Side Quest

Eleven at night, boys' dormitory, Class D.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hadn't turned on the lights. The glow of his laptop screen was the only thing illuminating his face. It displayed the internal forum of Advanced Nurturing High School—an anonymous community accessible only to students, filled with gossip, transactions, and information.

He used a beginner-level hacking skill he'd obtained from the system to crack the access permissions of an abandoned account.

Search keyword: Shiho Manabe.

There were few results. Most discussed how she'd once led a small group of girls in Class C before Ryuen had put her in her place. But one anonymous post from three days ago caught his attention:

"Does anyone know what kind of 'good stuff' Shiho Manabe from Class C has been selling lately? I heard it's pricey, but worth every point."

There was only one reply, from another anonymous account: "Contact me on Telegram. DM me."

Ayanokoji copied down the string of characters, left the forum, and opened an encrypted messaging app. It took him twenty minutes to register a new account using a virtual number, after which he sent a friend request to the Telegram account.

His request was approved almost immediately.

The other person didn't send a greeting. An automated message simply appeared: "Identity verification required to view the product catalog. Please provide your class and name, or a deposit of at least 2,000 points."

A professional approach. Clearly, this wasn't their first time making a deal like this.

Ayanokoji didn't reply right away. He closed the chat window and checked the system's quest panel instead.

He needed more information.

His phone screen lit up with a message from Kei Karuizawa: "Are you asleep?"

"Not yet."

"Kushida's acting kind of weird." Karuizawa typed quickly. "After the celebration, she was on the phone alone in the dorm hallway for a long time. I 'accidentally' walked by and heard her say, 'I've almost finished collecting the information' and 'We can make our move next week.'"

Next week. The start of a new week, right after the Sports Festival ended.

It was also when the Special Exam might be announced.

"Do you know who she was talking to?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Couldn't hear. But she mentioned 'a friend in Class C.'"

A friend in Class C. Either Shiho Manabe or someone else Kushida knew.

"Also," Karuizawa continued, "after she went back to her room, I used an excuse to visit her. I saw her computer had our class contact list open, and a few names were marked in red."

"Who?"

"Me, Horikita, you, and..." Karuizawa paused. "Airi Sakura."

Sakura. The introverted photography enthusiast who'd been injured when Class A collided with her during the Sports Festival. What made her worth marking in particular?

"Got it. Thanks," Ayanokoji replied. "Be careful, too."

"You too," Karuizawa said at last. "Ayanokoji, I'm... a little worried."

The conversation ended.

Ayanokoji leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His mind began sorting through the clues like a precision computer:

Shiho Manabe was dealing with Masayoshi Hashimoto → the deal might involve information or private records about Class C → Hashimoto represented Class A → Arisu Sakayanagi of Class A was gathering everyone's weaknesses.

Kikyo Kushida was collecting dirt on people in Class D → she was in contact with her "friend" in Class C → she planned to "make her move next week" → her targets were Karuizawa, Horikita, Sakura, and him.

Ryuen Kakeru was collecting private information on "certain girls" → Manabe had once been one of Ryuen's subordinates → Manabe was now privately dealing with Class A → did Ryuen know?

Several clues converged at a single point.

He opened his eyes, brought up his phone's contacts, and found a name:

Mio Ibuki.

The call was answered after three rings, but the other person said nothing.

"It's me," Ayanokoji said.

"...I know." Ibuki's voice was low, with the wind audible in the background. She seemed to be outside. "What is it?"

"About Shiho Manabe. I need to know what she's been doing since Ryuen put her in her place in Class C."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

"You want to know why she betrayed Ryuen?" Ibuki asked.

"Not just that. I want to know what she's selling, who's buying, and what she plans to do next."

The wind grew louder. Ibuki seemed to be moving. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice even lower. "I'm on the roof. It's easier to talk here."

"Manabe's always hated Ryuen. Before the Sports Festival, Ryuen ordered her to poison Class B's drinking water, and she did it. But when it came out, Ryuen slapped her in front of the whole class and said she 'couldn't even handle something that simple.'" There was a hint of scorn in Ibuki's voice. "Manabe's the kind of girl with a lot of pride. She used to lead a group in middle school, too. She was used to people looking up to her."

