CHAPTER 4: ARE SACRED.

Alice had responded with a serious murmur and what some would think was some pity.

“I don’t mean the food!” Aurora exclaimed, looking at her friend, who was eating some chips with a serious expression, as if the world were falling apart.

It would be considered a good thing for her to be serious about what was going on around the academy, but...

“I’m sure we won’t be able to have breakfast,” Alice reaffirmed, nodding with a solemn expression and a slightly depressed half-sigh.

Aurora, noting that she was serious, was about to complain about her gluttony when she heard several noises and shouts from outside.

The duo looked at each other for a moment, and when they heard footsteps approaching outside the bathroom, they both hid.

Not in the bathrooms, but in the small maintenance room next to the front door, hidden in a corner.

“Damn it, why did they send us to the women’s bathroom?” A voice sounded from outside, looking rather distressed.

“Because they wanted to joke with us. It’s obvious!” exclaimed another slightly depressed voice.

Then a click of the tongue could be heard, and the same voice continued. “Those idiots want us to be embarrassed.”

“I know... Damn, if we find someone inside, they’ll see us as rapists and not criminal assailants.” said the first voice with a half sigh.

Inside the maintenance room, Aurora and Alice looked at each other, being pressed against each other.

Both could see the strangeness in the other’s gaze.

“Ladies, if you’re busy, I recommend you get out!” the voice outside shouted.

“If you give up, we won’t do anything to you!” added the other voice.

The duo, by their husky voices, sounded like middle-aged men, but their attitudes...

Aurora watched carefully as the door opened.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone... It was useless to talk from outside.” Said the criminal, giving a long sigh.

“Don’t say that... It’s impossible to imagine what would happen to us if someone was in the middle of their... Work.” said the other criminal in a slightly strange tone.

Aurora could see how those men opened the doors to the bathrooms carefully.

Not looking as if they were wary of a sudden attack, but just in case there was someone inside...

—They’re pretty decent.

Aurora couldn’t help but agree with her system.

“Well, let’s go back. We still have other places to check,” said the criminal, and the other nodded encouragingly.

Aurora sighed quietly and looked at Alice, then her gaze froze.

Alice had a chip in her hand and was directing it to her mouth.

Don’t...

Aurora shouted her intention with a single glance, but Alice blinked and ‘casually’ averted her gaze as if she had seen nothing.

*Crack*

Before Aurora could stop her, the crunching sound of chips being devoured by a glutton was heard.

It was a faint and rather low sound, making Aurora wish she couldn’t be heard.

“Did you hear that?”

Unfortunately, today was not her lucky day, and Aurora could see how the other criminal nodded to confirm her partner’s question.

Aurora, without thinking, opened the door and charged towards the nearest criminal.

Reinforcing her body with magical energy made her faster, but also stronger.

“Ugh...” Aurora used her fist to punch the cheek of the nearest criminal, then stepped forward and, with the other hand, punched the remaining criminal.

Two quick, clean blows.

Both bodies glowed, and suddenly that glow disappeared, dropping the unconscious bodies to the floor.

—Apparently, they had an object that would send him somewhere else if they took too much damage. I stopped it.

Aurora, who had turned to scold her gluttonous friend, who was observing from the small maintenance room, changed her mind and became interested in her system’s words.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“If you keep eating chips when we’re trying to hide, one day you’ll put us in danger.” Scolded Aurora quickly.

Alice ignored that scolding and, puffing out her chest, declared. “If that happens, I will protect you. That is my duty.”

Hearing those words she said since they had met, Aurora rolled her eyes and ignored her completely.

Kneeling before the criminals, and noticed the object her system spoke of. But she pulled off the black masks they both wore.

Aurora’s gaze immediately turned strange.

Both criminals were not middle-aged men as her voice made them sound, but turned out to be young men only 20 years old.

—He’s too young to be a criminal.

Her system made the obvious clear.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Aurora asked, rather curiously.

Her system, that strange system that had been with her for as long as she could remember just as inseparable as her dear, gluttonous friend, was very versatile.

Maybe it wasn’t like those classic systems that gave quests and points to buy items and skills in a store with the goal of making her conquer the world.

Maybe it was one of those systems that gave a sword to a little girl to train after watching an animated series.

Possibly it was one of those ‘decent’ systems that turned off when she changed clothes or took a bath, respecting her privacy.

But in the end, it was a pretty versatile system that eventually became reliable.

Aurora was sure of that.

—Do you know that through our connection, I can read your most superficial thoughts?

Aurora ignored that question, as she willingly made those thoughts superficial.

Noticing that Aurora ignored it, the system continued.

—We have been disconnected from the outside world, but I have connected to the academy application chat, which is still up and running. According to the information that an incoming student public, the assembly hall has been taken over, and that is where the hostages are being held and taken.

