The bell marking the end of the school day echoed through the halls, a familiar chime that signaled the start of the new routine.
For the past few days, Class C had diligently followed Horikita's proposed schedule of rigorous training and study sessions.
The initial grumbling had subsided, replaced by a grudging acceptance, or in Kushida's case, an enthusiastic embrace.
The training sessions were brutal. Ayanokoji observed his classmates with a detached curiosity.
Ike, surprisingly, displayed a newfound determination, fueled perhaps by the desire to impress a certain pink-haired classmate.
Sudou struggled with the early mornings but surprised everyone by pushing himself to his limits. Even Horikita, her face perpetually etched with seriousness, participated with a focused intensity.
The only holdout was Kouenji. Cloaked in his usual air of aloofness, he refused to participate, citing his "artistic temperament" as the reason. Horikita's attempts to coerce him were met with withering scorn.
March 1st dawned crisp and clear. As the monthly points were credited to each class, a sense of anticipation hung thick in the air.
Class A, led by the cunning Sakayanagi, reigned supreme with 92,700 private points per student. Class B, under the nurturing Ichinose, followed with 71,100 points.
Class C had managed a respectable 45,200 points per student.
Class D, languishing under Ryuen's chaotic leadership, remained at the bottom with 41,800 points.
The insistent chime of the dismissal bell echoed through the halls of Advanced Nurturing High School, signaling the end of another day. Students streamed out of classrooms, eager to escape the confines of academics and explore the freedom of their private points. Ayanokoji, however, lingered behind, his expression as impassive as ever.
A familiar voice cut through the quiet. "Ayanokoji-kun," Chabashira Sae, his homeroom teacher, stood at the doorway, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes. "A word, if you please?"
Ayanokoji rose from his seat without a word, his movements smooth and practiced. He followed Chabashira to the staff room, a sterile space devoid of personality. Unlike the chaos of the student dorms, this room held a chilling air of control.
He took a seat across from Chabashira, her gaze steady and unnerving. "You wanted to see me, Chabashira-sensei?" His voice was a monotone, devoid of inflection.
Chabashira leaned back in her chair, a flicker of amusement playing on her lips. "Indeed," she began, her voice low and measured. "As you know, I have a certain… responsibility when it comes to my class." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "A responsibility that includes monitoring student activity within the dorms."
Ayanokoji remained unfazed. He knew the implications of her words. The cameras captured every movement within the dorms.
"In the past few weeks," Chabashira continued, her voice taking on a dangerous edge, "the footage has revealed… interesting developments concerning your dorm room."
A predatory glint flickered in Ayanokoji's eyes, a fleeting glimpse of the predator beneath the calm facade. "Irregularities?" he echoed, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Indeed," Chabashira confirmed. "Late-night visits from… Honami Ichinose, Kikyou Kushida, Airi Sakura." She leaned forward, her voice a chilling whisper. "Visits that extend well past a reasonable hour."
Ayanokoji's gaze remained fixed on Chabashira, his expression unreadable. He knew exactly what she was implying – the potential consequences of overnight visitors.
"The school has a strict policy regarding such activities, Ayanokoji-kun," Chabashira warned, her voice laced with a veiled threat. "Discovery could lead to… disciplinary action."
He met her gaze unflinchingly. "I see," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
A tense silence descended upon the room. Chabashira held his gaze for a long moment, searching for a crack in his impassive facade. But Ayanokoji remained an enigma, his thoughts hidden behind a mask of indifference.
Then, a smirk played on his lips, a fleeting glimpse of something more sinister. "Don't forget, Chabashira-sensei," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "we both have secrets to keep."
Chabashira's eyes widened momentarily, a flicker of surprise betraying her composure. A muscle in her jaw clenched, a silent acknowledgment of his unspoken threat.
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto hers. "Consider this a reminder," he continued, his voice a chilling whisper. "Erase those recordings. Permanently."
Chabashira remained silent for a moment, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. Then, she sighed, a deep breath that seemed to carry the weight of their unspoken agreement.
"Indeed," she conceded, a dangerous glint replacing the surprise in her eyes. "But a new variable has been introduced."
She leaned back again, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The new Acting Chairman, Tsukishiro. He's a hawk, Ayanokoji. Someone, I suspect, with a vested interest in your expulsion."
