[Yuigahama Yui, 29th June, 1830 hours]

Yahallo, everyone! My name is Yuigahama Yui and I am a student from Sobu High. Currently I am with my friend and classmate Kawasaki Saki-chan, and we are working our hardest to find Saki-chan a part-time night job!

"As if!" Saki-chan yells. She is very good at playing the straight man. "All we've done is slack off inside this cafe! What's with that cheesy self-introduction anyway? And don't change the narrative voice to present tense!"

I tilt my head. "Present tense?"

"Yeah, just like that! Turn it back!"

I grin defiantly at her.

Saki-chan's shoulders shake with suppressed anger. "Yuigahama... you..."

"What is it?"

"You look like a reserved and nice person on the surface, but to think you've been hiding this kind of personality underneath... you're a weird girl."

"And you are a mochi maker, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Every New Years we knead it like this, and then we hammer it and hammer it - wait, why am I going along with your nonsense!?"

Saki-chan seems to be getting tired of the entire routine. Feeling sorry for her, I subtly switched back to past tense.

"That's not subtle at all!"

Currently both of us were sitting in a cafe in the downtown area and watching the sunset while sipping coffee. Despite her protests while coming in, Saki-chan had ordered a cup too.

She set her cup down on its saucer. "Yuigahama. I'm really grateful for everything your club is doing for me, but..."

Oh, she was being considerate! How sweet! My heart swelled with the warmth of friendship. "Oh, don't worry about it! It's only natural that we'd help our friends in need! Is there something bothering you?"

"...but, are we getting started anytime soon?"

Ah. Nevermind.

"Relax, Saki-chan!" I said, waving off her protests. "There is a purpose to this."

"Which is?"

I leaned in, my face serious. "Saki-chan, what do you think is the meaning of life?"

"It's something so deep? Um, well, uh... if you were to ask me, I'd say something like... making sure the people you care for are happy?"

Ah, so she's that sort of girl. I was starting to like her more and more. "Well, but it's different for different people, right?"

"I... guess so."

"Like, for example. Yukinon would probably say something like 'achieving a net positive impact with your actions, no matter how despicable they are'," here I deepened my voice to give an impression of Yukinon, and Saki-chan stifled a laugh, "and Hikki would probably say something like 'avoiding stupid questions like this one', but those answers aren't really right or wrong."

"Even the last answer? That sounds pretty wrong to me."

'Even the last answer," I nodded. "Because it gives me an insight to how Hikki thinks. See, each person perceives 'right' and 'wrong' in slightly different ways, but I believe that everybody is a good person under all that."

"Your own definition of a 'good' person is limited, though. Right? Since everybody has a different perception of 'good'."

"Saki-chan," I gasped. "Could it be... you're actually a genius?"

"Don't patronise me," she grumbled, ducking her head as a blush crept over her face. I felt a strong urge to start taking pictures.

"I know it's limited," I continued, setting my cup down, "but no matter how you twist it, 'good' and 'bad' are two completely different things. One day, if I meet a person who is truly 'bad', who cannot be seen as 'good' from any perspective, maybe I'll change my mind. But in the meantime, I will try my best to understand the people around me and figure out what their view of the world is like, so that I can see the 'good' in them. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," she replied, thoughtfully taking a sip of coffee. "I kinda get you."

"And that's my answer. To me, the meaning of life would be to keep on trying to understand people, even if it is impossible."

Through an adjacent window, the setting sun cast its golden rays on our table. I felt like our relationship had deepened just a bit.

"Right, cool. But... wait. How is that related to why we're here?"

"Oh, that? It's cuz I wanted to see the setting sun from inside a cafe."

Deftly, I ducked as Saki-chan's schoolbag whizzed over my head.

"You..."

Messing with her was so fun, gosh. "Now, now, calm down, Saki-chan. There's another reason. Did you wonder why I wanted to sit next to the window?"

"Yuigahama, I swear if this is about watching the sun again-"

"It's not. I think we're being followed."

Her facial muscles froze. All of a sudden her expression was well-guarded, but years of experience in reading people's faces allowed me to pick up slight traces of caution and surprise. From the strange glint in her eyes, the wheels must be turning quickly in her head.

Interesting reaction...

After a few seconds, she gave up thinking and leaned back in her chair. "Followed? By who? Oh, and pass my bag back, please."

"Yukinon, of course. Who else? Maybe even Hikki too."

"Eh? Yukinoshita? Didn't she go home?'

"That's what she said, of course. But today she left the clubroom before we did. But she always leaves last so that she can lock up the clubroom. You know what that means?" I picked up the bag on the floor and handed it to her.

"Thanks. Um... I guess that means she didn't get to lock up today?"

"Well, yes..."

Too straight, Saki-chan! Even your deductions are straight!

Saki-chan leaned forward to rest her head on the table. My left hand grabbed my right arm, forcing it to put my phone back in my pocket before I could start taking pictures.

"Did you or Hikigaya lock up, then?"

I paused. "Well, we've never really bothered..."

"Seriously? Wow, talk about irres-"

"A-anyway! Yukinon probably left early to go somewhere before us-"

"And you think she's been trailing us since we entered the train station?" Saki-chan hummed and drew circles on the table with her index finger. "Why would she go out of her way to do all that, though? Hikigaya, too. It would probably take something big to make him spend all that effort..."

I thought about this for a moment. Then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me.

"They... must be really worried about us!"

Saki-chan gave me a look which seemed to say I'm not sure if this girl is smart or very stupid. "Why not just join us, then?"

"Well, you know. It's just what they're like. I think it's called, uh..."

