogane have been assigned to Advanced Nurturing High School with a monthly stipend of 100,000 yen? His "King" attribute was much more suitable for him than Shuchiin.
But Yuki didn't ask; whether Miyuki Shirogane existed or not was none of his business.
"It seems the Reincarnation Game suits them well," Yuki said hesitantly. That work was nicknamed "High School Mix-Up."
"Because the school emphasizes confrontation?"
"No, the system's exams are meaningless. The Reincarnation Game provides them with a ladder, a ladder to trample the despised rich kids into the mud and turn the tables and become the masters."
Yuki's words are insightful and to the point; from logic to the theory of contradiction, there is no fault to be found.
As Hayasaka Ai remained silent, the train pulled into Tokyo.
After getting off the train, the two transferred to the subway and headed straight for their destination. From a distance, they could see a high wall with several lush green trees peeking out from inside.
This national school, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, is like a gladiatorial arena; you have to earn the 100,000 yen subsidy entirely based on your own merit.
It is a natural breeding ground for venomous insects, where one cannot freely enter or leave, nor can one freely contact the outside world.
Yuki stood at the entrance and looked around, discovering that this school covered an area larger than Izu University, and had everything from a cafeteria and library to a cafeteria and a hospital. No wonder many fanfiction authors liked to create harems there.
This is a small society, closed and self-contained; in other words, it's an ideal area for players to gather.
Fortunately, the Reincarnation Game instance is short; otherwise, it would be impossible to hide one's identity in such a confined area.
"What's next? This school's network has a very high security level; even I can't get into the core part," Hayasaka Ai asked from the side.
Mai Sakurajima's characteristics are well-suited for infiltration, but Yuki, knowing there are other players inside, naturally wouldn't let his senior take the risk.
"You're trying to fake your student status?"
"Otherwise what?"
"This is a school, not the Jail. It's not as heavily guarded as you imagine. The only restrictions are on the students inside." Yuki. It would be difficult for ordinary students to get out, but players have a million ways to evade surveillance.
In his memory, students at Advanced Nurturing High School had their own cell phones, and even if Hayasaka Ai could modify this core data, he was certain that the players inside would be closely monitoring it.
"Let's try another approach. We should be able to get this temporary identity, right?"
He pointed to the trucks coming in and out of the school gate. So many students' food, drink, and toilet needs couldn't just appear out of thin air; all sorts of supplies had to be brought in every day.
"It's possible, but these temporary access cards don't cover many places and you can't stay there for long."
"I wasn't planning on transferring to high school anyway." Yuki snapped his fingers, explaining why he'd brought Hayasaka Ai today, "Don't use any special abilities or activate any player traits. Use your disguise skills to conceal your identity. Let's go and come back quickly."
Once players return to the real world, without mentioning the Reincarnation Game or using any Transcendental Grade abilities, they are no different from ordinary people and will not be corrected by the game.
Yuki had already probed for this information when he returned last time, so why not do the opposite? Since we can find players through 'correction,' I might as well be a regular petty thief.
Two hours later, a white van with the logo 'Kadokawa Shoten' drove into the school gate. With a simple swipe of a temporary freight card, the gate opened immediately.
The college has ample security, with cameras installed everywhere, and every vehicle entering from the outside follows a fixed route, so there's no fear of anyone entering the school and causing trouble.
Under Hayasaka Ai's makeup technique, Yuki aged ten years, becoming a robust middle-aged porter, carefully driving with both hands on the steering wheel, only occasionally turning his head to look at the youthful and beautiful figures on the playground.
The Advanced Nurturing High School is huge, with wide roads lined with cherry blossom trees that are lush and green in the summer. Students walk by from time to time, not even bothering to glance at the trucks.
No, there are still people paying attention, such as a bald boy who looks older than himself standing by the roadside, and a purple-haired girl standing on the rooftop.
A subtle gaze swept over him, searching for traces of being corrected by the rules, but unfortunately, the truck showed no signs of anything Transcendental Grade, and the man and woman inside were perfectly normal.
Sakayanagi Arisu?
Yuki didn't dare to look closely, focusing his gaze on the road ahead. He had just become almost certain of his guess:
If you're wearing the Fool Mask, you'll definitely be recognized, and then random missions will unfold from the clash between Transcendental Grade.
"But I'm just an ordinary person now, and if something happens, it should be handled by the school security guards."
