I created a foundation

"I was focused on maintaining order at the scene and didn't pay attention to the details you mentioned."

Her voice remained steady.

"Is that so?" Chitanda seemed a little disappointed, but immediately cheered up and changed the subject. "Then why did those who fell down stand up again? Their movements were very stiff, and their eyes were empty, like puppets without souls. That's definitely not normal behavior. Are they performing some special performance art? Or are they being controlled by something? I'm very curious!"

Kaguya put down the teacup, and the bottom of the cup made a slight sound when it hit the table.

"Chitanda-san, your interest in the supernatural seems a bit excessive. Those people were simply frightened, and the chaos at the banquet caused some stress reactions. Afterwards, they all received psychological counseling and are fine."

She tried to put everything under the category of "science can explain it".

"Can stress reactions make people incredibly strong and incapable of pain?" Chitanda Eru tilted her head, her eyes filled with inquiry. "I saw one of them with his arm twisted at an abnormal angle, but he continued to attack those around him frantically, seemingly feeling no pain. This is truly unusual. Kaguya-san, you must know something, right? I'm really, really curious!"

Those purple eyes, like the purest gems, without a trace of impurities, yet with an almost paranoid persistence, they were fixed tightly on Kaguya.

Kaguya felt a dull pain in her temples.

She had dealt with countless thorny student union affairs, dealt with various cunning opponents, and even personally participated in several Foundation containment operations, but she had never felt as... a headache as she did at this moment.

Chitanda Eru's "curiosity attack" does not carry any malice, but it is more difficult to withstand than any sharp words.

"Chitanda-san," Kaguya emphasized, trying to end this endless interrogation with the authority of the student council president. "The student council still has a lot of business to deal with. If you have nothing else to do, you can go back first."

"But, Kaguya-san..." Chitanda's expression was as if she was about to cry, her large eyes misted over. "I just want to know the truth. Those strange phenomena, those illogical things, are like little thorns piercing my heart, keeping me awake and unable to eat. If I can't figure it out, I'll never stop being curious."

Kaguya looked at her pitiful appearance, and the ice-hard defense in her heart seemed to have a crack.

She knew very well that everything about last night was top secret at the Foundation and must not be disclosed to anyone outside of it. But in the face of Chitanda Eru's pure curiosity, any perfunctory or lies seemed pale and powerless.

"Why me?" Kaguya asked subconsciously, but then felt that this question was a bit redundant.

"Because, Kaguya-san, you were there, and you seem... deeply connected to those events," Chitanda answered without hesitation, her tone firm. "The aura you carry, the lightning, and the strange people who appeared later, all have a subtle connection. Although I can't put my finger on it, I can feel it. Kaguya-san, you are different from us. I'm curious, who are you? And what is the world you live in like?"

The girl's voice was soft, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting Kaguya's defenses.

Kaguya was silent.

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

The sun was still bright, and the tea aroma was still refreshing, but for the first time, Kaguya felt that the cold disguise she had carefully constructed and was proud of, seemed... to be about to collapse under the gaze of the girl's pure and persistent eyes.

Her fingers tightened unconsciously, and the knuckles holding the pen turned a little white.

Outside the window, the sounds of other students laughing and playing in the academy could be heard, filling the academy with the peace of everyday life.

And inside the office, an invisible battle continues.

Chitanda Eru still stood there, waiting quietly, her purple eyes filled with longing for the unknown world.

Kaguya let out a slow breath.

She knew she had to make a choice.

Chapter 107: Welcome to Boot Camp

Kaguya Shinomiya felt her temples throbbing.

All day long, from the first ray of sunlight filtering through the window of the Student Union Office in the early morning until the sunset dyed the sky orange, the transfer student named Chitanda Eru, like a tireless perpetual motion machine, repeated the same sentence in her ear.

"Kaguya-san, I'm curious."

At first, Kaguya tried to deal with it using standard social etiquette.

"Chitanda-san, I cannot disclose the Shinomiya family's business secrets."

"Chitanda-san, we have a confidentiality policy regarding the internal affairs of the student council."

"Chitanda-san, there are many things in this world that are more blissful if you don't know them."

But Chitanda Eru's clear purple eyes, sparkling with inquiring light, seemed to be able to see through all the superficial words and see the truth that she was trying to cover up.

"But, Kaguya-san, I saw Hayasaka-san stop a runaway truck with her bare hands on a street corner yesterday."

Chitanda tilted her head, her tone innocent.

"The truck was an Isuzu ELF, the latest model, weighing 2.8 tons. It was fully loaded with construction steel, and preliminary estimates put the total weight at at least 8 tons. Hayasaka-san simply extended her hand and brought it to a complete stop in 0.5 seconds. According to Newton's second law, F ma. I'm curious how Hayasaka-san was able to unleash such tremendous force in an instant."

A trace of cold sweat broke out on Kaguya's forehead.