"Tsundere?"

"Yeah, that. They always act like they don't care but they do. Maybe not about me, exactly, but definitely about the club."

I obviously wasn't going to tell Saki-chan that Hikki and Yukinon still didn't trust me, but that didn't matter much to begin with anyway. We had the same goals, so working together was bound to bring us closer soon! Probably. Maybe.

Briefly, I scanned the scenery outside the window. Slow-moving peak hour traffic had filled the road with vehicles, so there was no way Yukinon could be watching us from inside a car. A couple was hanging around the side of the cafe, a beautiful lady was smoking right next to them and on a nearby bench sat an old man reading a newspaper. None of these could possibly be Yukinon in disguise (I didn't know if Yukinon would use disguises for this kind of thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did).

Oh, but... what if...

Ignoring Saki-chan's squeak of surprise, I whipped around and scanned the inside of the cafe. Salarymen here and there, a few clusters of high school students, but no sign of Yukinon at all.

Maybe my hunch was off...?

"It should be fine if it's the both of them following us, right?" Saki-chan yawned, picking herself up. "At least it's not gangsters or anything like that..."

"...No."

"Eh?"

"It's not okay," I said. I knew I was being childish, but being childish was a part of who I am and I didn't want to pretend otherwise in front of Saki-chan. "I don't want Yukinon to keep hiding and running from me. If she hates me, she should say so! If she doesn't think I'm capable enough, she should say so! I can't understand if she doesn't tell me!"

"Ah, but maybe she's the kind of person who's more reserved and would rather not put her innermost thoughts into words-"

"Hikki, too! I've spent, what, half a year with him? And I still don't have a single clue about what's going on in that head of his!"

"I can relate to that, but maybe giving him some space would be the right-"

"I don't care!" I exclaimed, standing up and knocking my chair over. "How am I supposed to understand them if they keep doing stuff like this? Alright, it's settled! I'm going to start my counterattack by exposing Yukinon, and you are going to help me, Saki-chan!"

"S-sure, but what about my part-time job-"

"We'll do that along the way!"

[Yukinoshita Yukino, 29th June, 1900 hours]

Reclining backwards into my seat, I took a sip of coffee. I had tailed Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san to the train station, but had not followed them into the cafe on the other side of the road. Naturally, keeping my distance meant that I could not observe their actions in person, but there were other means to achieve that.

Ensuring that nobody was watching, I activated the communication device pinned to my collar. "Alpha squad, report."

"Yes, Ojou-sama. All of us are in the area outside the cafe right now."

I peered out of the window, and four individuals waved at me from the other side of the road: A teenage couple, a lady in expensive-looking attire and an elderly man.

"You're using disguises?"

"That is correct, Ojou-sama." The point of contact seemed to be the one that looked like an elderly man, who was most likely using the newspaper in his hands to conceal his communication device. "The rest of the squad members are dressed up as salarymen and are inside the cafe."

Though I was tackling several operations at once, agents of the Yukinoshita family were more than enough to supplement my lack of manpower. My Father would undoubtedly be upset with me for using our family's assets on trivial matters such as this, but in a sense this was a relevant case. Sobu High's mastermind had shown himself to have connections to Chiba's criminal underground. Taking into account Yuigahama-san's connections to Group S, which probably worked under the Mastermind directly, I was not prepared to take any chances.

This side seems to be doing well, but what about Hikigaya-kun? "Beta squad, report."

"Forgive us, Ojou-sama. We lost track of our target."

...what?

Regardless of how much experience Hikigaya-kun had in Chiba's criminal underworld, these were agents of the Yukinoshita family. The underworld would not be the same without them- to say that was an understatement. And yet, so easily...

Hikigaya Hachiman, just what kind of monster are you?

I gripped the edge of the table. "Where are you now? How did he manage to shake you off?"

"At the train station. He disappeared into the crowd just minutes ago."

"Don't tell me you haven't been trained to counter maneuvers like that," I spat. "And even I know what to do in that sort of situation: Stop trying to look for him in the crowd and monitor all the exits instead!"

"That's exactly what we did, Ojou-sama," my point of contact with Beta squad protested. "We are currently watching every exit closely. No train has arrived yet, so the crowd of people has not changed. We are underground, so the chance of any secret passageways is low. The only plausible place he could be is within the crowd of people. A few members of our squad are mingling with the crowd to search for him, but he has somehow managed to evade all three of them for five whole minutes!"

Momentarily losing control, I let slip an unladylike growl. "Then check the surveillance camera records!"

"Eight of us are doing that currently, but the target angled himself in a way to obscure himself from the security cameras as well when he disappeared... and there has been no footage of him for the past five minutes either."

Is that even physically possible?

Impatiently, I tapped the surface of the table. Think. If you knew you were being followed... the exits are sealed, the security cameras are being monitored and a bunch of them are coming down the escalator to search for you. If you were Hikigaya Hachiman, what would you do?

Probably... up the escalator. But why would he do that?

"Do the surveillance cameras have any blind spots near the entrance of the station?"

"Y-yes," replied my point of contact. "The cameras only capture the area between the entrance of the stadium and the escalators. There are two short pillars on either side of the entrance that are out of range, but we have verified that the target is not hiding there."

Another dead end. Honestly, I should have overseen that operation myself. How much time do I have left?

"Has the train arrived yet?"

"It is pulling into the station now, Ojou-sama. Rest assured, we will watch the train doors carefully and follow the target if he happens to reappear and enter any carriage. However, it is our postulation that he has somehow left the station."