Ayanokoji's expression remained unreadable, but a thoughtful silence filled the room. Chabashira's words resonated with him. He couldn't afford a scandal, not with Tsukishiro breathing down his neck.
"Then we have a proposition, don't we?" he finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion but laced with a subtle undercurrent of power.
Chabashira raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Explain yourself."
Ayanokoji leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low murmur. He outlined his plan – a daring scheme to hack the school's security system. He described a software program he intended to install, a program that would allow him to control the live feeds of the security cameras. He needed Chabashira's help.
After a tense pause, Chabashira spoke, her voice laced with a hint of resignation. "Very well. I'll upload your program next time I'm in the security room."
Ayanokoji nodded.
He rose from his chair, the silent agreement hanging in the air.
Later that day, Ayanokoji exchanged a thousand private points for a high-end flash drive. Another, more significant exchange occurred within Class C.
Kikyou Kushida, her usual carefree demeanor replaced by a newfound obedience, used a hefty chunk of her private points, a staggering three hundred thousand, to purchase a top-of-the-line laptop for Ayanokoji.
Back in his dorm room, Ayanokoji worked through the night. Lines of code scrolled across the screen. By dawn, the program was complete. A single flash drive held the key to manipulating the school's watchful eyes. Now, all that remained was to plant it in the right place.
The midday bell echoed through the halls, a signal for the brief respite of lunch break. Ayanokoji used this time to his advantage. Casually strolling past Chabashira's desk, he paused for a moment.
"Chabashira-sensei," he began, his voice even and devoid of emotion. He held out a small, innocuous flash drive. "I found this lying around. It might be one of yours."
Chabashira raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes scrutinizing him. He met her gaze unflinchingly, the blank canvas of his expression offering no clues.
Finally, with a barely perceptible sigh, she took the drive.
"Thank you, Ayanokoji," she said, her voice betraying a hint of suspicion.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and forced interactions. As the final bell for the day rang, Ayanokoji retreated to his dorm room. The laptop he'd acquired from Kushida sat open on his desk.
With practiced ease, he activated the program. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, a silent symphony orchestrating his plan. Ayanokoji then sent a single, concise message to Chabashira: "Go to the security room. Now."
The minutes ticked by. Ayanokoji watched the clock on his laptop screen. Finally, at precisely 5 pm, a confirmation message flashed – the pendrive was inserted.
The virus, a meticulously crafted weapon honed from downloaded code and nights of tireless work, sprang into action. It bypassed the school's web security measures with surgical precision, a silent predator infiltrating its prey. Firewalls crumbled, access controls dissolved, and with a chilling efficiency, the virus took control of the school's entire security camera network.
Ayanokoji's laptop, now acting as a conduit, received the raw data feed directly from the cameras. Simultaneously, another program, a masterpiece of digital manipulation, ran on his machine. It was a recorder, an editor, and a deceiver, all rolled into one.
With a practiced click, Ayanokoji initiated the first phase of his plan. He targeted specific cameras – those overlooking the dorms of Honami Ichinose, Kikyou Kushida, Airi Sakura, and even Kei Karuizawa. A thirty-minute delay was introduced, a carefully calibrated buffer zone between the reality captured by the cameras and the edited version displayed on the school's supercomputer.
This window of time was his playground. Here, within the digital realm, Ayanokoji could rewrite reality. He scrubbed the video feed, meticulously erasing any incriminating footage – any glimpse of a girl leaving his dorm in the early hours of the morning. In their place, he inserted pre-recorded, innocuous footage, creating a carefully constructed illusion.
The result was a flawless deception. The school's supercomputer, blissfully unaware of the manipulation, continued its thirty-minute lag, displaying a sanitized version of reality. Anyone monitoring the live feed would see nothing amiss, a testament to Ayanokoji's digital sleight of hand.
As he finalized the edits, a sense of satisfaction, cold and calculating, washed over him. He had secured his privacy, a crucial element in his larger game. Now, no matter who visited him, their movements would remain a carefully guarded secret.
Ayanokoji leaned back in his chair, a predatory glint flashing in his usually emotionless eyes. This was just the beginning. With the school's cameras under his control, he had gained a significant advantage. He could monitor, manipulate, and most importantly, anticipate.
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A/N: Check out more chapters ahead and character arts on this link --> https://bit.ly/evildragon