Tap- Tap- Tap-
Tapping on the table, Brandon asked Amy,
"So? What's your plan?
"First, I need to see what you can do."
Brandon could see where this was going.
She was evaluating him.
To see if his mana signature had any resemblance to Moriarty.
But too bad for Amy.
Mirage Mask would instantly tamper his mana signature, as if he was a different person.
She couldn't trace it back to him.
Also…
"This is a public place, you know?"
"Ah, that's right."
They were in a coffee shop, waiting for their order.
Magic was prohibited in public places such as this. If caught, they would immediately be detained.
Such were the rules of the city.
Sipping from her coffee, Amy spoke up,
"For now, I'll debrief you on what I know about Claire, and since you're closer to Raven, you can do the same about him."
"Got it."
Amy then told him everything she knew about Claire. Information that Brandon already knew.
He'd just let her words go in his ear and out another. There was no point in listening to whatever Amy knew.
After all, Brandon knew more than she did.
Not just about Claire, but about everyone else.
The power of the novel reader.
When Amy finished speaking, her brows furrowed.
"You didn't listen at all did you?"
"...Hmm?"
"Haa… How uncooperative."
She breathed out a sigh.
"Don't worry I heard you loud and clear."
He assured her.
"Okay, I'll believe you. Now it's your turn, what do you know about Raven?"
Brandon then let out as much information about Raven as he could, omitting some parts that he wasn't supposed to know.
In truth, they should watch out for the other pairs as well.
But it seemed like Raven and Claire were the main stars for the next Combat Class session.
Raven's signature weapon was a dagger. But at this point in the story, they didn't know it yet.
The only thing they knew was that–Raven was proficient with the sword, and that he didn't rely on mana.
This meant that [Mana Disruption] would be useless against Raven.
He would be a tough opponent for Brandon–who had relied on the skill a lot.
And it was bad enough that he focused most of his stats on intelligence, leaving his physical stats default.
He needed to bridge the gap somehow.
It was good that he saved a slot for a [Skill Weaver] capacity.
After he finished debriefing Amy, Brandon stood up.
"It seems like we're done, so I'll head out now."
"Wait."
"..."
Brandon sat back down.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Why was he in a hurry to leave?
Brandon didn't know why.
All he knew was that he didn't want Amy to be more suspicious of him.
But the sheer act of trying to distance himself from Amy would make him even more suspicious.
Realizing this, Brandon decided to stay for a while.
"It just seems like you're being awkward with me recently."
"Wha–"
It was because Amy was distancing himself from him the whole week.
He already knew why, but he wanted to hear it from her own mouth.
"I didn't pay any mind to it, but you suddenly grabbed me and asked to be your partner. So I think I have the right to know."
"..."
Amy couldn't respond.
Brandon decided to go further, trying to fluster her.
"Wait, do you perhaps like m–"
"That's ridiculous."
She instantly shot him down.
Of course she didn't. But Brandon had to get her flustered to get an answer.
Which is why he continued to tease her.
"But circumstances say otherwise. What you've been doing gives me the impression that you like me."
She kept a distance from him, stole glances, and asked to be her partner.
"What are you even saying? I don't like y–"
Brandon leaned forward, using his thumb to wipe away the coffee stain on the side of her lips.
Smack-!
Amy twitched and instantly flushed red, slapping his hand away.
"W-What are you do–"
"This."
Brandon showed his thumb for Amy to see. The same thumb he used to wipe the coffee stain which was now visible in liquid form.
Once again, Amy flushed red. But this time, it was most likely out of embarrassment.
She immediately reached out for a napkin and wiped her mouth with it.
"So? Why were you keeping distant with me?"
Brandon took the opportunity since Amy was still flustered.
"It was because…"
"Because?"
"...Rachel said she likes you!"
Brandon's eyes shot wide open, but quickly fixed his expression.
He knew it was a lie.
Amy was just trying to get out of his interrogation, pinning the blame on Rachel.
But regardless, he played along.
"Oh? And what does that have to do with you?"
"W-We're best friends after all. So it wouldn't be weird of me to observe the guy she liked."
She had a point.
It seemed like Amy didn't want to give in.
"I wouldn't blame her, Brandon Locke is pretty handsome after all."
Brandon Locke, not him.
This was where his confidence stems from, the fact that he was playing a character known as Brandon Locke.
If he truly wanted to change the plot, then he had to be this bold.
And Amy was a great practice for him.
The events on that night had changed his outlook.
From killing the Wraith, to killing Felix, there was no going back.
Felix's death would definitely alter the way the storyline would progress.
As Brandon was lost in his thoughts, Amy's brows furrowed.
"How arrogant, so this is the real Brandon Locke."
"Maybe, but aren't you lucky enough to be the first person I'm being open to?"
The reason why Brandon was being casual with Amy–was so she would let her guard down.
To see that Brandon Locke wasn't as suspicious as she thought.
"I'm really regretting choosing you as a partner…"
"Don't be like that, Amy. Here, you can have my coffee."
Brandon offered up his coffee, lifting it up for Amy to take.
Amy seemed reluctant, but accepted the gesture anyway.
