Chapter 65: Graphite powder

When Mira came back to the arcade, she was dressed in a blue top and black pants, which was more suited to the journey they were about to embark on. The casual outfit she’d been wearing earlier had been replaced with something practical, something that wouldn’t draw attention or hinder movement.

In addition, she had a bag strapped to her shoulders, a small bag, compact enough not to be cumbersome but large enough to carry… something. Jelo eyed it curiously as she approached, noting the way it sat snugly against her back.

“What’s with the bag?” Jelo asked, gesturing toward it with a tilt of his head.

Mira smirked, adjusting one of the straps. “You’ll find out later.”

Jelo frowned but didn’t push it. There was something about the way she said it, confident, almost teasing, that told him she had something planned.

They then began their journey, walking toward the portal room. The corridors were quieter now, most students having retreated to their dorms or common areas for the evening. The dim lighting cast long shadows along the walls, and every footstep seemed to echo a little too loudly in the silence.

As they went, Jelo asked, “So what’s the plan?”

Mira glanced at him, her expression casual. “Same as usual. You’re the distraction and lookout while I handle the break-in.”

“Right,” Jelo muttered. “Of course I am.”

He should’ve expected that. It wasn’t like he had any skills when it came to breaking and entering. His job was simple: keep watch, stay alert, and make sure they didn’t get caught. Mira, on the other hand, seemed to have a knack for this sort of thing, something he was starting to realize more and more.

The two students stuck to the shadows of the corridor as they approached their destination. Jelo’s senses were on high alert, his eyes scanning every corner, every doorway, listening for the slightest sound of approaching footsteps or voices. His heart was pounding steadily in his chest, the familiar rush of adrenaline beginning to kick in.

Mira moved ahead of him, her steps light and measured. She seemed completely at ease, like she’d done this a hundred times before. When they finally reached the door to the portal room, she paused, examining it carefully.

Jelo kept watch while Mira approached the locked door. He positioned himself at an angle where he could see down both ends of the corridor, his body tense and ready to react if anyone showed up. The last thing they needed was to get caught now, not when they were this close.

“Clear?” Mira whispered without looking back.

Jelo confirmed the corridor was clear. “Yeah, we’re good. For now.”

Mira nodded and turned her attention fully to the door. Jelo glanced over his shoulder to see what she was doing. The lock wasn’t a traditional keyhole, it was a fingerprint scanner, one of those older models the academy used for student records access and other restricted areas. A simple optical scanner with a glass plate that read the ridges and patterns of an authorized user’s fingerprint.

Mira examined the lock closely, her brow furrowed in concentration. She knew the system required an authorized print, which they obviously didn’t have. They couldn’t hack the system digitally either, not with what they had on hand. No fancy tech, no override codes.

But Mira was looking for something. She leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied the scanner’s glass plate. There was a subtle, oily smudge on the surface, a recent fingerprint left behind by the last authorized user. Human fingers left natural oils behind, and if the print was fresh enough, it could still be visible. Faint, but there.

A slow smile spread across Mira’s face.

From her bag, she pulled out a small makeup brush and a tiny bottle filled with dark powder. Jelo watched, confused and curious, as she set the items down carefully.

“What is that?” Jelo asked, keeping his voice low.

“Graphite powder,” Mira replied, unscrewing the cap of the bottle.

Jelo blinked. “Where’d you get graphite powder?”

Mira shrugged casually. “Shaved it from my pencil.”

Jelo stared at her for a moment, processing that. She’d shaved graphite from a pencil. She’d actually planned this out. While he’d been winging half of this entire operation, Mira had apparently done some research. She actually knew what to do. It made him reaffirm that he’d made the right choice by letting her join his hunt. She wasn’t just some curious student tagging along, she was useful. Really useful.

He refrained from telling her she was weird, though the thought definitely crossed his mind.

With intense focus, Mira gently brushed the graphite powder over the latent print. The fine particles adhered to the oils left behind, making the fingerprint clearly visible against the glass. It was like watching a magic trick, one moment there was nothing, and the next, a perfect impression appeared.

“Did it work?” Jelo asked, leaning in slightly.

Mira snapped without looking at him, “I’m not done yet.”

Jelo shut his mouth and went back to keeping watch. His eyes darted down the corridor again, scanning for movement, for any sign that someone was coming. So far, nothing. But that could change at any second.

Mira reached into her bag again and pulled out a small piece of clear scotch tape. Careful not to smudge the powdered print, she placed the tape over the impression and smoothed it down with practiced precision. Her hands were steady, her movements deliberate. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing.

She peeled the tape off slowly, lifting the “mirror impression” of the authorized fingerprint onto the adhesive surface. She held it up briefly, examining it under the dim corridor light.

“This is the moment of truth,” she murmured.

Jelo watched as she quickly placed the tape, sticky side down, onto the scanner platen. The print was now reversed, mirror image back to its original orientation, and hopefully readable by the optical sensor.

For a moment, nothing happened. The scanner just sat there, silent and unresponsive.

Then Jelo’s ears picked up something. A faint sound echoing down the hall. Whistling. Someone was whistling.

Jelo’s body went rigid. “Someone’s coming.”

Mira didn’t move. Her hand was still pressed against the tape on the scanner, her eyes locked on the device. “We can’t rush it.”

“Mira..”

“Let’s just hope it works,” she said quietly, her voice tense but resolute.

The whistling grew louder. Closer. Jelo’s heart hammered in his chest, his mind racing through every possible outcome. If they got caught here, they were done. Detention, suspension, maybe worse. And that was assuming the guards didn’t ask too many questions about why they were trying to break into the portal room in the first place.

Just as the whistling grew near and they began to lose hope, the scanner whirred to life. The sound was soft but unmistakable. The light on the device flashed green, and the lock clicked open with a satisfying mechanical sound.

Mira let out a breath she’d been holding and grinned. “Yes!”

Jelo heaved a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing for half a second before urgency kicked back in. He grabbed the door handle and pushed it open quickly, his other hand reaching out to pull Mira inside. She stumbled slightly but caught herself as Jelo shut the door behind them, pressing it closed just as the whistling guard rounded the distant corner down the hall.

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