"So, why did I end up as the babysitter of these three idiots?" Gustang grumbled, a dark look on his face as he strode down the street beside Aurene.
The female guiltily looked at Gustang, profusely apologizing. "Really, I could've gone by myself. There was no need to involve all of you..."
Eduan who was a little behind the two snorted. "Nonsense. Did you think the girls will leave you alone?"
Aurene sweat-dropped. She can't exactly deny that truth. "But these arrangement..." the female glanced at the other two other companion ahead of them.
Jahad and Arie Hon.
Whilst she and Jahad hasn't had the best interaction (the worst actually), Aurene had never talked to Hon even once, so it was hard to evaluate what kind of person the white-haired male was. All she knew that he is very skilled in using swords, evident with the wooden sword he brought with.
'I remember Eduan commenting about Arie being so white before, but when was it?'
"So, this is the apartment?" Eduan questioned, looking up the... eerie-looking building. "Heck, it looks like a haunted apartment. I won't be surprised if something jumped on us after this."
Gustang eyes trained on his phone, observing a certain image Tperie had sent him. "Yes, this is the one."
Jahad, who had been silent all the time peeked at Gustang's phone, his eyebrow raised. "What now? Break in?"
Aurene flexed at the suggestion. "No! We're not here to do crimes. I just wanted to meet the one Erika hired, that's all," the brunette reasoned.
"Tch."
Aurene sighed, reminiscing back when Eduan proposed that everyone should take part in this... plan? She doesn't even know what to call it anymore.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"These kind of people usually receive information indirectly via interaction with their client, so there's a high chance the hacker know where Erika might be heading," Tperie reasoned. "The fastest way is through the hacker, I bet."
"Alright, so I just have to find the hacker, yes?" Aurene declared.
The others looked at Aurene as if she was out of her mind.
"What do you mean 'I'? It's 'we'!" Yurin exclaimed. Even Eduan nodded along with the correction.
"Aurene, let's calm down and think rationally now, okay?" Hana darkly smiled at the brunette who shrunk at the penetrating gaze.
"S-sorry."
'A mad Hana is scary...'
"So how are we gonna search for the hacker?" Hendo Lok interrupted. "Isn't it kind of a pain to randomly search anywhere?"
"Who said we're going to do that?" Gustang pushed back his glasses.
As fast as lightning, Tperie typed something on his beloved laptop, before showing it to the rest of the class. "I dug out his personal information before, in case we needed it."
"Scary.."
Tperie ignored the comment, continuing his explanation. "He lives alone, so it won't be hard to corner him using numbers. The question is, which of us will do this-"
"I'll go," Aurene raised her hand.
"Aurene!" Hana was ready to stop the brunette but a tug from Blossom held her back.
"This all started because of me, so it's only right if I take an active part in this plan."
The class were silent, before V coughed, making others to look at him. "I don't think it's a bad thing to let her go if she really wanted to."
"Agree."
Various nods and agreement made Hana relented as she sighed out. "Fine."
"You worry too much, Hana," Eduan chuckled. "I mean, did you see how she flipped Jahad-"
"Oi."
"Whoops."
Gustang brought out a book, the very same one they had used in search of the culprit who framed her, Aurene noticed.
Writing down Aurene's name, Gustang glanced at every single person in the group. "So who's next?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that was how their sketched plan came into action, only five people going to raid the hacker.
Though they had a really hard time to convince Yurin to stay out of it (Gustang didn't want anyone noisy) until they bribed her with foods.
Now, Gustang and Aurene warily stood in front of a certain door, with a number craved on the door's plate.
'303'
"Quite the unlucky number, if I must say," Hon commented behind the two brunette.
"Just kick the door open already," Jahad mumbled, earning a glare from both Aurene and Gustang. "What do we do then? Ring the bell?!"
Ding dong.
"The hell, Eduan?!"
"What? We aren't gonna stand idly all day!"
"Wait, there's something-" Aurene warned the bickering males who ceased what they were doing.
A stomping was heard from inside, as if the person was suddenly interrupted from their activity which was probably the case.
"I told you I haven't got the money yet!!" a figure slammed the door open.
Aurene wrinkled her nose in disgust at the foul smell emitted from inside.
"Wait, who are you guys?" the shabby man questioned. He wasn't expecting any high school looking students to pay him a visit today. "Wait, you-" the man pointed towards Aurene in realization.
The hacker swiftly tried to close the door back but a foot stopped him from doing so.
"It seems you know of our girl here, mind telling us why?" Eduan smirked in victory.
"I-I have absolutely nothing to tell you brats!"
"Too bad, we have a lot to ask," Jahad kicked open the door and pushed the man inside. With Hon closing the door after the five of them went inside, the interrogation began.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Damn, he won't spill no matter what we do," Eduan grumbled, crouching while staring at the tied-up man in a distance.
Aurene grimaced all the while she watched Eduan, Jahad and Hon tortured the poor hacker (not in a violent way).
"Mister, I advise you to just give us the detail or they're going to do worse," Aurene said in a flat tone. In all honesty, she really doesn't want to witness that again.
"Tch. It's your own fault for choosing the wrong person to befriend with!" the man barked towards Aurene.
"Looks like we've been too lenient on this thing," Hon brought out his wooden sword, and Aurene instinctively held the white haired man back.
"Wait, Arie! You can't just-"
"Finish," Gustang's voice cut through the tense mood.
"Gustang? What were you doing all this time?" Eduan asked, confused at the smiling male.
"He was being busy with this man's computer earlier," Aurene answered in Gustang's stead, still holding Hon back.
"Mister Hacker, I see that you're in... quite the predicament," Gustang showed his pen drive. "I'd say that amount of debt won't even suffice your lifetime salary of hacking through the school system."
"S-shut up! What do you even know?! If it wasn't for that b*tch getting caught-"
Gustang went closer and whispered into the man's ear. "I can relieve you of those debt, if you give us your cooperation."
Aurene shuddered at the offer which the man doubted. "Does all of you like to use your money in that way?"
"Violence is a better weapon, though," Eduan smirked.
"T-there's no way you can do that-"
The man went silent as Gustang showed his phone and Aurene can already guess what was shown to the poor hacker.
"There, I transferred it already. Now spill."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus:
"Is Aurene okay?"
"Yurin, Aurene can protect herself and the other four who went with her are capable fighters."
"Have they reached the hacker's apartment?"
"Probably?"
"Are they having fun right now?"
"Yurin, can you please stop that already? It's getting really annoying hearing you moping about for an hour."
"I wonder if-"
"Shut up!"