Millennium Science School at night was different from how it was during the day.
The campus, usually filled with discussions about academic problems and the occasional harmless explosion, was now silent and still. But through the glass windows along the hallway, one could see countless tall buildings outside, each glowing with colorful neon lights that painted a quiet, bustling nightscape.
Was this the view Yuuka saw whenever she finished working overtime? I couldn't help but wonder.
"Sensei, the Veritas clubroom is just ahead."
The voice beside me pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned to the purple haired girl who had come all the way here just to accompany me, her features cool and refined. I thanked her.
"Utaha, I'm sorry for troubling you so late at night."
The Millennium Engineering Department's head, Shiraishi Utaha, shook her head and replied in her soft, airy voice, "It's fine. If I can help you, Sensei, I'm happy to do so."
I could not help but feel a growing fondness for Utaha. Then I organized what I knew about Veritas.
They were part of Millennium, a group that gathered eccentric geniuses in the field of network technology. Their guiding principles were the pursuit of truth, freedom, and knowledge, and they were a white hat hacker organization that protected network security through hacking techniques.
They were also the primary programmers behind Schale's new security system.
I had learned of Veritas precisely because the Engineering Department outsourced some work to them, creating an indirect working relationship with Schale.
According to Utaha, who proudly explained how the funds I had provided were being used, Veritas's hacking skills were unmatched even within the talent filled Millennium Science School.
In other words, Veritas was very likely the strongest hacker group I could reach right now.
If I could obtain their help, finding the culprit who implanted the Trojan virus in Sora's phone should not be difficult. The real issue was whether I could persuade them.
Even though Utaha was accompanying me, rumors said Veritas was full of eccentrics with strong personalities. It reminded me a little of Gehenna, and I felt a faint sense of anxiety.
All I could do was hope they were easy to talk to.
However, I soon realized my concerns might have been unnecessary.
After rounding a corner, I saw a girl leaning against a wall playing on her phone. When she heard our footsteps, she looked up, then put her phone away and approached us.
"Utaha, I've been waiting for you. And… you must be the Sensei from Schale?"
I recognized immediately that the girl before me, with short dark blue hair, yellow green eyes, blue framed glasses, a simple yellow rabbit shaped hair clip, and a matching rabbit plush keychain on her waist pouch, was a member of Veritas.
The fact that she had been waiting outside for us meant she was at least willing to show me, or perhaps Utaha, or the both of us, a certain level of respect. That alone was promising.
I relaxed a little and smiled. "Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I should be the one saying that. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Kagami Chihiro, deputy director of Veritas."
Her expression and tone were cool, but her posture was perfectly polite.
Then Utaha spoke.
"Well, I'll head back now. I still have an urgent client order to finish tonight. Hibiki and Kotori are waiting for me."
"Alright. Thank you again for today." Utaha taking the time to accompany me despite her schedule was more than enough help.
Chihiro nodded. "I'll make sure to look after Sensei. Take care."
Utaha really did seem pressed for time, because her walking pace on the way back was noticeably faster than when she'd brought me here.
Of course, it was also possible that…
After Utaha left, Chihiro turned to me. "Alright, Sensei, let's go inside."
Chihiro led me to the clubroom door, grabbed the handle, and pushed it open.
Pop pop!
Colorful streamers exploded outward, showering Chihiro's head and shoulders.
I stood behind her and could not see her face, but judging from the chill in her voice, I could imagine her expression well enough.
"…What are you all doing now?"
The girl behind the door who had set off the party popper let out a surprised complaint. "Ah! Senpai, why did you go in first?"
Chihiro brushed off the streamers and snapped, "Then who did you plan to do this to? The Sensei meeting us for the first time?"
"Of course! To welcome the great Sensei from Schale, we had to show the full enthusiasm of Veritas! That's what Hare-senpai and Kotama-senpai think too, right?"
Two whistles sounded in response.
"That's enough! And this is the server room. Maki, who allowed you to bring a party popper in here?" After scolding her, Chihiro turned to me and apologized. "Sorry, Sensei. These kids are making a scene."
I shook my head. "Actually, I think the energy is refreshing."
A warm welcome was better than a cold rejection.
Chihiro's expression softened just a little. But before she could say anything more, the girl with the party popper spoke again.
"Senpai, don't block the door anymore. Hurry and let the Sensei come in so we can see… kyaaa! Senpai, I'm sorry!"
Chihiro, finally losing patience, stepped into the room in a few quick strides and grabbed the red haired girl's cheeks, pulling them sideways.
I followed her inside and closed the door, then glanced around the room.
The Veritas clubroom was arranged like a server room, with desks and walls covered in monitors displaying rapidly shifting data whose purpose I could not guess. It matched my stereotypical image of hackers.
But the members besides Chihiro, at least in their current outfits, did not look like hackers at all.
The red haired girl whose cheeks were being pulled wore star shaped sunglasses and a flashy party hat, looking every bit the party expert.
The other two girls, one with white hair and one with blonde hair, sat in chairs wearing the same sunglasses and hats. They each held one end of a banner scribbled with the words "Welcome Schale Sensei to Veritas," and each had a whistle in her mouth.
Beep
When the blonde girl blew into hers, it stretched out with a sharp sound, then snapped back.
Chihiro shot them a glare. "Kotama! Hare! You two as well!"
They really had set up a welcome party.
Even I was briefly speechless.
But at the very least, I now had a good first impression of Veritas's friendliness.