Chapter 19: A Garden of Thorns

[Are you… threatening to bring me to my knees?]

“Oh my, of course not. I’m merely offering advice for your own honor. Take it to heart, okay?”

Having delivered my half-unilateral message, I left Nagisa, visibly gritting her teeth on the screen, and stepped outside to where Sensei was waiting.

Her blatant antagonism had irked me enough to push my words a bit far, but considering the future, I wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Fufu, sorry for keeping you waiting, Master.”

Now, off to Gehenna’s autonomous district for the exam, right?

It wrapped up quicker than expected, so we should have enough time.

I’d checked earlier, and Trinity’s shuttle runs even at night, so we could take it to the border…

“Shall we head to the station?”

“Uh, Kaoru… about that…”

But as I voiced my plan to head to the station, Sensei shook her head with a troubled expression.

“All the late-night shuttles in this area have been canceled for unspecified reasons. Probably… Nagisa’s doing.”

…She even went that far?

“Hmm…”

Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a lingering doubt.

Even though missing the shuttle meant we’d never make it to the exam on time, Sensei, while looking troubled, didn’t seem particularly panicked.

The answer to my doubt came from a girl peeking out from beside Sensei.

“And that’s where your helper swoops in~☆”

“…Oh my?”

Even I, who’d grown accustomed to hiding my emotions, couldn’t help but show a slight flicker of surprise.

“Haha, Outsider-chan, what’s with that reaction? You could be a bit happier to see me, you know!”

…Why is Mika popping up here now?

Her vibrant pink hair stood out even in the midnight darkness, and her sudden appearance left me momentarily speechless. Sensei, scratching her head, explained.

“Um, to keep it simple, Mika offered to drive us to Gehenna’s border in her personal car.”

“As soon as I saw Nagisa’s message, I had a feeling you and Outsider-chan might be in trouble~ So I snuck out to help, and looks like I was right! Nagisa’s my childhood friend, but isn’t she going a bit overboard?”

[To ensure fairness, I invited Mika as well, but received no response. She’s likely asleep…]

…So Nagisa said, but was Mika pretending to be asleep and ignoring her?

True to her early Eden Treaty arc persona—acting innocent while secretly plotting a coup—I inwardly marveled at her audacity.

But Sensei, unaware of Mika’s true intentions, asked with concern.

“Are you sure about this, Mika? As a Tea Party member, helping us could put you in a tough spot or draw suspicion.”

…She’s actually the real traitor here.

Suppressing the urge to blurt that out, I watched as Mika waved it off nonchalantly.

“Psh, Sensei, you promised to help me when I’m in trouble, right? This is just my little thank-you. Oh, Outsider-chan, no need for thanks either! Time’s tight, so come on, this way!”

She led us to a sleek, luxurious car parked nearby, where another girl sat in the driver’s seat.

Wow, she even has a personal chauffeur? It makes sense for Kivotos’ massive academies, practically nations, but seeing it up close is something else…

“Oh, right. My usual Tea Party driver’s off today, so I couldn’t call them this late. But I found someone discreet to fill in, so don’t worry, hop in!”

Opening the car door and settling into the backseat, Mika patted the spot next to her, grinning at me.

“Come on, Outsider-chan, sit here! Two girls side by side—it’s gonna be so fun, I’m super excited~☆”

Her overly familiar tone and smile contrasted with the subtle wariness in her sharp yellow eyes as she looked at me.

“…Hmm, shall I?”

…This feels really uneasy.

Some time after the car carrying Sensei, Mika, and Kaoru set off:

‘Still… it’s a relief Mika’s so friendly with Kaoru. I was worried she’s been through too many rough patches since arriving in Kivotos.’

Sitting in the passenger seat, Sensei glanced at the backseat via the rearview mirror, feeling a sense of warmth.

“Haha, Outsider-chan, we’re both girls, so you can scoot closer, right? Don’t tell me you’re shy?”

“Fufu, who knows…?”

Unaware of their true thoughts, Sensei found the sight of the two girls sitting side by side heartwarming.

‘Kaoru seems to be enjoying herself too. Well, someone as bold as Mika isn’t common…’

With that fond thought, Sensei subtly turned to the driver—a stern-looking girl who’d been silently focused on the road.

‘Mika said this girl was a last-minute substitute for her usual driver, someone she doesn’t know well…’

Recalling Mika’s brief explanation before they got in, Sensei tried her usual friendly approach.

“Hi, thanks for driving us so late. We owe you one.”

“Yes.”

“…?”

The curt, almost robotic response was unlike anything Sensei had encountered in Kivotos, catching her off guard.

Having dealt with all sorts of colorful students as Schale’s advisor, she was used to most reacting like typical teenage girls, so this stood out.

Still, true to her kind nature, Sensei tried again.

“Um… don’t you need the headlights? I’m worried you can’t see the road.”

She pointed out something that had bothered her since the car started moving.

“To avoid the host’s surveillance, it’s necessary. I know the route, so don’t worry.”

“O-Okay…”

Another gruff, almost soldier-like response forced Sensei to nod awkwardly.

‘Where are we even going? No streetlights, no headlights—I can’t tell…’

Holding onto her unease, Sensei persisted with casual conversation.

“Have you been to that new parfait shop near Trinity Square? I’ve heard it’s great but haven’t visited yet.”

“No.”

“What about the event the cathedral was promoting?”

“Don’t know.”

“…Does relying only on BDs for studying ever make it hard to look up something you don’t know?”

“Haven’t used them recently.”

“…?”

‘…Something’s off about this girl.’

Even questions any student would typically answer elicited the same flat responses, and Sensei’s instincts began to tingle with suspicion.

SCREECH.

“Huh…?”

The car suddenly stopped in what seemed like empty darkness, and Sensei looked around, confused.

Instead of the familiar Trinity-Gehenna border skyline, all she saw were high walls and shadows.

“Is this… the right place—”

Before she could calmly ask, her unease turned to shock as she froze.

Step, step.

From the darkness, students wearing gas masks emerged, swiftly surrounding the car.

“What…!?”

Click.

As Sensei gaped in disbelief, the driver pulled a pistol from her coat, aiming it at them with a cold command.

“Everyone, get out now.”

Instead of Trinity’s mark, the pistol bore a faint emblem of a skull entwined with a rose.