Chapter 86

1.

“Big Sister is watching you.”

A message from an unknown sender.

Yet, it was a sentence far too familiar to me.

I remember it being a famous phrase even back on Earth in my previous life. Though technically, it should be “Big Brother” instead of “Big Sister,” the meaning was clear enough.

Even though my extrasensory alarm didn’t ring, I instinctively knew.

The current Millennium Academy was smack in the heart of enemy territory.

And my enemy was Millennium’s supreme authority.

The student council president of Millennium, Big Sister, ‘Tsukatsuki Rio.’

She was the true power and leader of Millennium, one of the three representative academies of Kiburatos. She began monitoring individual lives and monopolizing all information to control Millennium, all for the purpose of finding the impurity—me, ‘Silk.’

Why was I classified as an impurity?

Why did they start acting now?

Why did Himari tell me to ignore it?

These questions swirled in my mind at that moment.

Of course, I didn’t think Himari had betrayed me. If she had, I would’ve already been captured by Rio and locked away in some basement or running far away by now.

There were several possible reasons, but considering Himari’s traits, perhaps she really didn’t think I should worry. That’s probably why she said that.

‘Wasn’t there something similar in the message? They say that if you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Could this mean I shouldn’t dig too deep into the situation?’

No, more precisely—

A warning not to tread where Rio’s gaze reaches. Not to draw Rio’s attention to me.

It wasn’t just about staying out of Rio’s sight. If I get directly involved, Rio will inevitably uncover my identity.

Even the smallest piece of information could lead her to me—this advice was a caution against providing her with any leads at all.

[Hide your tail. Withdraw your gaze.]

[Do not let the monster notice you.]

– “You really can ignore it. Anyway, I’m already blocking Hiroyo’s information, and continuously causing disruptions to prevent tracking. Veritas is helping too.”

– “Don’t worry. If Hiroyo presents a physical threat, you can just destroy everything. And if it’s an informational threat… I can handle it.”

“…Is that so.”

Himari said this.

As always, she was suggesting that we divide our roles.

Just as I worked in the field while she couldn’t, this time was her chance to take action in the digital world on my behalf.

And, as always, I would support her.

‘Acting within the confines that won’t expose us. Within the boundaries where Rio won’t find my tail.’

So.

What information can I gather now?

That was the place to start thinking.

Why is Rio chasing me?

Why is she behaving this way?

I couldn’t come to a conclusion.

It’s impossible to fully understand another person unless you’re identical. I’ll never fully understand all of Rio’s reasoning. But—

‘Perhaps I can mimic her thought process.’

Rio’s personality, track record, patterns, habits, values, and beliefs.

By compiling everything I know about Rio and thinking like her, I can estimate her judgment.

She is rational, logical, and cold.

What judgment would Rio make after designating me as an impurity in Millennium?

‘Somewhat like the judgment Rio made with Aris, who might bring a crisis to Kiburatos someday.’

I suspect I’ll clash with Rio soon, and it will be due to the matter of Aris.

Let’s think about it.

If Rio sees me, Silk, as an obstacle?

If she realizes that my existence prevents her from achieving her goals?

If this fact was revealed through some prophecy?

Even disregarding my personality, Rio has sufficient reasons to consider me an enemy. She’s not some irrational tyrant; her actions are based on calculated thought.

The secretly constructed fortress-city ‘Eridu’.

Asuma Toki, who lost her sense of being a student due to Rio’s manipulation.

And further, Rio’s extreme rationality, which drives her to potentially commit murder based on a prophecy.

There are countless other illegal actions to consider. It’s evident that I’m destined to become her enemy. Hence, Rio must have judged me as an enemy.

… .

A simple conclusion.

‘Eliminate or preemptively secure and block.’

Of course, this judgment wouldn’t have been made without considering multiple variables and factors.

For instance, my ‘place of origin.’

‘But Rio is only searching Millennium, which means she assumes I’m a Millennium student.’

Then the premise changes.

For some reason, Rio knows I’m a Millennium student.

She also knows there are many people in Millennium who are friendly to me.

What would Rio do first in this scenario?

Pressure and control.

To capture Silk, she lays traps, exerting control and pressure to tighten my breathing space.

I imagine Rio is currently considering and dismissing numerous candidates in her mind while searching for even the smallest clues.

She may also apply direct pressure to clubs where my allies, like Veritas or the Engineering Department, are active, but that would be a poor move.

If significant changes occurred around me, I would likely go further into hiding and launch relentless attacks against Rio.

Rio must have considered this scenario too, so it makes sense that she’s only applying pressure.

