After returning from my school, I was wasting my time playing a weird online game with Kevin when a small sound alerted me.
Hearing it, I quickly tossed my phone on my bed and faced towards the door.
I was sitting alone on a chair in my closed dark room. That sudden noise could only belong to one thing, Irina opening my door.
"So you needed something in an emergency?"
"Nothing that urgent, also I didn't know you had a chihuahua."
"That was my friend, she was concerned about me, must have been the first time you have heard of that right?"
I tried to mock her a little but she struck back harder.
"I wanted to ask for Ice Demon's contact info."
"The R.U.O.S. is down so I'll refrain from any needless contacts."
"What's ruose?"
"Think about it as a communication place for Relic Users; it even makes the calls or any other forms of contact on the device while making the said device untraceable."
"Interesting but it's nothing that important. It would just be a quick conversation.
"Why do you want to go to Demon if you have an emergency?"
"It's not an emergency, I want to contact her so that I can ask for a small favour."
"And what if your request is rejected?"
"At least let me try."
"By me. Why do you want to contact Ice Demon? What happened behind my back?"
Saying that she took a seat on my bed as if she knew I had a story to tell.
"There is no story, I just want to know more about her faction."
"I'll tell you about them, if that's not enough you can contact Sera."
"I'm thinking about joining her faction as an anonymous Relic User for an experiment."
"It's currently too chaotic out there, so join my faction, it always has an empty spot for you."
"I specifically want to join her faction."
"And you chose her faction because?" She glared at me as she said.
"An incident regarding Relics happened to me."
"Speak." She spoke with a cold tone.
No type of lie could possibly deceive her. I didn't want to entertain her but I'll need her help.
Giving up I finally told her my whole interaction with Dan, Irina silently looked at me and listened to it carefully.
After my story ended she got up and said - "I see." And started to leave.
"...Wait!"
"You have something more to tell me?"
I may not be able to predict what Irina is going to do next but I know what she was thinking. She will eliminate these stalkers alongside Dan!
"Let's come into an agreement, shall we?"
"What do you mean?"
She stopped on her tracks and looked at me doubtfully.
"I have a plan of something, something very big but I can't achieve that if you'll interfere unnecessarily."
"Why?" She slightly squinted her eyes and stared at me with an obviously angry expression.
"What do you mean why, my plan will-"
"I'm asking why do you care so much now?" She interrupted my statement.
"Because I'm in the middle of it."
"That is weird, since the last time something involving Relics happened you chose to stuff your face with some strangers' food instead of even listening and now you feel like being in the middle of it?"
At this point if somebody said that Irina understood me the best, that statement would not be false.
For the first time in years, I was trying to change myself.
Getting involved in unnecessary trouble, forming connections and helping others' affairs are things that are not usually aligned with my life's philosophy.
And as a human, I am afraid of change too.
Changing one's ideals means to kill your former self and live like a new person. Of course this just seems overreacting to some small changes but a change in life ideals are never small.
However the last incident has made it clear how close I am from getting killed by someone whose identity was still unknown to me.
"I… want to have my own cards outside of Chandler's plan." I answered honestly.
"Is that so?" Saying that her expression finally changed.
"Here." She walked up to me and placed her phone on the table while picking up mine.
I took her phone and checked a few things before I returned it.
"What?"
"Maybe I'll ask for it tomorrow then."
She looked at my phone and said "You really were going to…" and returned my phone without completing her sentence.
She truly figured out my plan or perhaps she knows about how limited my options were.
"Now that you are done acting tough I'll go do things."
"Oh but I'm still not done." I said with a wide smile on my face.
"Shade!"
"I'll see you tomorrow Irina." I replied still with a wide smile.
Hearing my reply Irina left while loudly slamming the door.
I sat there looking down for a few seconds to make sure she wasn't coming back.
Irina's presence was like a natural disaster for me, completely unpredictable and above all extremely dangerous .
Irina held a powerful relic alongside huge authority and a befitting ruler-like attitude, of course her wealth should also not be an exception to her standings, because of all this getting on the bad side of Irina was the last thing I wanted in life.
I would love to calm her down even with the risk of potential backlash but I had to prioritise something before that.
It was just a guess for now but I had two answers in mind regarding Dan's situation, of course both can be false but the timing can't be ignored.
The next day passed by similarly, pretending to pay attention in class while talking to Kevin in the free time and lastly Dan calling me out during the recess.
We went to the same place we were yesterday and he opened his mouth.
"Didn't you say you were going to do something?!"
The first thing he said to me was complain.
