The Supreme Cipher

CID

The full moon hung in the crisp, cold air, looking like it belonged on a movie poster.

It was on just such a winter night that Beta arrived to give me her Periodic Report. As usual, she breezed through the updates on Shadow Garden’s activities and moved on to the state of the Mitsugoshi Company.

Normally, I just let her handle the business stuff. Mitsugoshi is basically just a side project for Shadow Garden, and there’s no reason for a mastermind like me to waste my precious time on corporate management.

However, it seemed like the Mitsugoshi Company was currently in a bit of a tight spot.

I must have subconsciously picked up on the tension in the room. Usually, I just sit there nodding and throwing out a "Hmm" or a "I see" to look like I’m deep in thought, but this time, the vibe changed.

I straightened my posture, fished a notepad out of my pocket, and started scribbling notes while she talked. You know, for the aesthetic.

And then, I went for the killing blow.

"I see. And then?"

Beta froze. "—!?"

She looked like she’d just seen a ghost. I guess I don't usually say much more than "Hmm" during these things, so me actually engaging with the plot must have been a shock.

"M-my apologies," she stammered, her words tripping over each other. "The amount of Counterfeit Notes in circulation is—"

As she continued, I could feel her staring at me with this intense, sparkling gaze. She looked... happy?

Ah, she thinks I’m actually taking this seriously.

Look, I’m a busy guy. I’ve got an "Eminence in Shadow" persona to maintain, and I usually don't have time to micromanage their little roleplay sessions. My power and time are supposed to be reserved for "The Grand Purpose"—whatever that is this week.

But from her perspective, if I was getting involved, it meant this incident was a world-ending threat.

The truth was, if these Counterfeit Notes kept flooding the market, the Mitsugoshi Company would be toast. Between that and the whole thing with Delta, the vibe in Shadow Garden had been pretty gloomy lately. But hey, if she thinks me scribbling on a notepad means the crisis is as good as solved, who am I to ruin the mood?

Beta’s eyes were actually getting misty. Talk about dramatic.

"Since the total volume of currency has increased, we’ve begun to see price inflation. The rate of that increase is..."

"Wait, I don't quite get that part..." I muttered.

"—!?"

She looked like I’d just told her the world was flat.

Now, to be clear, when I said "I don't get it," I meant I literally didn't understand the economics. Compound interest and inflation rates were never my strong suit back in Japan. But because she thinks I’m a literal god, there was no way she’d take my words at face value.

In her mind, I had just spotted a fatal flaw in her calculations. She probably thought I was judging her for making such a "rookie mistake."

"I-I will have the Research Laboratory redo the investigation and analysis immediately!"

Her face turned a bright, shameful red. She looked genuinely devastated that she’d failed me.

"I still don't really get it, but whatever. I'll just write it down anyway," I said, trying to move things along.

"Yes... My sincerest apologies."

And with that, the Periodic Report wrapped up.

But apparently, she wasn't done. As I started to close my notepad, she hesitated, her expression turning heavy.

"I have one more report for today."

"...Let’s hear it," I replied, doing my best "mysterious protagonist" voice.

I looked at her with my bored, sleepy-looking eyes, and I could tell she thought I already knew what she was going to say. I mean, obviously. A mastermind always knows, right?

But she felt she had to say it anyway. She had to report the "death" of a comrade. It’s like a trope or something—the heavy responsibility of the survivor.

"Delta, who was sent to pursue John Smith, has gone missing. Given the circumstances, her life is likely..."

Beta’s voice started to crack. She and Delta were close—well, as close as a "brainy type" and a "muscle-brain type" can be. I guess she saw Delta as a troublesome but cute younger sister.

"Delta, huh..." I tilted my head, thinking for a second.

"No, wait. Delta just went somewhere a bit far away," I said.

I meant she was literally far away, hunting Juggernaut in the Lawless City like I told her to. But Beta? She lost it. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"I... I see. You're right. Delta has simply gone somewhere very far away..."

She was crying like a faucet. I guess she really appreciated my "clumsy kindness" or whatever poetic euphemism she thought I was using for "she’s dead and in heaven."

"Right. As long as you understand, it’s not a problem," I said with a nod.

"John Smith is presumed to be a formidable opponent," Beta sniffled. "If it's possible, we would be honored if Master Shadow would assist us..."

"Sorry, I’ve got my own stuff to deal with." (Namely, being John Smith.)

"No, I should not have asked the impossible. Please forgive me."

She seemed to take it well. She probably figured I was already working on some grand master plan from the shadows. Which, technically, I was.

"Well then, I will take my leave... but before I go."

She was supposed to be heading to her next mission, but she kept eyeing my notepad.

"Um, Master Shadow... about those notes..."

"These?"

"Yes. There is a rule that any Confidential Document must be immediately destroyed or encrypted..."

She was just checking, of course. She knew I was "way ahead of her."

I paused for a moment, then handed the notepad to her.

"Try reading it."

"Th-this is...!"

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Arabic Numerals, and the Roman Alphabet. It’s a Ciphertext I developed myself using five different languages."

In reality, it was just standard Japanese. But to someone in this world, it looked like the most complex gibberish ever conceived.

"Y-you created this all by yourself, Master Shadow!?"

"Yeah."

I’d just been jotting down random thoughts in my native tongue, but to her, the mix of characters looked like a work of structured genius—complex yet orderly. She looked at me with pure, unadulterated worship.

"U-um, if it's not too much trouble, could you teach me this cipher?"

"Hmm... it’s still too early for you."

"I... I see..." Her shoulders slumped.

"However..." I decided to give her a little treat. I scribbled a quick sentence on a scrap of paper, tore it out, and handed it to her.

"This is...?"

"If you can figure out what that means, I'll teach you the rest."

It was just a basic sentence using all five scripts.

"Th-thank you so much!"

Beta tucked the scrap of paper into her cleavage like it was a holy relic. She was probably going to rush it straight to the Research Laboratory to have her "top cryptographers" lose their minds over it.

Man, being a mastermind is easy.