Another physically impossible feat. It's underground, for goodness' sake! Out loud I said: "Is his bicycle still outside the station?"

"Yes. It is parked outside."

Caring not for my public image, I bit on my thumb hard enough to draw blood. Even then, no brainwave came with the pain and the coppery taste of blood in my mouth. "Maybe he donned a disguise-"

"Impossible. We have identified every individual with the same footwear, clothing or facial features as the target, and have verified that none of them are him. No matter how quickly he disguised himself, he could not have changed his build."

Through the crackling static from my transceiver, I could hear the announcement in the background. The train is arriving at the platform... please stand behind the yellow line...

I'm running out of time. If I were Hikigaya-kun, would I trick my pursuers into searching the station while I somehow get outside? Or would I get them to think that I am outside the station while avoiding detection inside? Which one would be the most effective?

...the latter, probably. That one fits Hikigaya-kun's style more. But how would I avoid detection? A disguise? Slipping among the people? To Hikigaya-kun, man is the best tool; I would not put it past him to use all these ignorant bystanders as pawns to conceal himself.

Or maybe... he is using the predictability of our operation procedures to his advantage? Not approaching any exit, staying out of range of the surveillance cameras and avoiding the civilian crowd... he would have to do something crazy to accomplish all three...

Then, it hit me. A ridiculous idea that only Hikigaya Hachiman would be able to pull off.

Once again, I activated my transceiver. "Any updates?"

"None, Ojou-sama."

"Describe the structure of the station to me- no, there's no time. Just tell me, is the station separated into two levels?"

"Yes. They are joined by a pair of escalators and nothing else."

"But the ceiling is even, right?"

"As in, completely flat? Yes, that is so..."

"And its architectural structure requires it to have rafters, yes?"

My point of contact paused for a moment. Then revelation struck him as well. "Ojou-sama, you can't be saying-"

He disappeared into the crowd, went up the escalator when he saw you coming for him, approached one of the pillars beside the station entrance while evading the surveillance cameras, climbed up to the ceiling and stayed on the rafters for the past five minutes.

"Yes, that is what I am saying. Check the ceiling."

By the silence on the other end, my point of contact was scanning the roof. "An excellent idea! But I cannot see him at all... Ahhhh!"

My hand slammed onto the table, causing my coffee cup and saucer to tremble. Several patrons of the cafe were giving me reproaching looks, not that I minded. "Did you find him?"

But my point of contact was not paying attention to me, instead barking out orders like a madman.

"Thirteen to fifteen, you're the closest! Go secure him... that one, you dimwit! That guy in the school uniform that just climbed down the pillar five metres away from you! He's getting away! One to eight, enter the other train carriages! If we cannot subdue him here, you should at least get onto the same train as him... what do you mean, the crowd is too thick!?"

The train doors are closing. All passengers, please stand behind the yellow line and await the next one...

Static crackled for a good five seconds before I heard my point of contact's dejected voice: "My apologies, Ojou-sama, but the target timed it too well. It seems we have lost him for real this time."

Well, that's to be expected...

"It's fine," I replied. "Also, I instructed you to follow him, not subdue him."

"...right. My apologies. I forgot in the heat of the moment."

This operation has gotten slightly more complicated. I bit my lip. "That train... was it headed in the downtown direction?"

"It was. Do you think he is headed for where you are, Ojou-sama?"

"Yes. Gather the rest of your squad and liaise with me at location D-5, please."

"At your command."

Static crackled as my transceiver changed voice channels.

"Alpha squad reporting. Ojou-sama, the two targets have left the cafe."

I glanced out of the window and sure enough, Yuigahama-san was pulling Kawasaki-san away from the cafe by the hand. "Do you have any idea where they are headed?"

"Well, the pink-haired one mentioned going to the mall..."

"Follow them."

"At your command."

"Beta squad, disregard my previous instruction. Liaise with me at the mall as well."

"At your command."

Nothing was set in stone just yet, of course. It was only natural for Hikigaya-kun to evade a group of agents that he did not recognise, and his motive for heading to where we were was still unclear. But it did not matter whether his intention was to aid or sabotage, or whether he was planning to do so from the shadows or out in the open. If it was a fight that Hikigaya-kun wanted, then I would bring the fight to him.

[Hikigaya Hachiman, 29th June, 1910 hours]

Well, that was fun.

Snapping the novel in my hand shut, I stood up straight. As the train carriage rocked, I swayed along to its motion aside the other passengers. While it was hard to determine exactly how much of himself Dazai Osamu had portrayed in his allegedly autobiographical work, 'No Longer Human' had been an entertaining read nonetheless.

To give the entire story a crude summary, it was about a troubled individual plagued by circumstance and his own inner demons. Poetic projection and flowery terms aside, he behaved the way a standard human being would. One who was slightly less fortunate than average.

Speaking of unfortunate, why did I have to be targeted by a bunch of goons on the day of my big plan? Murphy's law, probably. Those thugs wouldn't have tracked me so lazily if they had known who I really was, so for the most part I assumed I was safe. But if they didn't know, what was I being followed for? I would have to investigate this later.

The train doors slid open sluggishly and a sea of business suits spilled out into the world outside. Wordlessly, I rode the wave of people out of the station. Any bystander observing this scene would definitely get the feeling of homogeneity, that all humans were the same. And he would not be wrong. What was the difference between a corporate slave returning home from work and a high school student planning to take over the world? Both were equally rotten on the inside.

