The first few minutes of 5th period passed quietly.
The history teacher didn't come back.
Instead, a substitute—a younger woman with her hair in a loose bun—stepped in with a printed worksheet and zero energy. "Self-study today," she said, slapping the paper stack onto the front desk. "Don't talk. I'm grading papers."
No one listened.
Papers passed halfway through the room before getting abandoned. Marin and Ichika whispered behind cupped hands. Miku scribbled notes out of habit. Nino had earbuds in.
Gabe barely moved.
Across the room, Miko Iino was watching him.
She wasn't in his class. Not officially. But she was sitting in on this "free period," apparently to "monitor behavior."
Which meant: watching him.
She sat two rows diagonally from his seat, notebook on her lap, pen barely moving. Her eyes kept flicking to him every thirty seconds.
Not hostility. Not suspicion, even. Just… scrutiny.
Like she was trying to figure out what was off.
He kept his breathing steady and didn't look directly at her. But he noted it anyway.
[Observation: User is being monitored.]
[Cloaking mode: Passive. Stealth modifiers remain active until System unlock.]
He didn't like that second line.
At the next break, Gabe was up before anyone else. He slipped his notebook under his arm and casually exited the classroom before Miko could stand.
He didn't go far.
Just two doors down—Storage Room 2-F. Normally locked. Not today.
He glanced around. Empty hallway.
Then stepped inside.
It was dim, dusty, and full of cleaning carts and sports equipment. Shelves lined the walls—first-aid kits, broken fans, unused gym mats.
He reached into his blazer and pulled out one of the items he'd "bought" earlier in the morning.
(AN: From Starter Kit)
[Utility Set: Tactical belt, retractable crowbar, mini medical kit]
[STATUS: Pre-Deployment Only | Hidden Inventory Slot: Active]
He pulled open a gym mat, slid the kit beneath it, and pressed it flat.
[Quick Cache: Created]
Good. If he needed supplies fast and couldn't access the full System, he'd have something on hand.
He exited the room quietly and headed back.
Halfway down the hall—
"THERE you are!"
Chika Fujiwara bounded around the corner like she was chasing her own thoughts.
"You can't just wander off during break without a snack partner! What if I got lost in the vending machine zone, huh? Ever think of that?"
Gabriel blinked. "No."
"Well, think faster next time!"
She leaned in closer. "Also, Miko's been watching you like a cat watching a laser pointer. You do something weird or is your face just naturally mysterious?"
"…The second one."
Chika smiled wide. "Good answer!"
Then she clapped her hands together, spun around, and skipped off like her job was done.
Behind her, Miko appeared—arms crossed, scowling, watching Gabe retreat back into class like she didn't trust any of this.
[Countdown: 00:43:12]
- - - - - -
The whisper didn't spread like wildfire.
It spread like a cold draft under a locked door—slow, quiet, easy to miss unless you were already listening.
Gabe was always listening.
"—didn't show up after lunch."
"Seriously? I thought he just switched schools or something."
"No, he left campus. They said he was going to the Family Mart near the bus stop—like, twenty minutes ago."
"And just didn't come back?"
"They're saying it was a car accident."
"No, I heard he called the office saying he was sick."
"That's weird, though. He looked totally fine this morning."
Mr. Adachi.
Science teacher. Mid-30s. Normal voice. Weak presence.
Gabe remembered him vaguely from a hallway briefing during homeroom.
Gone.
Gabe leaned back in his seat, folding his arms, eyes drifting to the window as if he were dozing. But he was reading something the others couldn't see.
[System Input: Location Search - Adachi, Keiji]
[Parameters: Last Known GPS Signal / Fujimi City Grid]
The scan ran in silence. He felt a pulse of artificial focus ripple through his vision. A faint flicker on the corner of the glass pane. Data populating behind the glass.
A red dot blinked about six blocks east of Fujimi Academy.
Then it flickered and grayed out.
[Signal Lost. Approx. Location: Alley Behind Family Mart, Higashi Bus Stop]
[No Movement. No Broadcast. Heat Signature: Cold]
[Status: Likely Deceased]
Another alert blinked underneath it.
[Local Threat Level: Escalating]
[Unregistered Movement Detected – 3 Signatures]
Three.
Not police.
Not civilians.
No names attached.
Just "moving," slowly, inside the gray zone.
[Drone Deployment Slot: Available]
[Deploy Scout Drone Y/N?]
(AN: Drone got from Starter Kit.)
Gabe answered silently.
Yes.
The System hummed in the background as it launched a small, invisible drone from storage inventory. He wouldn't even see it with the naked eye. But he could feel it—somewhere nearby, breaking through the skyline, heading toward the edge of town.
"Hey, transfer guy."
The voice was sharp. Unfriendly.
Gabe looked up.
One of the male students, from the back of the room—someone who hadn't said a word to him all day—was now staring at him with narrowed eyes.
"You okay?"
Gabriel stared back.
"I'm fine."
"You looked spaced out. Thought you were sleeping with your eyes open."
Gabe didn't respond. He didn't need to.
The guy shrugged and turned back to his notebook. Conversation over.
But the other students had heard it. Now they were looking too.
Just a few. Nothing overt. Just a flicker of awareness.
Gabe returned to staring out the window as if it meant nothing.
[Drone ETA: 00:03:17]
[Countdown: 00:37:09]
He tapped his finger against the desk once.
In less than three minutes, he'd know what happened to Mr. Adachi.
He already knew it wouldn't be good.