Chapter 66: Side Story - Faction C’s Strategy

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Side Story - Faction C’s Strategy

Nanami’s monologue, POV

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?"If it really is physical..." He swallowed. "...what kind of equipment would you recommend?"

?Hayama smiled. "Something that can take a hit."

?"Seriously?" Kinko’s eyes widened slightly.

?"Obviously bro"

?"Like protective clothing?"

?"Something like that." Hayama walked away. Kinko remained beside the vending machine.

?He didn’t follow or ask another question. And yeah, for obvious reasons, he didn’t even look particularly satisfied.

?That was important; the conversation wasn’t supposed to produce everything.

?Slowly, Kinko shifted toward the cam. He walked casually, dropping a pen to the floor next to it, then picked up both the cam and the pen.

?The next morning, I received a message from Kinko on Discord.

?Kinko-kun: Hayama confirmed they are preparing for physical confrontation. He didn’t give details.

?I read it once, then deleted the message. Not because I was worried about the information being discovered, but because the less unnecessary information that existed, the better.

?After class.

?The afternoon sun cast long, amber shadows across the courtyard of the advanced tertiary institute. As the final lecture bell echoed through the halls, students began streaming out of the academic buildings, filling the air with the low hum of chatter, rustling paper, and footsteps.

?I neatly packed my notebook into my bag, aligning the edges with practiced precision. My posture was relaxed, my expression wearing the familiar, gentle warmth that Class B had come to rely on over the past year.

?I slung my bag over my shoulder and pulled out my phone, tapping screen notifications with casual interest. Hidden among the mundane updates—a reminder for a group study session and a message from a classmate asking about homework—was a short, unformatted text file sent through a temporary link.

?Moses: Target identified. Connections to Shion confirmed. Junpei. First-year, General Studies. Regularly frequents the west wing library and the central campus cafe between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

?The message was a bit too formal; we are classmates, I thought while reading through.

?I didn’t have plans on meeting up with Kinko and Reina.

?Not to mention Rin, Aiko, and Yui 1-2B (first year, class 2-B).

?I let my thumb sweep across the screen, closing the app as the link self-terminated. My face didn’t shift. Not a muscle tightened; my smile remained soft and inviting. Yet inside, the endless data matrices I maintained began to shift, realigning themselves around this single reference point. Shion had been an elusive element for weeks, keeping her distance behind layers of passive proxy networks.

?Junpei was the thread that could pull that structure apart.

?I adjusted the strap of my bag and walked toward the central exit of the main building.

?The strategy required absolute restraint. Direct inquiry or abrupt confrontation would immediately raise suspicion and alert Shion. To pull Junpei into my orbit, the foundation had to be natural, quiet, and completely believable.

?Well, from my own perspective, it should.

?As I stepped through the double doors onto the wide stone terrace overlooking the central courtyard, I caught sight of him.

?Junpei was leaning against the concrete balustrade near the bottom of the stairs, casually scrolling on his phone while waiting for someone.

?I adjusted my stride, maintaining a natural, relaxed pace as I descended the steps. I stayed engaged in my own space, appearing entirely focused on descending the stairs safely while keeping my expression open.

?When I reached the third step from the bottom, I turned my head slightly to look toward the courtyard paths and allowed my gaze to brush directly across his.

?Our eyes met.

?I didn’t freeze, nor did I quickly look away like someone caught staring. I simply held his gaze for two brief seconds, letting a tiny, warm curl form at the corner of my lips—a completely polite, harmless recognition of another human sharing the same space—before casually shifting my eyes forward to track my path.

?It was just enough.

?I noticed him biting his lip, maybe to keep it wet.

?Two days later, the afternoon light filtered softly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the central campus coffee shop. The space smelled of freshly ground espresso beans, warm pastries, and old paper.

?I sat at a round wooden table positioned along the perimeter of the main seating area.

?Beside me were two of my classmates from Class 2-B, Yuka and Hina.

?Yuka was a loud but stylish person, with sharp, light blue eyes and a wolf-cut hairstyle. Her nails were long and painted black.

?While on the other hand, Hina was the opposite; she was well-dressed, her pink-like eyes glowing. Her hime hairstyle was a massive contrast to Yuka’s.

?I wanted Reina to accompany me, but she seemed busy with something else.

?Scattered across the table were textbooks, highlighters, and two half-empty iced lattes.

?Junpei was seated three tables away, positioned near the quiet study nook with a laptop open and an unread textbook laid beside it.

?I sat directly in his line of sight, but my entire posture radiated complete detachment from his presence. I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hand while listening to Yuka recount a minor disaster involving a mixed-up lab assignment.

?"I swear, Mr. Yamaguchi didn’t even look at the cover page!" Yuka groaned, dropping her head onto the table with a soft thud. "He just saw the formatting and assumed it was mine!"

?More like he did it on purpose; I haven’t met him in person, but anytime the girls talk about him, he’s just trouble.

?I let out a soft, genuine laugh, my eyes brightening. "You did submit it three minutes before the deadline, Yuka. He probably thought it was a draft."

?"It wasn’t a draft! It was a masterpiece of desperation!"

?Hina giggled, taking a sip of her tea. "Nanami’s right. Next time, finish it the night before like a normal human being."

?"Easy for you two to say. You both have your lives completely organized," Yuka grumbled, though a smile cracked through her frustration.

?I reached across the table, gently turning Yuka’s notebook right-side up. "Here. Let’s go over section three together. If we finish this part now, you won’t have to worry about it over the weekend."

?"Nanami, you’re an angel," Yuka sighed, slumping back into her chair with a dramatically relieved expression.

?Throughout the hour, I remained entirely engrossed in my companions. I plugged in my wireless earbuds for a few minutes while reviewing a recorded lecture, nodding slightly to the rhythm of the audio.

