September 11th. Not every story has a precise time, just as not every protagonist is an orphan. But just as being an orphan often makes it easier to advance a plot, the announcement of time must have its significance.
From 23:30 on September 11th to 18:30 on September 18th—a total of 163 hours. Lin needed to find where the "anomaly" lay. At the moment he heard time fall from the cliff and crash onto the ground—
...
Crash—
A grease-stained dinner plate shattered on the floor covered in footprints from heels and dress shoes.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine..."
Lin gaze moved away from that trivial interlude and turned to Elysia face, which was filled with confusion.
"What is it?" Elysia asked, blinking.
"No..." Lin shook his head to throw off that slight sense of dissonance. "What were you saying just now?"
"I said those two children really want to see you." Elysia, dissatisfied with his distraction, huffed, "You are a senior, after all. Taking care of juniors is our duty."
There was no rule in Fire Moth that seniors must take care of juniors; old hands training newcomers was simply a custom. He had already lingered at the ball too long. His main purpose wasn't to attend the gala or socialize; there seemed to be no need to meet those two newcomers.
Besides... there was no need to let Elysia have her way. She had acted out of line today; if he gave in to her completely, she would definitely push her luck.
"I have things to do." Dropping this cold sentence, Lin turned and left without hesitation.
"Eh? Eh!" Elysia, not expecting him to be so blunt, was left stunned and alone.
Balls, men and women, lights, red wine... Lin neither liked nor disliked colorful gatherings. Moving from a place with completely different decibel levels, temperatures, and atmospheres to another could, for a moment, make one think they had walked into another world.
Exiting that room filled with the smell of wine and hormones, it felt as if the air had turned fresh—even if he couldn't smell it.
"Oh my, isn't it our winner-in-life, Lin? Leaving so early, do you have someone waiting for you in your room?"
To be honest, Lin had envisioned many possibilities. Someone waiting at the door was one of them, but this person still gave him a slight start.
Chiaki. The hacker girl was, as always, wearing her trendy jacket and hot pants. She was chewing gum and blowing bubbles boredly in the empty corridor. When she saw Lin, she flicked her grey-haired ponytail and raised an eyebrow with a malicious smile.
Communication between Lin and Chiaki was practically non-existent. After he and Sakura captured her, they, having no similar duties, seemed to have become complete strangers. Of course, given the hacker's nasty personality, it was easy to imagine she was planning to retaliate.
"...Hey, hey, hey. You don't think I'm waiting here for you on purpose, do you?" Chiaki's right cheek puffed out as she chewed happily. She said with a deadpan expression, "Not everyone is as blind as those women and likes you."
So, this was an accident?
"Exactly. This is an unpleasant accident. I came out for air and just happened to bump into you. If possible, I hope I never see you again in my life."
Chiaki's lazy appearance didn't have the concise aura of a Fire Moth member at all. Are all hackers like this? Or was she just a special case? Vil-V might be able to get along with her.
"But since we've met, why not chat with me for a bit? I'm new here and don't know the place. No one picks up when I talk to these people about The Matrix." Chiaki sighed, seemingly worried about her interpersonal relationships at Headquarters.
It was indeed a sad thing. Thus, Lin... hmm? Where was Lin? Chiaki blinked and Lin was gone. She looked around in a daze, only seeing a decisive back disappearing around a far corner.
Lin walked with steady steps toward his room. He had to go to Mobius lab tomorrow; it was best to adjust his state today... Footsteps approached from behind, and Chiaki's exasperated voice rang out: "That detestable helmet guy! Stop right there!"
...
"You're the one who dragged me to Fire Moth, right? If it weren't for you lot, I'd still be ruling the roost on the net outside. You made my life this miserable, aren't you ashamed at all?"
Lin stared expressionlessly at this hacker who was barely up to his chest and wouldn't stop talking. Ashamed? The moment she hacked into Fire Moth's intranet, she should have known she'd be caught. This was all her own doing.
"I'm not saying you have to apologize, but can't you see I'm looking for someone to talk to?" Chiaki put her hands on her hips and looked up at Lin fiercely, looking like she wanted to bite a piece of flesh off him. "What? If it's not a woman who likes you, you can't be bothered?"
"I..." Lin wanted to explain that they weren't in that kind of relationship. Chiaki waited for his explanation with a cold laugh. But Lin opened his mouth, and in the end, didn't say a word.
"..."
"Why are you silent again?"
"I don't think I need to explain to you." They weren't close, after all.
One could see Chiaki's distorted expression—she likely wanted to tear apart that mouth that couldn't say anything useful. "I really don't see what's so great about you. Every time you walk into a ball, women follow you everywhere."
"You said you weren't waiting for me on purpose."
"..." Chiaki's face was a picture of "What kind of strange thing are you saying?" She likely didn't understand the connection between her words and Lin answer.
However, seeing Lin silent manner, after a while, Chiaki realized. He meant that since she wasn't waiting for him, there was no need for him to interact with her, and she could simply continue waiting for the next person to come out and talk to. To be more blunt... stop bothering me.
"Fine, fine! Just assume I was waiting for you, alright!" Chiaki shouted at Lin while grabbing her hair in frustration. "You're too awkward! Is this how you usually interact with people!"
...
Afterward, the two went to Chiaki's room. The reason they didn't go elsewhere or to Lin room was because Chiaki said she didn't want to walk too far and that Lin room was too dangerous. She didn't seem to understand that in terms of a confined space, as long as Lin truly had ill intentions, her room was just as dangerous as his.
"Sit wherever. You want anything to eat or drink?" Chiaki's room was the most unique Lin had seen at Headquarters. It was covered in posters and sticky notes, the chaotic handwriting all bunched together—just looking at it made one's head swim. There were also countless items related to Chiaki's "personal hobbies." It was the definition of "cramped."
"No." Lin sat in a proper spot, flanked by models and plushies that squeezed him in the middle.
Chiaki tossed over a piece of gum. "I was just being polite. I only have gum and cola anyway."
At this moment, the digital clock on the bed just passed midnight.