Aurora nodded since through the academy’s megaphone, that was what the criminals had said.

However, the next words surprised her.

—Many enemies patrol the corridors, and others search every classroom, dragging students into the auditorium. There are some fights, but the criminals have taken the lead.

Aurora, reading that, opened her holographic watch and looked at the general chat.

“Are they idiots? Why are they revealing all their information on the app?” she asked incredulously as she saw that student’s post that had more information was cluttered with comments.

Some comments left the place they were hiding, asking for help, others mentioned where they were going to meet, and some even stated where they were about to attack...

—They have already fixed it.

Along with the words from their system, the comments were deleted, and they completely changed the post.

“Please don’t be so naïve to leave your information. This application can be hacked, or if criminals have infiltrators, they can read the comments” —Unknown.

The first comment was.

“Idiots.” —AliceSacredPapitas.

That comment got several ‘likes,’ which made Aurora look at her friend.

“What? It’s the truth,” Alice said with a shrug.

—That user is someone with tech-related talent. He’s taken over the entire academy’s camera system.

“That easy?” asked Aurora, ignoring Alice, who was turning her attention back to her chips.

—Apparently, security has been decreased.

Reading those words in her mind, Aurora nodded, having a little comprehenssion about the situation she found herself in.

“This is a test,” Aurora stated with confidence in her voice.

“Why would you say that?” Alice asked, intrigued.

“It’s very difficult for someone to take over the academy when powerful teachers teach, and even if the Hero Academy was extremely corrupt and full of traitors, the security of the city is very high,” Aurora commented after analyzing the situation.

Atlantis city was known for its high technological and magical level, to the point that in case of emergencies, the authorities had portals available to send professionals to any part of the city.

Also...

“Did you hear the voice of the pair of criminals?” Aurora asked, and when Alice nodded, she punched the nearest criminal.

“Mom... Let me sleep... Just twenty more minutes...” murmured the criminal, who had gone from unconscious to asleep.

The voice was not that of a middle-aged man but matched his appearance of a young adult.

Aurora was sure that the mask not only hid his face but also changed his voice to give a more ‘fierce’ appearance, and there was a bigger problem...

—No criminal leader would create a damage system so that when his followers are severely beaten, they can flee.

The words of her system made everything obvious.

That glow that had covered the young duo was stopped by her system, but if allowed to continue, they would have gone elsewhere to safety before they received serious injuries or died.

These criminals could try to fool her by changing their voices and hiding their faces, being real criminals, but... No matter how it looked, they didn’t look like them.

“From the first day of school, they’re already testing us... That’s interesting.” Alice murmured with a small smile full of understanding, looked at Aurora, and asked. “What are you going to do?”

Aurora shrugged and stated. “Get it over with.”

No matter how many confirmations she had said this was an academy test, she wouldn’t risk the lives of the other students if there was even the slightest chance left that the test was fake and this was an actual situation.

“Head for the door and call for help,” Aurora ordered, but when she saw Alice squinting her eyes like a glutton, she added. “And if you want, you can come home for dinner.”

“Not just dinner, I want to sleep at your place,” Alice demanded with a serious expression.

Aurora’s lips turned up, but in the end, she nodded.

Alice could be a glutton, but to Aurora, she was someone very reliable... When it wasn’t about food.

“Anyway, I was going to invite you...” Aurora murmured when Alice had already left the bathroom, rather happily.

Looking at the criminals, who were most likely higher grade students, Aurora took their bodies and put them in the maintenance room.

She had reinforced her body with magical energy so, even though Aurora looked like a rather weak and delicate young woman, she could carry some teenagers... Even more if necessary, and all without a problem.

Aurora, leaving those youngsters in the small room wasn’t as bad as leaving her in a very awkward situation... It just looked like a couple kissing.

Maybe because of her stroke or because it was comfortable in that position, they both stayed in that place without looking uncomfortable.

Aurora nodded in satisfaction, and before deciding on her next target, she heard footsteps from outside.

“This way...” Alice’s voice sounded from outside, and Alice had a bad feeling.

Closing the small door to that room so that no one would discover the romantic duo, Aurora stood in the center of the bathroom, looking at the entrance.

A man entered accompanied Alice and, with a smile, commented. “Oh, so it was true that your friend was here. I thought you were lying.”

Hearing those words, Aurora looked at Alice with a half incredulous look, seeing that she had given her away.

“I’m sorry, he has hostages,” Alice said with a pained expression and pointed in the man’s direction.

Specifically...

“That’s a fucking bag of chips!” Aurora exclaimed as she saw that the man only had a bag of chips in his hand.

Alice nodded seriously, as if many lives depended on her brave attitude.

With no shame, she looked Aurora in the eye and declared. “Chips are sacred.”

Weren’t you declaring that your duty was to protect me?