Noah, a student with brown hair and green eyes, stood before the bathroom mirror, lost in contemplation.
Memories of his failed scholarship application haunted him, a missed opportunity that could have alleviated his family's financial struggles.
Despite his parents' efforts, his subpar grades prevented him from securing the scholarship, forcing them to work even harder to send him to this academy far from home.
Determined to redeem himself, Noah wanted to excel academically, knowing that success in the upcoming midterms could lift their financial burdens for the next six months.
However, the weight of his family's financial problems cast a shadow of doubt on his confidence.
To sustain his education, he worked as a librarian at the school, juggling academics with part-time employment.
Emerging from his thoughts, Noah dried his hair and roamed around his dorm room, only to stumble upon a white envelope.
Puzzled, he picked it up, finding 2500 groves inside—a substantial sum that left him astonished. Though he initially suspected his parents as the senders, doubts lingered about how they could acquire such a large amount.
Intrigued, he delved deeper into the envelope, discovering a note and a USB drive. Confusion gripped him as he examined the contents.
The note, devoid of any identifiers, contained printed instructions directing him to the sixth building—the administrative personnel office.
It instructed him to install a program from the USB drive onto the system, promising an additional 2500 groves upon completion. Moreover, success would yield something to aid him in securing a scholarship.
Noah's mind reeled with disbelief as he absorbed the contents of the note. Who could possess such intimate knowledge of his circumstances?
He thought this was all a prank, but quickly dismissed the idea as he saw the large amount of sum in his hands.
Pondering his next move, Noah weighed the risks against the potential benefits. The mysterious sender's knowledge of his situation unsettled him, raising questions about their motives.
Despite his apprehension, Noah simply couldn't look past the financial aid and to help him acquire a scholarship?
What did that mean? Noah glanced at the USB drive in his hands and quickly understood its purpose.
The USB drive could likely grant access to the school's system and provide the question papers for the upcoming midterms.
Swallowing his dry saliva, Noah thought to himself, 'with the question papers, I could definitely...' but he cut off his train of thought.
That wasn't important now. What mattered was the identity of the sender.
Who were they?
Were they some spoiled rich student desperate to pass the exams? But that didn't explain how they knew about his circumstances. Did they also know he could access the sixth building?
Shivers ran down Noah's spine at the thought of being so closely observed.
Suddenly, the alarm on his phone blared, pulling Noah out of his reverie. He quickly silenced it and checked the time. He needed to get ready for class or risk being late.
After preparing himself, Noah headed to his classes, ensuring to bring the envelope with him, afraid it might disappear if left alone.
Throughout his classes, he found himself distracted, his mind consumed by thoughts of the mysterious sender.
'Who could it be?'
He only knew his classmates, teachers, and no one else outside of his classroom.
So the sender must be one of them, right? Noah paid very close attention to each and every one of his classmates, hoping to catch any signs of unusual behavior.
But nothing seemed out of the ordinary!
Frustrated, he observed his classmates and teachers for the entire day. Miss Brooklyn was assisting Valentina with her math problems, while Ryan and Evan remained engrossed in their phones, as usual. Rena diligently completed her homework, and Edward appeared disinterested, as always.
Who could it be if it wasn't them? Noah racked his brain, recalling the instructions in the note.
'All you have to do is distract Mr. Tanaka for 5 minutes. To do that, get him his favorite drink—The Devil's Kiss, which costs around 1250 Groves. Quite expensive but you can use the 2500 groves provided. If he does not drink immediately, insist that he does as it was quite expensive to get it to him as a gift. Add a Diuretics pill just in case if he does not drink too much. The pill should be located inside the envelope in a small folded surface. That should prompt him a trip to use the restrooms which is a minute walk away from his office. His trip to and back should take at least 5 minutes which is plenty of time to execute what was mentioned before. If everything goes well it shouldn't take more than 3 minutes to install and grant access to the program. The faster you can complete this task the better. Upon completion, you'll receive an addition of 3750 groves. Extra 1250 to cover the drink's cost.'
The school day ended a while ago, Noah within the time came to a conclusion that the sender of the envelope must be Mr. Tanaka.
Mr. Tanaka was someone that knew about his father and their circumstances. So he favored Noah quite a bit. He also worked as an administrative in the sixth building.
"It has to be some kind of a twisted test." Noah muttered under his breath.
Feeling some of the tension release from his heart, he went out of the school to purchase Mr. Tanaka's favorite drink and then strode towards the sixth building to meet Mr. Tanaka.