As dusk settled, Morin drove his Bugatti Veyron along the winding mountain road. The meeting spot Mai Shiranui had chosen wasn't close, but it wasn't far either. At Morin's speed, it would take about an hour from Cassell College.
He already knew what Mai and her people were trying to do.
That didn't stop him from going.
Sometimes, you do one thing just to support another. For example-an alibi.
"Leggy, reporting in." Su's voice crackled through the channel. "Super Stud Number One has officially left for the rendezvous. Judging by that speed-holy crap, he's not braking at all. Does this guy really want to see you that badly?"
"Maybe you should just seduce him," Su added cheerfully. "Success rate looks high. If you pull it off, we get a walking nuke on our side. Anything in the way gets flattened."
"I'm already in tactical gear. On my bike. In position," Mai snapped. "Don't you think it's a bit late to suggest this now?"
"Fair point," Su said. "Then we need to recalculate his timing. He'll compress a two-hour drive into one. Give him thirty minutes for the date and another hour back. That gives you two and a half hours."
"If he makes it back, the mission's dead."
"That old fox of a Principal won't intervene personally. He'll treat you like live-fire training for the students. Unless someone starts slaughtering kids... or that dragon with a brother complex revives."
"Can't I just call him and say I'm late?" Mai suggested.
"First," Su said, "someone at his level probably gets priority alerts from the school. I'll try to jam it later, but if he gets notified mid-drive and turns back, we're finished."
"Second, with your acting skills, you're not outplaying him unless he's completely blinded by lust. Too unstable to rely on."
"Third, even if it works, he'll still trace it back to you. So you'll probably need to sell some 'charms' afterward."
"Anyway, we're the ones profiting. Win-win."
"Every word you say screams 'selling out your teammate,'" Mai snapped.
"Thank you," Su said, crunching chips. "Get ready. I'll watch your end. If things go bad, use the serum."
The dance floor was packed.
But the two at its center drew ninety percent of the attention.
The boy wore a suit. Calm posture. Straight back. A faint smile meant for only one person.
The girl looked like an ice queen. White dress, elegant lines, crystal heels lifting her petite frame. Proud. Clean. Untouchable.
They matched.
Everyone could see it.
Even Lanny felt it.
He didn't know how to dance. But under Zero's lead, he never missed a beat. Where to step. Where to place his hands. He didn't think.
It felt practiced.
As if the rhythm was already there.
The final notes approached.
Lanny raised his hand.
Zero didn't speak. They met eyes, and he knew.
He lifted her hand high.
As the music ended and other dancers stopped, Zero kept moving. She spun around his palm, skirt flying, crystal heels flashing silver. Her steps merged into a continuous rhythm.
The lights converged.
They fit.
Physique. Temperament. Movement.
If they had walked straight to a courthouse afterward, no one would have questioned it.
In that moment, everyone understood.
The S-rank was taken.
Unless someone could surpass Zero, there was no point trying.
The final string faded.
Lanny caught her hand. Zero completed a full rotation and lowered into a deep curtsy, facing him.
What do I do now? Lanny thought.
Kiss her hand?
Isn't that for married women?
Applause saved him.
Thunderous. Unrestrained.
Caesar clapped first. Nono stood beside him.
Lanny suddenly understood why the Big Boss hadn't shown up.
Maybe I should just find a way to take Caesar out.
The thought startled him.
At the same time, Caesar felt a chill.
It vanished instantly.
Instinctively, he scanned the room. Hunter's eyes searched for hostility but found nothing. Too many people.
He saw Lanny.
After a moment, he dismissed it.
No reason for conflict. Unless the kid wanted the Student Council Presidency before Caesar even graduated.
Unlikely.
From what Caesar had seen, Lanny preferred games in the dorm.
Or jogging with Zero.
That intel came from Finger's forum posts. Mostly trash, but with useful fragments buried inside.
Then phones rang.
One was nothing.
Five or six wasn't.
Then more.
Buzzing. Ringtones. Vibrations.
Everyone froze.
Students scrambled for their phones-some from very questionable hiding places.
Caesar answered his.
His face changed.
He gestured for silence and put it on speaker.
"...Please proceed to the windows and look toward the school gate," a deep, modulated voice said. "Guests have arrived. The host should welcome them."
Every phone carried the same voice.
The meaning was obvious.
They rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The wrought-iron gates stood shut.
Then-
An explosion.
Fire bloomed.
The gates twisted and flew apart, crashing down with a deafening impact.
Motorcycles roared in.
