Chapter 5: The Fox and the Genius Hacker

Two days had passed since the incident at Akari's home. Arata's days returned to normal, but he knew the peace was fragile. That morning, Arata entered the special classroom, a room usually filled with noisy chatter, now filled with strange whispers. He walked to the front, placed his book on the table, then folded his arms across his chest.

"Alright," Arata began, his voice calm. "I know some of you must be bored with my lessons, right?"

"Of course!" one student shouted, echoing the feelings of many. Arata smiled, a rare expression from him. "In that case, I have a little quiz I think you'll like. The winner gets to leave early."

Suddenly, the whole class erupted in excitement. "Seriously? Really, Sensei?!" Arata nodded. "Yes, seriously. Just one question. Whoever gets the correct answer can go home immediately." He wrote the problem on the whiteboard: "15 + 15 = What is the answer?" A student quickly shouted, "It's obviously 30, Sensei!" Arata pointed at the student. "You there, congratulations. You may go home."

The student jumped for joy. "He's right! Then I want to try too! Come on, Sensei, give us another quiz!" The class, which had been filled with boredom, now transformed into a sea of joy and enthusiasm.

However, amidst the laughter and excitement, one student was not impressed. In a dark room lit only by a monitor screen, Shion Kanzaki grunted in annoyance. He clenched his fists. Arata. This new teacher had dared to disrupt all his plans. He had to find a way to end this game. And he knew, this was just the beginning. That night, Shion began searching for information on Arata. He hacked into classified government archives and found a file that should have been inaccessible: Arata Masamune, Former JSDF Special Forces. And most shockingly, the name of a notoriously mysterious operation: Operation Thanatos.

A victorious smirk spread across Shion's face. This was more than just information; it was a bomb.

"Just you wait, Arata," he whispered to the screen. "I'm going to make you quit."