Izuku's POV
Once I finished strengthening the auction subprogram system, as well as the website, I focused on the next task I had pending.
Where and how to hide the information?
I looked at the clock: it was 6:37 in the evening, and it was about to get dark.
I think my best option now is to use the city's security cameras to start identifying blind spots and finally put the spy infiltration program I've been working on lately to good use. I developed it after deciding to infiltrate various databases to steal information.
I plugged Hatsume's device into my computer and activated the IP signal repeater.
This launched the infiltration program, allowing me to begin mapping the various possible routes between cameras. I also marked key points based on my memory of the streets I frequented when visiting internet cafes, comparing them to the patrol routes of the heroes I had recorded in my selections of potential locations.
This ensured there would be no interference during the transaction.
In this way I managed to generate a good list of locations: places with emergency exits, some passages that would serve to lose someone in case they were following me by chance, and points from which I could discreetly monitor from a distance from a reliable internet cafe or other type of establishment.
All this with the possibility of having to carry out this type of task in the near future... or better yet, the distant future.
My luck has been good so far, mainly because I've been careful enough to avoid leaving as little trace as possible. While my lack of peculiarity largely works in my favor, it's not a guarantee of safety; it could even become an exploitable weakness.
I can't let my guard down at any time.
It was Sunday morning, so I decided to get ready simply. I wore dark jeans, my red sneakers, and a patterned t-shirt that looked like a sweatshirt, which I ended up covering with a reversible jacket.
I grabbed my backpack and packed a few things that would be useful on this expedition: a couple of wigs, contact lenses with different iris colors and pupil shapes, fake glasses, some makeup, an extra sweatshirt, some of my notebooks as writing material in case the opportunity arose to use them, a box of latex gloves along with a pair of leather gloves, and a bag withspy micro-cameras that I had originally assembled to set up a security system in my house.
Once ready, I took the first train to Tochigi Prefecture, in order to put a good distance between my home and what I was about to do.
It was on the train that I remembered how this whole website and information selling thing started. Back then, I did the exact same thing for safety, as if I were repeating a pattern. I couldn't help but chuckle at myself a little when I remembered that my first choice had been Kyoto, just like the last time I started all this.
When I finally arrived at the stop, I got off the train feeling much more at ease. I headed toward the nearest convenience store, where I knew I could buy a new prepaid phone, which I paid for in cash along with the credit needed to activate it.
From there I went to a public restroom and did a simple makeover: I put on an orange wig, removed my freckles with makeup and put on fake glasses, as well as turning the reversible jacket inside out and putting on leather gloves.
In my new "disguise," I left the bathroom and went to a stationery store to print some copies of the order, pay, and then go to the next store with a variation of the disguise, repeating this process sequentially until I had printed half the job as promised. The purpose of this was to avoid leaving any trace of printer ink, since, in case of an emergency, there could be a peculiarity that gave me away.
After printing the last page, I asked for a plastic folder to store the printouts.
Remembering what they contained, I smiled to myself, because even though it was only half the information, it included a little trick.
In the end, I only told the client I would deliver half, not that it would be only half the information. The easy thing would have been to give him only the routes for five agencies and then deliver the other five, but I decided to deliver half the routes for all ten agencies, which was equivalent to half the routes for each hero in each agency. Yes, it was more work, but that way I ensured I received the other half of the payment, making the incomplete information partially obsolete.
Incomplete information is just as bad, or even worse, than the total absence of it.
With that secured, I headed to an alley I had identified on the map I made yesterday. It was in a somewhat busy area, with an internet cafe thatIt offered a good view of the interior. I went inside to figure out where and how to hide the file without arousing suspicion from any curious passersby.
It took me a while, because I had to make sure it was visible to the right user, but hidden enough that no one else would find it. Finally, I found a gap among rubble that was probably the remains of some past hero battle. I hid the papers in the hole, covering them with stones.
Then I took a picture, which I planned to send to the user, using the disposable phone, but not before placing a couple of micro-cameras at strategic angles that, hopefully, would capture the customer's face. Even so, I didn't feel completely safe; the paranoia was still there.
With that done, I headed to the internet cafe. I paid for a drink and a cheap sandwich they offered and, for the first time, sat near the window overlooking the alley.
Once seated at the computer, I searched for some recent videos of hero villain fights and started taking notes in one of my notebooks. Before that, I made sure to send the message with the location and photo to the winning user via the disposable phone.
Then I took out a magnet to destabilize the phone. It was a very old model, so it was quite susceptible to magnetic fields. Later I would break it and finally get rid of To say the wait was somewhat long would be an understatement, but in the end it was worth it.
Just as I finished the last rice cracker, I saw someone enter the alley. From a distance, I couldn't make out his features clearly; I only noticed that he was a tall, muscular man with a somewhat rugged, sharp build. I think he was blond. His clothing was surprisingly formal for what was probably a criminal.
After a few minutes, he came out of the alley with the plastic folder he had placed there, so I assumed he was the person on the other end of the user's account. My suspicion was confirmed when I received a message with the yen symbol in my email from the website, in the text window reserved for the auction winner.
Even so, I waited a couple of minutes to make sure he wasn't waiting to ambush When I felt enough time had passed, I paid my bill for the service and the food.
Then I put on a fresh pair of latex gloves and went to thealley where information was previously found to verify that the money was in the location.
I checked the hiding place where I had previously left it and, to my not-so-great but pleasant surprise, found a black plastic bag. Upon opening it, I discovered a large amount of money. I randomly pulled out a bill to make sure it wasn't counterfeit, and
I was happy to find that it was real.
Even so, that wasn't the only thing I checked. I also had to make sure there wasn't anything strange inside the bag, like a tracker or anything like that. Luckily, I didn't find anything suspicious.
I put the bag with the money in my backpack, picked up the micro-cameras hoping they had recorded the customer, and left the place walking calmly so as not to raise suspicion.
—This wasn't a bad deal—I said aloud, looking at the clear blue sky, as if it were a sign
that everything would turn out all right.
When I settled into a third internet café, after securing my equipment, I received a message from the winner. Reading it, it was clear he was upset.
Oops. Well, it seems he did want to scam me.
[What is this crap information?!]
[It's half of what you paid.]
[I didn't agree to have this half!]
[Exactly, you didn't agree on which half you wanted.]
[Do you really think you're so smart?!]
[Not clever, but cunning. We agreed to several terms in this transaction. If you planned not to honor them, that would be a problem for me.]
[That's why I sought to ensure the best way for them to be fulfilled. The fact that there were plot holes that I could use was a weakness that I exploited, and that's my job: to analyze situations and use them to my advantage.]
[So, if you want the rest of the information to complete it, do your part. Once I see the money, you'll be able to see the rest and use it as you see fit.]
The user didn't respond again. Minutes passed, and I started to worry. What if they were looking for some way to retaliate against me? I know I covered my tracks as best I could, but nothing is ever completely safe.
Just as my thoughts were about to spiral out of control, a notification on my anonymous account caught my attention. The remaining balance of the agreed-upon payment was displayed on the screen.
That brought a big smile to my face.
[It was a pleasure doing business with you.]
I wrote before sending the missing information and deactivated the messages, thus finalizing the transaction.
"I'm not going to be scammed that easily," I declared in a low voice, hoping no one else had heard.
Could you give me some power stones? :)
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