With the information Serika provided and Veritas's advanced hacking skills, the suspect's identity was uncovered in no time.
And though it was surprising, it also made perfect sense. The suspect held a mid level position at a company under Kaiser.
My furrowed brows relaxed. Everything now lined up in a way that was almost too neat.
The next step was to start from the suspect and gather connected criminal evidence. It was a tedious task and would take time.
Night had already fallen. Since I barely slept last night thanks to two greedy wolves, I was now yawning endlessly.
"Sensei, want an energy drink?"
"Oh, thank you."
I took the can Hare handed me and took a sip. The cold, sweet liquid slid down my throat, and with a bit of psychological encouragement, I felt slightly refreshed.
The clacking of keyboards echoed through the enclosed room. The glow of screens reflected off the girls' focused faces as they steadily compiled information.
With nothing to do myself, I watched them work as my mind drifted into strange territory.
One day, would Veritas hack into my devices not for justice, but because of romantic curiosity?
Hmm… in that case, a person should live honestly. Even if one rides multiple boats, better to do it openly.
Otherwise, every relationship becomes a ticking time bomb.
Maybe I should bribe Arona with strawberry milk to strengthen my momotalk's defenses. But as for whether Arona could be trusted… I didn't need to think very hard to know the answer.
So as a countermeasure, should I write a diary confessing my fondness for some unnamed hacker?
Word it in a way that any member of Veritas would think I meant her?
Just imagining the trouble made my head ache. But what choice did I have? I was simply too dangerously attractive to love struck girls. Even the most righteous hacker might violate her own ethical standards…
Truly, I was a sinful man.
"All done~!"
Maki leaned back in her chair and raised her hands triumphantly. "Finally gathered everything! This is all of it~"
Hare took another sip of her energy drink. Kotama silently removed her headphones.
Chihiro smiled faintly at the screen. "Heh. To think they scammed this amount… the ringleader could comfortably spend the rest of their life in prison."
That was a truly satisfying result.
I glanced at the time, now deep into the night, and said sincerely, "Thank you all for your hard work."
"Ah, Sensei, sorry for the wait. These materials obtained through hacking can't be used as direct evidence, but they're perfect for guiding Public Security."
Chihiro then asked, "Should I send everything to you via momotalk? Or copy it to a USB drive?"
"Momotalk is fine."
"Alright. Then let's add each other."
Just as Chihiro and I took out our phones to scan each other's codes, Maki suddenly sprang up.
"Huh? Wait, count me in too~"
Gaining another bright and lively girl's contact information was something I welcomed wholeheartedly.
And once the mood shifted that direction, Hare and Kotama naturally joined in, entering my momotalk friend list one after another.
Millennium's internet speed was as fast as ever. By the time I finished adding them, the compressed folder Chihiro sent me with evidence of the main culprit, accomplices, and detailed annotations had already arrived.
I forwarded the package to Kanna, and she replied quickly.
Kanna: I've received the case file. I'll mobilize people as soon as possible.
Me: Thanks, Kanna.
Kanna: No need to thank me.
Kanna: Bringing criminals to justice is Public Security's duty.
Me: Even so, I appreciate how dedicated you are.
Me: I think you're amazing.
Kanna: …
Kanna: You overpraise me.
Me: I think you underestimate yourself.
Me: Anyway, it's very late. Get some rest tonight.
Kanna: …Alright.
Kanna: You too.
Ending the chat with the young Public Security Director, I smiled and turned to the Veritas girls.
"I handed the information to a contact in Public Security. The rest is up to them."
Compared to SRT or Schale, Public Security was tied up by endless regulations. Every deployment required signed documents and procedures. But for a normal criminal case, they were still the most appropriate.
Besides, the suspect likely had no idea they'd been exposed.
Chihiro nodded calmly. "If anything else comes up and you need Veritas, just tell us."
"Will do. And for now, I should be heading home."
I stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you, truly. I'll remember what you've done tonight."
The girls reacted in their own ways.
Chihiro muttered softly, "I said it was volunteer work…"
The lively Maki grinned with her hands in her pockets. "Hehe~ No need to thank us. Punishing evildoers on the internet is Veritas's duty!"
"Next time treat me to your favorite drink, okay?"
That gentle voice came from Hare.
As for Kotama, she simply stared at me quietly without saying a word.
Only when they walked with me out to the hallway did she suddenly speak.
"Sensei, is there anything you like?"
I blinked. "Huh? Like? In what sense?"
Kotama blinked back, shook her head, stepped back, and asked nothing more.
Maybe she was a bit of a whimsical, slightly eccentric type.
Still wondering about it, I left Veritas behind.
Walking alone through the corridor, I reflected on everything I had gained tonight.
Not only did I strike back at evil and stand up for myself and Sora, I also handed Kanna an easy achievement, and even met four extremely capable and extremely cute hacker girls. The night had gone far beyond expectations.
Since everything was wrapped up for now, I should hurry home and sleep.
But when I reached a junction, I remembered something.
Utaha mentioned earlier that they still had to work overtime tonight.
I wondered whether the Engineering Department was still working. Before I knew it, my feet had already turned toward their clubroom.
From a distance, I got my answer. The door was wide open, lights blazing inside, along with the metallic clinking of tools.
I hesitated, then walked to the open doorway and knocked on the frame.
"Sorry to bother you."
Utaha, Hibiki, and Kotori all looked up from the machine they were working on. One after another, they set down their tools and came over.
Utaha wiped grease from her hands with a towel. "Sensei, what brings you here?"
"I finished my business and thought I'd check how things were on your end."
I glanced at the machine I couldn't identify, then at the girls, all dirtied with machine oil. I couldn't help saying, "It's so late. You should get some rest. Staying up too late is bad for your health."
