After leaving First High School, Yunyi did not go straight home. He had received a communication-an encrypted message. Few people would use such a method to contact him, so it immediately caught his attention. The message contained little more than a time and a place, making it look like an encrypted invitation.
The time was 11:30 tonight, and the place was an abandoned factory on the outskirts.
The time, the place, and the method gave Yunyi some idea who had sent the encrypted message.
"Looks like the men they lost earlier have made those old geezers restless. Are they planning to come after me now, or do they have something else in mind?"
But whatever the people behind it wanted to do, Yunyi had no intention of ignoring them. He wanted to see what they were planning.
When he arrived at the abandoned factory on the outskirts, however, the person he found there took him by surprise.
"Oh? What a surprise. You actually left your 'safe house' to see me? What, are you done taking orders from that old black bug and ready to come over to the good side?"
"Second lieutenant, even if it's you, I can't tolerate an insult to that man."
"That's all right, that's all right. If you want to attack me, go right ahead. Let's see if the famous Mr. Zhou can teach me a lesson."
The young man half-hidden in the darkness looked somewhat displeased. He had little desire to deal with Yunyi, because the word "compatriot" was not enough to describe what Yunyi was to them. Perhaps "enemies" was a more fitting description of their relationship.
"Go on, then. What did you bring me here for? If it isn't important, I won't be happy." Yunyi dropped his teasing manner and looked seriously at the young man hiding in the darkness as he asked his question.
"Mr. Chen and Teacher Lü are preparing to carry out an operation in Japan. They learned that you're here too, second lieutenant, and hope they can have your support during the operation."
"Mr. Chen and Teacher Lü?" Yunyi repeated in some confusion.
He had already guessed who the two people were, but their operation in Japan...
After searching his memory, Yunyi understood. So they had started preparing this early for the attack in Yokohama? But in the original story, that operation had been dealt with by the show-off Tatsuya Shiba. Japan had retaliated for it, resulting in the deaths of the Tsushima Fortress garrison and the Union’s only publicly known Strategic-Class Magic user. And they wanted his support for an operation that was going to fail like that?
"Hmph!" Yunyi sneered. "Tell Captain Chen that while I'm undercover, he's forbidden from taking any action on his own that might affect my infiltration plan. If he dares to act recklessly without authorization, then he can't blame me for disregarding our ties as compatriots. Understood?"
As soon as Yunyi finished speaking, the young man opposite him reacted. Yunyi's attitude seemed to have angered him, and he appeared on the verge of making a move.
"What's this? You don't seem inclined to obey my orders, Mr. Zhou. Or do you think the men you've arranged can pose a threat to me? It doesn't matter. I give you permission to attack me however you like. As long as you have the guts, you can kill me here and no one will hold you responsible!" Yunyi said coldly.
He was utterly sick of the complicated relationships within the Union. If the man before him weren't still useful to him, he would have crippled him the moment they met!
"You've misunderstood, second lieutenant. I'll pass your orders on to Captain Chen. It's getting late, and I have to hurry back, so forgive me for not staying longer. Goodbye."
With that, the young man turned and walked into the darkness without waiting for Yunyi's reply.
After he left, the snipers lying in ambush in the shadows around them also withdrew one after another.
Yunyi looked into the darkness of the abandoned factory and couldn't help curling his lip. "I gave you a chance, and you still couldn't do a thing!"
The next day, in a classroom at First High School.
For once, Yunyi didn't sleep in class, causing Tatsuya Shiba and the others to glance at his seat from time to time. Yunyi felt somewhat helpless about it, until lunch break, when Erika Chiba finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "You actually didn't sleep today. Are you sick or something?"
Yunyi rolled his eyes in annoyance. If he really were sick, he would have taken time off and rested at home. Why would he bother coming to school? He couldn't sleep today entirely because he had been sleeping a little too much lately. If he kept it up, his body clock would be thrown out of whack.
Only after seeing that there was nothing wrong with Yunyi did Tatsuya Shiba and the others relax. After everyone said goodbye to one another, Yunyi and Tatsuya went to the Student Council room as usual.
But as soon as they entered the office, they sensed that the atmosphere was a little off. The reason seemed to lie with Mayumi Saegusa.
Yunyi and Tatsuya exchanged glances, then both looked at Miyuki Shiba.
Seeing the questioning looks they gave her, Miyuki only shook her head gently.
While the three stood at the door communicating with their eyes, Suzune Ichihara invited them to sit down. Meanwhile, Azusa Nakajo sent all three of them a message through her terminal.
"The president is in a bad mood today."
After receiving her warning, Yunyi and the other two nodded. But shortly after sitting down, Yunyi found himself in an awkward spot.
They came to the Student Council room during lunch break to eat, but the Shiba siblings had brought their own lunches, and everyone else's meals had long since been prepared. Yunyi alone had nothing on the table in front of him.
The others naturally noticed his awkward situation, but with Mayumi looking so displeased, none of them spoke up.
With no other choice, Yunyi gave up on getting a free meal. He took out his CAD and began fiddling with it under everyone's gaze.
When Tatsuya saw the CAD in Yunyi's hand, his pupils trembled slightly. When it came to knowledge of CADs, everyone else present combined might not know as much as he did alone. One glance was enough for him to recognize that this CAD was not a common model sold in Japan.
The CAD in Yunyi's hand was indeed no ordinary device. It was the latest model used by USNA personnel, obtained from America through unconventional means.
But in Yunyi's hands, the high-end device was a complete waste. He had no need to rely on the usual steps to construct an Activation Sequence when casting magic, so he naturally had no use for a CAD.
The one in his hand was only for appearances. Yunyi had taken it out now simply to pass the time.