With a slight twitch of his lips, he saw the library not far ahead and couldn't help but sigh.
This school is a den of wolves and tigers!
"The vehicle delivering books to the library carried two people, and there was no sign of Transcendental Grade force concealing its presence."
"I've checked the school's information; we do need to replenish our books today."
The girl with short, light purple hair leaned on a cane with one hand and pressed her small hat on her head with the other, talking to herself in a soft voice, accompanied by a fox-like smile.
She looked frail and turned gently to look at the boy at the entrance to the rooftop.
"It seems you guessed wrong; at least I didn't see anything unusual."
The boy, with short orange hair, leaned against the wall, exuding a lazy, afternoon-resting air. His face was expressionless, radiating a coldness.
"Don't worry, Sakayanagi, it's only been a few days." The boy's tone was as cold as his personality. He touched his hair. "They've been pushed to their limits by me and are trying to break through this shell, hoping to attract external intervention."
"So that's why you initiated the war?"
"Well, from the outside perspective, the school is a unified whole, but I also want to know how many players are in the school."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes flickered. According to the boy's theory, this academy had a relatively high player probability for some reason.
Some joined them, some stood on their own side, and some were observing. After all, they were all top-tier players, and it would be difficult to find them one by one.
"But this isn't just internal competition within the academy. Aren't you afraid outsiders will smash the eggshell?"
"There's no such thing Reincarnation Game; it's just a proposal." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, supporting himself on his knees, stood up and gazed at the vast campus. "But if there were, it's uncertain who would smash whom."
Calm and indifferent, Sakayanagi Arisu intended to retort, but in the end, she simply asked with a puzzled expression, "Why the rush?"
"Is that even a question?" The boy turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and slowly walked down the rooftop.
Because there is no time left in this world.
Chapter Eleven: Isolated Island and Ship
The library of the Advanced Nurturing High School is enormous, even larger than that of a regular university. Even on a rest day, the study area was packed with students.
The first-grade students have been enrolled for a while now, and many of them already know that the 100,000 yen subsidy didn't just fall from the sky, so the extracurricular book section is actually not very popular.
This quiet brought Shiina Hiyori a sense of security.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her long, blue-gray hair. The beautiful young woman lowered her head to read, finding solace only in the scent of ink. But as she turned the last page, a sense of unease returned.
She was far from calm on the surface; inside, she was panicking. Since returning, using her unique characteristics, Hiyori had already discovered that something was wrong with this school.
It's still as chaotic as ever, filled with the competitive spirit of the jungle, but certain details prove that there's more than one player around her. Through dungeons and the teachings of Yuki and others, she's well aware of how dangerous she is.
It's like walking alone in a forest, surrounded by unknown wild beasts; if you relax even slightly, you'll be devoured, leaving not even bones behind.
Hiyori quietly finished reading the last sentence of this novel, she felt it resonated with her current situation.
In the shadow of the game, classmates are insignificant. Every player is a walking treasure trove in the eyes of others. Starting random missions and killing one's own kind is the shortcut that Yuki told her about.
Hiyori was actually used to the word 'elimination'. Within the school, elimination at most meant dropping out, but when it came to the Reincarnation Game, it was the difference between life and death.
'Maybe I should just drop out of school voluntarily, but no, that would definitely attract attention and I'd lose the protection of my identity.'
Ultimately, I don't know how many players are around me, or whether they're good or bad. After all, you can't trust what they say; you can only know by experiencing life and death in dungeons.
'Like Mr. Yuki, my trust in him stems not only from his abilities, but more importantly from the fact that he hasn't abandoned me.'
Hiyori's mind was a bit of a mess, as if even the sea of books couldn't contain it. Suddenly, she realized that not agreeing to Yuki was the right thing to do. She couldn't hide it from them for long in this academy, and not dragging them down was the best way to repay them.
I wish he could come. Mr. Yuki is smarter than me, more decisive, and better at solving problems.
The girl, stranded on a deserted island, was praying when she heard a 'thump'. Looking up, she saw two staff members changing books.
This wasn't surprising; the library's books were updated periodically, but as she looked at them, something felt off.
Books were being slowly stuffed into the bookshelf, one by one. The middle-aged man didn't even glance in their direction, but she noticed a line separating white and black on his neck.
The dividing line was hidden by the shirt collar, only showing a tiny bit when the arm was raised.
