...
After hanging around the Veritas hideout, Hare spoke up, having finished working with the data from the Game Girl SP.
"I've reached my conclusion about the data you delivered." Hare, the white haired hacker, says.
"It's finally time..." Midori says, with anticipation.
"Aris' heart is beating really fast." Aris says with glee.
"As you know, Veritas prides itself on being the best hacker ground in all of Kivotos. We're handed cases regarding system and data recovery on a daily basis. Of course, we've solved problems like yours countless times..." Hare explains. "Hm. I'm going to be frank with you."
Yuzu swallows in worry.
"Momoi. Your save files cannot be recovered." Hare says, causing us all to face-fault.
Momoi sulks in the corner at that news.
"...And the G.BIBLE...?" I ask, hesitant.
"Oh, that's what Maki's working on." Kotama says.
"And?" I ask.
"I finished my analysis." Maki says, not looking away from her screen. "All signs point to this being the real G.BIBLE, the manual written by the legendary game developer themself."
"Yes!" Midori cheers, as Yuzu and Aris break into a smile. Momoi, still sulking, smiles a bit too.
The redhead hacker turns in her chair to face us. "The file creation time, last sent time, file format, and the author all match the IP of the legendary game developer you mentioned, and above all, the data has been copied exactly once. This is the real deal." She finishes with a big, toothy grin.
"A-Amazing!" The green twin says in awe.
"Impressive. What about the password?" I compliment and ask.
"Sadly, we haven't been able to decrypt the password yet." Maki admits.
"Huh? You're killing me, Maki!" The pink twin whines.
"Sheesh, I may be a hacker, but this is some white-hat-level stuff we're dealing with." Maki says. "But, it's not like we're out of options."
""Oh?"" Momoi and I ask in unison, causing us both to look at one another in surprise for a moment.
Maki lets out a chuckle at this. "While it's basically impossible to brute force that password, we may be able to dupe it without the security file. And to do that, we're going to need a tool known as the Optimus Mirror System, or the Mirror for short."
"Th-This is all going way over my head..." Momoi whines.
"Mine too..." Yuzu admits, quietly.
"So, you need this Mirror thing to open the G.BIBLE? Where is it now?" Midori asks.
"Well, uh, we used to have it at Veritas..." Maki admits.
"And now?" I ask.
"Ugh. The freaking Student Council came in and took it away!" The redhead hacker rants. "That Yuuka stormed in here a few days ago, saying all sorts of stuff like it's 'disgraceful' that we had 'illegal equipment'. Sheesh, what a killjoy."
"Besides the Mirror, she also took my... wiretaps..." Kotama admits, sadly.
"How dangerous is this Mirror?" I ask, serious.
"It's just a simple tool optimized for cracking encrypted systems." Hare explains, after taking a sip of some sort of energy drink. "And... it's the only hacking tool in the world created by our club president."
"You mean Himari?" Midori asks.
"Who is Himari?" Aris asks.
"Their club leader, she's a real whiz at hacking. If you think they're good, you should see her." I explain.
"Yeah, even though she's wheelchair-bound because of her health, Himari's not one to be underestimated or pitied." The green twin adds. "She's a genius known for being one of only three students in Millennium's history to receive the Omniscience Award."
"That's right." Kotama confirms with a nod.
"Where is she anyway?" Midori asks.
"Last I heard, she was doing a favor for the Student Council president, which is frankly, pretty shocking." Hare says.
"How is it shocking?" Aris asks.
" 'Cause Himari and Rio don't see eye-to-eye from what I can tell." I say, seeing everyone's eyes sparkle with curiosity. "That favor she did was somethin' she needed my help on. I helped her out not long ago and she went on a tangent about how neither of them like each other. I seem to remember Himari callin' Rio... what was it? 'Dirty ditch water'?" I ask myself with a chuckle.
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Maki says with a sigh.
"Yeah, yeah, all of that's really impressive and interesting and all, but what I wanna know is how you managed to lose this genius' equipment!" Momoi cuts in, annoyed.
"I just wanted to see what Sensei was texting..." Kotama whines...
"Wait, what?" I ask, stupefied and a bit upset.
