"Well, that's the strange thing." Yoshida said, looking up at the ceiling. "Place Cards are difficult, if not impossible to alter."

Marth wondered if Yoshida-sensei was trying to cover her own mistake, but kept listening.

"The artwork we at St. Ezreal's draw on the back side of Place Cards is incredibly detailed, down to atomic levels of precision." Yoshida explained. "This proves the projector's affiliation, and prevents counterfeiting."

"Can't someone just change the front side of the card?", Marth wondered.

"No, they can't. There is no way to change a part of an existing Place Card. Any alterations require that the Place Card be erased and a new projection stored within."

"It's like a bad computer program!" Marth made the comparision.

"Yes, Marth-chan. But there are good reasons for it to be this way. For example, my Starry Notif has two variables. Temperature, and duration. If those variables could be overriden by anyone by appending new data to an existing place card, Starry Notif could become a dangerous weapon."

"Thermite on steroids!" Marth's eyes lit up.

"Marth-chan, don't get any bad ideas!" Yoshida's bubbly personality returned as she bonked Marth's head with a meter stick.

"Yoshida-sensei, if your card can't be modified once it's projection is initially sealed, doesn't that mean you just made a mistake?" Marth asked the obvious, rubbing his head.

"Marth-chan, have some faith in me!" Yoshida stood, waving her arms in the air and wincing her face.

"I might if you'd act your age", Marth muttered to himself.

Yoshida composed herself, sitting back down in her chair.

"There are some known exploits in Place Card technology." Yoshida crossed her arms, looking down at her lap.

"Exploits? Like in a video game?"

"Yeah!!" Yoshida smiled again, with eyes wide she lifted one hand in the air. "Think of when you're playing Opposing-Attack:Origins and all of a sudden someone whizzes past you as fast as a speeding bullet. Nobody in the game should be able to run that fast!"

"A speed hack!" Marth related.

"Yeah! 100 points to Marth-chan!" Yoshida raised her hand again, smiling from ear to ear. A ding and applause was heard and confetti fell from the ceiling.

"Are you saying someone used a speed hack on your place card? I thought you said the cards can't be altered." Marth tried to piece the puzzle together as he brushed confetti off his shoulder.

"The speed hack would have to exist in our shared reality, our world, not the Place Card itself."

"You mean it's a server-side hack!", Marth caught on.

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Yoshida raised both arms. "Just like in the video game, the change in speed must take place in the server's model of the game. That's the only way the speed hack will be seen by all participants."

"So the place card wasn't modified, but the space time around it was!" Marth had figured it out. "Yoshida-sensei, who did this?"

"All I know is that small hands searched your body and grabbed the card from you pocket. Anything beyond that is just speculation!" Yoshida leaned back in her chair. With a frown, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sensei, please speculate! Someone's been messing with me and it's got me into a lot of trouble. I need to find them!" Marth bowed, desperate for answers.

"Well, all I can say is that this person is quite the Esper. Most projections involving time are strictly forbidden at St. Ezreal's, but this Esper seems to have a knack for that type."

"You mean like Nemesis of Time?" Marth inquired.

"It's certainly possible." Yoshida hypothesized. "Someone who can create fields in which time becomes dilated may very well be able to peer into another place in time."

"So the culprit has small hands, and is a talented Esper. That's not much to go on, but it's a start!" Marth rationalized the new information. "Now about starry notif?"

"Yes Marth-chan, the reason I summoned you with Starry Notif was because Aldo-sensei woke up. He already left along with Tsubasa-sensei."

"Was he alright?" Marth wondered if any lasting effect would persist from Tsubasa-sensei's defense barrier.

"Oh he's fine, although he was pretty upset about his shoes!"

Marth walked back towards the dorm with his hands in his pockets as the sun was setting.

"Ahh, my adrenaline was pumping. I'm not ready to go back to the dorms now." Marth looked towards the yard, the gentle white noise of it's water fountains evoking a feeling of relaxation.

Marth decended the three steps from the elevated path to the yard's ground level. As the central part of the campus, the yard stretched out for hundreds of meters.

Marth walked through the short trimmed grass to the central fountain. Built into the outside of it's circular stone base, a stone ring platform meant for seating. Marth took a seat on the cold stone surface, and with his back to the fountain he leaned his head back, looking up at the sky.

