The Inspector and the Accidental Witness

[Location: Nova Academy Intelligence Room – Morning]

Nayra Alveen stood tall in front of a massive monitor, her arms crossed beneath the inspection cloak bearing the emblem of the National Strategy Committee. The glow from the screen lit up half her face, carving sharp lines into her cold, unreadable expression.Behind her, the room was filled with analysts, technicians, and covert staff working in silence. The only sounds were the tapping of keyboards and the faint hiss of the cooling system.

"The first anomaly appeared in the west corridor, near the old storage sector," said one of the analysts—a young woman with a level 3 badge on her chest. "The code detected originates from an old protocol... an underground network design, but it was never officially registered in the academy's database."

"There was suspicious activity at 22:37," added another analyst, displaying camera footage.

Nayra zoomed in on one of the camera feeds. The image was blurry, layered with signal interference—but clear enough to make out the silhouette of someone walking quickly, hoodie pulled low. Their movements were light but practiced, as if they knew exactly where the cameras were.

"Subject remains unidentified," said the analyst. "No facial capture, but... body language and movement patterns match the observed candidate named Deren Arkwright."

Nayra didn't raise an eyebrow or frown. Only her eyes narrowed—just slightly sharper."Keep monitoring. No direct contact. I want to know what he's really hiding," she said, turning and leaving the room with measured steps.

[Location: Nova Academy Cafeteria – A Few Hours Later]

I—Deren—was lounging in a corner of the cafeteria. The fried noodles were gone. All that was left was a sandwich and a boxed milk I clutched like a treasure. Across the table, Kael and Ryn were bickering as usual.

"I'm telling you, if we used an offensive triangle formation—that's what Rank A cadets used during the joint drills!"

"And we're not Rank A, Kael. We nearly failed the exam if not for Deren's 'luck,'" Ryn replied calmly while sipping his tea.

I didn't join in. I just wanted to eat. And maybe nap. But when a figure in a dark uniform passed our table, my whole body froze for half a second.

Tall, poised, commanding. Her short hair cut clean, her steps like the beat of a metronome—precise and unyielding. Her gaze was as sharp as a blade made of analysis and statistics.

Nayra Alveen.She didn't look my way, but I knew she saw me. It felt like being scanned by a national-level security system.

Kael leaned in and whispered, "Who's that?""Trouble," I answered flatly, still chewing my sandwich.

[Location: Academy Hallway – Late Afternoon]

The sky was starting to cloud over. I tried to take an alternate route through the back corridors, hoping to dodge anyone looking for me. But the universe has a dark sense of humor.

At a corner, I almost collided with someone.Nayra.She stood with her hands on her hips, unsurprised—as if she'd been waiting for me to walk by.

"Deren Arkwright, right?"I looked at her. "Depends... who's asking?""May I have a word?""If I say 'no,' is the answer still 'yes'?"

She didn't reply. Just turned and started walking.And I, like any sane person who knows when he has no choice, followed her with dragging steps.

[Location: Special Observation Room – Minutes Later]

The room was quiet. Too sterile. Just one metal chair, one transparent table, and a large flat screen on the wall.

I sat, half-slouching in the cold chair. Nayra stood with her back to me, staring at the screen as if she could read my thoughts through reflected signals.

"Tell me... why do you think you're on the observation list?" she asked suddenly, no small talk."Because... the academy enjoys a good challenge?" I replied half-jokingly.

She didn't react."In the last exam, you repaired a broken turret in 1 minute and 43 seconds. That design was never made public. But... it strongly resembles the illegal tech we confiscated from the underworld three years ago."

I swallowed hard. No panic."Maybe that's just coincidence. Engineering techniques sometimes look similar by accident," I said, trying to sound casual.

She turned slowly. Her gaze hit like a hammer."I don't believe in coincidences, Deren Arkwright. And I will find out who you really are. Completely."

[End of Chapter – Something Dangerous]

I walked out of that room with a longer breath than usual, as if even the air weighed heavier on my shoulders.

My shoulders did feel heavier. Not because of any direct threat or physical pressure, but because of the lingering presence of a woman named Nayra Alveen. She didn't attack with power, nor did she intimidate with volume. But every word she spoke, every look she gave, felt like a scalpel slowly peeling away each layer of my disguise.

She didn't know who I really was—yet.But she wasn't stupid. She knew how to spot something off. And she was piecing together the fragments, closing in on the truth.

I could fool the system. I could hide behind the role of a lazy, unremarkable cadet.But Nayra wasn't a system.She was human.The kind who knew where to look.And when someone like her starts looking in the right direction...

It's not just Nova Academy that's in danger.Not just Clarice or Eidolon that'll have to bury their tracks even deeper.

But also...My nap time.Which was once simply disrupted...Now stood at the edge of extinction.