"Purely out of scientific curiosity, of course." The blonde hacker corrects, quickly.
"Riiiiiiiiight..." Midori drawls out, not believing a word the hacker says.
"...Stay outta my phone, Kotama." I order, causing the girl to pout. "I'm serious."
"Gah! If I don't get that Mirror back soon, the president's gonna yell at me!" Maki whines.
"Anyway, as you can see, our interests have aligned." Hare explains. "We need our president's tool back, and you want to unlock the G.BIBLE."
"Ah. I know where this is going." Momoi says.
"Heh. You're pretty sharp, Momo." Maki says with a grin.
"Before we enter the dungeon, we become a raid party." Aris chimes in with a smile.
"A-Are you guys seriously suggesting...?" Midori asks, worriedly.
"Honestly. All of this effort for a thing that won't help y'all." I say, shaking my head.
"It will help! I'll prove you wrong, Sensei!" Momoi argues.
"What's this about...?" Maki asks.
"The only thing you need to make a good video game, aside from technology and know-how, is passion for the craft, something these four have more than enough of." I explain, motioning to the gamer girls. "I'm tellin' ya right now, the G.BIBLE may be legendary, but it ain't gonna tell you anything else."
"It will!" Momoi says with a pout.
The pink twin and I have a stare-off for a long while. "Fine. Let's go snag that Mirror and I'll prove you wrong." I say.
"Fine!" Momoi says with a 'Hmph', crossing her arms.
—————
Meanwhile, on a rooftop, somewhere in the Millennium district, around the same time as Sensei and the Game Development Club's meeting with Veritas.
"Yes, you heard me correctly." Yuuka, the treasurer of Seminar says.
"You say that, but I'm still having a hard time believing it." A girl in a maid outfit, with pale grey-blonde hair says with a pretty voice. "I know of Millennium's Game Development Department. They seem like such cute, innocent girls. You really think they intend on attacking the Student Council?"
"They're naive. That's why they do ridiculous things sometimes." Yuuka says with a sigh. "But it's not so simple this time. Veritas is also involved."
"Veritas? Those hackers?" The bespectacled maid asks, surprised.
"Indeed." Yuuka confirms with a nod. "Both groups are willing to pull out all the stops when the things they hold dear are on the line."
"I see. Well, it is our job to respond to requests." The maid says. "However, there is one little problem."
—————
"What kind of problem?" Momoi asks the hackers.
"It's the folks guardin' the Student Council's contraband storage where the Mirror is." Maki explains. "It's the Maid Club."
"Th-The Maid Club...?" Midori asks, shakily.
"Maid Club? How's that got you scared?" I ask, confused by her response. Yuzu seems to be shaking in her shoes.
"I see. They also go by C&C, right? They're a strike team from our school who wear maid outfits and 'clean up' their targets..." Momoi happily explains.
"Exactamundo! Don't worry, it's just a minor snag!" Maki says, nonchalant.
"Right! It's minor... Super minor..." Momoi trails off as her happy smile falls off her face and one of dead replaces it. "GAH! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO THROW IN THE TOWEL!"
"Oh, givin' up so easy?" I say smugly, hoping rile the pink eyed girl up.
Momoi ignores me and runs up to Maki, grabbing her collar and shaking her. "Are you serious right now?! The MAID CLUB?! You've gotta be kidding me!" The pink twin shouts, while shaking the redhead hacker. "We'd be better off standing in front of a moving train or throwing ourselves into a volcano than trying to fight them!"
"B-But, if we don't do somethin', the president is gonna yell at me- I mean, the Game Development Department will be shut down!" Maki whines, as Momoi lets the girl go.
"Of course I don't want us to get shut down! But... come on! This is just crazy talk!" The pink twin says. "C&C have gotten rid of countless extremist groups and armed factions. And you know what else?"
"...When they 'clean them up' they don't leave a single trace of their existence behind." Hare finishes.
"Exactly! The club is important, but I can't up Midori, Aris and Yuzu at that kind of risk! It's too dangerous!" The pink twin declares.
