Keyaki Mall is a massive, multi-story commercial complex built entirely for the students and staff. It houses clothing stores, cafes, movie theaters, electronics shops, and a massive supermarket. From the outside, it looks like a premium shopping center you would find in the wealthy districts of Tokyo.
Walking through the wide glass entrance doors, a blast of cold air conditioning hits my face. Pop music plays softly from hidden ceiling speakers. Hundreds of students mill around the wide walkways, clustering near the crepe stands and the clothing boutiques.
I ignore the food vendors and take the escalator up to the second floor. I walked through the crowds and keep my eyes on the store signs hanging above the walkways.
Finally, I spot it. A large, brightly lit storefront displaying rows of televisions and glass cases filled with electronics. The game store.
I walk through the open entrance. The air inside smells faintly of warm plastic and ozone from the dozens of display monitors running simultaneously. Rows of shelves hold hundreds of game cases, sorted neatly by console.
I walk straight to the main checkout counter at the back of the store. A young clerk wearing a blue polo shirt is busy restocking a display of memory cards.
"Excuse me," I say, keeping my voice polite and steady.
The clerk turns around and smiles. "Welcome! How can I help you today?"
"Do you have an empty box of the Valve Steam Deck OLED 1TB edition?"
The clerk blinks. The friendly smile drops from his face, replaced by total confusion.
"I'm sorry, an empty box?" he asks.
"Yes. Just the cardboard packaging. No hardware inside."
That specific piece of portable hardware retails for about 99,000 yen. It is practically a hundred thousand yen block of premium tech.
"Hey kid, why are you asking for that?" the clerk asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He probably thinks I am trying to run some kind of weird scam.
"It's school-related, mister," I reply smoothly. "I need it for a special exam."
The clerk looks at me and take in my crisp red uniform blazer and the serious expression on my face. He hesitates.
The mention of a "special exam" always carries heavy weight around the campus staff. They know the administration runs bizarre psychological tests on the students.
"Wait here," he mutters.
He turns around and walks through a swinging door behind the counter. A minute later, he emerges with an older man. The manager wears a button-down shirt and a dark tie. He looks tired, carrying a stack of papers under his arm.
The manager walks up to the counter and studies my face.
"It's about school-related business, you say?" the manager asks. His voice is deep and gravelly.
"Yes, mister," I answered, maintaining eye contact. "I hope you can help me, sir."
The manager looks at me for a long moment and glances down at the crest stitched onto my uniform jacket. The staff on this island are aware of the government-funded facility. They generally comply with harmless student requests if it doesn't violate store policy.
"We don't have an empty box of the latest OLED model," the manager says slowly. "But we do have some empty display boxes of last year's version in the back room. We were going to throw them out."
"That will do perfectly," I say. "I just need a new-looking empty box. The exact model version doesn't matter much."
The manager sighs and nods to the young clerk. "Go grab one from the recycling pile."
The clerk disappears into the back room again. He returns carrying two large, thick cardboard boxes. They feature the sleek, dark branding of the portable console. Both boxes look relatively intact.