Figures in black tactical gear spread out, shooting every camera they passed.
Alarms erupted.
Campus lights flared on, turning night into day.
Norma's voice thundered from the speakers.
"Red Alert. Dragon Intrusion. Freshmen remain in dormitories. Students who have passed Battlefield Survival, report for weapons. Load Frigga rounds. Carry backup live ammo. Use Frigga rounds first. You are authorized to fire on unidentified targets."
"This is the beginning of the war," the voice on the phone laughed.
Then it disconnected.
Su stared at the screen as red spread across the map.
She'd known she was poking a hornet's nest.
But she'd planned for the big pieces.
Even so, the response speed and control of these "grunts" made her scalp prickle.
Her problem was manpower.
"This place is a fortress..." she sighed.
For the first time, she seriously considered recruiting Morin.
Maybe she really should just gift wrap Mai and send her over.
Mai wasn't young anymore. Marriage age. Chemistry was obvious.
If she had a nuke like Morin, she wouldn't need to work this hard.
Stressed, Su tore open another bag of chips.
Her mind raced.
Variables. Participants. Butterfly effects across future phases.
A task that would take a normal team months.
For her, minutes.
Heavenly Calculation had a price.
For Su, it was alcohol cravings.
She couldn't drink now.
So she ate chips instead.
"What happened? Dragon invasion?"
Professors Manstein and Guderian rushed into the Library Control Room.
Schneider stood at the command console. The map of Cassell College glowed on screen. Norma marked every camera, student, and defense line.
It looked like a max-level tower defense map.
Every route sealed.
Waiting for the enemy to walk in.
"Norma flagged it as a Dragon invasion," Schneider said. "I don't have clearance to know why, but we definitely have intruders."
He pulled up footage of the bikers.
"And I know what they're after."
"The Ice Cellar?" Guderian asked.
"Yes. From Operation Kui Gate, we recovered Norton's Bronze Jar. The Principal just emailed students saying he's back and taking attendance."
"That artifact would definitely be stored in the Ice Cellar," Manstein frowned. "That explains Norma's classification. Secure all access points."
"How many Execution Bureau members?" Guderian asked.
"Very few. Campus invasions have never happened. Most are out on missions," Schneider shook his head. "Our main defense is the students. Trial by fire."
He marked the Library, Valhalla, and the Chapel.
"The Library is safe under Norma. Caesar and Lanny lead the Student Council at Valhalla. Johann and Jo-"
"Norma," Schneider interrupted. "Has Morin checked in?"
"S-rank freshman Morin took leave one hour ago," Norma replied. "He is driving a Bugatti Veyron to a restaurant in a nearby town. Estimated round trip: two hours. Mountain signal interference prevents tracking. Shall I activate satellite positioning?"
"At a time like this?" Schneider stiffened. "Reason for leave?"
"Provided reason: a date."
Silence.
"With which student?" Guderian asked reflexively.
"Why does that matter?!" Schneider snapped. "And what are you wearing? Why are you in tactical gear with a nightcap?!"
"Oh-forgot," Guderian pulled it off. "Just curious who snagged this year's Heartthrob."
"Records show no other student took leave," Norma said.
"So it's not even a Cassell student?" Manstein grumbled. "Useless freshmen. Letting prime resources flow out-"
"Enough!" Schneider cut them off. "Contact Morin. Tell him... tell him to enjoy himself."
"Through your private number?" Norma asked.
"Yes."
"Double standards!" Guderian protested. "My student goes to war, yours goes on a date?"
"First, it's a two-hour round trip," Schneider said sharply. "If we can't handle a dozen intruders in two hours, we deserve to lose."
"Second, Morin hasn't taken practical combat. No obligation. Lanny volunteered."
Guderian froze.
It made sense.
And yet-
Favoritism.
"Message intercepted. Voice call attempted. Signal jammed," Norma reported. "Decryption time: five minutes."
Schneider's face darkened.
Intercepted.
So Morin being lured out was intentional.
A trap?
Targeting the S-rank?
"Use any channel. Make sure he's notified," Schneider ordered. "Everyone else-deploy."
Data flooded student phones.
Cassell moved as one.
At the same time, deep in the Ice Cellar's secret passage, a pool of water flowed as if alive. An invisible thread guided it upward, passing through barriers, stretching into the sky-
Connecting to the hand of a man humming softly while driving a Bugatti through the mountains.
The line had been cast.
A figure in black tactical gear swung between rooftops.
Despite full security activation, Norma ignored him completely.