Chapter 17 – Influence

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇ​Ｃ​ａｆｅ

 

It goes without saying now, but I’ve become incredibly famous in Kivotos. To the point where almost no one doesn’t know my name.

My debut was the battle against Kaiser PMC, followed by various incidents and acts of goodwill, and now, culminating in my fierce battle with Wakamo.

In an absurdly short time, I’ve achieved feats that could be called unprecedented in Kivotos.  Even I wonder how I managed to pull it all off. 

And throughout it all, I’ve worked hard to maintain my public image as the “Friendly Neighborhood Hero”.

At this point, Silk’s fame isn’t just limited to D.U.—

It’s spread to academies all across Kivotos.

How did I find this out? 

Well, it’s related to how my fight with Wakamo was broadcasted.

How did my battle with Wakamo end up on the news? Why did the entirety of Kivotos watch our fight?

With the Sanctum Tower currently inactive, broadcasting via drones shouldn’t have reached every district in Kivotos.

Normally, that is.

The method I used was simple. The wired network that broadcast stations like Kronos News Club had desperately restored—I exploited it. 

With the help of Himari, self-proclaimed “Millennium’s Greatest Genius, Delicate Beauty Hacker”, and her hacker club, Veritas, we hacked into Kronos and the entire wired network of Kivotos in an instant, broadcasting the fight as I intended.

That was the full story.

Or so I thought—until Himari dropped an even more shocking revelation.

“Crime rates across Kivotos have been dropping. Seems like everyone saw your broadcast.”

“…”

“And Valkyrie issued an official statement. Apparently, once the Sanctum Tower is restored, they’re planning to crack down on the black market.”

“Valkyrie… is actually doing their job?”

“Hehe, I get Nanashi’s reaction. But this time, it’s real. The statement came directly from their Director from the Public Security Bureau, Ogata Kanna.”

“What.”

Turns out, the aftermath of this incident was far bigger than I expected.

***

While I was unconscious, a lot had happened in Kivotos. The city was always full of incidents, but this time was on another level.

First, Valkyrie had arrested enemies during my fight with Wakamo and, in the process, obtained significant intel on the underworld.

Then, Wakamo—just like in the game—escaped during transport and was now missing.

Rumors spread that Sanctum Tower would soon be restored, and in defiance of the city’s triumphant mood, a few villains acted out, only to get crushed by people who admired Silk—me.

And the most critical development—

“Of all times… FOX Squad had to cause trouble now?”

Rumors of a minor disturbance at Sanctum Tower.

No doubt, this was the work of SRT Academy’s FOX Squad. Probably protesting SRT’s disbandment. The reason it was downplayed as a “minor” incident? The General Student Council must’ve intervened.

And the moment I heard about it, I knew—Shiranui Kaya was involved.

Kaya was the GSC’s Defense Chief. With the Sanctum Tower inactive and the GSC President missing, plunging the city into anarchy, security was the top priority.

Yet, FOX Squad breached it. Right at the moment where I couldn’t react.

Was this a coincidence?

Right at this moment, security was breached.

Right at this moment, FOX Squad moved.

Right at this moment, I was out of commission.

‘Was this… really just a coincidence?’

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Kaya had taken advantage of my recovery period to push her agenda. By the time I noticed, everything was already over.

“Was it really that hard to let go of your greed, Kaya?”

What kind of person was Kaya?

Someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. At least, that was my understanding.

And it seemed she still hadn’t given up.

Tch, I clicked my tongue and swept my bangs aside.

It wasn’t pleasant knowing things were being manipulated behind my back.

“Fine. If you’re still hell-bent on your coup even after everything I’ve done…”

Then I’ll just have to get strong enough to crush Kaya myself.

Part of me wanted to storm over and expose Kaya to the world right now, but without solid evidence or justification, it was just a fantasy.

But turning that fantasy into reality was simple.

I just had to get stronger. Gather more intel.

To do that, I needed to train myself, develop more hero gear, and most importantly—

“I need money.”

Working part-time at a convenience store wouldn’t cut it.

With that, I’d never afford an Iron Man suit—hell, I wouldn’t even be able to commission proper equipment.