?I shared a pastry with Hina, adjusted her hair behind her ear, and pointed out errors in Yuka’s notes with patient clarity.

?Hina’s reactions towards my gestures were somewhat interesting; she had this embarrassed reaction when we occasionally touched.

?I never once looked toward Junpei’s table.

?I didn’t need to. From the subtle shifts in my peripheral vision, I noted the moment his eyes drifted up from his laptop screen, held on my table for a few seconds, and then returned to his work. The repetition was creating a familiar texture.

?To him, I was not an anomaly or a threat, but simply a warm, vibrant presence that consistently existed within his everyday environment.

?By Friday afternoon, the humidity had lifted, leaving behind a crisp, cool autumn breeze that rustled the trees lining the main plaza. The campus courtyard was crowded with students lingering after the final classes of the week.

?I walked alongside Hina, carrying a small canvas bag filled with library references.

?We were walking toward the main gates, chatting idly about weekend plans.

?"Are you going to the Class B gathering on Saturday?" Hina asked, swinging her keychain around her finger. "Everyone’s saying we should get dinner together near the station."

?"I’ll definitely try to make it," I replied, my voice calm and pleasant. "I have a few notes to clean up for the student council report, but I should be done by six."

?"Great! It’s always more fun when you’re there. You keep everyone from arguing about where to eat."

?I smiled gently. "I just prefer we actually eat rather than spend an hour debating between sushi and ramen."

?As we crossed the open paved area near the fountain, I caught sight of Junpei coming from the opposite direction, carrying a bag and walking alone toward the cafeteria wing.

?Our paths were set to cross with roughly ten feet between us.

?I didn’t alter my step. I kept my conversation with Hina flowing smoothly, my posture light and unbothered. As Junpei came parallel to us, I paused mid-sentence, shifting my gaze naturally in his direction as if simply taking in the surrounding crowd.

?My eyes met his once more.

?This time, I held the eye contact for a clear, deliberate beat—one second, two seconds. The subtle, quiet smile returned to my lips, soft and completely unforced, as if quietly acknowledging a familiar face in a sea of strangers.

?Then, effortlessly, my eyes glided past him, returning to Hina without a single break in my cadence.

?"—so if we pick the restaurant ahead of time, we can just reserve the table by Friday night," I finished seamlessly, continuing my walk toward the gates without looking back.

?Behind me, I felt the subtle pause in his footsteps—a momentary break in his stride before he resumed walking. The connection was established. The seed had taken root in the quiet rhythm of his routine.

?The next morning, Reina sat beside me during breakfast. "So?"

?"Kinko got the reactions we expected," I replied.

?"Did he learn what they’re buying?"

?"No, it would seem they are keeping that info really close to their chest"

?Reina looked disappointed. "Then what did we learn?"

?"That they’re willing to talk about it." Kinko replied, walking up to us. He seemed tired. I’m guessing he didn’t sleep last night—playing games?

?I took a sip of tea. "That’s enough."

?Reina frowned. "I don’t understand. What do you mean ’that’s enough’? We didn’t learn anything useful at all"

?"You don’t need someone to tell you everything." I looked toward the cafeteria entrance. "For now, i only need you to make them start talking."

?The opportunity came that afternoon. The academic corridor outside the main lecture rooms was crowded. Students from several factions were moving between classes. The security cameras were almost impossible to notice unless someone deliberately searched for them.

?Nobody did. Or so they appeared, but everyone was conscious of their surroundings and the Lex Veritas Protocol.

?Kinko was standing near a group from Faction C. Hayama was there again. So were two others.

?Kinko looked nervous. "You really think protective equipment is necessary?"

?Hayama laughed. "You should have started preparing days ago. Haven’t we have this discussion before?"

?"i know but, I don’t even know what they’re expecting us to do."

?"i guess i understand why you are worried but nobody does."

?"Then how are you so confident? You don’t seem to be panicking in the slightest" Kinko asked, confused.

?Hayama folded his arms.

?"Because C isn’t going to walk into the test unprepared."

?Kinko looked at the others.

?"What did you guys get?" The question sounded innocent.

?Hayama answered before either of the others could.

?"Vests."

?"Vests?" Kinko blinked.

?"Protective ones." One of the others immediately looked at Hayama.

?Hayama shrugged. "What? It’s not classified."

?Kinko hesitated. "Kevlar?"

?Hayama gave him a strange look. "Why would you need Kevlar?"

?"I don’t know. I thought if it was combat—" Kinko immediately looked embarrassed.

?"Kevlar is too restrictive," the second student interrupted.

?"Impact plates are more useful."

?Silence. Hayama slowly looked at him, and the student realized his mistake.

?"What?" Hayama muttered.

?"You just said impact plates." Kinko pointed out.

?"So?"

?Hayama stared at him for another second, then laughed. "Whatever."

?Kinko lowered his eyes. He looked almost relieved. "So you’re actually preparing armor."

?Hayama answered quickly. "We’re preparing protection. That’s different."

?Kinko nodded. "Right."

?He didn’t push. That was when one of the students made the mistake both I and Kinko had been waiting for.

?"You don’t need to worry about it anyway. We have enough."

?Kinko looked up. "Enough?"

?"Yeah."

?"Wait so for everyone?"

?The student nodded. "We’ve got enough plates for—" He stopped.

?Hayama’s expression hardened. "Don’t."

?The student immediately went silent.

?Kinko smiled awkwardly.

?"Sorry."

?Then he looked toward the classroom doors.

?"Actually, we’re going to be late," the student muttered, quietly separating themselves from Kinko.

?He walked away and didn’t look back either.

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"No mortal can keep a secret. If the lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore."

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