"Danger? You've got it all wrong!" Maki corrects. "We're not Gehenna's Prefect Team or Trinity's Justice Task Force or something. Why would the Maid Club have to make us dissapear? Ya see, our goal isn't to get rid of the Maid Club. All we gotta do is get what we neec out of the storage room they're guarding!"
"Have the Maid Club girls always guarded that room?" I ask.
"Every now and again." Kotama explains.
"How do you know they're guarding it now?" I ask.
"C'mon, Sensei! We're hackers!" Maki says, like it's obvious.
"Okay, then. But, how long have they been guarding it for this time?" I follow up my question.
"They started today." Maki says, nonchalant.
"Today?" I ask.
"Yup." Maki confirms.
"Fuck..." I say, holding my head in my palm.
"What's got you so worried, Sensei?" Momoi asks.
"They know we're coming." I say, drawing faces of confusion and alarm from the girls.
"What?!" The pink twin asks, frantic.
"Maki. How exactly do you know they're guarding the room?" I ask, serious as can be.
"Uh, well... Himari told us to keep tabs on the Student Council president. Somethin' to do with their rivalry." Maki explains, shakily, worried by my sudden seriousness.
"What do you mean?" I ask for clarification.
"Apparently, Seminar asked the Maid Club to guard the storage room today. Just a few minutes ago, as a matter of fact." Kotama explains.
"How often do they get asked to guard the room?" I ask.
"Every now and again." Maki says. "It's always random."
"So, either it just so happened they asked the Maid Club to guard the room today, or they're on to us, somehow." I theorize.
"S-Seriously?!" Midori asks, worried.
"That means, if we're gonna raid the place to get the Mirror, we'd better be more than prepared. They're likely doing the same, that is, if they ARE on to us." I explain, holding my hand over my mouth as I think. "But if so, how would they know in the first place? We haven't told anyone about this, and this place definitely isn't being wiretapped by anyone or the literal hackers who use this room would know. Himari also wouldn't tell them or work against us, since she hates Rio, and this Chihiro girl wouldn't do it, since Himari seems to see her as a close friend, from what I saw of her. Still, this seems like an awfully unlikely coincidence..." I stop my theorizing as the room remains silent for a long while.
"...I've got nothin'." Maki says.
I sigh. "Then we'll just have to work around them regardless of whether they're on to us or not. Hopefully the maids have a weakness or somethin'..."
"Fortunately, they do." Hare says.
"Oh?" I ask, intrigued.
"From what I've... heard, the Maid Club's not a full force right now." Kotama explains.
"Don't tell me..." Momoi mutters.
"While the Maid Club is widely considered the strongest squad in Millennium, it wsn't just their skill as agents that earned them that reputation." Hare says, in realization. "It was because of 'her'."
"Her?" I ask.
"The president of the Maid Club, callsign Double O, Mikamo Neru." Midori explains.
"Correct." The white haired hacker confirms with a nod towards the green twin. "But, as it so happens, right now, she's.."
—————
Back on the rooftop.
"N-Neru isn't here?!" Yuuka shouts in worry and surprise.
"That's right. I believe she's out on persona business in the outskirts of Millennium." The bespectacled maid explains. "But you needn't worry. Our president is, well... let's just say she is much more fit for destroying, rather than protecting. C&C is a strong fighting force when we're with our president, but if the job is to protect something... we may be better off without her. As such, we'll accept your request." She finishes with a light bow. "Until the deadline given to the Game Development Department, all access to the Student Council's cotraband storage is off-limits."
"Good, thank you for this, Akane." Yuuka says.
"It IS our job, after all." Akane says with a smile.
—————
"So we get in, avoid combat, grab the Mirror, and run?" I summarize.
"It's impossible." Momoi whines.
"...Let's do it, Momoi." Midori says, after a moment.
"You too, Midori?! Even without Neru, the Maid Club is still uber scary!" The pink twin whines.
"I know, but... I'm not just going to give up." The green twin says, resolute. "Our club room's old and leaky, but... It's not just where we get together to play games anymore. It's... It's where we all belong. If we can avoid fighting the Maid Club... I think we have a chance. No, even if we have to fight them! I want to keep it safe. For Aris and Yuzu and all of us together." She finishes, determined as can be.
"Midori..." The pink twin mutters in surprise.