So…

“Guess I’ll have to take on real requests.”

Seemed like it was finally time to start working as an official member of the Special Phenomenon Task Force.

***

Meanwhile, in Millennium’s Seminar room…

Yuuka slumped over her desk and lamented to Noa.

“Everywhere I go, it’s Silk this, Silk that. Nothing but Silk.”

“Well, that’s inevitable. We saw it ourselves—she’s anything but ordinary.”

“Ugh, I know, but still…”

Even a day after the Wakamo vs. Silk battle, Millennium—both online and offline—was still buzzing with talk about Silk.

As a Seminar Member, Yuuka had no choice but to keep up with all the information, and it was exhausting.

Mediating overheated arguments between students, managing the internet traffic spikes from all the hype—it was all part of the job.

And in moments like these, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated that a certain annoying underclassman wasn’t around to help.

But complaining wouldn’t fill the empty seat.

“So, Noa. What do you think?”

“About what, Yuuka?”

“About Silk. No matter how I look at it, she’s gotta be from our academy, right?”

The sudden suspicion made Noa smirk.

“You know what’s funny, Yuuka?”

“What?”

“That exact question is all over the forums—the ones you keep complaining about.”

“…”

Yuuka always acted annoyed by the hype, but Noa knew better. No one was more interested in Silk than Yuuka herself.

And pointing that out always got a rise out of her.

Like right now.

“T-That’s not it! I’m just being logically curious—”

“Hehe, sure.”

“I’m serious! Believe me, Noa!”

‘Oh, I do.’

Noa smiled, watching Yuuka’s reddened face with amusement.

But jokes aside, Noa also thought Yuuka’s suspicion had merit.

“…Who knows? Maybe she’s much closer to us than we think.”

“Huh? What was that?”

“Oh, nothing, Yuuka.”

“Hmm…?”

Noah looked away from Yuuka’s questioning expression and briefly immersed herself in memories of the past.

A few weeks ago, in this very room, she’d seen a white-haired girl.

The length of that girl’s hair matched Silk’s.

Her blue eyes matched Silk’s.

Even the timing of their appearances aligned.

“Hehe.”

Noa grinned.

Seemed like their school was hiding one more big secret that others didn’t know about.

***

Crime scenes were always noisy.

That was the universal truth, as proven by Ogata Kanna’s long experience as Valkyrie’s Mad Dog.

This scene was no exception. The noise from all directions confirmed it to be the scene of the incident.

Except…

“Hah. What a joke.”

Unlike usual, the criminals here were already wrapped up in pristine white webbing.

Gagged, unable to speak, they could only glare in muffled fury.

Kanna smirked, looking up at the sky.

“…Since when did Valkyrie become Silk’s cleanup crew? I’d love to meet that girl face-to-face.”

Ogata Kanna.

As the Director of the Public Safety Bureau, she thought of the masked girl who turned the area into a mess before vanishing.

Silk, the self-proclaimed (and publicly recognized) vigilante who’d been stirring up the city.

At first, Kanna hadn’t thought much of her. Everything Silk did was vigilantism—illegal by definition.

But recently, her perspective has shifted.

Thanks to the broadcast, Kanna—sharper-eyed than most—had noticed something.

A side of the so-called ‘hero’ she hadn’t seen before.

The vulnerability Silk showed during her fight with Wakamo.

It proved that Silk was not simply doing vigilante activities out of interest or personal feelings. Maybe that was why Kanna was able to see Silk with a somewhat softer gaze than before.

And that, coupled with how Silk had maintained order in Valkyrie’s stead during this crisis, made Kanna view her a little more favorably.

Enough to joke:

“If I ever catch her, I’ll drag her into Valkyrie and work her to the bone.”

She bared her shark-like teeth in a grin.

But the smile vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by her usual ruthless glare as she looked down at the criminals.

“Arrest them. Interrogate them the moment we’re back.”

“Yes, Chief!”

“Clean up and move out. Now.”

It was time for her to stop being Ogata Kanna and become Valkyrie’s Mad Dog again.

“Hopefully, this’ll be the chance to root out the trash for good.”

That was her genuine wish—for the sake of the city she served.