"So she started secretly collecting dirt on Ryuen?"

"Not just Ryuen," Ibuki said. "She's collecting dirt on everyone—Class C, the other classes, especially people with a 'special past.' Before I left Class C, I heard her say when she was drunk that she was going to build up enough 'capital' to either overthrow Ryuen or switch to another class."

Was selling it to Class A her plan?

"I'm not sure." Ibuki paused. "But I know she's suddenly had a lot more money lately. Last week she bought a new designer bag. It must've cost at least thirty thousand points. Where'd she get the money?"

Thirty thousand points. That was a fortune for an ordinary student. Unless there'd been a large-scale transfer of points, or...

"Blackmail," Ayanokoji said.

"Very likely," Ibuki agreed. "But I don't know who her specific targets are. Manabe's careful. She won't leave evidence behind."

"What about Kikyo Kushida? Is she connected to Manabe?"

This time, Ibuki's silence lasted longer.

"She is," she finally admitted. "I've seen them meeting privately at a cafe at least twice. But I don't know what they were talking about. Manabe described Kushida as 'one of us, but much more dangerous than she looks.'"

One of us. That was a revealing choice of words.

"One last question," Ayanokoji said. "If you were Manabe, and you had a file full of dirt that could threaten key people in multiple classes, how would you use it?"

Ibuki thought for a moment. "I wouldn't sell it all at once. That'd be stupid. I'd sell it in batches, or... find a buyer who'd pay the most, but demand a share of their future earnings."

"So she might just be 'testing the waters' right now?"

"Most likely," Ibuki said. "So whatever she's sold might just be 'samples.' She's probably still holding on to the real stuff."

After ending the call, Ayanokoji looked out the window.

The campus was silent in the dead of night, but countless undercurrents were stirring beneath that quiet.

Manabe held a trove of dirt, waiting for the right price.

Kushida gathered information, preparing to strike.

Ryuen plotted his revenge, his methods unknown.

Sakayanagi arranged her pieces, waiting for the right moment to play them.

And he, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, stood at the intersection of all those undercurrents.

[ Ding! Side Quest "Hidden Transaction" progress updated! ]

[ Current progress: 30% ]

[ Discovered: Shiho Manabe resented Ryuen after being humiliated by him and was collecting dirt on various people as "capital." Her deal with Masayoshi Hashimoto of Class A might involve "sample"-level information. She is connected to Kikyo Kushida, but her purpose is unknown. ]

[ Milestone reward obtained: Intelligence Network Lead +1. You may designate one target to investigate for recent secret activities. (Note: This lead may fail or the target may notice.) ]

The system notification came at just the right moment.

Ayanokoji used the lead without hesitation.

Target: Kikyo Kushida.

A brief report appeared on the screen:

[ Target: Kikyo Kushida (Class D) ]

[ Recent suspicious activity: Accessed an anonymous forum late at night for three consecutive days under the account "Angel_K." Over the past week, this account exchanged private messages with users at three different IP addresses. The conversations involved the keywords "photo deals," "past records," and "class transfer procedures." Last login: today at 23:07 (about ten minutes ago). ]

[ Related discovery: One of the IP addresses belonged to the Class C girls' dormitory area and matched a device regularly used by Shiho Manabe. Another IP address was traced to the staff office building, but its specific user is unknown. The third IP address was heavily encrypted and could not be traced. ]

Photo deals. Past records. Class transfer procedures.

Those three keywords connected to form a clear conspiracy: Kushida was gathering private photos or incriminating records about her classmates, possibly for blackmail—or... to prepare to switch classes?

If she defected to another class with Class D's dirt in hand, it would undoubtedly deal a devastating blow to Class D.

Ayanokoji closed the report and checked the time: 11:40 p.m.

He made his decision.

The next day at noon, School Cafe.

Honami Ichinose had arrived ten minutes early. She'd chosen a seat in the far corner, with a latte in front of her that she'd barely touched.

When Ayanokoji appeared, she visibly relaxed, but the worry in her eyes remained.

"Sorry for asking you to meet so suddenly," Ichinose said. "But there are some things... I don't think we can put them off any longer."