The Uniformed Spy & the Smiling Watchdog

The next day at Nova Academy felt… stranger than usual.

Yesterday's battle had ended quickly after Deren's mysterious device overloaded the artificial creature's energy processing core. The creature collapsed and was later secured by a special team from the academy. Yet, the incident's details were never made public. In fact, the report circulated to cadets labeled it as a "controlled simulation anomaly."

No one explained how the creature ended up in a training zone—or more mysteriously, who had stopped it.

Naturally, rumors spread faster than official broadcasts.

"You heard? Some cadet stopped the thing with a TV remote.""Not just a remote—someone said he had a kitchen knife that reflected energy shots.""I heard he wasn't even wearing full armor!"

Deren walked down the academy's main hallway toward the cafeteria, head slightly lowered, hoping to blend in with the crowd. Unfortunately, his face was still fresh in everyone's memory.

"The only thing I destroyed yesterday… was my chance at lunch," he grumbled internally.

Once inside the cafeteria, his eyes went straight to his usual corner—a strategic seat near the hot water dispenser and far from the noisy central tables. He popped the lid off his instant meal and began pouring water, trying to tune out the whispers around him.

As the noodles began to soften, the sound of heavy boots approached—steady, deliberate, and almost too rhythmic. Someone sat across from him without asking.

"Deren Arkwright, correct? I'm Tessan, senior cadet and observation unit lead. Starting today, I'll be assigned to accompany you as part of the Experimental Cadet Monitoring Program."

Deren stared flatly at him. The guy was too neat—hair combed like he was heading to a job interview—and most unsettling of all: he carried a physical clipboard with a classic click-pen.

"So… like a personal guard?"

"A potential supervisor. But of course, I'd prefer if we stayed friendly."

"You've got the wrong table. This one's reserved for hungry people."

"I enjoy observing natural behavior in neutral environments. Mealtimes, for instance."

Deren slurped his noodles without further comment. Tessan scribbled something with far too much seriousness.

"You eat in silence. Is this part of your strategic processing method? Or a form of mental concentration?"

"Yes," Deren replied, chewing. "It's called: don't talk to people while they're eating."

Throughout the day, Deren felt like he was being stalked by a human shadow in uniform. Wherever he went—the training labs, the library, even the public restrooms—Tessan appeared. Always there. Always polite. Always watching.

When Deren climbed up to the academy rooftop, searching for his usual emergency nap spot, he was stunned to find Tessan already there—calmly reading a book titled "The Psychology of Operational Silence."

"…Wow. You know the shortcut too?"

"I memorized the academy's full blueprint before first year. Standard prep, right?"

Deren nearly choked on air.

"What planet's standard is that?"

Meanwhile...

Clarice monitored them both through an illegal access terminal connected to the academy's security grid. Tessan's face kept appearing on-screen, always within a few meters of Deren.

"This Tessan guy… too polite. But the reports he submits to HQ are clean. And that's exactly what makes him dangerous. If he draws the wrong conclusion… things could explode faster than Deren's first-gen prototypes."

She opened a secure darkfeed channel. Multiple unknown signals were detected within academy radius—one of them traced back to an unregistered active recording device.

"They're seriously watching him now... from the inside."

That night...

While most cadets slept, Tessan sat alone in his pristine dorm room. He opened his personal terminal and began typing his daily report.

Observation Report – Day 1Subject displays no overt hostility.Tends to avoid attention and authority.However, spontaneous reaction to the synthetic creature shows high-level technical experience.Initial hypothesis: Subject may be concealing advanced military-grade knowledge.

Personal Note: Difficult to read. No consistent patterns. But there's… interest.Toward his non-strategic side.Is this a disguise… or just eccentric behavior?

On his screen, a paused image of Deren stared blankly—tired expression, holding instant noodles mid-bite.