‘Hmm…’

I don’t know why she’s looking for me, but if she’s discreetly searching behind the scenes as Himari said, it’s likely she doesn’t have a clear reason.

Furthermore, the fact that Rio isn’t using extreme measures despite her known tendency suggests she doesn’t want her actions exposed.

‘Why is that?’

Why does Rio want to capture me covertly?

I don’t know the reason. One of the geniuses I can’t fully understand, Rio’s judgment eludes me.

All I can conclude is—

‘This is another example of Rio’s unilateral actions.’

The warning Noah delivered yesterday as the secretary of Seminar.

Rio’s incomprehensible behavior now.

And the seemingly unconcerned attitudes of my allies.

If Seminar had acted as a whole, would my allies have reacted the same way? I think not.

Therefore, the conclusion is that Rio’s current actions are personal and unilateral. Thus, someone anonymous could warn me and advise me not to act rashly.

“Huh. Is that what it is?”

Apparently, amid my ignorance, a battle has unfolded in Millennium.

Not in reality, but in a different place.

2.

A war taking place outside reality.

A hidden struggle beneath the surface where my comrades are protecting me.

Their efforts that I hadn’t realized until now I suddenly understood.

Perhaps even now, a war in which I cannot intervene is raging.

So that’s why the Veritas kids were so busy earlier.

When I reached this conclusion, I began to ponder.

‘Then what should I do?’

Should I inform Himari of this situation?

…Does she not already know? Is Akeboshi Himari, the sickly genius hacker, unaware of this?

Even I, not particularly intelligent, managed to deduce this. Surely Himari, who spends so much time with Rio, knows already.

She always does.

Maybe I should give her a call, just in case.

No. I don’t know if I’m under surveillance, so let’s not risk it. I’ll tell her in person at the lab later.

“…What should I do, then?”

I can’t meet with my allies. Any conspicuous actions are forbidden.

Then what remains for me?

‘Time… There’s plenty of time left…’

An abundance of time.

How should I use this time without causing rumors and satisfying only myself?

As I was mulling over this,

A very familiar voice reached my ears.

“Let’s go to the arcade, the arcade!”

“But sis… don’t we have homework today? Shouldn’t we study?”

“Tsk! That stuff can be done later with cramming! Come on, LET’S GO!!”

“Haaa… Don’t come crying to me later when they ask for it.”

“Got it~”

Two girls passing by me.

If you didn’t look closely, you might have thought the same person passed by twice—they were identical twins.

Shoulder-length blonde hair, nearly identical faces, a childlike frame unusual for high school students, and oversized outerwear; these traits signaled they were twins.

But there were differences between them that stood out.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“…Umm?”

First, the pitch of their voices, their visible personalities, and their contrasting signature colors.

They were all too familiar to me.

As I was reminiscing internally, one of them noticed my gaze and turned toward me.

Pink and teal. Though they looked identical, the two colors were distinctly different.

A vibrant girl with pink eyes, a pink halo, pink cat ear headphones, and a pink gun slung over her back.

A calmer girl with teal eyes, a teal halo, teal cat ear headphones, and a teal gun slung over her back.

As they looked at me with increasing curiosity,

“A?”

A bolt of lightning seemed to strike my mind.

‘A place that evades Rio’s gaze, somewhere I can go without being tracked. Public, straightforward with no suspicious motives…’

The Game Development Club.

A club destined to be significant in the main story and contributing characters later on. Only good-natured folks gather there.

I had planned to meet them eventually, but hadn’t set a concrete timetable.

After finishing the Abidos incident, I thought I’d take a break and then meet them—

But now, is there any place more inconspicuous than the Game Development Club?

‘Nope.’

I quickly reached a conclusion.

I instinctively knew what I needed to do now.

Ignore Rio’s actions and act in such a way that makes it harder for Rio to find me. Follow the command left by an anonymous person, Himari, and Noah sincerely.

In short, it means this—

I approached the twins from the Game Development Club with a puzzled look.

“Hi, are you two in the Game Development Club?”

“Yes, that’s right. Who are you, sis?”

“Yeah… What’s this about?”

So, it’s settled—time to play with the Game Development Club.

Rio? What’s that? Never heard of it.

Yeah, I was told not to worry, so I’m going to play.

“I just wanted to ask about games.”

“…!”

“…!”

The moment I mentioned games, their eyes lit up as expected from the Game Development Club.

They seemed even purer in person than in the original story. Smiling, I continued.

“Would it be okay if we went to the arcade?”

The twins eagerly nodded at my request.

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