"Also, when Kaguya-san was dealing with the riot during the last school fire drill, I saw your pupils turn a strange red, and all the out-of-control students instantly quieted down. I'm curious about how that worked."

"Also, why are there some ingredients in Kaguya-san's lunch box that have never appeared on Earth? Based on analysis of their cell structure, they don't seem to belong to any known biological lineage. I'm curious about their origins."

The words "I'm curious" one after another, like precise cruise missiles, constantly bombarded Kaguya's carefully constructed psychological defenses.

Kaguya rubbed her aching brow. She felt that she had never been so exhausted even when dealing with S-level anomaly containment objects.

This Chitanda Eru is simply a human-shaped black hole of curiosity. Any secrets that you try to cover up will be exposed in front of her.

Being entangled to the point of having no other choice, Kaguya found an excuse to go to the bathroom and hid in an empty cubicle.

She activated the seemingly ordinary watch on her wrist, which was actually an internal encrypted communicator of the Foundation.

"President, this is Kaguya."

There was a subtle hint of fatigue in her voice.

"I've run into a little trouble. A girl named Chitanda Eru, she...she seems to be aware of our presence and has shown extraordinary insight and curiosity."

There was silence on the other end of the communicator for a few seconds, and then Lin Qing's calm voice with a hint of smile was heard.

"Oh? The daughter of the Chitanda family?"

"Yes, President."

“Curiosity is the first step in exploring the truth and the driving force behind human progress.”

There was no emotion in Lin Qing's tone.

"Since she wants to know so much, let her see for herself. Take her there and see if she is truly qualified to bear the truth."

"Yes, President."

Kaguya turned off the communicator, breathed a long sigh of relief, and a look of "relief" like a little devil appeared on her face.

"I'm curious?"

She whispered to herself, a playful curve at the corner of her mouth.

"Then I'll let you see what price you have to pay to satisfy your curiosity."

After school, when Chitanda Eru opened her innocent big eyes again, ready to start a new round of "I'm curious" offensive, Kaguya took the initiative to speak.

"Chitanda-san."

"Hmm? Kaguya-san, what's going on?"

Chitanda's eyes immediately lit up, as if she had a premonition of something.

"Don't you always want to know the truth?"

Kaguya gave a meaningful smile.

"Come with me, I'll show you a place. A place... that can satisfy all your curiosities."

"Really? That's great!"

A bright smile spread across Chitanda Eru's face, and she followed Kaguya without hesitation.

She didn't notice at all that the attendant beside Kaguya, the usually expressionless and doll-like blonde girl named Hayasaka Ai, had a barely perceptible glint of pity in her eyes.

As they walked out of the school gate, a pitch-black, unmarked, extended commercial vehicle slid silently in front of them like a ghost.

The car door opened, and Hayasaka Ai made a "please" gesture to Chitanda. Her tone was still calm, but it carried an unquestionable meaning.

"Ms. Chitanda, please get in the car."

Although Chitanda was a little confused about the origin of the car, her trust in Kaguya and her strong desire to know the unknown truth made her get into the car without any hesitation.

Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai then got in the car.

The car windows are made of special one-way glass. It looks pitch black from the outside, but you can clearly see the outside scene from the inside, but it is coated with a light gray layer.

The vehicle started so smoothly that you could hardly feel any vibration.

Chitanda looked at the interior of the car curiously. It was simple yet luxurious, full of technology, but she couldn't find any familiar brand logo.

The car made many turns and gradually drove away from the bustling city, entering an extremely remote road that she had never been on before.

The scenery on both sides of the road became more and more desolate, and finally, the car stopped outside a seemingly ordinary industrial park.

The gate of the park was closed, with an inconspicuous sign hanging on it - "Shigong Heavy Industries Advanced Materials Research Institute".

However, the guard standing guard at the door was wearing a black combat uniform that only appeared in science fiction movies. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and his waist was bulging, obviously carrying a weapon.

Chitanda's doubts grew deeper and deeper, but she remained calm, her purple eyes flashing even brighter.

After passing the first checkpoint, the vehicle slowly drove into the park.

The scene inside the park forms a sharp contrast with the "Materials Research Institute" sign outside.

There is no hustle and bustle of factories here, only strangely shaped, futuristic silver-gray buildings, and security personnel in black uniforms moving quickly between the buildings.

There was an indescribable atmosphere of solemnity and efficiency in the air.

The vehicle finally stopped in front of a huge, fortress-like building.

Hayasaka Ai got out of the car first and opened the door for Kaguya and Chitanda.

"Ms. Chitanda, please follow me."

Kaguya said, taking the lead and heading towards the entrance of the building.

At the entrance, there are several detection gates flashing with faint blue light.

Kaguya walked over without changing her expression. The indicator lights on the detection door lit up one by one, emitting a series of pleasant electronic sounds.

"Iris verification passed."

"Voiceprint verification passed."

"Gene sequence comparison complete. Director Kaguya Shinomiya, level A+, welcome."

When it was Chitanda's turn, she looked at the sci-fi devices with some nervousness.