Chaos Mate ~Revenge In This Chaotic Academy~ - Chapter 59: Nee-san's Notebook

Chapter 59: Nee-san’s Notebook

Emi Side

Waking up at the Tsubaki house, I slept on the left side of a row in a tatami room. Opening the sliding door to head to the washroom, a man catches my eye, snapping me awake.

I glare at him slightly, eyes upturned.

“Up early as always… Kento-san.”

At his name, the white-haired man with one eye closed wipes his wet face with a towel and looks at me with his open right eye.

Tanimoto Kento.

I haven’t told Madoka, but I know this man better than he does.

“Didn’t expect you to talk to me. Morning, Meg.”

“Don’t call me that so casually. Only my parents can, and it feels gross otherwise.”

“My bad. …So, any moves from those guys—”

Cutting him off, I quickly type a note on my phone and shove it in his face.

He takes it and reads.

“I think this wristband has a listening device.”

Leaving a line blank, he types and shows me.

“Sorry, I was careless. So? Any movements?”

I take the phone, type again, and show him.

We go back and forth like this for a bit.

“A weird game started yesterday, Mandatory Word Game. Something’s off about it.”

“What? Spill.”

“Say the assigned word in time, get plus points; don’t, lose points. But that’s not all. I think after the time ran out, I felt a faint pain in my right hand.”

“Got it. Any other odd feelings?”

“Nothing yet. I tried removing the wristband, but it won’t budge. If something weird happens to the others, my theory’s confirmed.”

“Be careful. If anything happens to you, I can’t face Mogami.”

“I’m not dying. I have to support Madoka.”

“Duty?”

“No, I want to, so I will.”

“Pure-hearted, huh.”

“What’s that mean?”

“You like Madoka, don’t you?”

Our rhythmic exchange stops. I can’t respond, my face burning.

Holding onto reason, I type.

I wanted to chuck the phone at his face, but I resisted.

I’m awesome.

“No way, what’re you saying, gross.”

“Why’d you format it like a senryu?”

My brain shuts down. I puff my cheeks, glare up at him, wash my face quickly, and bolt.

I hate that guy…!!

※

Madoka Side

Waking up, I’d usually go for a morning run, but today, I’m drawn unconsciously to Nee-san’s empty room next door.

Her room has three large bookshelves stuffed with books.

Not just Japanese—Western ones too, in English, Chinese, French, and more.

When I asked why foreign books, she said, “Culture and trends vary by country. The best way to understand is to visit, but the next best, and quickest, is absorbing knowledge from books.”

Curiosity fits her, but “thirst for knowledge” suits her better.

She was also a meddler, in a good way.

I trace the spines of the books with my finger.

“You were so restless… Never knew what you wanted. You dragged me around, made a mess, but you were calculated. To me, you were a genius in every sense… Huh?”

Tracing the slick covers, one book feels rough.

Feeling off, I pull out the thick blue-covered book and flip it open. It’s not a book—it’s a notebook, filled with detailed, typed investigation reports.

“What the hell…!!”

Sitting at a chair, I read on, and it hits the core of what I wanted to know.

Nee-san wrote this.

It starts from her assignment to Saiou Academy, detailing the Scarlet Phantom, the death game 20 years ago, and much of what I’ve uncovered. One passage stands out.

“The revived Scarlet Phantom’s purpose is still unclear. But the organization prioritizes five individuals, called the Pokers, with codenames Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Joker. If they target you, you won’t survive in that academy. I’m likely being watched by the one I suspect is King. It’s only a matter of time before I’m eliminated.”

The Pokers.

Probably the top dogs in the Scarlet Phantom.

The five pillars Mogami mentioned, hidden in the Phantom…!!

It doesn’t matter. Finally… I’ve got a lead on my target.

Nee-san was killed for chasing the Pokers.

A blurry photo tucked in the page catches my eye. The emerald-green-lined white armor is unmistakable, and rage surges.

“This guy… No way!?”

The knight told Mogami: to avenge Nee-san, condemn the five pillars.

One of them, he said, was waiting.

The Pokers—Nee-san’s target.

King, Queen, Ace, Jack, Joker.

I’ll find them, no matter what it takes.

What Nee-san left undone, I, her brother, will finish.

And I’ll corner that knight…!!

With renewed resolve, I keep reading the notebook.