"...Fine, but don't think I approve of you for Rachel."
'So she's still going on with that lie?'
How stubborn.
As she tried to sip the coffee, Amy tilted her head, confused.
She opened the lid to see what was inside the cup.
"..."
"What?"
"I hate you."
The coffee was empty.
***
Tak- Tak- Tak-
Stomping her feet, Amy muttered to herself,
"Damn arrogant bastard."
After the meeting with Brandon, the two decided to go their separate ways.
Brandon left ahead of her, and Amy waited for her driver.
After assessing Brandon's personality, Amy concluded that he had nothing to do with Felix's death.
Was it stupid to judge a person just by one interaction?
She didn't know.
But for now, Brandon seemed harmless.
Except…
"I can't believe he was actually that bold. To think I thought of him as the silent type."
Surprises after surprises. Everyday, she'd learn something new about Brandon Locke.
"But it feels kind of nice to be the first person he'd let his guard down to."
Since Brandon said she was the first, then it meant–not even Raven or Reinhard knew about his true personality.
Amy never had any friends besides Claire and Rachel.
"Reinhard doesn't count."
All the people who tried to get close to her were only because of her status.
They were leeches.
But Brandon was different, he didn't care about anyone's standing in society, evident by the way he spoke to her.
While everyone else would speak to her formally, Brandon poked fun of her as if she wasn't anyone important.
Still…
"Haha, as if my Sister would like you, keep dreaming."
She was unsure if Brandon knew she was a witness to the crime.
Which is why she kept her distance from him, trying to assess if he would act differently. Hence she told a lie when Brandon interrogated her.
But to her assessment, Brandon acted the same, he didn't even spare her any glances the whole week.
Frustrated, Amy decided to partner up with him.
If Brandon were to hide his involvement in the crime, then Amy had to stick close to him.
"If he really was involved, then I'll find out the truth eventually…"
"Huh, did my charm stat increase?"
—---------------------------
∟ CHARM: F+ [●○○○○]
—---------------------------
It jumped an entire level.
"But I didn't pour any stat points into it…"
It was most likely because of his recent interactions with Amy and Rachel.
"So that means if I do the action, then the stat would increase…"
A plausible theory.
But something he could test at another time.
Retrieving his phone, he dialed a number.
Ring… Ring… Ring… Click-
[Lord Moriarty, what can I do for you?]
After conversing with Alpha a lot, Brandon had gotten used to Alpha's subservience to him.
After their recent operation, Alpha had proven his usefulness to him.
Which is why he could entrust him with the next task.
"I need you to protect someone."
[I don't think I'm strong enough to protect you, Lord Moriarty… But I will not allow anyone to harm y–]
"Not me."
He flatly stated.
Since Amy was the only witness, Osborn Company would most likely put all their resources into finding her.
Worse, kidnap her.
Whatever they plan on doing with her is most likely on the bad side.
After all, the Osborn Family were…
'Wraith Cultists.'
In truth, they weren't the company that invented the shiftporters.
They killed the original company's CEO and absorbed the entire company. Thus, founding Osborn Corporation.
After seizing all the rights to the Shiftporters, they rose to the top of the market.
Since Amy was the heir to Ashfield Company, the leading manufacturer for potions, it wouldn't be difficult to find information about her online.
In short, Amy was in danger, and she was unaware of it.
Calling the police was a mistake, she should've just kept everything to herself.
Beep-
After informing Alpha, Brandon ended the call.
What he needed to do next was to brainstorm.
To come up with a skill that could help him win against Raven.
He had already tried world altering skills like [Time Stop] [Black Hole] [Invincibility]. But the system didn't allow it.
For [Time Stop], it said that he needed the Time affinity. For [Black Hole], he needed the Space affinity, and for [Invincibility], he needed the Life affinity.
But those options weren't even possible, he had none of those.
But it was then when an idea sparked in Brandon's mind.
'That's it! A Brain processing skill.'
A skill that could enhance his thoughts to the maximum.
Not only can he use it to memorize all forms of martial and sword arts in a second, but it could help him come up with plans and schemes.
Adding to that, it could significantly help him in academics.
No longer will he be a measly ranked 1,890.
It was the perfect skill for him.
If Brandon was right, and it was in the same branch as [Mana Disruption], then the ability would be correlated to Pure Mana, something that all mages already had.
Seated on the couch in their apartment, Brandon decided.
—---------------------------
[Are you sure?]
[Yes.]
[Initializing Skill Weaver.]
[Downloading data.]
[ETA: 1 Minute.]
—---------------------------
.
.
[Skill Weaver successful.]
—---------------------------
[Skill Tab]
∟ [Elemental Manipulation]
∟ Ice
∟ Lightning
∟ Fire
∟ Wind
[Mana Disruption]
∟ Disrupts mana, causing it to never take shape and scatter. Can only target one specific location.
[Accelerated Cognition]
∎ Timer: 10 Minutes.
∎ Cooldown: 10 Hours
∟ The user's cognitive functions are turbocharged, enabling them to think and process information at an accelerated rate.
∟The user experiences heightened focus and concentration, allowing them to maintain clarity of thought.
