Lord of Perverted Ladies

The six of us stepped out of the old club building together, locking the door behind us for what would be the last time before the exhibition.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

The hallway was unusually quiet compared to the organized chaos outside. The sound of hammers, moving carts, and distant conversations drifted through the open windows, reminding us that nearly every club in the academy was working until the last possible minute.

Ryan finally broke the silence.

"...I can’t believe we’re actually finished."

Marcus adjusted the strap of his backpack.

"We’re finished with today’s work."

Ryan looked at him.

"...Don’t ruin the moment."

"I’m keeping your expectations realistic."

Daniel chuckled.

"I think it looks great."

"So do I," Ethan added.

"We’ve spent almost three days on it."

Ryan folded his arms proudly.

"And at least twenty minutes of that was my detective hat research."

Marcus didn’t even look at him.

"Nobody asked you to do that."

"History will thank me."

"History won’t remember you."

"It’ll remember the hat."

Noah quietly smiled to himself as he locked the classroom door.

"Let’s hope visitors remember the mystery instead."

The six of us made our way down the staircase and out into the central courtyard.

The academy barely resembled the place we’d arrived at a few weeks ago.

Colorful banners stretched between buildings.

Directional signs had been placed at every major intersection on campus.

Temporary booths lined the walkways, each one representing a different club preparing for tomorrow’s exhibition.

The Photography Club was testing lighting equipment.

The Music Club adjusted speakers on an outdoor stage.

The Culinary Club had transformed part of the courtyard into what looked more like a small café than a student booth.

Ryan stopped walking.

His eyes locked onto a tray of pastries sitting unattended behind the Culinary Club’s counter.

"...Nobody’s watching."

Marcus immediately grabbed the back of his uniform.

"They’re absolutely watching."

"You don’t know that."

"I know you."

Ryan sighed dramatically.

"My greatest weakness."

"Self-control?"

Marcus asked.

"No."

"You."

Daniel laughed loud enough that several nearby students turned toward us.

One of them recognized Noah and waved.

"Good luck tomorrow!"

Noah returned the gesture politely.

"You too."

The student hurried off toward another building carrying a stack of cardboard signs nearly as tall as himself.

Ethan watched him disappear into the crowd.

"...Everyone’s taking this seriously."

Ryan looked around.

"I kind of get why."

Daniel nodded.

"There’ll be visitors from outside."

"Some clubs only get one chance a year to show what they can do."

Marcus looked toward the auditorium where workers were assembling rows of chairs.

"It’s almost like a festival."

Noah quietly corrected him.

"It is a festival."

"Just an academic one."

Ryan immediately pointed toward the Culinary Club again.

"See?"

"Festival food."

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I swear food is the only reason you wake up every morning."

"There are other reasons."

"Name one."

Ryan thought for several seconds.

"...Food tomorrow."

Even Noah laughed at that.

We wandered through the academy at a leisurely pace, taking in the nearly finished preparations. Every club had approached the exhibition differently.

The Astronomy Club had constructed a small portable planetarium beneath a black dome.

The Art Club displayed unfinished paintings outside their studio so visitors could watch them work live.

The Robotics Club had built a maze where small autonomous robots carried colored blocks from one end to the other.

Ryan stared at the robots.

"I bet I could beat one in a race."

Marcus looked at the machines.

"They have wheels."

"I’ve got determination."

"You’d lose."

"I choose not to believe you."

As we continued walking, the atmosphere slowly shifted.

The cheerful chatter faded as we approached the older side of the campus.

Fewer students were working here.

Most of the older classrooms remained empty this late in the afternoon.

The buildings themselves looked older too, their brick walls worn smooth by decades of rain and sunlight.

I found myself slowing down.

Something...

Felt wrong.

Not dangerous.

Just...

Off.

I glanced toward the edge of my vision.

Nothing.

No system window.

No notification.

Still...

The feeling remained.

"You coming?"

Ryan had noticed I’d stopped walking.

"...Yeah."

I caught up with the group.

Noah looked at me for a brief moment but didn’t say anything.