"Yeah, I was still at the preparation stage, what about you, how is the stalker doing?"
"The activities increased by a lot. Like-"
"It's fine you don't have to tell me everything… Do you currently feel like being watched right now?"
"I'm not sure…" He silently scanned our surroundings.
But unlike him I didn't take a glance at all, perhaps what I felt yesterday was indeed true because of which I was now intentionally avoiding the eye of these stalkers, after all I already knew where the stalkers were.
"Who do you think these stalkers are, by the way?" I asked him openly.
"I'm not sure about that as well."
"What about the job? Was it something shady?"
"It was not something like that."
"I see." I glared at him with an unconvincing expression.
"Dan, by any chance are you popular among girls?"
"You are still assuming that my stalker is a girl?"
"Can't rule that one out yet."
Dan sighed and slowly spoke.
"I'm not like that, I have a few friends of the opposite sex but I have never seen them like that."
"Any girl you like?"
"There is… not."
A weird pause between his answers caused by doubt or perhaps embarrassment.
"Really?"
"That- there is one okay! It is normal."
"What about males?"
"You're not suggesting that-"
"Friends."
"I have a lot of close male friends and I get along with students other than my batchmates fairly well, if that helps you."
"I also have a suggestion for you."
"What is it now?"
"Join my faction."
"You mean the faction led by Ms. Ice Demon?"
"Yes."
"...I'm really sorry to reject your offer after you extended a helping hand, but I really like my current faction."
"It's a shame that you would lie like that."
"I-I'm not lying, again you're just too pessimistic! If you're done talking like doing a monotone while asking uncomfortable questions, I am busy being stalked!"
"Yeah yeah, then listen to my plan carefully now."
"Hmm?"
As he slowly listened to my plan he made all sorts of faces in between.
"What do you mean this is just-!"
"Can you do it?"
"I- can! But it will be really embarrassing for me."
"Embarrassment or a possible life threatening result?"
"Embarrassment but I don't want to do this at all."
"Now, just do it."
"..." After that he took deep breaths and made a phone call.
The words he chose were from my second idea I suggested just in case he was too embarrassed to do the first one.
"NOW WHAT?!"
"Why are you screaming, as planned we just have to leave these chits of paper."
I passed him small paper chits I made in free time.
"So I'll have to go to the library now?"
"Yeah and I'll call Kevin from my class and follow."
After that Dan and I separated and went around two different paths.
I roamed around for a bit before heading towards the washroom on the third floor, while Dan headed towards my opposite direction.
Kevin was waiting for me near my destination.
"Here I brought you those paper chits you were playing with, what even is this?"
"Don't talk about it so openly!"
Kevin flinched by my unusual reaction and stood there dumbfounded.
I took out one of the papers, read its contents, and then crumbled it before throwing it away.
I talked about the plan for a few minutes with him, and after receiving the message I was waiting for, we went towards the library located on the floor below us.
As we were entering, a huge group of students exited before us.
"Those were senior year students right? Isn't your plan related to them?"
"Yes but not them."
"But Dan was among them."
"He is not yet required in it."
"It is never boring with you around."
Can't say the same.
We looked through the books and took the one I was looking for before a female student approached us.
"Are you Shade?"
"Yes, you must be Candice."
"About what Dan said, is it really true?"
I quickly pointed at Kevin signalling her.
"Oh! Sorry."
"Hmm?" Kevin tilts his head in confusion but doesn't say anything.
"Kevin, can you help me watch the entrance?"
Kevin made a thumbs up sign and a small nod before heading towards the door. I usually would have shied ordering anyone else around but I had gotten well acquainted with Kevin.
I took out a few pieces of paper and started writing something.
"It's a little sudden but is it really fine with me?"
A little evil grin appeared on my face as I replied to her -
"If Dan chose you perhaps there may be a little meaning behind it. You can get your hopes pretty high."
I would love to become a helper for once in my life.
She covered her mouth with her hand as an unstoppable smile appeared on her lips.
"That's not..."
I slowly wrote something and passed the paper to her.
She replied in a similar fashion.
Conversing through writing for a while, I left the paper slips in the book and placed the book back to its place and left the library together with Kevin and Candice.
After that we passed through the canteen where Kevin separated to talk with some of my classmates.
Candice and I meanwhile stood at the corner of the hallway located around the canteen.
But we were not alone, someone was there, hiding near the pillar.
I smugly looked around a bit and stood near that pillar.
"But would it be alright doing all this?" Coincidentally Candice asked at a near perfect timing.
"What are you saying, it may feel a little unpleasant but all of this is for saving Dan right?" I replied very strongly to her question.
