Student Council Building, 3rd floor—the heart of Neon Academy.
Along the quiet corridor, a small number of students wearing black armbands and red ties gathered one by one, muffling their footsteps.
They were the shadows of school order: the Guidance Committee.
The student council room was unusually silent.
A large hologram monitor occupied one wall, while a round conference table sat in the center.
Neatly arranged documents, cold lighting—student council officers, the Guidance Committee leader, and committee members all held their positions.
At the head seat sat Seo Ryeo-hwa, called the academy’s greatest beauty and an A-class magical girl, the student council president.
Beside her sat Lucy, the Guidance Committee leader—pale skin, a playful smile, yet colder and more ruthless than anyone.
Naturally, every gaze in the room converged on the two of them.
Seo Ryeo-hwa slowly rose. Her charismatic voice echoed through the room.
“Everyone, you know why we’ve gathered here today, correct?”
Short, but laced with authority.
“Recently… individuals challenging the order of our school have begun to appear one by one.”
At her gesture, the reports on the table automatically unfolded. Dates and incident lists floated up on the hologram.
The council officers and committee members exchanged silent glances.
“Reports of missing underwear among first- and second-year female students have been coming in repeatedly.”
In an instant, the air in the meeting room grew even heavier.
“It’s far too many incidents to dismiss as simple pranks or coincidence.”
Seo Ryeo-hwa’s gaze slowly swept across the table.
“Changing rooms, during PE class, blind spots in surveillance.”
“And—”
Lucy picked up where she left off, lips curling into a smirk.
“The culprit… is quite clever.”
Her tone was playful, but her eyes were razor-sharp.
“He pinpointed every camera blind spot and breached changing room security in seconds. Hard to call this just a joke.”
Seo Ryeo-hwa nodded and continued.
“This goes beyond mere curiosity or mischief. A person with considerable skill, preparation, and audacity… I never imagined we had such talent(?) in our school.”
As soon as she finished, several committee members stiffened and exchanged furtive glances.
Seo Ryeo-hwa spoke again.
“This is no longer something to leave solely to the Guidance Committee. For this case, the student council will take direct action.”
“Understood!”
The committee members and officers raised their voices in unison.
“Good. Everyone, begin the hunt for the culprit immediately!”
“Yes!!”
The student council and Guidance Committee filed out in a swift line. Soon, only Seo Ryeo-hwa and Lucy remained in the meeting room.
A brief silence passed before Lucy spun her chair around and looked at Seo Ryeo-hwa with a mischievous grin.
“Unnie~ This is Papa’s doing, right? Finally our turn?”
“Yes. Finally, it’s time for us to take the stage.”
Seo Ryeo-hwa tried to maintain a dignified expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. At the same time, tension flooded her body.
Her hands and feet trembled, and finally—
-Crash.
The teacup she was holding shattered into pieces.
“Hehe… Twenty years. Twenty years of celibacy, masturbating every night… enduring, enduring… I can’t take it anymore.”
“U-Unnie…?”
Seo Ryeo-hwa slowly turned her head and muttered.
“What? Let’s… enjoy some play together? But we’ve been left neglected… hehehehehe—”
For a moment, a chill ran down Lucy’s spine. For some reason, she had the illusion of a demonic silhouette looming behind Seo Ryeo-hwa.
‘…Finally, twenty years of pent-up resentment is exploding…’
Lucy silently prayed for Papa’s soul.
‘Honestly, the biggest sin was Papa leaving us neglected for twenty years~’
In truth, it hadn’t been a full twenty years straight—there had been time skips in between.
‘Still… enduring and holding back for so long is real~’
Lucy herself felt an overwhelming desire to get married, have kids, and have sex sooner rather than later.
***
[Static— This is Zero. Mister Baek, respond. Over.]
I glanced around discreetly. Lucas’s voice came through the earpiece.
“This is Mister Baek. What’s up, Zero?”
[Target is on the move. First-year beauty ranking #5, Domiri. Currently separated from her friends.]
“Target acquired. Approaching now.”
I lowered my body naturally as I moved along the cafeteria corridor.
Mingling with the crowd while covertly advancing, I scanned through the people ahead.
There—near the counter stood a short female student. Twin tails with big ribbons, an arrogant smirk plastered on her face.
I approached carefully, but at that moment Domiri shouted in a shrill voice at the male students blocking her path.
“Losers~ Move it~ Miri has to go through first~”
The boys flinched and quickly stepped aside.
“Whoa, Miri-chan!”
“She’s even cuter in person!”
“Miri-chan, just one autograph—”
Despite the flood of attention, Domiri strode confidently into the cafeteria.
I kept an eye on the surroundings and closed the distance a little more.
[Static— Mister Baek, be careful. Target’s popular—tons of eyes on her. One wrong move and you’ll get spotted immediately.]
“I know, Zero.”
Domiri was browsing items near the display shelves.
Looking around, the place was packed with guys sneaking glances at her.
‘With the Guidance Committee and student council surveillance so tight lately, moving alone or in blind spots has gotten way harder.’
That’s why a crowded place like this was actually safer for me.
‘First, I need to deal with all the attention focused on Domiri.’
I quickly scanned the CCTV mounted in the corner of the ceiling. I roughly mapped the angles and blind spots, adjusting my path to avoid lingering too long in frame.
