Tyra was initially taken aback, but her mind was calmed by the brain chip. And just as she was about to ignore Marty's sudden behavior and get back into the car...
"Don't go."
Marty grabbed Tyra's arm.
"I've been waiting for you to graduate."
Marty stared at Tyra.
Marty's pupils dilated as a mysterious light flickered within them. Tyra's pupils reacted in kind, dilating as well. The happy and joyful moments of the three girls that Tyra had seen through X flashed through her mind like a film reel.
If I follow her then maybe I could… Huh? Where did these memories come from?
Tyra was puzzled, but instead of pushing away Marty's hand, she quietly lowered her head. She didn't want to reveal the pounding of her heart.
"Alright..."
"Huh?"
"I said alright. Just let go for now."
As Tyra realized she couldn't resist Marty any longer, Marty finally released her hand.
"You're persistent."
"That's just how I am."
"And what good would it do if you got caught by a Security Agent?"
"Isn't it better than going to Siberia?"
"How did you know about that?"
"I've been waiting. I don't want to lose you again."
As Marty kept responding, Tyra, who seemed to be gradually relinquishing her attempts to hide her emotions, paused for a moment as if contemplating.
"...So, where are we going?"
"Curious, huh?"
As Marty chuckled again, Tyra became slightly annoyed.
"You chatter too much. Just answer the question."
"Then let's go for now."
"What? Hey, this is my car."
"Oh~ I know. I won't eat it. Just get in. Quickly."
Drawn in by Marty's audacity, Tyra reluctantly took the passenger seat. Marty stepped on the accelerator before Tyra could change her mind. The car raced down the empty road at full speed.
"Hey! Isn't this too loud?! What if we get caught under surveillance?!"
"Just say the car suddenly accelerated."
"You know it's a lie, so what's the point—"
As Tyra started to protest, Marty gripped the steering wheel tightly and pressed the accelerator even harder.
"Whoa!!"
"Just worrying won't change anything."
"...I know that much. But you seem really excited right now."
"Yeah! I'm thrilled because I can introduce you to my friends!" Marty exclaimed, seeming on the verge of exploding with adrenaline.
"This feeling, like the brain chip isn't suppressing it... It's a first."
"You're that happy to see me?"
"Of course!" Marty raised her voice without hesitation.
"Yeah, I understand that, but it's probably best to calm down for now."
"Calm down?"
"Yeah, because if you don't, nothing good will come out of it."
It was advice borne from past experiences. She hadn't expected to be giving advice to someone her own age.
But whether her words got through or not, Marty felt the rush of unfamiliar emotions settle as if an accident had been averted, and she matched the speed of the other cars on the road.
"Got it. Hehe."
"Yeah, you're doing well."
Tyra praised Marty as if she were handling a horse, and Marty obediently followed Tyra's lead. As a result, Tyra found herself able to handle Marty more calmly and smoothly than before.
"Huh? What's that?"
But wasn't it just her luck? Coincidentally, AG241, the former Special Forces Operative, was passing by nearby. AG241 glanced carefully into the car as it slowed down, its speed decreasing gradually.
"…Marty. And the other one is... Hmm, Ty... ra?"
AG241 was at a loss for words. While Marty seemed likely to cause an accident at some point, Tyra was an outstanding student.
"Huh, could it be that this girl is also connected to Marty?"
AG241 recalled the first time he encountered Marty in the hallway. Her gaze seemed no different from the other students', but there was something subtly different about her. Since then, AG241 had kept an eye on Marty, fearing she might exhibit some unusual behavior. Fortunately, Marty showed no signs of trouble until graduation, so AG241 had dismissed it as a false alarm and gradually forgotten about her. But now, of all times, AG241 witnessed Marty's unexpected behavior.
"This won't do. This won't do at all."
After retiring from the Special Forces and being assigned to Noah Tech School for three years, AG241 faithfully carried out the mission of identifying "children different from those of IDYPIA" and ensuring they received 're-education' before they could cause social disruption. And this mission was no different.
"Emergency situation. Please send surveillance drones immediately," AG241 contacted the AG Security Center and requested surveillance drones to be deployed. They would chase and apprehend the two.
"I will protect IDYPIA."
A few minutes later, three surveillance drones in the form of dragonflies appeared in front of AG241. Under the pretext of safeguarding IDYPIA, AG241, along with the insect-shaped surveillance drones, began to shadow Marty and Tyra.
***
As Marty and Tyra's car headed towards the hideout, Marty kept glancing at the rearview mirror.
"Hmm?"
Sensing something amiss, Marty abruptly slammed on the brakes.
"What, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?"
With her body lurching forward in surprise, Tyra looked puzzled, unable to comprehend what was happening. In that moment, Marty grabbed Tyra's hand and hastily jumped out of the car, darting into an empty alleyway.
"Huh? Hey!"
"I think we've been spotted."
"What?!"
Tyra glanced back for a moment, spotting surveillance drones in the distance.
"Damn, you're quick on your feet."
"For now, come this way, let's hide!"
Marty and Tyra dashed into a nearby unmanned restaurant.
"But where are we running off to?"
"Check this out."
Marty extended her palm and displayed a screen showing a map drawn by Siu and a message with instructions from Zena.
"At point A, with the sun setting across 60.125, take Route 124 and head towards 835-2 for a familiar lunch on a cloudy day."
Trying to make sense of the numbers and symbols, Tyra furrowed her brows in confusion.
"What's with this weird, mismatched sentence?"
"Oh, that's something Siu came up with. She selected words known only to us and mixed them up as an anagram within the message."
"But wouldn't AG Security Center know everything if they checked our brain chips?"
"I thought about that too. Siu set up a separate Secret Mode within the virtual space she created. With this, we can avoid leaving traces on the brain chips."
Impressed by Marty's confident explanation, Tyra chuckled with amusement.
"Alright, then. Since it's come to this, let's give it a shot."
Eventually, AG241 arrived with surveillance drones in tow. However, no matter how long they waited, the two didn't emerge. AG241 entered the store, but there was no sign of them anywhere.
"Damn it!"
AG241, flustered, follows along with the surveillance drones, but they were unable to find them as Marty and Tyra had already disappeared into the buildings and crowds.
The drones, now lost without a trace of Marty and Tyra, circled aimlessly around.
"How was it?"
"We purposely led them on a wild goose chase to mess up the drones' navigation. Well, it worked out alright."
Excited at the thought of outmaneuvering a surveillance drone for the first time as an IDYPIA resident, Marty feels a surge of adrenaline, and Tyra shared in the thrill with a bright smile.
***