Chapter 143

A rather awkward silence stretched out.

With an unexpectedly sharp tone and sarcastic manner, it was evident that the other party, whom I thought I had maintained a good relationship with until now, had stiffened.

For the time being, Marina just kept on smiling. Since she showed no sign of saying it was a joke or lowering the confrontation she’d set up, it was obvious that if things continued like this, we’d waste time without a solution.

“Um… I don’t know how to put this, but sis. If you didn’t understand how to use it, I can explain it to you again anytime…”

“I don’t know anything, don’t get that wrong. I remember it word for word, you know?”

Her response, laced with a strong feeling of being admonished, was unceremoniously cut off.

As if there wasn’t even the slightest value… nor the heart to entertain such excuses.

An outstretched arm reached out over the table where the team gathered for meals, pushing a laptop forward. With her fingers lightly tapping on the screen revealed under the glaring lights.

In that brief moment, whether she used the decoder she had at hand, or if she analyzed it herself, the logic that composed the completed program was laid bare in Ken’s eyes.

“So, running this means that the algorithm that learned the outline and format of the Enema security documents, which the cutie had been diligently restoring, filters through several times to collect and reassemble trace data? Like an automated assembly process.”

“Um… yes?”

It wasn’t a lack of understanding, but rather a suspicion derived from a thorough going-over from start to finish.

His voice slightly trembled when he realized it wasn’t baseless nonsense or annoyance.

“But why does it include code that searches for external routers and broadcasts signals on its own? Huh??”

“……”

With an unmistakably assured voice, this was… not just a simple argument. It was much closer to an obvious inquiry.

Or a condemnation of why she would violate the clause that prohibits any communication with the outside until the end of the contract, followed by the administration of a confidentiality implant and drugs.

As a result, Ken’s thoughts began to expand gradually.

…Could it be that she had discerned all of the code that he had invested at least a month in, in such a short time?

No, that would be impossible. It required a skill level akin to a girl who, while lazily invoking an abyss dive to activate the brain like a computer, had managed to take a look at it, if she happened to be present. Logically, there wouldn’t be enough time to physically examine it…

‘…Ah.’

As the logic stretched that far, a vague memory came to him.

The team member who boldly claimed she didn’t understand cyber engineering and just mindlessly memorized the entire library to present the right commands was her.

In that case, it would be quite possible for her to quickly skim the general outline and find execution statements that should not be there or would be odd to exist.

Furthermore, the reason she confirmed such things intentionally was likely due to some level of certainty.

Swish…

He silently brushed aside the bangs that had been covering his eyes.

By wearing the headband he’d pulled out to prevent it from falling again, and adjusting the magnification of the eyewear slightly to observe her expressions more closely, he completed the groundwork for a sincere conversation.

“……When did you know?”

“Well. Did you really think you wouldn’t get caught? You mischievous little brat, you can’t fool your sister like that. No matter how timid and harmless you seem, trusting is a completely different matter~ and being an industrial spy isn’t that trivial!”

The boy sighed bitterly. The girl smirked widely, her lips curling up.

If they had been caught, it couldn’t be helped. It was risky to make a hasty judgment, but at least it didn’t seem like there was much malice behind it.

“Ha… I haven’t really acted, nor have I put on a façade, so can you tell me how you figured it out?”

Comparing it to a gambler, it was no longer playful but rather akin to being caught red-handed trying to pull something from a sleeve. He was cornered without any room for excuses, but Ken asked where he had slipped up, in preparation for the ‘next’ that might come.

Then, with her chin rested comfortably, Marina pointed at the eyewear once and then at Ken’s dedicated computer, which showcased a sleek design and performance.

“Did you think that a kid who was born into debt, raised on the streets and had to cover education costs on credit, would manage to deck out such luxury equipment in just a few years? No matter how much official records of activity might seem fine, what if the income and expenses don’t match this much?”

“…You said you weren’t interested at all. You certainly eavesdropped well.”

Her smile deepened.

In a fight of deception, the one who got deceived is at fault. Even so, perhaps she acknowledged that her behavior was somewhat immature, as she offered no rebuttal to his stinging remark.

“Anyway! Since you seem unfamiliar with this, it doesn’t look like you enjoy such precarious side jobs normally. Then, I wonder if there’s a supporter who helped you settle into the industry and nurtured you. Does your employer, Enema, understand that people like us are often employed considering such possibilities? Of course, they probably didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to act like such an idiot out in the open.”

“Or maybe… are you usually more meticulous, but got flustered by the beauty of the cute one you ended up working with and let slip things you wouldn’t have otherwise? Huh??”

“……”

Ken’s face flushed as he was met with a common flowery expression and a jab lacking any consideration.

He glared at Marina, who was busy shaking the laptop excitedly, as if to suggest she was despicable.

Whether it was purely from being insulted or… whether it was from being deeply poked at in embarrassing and immature areas, only he would know.

Well, in any case, the one holding the knife now was the other party. Showing somewhat malicious behavior, even though it appeared that she had no intention of rushing to the client to rat him out.

Was there something she wanted from him? A price for keeping quiet?

Since there hadn’t been a bonus clause for whistleblowers, she could make use of it in that way, but… when viewed rationally, wouldn’t it be more efficient to reduce the number of people involved?

“Damn. What exactly do you want?”

“What I want! Why do you think so negatively, as if we’re not comrades? Just… I’m making a small request for you to not interfere.”

“What do you mean…!”

Was it empty babble? Ken barely swallowed the words that rose up to his throat.

‘As comrades’, ‘don’t interfere’? What kind of expression is that? It was a peculiar nuance to use that compared to their situation where they were both hired by Enema. Considering that she always adeptly handled situations, her circumlocution was quite severe.

It felt as if there was something she wanted him to notice on his own, so he momentarily set aside his annoyance and began working his mind.

…Could it be because of external scrutiny?

He casually raised his gaze, recalling the surveillance cameras busy monitoring them above, and the Enema night duty personnel who would be witnessing this farce.

They wouldn’t be a problem. Given his rough knowledge of that recording equipment’s capabilities, just lowering their voices would make it hard to hold them accountable based solely on movements.

Then, what about the special agents guarding the door, the trackers?

That was vague as well. Recently, Marina’s persistent grilling had likely pushed them to move their standby positions further away, as they had stopped responding much to ordinary disturbances…?

“Uh?”

A jolt. A somewhat disruptive hypothesis suddenly sprang to Ken’s mind.

Industrial espionage involves stealing and selling all kinds of technologies, production, or sales from competing companies. To put it nicely, it’s a specialized high-value labor that some people actually take up as their main job.

Thus, it’s essential to co-opt the related individuals; if that’s not feasible, one must infiltrate and weaken security or create chaos to create opportunities and conditions. Similar to how Ken had tried to breach the network from the inside.

Ultimately, it was time for the word ‘if’ to appear.

If. If someone has openly confronted Enema’s elite soldiers, who are known for having countless rumors swirling around, the reason for doing so was to intentionally provoke an excellent monitor’s vigilance and lower the alert level even a little, even if that meant acting like an unkempt fool in their underwear?

But statistically, such a coincidence where two spies clash like something out of a spy movie was impossible….

“How dare you, a timid brat who couldn’t even greet properly, try to trap your senior?”

As always, Marina’s eyes curved into a lovely arc as she flashed a cheerful smile.