∟ By speeding up neural transmission, the user's reflexes and reaction times are significantly enhanced.
—---------------------------
"Eh…? This is…"
The skill was more than he bargained for.
After reaching level 3, [Skill Weaver] had significantly improved in creating skills.
"This is perfect!"
He'd expected the skill to have a timer. But what he didn't expect was for it to have a cooldown.
A pity.
But regardless, Brandon could undoubtedly agree that this was the best skill he had at the moment.
After checking the time, he realized that it was still 11:00 AM.
"If I go to a bookstore now and chunk up as much information as I can, then the cooldown would be over around 9:00 PM."
Thus, Brandon decided to go to a nearby bookstore.
***
After finishing her lecture, Rachel decided to go to one of her family's bookstore branches.
Growing up, her Father and Mother had always bickered with one another.
They were typically set up in an arranged marriage, to help foster each others' businesses.
Asami Inc.
The largest bookstore chain in the entire world.
Ashfield Company.
The leading manufacturer of potions.
But to the Ashfield Family's surprise, her father, Rafael Asami, had never planned on getting his company absorbed.
This led to a fallout between the two families, and with the arranged marriage setup, there was no love between her parents.
With bickering after bickering, it eventually led to a divorce.
In the end, Rachel decided to go with her Father, while Amy stayed behind with their Mother, Samanta Ashfield.
By orders of the Ashfield Family, Rachel wasn't allowed to bear any relations with the Ashfields.
But regardless, she kept in close contact with her twin sister, Amy.
Since Rachel was about to enter one of their branches, she decided to don a disguise.
She didn't want any of the staff to freak out, alerting other customers.
It's already happened before.
'It was embarrassing…'
With a pair of shades and a cap, her disguise was foolproof.
Entering the bookstore, she headed towards a peculiar section of books.
One of the reasons she donned a disguise was because…
'Okay, here we are, the light novel section.'
She was a closet otaku.
Rachel had always loved reading books.
But after discovering the light novel genre, she–once was a bookworm, had become a full fledged otaku.
She knew it was an embarrassing hobby, but she couldn't help it.
Regardless, she had to put on her typical cold maiden act when she's out in public.
But in bookstores, she could be her real self, with a disguise of course.
After picking out the books she planned on reading, she immediately checked them out with the cashier.
"That'll be 20 silver coins, Miss… Hold on… you look familiar."
"Here."
She immediately looked down, placing the coins in front of the cashier.
"...Thank you, enjoy your purchase."
She then walked towards the reading section, from behind her she could hear the staff murmuring.
"I swear I've seen her before."
"Must've been your imagination."
"Haa…"
She breathed out a sigh.
It was a close call.
After entering the reading section, she tried to look for an empty place to sit.
While trying to scan the room, it was then when she saw a familiar face.
"Is that…?"
Pale-white hair and blue eyes, and he seemed to be wearing his signature black sweater.
It was none other than–Brandon Locke.
And he seemed to be busy, reading a book…
Not book, but books!
There were one… Two… Five.. Ten… Thirty… Forty…
He was reading way too many…
"At the same time...?"
All of the books were spread out open, filling the entire table.
From beside him, were the other customers, looking at him like he was some weirdo.
And…
"Aren't his eyes moving way too fast?"
Was he just skimming?
Then what was the point in buying all those books?
The bookstore had a no-borrow policy. Meaning, if you wanted to read a book, you had to buy them.
If they wanted to borrow books, then they should opt for a library instead.
Her initial impression of Brandon wasn't really anything.
The first time he entered the lecture, he was significantly late.
But it was the first time Rachel saw someone bold enough to speak to Professor Vanessa, like how he did on that day.
Most students would typically be afraid of crossing their Professors, in fear of expulsion.
Astrea Academy was a school for the elites after all.
Thus, she was curious about him.
Was he that strong that he didn't fear expulsion?
From what she heard, Brandon had the Lightning Affinity, and he had great control over it, being the first to shatter the magic orb.
He was interesting, to say the least.
But when she found out the rank he placed, her interest fell off.
Yet for some reason, Brandon didn't seem disheartened, as if he wanted it to happen.
For what reason?
When he provoked Felix during the party, he didn't seem like the same person who placed really low in the rankings.
There was a sense of confidence in the way he spoke that night, as if he was sure he could beat Felix, who placed somewhere in the 200s.
She was curious who would win between the two.
But Felix died, just after the party. The same party they attended.
She didn't know if she was relieved or afraid.
She hated Felix, but she didn't want him to die.
Regardless, she wasn't involved.
'But could Brandon be?'
After all, he stayed behind the party.
'No, it'd be absurd to think so.'
His eyes may have been cold, and he may have seemed distant compared to the others in the group. But Brandon didn't strike her as the type to openly murder someone.
Since Brandon was busy with whatever he was doing, Rachel didn't bother him, finding a different place to sit.
As Rachel continued to read her book, an audible laugh reached her ears.
A really loud one at that.
"Hahaha! This is crazy!"
When she tried to trace the source, she realized it was Brandon, laughing loudly for all to hear.
He seemed to have figured something out… With all the books he was simultaneously reading.
'Was he always this weird?'
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