"I guess you're right."
Kevin came out and joined us again after a few minutes.
At last we entered our last destination which was an empty classroom. We came inside and settled down, waiting for the main stars, the door opened again and a group of people marched inside.
As Dan and Shade met during the recess a few eyes were already locked on the two.
These eyes were undetectable by their targets so the group had unwavering confidence to not get caught.
In the empty room with multiple monitors five people kept watch on the two unaware students.
"He has made a second approach to Shade today."
"Do you think he is with him?"
"Perhaps but as Shasha stated, he is clean for any ownership of Relics."
"I think we should monitor them for a little longer for any other contact initiation."
As the group of five people watched the two students' interaction through the multiple monitors, Dan took a few steps and distanced himself from Shade before calling someone on his phone.
Between their talk on the phone Shade patiently waited, as the call came to an end they both separated from each other.
"What should we do now?"
"We will observe them throughout the break time, let's see if we find any suspicious behaviour."
Deciding their course of action the group kept track of the two students simultaneously from behind the monitors.
Shade made contact with another student from his class and so did Dan but in a larger group.
Shade read something on a paper, made a displeased expression and threw it away.
"Miles, collect that piece of paper and stay in touch all the time."
"Do you think they are planning something?"
"Most probably, Dan had been aware of us for the last three days, perhaps they are planning on launching a huge attack against us."
The person named Miles left the room in a hurry.
"Dan did the same as Shade, the sheets of paper is in the library. I'll go after that."
"Wait a second, Shade is probably headed towards the library as well. Look for the next place."
Shade then went to the library as for Dan, he separated from his huge group and headed towards gymnasium this time.
"We may have made a mistake by approaching Dan with such a direct approach."
["I got Shade's paper, it says - 'You'll have to make her agree as well."]. In a nearby speaker, the voice of Miles relayed that message.
"Who is it talking about?"
"Shade has made another contact."
This time Shade and Kevin made contact with Candice, a girl from senior year and a grade higher than both Shade and Kevin.
"Perhaps we already got the answer."
"I didn't think someone like Candice would also be their part, she is timid in nature and usually alone."
"Don't forget that Shade had also shown his true colours only since yesterday."
"Miles, go to the library now but don't enter it. One of them is at the entrance guarding it."
["Got it."]
"And Richard, you head to the gymnasium after Dan."
"On it!"
The person named Richard, left the room after the command.
"They are near each other but they seem to be talking through writing."
"They don't want to get eavesdropped and after the R.U.O.S. had shut down they can't communicate through their phones. Luckily they will leave those paper chits, they can't risk getting caught with those."
Shade and Candice sat together as for Kevin he guarded the entrance of the library. Similarly, Dan made contact with two other people and headed to another place.
After a while Shade also made a move and headed towards the canteen.
Miles took the book and headed towards the canteen.
"What's on the papers, Miles?"
["It's a long discussion of arguing whether to do it or not, the writing of the second person, possibly Candice chose some unnamed location."]
"They're going through the canteen, go near the hallway and hide."
As he hid near the pillar, Shade and Candice came out. Shade looked around and stopped near the pillar.
"Miles, did he spot you?!"
The three in the room waited for a reply but they were answered with dead silence.
"Miles why aren't you-"
"Calm down, if Miles is not answering then he's undetected for now, don't lose your temper over something like this."
"Sorry."
As their argument came to end Miles still could not reply.
Miles was now so close to his targets that even their voices could be heard through the mic, yet both of them were so completely silent for a few seconds making a rare chance of information leak an optimistic possibility.
["But would it be alright doing all this."]
["What are you saying, it may feel a little unpleasant but all of this is for saving Dan right?"]
["I guess you're right."]
"That is!"
"Correct, looks like they are truly trying to launch an assault on us. This much evidence is enough we will apprehend them during the classes after recess."
As Kevin joined in with them all three continued their way towards the other school building.
The people Dan and Kevin both contacted during the recess, crowded near a same place.
"Hmm Richard, what about Dan?"
["He's heading towards the second block."]
"Perhaps both of the groups are heading towards the same place. And the students they came in contact with are crowding at one spot of the campus."
"Wouldn't that mean they're going to use something like a bomb!"
As the two people debated their possibilities both the group entered the same room one after another.
"Shasha, can you sense if they have Relics?"
"No, they're too out of range for me."
"We don't have a choice, we'll take them on in a direct confrontation, they even have hostages set on stage so we cannot delay."
Concluding with their quick decision all the five people confidently marched towards the room where Shade and Dan resided.