At exactly 4:47 PM, her phone buzzed in her pocket. A single, pre-arranged text: EVAC.
That’s when she saw it. Tucked under his laptop riser, invisible from every other angle but this one, was a slim, metallic USB drive. It wasn't a standard model. It was a Phantom Circuit data-siphon—capable of draining an entire hard drive in seconds.
Papers fluttered everywhere. Ameri gasped, apologizing profusely. As she knelt down to gather them, her knee bumped the table leg. The laptop riser wobbled.
In one fluid, microsecond movement, her hand darted under the riser. Her thumb and forefinger pinched the USB drive. It slid into her palm, then into the hidden pocket sewn into the seam of her cardigan. At exactly 4:47 PM, her phone buzzed in her pocket
"That's fine, Miss Ichinose ," he said, stressing her name as if tasting a lie. "You're… very helpful."
One student, a lanky boy with a nose piercing, kept glancing at the clock. Another, a girl with violet hair clips, was frantically typing on her phone under the desk. But Ameri’s focus was on the third row, second seat.
"Nice work with the fake fumble. You missed your calling as a teacher." Tucked under his laptop riser, invisible from every
"Good afternoon, everyone," she said, her voice a decibel softer than expected. "I’m Miss Ichinose. I hear you're all having trouble with stoichiometry."
"Alright everyone," she said, clapping her hands. "That's all for today. Study hard, and remember—balance your equations, and your life will follow suit."
"Alright," Ameri said, straightening up. "I think the best way to learn is to get out of your seats. Pair up! Taro, you can work with me at the front. I want to go over some advanced reaction mechanisms." Papers fluttered everywhere
She began her "lesson," writing on the whiteboard in neat, shaky letters: 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O . As she explained mole ratios, her eyes weren't on the equations. They were cataloging.
A crackle. Then: "Copy, 084. Rooftop. Five minutes. And Ameri?"