"Aris believes in us." Aris chimes in with a smile. "When the world is on the brink of destruction, the legendary hero must rise to save it by defeating the wicked demon lord. After playing approximately fourty-five RPGs, Aris has determined that there is a powerful weapon all these legendary heroes have in common."
"What do you mean? Like levelling up or upgrading equipment?" Momoi asks, confused.
"Or perhaps a wiretap?" Kotama interjects.
"Or an EMP?!" Maki asks, excitedly.
"Uh... no." Aris says, taking a step back from all of their guesses, before a great big smile appears on her face. "They fight alongside their friends."
"?!" Momoi gasps slightly, even I'm taken aback by this. She stays quiet for a moment, her face slowly becoming more and more determined. "All right. We're doing this! We're gonna break into the Student Council and take the Mirror!" She declares, before turning to the hackers. "You've got a plan, right, Hare?!"
"Naturally." The wavy haired girl says with a grin. "But, in order to put that plan into action, we have some preparations to make."
"What kind?" I ask.
"Wiretaps, EMPs, and, as Aris so eloquently put it, a little help from our friends." Hare says, picking up a clipboard.
"By that you mean...?" Momoi asks.
"Ah!" Aris' eyes sparkle.
"But, um... We're not exactly on the best terms at the moment, so I think you'll have to do the talking, Sensei." Hare says, apologetic.
"All right, who're we talkin' to?" I ask, likely knowing the answer.
"The Engineering Club." Hare says, earning surprised looks from the gamer girls. "To be frank, this plan is dead on arrival unless we can enlist their help."
"All righty." I say, stretching a bit. "Come on, you four, we've got a return trip to make."
—————
And so, two of the Game Dev girls and I went back to the Engineering Club and explained the situation to them.
"I see..." Utaha says, mulling over the info. "As you said, you'd have a hard time pulling a plan like this off without our help." A smile then breaks out onto her face. "Very well. You can count us in."
"Wait, really?" Midori asks, surprised. "But hasn't the Engineering Club already qualified to be renewed?"
"We did." The purple haired meister says.
"Then why would you team up with us to take on the Maid Club?" Midori asks.
"Oh. Well, it's actually pretty simple." Utaha says.
"Because that sounds fun." Hibiki adds.
"Plus, it's a chance to hang out with and get to know Sensei!" Kotori interjects.
I let out a chuckle. "Fair enough."
"That aside, there's also..." Utaha mutters, looking at Aris, who titls her head at the sudden stare.
Oh, I get it... She's curious about Aris. Makes sense, considering they're the Engineering Club. Though I dunno if I should be surprised or not about Utaha suspecting Aris to be a robot, considering she's about as strong as me...
Midori notices Utaha's stare and mutters a quiet "Huh?"
"...Oh." Utaha says, catching herself. "Don't mind me. I look forward to seeing what you can do."
"Uhhh, okay." Midori says, slowly, in confusion at the purple haired girl's actions. "Anyway, here's to a fruitful partnership!" She says with a smile.
After more conversation, Midori and Aris speak with Hibiki and Kotori to the side, while I move over to Utaha.
"You're wantin' to know Aris' capabilities, aren't you?" I ask the purple haired meister.
Utaha nods in return. "We ARE the Engineering Club, after all. We're all inherently curious about machines."
"And you figured Aris out, how?" I ask, curious. "Was it her picking up the railgun?"
"Yes. A short, lithe girl like her picking up something like that? You, Sensei, I could understand, but her?" Utaha says.
"That figures." I say with a slight chuckle. "So long as y'all don't try to dismantle her or spread her robot-ness around, I don't care."
"We wouldn't dare." The purple haired girl says with conviction.
"Thanks." I say with a smile.
—————
The three of us returned to Veritas after our conversation with the Engineering Club girls. The three of them procured and quickly made some tools for us to use in our heist.
And so, we gathered together in Veritas' room, readying ourselves.
"All right! Is everyone here?" Momoi asks.
"Yes, and we are ready to proceed." Hare confirms.
"Awesome!" The pink twin cheers. "So when is go-time for the mission?"
"The mission...?" Hare asks. "Well, actually, it's already begun."
