Sector D-4 greeted me with silence. No footsteps, no voices. Even the cameras seemed frozen, as if the labyrinth itself was holding its breath.
I entered through a side passage. The lights flickered, and a faint hum echoed overhead — like the structure was breathing. The terminal map didn't update. A system failure, as reported. But here, it felt... intentional.
"Takumi, are you getting a signal?" Mina's voice came through the earpiece.
"Yes. But there's heavy distortion. Someone's jamming the line."
I moved deeper in. The walls were scratched — not randomly, but in a pattern. Someone had left a trail. Leading somewhere.
I followed it.
Soon, I found what I was looking for: a terminal. Its casing was removed, wires cut — but one wire was connected to a small black device blinking green. A signal relay. Someone had been rerouting data. Not just hiding — manipulating the system.
Then I heard footsteps. I slipped into the shadows.
"He should be here by now," a calm male voice said. "Or did you overestimate him?"
"No," a second voice answered. Female. Low, distant. "He's smarter than he looks. But even smart ones can be cornered."
I recognized the voice. It wasn't Ai. And it wasn't Mina.
It was someone new.
I stepped out of the shadows.
"Inspection complete," I said. "Now it's your turn to explain."
Two figures turned. One was a guy from Class 2-C. The other — a girl. She stared at me silently, studying me. Then, without a word, they left. Not like criminals. Like people who didn't fear being seen.
I didn't follow. Instead, I sent the data to Mina through a secure channel.
> "Sector D-4. External signal link. Devices distorting the map. Likely outside interference. Suspects: Class 2-C. But there's someone else."
Her reply came quickly:
> "Understood."
Later, I returned to the central hall. Aoi and Hino were already there, tense.
"B-1 was clear," Hino reported. "But someone was watching. We could feel it."
"D-4 wasn't just unclear," I said. "It was the center of the game. And not just an external one."
I looked at Aoi.
"I think the Holder isn't acting alone. And they might not even be from another class."
"You're suggesting…" she began.
I nodded.
"An internal leak. And maybe a second layer to this test — one we don't know about."
Hino cursed. Mina came closer, lightly touching my hand with her fingers. Without words. Just a silent I'm here.
And I realized: the chaos was only beginning.