‘The positioning’s tricky. One slip and I’ll get caught on camera.’
I pretended to linger near the bread display while naturally shifting my position behind Domiri, right in the camera’s blind spot.
‘Now…’
I bowed my head as if nothing was happening and flicked a small paper wad with my finger—Tanji-gong technique adapted into a flick.
I shot it toward a corner of the cafeteria.
-BANG!
A loud enough explosion to startle everyone without injuring anyone.
“Eek!”
Domiri flinched hard, lost her balance, and fell.
“What was that?!”
“Firecracker?!”
“Terrorism?!”
All eyes snapped toward the direction of the sound.
I moved like a shadow behind Domiri.
‘The hand is faster than the eye!’
And in an instant, my hand held a slightly damp, soft piece of fabric.
I retreated as if nothing had happened. Domiri sat on the floor, face bright red.
I had already melted back into the crowd.
A little farther away, I subtly raised my camera.
Click.
“Mission complete.”
A voice mixed with admiration came through the earpiece.
[Scoring a rare item… I’m jealous.]
I smirked.
“Moving on to the next target.”
***
Late at night.
[Won’t it be dangerous going alone?]
Lucas’s voice came through the earpiece, slightly distorted by static.
“I’ll be fine.”
I’d deliberately left Baek A-yeon at home.
I’d grown quite close to Lucas. Partly intentional, but we actually got along surprisingly well.
‘Who knew he’d prefer average-looking girls over beauties.’
So no fighting over panty distribution.
“Then… shall we go crush that son of a bitch?”
I started the engine. The bike awoke with a low, rough growl.
-Vrrrrrm.
I threw myself onto the road. Neon signs reflected in puddles, distorted. Advertising holograms, illegally modded vehicles, shadows lurking in every alley.
This was the real night of Neon City.
[Mister Baek.]
Zero’s voice dropped lower.
[Right now… someone’s tailing you.]
“You sure?”
[Positive. About thirty meters back. One black newer-model bike.]
I subtly adjusted the side mirror. Through the flashing neon, a single headlight maintained a precise distance.
“Send me the feed.”
[One sec.]
A hologram overlaid one corner of my vision.
Face obscured, but the figure looked female from the body shape.
But never assume gender just because it’s a woman.
‘Last time I approached thinking it was a girl and got shocked—it was a fully modded guy.’
[This one looks like a pro?]
“Can you ID them?”
[Hold on.]
One minute later.
[Baek Seo-yoon, emergency. No identity data at all on the bike tailing you right now.]
“So we’ve got a dangerous one on our tail.”
I increased speed slightly. The pursuer reacted instantly.
-Vrooom!
Engines overlapped, and the city blurred faster around me.
“Zero, mark me some alley coordinates.”
[Got it. Right side, seventy meters ahead—Alley 12. You can enter right after the intersection.]
On the rain-slicked night road under flowing neon, the bike’s headlight sliced through black asphalt like a blade.
The silhouette in the side mirror never closed the gap or fell behind.
I pressed the throttle deeper, lowering my body and preparing for the corner.
[30… 20… Now!]
On the pre-loaded hologram map, a red dot blinked.
In an instant, I jerked the handlebars and plunged the bike into the dark alley.
The black bike behind me immediately followed, turning sharply.
-Screeech!
Tires scraped the pavement, the sound grating.
“Zero, can you hack their bike?”
[Trying… Hold on… Hm, encryption level’s too high. Security’s tight.]
‘Probably Prometheus-affiliated.’
[From this district onward, you’re clear to go all out!]
“Roger.”
I pushed the bike’s speed even higher. From my coat, I drew a custom automatic pistol.
I aimed precisely at the silhouette in the side mirror.
Finger on the trigger, I slowed momentarily in the city alleys, luring them into a narrow side path.
Rear tire skidded slightly, smoke rising. The moment the muzzle flashed—
I twisted the handlebars and ducked low.
-Bang! Bang!
Two quick shots.
The pursuing rider didn’t stay passive. Orange mana flared around her body, deflecting every bullet.
[Magical girl!]
I immediately swerved the handlebars with one hand while aiming the pistol again with the other.
“Pretty skilled.”
Flames enveloped her entire body, disintegrating my bullets midair before they could reach her.
And in an instant, intense orange light surged from her fingertips.
-KABOOM!
My vision was instantly dyed red. With an explosive roar, a wave of fire surged along the alley walls.
I instinctively banked the bike, riding along the wall to break through.
Flames licked right behind me, spreading outward.
“Zero, check which B-class magical girls handle fire.”
[One sec… B-class fire users… A few candidates.]
“Prioritize ones active in this area with records.”
[Codename Pyro Beat, Inferno Dancer, Blaze Kitty]
“Any match with this one among the three?”
[No, all three have different combat styles. And I’ve confirmed they’re all elsewhere right now.]
“Hmm…”
That meant someone off the records—or deliberately concealing their identity.
‘There’s exactly one person I suspect…’
I wasn’t certain yet. I needed to confirm in person.
“Zero, drop the original target for now. Guide me to a spot where I can lure this woman chasing me.”
[Got it. Sending new route. Nearby abandoned factory district is optimal. Minimal outside interference—you can fight freely without holding back.]
“Perfect.”
I immediately followed the hologram path Zero provided, taking sharp turns and exiting the main road.