Yuigahama Yui was no exception, that I was certain of. However, there were many things about her that I still did not understand. For starters, how the inside of her head worked. Hanging onto the belief that every person was good underneath? She had trampled people on her way up to Group S; there was no way she didn't know how ugly humans could be. She didn't seem to be a hypocrite either.

How, then, were her ideals even remotely sustainable? That was exactly what I was going to find out today. Perhaps even find something to blackmail her with. That would be a nice bonus.

But doing so by observing her directly would be extremely challenging. She was, no doubt, going to keep her 'Nice Girl' facade up regardless of whether Yukinoshita or I were there or not. Not to mention, Yukinoshita herself was probably following her, waiting for me to join the party. Knowing Yukinoshita, she had most likely taken into account every possible place I could hide at in the downtown area; going in there would be equivalent to charging into an enemy base. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.

And that was why I would not be going there.

Triumphant pride at rendering all of Yukinoshita's plans redundant compelled me to quicken my paces.

Is this the place?

A large brass nameplate that read 'Yuigahama' adorned the front gate that I stood in front of. Beyond the gate, inside the house, I could see a woman busy in the kitchen. The mother, probably.

Yukinoshita could look for me all she wanted. Yuigahama could fake all she wanted. But in the meantime, I would be searching for valuable information inside Yuigahama's room to my heart's content.

Avoiding the gaze of the Yuigahama matriarch, I let myself in through a window on the second floor.

[Yukinoshita Yukino, 29th June, 1930 hours]

"All squads, report."

"Alpha squad here. Scouts have covered the entire mall and are watching all exits."

"Beta squad reporting. Our targets are currently inside the store with unit number 02-23. We have covered the outside of the store and have ensured there are no other exits."

The point where I supervised the operation from was a fountain in the middle of the mall, where I could gain a clear view of almost every location. I tapped on my transceiver. "Do you have men inside the store?"

"I-it's a lingerie shop, Ojou-sama."

I scanned the second floor, and there it was; thirteen or so men in black suits were gathered in front of the store's entrance, trying to look as aloof and irrelevant as possible. Despite their earnest efforts, passers-by were giving them strange looks.

...Good grief.

"Are there no female members in the squad?"

"None. Your esteemed father assigned all of them to infiltrate a parliamentary social gathering, Ojou-sama."

I considered this for a moment. For the past hour or so, Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san had floated from store to store before finally arriving at this one. Although my father's men had confirmed that their purpose for visiting the stores was to inquire about part-time jobs, the whole routine could be a ruse to throw me off. In fact, given the abnormally long time they had spent in the lingerie shop, it was highly probable that they had sensed their pursuers and spent the past hour ascertaining that these pursuers were male, hence entering a location where they would not be followed.

Obviously, it was an open invitation for me to enter the store in person. But just what were they planning to do there?

Not to mention, Hikigaya-kun had yet to show his face. If he was the one collaborating with Kawasaki-san, perhaps Yuigahama-san had been lured into the shop and incapacitated. As desirable as I found this scenario, the real issue was what Kawasaki-san planned to do with her partner next, whoever the partner was. My inability to obtain a full grasp of the situation vexed me more than it should have.

I took a deep breath. "I'm going in, then."

"Roger that. We'll back you up."

"Stay vigilant," I commanded as I travelled up the escalator. "Alpha squad, report any suspicious movement in the surrounding area."

"At your command."

The members of Beta squad stood at attention as I approached the store. Members of the general public on the third floor turned to look at us curiously.

...Good grief.

"As far as we have been able to see, they entered the changing booth on the far left a few minutes ago," one of the agents reported. "Be careful in there, Ojou-sama."

"You don't need to tell me, but thank you anyway," I sighed. If Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san were to open the door of the changing booth and see me, the game would be up. Taking this into consideration, I lurked in the furthest corner from the entrance.

Not to mention the only source of real action I had seen today was nowhere to be found. What was taking him so long?

Honestly, I had not expected this operation to go this way. I had imagined an elaborate game of hide and seek, but somehow that had morphed into stalking two of my schoolmates who were currently buying sexually attractive underwear-

"Valued customer?"

I blinked. A shop attendant was standing in front of me with an expression that was professionally engineered to look helpful.

"You seem to be having trouble with choosing. Is this your first time here?"

It took me a while to understand, but when it finally dawned on me that she thought I was a customer I felt my ears grow red hot. "Wh- no! I mean, um, yes, but I'm not here to-"

"It's alright, I understand. Ladies tend to be a bit shy when it's their first time purchasing lingerie!" To my horror, she gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Do you have any particular piece in mind?"

S-she wants me to... to... c-c-choose? V-very well. Two people can play this game. I am the proud heir of the Yukinoshita family! Choosing a set of u-u-underwear is nothing! Nothing at all! Well technically the heir is Nee-san but I'm inheriting the family's business, so to speak, so that makes me the heir in a way-

"Um, valued customer?"

Reflexively, I grabbed the nearest set of lingerie and held it out in front of me with both hands like a shield. "I'll take t-this one, please!"

"Oooh, now that's a good one!" She took the set from me and admired it close-up. "You sure have good taste, valued customer!"

Another conspiratorial wink. I could almost see my own cheeks redden further.

A muted click sounded from the entrance of the store. All thirteen members of Beta squad were staring straight at me; my shouting and flustered demeanour must have given them the impression that I was being threatened. One of them had even pulled out a gun, ready to fire at the first sign of danger.

"Hey! I'm fine, so put that back right now! I don't want any bloodshed!"

"E-ehhh?" the attendant flinched, surprised. "You don't want it after all?"

"Ah... no, not you."

"Oh." She turned around, puzzled, but all thirteen had disappeared from sight.

