The interior of the principal’s office was arranged quite luxuriously.
It formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic scene outside.
A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
On the desk lay a city map.
On the floor was a Bohemian-style cashmere rug.
The walls were covered in beige, patterned wallpaper.
Hanging on them were several uniquely styled landscape paintings.
In the farthest corner of the room stood a massive rosewood vintage bookcase, occupying half the room’s space.
“After all that effort, there should be good stuff in this room, right!”
Yui’s lively, beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Humming a tune, she began her treasure hunt with happy, mincing steps.
“…”
Yukino, on the other hand, methodically searched the other side of the room.
Kiryu did not join the girls’ treasure-hunting squad.
Instead, he focused his attention on the several landscape paintings hanging on the wall.
Four paintings, each depicting different scenes.
The first painting depicted the famous Mount Rushmore, known throughout American history.
The mountain was carved with four faces: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The second painting was of a bald eagle spreading its wings in flight.
The third painting was of a classic American meal of a hamburger and cola.
The final painting was a red, white, and blue star-spangled banner with the large numbers 7 and 4 written on it.
“These four paintings seem to be hinting at something?”
Kiryu pinched his chin, pondering.
Since this was a novice trial, the final boss couldn’t be too simple.
“Oh, I found it!!”
“Kiryu-kun, Yukino-chan, come here quick!”
Just then, Yui’s excited shout suddenly came from behind.
Kiryu glanced over.
He saw that the girl seemed to have found something good in the bookcase.
“Look, there’s a hidden compartment behind this bookcase!”
The girl shook her dumpling-shaped hair buns, happily showing off her discovery.
“I told you, don’t call me Yukino-chan.”
Yukino’s cool, pretty face showed a trace of helplessness.
She walked over quickly.
“Hmm, ‘Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence’?
I happen to have read this book.”
“As expected of Yukino…
you’ve even read such a deep book.”
Yui stuck out her little tongue cutely, her face showing admiration.
When it came to studying, she was nowhere near as skilled as Yukino, who was first in their grade.
“I just read it when I was bored.”
Yukino looked forward calmly.
Because Yui had pulled this book out of the bookcase, a square-shaped hidden compartment suddenly popped out of the large bookcase in front of them.
“The hidden compartment has three electronic display boxes, paired with a number keypad beside them.
It seems they want us to fill in the numbers to retrieve the item inside.”
Yukino scanned the surroundings, quickly reasoning.
“The answer should be in this room.”
“What could it be?” Yui rubbed her little head in frustration.
She wasn’t good at solving puzzles.
She could handle making herself look pretty, but if she had to expend brain cells to crack a code…
Please, just spare her.
“‘Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence’, plus those four paintings…”
Kiryu frowned slightly.
He felt like he had grasped some element.
He was just one step away from breaking through the final layer of tissue paper to reach the answer.
“Kiryu-kun, what did you think of?”
A figure in a dark blue sailor skirt fluttered into the corner of his eye.
A faint, delicate fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.
Kiryu looked up.
He found Yukino looking at him seriously with her dark, beautiful, intelligent eyes.
“I think I’ve already found the answer, Yukino-san.”
Kiryu gazed at her delicate profile, speaking calmly.
“Oh, so I’m not the only one who figured out the answer.”
A flicker of surprise passed through Yukino’s beautiful eyes.
She had thought she was the first among the trio to solve the riddle.
She hadn’t expected Kiryu to have figured out the answer so quickly too.
“So, how about we count to three, then say the answer together?” Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly, a glint of competitiveness in her eyes.
‘This girl, why does she have to compete over everything?
It’s not like this is a puzzle contest.’ Kiryu thought, slightly helpless.
“Fine.”
“Three, two, one…”
“The answer is 704.”
Under Yui’s astonished gaze, the two of them said the exact same answer simultaneously. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Huh…?”
Yui scratched her hair ends in confusion.
“Yukino and Kiryu-kun, who would’ve thought you’d have such chemistry?”
“…”
Yukino’s pretty face reddened slightly at her words.
She couldn’t help but look up at the handsome young man across from her.
‘This guy, he doesn’t show off at school…
who knew he was this smart?’
A flicker of curiosity suddenly arose in the girl’s heart.
Along this journey, Kiryu had consistently acted quite mysteriously.
He acted ruthlessly and decisively, showing no mercy when killing zombies.
He also had considerable courage.
Compared to Kakeru and the others, who went weak-kneed at the sight of zombies and didn’t even dare to save anyone, he had saved that girl named Yumi with a single slash.
The contrast was just too stark.
How could someone with such a distinct personality be the gloomy guy known throughout the grade?
“Can you two tell me why the answer is 704?”
Yui asked in a weak voice.
Her eyes were filled with the clarity of a mind untouched by knowledge.
“…”
After the puzzle was solved, The girl’s keen sixth sense suddenly noticed that the atmosphere between the two teammates, the boy and the girl, seemed to have changed subtly.
Yui couldn’t quite articulate the change.
She just felt that her usually ice-cold friend seemed to have developed a touch of softness between her brows.
“704 is the date of American Independence Day.”
Yukino parted her lips slightly and earnestly explained.
“Earlier, both those paintings and the book ‘Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence’ were subtly hinting at this information.”
“After some simple deduction, it’s not hard to arrive at the answer.”
“I see.” Yui let out a long breath.
Although she still didn’t quite understand, she didn’t want to show her “not-so-bright” side in front of the two.
“Do you really understand?” Yukino couldn’t help but glance at the girl.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, she knew Yui quite well.
“Ahahahaha, i-it’s just Independence Day, right?
The textbook taught that, how could I not know…
Yukino, let’s just enter the code already!”
Yui guiltily lowered her head.