Chapter 23: Collateral Silence

The hideout, linked to the Arius Branch’s secret passage, was in shambles—ceiling collapsed from Haruna’s explosives, a wall obliterated by Tsurugi.

“…”

“…”

“…”

In the most excruciatingly awkward silence, Mika, Tsurugi, and I locked eyes, wordless.

Kivotos’ major academies each have a designated “strongest” student—Abidos’ Takanotsume Hoshino, Gehenna’s Sorasaki Hina, Millennium’s Mikamo Neru—embodying their school’s peak strength.

But Trinity General Academy stands out with two individuals wielding comparable, overwhelming power.

One is Misono Mika, the Tea Party’s living weapon, entangled with me in ways I’d rather avoid.

The other is Kenzaki Tsurugi, the Justice Task Force’s human arsenal, who just burst in.

“…Hmm.”

Facing both at once, I could only stand still, warily assessing the situation.

“Uh… uh…”

“Oh my, this is… quite tense.”

If I felt this way, Fuuka, a normal civilian, looked half-crazed with fear, and even the unflappable Haruna couldn’t mask a subtle unease.

“Um, so… hi, Tsurugi,” Sensei said.

The only comfort was Sensei, safe in my arms—chair and all—offering an awkward greeting.

With her testimony, we’d avoid misunderstandings.

And with Tsurugi, equal in strength to Mika, present, Mika likely wouldn’t try anything reckless.

“…Ah?”

Tsurugi, stirred by Sensei’s greeting, tilted her head in confusion.

Then, another familiar voice, accompanied by urgent footsteps, broke through.

“Tsurugi, have you found Sensei…?” Hasumi rushed in with other Justice Task Force members, her eyes widening at the sight of us.

“You all…”

Her gaze lingered on Haruna and Fuuka, their Gehenna traits—horns and tails—drawing subtle scrutiny.

While not as paranoid as Nagisa, many Trinity students, including Hasumi, harbored unease toward Gehenna, evident in the other members’ glances.

“N-No, it’s a misunderstanding! We’re here to save Sensei…” Fuuka stammered.

“Yes, as Fuuka-san says. We just blew up the area where Sensei was—” Haruna started.

“What are you saying?!” Fuuka interrupted.

Thankfully, Sensei, grasping the situation, stepped in to defend us.

“Ahem! Listen, everyone. Kaoru and these girls just came to rescue me.”

Surprisingly, Hasumi nodded without much doubt.

“Yes, Sensei. Koharu filled us in, and there are others outside,” she said, her expression skeptical but acknowledging that Haruna, Fuuka, and the Gourmet Research Society meant no harm.

…How did Koharu know?

Puzzled by Hasumi’s words, I got my answer soon enough.

“Jammer located! We’re disabling it!” a Justice Task Force member shouted from beyond the wall.

Buzz.

My phone vibrated with a message.

[To keep Kaoru-san out of trouble, I passed the word through Koharu-chan. Thanks in parfaits later, fufufu.]

Hanako’s concise yet all-encompassing message glowed on the screen.

…Is Hanako a deity?

Silently praising the brilliant pink-haired strategist, I finally relaxed a bit.

“Fufu, I’ll set you down, Master. Please stay still.”

“U-Uh, thanks, Kaoru. You saved me,” Sensei said.

As I lowered Sensei and untied her ropes, Hasumi turned to Mika, who stood silently.

“You’re safe too, Mika-san. That’s a relief.”

“…Hey, Hasumi-chan, did you catch them?” Mika asked.

“The suspects… vanished as soon as we engaged. We’re searching now. We secured one heavily injured individual outside, but their condition is too severe for questioning anytime soon,” Hasumi replied.

…Oh, the one I slammed into the ground.

Aside from that unfortunate guard, most Arius students had likely escaped through Mika’s secret passage.

“Hmm… I see,” Mika murmured.

“…I’m sorry,” Hasumi said, her face stiffening, mistaking Mika’s words for a Tea Party reprimand.

But I knew Mika’s true concern—she was worried a captured Arius student might expose her ties to them.

“…”

Her yellow eyes kept glancing at me, silent.

…I’m not saying anything.

I had no intention of exposing Mika’s plot.

Without hard evidence, my claims as an outsider would fall flat.

More importantly, in the original story, Mika’s misdeeds would be uncovered by Sensei and others, leading to a better resolution for all.

…And I was a little scared of what might happen if Mika snapped now.

In that sense, maybe it’s good the Arius students fled?

“Cough, cough! Urgh…”

Huh?

A groan caught my ear.

I noticed an Arius student, caught in Haruna’s floor explosion, lying collapsed at my feet.

Unlike Sensei, whom I caught, she’d hit the ground hard and passed out.

“…Oh my.”

Feeling a flicker of irritation toward the one who dragged me into this, I knelt to inspect her.

…It’s her.

Brushing aside her dusty hair revealed a familiar face—the only Arius student not wearing a gas mask, the one posing as Mika’s driver.

And I clearly remembered…

“Fufu, you’re the naughty one who pointed a gun at Master,” I said softly.

“…Kya?!” she gasped.

“How dare you…!” Tsurugi and Hasumi snapped, their eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Flinching under their glares, the squad leader—likely this operation’s head—still mustered a venomous glare back, her training for a life of combat shining through.

“Kuh… coughing up a fuss over something so trivial is laughable… I’ve got nothing to say to sheltered hypocrites like you,” she spat.

“Hmm, is that so? But threatening Master deserves punishment, don’t you think?” I replied, smiling lightly as I stood.

I wasn’t about to let her off for threatening Sensei.

So…

“Keke… pathetic threats like—Guh?!”

Let’s give her one hit.

With that, I lightly kicked her.

Unlike the guard I struck with my scabbard, I used no weapon—a restrained bit of venting.

But—

CRUNCH.

…Crunch?

BOOM!

“…Oh my.”

A sickening sound of something breaking rang out as her body flew, embedding into the wall.

I had to admit I’d misjudged again.

…Did I let my emotions slip?

“Kaoru?!”

“What did you…!” Sensei and Hasumi exclaimed, jaws dropping, along with everyone else staring in shock.

“…”

But Mika alone looked at me with an expression of utter confusion.

…Oh, I just eliminated her witness.