Chapter XCIX: Backburner
Kota wakes up early, the morning light filtering through his bedroom window. His phone buzzes on the bedside table, but when he picks it up, something seems off. Messages that weren't there before appear on his screen—strange notifications, unfamiliar logins. He immediately tries to message Akiko, but to his shock, his Messenger app crashes repeatedly.
"Crap," he mutters, a wave of unease washing over him.
He attempts to open other apps, but they seem compromised too. Panicking, he dials Akiko instead. The phone rings twice before she answers.
"Kota?" Her voice is comforting, yet concerned. "What's wrong?"
"I think my phone's been hacked," he explains quickly.
"Something weird's going on, and I can't even chat you properly."
There's a brief pause on the other end before Akiko responds.
"Meet me at our usual spot. I'll see what's up."
By the time Kota arrives at their favorite fast food restaurant, Akiko has already ordered their snacks. She's sitting at a booth by the window, a tray of fries and drinks in front of her.
"Here," she says, handing him a soda.
"Let me see your phone."
Kota passes it over, still tense. Akiko examines the device carefully, scrolling through various apps and settings.
"It definitely looks like someone got in," she says after a few moments, her brow furrowed.
"Great," Kota sighs, his anxiety building. "What do I do now?"
"We need a computer geek for this kind of thing," Akiko says, her eyes lighting up as she gets an idea.
"And I think we know just the person."
Within half an hour, Asahi arrives at the restaurant, laptop in hand, with Natsuki following closely behind. Natsuki waves and heads to the counter to order drinks, while Asahi slides into the booth next to Akiko and Kota, already setting up his laptop.
"Alright, Kota," Asahi says confidently.
"Let me see what's going on with your phone."
Asahi taps away on the device, his eyes scanning through various code entries. After a few minutes, his face turns serious.
"It's not just your Messenger, dude. Whoever hacked you got into your Accord and YourBook accounts too."
Kota feels a wave of dread wash over him.
"What? How?"
"I'm not sure yet, but they left a trail," Asahi explains, still working. "Let me try something."
From across the restaurant, two figures sit in the corner, trying to remain unnoticed. Tengen and Hanako, disguised under hats and sunglasses, exchange glances as they watch Kota and his friends from afar.
"Do you think this will work?" Hanako whispers, her voice barely audible.
"The mysterious chat head said to start with the hack."
Tengen narrows his eyes, staring at Asahi's laptop from a distance.
"We'll see. But we need to be ready for what comes next."
Back at the table, Asahi's fingers fly over his keyboard. He suddenly pauses, a small grin forming on his face.
"Got it," he says triumphantly. "Whoever hacked you left a digital fingerprint. Code: 051723."
Kota and Akiko exchange confused looks.
"What does that mean?" Akiko asks.
Asahi smirks.
"It means I can hack them back."
He opens his laptop, typing more commands as Natsuki returns to the table with their drinks. Kota and Akiko lean forward in anticipation.
After a few minutes, Asahi leans back in his seat, a satisfied look on his face.
"Done. Whoever they are, they're locked out now."
Kota lets out a relieved breath.
"Man, thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Akiko smiles, giving Kota's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"I knew we could count on Asahi."
The group cheers quietly, grateful for Asahi's tech skills. They all start chatting about memes and other lighthearted topics, the tension from earlier finally lifting.
Across the restaurant, Tengen's phone buzzes. He looks down and sees a message from the mysterious chat head.
"The hack has been neutralized. Prepare to move to Operation: Chalk and Cheese."
Tengen's expression hardens as he shows Hanako the message.
"It's time. Let's initiate the next phase."
Hanako nods, her eyes focused.
"This will make things even more difficult for Kota. Let's see how he handles what's coming next."
As the gang exits the fast food restaurant, laughter and light conversation fill the air. Kota, Akiko, Asahi, and Natsuki are in high spirits after their small victory over the hacker, unaware of the silent sabotage just a few steps behind them.
Tengen and Hanako, lurking close by in their disguises, place thumbtacks across the rug near the restaurant door.
"This'll slow them down," Tengen mutters under his breath, smirking as they step away from the trap.
But as the group leaves the restaurant, each of them casually walks over the thumbtacks without even noticing—leather shoes protecting them from harm. Tengen watches, dumbfounded, as his plan fails spectacularly.
"Damn it," he curses under his breath, his frustration growing.
Just as he starts to think of another plan, someone taps his shoulder. He turns around to see a stern-looking restaurant staff member glaring at him. The man's eyes narrow in suspicion, and Tengen quickly mumbles something incoherent before walking away with Hanako, trying not to draw more attention.
As the gang reaches the park, enjoying the fresh air and relaxing atmosphere, something odd happens again—this time to Akiko's phone. She looks down, frowning, as her Messenger app begins glitching.
"Not again," Akiko sighs, showing her phone to the group.
Asahi is quick to act, pulling out his laptop once more.
"Let me see that," he says, typing away. Within a few minutes, he fixes the issue, but his expression is more serious now.
"This is strange," Asahi mutters.
"It's the same hacker. Same code, '051723.' This guy just doesn't give up."
Meanwhile, from a distance, Tengen and Hanako observe the group, trying to stay hidden behind a tree. They receive another message from the mysterious chat head.
"You failed again. Prepare to initiate Operation: Chalk and Cheese—this time, no mistakes."
Tengen clenches his fists, his frustration growing.
"We can't keep messing this up," he whispers to Hanako.
"We need to be more careful."
Just as they decide to leave, Hanako's skirt gets caught on a tree branch. She tugs at it, trying to free herself, but her efforts only draw attention.
"Hey, look over there!" Asahi says, noticing the movement by the tree.
Kota, Akiko, and Natsuki all turn to see the two figures struggling. Without hesitation, they begin to approach.
Panic rises in Tengen's chest. "We need to go, now!" he hisses at Hanako, who finally frees her skirt from the branch. The two of them sprint off, ducking into a nearby alleyway just as the gang starts closing in.
"We almost had them," Kota pants, frustration in his voice as they stop at the entrance to the alley.
Akiko shakes her head, slightly out of breath.
"Who were they? Do you think they were watching us?"
Asahi narrows his eyes at the empty alley.
"Whoever they were, they're connected to this hacker. I'm sure of it."
In the alley, Tengen and Hanako take a moment to catch their breath. Hanako checks her phone, a new message flashing from the mysterious chat head.
"You need to be more discreet. You're getting too close to being discovered."
Tengen scowls.
"We were just unlucky. But we'll do better next time."
As the sun sets, the gang decides to let the incident slide for now, opting to enjoy the rest of their day. They head to their usual hangout spot, laughing and joking to shake off the tension. However, the mysterious hacker remains at the back of their minds, and the shadow of Operation: Chalk and Cheese looms ever closer.