Utaha had put aside her work earlier just to accompany me to Veritas. Seeing them now working overtime made guilt tighten in my chest.
Maybe the only reason I came here was because I wanted to see them finished, so I could ease that guilt.
Now that reality was different, all I managed to do was interrupt their work and utter some pointless, hypocritical advice…
For a moment, I felt like maybe I was more insincere than I'd like to admit. Even if the care I felt for them wasn't false.
I could only remember my debt and find chances to repay it in the future.
"Ah, thanks for worrying, but it's fine. We're at the final tuning stage, so we'll be done soon."
Utaha smiled, her eyes curving, her voice still airy. "Has your matter been resolved as well? That's even better."
…I suppose taking them out on a date when I have time might count as repayment, too.
At the thought, I suddenly realized my list of debts in Kivotos had ballooned. If I looked closely, I'd probably have to take every cute student I know (and many I don't) out on dates to repay them for their kindness and ease my guilty conscience.
This is what they call correcting one's mistakes and reforming an errant life.
At that moment, Hibiki frowned, then widened her eyes in surprise. "Wait, did you just say the thing you had to do was go meet Sensei, Utaha?"
Utaha looked puzzled. "Yeah, why? Was there a problem?"
Hold on. That sounded odd.
Although Utaha had no obligation to tell her clubmates the details, it still felt strange.
"…Never mind."
Hibiki shook her head, her expression odd, as if she were seeing her own chief in a new light.
Kotori, unconcerned, blurted out Hibiki's thought. "Ah! Utaha, you're so sneaky, you secretly went to see Sensei without telling us!"
Utaha, now put on the spot, looked even more confused. "What do you mean secretly? Sensei only contacted me, right?"
Hey! Is she deliberately shifting the heat away without realizing it?
I hastened to say, "Since you're not done with work, I won't bother you. I'll be going now."
Taking advantage of Hibiki and Kotori not yet having their death-interrogation questions ready, I quickly fled the Engineering clubroom.
Only after rounding a corner did my steps slow and I exhaled, a little relieved; a small rueful thought rose in me.
It seems my authorities is far from complete, if a skirmish of this level is enough to drive me off so easily.
Though to be fair, I was just exhausted and didn't have the energy to keep negotiating.
I really wished for some fixed ability to boost all my stamina.
With that thought, another question popped up.
Engineering club, Veritas, Utaha... were all Millennium students just habitually night owls?
That was worth checking.
I looked at the time. It was late, but what was another little while?
Feeling optimistic and still able to bear the drowsiness, I decided to spend another half hour on a small midnight reconnaissance around Millennium to see whether the students' sleep schedules were healthy.
In other words… Momoi, it's time I checked your dorm!
Confident, I headed for the Game Development club, planning to catch the two sisters who were obvious net addicts, Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu and sternly order them to sleep earlier and rise earlier.
I came up empty handed (Place is empty as hell), and my side plan to siphon some Game Club energy from them fizzled, much to my regret.
Still, I had one more place I wanted to try. If no one was there either, I'd go straight home.
I yawned, shook my head to wake up, and made for the seminar room from memory.
I didn't know whether I'd run into Yuuka or Noah.
I wanted to see Yuuka, hear her awkwardly caring words, feel her youthful, clumsy tenderness, rest my head against those eye-catching thighs.
I wanted to see Noah, catch the expression of surprise that turns into composed awkwardness, sense her restraint for her best friend's sake, hold her slim, pale hand and knead it.
Whoever I met in the seminar would make the trip worthwhile.
As for Koyuki? I figured she wouldn't be pulling an all-nighter, so she was out of the equation.
Full of expectation, I stood at the seminar office door where light leaked through a crack and someone was clearly inside. I turned the handle and pushed the door open.
"…Who is it?"
A cold female voice I'd never heard reached me. The figure that came into view was not the Yuuka or Noah I expected.
Behind the desk by the window sat a girl with long black hair and red eyes. She put down her pen and looked up at my sudden entrance.
She wore a neat black suit over a white turtleneck, simple and clean. Her face was cool and stunning, her figure elegant and refined.
More striking than all that was an overwhelmingly dominant air, a presence that almost crushed me, and an expression of blunt, hardcore coldness.
…Who is this person?
…Crap, I've been rude in front of someone I don't know.
Those two thoughts rose at once.
The unknown girl spoke next. "A teacher from Schale? What brings you to the seminar so late?"
At least she knew who I was, and from the tone she seemed to be a member of the seminar, which was fine.
But compared with Yuuka and the others, this person seemed very difficult.
I hesitated for a moment. "Is Yuuka not here?"
"Yuuka has already left work."
I paused, and since she gave no more information I awkwardly asked, "Um… what about Noah?"
"Noah has also left."
My mouth twitched a little. "Oh… I see…"
The atmosphere froze. The black-haired, red-eyed girl watched me quietly, saying nothing.
This is awkward. Aren't you going to ask me something?
I forced myself to say, "Since Yuuka isn't here, I'll be going then."
"Mm."
Although the atmosphere grew thicker, I felt relieved to have a reply and turned to leave.
Then that cold voice spoke again behind me.
"I am Tsukatsuki Rio, president of the seminar."
Rio stood up expressionless. Her uncanny pupils looked at my back without emotion as she said calmly, "From now on, we will be relying on your help, Sensei."
The seminar president, in other words the student council president of Millennium.
I mouthed her name to myself, turned back, and gave a warm smile. "Yes, please take care of me as well, Rio."
Rio nodded and sat down again, picked up her pen, and did not look at me anymore.
I closed the door gently, breathed a sigh of relief, and did not linger at Millennium, I hurried back to Schale.
On the way home, Rio's face kept coming back to me.
Thinking it over carefully, my sudden hunch wasn't such a bad idea after all.