I took a quick glance at the changing booth's enclosed entrance; Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san had not emerged yet. My shouting should have alerted them to my presence, but I was far enough to wager that they had not heard anything. Even so, what was taking them so long?

"The design is good. But even so, valued customer..."

I snapped out of my reverie once again. "Yes?"

"Would you... um... prefer a smaller size, perhaps?"

I stared at her. She was staring at my chest.

I stared at the set of lingerie. Admittedly, it would have fit somebody like Yuigahama-san better.

I stared at her. She was staring at me.

I projected my voice towards the entrance. "Hey, I changed my mind. Take the gun back out."

"Ehhhhhhhh!? Please don't make such jokes, valued customer!"

I sighed. I was not actually intending to buy the set, but perhaps I would be able to get a clearer picture of the situation if I was in one of the other changing booths. In that case, I would need an excuse to be in that area. "Yes, please. Find me something that is... less voluptuous."

The attendant shot me a sympathetic look. "We have some sets with padding. Would you like to try those out too?"

"R-right. I'll try that as well."

It's alright! I am the proud heir of the Yukinoshita family. Going by genetics, there is still hope for me!

Good grief.

For now, I would obtain the lingerie and hide myself in the adjacent changing booth. If it was a trap, Beta squad would be waiting outside to rush to my aid, so there was a low probability of Kawasaki-san and her partner pulling anything off. If possible, I would be able to hear the conversations they were having, be it about some sinister objective or Kawasaki-san's part-time job...

...Wait. If they're here to inquire about a part-time job, what are they doing in the changing booth?

Ignoring the store attendant's squeak of shock, I strode over to the leftmost changing booth and flung the curtain open.

It was empty, save for a few stray sets of underwear.

Looks like I've been had.

Beta squad had already begun to scatter. Impatiently, I tapped my transceiver. "Alpha squad, the targets have escaped. Prioritize all hidden passageways and watch all possible exits of the mall."

"At your command."

"What about the security cameras? Any leads?"

"None, Ojou-sama."

I scanned the interior of the changing booth. Unlike Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san was not physically adept enough to crawl up the wall unnoticed, so there must have been some sort of opening. Either that, or they left the store in disguise.

With thirteen highly-trained men guarding the entrance, the latter was highly unlikely. So all that left was...

There!

"Alpha squad, send me a map of the air ventilation system."

"It has been done. You think that the targets escaped through the air ducts?"

I double checked the changing booth before approaching the air duct on the ceiling; sure enough, the grille was not securely attached to its hinges, meaning that somebody had removed and replaced it from the inside. "I am certain. Prioritize the security cameras on the outside of the mall, please."

So it was Yuigahama-san who was cooperating with Kawasaki-san, just as I had expected. In that case Hikigaya-kun had probably gone home, true to his word.

Had they known about my task force, Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san would definitely have taken better measures to elude me like what Hikigaya-kun had done. Although their plan was perfect for throwing a single follower off, they had underestimated me and would now pay the price.

"Alpha squad reporting! Both targets have exited the mall via the ventilation system, just as you said! They are now in the back alley area!"

Finally, the action I had been waiting for. "All squads excluding members in the security room, pursue them. Those in the security room, continue monitoring the entrances and update me if anyone suspicious follows us or them. Just in case they have reinforcements."

"At your command."

"At your command!"

Briskly, I strode towards the entrance of the lingerie store. I was never going to set foot in one again, I silently vowed.

"Um, valued customer! So... you won't be taking this after all?"

Right, the shop attendant. "No," I replied, whipping around to face her. "After consideration, it does not fit my taste."

She looked downtrodden. "Really? I thought it would look great on you..."

The set she was holding had padding on it.

I shifted my weight around on the balls of my feet impatiently. Needless to say, I had better things to do; Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san were getting away, and we were all on the verge of a great pursuit that would probably run throughout the night. Every second spent here was a second wasted.

On the other hand...

"A-alright. How much is it?"

[Yuigahama Yui, 29th June, 2000 hours]

We raced down the dimly-lit alleyway, panting heavily. Rather, I was the only one panting; Saki-chan simply let herself be pulled along and jogged to match my pace. I had to admit, this girl was really fit.

After a long stretch of aimless running, my legs gave out and I slowed to a stop. "This... should be... enough... hahhhh..."

"That's great and all, but what are we doing this for?" Through my watery vision, I saw Saki-chan rolling her eyes, seeming not to have broken a sweat. She handed me her water bottle, which I accepted happily.

"We're trying to shake Yukinon off, of course!" I replied after chugging down half the bottle. "Thanks."

"I'm seeing a fatal jump in your logic here," Saki-chan sighed, taking back her bottle and sighing again when she saw how much I had drunk. "How does shaking her off lead to her coming clean with us?"

"Right, see. By doing this, we get to throw Yukinon off, right?"

"Yeah."

"And then around the fifth time we do it she'll get really annoyed and stuff."

"Yeah, okay. I see now. You're trying to make her realise that joining us is much easier than stalking us from the shadows, right?"

"Huh? Of course not. Let me finish. Yukinon is usually very smart, but she can do stupid things when she loses her temper, see."

"Okay...?"

"So we'll make her so angry that she'll jump out from the wall she's hiding behind and say something like 'Don't screw with me!', and then we'll catch her! How's that sound? Great plan, right?"

"As if!" Saki-chan screeched. "Nothing in real life is as easy as that!"

"The louder she screams, the more we'll get to embarrass her about it later, so we have to make sure she yells as loudly as possible."

"Don't screw with me!"

