The first rule of confronting an invisible enemy was simple:
never acknowledge them publicly.
Johnson understood that instinctively.
The shadow faction thrived on implication, not declaration. They did not announce territory; they suggested it. They did not issue threats; they allowed consequences to speak. Any open challenge would only legitimize them.
So Johnson did what they did not expect.
He watched.
Patterns emerged quickly once emotion was stripped from observation.
The incidents followed a rhythm—late evenings, peripheral buildings, transitional spaces where authority blurred. The same three intermediaries appeared repeatedly, never instigating directly, always present when pressure was applied. Supplies vanished not randomly, but selectively. Targets were chosen for isolation, not influence.
"This isn't recruitment," the silver-haired girl said as she finished mapping the data. "It's conditioning."
Johnson nodded. "They're teaching compliance through repetition."
Hana studied the list with a tightening jaw. "They're avoiding formal violations. Nothing I can act on."
"Which means they're operating deliberately below your threshold," Johnson replied.
"That makes them smart," Mika muttered. "And annoying."
"No," Johnson corrected calmly. "It makes them predictable."
The counter-strategy began quietly.
No meetings. No orders. No visible coordination.
Instead, Johnson disrupted assumptions.
Supply routes altered subtly. Not blocked—rerouted. The faction's intermediaries arrived late to find resources already claimed, spaces already occupied, targets already surrounded by witnesses. Not protected. Simply not alone.
Confusion followed.
The black-haired girl confirmed it two days later. "They're frustrated," she said. "They don't understand why compliance rates dropped without confrontation."
Johnson allowed himself a brief smile. "Fear collapses when it fails to isolate."
The next move was informational.
The silver-haired girl seeded discrepancies—small, credible contradictions. One intermediary was seen cooperating with staff. Another rumored to be hoarding rather than sharing. Trust eroded just enough to slow coordination.
Meanwhile, Hana adjusted patrol logic—not increasing presence, but altering timing. Authority appeared where it wasn't expected, then vanished again. The faction lost its sense of rhythm.
Mika handled morale.
She did not rally. She normalized.
Laughter in places that had grown silent. Casual conversation where tension had ruled. Visibility as resistance.
The effect was cumulative.
Within a week, the shadow faction made its first mistake.
They escalated.
A student was cornered openly near the west wing—too visible, too aggressive. Someone wanted to reassert dominance quickly.
Johnson arrived before staff did.
He didn't intervene directly.
He simply stood there.
Silent. Unmoving. Watching.
The intermediaries recognized him instantly. Hesitation flickered—just enough.
Witnesses gathered.
Phones emerged.
The moment dissolved.
Later that night, Johnson received a message—no signature, no routing.
You're interfering.
He replied with equal restraint.
You're exposed.
The response came slower this time.
This ends when you step aside.
Johnson deleted the message.
They had confirmed what he needed to know.
This was no longer parasitic behavior.
It was rivalry.
And rivals made errors when pressured.
Johnson gathered the group once more—not as allies, not as followers, but as converging interests.
"They'll attempt a decisive act," he said. "Soon."
Hana exhaled slowly. "Something they think we can't counter."
"Or something meant to provoke overreaction," the silver-haired girl added.
Mika clenched her jaw. "So what's the line?"
Johnson looked at each of them in turn.
"The line," he said, "is legitimacy. Once crossed, they lose protection. Once exposed, they become actionable."
The black-haired girl nodded. "They believe they're untouchable."
Johnson's voice was steady. "We'll let them prove otherwise."
That night, the academy felt tense—not fearful, but alert.
Something unseen was moving.
And for the first time since its emergence, the shadow faction realized it was no longer alone in the dark.