"Huh?" Momoi asks.
"Wait, what?" I ask, eyes wide like Momoi.
—————
Earlier, on that rooftop.
"I do have one thing I'm curious about, Yuuka." Akane says.
"Hm?" Yuuka asks.
"How do you know the Game Development Department and Veritas will attack the Student Council?" The bespectacled maid asks. "When it comes to information warfare, I didn't think there was anyone at Millennium who could surpass Veritas."
"You're right about that." The treasurer confirms. "However, that's precisely how we came to know of their plot."
"What?" Akane asks, surprised and confused.
Yuuka admits, after a moment, and her answer shocks Akane.
"There was only one person who could have tipped us off on such a thing. The president of Veritas herself, Akeboshi Himari."
—————
In a darkly lit room, somewhere in Millennium.
The room is small and compact. It is scarcely lit, only by a few monitors out of the many placed within.
The only living being inside is a frail, beautiful girl in a wheelchair.
"Well, Rio, our little experiment is happening just as you planned." Himari says to a particular screen, one displaying footage of a girl with long, black hair and red eyes.
"I'm not surprised. It was a rational conclusion." The girl in the screen, Rio, says, the footage being displayed from an office of sorts with large windows behind the girl, revealing the office's location is at a high altitude.
"You and your rationality..." The sickly girl says with a shake of her head.
"Enough of that. How is our other project going?" Rio asks.
"The new safe house for our 'club' is nearly done, as you can see." The elf girl says, motioning around the room. "Fortunately, Decagrammaton hasn't made an appearance since last time."
"Good. Hopefully this one will withstand it." The black haired girl says.
"Oh, Rio. If it was able to hack the Hub, what hope do you have that this bunker can stop its next attack?" The silver haired girl asks, silencing the other. "Oh, what is a frail, sickly beauty like myself to do?"
"Hope it doesn't find your hideout." Rio states, serious.
"...You need to lighten up." Himari says, somewhat annoyed, after a moment.
Rio lets out a sigh. "Just keep an eye on our project as it unfolds."
"Oh, fine, fine." Himari says with a smile. "Though, I'm not sure it will end as you expect."
"I doubt it. The conclusion that I have reached is sensible. Whether or not C&C is defeated, we will find out about that girl's true identity, and nothing will be able to stop us." Rio states.
"Oh? Not even Sensei?" Himari asks.
"Of course not." Rio scoffs. "He couldn't stop such a conclusion, even if he tried."
Himari remains silent at her rival's rather fearless declaration, before a sly grin appears on her delicate face. "Sensei is already on to us."
As the silver haired girl says this, the black haired girl stiffens in shock and surprise.
"Or rather, he would be, if he didn't have faith in me." Himari finishes with that sly grin. "Of course, having C&C guard the Mirror starting today was a big giveaway that 'someone' is onto them. Sensei considered it being me, but denied that notion, knowing you and I don't get along. It almost made me shudder seeing how much faith he had in little, sickly me."
"Hmph. What does it matter that he suspects you?" Rio begins.
"Suspected." Himari corrects.
"Suspected you." Rio lightly growls out. "No matter how much he interferes, he will not be able to stop this."
Himari lets out a chuckle, her voice sounding like wind chimes. "If you say so, Rio. I will speak to you after all of this."
"Very well." Rio says, as the screen turns off.
Himari lets out a tired sigh as silence returns to the room.
"...Ugh, what a horrid woman." She says after a moment, before she smiles. "I hope Sensei throws all of the wrenches he has in his arsenal in your plans, Rio. You've been getting too complacent, believing you cannot lose, so long as logic and reason are on your side."
The elf girl presses some keys on a keyboard, causing a screen to flicker on, showing a group of girls and one adult male speaking in a small room, reminiscent of the one she is in.
"I do hope you realize it soon, Rio. Logic isn't the only thing that runs the world. Sometimes, emotion can be an even more powerful force."
—————
AN
And now, we begin the climax of this Chapter of Volume 2.
Edit: January 5, 2023: Changed Aris referring to herself from 'I' to 'Aris', since she speaks in third person. The text in Global has her speak normally.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!