"Yeah! Just like that."

"I swear, you... urgh, whatever! I give up."

Saki-chan was panting now, though not exactly due to physical activity. I felt proud knowing that I tired her out more than running did.

Footsteps and voices belonging to a handful of people seemed to be getting closer to us. By the sound of it, it was a great handful.

"...within twenty metres covered. Beta Squad 4, go in further. We'll cover you."

"Roger that."

Yep, definitely getting closer. Beside me, Saki-chan stiffened. Then she grabbed my shoulder and pulled me aside.

"Saki-chan? What's all this for?"

"Thugs. They're after me, probably. Come."

My head spun as we briskly walked down the alleyway. "Saki-chan, you... you got into some trouble? Is that it?"

"Worse than that. Well... it may be a bit late to tell you, but I already have a part-time job. I thought I could keep it a secret from you. I'm sorry."

Before I could think of a reply, Saki-chan had rolled aside the covering of a nearby manhole and begun her downward climb. To begin with, how could she be so sure these guys were after us-

"The two targets are nowhere to be found. Proceed further."

"Roger that."

Yep, definitely after us. Gulping, I followed Saki-chan into the sewers. We reached the bottom and walked along the side, neither side saying a word.

So... Saki-chan was a criminal.

Not that I was too surprised. I had already seen Hikki and Yukinon in action, so nothing could be too shocking in comparison. And to be fair, I had kind of seen this coming. It explained quite a few things, like Saki-chan's over-the-top reaction to being followed, or her unusual physical fitness.

I stopped myself from asking stupid questions like 'You work part-time in the underground, Saki-chan?'. She knew. I knew. She knew I knew. What was the point in asking?

Instead I asked: "The hiding place that we're going to... is it safe?"

"Dunno," she replied. She was staring straight ahead, her expression unreadable. "With the underground, you can never be sure."

Something in my heart twinged. It wasn't like I hated Saki-chan now that I knew she was a criminal, but she thought I did and that was pretty much the same thing. She looked like she needed a hug, which I would gladly give if we weren't in the sewers.

The smell, gosh. I felt pride at the fact that the stench of waste bothered me more than my friend's background did.

Somewhere along the passageway, Saki-chan shifted aside a part of the wall and squeezed into the resulting crevice. Wrinkling my nose, I followed and emerged in a spacious room. It was a fairly bare room, with a single table and cupboard under a flickering light bulb.

"I haven't come in here for a while, but looks like someone's been using it recently," Saki-chan said, still avoiding eye contact with me. "We'll stay until the commotion dies down, then we'll go back up and... I guess you can go home."

What was supposed to say in this situation? 'No, I don't wanna go home! Let's continue searching for a job!' was pretty bad. 'I don't actually hate you, Saki-chan!' was inappropriate given the timing. And I'd rather bash my head against the wall than say 'Let me join in too!'.

The last option was only for desperate situations, such as when a pair of students were about to make you forget everything you had seen in the past fifteen minutes and didn't mind if they gave you permanent brain damage in the process.

I took a deep breath. "Saki-chan... tell me more about Chiba's criminal underground."

"...huh? Are you even listening to yourself? This isn't a playground."

I flinched at the curt tone, but pressed on anyway. "You remember what I said, right? That I want to understand as much as I can about the people around me."

"There's a lot you don't understand," she snapped. "And that's a good thing. Don't go learning what you don't need to, you'll get yourself killed."

"I'm already surrounded by people who know things that I'm not supposed to know!" I yelled hotly. I didn't yell very often, and the surprise at me doing so registered on Saki-chan's face. "You're not the only one with problems here, you know! Who cares if our worlds are different? At least you know you live in a different world! Hayato-kun leads the whole of Group S on, but we have no idea what's going on behind the scenes. At least, I don't! Hikki and Yukinon don't tell me a single thing, and I can't possibly know what's going on over there if they don't! So don't you start pulling that crap on me either!"

Saki-chan looked conflicted; her face was white. "I... I'm just not sure if-"

I grabbed both her hands and glared straight into her eyes. 'We're friends, aren't we?"

"I..."

"Aren't we?"

Dead silence. I refused to break my glare.

Finally, she broke eye contact. "Urghhh... fine, fine. What do you want to know?"

I heaved a small sigh of relief; finally, after months of being clueless, somebody was going to fill me in. "Well firstly, what's the criminal world like? Are you part of a gang that's going through a turf war or something?"

'It's not as simple as that," Saki-chan sighed, rubbing the bridge between her eyes. "It used to be like that, though. Yakuza, Italian Mafia, all sorts of gangs just minding their own business. There were a couple of traitors and troublemakers here and there, but they were insignificant on the grand scale. Chiba was one of the safer prefectures because crime was more subdued."

"What happened then?"

Saki-chan stared deep into my eyes, dead serious. "A revolution."

I felt a chill run down my spine.

"It happened a year ago, and it was the start of what we all refer to as The New Age. Essentially, all the traitors and troublemakers that had their fingers in multiple gangs banded together to take over the entire prefecture."

Gangs such as in the Yakuza and Mafia, had a part to play in the economic sector, meaning they owned (mostly) legal businesses to support themselves. And every one of these gangs had members that pulled the strings and called the shots. Powerful criminals, constantly backstabbing drifting from gang to gang, only aiming to make as much money as possible. If all these influential criminals worked together, they could probably change society as we knew it. A terrifying, unstoppable force.

"It was a really big thing," Saki-chan continued. "Even the government got involved and resorted to using their undercover illegal organisation to deal with these guys. It didn't really work out, though."

