The moment the door clicked open, Noah Sato stepped out of the white interrogation room, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ah… finally. I can go home."
His tone was flat, exhausted—exactly the kind of tone an elite spy would use after enduring hours of psychological battle.
Behind the one-way glass, the high-ranking officials stiffened.
"He walked out… just like that."
"And he wasn't shaken at all."
"God… did we just interrogate a monster?"
The Student Council, still drenched in the aura of death he emitted earlier, clung to the wall like traumatized cats.
Even Avery—Avery, who didn't fear anyone—could only whisper:
"He's… walking. Like nothing happened. Despite twelve failed operations… he walks like a soldier."
Elias swallowed.
"No… he walks like a predator."
Government Stealth Deployment
In the surveillance van parked outside the academy gates, a special task force assembled after the presidential confirmation was already in position.
A sleek black drone hovered above the school roof, following the boy's movement.
A dozen agents monitored the feed with stiff, fearful expressions.
"Target is exiting the facility."
"Maintain five-meter tracking distance."
"Do not engage."
"Repeat—under no circumstances provoke him."
Noah stretched his arms.
"Man… Nana's gonna scold me."
His voice carried through the drone's directional mic.
Every agent flinched.
"C-Codename Nana is expecting him!?"
"He's reporting to her directly!?"
"What IS this boy!?"
Noah Begins Walking Home
Noah's mind:
I hope Nana made curry today.
Government's interpretation:
"He just mentioned a chemical code phrase."
Noah scratched his head.
"Hm… I'll take the shortcut through the alley."
Agents panicked.
"Shortcut!? Prepare for urban maneuver protocols!"
"We're entering unpredictable territory!"
"Don't lose visual!"
The drone zoomed lower.
Noah walked casually, humming a tune he heard from a dog video online.
But to agents listening through the mic, his humming pattern sounded like a coded rhythm.
"Decipher it!"
"It might be his cloak-and-dagger communication signal!"
"Someone could be receiving his transmission!"
And Then—It Happened
Noah stepped onto a particularly old pavement slab.
He didn't know it was loose.
He didn't know the drainage cover beside it hadn't been repaired in years.
He only felt the ground shift.
"Huh?"
CRACK—CLANK—SLIP—
And Noah Sato—
immediately vanished into a manhole.
Gone.
Just—
Gone.
A splash echoed inside the underground tunnel.
Above Ground – National-Panic Mode Engaged
All the agent monitors erupted simultaneously.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"
"The target disappeared!"
"Rewind the footage!"
"THERE'S NOTHING!! He vanished between frames!!"
"Impossible—our drone runs at 240 FPS!!"
On the screen, all they saw was Noah taking one step—
and then static.
The drone feed glitched, pixels scattering in digital snow.
For three full seconds, the screen went black.
Then it returned—but Noah wasn't anywhere in sight.
"D-Did he neutralize the drone!?"
"But we didn't see any movement!"
"He didn't even TURN AROUND!"
"How did he detect it!?"
The head agent slammed a fist on the desk.
"God help us… He slipped our stealth surveillance. He completely vanished."
One nervous agent whispered:
"This… this is beyond the scope of human ability…"
Another agent added, trembling:
"C-Class? B-Class? A-Class? …No."
"…He's operating on a level we don't even have categories for."
They all collectively swallowed.
"Did he actually just… teleport?"
Meanwhile, in the Sewer
Noah spat out dirty water.
"BLEH—gross!! I can't believe I fell in again…"
He climbed a rusty ladder, pushing open a side grate.
His whole body was soaked, but he sighed with relief.
"At least Nana won't see me fall…"
She'll kill me if she finds out I wasn't watching my step.
He looked around the empty street.
"Guess I'll walk the rest of the way…"
Then he casually left the sewer network.
Back at Command HQ
The President's Chief Security Officer received a frantic call.
"Sir! The target has escaped visual tracking!"
"HOW!?"
"We… don't know. He just disappeared from a 240 FPS drone feed."
Silence.
Then, very quietly:
"…Prepare a nationwide non-interference order."
"Put all units on standby."
"Until Agent Nana gives further instruction… every division is to avoid direct contact."
The entire room stood at attention.
And thus—
Noah Sato, the boy who fell into a manhole,
was officially recorded as achieving a national-class stealth evasion feat.