He’d probably noticed I’d been distracted again.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

By the time we reached the main gate, the sun had begun dipping below the skyline.

Students steadily streamed out of the academy, chatting excitedly about tomorrow.

Some discussed club schedules.

Others worried about presentations.

One first-year walked past us carrying what looked suspiciously like an entire mannequin over his shoulder.

Ryan watched him disappear.

"...Should we have borrowed a mannequin?"

Marcus answered immediately.

"No."

"What if our victim had been three-dimensional?"

"No."

"I still think—"

"No."

Ryan sighed.

"I feel creatively oppressed."

The bus stop outside the academy was already crowded.

Marcus checked the arrival board.

"Five minutes."

Ryan looked around.

"Perfect."

"For what?"

"Snack."

Before anyone could stop him, he jogged toward a small convenience store across the street.

Marcus stared after him.

"...Three minutes."

Daniel laughed.

"He’ll make it."

"He’d better."

Sure enough, Ryan returned exactly two minutes later carrying a plastic bag filled with chips and bottled tea.

Marcus looked inside the bag.

"...You bought six bags."

"There was a discount."

"There always is with you."

Ryan grinned.

"The universe rewards smart shopping."

The bus finally arrived.

Marcus, Ryan, and Daniel climbed aboard together after waving goodbye.

Ethan left shortly afterward, heading toward another route.

That left only Noah and me standing near the academy gate.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

The crowd gradually thinned as buses came and went.

Finally, Noah broke the silence.

"...Nervous?"

I smiled faintly.

"A little."

"About tomorrow?"

"...Partly."

He nodded as though he’d expected that answer.

"I’ve been thinking."

"Again?"

He laughed quietly.

"I know."

"It’s becoming a habit."

We started walking slowly along the sidewalk.

"The exhibition isn’t what’s bothering you."

His voice wasn’t accusing.

It was simply observant.

"...No."

"I didn’t think so."

He slipped both hands into his pockets.

"You know..."

"When I started this club..."

"I honestly expected to spend most afternoons alone."

I looked at him.

"Really?"

"I’ve never been particularly good at making friends."

"...Could’ve fooled me."

He shook his head.

"I usually keep to myself."

"Ryan was the first person who ignored that."

I laughed.

"That sounds like him."

"He invited himself into my lunch break."

"He talked for almost forty minutes."

"About what?"

"...Movies."

"Only movies?"

"And sandwiches."

I blinked.

"...Sandwiches?"

"He was trying to convince me that detectives always eat sandwiches."

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

"That’s... oddly specific."

"I know."

"He makes conversations difficult to predict."

We walked another few meters before Noah spoke again.

"I’m glad he did."

The words were quiet.

Honest.

"If he hadn’t..."

"I probably never would’ve met the rest of you."

A comfortable silence settled between us.

Eventually we reached the intersection where our paths separated.

Noah stopped.

"...See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"Try to get some sleep."

"I’ll do my best."

He hesitated for just a second.

"...Adrian."

"What?"

"I’m looking forward to tomorrow."

I smiled.

"So am I."

He nodded once before turning and walking away.

I watched him disappear into the evening crowd.

Only after he was gone did the familiar blue window quietly appear before me.

______

[Main Story Countdown]

18 Hours 32 Minutes

Secondary Notice:

Observation Complete

Trust between designated participants has increased.

______

Trust.

The system actually tracked that.

I wasn’t sure whether I found the idea comforting or unsettling.

The notification slowly dissolved into blue particles before disappearing altogether.

I stood alone on the sidewalk for another moment, watching the academy in the distance.

Tomorrow, hundreds of visitors would walk through those gates expecting nothing more than a student exhibition.

They would see games.

Art.

Music.

Food.

Mystery clubs.

Smiling students trying their best.

None of them would know that somewhere beneath the ordinary surface of the academy, something else was quietly counting down toward midnight.

I adjusted the strap of my backpack and started the walk home.

The exhibition would begin in less than a day.

And if the system was telling the truth...

Tomorrow wouldn’t just open our club.

It would open the next Chapter of the story itself.