Makeup? Could it be...?
Hiyori felt her heart pounding. She knew that someone at school was monitoring the Transcendental Grade and the game's modifications. This kind of real-world makeup would actually fool the players.
As if hearing the prayers of the stranded travelers, a ship suddenly appeared beyond the deserted island, bringing hope for survival.
Another passage from a novel flashed through her mind. Hiyori silently stood up, picked up the book, and headed to the bookshelf. She wanted to give it a try.
There were cameras everywhere in the academy, and no one knew who was watching behind them. Hiyori walked very slowly, and when she came to the bookshelf, she stood on tiptoe to try to put the book on it, but unfortunately, she was too short and could never quite reach it.
"Hey, let me help you."
A familiar voice entered her ears, Hiyori's pupils froze for a moment before her tense face instantly relaxed.
It's Mr. Yuki; he really did come.
Hiyori was somewhat taken aback, because with the latter's observational skills and intelligence, he would surely have discovered that there was something wrong with the academy, but he still came and didn't leave himself on this deserted island.
Splash!
Hayasaka Ai pushed a cart piled high with books, which conveniently blocked the camera's view, allowing only a glimpse of Yuki taking the books and placing them on the shelf.
"There are players in this school, and more than one," Hiyori reported eagerly.
"I know, I noticed it when I came in. It's a bit strange, isn't it?" Yuki had asked Mai Sakurajima to investigate, and she was the only player in the school in Kanagawa.
But the density here is clearly abnormal; they've even started monitoring people coming and going, like a heavily guarded fortress, filled with a strange atmosphere.
Hiyori gritted her teeth and said firmly, "I will help find the cause."
"This is dangerous," Yuki warned.
"But among the players, I only trust you and Mr. Tyrant; we'll be exposed sooner or later anyway."
She only has the ability to identify problems; to escape danger, she must rely on Yuki's strength—that much is extremely clear.
Yuki nodded slightly; at least his attitude had passed the test. Then he slowly shook his head. "I'm only here to put your mind at ease. I don't mean to take advantage of you. I'll arrange this matter, and you don't need to take any risks."
"But don't you want to find out the truth?"
"I'd like to, but you don't need to do any spies. Just help me with a small favor." Yuki pulled out a Nokia-like phone and shoved it into Hiyori's hand. Then he went straight to Hayasaka Ai's trolley and took out a book. "Here's the novel you wanted, classmate."
The Sisserian Mysteries was Shiina Hiyori's favorite type of mystery novel. She took it herself and watched the two staff members leave before revealing a sweet smile.
"Sir, you are such a kind person."
The phrase has a double meaning: it expresses gratitude for the other person helping to carry the book, but more importantly, it expresses gratitude for Yuki's attitude.
Even when using something, he will consider it from his own perspective, not as a tool, and he will not care about the dangers that the tool may face.
After less than half a minute of contact, the girl returned to her bookworm state. She turned around, leaned against the bookshelf, and paused slightly as she slowly turned the pages.
A note was tucked inside the title page, covered with densely packed numbers. Hiyori paused for a moment, then began to flip through the pages, picking out words from the page numbers and paragraphs, and silently reading the following words in her mind:
"Team formation complete, here's something--"
"Find a way to hand it over to Class 1-D, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
Splash!
Yuki and Hayasaka Ai left the library, and the pile of old books on the cart they had taken off blocked their view of the two behind them.
"Hiyori is very smart; that level of code is no problem for her."
"I didn't ask about this. I just don't understand why you would take such a big risk just to have her hand over something?"
"That's not all, I also want to play stealth games, being watched by so many cameras and surrounded by multiple players, doesn't that sound exciting?"
You're kidding me.
Hayasaka Ai's lips twitched slightly. She finally understood why Mai Sakurajima- senpai always broke down. This idiot was sometimes frighteningly calm, and sometimes completely unserious.
Players must remain rational and calm.
She took a deep breath, trying to hypnotize herself, and said coldly, "You dare to take such a risk just because you know Shiina Hiyori so well?"
Her heart was in her throat when she came in; if Shiina Hiyori betrayed them, the two of them would definitely not be able to get out.
"No, it's because she understands me, just like you do."
Hayasaka Ai fell silent. A sentimental person would appreciate Yuki's act of helping, while a rational person would be more concerned with personal gain.