"Hold up. Our government controls an illegal organisation?"

Saki-chan sighed. "Yep. Why else do you think Chiba's crime rate was so subdued? All the law enforcement happened in the shadows."

My mind was reeling, but the suspense would kill me if I asked Saki-chan to stop now. "Ah... so this New Age thing..."

"We're still living in it, yes. Basically, the underworld used to be split into two factions; Summer and Winter. The Summer faction comprised all the gangs, and the Winter faction was completely made of Government agents. But after the revolution, two more factions were born."

I clasped my hands together. "Four factions... so you could name them after the four seasons right? That's so convenient!"

"R-right. The group of traitors who started the whole mess were dubbed the Autumn faction, and the Spring faction is... another group that came from the Government."

"Oh. Wouldn't that make them part of the Winter faction then?"

There was a short pause. "No. They operate separately."

"Are you sure y'all didn't make it a separate faction just so you could have four seasons-"

"Definitely not."

"Okay, okay... so what does the Spring faction do-"

Saki-chan clamped a hand over my mouth and dragged us both into the cupboard. The cupboard door shut, just in time before two men entered the room through the opening we had created earlier. Through a crack in the cupboard door, we watched the men gather around the table.

"Looks like someone else has been in here," the first man said. "The air feels a little less... musty."

"Probably a bunch of guys who stopped by for a breather," said the other. "We should be safe. And we didn't leave any incriminating evidence behind, did we?"

Beside me, Saki-chan murmured something that sounded like "Wait, I know these guys..."

"None. How are the preparations going?"

"A-ok, Satou-san. The invasion of the Downtown area will begin soon. Here's the list of our targets." The man placed a slip of paper on the table.

My heart skipped a bit. Going by the way Saki-chan's breath hitched, she was surprised too.

"Excellent. This will be the first stage in our plan. We will raid every major establishment in the area, raising the ire of the Summer and Winter factions. When the rest of the Autumn Faction then tries to investigate the root cause, the Big Eight will inevitably expose themselves to attack and we will end them. It is time for the New Age to meet its end, my friend."

The man referred to as Satou's friend groaned. "I know the plan, Satou-san. You've repeated it so many times. But... well... it's not awfully specific, is it? Are you sure about this?"

"Fear not, brother. We have a powerful friend on our side!"

The man referred to as Satou's brother sighed. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. This {Moral Compass} guy... we're not sure if he even exists."

"I understand your concern, my comrade. But think about it. Going by the members of the Big Eight who we know, it is clear that none of them have a single lick of conscience, no?"

"Well yes, but-"

"To begin with it is a selfish group. Powerful but selfish. They started this whole 'New Age' nonsense so that they could reap the resulting profit."

"We're in the Autumn faction too, Satou-san. We're not exactly in the position to talk." mumbled the man referred to as Satou's comrade.

"That is why," said Satou, steamrolling on, "There has to be a figure who is holding them back. They would have overturned our entire society by now otherwise; that is just how absurdly powerful they are. This figure who prevents them from acting out the full extent of their evil desires must be one with a strong sense of justice, and we have hence named him {Moral Compass}."

"That's an oversimplified explanation! I'm not gonna risk my life for such conjecture!"

"Relax, dear friend. I have confirmed that the man himself exists."

The man who was obviously very important to Satou stiffened. "Wait, seriously?"

"He got in contact with me a few months ago. All the information he has concerning the Big Eight and other Factions checks out nicely. {Moral Compass} does exist, and he will lead us to victory."

"Oh, that's a relief then. Anyway it's about to start, so we should get going..."

Still talking, the two men exited the room. A few moments later, Saki-chan and I spilled out of the cupboard, panting heavily.

"That bastard!" Saki-chan growled. "I knew he was up to something, but to think it was something like this..."

The slip of paper that the man had claimed 'contained the names of all their targets' still lay on the table, so I picked it up. "Ah, so you're in the Autumn faction, Saki-chan? The one full of backstabbing traitors?"

"Wh... n... I o-only joined after the revolution, okay!"

"It was only formed after the revolution, Saki-chan," I said, gaining great pleasure in watching Saki-chan's face go bright red. "Also, who are the Big Eight?"

"The eight people who led the revolution," Saki-chan replied. "Only a few of them have their identities revealed, so the fact that there are eight of them is just speculation. Their aliases are probably written on the list you're holding. To think of killing the Big Eight... it's a pipe dream, honestly. I have no idea what Satou is thinking."

I glanced at the list... and my blood ran cold.

{Lion Heart, Hayama Hayato}

{Dead Eye, ?}

{Moral Compass, ?} (Ally}

{Sentient Shadow, ?}

{Parallel Vein, Shiromeguri Meguri}

{Sixth Finger, Nanami Nana}

{Tarnished Soul, John Smith}

{Fleeting Mind, ?} (Leader, top priority)

Hayato-kun... and Shiromeguri-senpai too...

I thought of a frog in a well. A well that runs deep into the ground, so that from the bottom the frog can only see a small patch of sky. To the frog, the sky is its entire world. Sometimes it sees the sun and moon pass by above its small space, and gets used to them after a while. But when the frog climbs out of its well and sees the outside world: the sun and the moon and how they travel across the entire sky, it's world is shattered.

My throat felt dry.

"Yeah," mumbled Saki-chan, casting me a sympathetic look. "It's surprising once you know how many criminals there are around you, honestly. Still want to know what's going on?"

"Of course," I croaked. 'Saki-chan... I... I want to fight."