Amber sky turned to a deep starry blue as the Sun set further. Marth exhaled, breathing in the fresh air.

"If I help catch the culprit, I'll be sent home." Marth thought aloud, considered his future. "I don't want to go home. I want to be here!"

The stars in the sky were starting to become more visible within the dim lit yard. A distant twinkling was seen.

"If I do nothing, I can stay here forever!" Marth had the epiphany. He was already learning so much by sneaking into classes. The situation was ripe for milking.

"Watanabe? Is that you?" An all too familiar voice beckoned. Marth turned to see Tsubasa-sensei approaching.

Marth exhaled at the thought of more work orders. The situation wasn't as perfect as he had imagined.

"We're sorry, the number you have called cannot be completed as dialed. Please try again." Marth leaned back, answering sarcastically.

"I know it's you, Marth. Seems like you had quite the day without my guidance!"

"Yeah well, I happen to thrive on freedom. I guess you could say I'm ready to be a regular student!" Marth continued his facetious banter.

"Yes, you're probably right." Tsubasa concured.

Marth sat up, caught off guard by her willingness to comply. Tsubasa the hard ass was loosening up?

"Sensei, are you feeling OK? Have you had enough to eat today?" Marth inqured, half expecting her to start blushing again.

Tsubasa loosened her neck and shoulders, relaxing the stony expression on her face.

"Watanabe, you've proven to me that you are not a threat to the Academy, however not everyone is convinced." Tsubasa crossed her arms. "The Pillars are worried. They expected the Esper responsible for Nemesis of Time to be captured by now. They're losing patience with my plan and I."

"The other Pillars, you mean Kaito and Aldo?" Marth thought of those thorns in his neck.

"That's not important. What's important is the supermajority vote of all Pillars. They've given me two weeks."

"Two weeks then I get sent home?" Marth felt his dream slipping away.

"Two weeks then you're executed." Tsubasa closed her eyes.

"You're kidding me. I'm innoncent!"

"I know that. Most of the Pillars know that. The problem is that you're a capable proxy. Your existence is forbidden."

"But we'll catch them, right? Your proxy kicks ass, we just have to wait until the bad guy tries to use me again!" Marth stood up, wildly gesturing his arms in front of him.

"It's not that simple. The Nemesis of Time culprit has all the time in the world to wait for us to let down our guard. Meanwhile, the Pillars and Guard cannot conduct meetings with any expectation of privacy."

"What do you mean? All you have to do is Phase Shift!"

"You don't understand." Tsubasa opened her eyes, the skin on her forehead bunching up in frustration. "If you can see through time and space, no knowledge is out of your reach. With a quick look, a Nemesis of Time user can discover the ins and outs of our past, present, and future security protocols. Nemesis of Time enables god-like ability, and our existence as an Esper Academy is jeopardized."

"So that's it then? I'm to be disposed of simply because that Esper chose me to be their tool?"

"No, it's not too late. I have a plan."

Marth returned to the stone fountain seat, leaning against the back and looking at the stars. He stared at the glistening lights before turning to face his sensei.

"Tsubasa-sensei, I'll do whatever it takes."

"I'm glad to hear it. Prepare yourself for the hardest two weeks of your life!" Tsubasa repositioned her crossed arms.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Marth could only imagine the size of the next pickaxe he would have to synthesize.

"Watanabe Marth, I want you to participate in the St. Ezreal's Esperly Order competition, and win."

"What the fuck!" Marth burst a gasket at the thought of winning a contest meant for experienced Esper compatants. "I haven't had a single day of combat training or a week of classes, how can I possibly win a competition for the secondmost prestigious gorup within the most prestigious Esper academy!? You're nuts, Tsubasa, you might as well kill me now!"

"Watanabe, it's the only way. I rescheduled the competition just for you."

"So that's what that was about! You pisseed off the whole school by serving them a test they aren't ready for, just for me?"

"Yes, Marth." Tsubasa replied simply, lowering her gaze to a spot on the ground away from Marth.

A moment of silence passed. Marth looked at Tsubasa who was trying to avoid eye contact. Tsubasa had been there time and time again in Marth's defense, ever since Aldo tried to dispatch him on his first visit to the Academy.

Marth promptly stood, respectfully lowering his head to bow at Tsubasa.

"Thank you, Tsubasa-sensei! I will do my best!"