Far East Branch, St. Freya Academy, Student Dormitory Area.
Jack stood in front of a detached villa with a small garden. Her gray, shoulder-length hair gently swayed in the breeze, and her golden eyes calmly scanned the surroundings.
She was wearing dark casual clothes suitable for movement, a stark contrast to the academy uniform, but there was no one around at the moment.
In her mind, the instructions Madam Herta had given shortly before played back clearly:
Mission Log: Infiltrate target Kiana's residence and place the "Black Herta Doll."
Additional Note: The target resides with three other females (Bronya, Raiden Mei, Murata Himeko) in an independent villa within St. Freya Academy.
The current period is standard academy class time, so the house is expected to be empty.
Operation start.
For her, this was indeed a simple task.
Compared to Schicksal Headquarters, which was riddled with surveillance, the defenses here—St. Freya Academy's student dormitories—were practically nonexistent.
There were no barriers, no complicated biometric locks, just a standard, thick wooden door.
Jack stepped forward and pulled a slender probe from her jacket pocket—one of the little tricks she had "learned" from a "helpful" technician in Belobog.
She inserted the probe into the keyhole, feeling a slight vibration on her fingertips.
In less than five seconds.
"Click."
With a soft sound, the lock obediently sprang open.
She pushed the door open, slipped inside, and gently closed the door behind her without making any extra noise.
The interior was spacious and bright, filled with the scent of everyday life.
The living room was tidy, yet scattered with personal items: a white jacket draped over the sofa, and a few textbooks and a game console on the coffee table.
Jack's gaze quickly swept around, confirming no one was home.
Good, consistent with the intel—the target and her housemates were currently in the teaching or training areas.
Her attention was drawn to a transparent glass cup on the table.
The cup contained about half a glass of thick green liquid.
(Water replenishment.)
Jack quickly made her assessment.
Maintaining optimal physical condition was necessary for mission execution.
She walked over, picked up the cup, and without hesitation, took a large gulp.
"..."
In the next instant, her usually expressionless face showed a rare flicker of change.
"Ptooey—!"
An incredibly potent bitterness instantly exploded on her tongue, rapidly sweeping through her entire mouth and even rushing straight to the top of her head.
Jack's eyebrows furrowed tightly together, her face screwed up like a toddler who had just tasted a lemon.
She desperately held back from spitting it out, but her facial control had completely failed.
"What is this... so bitter!"
She lowered her voice and quickly placed the cup back on the table, as if it were some kind of bio-weapon.
Without hesitation, she poured the rest down the drain.
On the other side of the table, a comic book with a colorful cover caught her eye.
She picked it up and flipped through it. Inside were various exaggerated adventure scenes featuring a strange creature that looked like a yellow rabbit and a doll.
"Huh, what is this drawing..."
With a casual toss, the comic book traced an arc and landed precisely in the nearby trash can.
The pages happened to spread open, and the smiling face of Homu on the cover was soaking right in the green liquid she had just poured out.
Mission continues.
Resting areas were usually on the upper floors of the building.
Jack turned around, preparing to step onto the staircase leading to the second floor—
"Click-clack."
The sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole came from the entryway.
Jack's movement instantly froze.
Her mind processed the situation in milliseconds: The identity of the newcomer was unknown, and a direct confrontation could expose the mission.
Optimal solution: Concealed observation.
Her body moved faster than her mind.
Making almost no sound, she swiftly crouched down like a cat slipping into shadow, hiding beneath the tall marble countertop of the open kitchen.
This spot was conveniently obscured by the bar stools and an extension of the counter, making it difficult to see directly from the living room.
She adjusted her breathing, minimizing her presence.
The door opened.
A small, light set of footsteps entered, accompanied by a soft, cute female voice that sounded somewhat childish:
"Huh? Why wasn't the door closed? Kiana is always so forgetful."
The owner of the voice didn't seem too concerned, muttering, "Whatever, forget it. My comic! Where did I put the latest issue of my darling Homu?"
The footsteps echoed a few times in the living room, seemingly searching for something.
Then, the footsteps stopped near the table.
"Eh—?!"
A gasp filled with disbelief rang out.
"Where is my bitter melon juice?!"
Theresa, the Headmaster of St. Freya Academy, was currently wide-eyed, staring at the empty glass cup.
The extra-strong, refreshing bitter melon juice she had specially squeezed that morning to slowly savor was gone!
"I clearly left it right here..."
Theresa scratched her head, her white hair tilting with the movement.
She picked up the cup and brought it close to her tiny nose to sniff—yep, it was the pure, refreshing scent of bitter melon, and it still felt slightly cool.
"Did someone actually drink it?"
She looked around and tentatively called out, "Kiana? Mei? Himeko? Was that one of you?"
No one responded.
The house was silent.
Theresa became even more confused, her small face full of bewilderment: "Strange... none of them are back? Did a thief break in? That doesn't make sense, why would a thief steal bitter melon juice?"
She shook her head, deciding to find her comic first. "Never mind, finding my Homu comic is more important. I haven't finished the latest issue yet... Hmm?"
Her gaze fell into the trash can.
That corner of the bright cover, and the suspicious, slowly spreading dark green stain on the face of the cover star, Homu... Time seemed to stand still for a second.
"Ah————!!! My Homu comic!!"
A more piercing shriek echoed through the villa.
Jack's heart skipped a beat.
The comic book? Could it be... Theresa practically lunged toward the trash can, using two fingers to pinch the spine, and tremblingly pulled out the latest issue of *Homu's Great Adventure*, which she cherished, had just bought, and hadn't even had time to enjoy properly.
The pages were wet and stuck together, Homu's smiling face was ruined by the bitter melon juice, and it still gave off that scent of bitter melon she knew so well.
"Who... did... this...!"
Theresa gritted her teeth, forcing the words out one syllable at a time.
Her small body trembled slightly with rage, and blazing fury burned in her azure eyes.
She could tolerate the bitter melon juice being drunk, but ruining her Homu comic—that was an unforgivable crime!
Jack listened silently beneath the counter, her heart completely unmoved.
Theresa stomped around the living room twice in frustration, her little leather shoes making sharp "tap-tap" sounds on the floor.
She seemed to calm down slightly and began to analyze the situation: "The door wasn't locked... the bitter melon juice was dumped... the comic was destroyed... no one is home... Was it a thief? No, why would a thief steal bitter melon juice and a comic book? A prank?"
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