"Huhhh? No, no. There's nothing you can do about it, okay? I'm sure Hayama and the Prez will be able to protect themselves just fine. We'll just get you out of here and you can go back home-"

"You can't stop me, Saki-chan," I said, turning around to face her. No shouting, no whining, just matter-of-fact. "I may not have known it, but I've been involved in this longer than you think. Hayato-kun, Shiromeguri-senpai... I want to help them. You too. Maybe even Hikki too. Hikki is in the Autumn faction too, right?"

'Y-yeah, but how'd you know-"

"Lucky guess. And innocent people may get involved here, so you'll have to fight as well. You can't waste time taking me home!"

"I... guess so..."

"Let's do this together, Saki-chan. I won't get in your way, I promise."

Dead silence. I refused to break my stare.

For the second time that day, she broke it. "Fine, fine. Just don't blame me if you die, okay?"

Score!

"We have to go save Yukinon too!" I chirped as Saki-chan strode out of the room. "She's up there because of us, so it's our responsibility!"

"Yeah, yeah... Just to make it clear, I'm not doing this because you told me to, okay?"

"You know, Saki-chan, you're quite like a tsundere yourself."

"S-shut up!"

My thoughts drifted to Yukinon as we walked down the sewers yet again. Hopefully the thugs from earlier weren't giving her too much trouble...

[Yukinoshita Yukino, 29th June, 2030 hours]

"How much trouble do you have to give me before you are satisfied?" I hissed. Before me, a multitude of bowed heads accepted their fate. "You've failed three times in a row tonight. Three! For the Yukinoshita family that's three times too many!"

I was ashamed beyond belief. I had imagined such a grand chase across the heart of Chiba, and here I was, turning tail after the first round.

My thoughts were interrupted when my cell phone rang.

It was my mother. "Yukino, I heard you took two squads out to the Downtown Area. Is this true?"

Even though I had rehearsed this conversation in my head multiple times, the words that came out of my mouth still seemed to trip over each other. "Yes, mother. H-however, it was for a r-relevant cause-"

"That doesn't matter, anyhow. Listen up, now. Your father just got fresh intel that there will be several raids at the major establishments in the Downtown area, courtesy of the Autumn faction. Five more squads will be joining you shortly, so settle this mess before midnight."

A raid? I had certainly not been expecting that. Did that have something to do with Yuigahama-san and Kawasaki-san's disappearance? Or perhaps they were complete outsiders to this incident? I had no idea which scenario I preferred.

"Of course, mother. I suppose you will be coming down to oversee-"

"Did you not hear me correctly, Yukino? Settle it yourself. This social gathering is one among political leaders. Your father and I cannot leave so easily."

In front of me, the members of Alpha and Beta squads were already standing in formation. Subconsciously, I straightened my posture as well. "I-I understand."

"Very good. It needs no explanation that innocent civilians will be harmed if you fail. But more importantly, Yukino."

"Yes, mother?"

"The name of the Yukinoshita family... no. The pride of our entire Government lies in your hands tonight. Do not disappoint us."

"Yes, mother."

Ending the call, I turned to face my father's men. Until midnight, they were my men and I would make the most out of them.

"Listen up. Up until now you all have been nothing but failures!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"But now we have an important operation on our hands. The Autumn faction is about to commit acts of terrorism, and we are going to stop them! Failure is not an option!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"So let us go and show these thugs just what we can do!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I took a deep breath. Forget the game of hide and seek, this was turning out to be bigger than I ever could have imagined. It felt like I was a powerful piece being moved into the most chaotic section of a chess board, and the very thought was exhilarating.

"By the order of Yukinoshita Yukino, heiress of the Winter faction: Move out!"

[Hikigaya Hachiman, 29th June, 2030 hours]

Fruitless. Empty. Meaningless.

The search of Yuigahama's room had yielded no results. I had brazenly torn up floorboards, wallpaper... anything that could have something hidden behind. I had shamelessly browsed yearbooks and diaries. I had taken the entire room apart, leaving no stone unturned. Yet, all the things I found pointed to Yuigahama being a perfectly normal schoolgirl.

Normal schoolgirls did not just casually waltz into the highest rung of my stratified system! I refused to accept this.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Kawasaki that read "Satou planning a coup. Wants 2 kill the 8. Raiding downtown area. Yuigahama wants 2 fight. Send orders."

I groaned. Those stupid little...

Of all the days they could have chosen to rebel against me, they just had to pick this one. It was just failure after failure... Murphy's law really was in full swing today.

At this point Kawasaki had probably been forced to tell Yuigahama about what was going on. I trusted Kawasaki not to give her any crucial information (read: information about myself), but what on earth was Yuigahama thinking? Wanting to fight? This is not your battlefield, woman. Go home!

Though... that was exactly what I had thought when Yuigahama joined the Service Club, and she was doing just fine, wasn't she? That girl had a knack for blending into her surroundings really easily; maybe this skirmish would help me gain more insight about her.

I texted back: "U fight too. Prioritise her safety" and shoved my cell phone into my pocket. I had more important things to do. Like taking apart the ceiling.

I hesitated for a moment, then took my phone back out.

"Yours too, of course."

The reply took five seconds to arrive.

"Idiot."

I smiled. Nothing like texting a tsundere on a bad day. Despite everything that had happened so far, my spirits were lifted now.

Alright, let's do this! Time to conduct a second search in my female classmate's underwear drawer for potential blackmail material...

...and while I'm at it, revolutionise society.

{Fleeting Mind, Hikigaya Hachiman}

Author's note: One chapter became two before I knew it, whoops. The next one will take a while though