Chapter 3: Information Warfare

In a dimly lit room, a lone girl glared at her monitor, the pale blue glow washing over her face.

"...Problem Solver 68… hmm… I don’t get it."

After staring at the documents on her screen for a while, she straightened her posture and picked up the half-finished energy drink beside her, draining it in one go.

"According to the intel… they’ve blown up their own clients… blown up auction venues… and even blew up their own office… Their success rate—putting it mildly—is not high."

She scrolled down with her mouse wheel.

"At first glance, they’re just a shell company… worse than the Helmet Gang… a bunch of amateurs who don’t even know how to handle their own weapons… Some reports even say they couldn’t pay rent and were living in tents."

She added, rubbing her brow,

"But some intel says they’re elite mercenaries… wiped out a Helmet Gang somewhere… were seen chatting casually with the rumored Sensei of SCHALE… And there are even rumors they defeated Gehenna’s Prefect Team…"

Komori typed rapidly, documenting everything.

"And judging from their previous engagement with us…"

Clack! She hit the Enter key.

"In other words… the first batch of intel is fake… meaning they spread that themselves—fabricated in-for-ma-tion… And the latter is the real one…!"

A grin spread across her face.

"They’re a much bigger deal than expected…! Maybe the reason they take so few jobs is because they only accept requests from people who uncover the real intel…?! And the high failure rate? Because the clients were actually enemies setting them up…?! I see… I see… I need intel—more intel… Even the second batch must have fakes mixed in… If it were me… I’d do the same…"

She slammed a hand on the nearby request-notification terminal to silence it. The clacking of the keyboard grew faster and louder, matching her rising excitement.

"Intel… hacking into Gehenna’s network… No, too risky… big problem… The Prefect Team President is terrifying… making her an enemy is a terrible idea…"

"Ugh… such a pain." She shivered, recalling that flat, heatless voice she had once heard.

"...Cheat characters should be banned… Then SCHALE…? They should have data on every student… But impossible… their security is insane… Same reason the General Student Council is off the table…"

She remembered the time their trace-back almost exposed her location—an experience she’d rather not repeat.

"...Then, if I gather it myself… problem solved?"

The girl grinned proudly, convinced she’d made a genius discovery.

"Hey. How’s everyone doing?"

"Sensei!"

"Ah! Sensei, you came to hang out~?"

The scene shifted to the Problem Solver 68 office. Despite their meager earnings, their headquarters looked surprisingly extravagant at first glance, though on closer inspection, worn-out patches were visible here and there. A single adult had come to visit.

To be specific: messy hair, dark circles from overwork, narrow eyes behind glasses—before you even processed how rare it was to see a human man in Kivotos, your first instinct would be, This guy looks like he’d betray someone. Yet he also had a mysterious charm that appealed to a certain kind of person.

Despite appearances, this was the rumored “Sensei of SCHALE,” and supposedly the business advisor of Problem Solver 68. Trusted by students across all academies, if you asked anyone familiar with him, “Who’s the most trustworthy adult in all of Kivotos?” the answer would likely be “Sensei”—100 out of 100. Probably. Maybe. Who knew.

In other words, despite his exhausted look, Sensei was a proper adult. His worn-out appearance was likely due to being buried under SCHALE’s endless workload.

"So, you said on MomoTalk that you got some huge request. Everything okay?"

"Ah! Right! I need to tell you about that!"

"Yeah~! I mean, Al actually did something impressive for once."

"What do you mean for once!?"

"A-Al-sama is always amazing!"

"Haa… but really, that one was incredible."

"Hee~?"

The girls—mostly Al—excitedly talked about their recent exploits. Of course, she rewrote the part about the sneeze, claiming she protected the client thanks to her “instinct.” Changing that detail altered most of the events, but Sensei could tell from the reactions of the two girls behind her that certain parts were exaggerated—or just outright wrong.

"The Cleaner, huh."

"That’s right! Sensei, you’ve heard of him, right? The legendary mercenary! And! We managed to drive him off!"

"Well, you only blocked one sniper shot~"

"And it was an accident."

"S-still! The fact is we drove him off!"

Hearing that, Sensei paused thoughtfully.

"The Cleaner… yeah, I know him. Actually, he’s one of the high-risk individuals SCHALE is tracking. Some students have been harmed by him. Al, even if you run into him again, don’t do anything that reckless. I don’t want you getting hurt."

"Uu… f-fine…"

"But still, good job."

"Hawawawa!" Her eyes sparkled. Sensei continued thinking quietly. The Cleaner was known for accepting any illegal request if paid enough, boasting a terrifying 100% completion rate. No one knew what he actually looked like. He once fought the Prefect Team President—who had been unable to capture him.

Would someone like that really stay quiet after having his “100% success rate” tarnished?

A reputation was a business tool. Just like their weapons, it was something crucial for attracting clients.

There was a very high chance Problem Solver 68 had been marked. By the Cleaner—an extremely dangerous individual. And by the underworld figures now keeping an eye on them, intrigued by the rumor that they had defeated him.

Sensei decided he should keep a close eye on them for a while. Just as that thought crossed his mind—

Ding-dong.

The office intercom chimed.

"Oh? A visitor?"

Hearing that, Al was the first to dash toward the entrance, assuming it was another request.

"...I have a bad feeling about this."

"Wait, Al. Check outside first—"

Sensing danger, Sensei moved immediately to stop her. He didn’t believe a notorious figure would do something as flashy as a direct attack, but the risk wasn’t zero. They were now potential targets.

But his warning didn’t make it in time—

"Huh?"

Al already had her hand on the doorknob and swung it wide open.

At that exact moment, gunfire struck her—
—or rather, didn’t.

Instead, a heavy thud sounded as something slammed against the door.

"Ow…!?"

Then a loud whump as something collapsed.

Sensei and the others rushed over, only to find a slightly dented door and, lying face-down in the hallway, a small black-haired girl wearing an oversized shirt and hooded jacket, dazed from the impact.

"...For now, let’s bring her inside."