Chapter 156: The Infiltrator!
Shionomiya Amane left.
The moment he learned Alice was also coming over, he hurriedly pulled an elegant autograph board from his bag.
After asking Ikki to sign it, Amane quickly left the restaurant.
Watching his retreating figure, Ikki fell slightly silent.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
Shizuku noticed something unusual about Ikki and asked him about it.
"No... It's nothing..."
"For some reason, I just can't seem to like Amane very much."
Even Ikki could not understand where the agitation in his chest came from.
Amane was cute and had displayed a strong sense of justice.
He was also extremely respectful toward Ikki.
In the past, Ikki would have been delighted if someone treated him this way.
Yet with Amane alone, he simply could not bring himself to like him.
In fact, Ikki constantly felt that Amane harbored some kind of "malice" toward him.
Because of that, Ikki remained completely unmoved by Amane's enthusiasm.
Even the smiles he showed the other boy had been forced out through sheer effort.
That strange feeling clung to Ikki's heart like chewing gum, impossible to shake off and deeply uncomfortable.
"If you can't figure it out, then don't bother thinking about it. Just trust what your heart is telling you."
Shiro spoke while looking at a message that had just arrived on his student handbook.
"Besides, someone is coming to answer that question for us."
As he spoke, he turned toward Alice, who was quickly approaching the restaurant entrance.
"Isn't that right, Alice?"
The fragrance unique to fried food filled the surrounding air.
Outside the window, children who had finished school laughed and played together.
As the number of customers inside the restaurant gradually decreased, the atmosphere around their table became increasingly strange.
The source was Shiro's sudden question—And Alice, whose footsteps stopped as the smile froze upon his face.
"Alice knows that Shionomiya Amane?"
Shizuku was the first to break the strange silence.
Over the past few months, nearly all of Alice's activities had involved either her or Ikki.
Shizuku genuinely could not imagine how Alice could be connected to the boy who had just left.
"I suppose you could say I know him..."
"Donrou Academy, Tatara Yui."
"Kyomon Academy, Shionomiya Amane."
"Rokuzon Academy, Sara Bloodlily."
"Bunkyoku Academy, Hiraga Reisen."
"Rentei Academy, Kazamatsuri Rinna."
"Bukyoku Academy, Kurogane Ouma."
Before Alice could explain, Shiro began reading the information on his student handbook one name at a time, like a judge announcing a criminal's charges.
"And finally, Hagun Academy—Arisuin Nagi."
"Alice, can you tell me what you infiltrators plan to accomplish by entering all seven academies?"
After reading the final name, Shiro stared directly at Alice's bitter expression.
At the same time, he summoned his Device and pointed it at Alice's neck, preventing him from suddenly fleeing now that his identity had been exposed.
Shiro had already used his ability to disperse most of the surrounding customers.
Even if a fight broke out inside the restaurant, it would not matter much.
At worst, he would have to write an apology afterward.
More importantly, Shiro wanted to know what the founder of [Japan National Akatsuki Academy], mentioned in the information Kagami sent him, was truly planning.
Shiro had originally assumed that one of the seven academies had planted infiltrators in the others to gather information about their Festival representatives.
That was why he had not immediately confronted Alice after discovering that he was an infiltrator.
However, Kagami's information revealed that a newly established school called Japan National Akatsuki Academy had also entered the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.
And every infiltrator among the seven academies' representatives happened to be a student of Akatsuki Academy.
In other words, without anyone realizing it, someone had secretly established an academy and dispatched its students to infiltrate all seven schools.
Judging from the fact that this person could directly arrange for Akatsuki Academy to participate in the Festival, they likely possessed considerable power and influence.
Who was that person?
Why had they created Akatsuki Academy?
The answers could only come from the man before them, who had deceived them for several months.
"Alice?"
Even after learning that Alice might be an infiltrator planted inside Hagun, Shizuku maintained her usual calm expression as she waited for his explanation.
Only the slight trembling in her pupils betrayed the unrest within her heart.
Over the past few months, aside from Ikki, Shizuku had become closer to Alice than anyone else.
If there was one person who fulfilled Shizuku's image of what an "older sister" should be, it was unquestionably Alice.
She did not believe the emotions Alice had unintentionally revealed during their time together were fake.
If even those feelings were false, then nothing in this world could be considered real.
Yet in Shizuku's experience, Shiro never lied about matters like this.
If he was making such an accusation, it almost certainly meant he had already found evidence.
Both sides were companions she normally trusted.
Yet one was now calling the other a traitor.
So Shizuku wanted to hear Alice's answer directly.
As time passed, Alice remained silent.
The atmosphere gradually became increasingly tense.
"Um... Shiro, put the sword down first. Let's hear what Alice has to say..."
Seeing the situation worsening, Ikki hurriedly tried to mediate while repeatedly signaling Alice with his eyes.
"My, my~ I never expected my identity to be exposed at a time like this..."
However, Alice did not accept Ikki's attempt to help him.
After thinking for a moment, he openly admitted the truth.
He was indeed an infiltrator.
"Alice?!"
To Alice's own surprise, the moment he admitted it, his heart did not feel nearly as heavy as he had expected.
Instead, it felt as though a massive stone he had carried for a long time had finally been removed.
"I'm sorry, Shizuku."
"I know it may already be too late to say this."
"It's true that I approached all of you with an ulterior motive, but the feelings I developed while spending time with you were absolutely genuine."
Alice first showed Shizuku his usual smile and apologized.
Then he solemnly bowed deeply toward Shiro and the others.
He knew that from the moment he admitted being an infiltrator, Shizuku would probably never look at him as an [older sister] again.
Through his past experiences, Alice had gradually learned one lesson.
Only the strong could take everything.
The weak could only lose everything.
However, during these past few months, his time with Shizuku and the others had forced him to constantly reconsider that belief.
Did he truly want to destroy Ikki and the others' dreams?
Could he really take away, without hesitation, a girl who shone so brilliantly even within this utterly absurd world?
The instant Alice admitted he was an infiltrator, he finally understood.
Just this once—He did not want to stand on the side of the strong and rob the girl who had treated him like an older sister.
"I know asking you to continue trusting me after learning I'm a traitor is difficult."
"But even so, I'm begging all of you to believe what I'm about to say."
At that moment, not the slightest trace of hesitation remained in Alice's voice.
(PS: Sorry everyone, I don't usually share much about my personal life, but I'm currently facing a very difficult situation. As you may have heard, Nepal has been struck by a devastating flash flood. It's one of the worst disasters to hit the country since the 2015 earthquake. Unfortunately, I've also been directly affected, as I live here.
Because of this, I won't be active on Webnovel, Wat-tpad, or P-atreon for the time being. Thankfully, I had already scheduled uploads in advance for the next week or two, so you should still receive regular updates.
I'm posting this using my phone with an unstable connection, and I expect it will take me about a week to manage my personal affairs and reach the capital.
Thank you for your understanding, and goodbye for now—I'll be back in about a week, hopefully...)
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