Chapter 24: Shadows Beneath the Spotlight

Sitting by the window in the annex classroom used by the Supplementary Lessons Department, I gazed at the night sky, reflecting on the chaotic events of last night.

“…Thank you all for saving Sensei. The Justice Task Force will handle the rest,” Hasumi had said.

In the end, the only culprits the Justice Task Force secured were the two Arius students I’d subdued.

According to Koharu later, both were in critical condition in the ICU, needing at least a week of absolute rest, so their identities wouldn’t be uncovered anytime soon.

“Kaoru, I understand why you did it, but that was absolutely wrong,” Sensei had said, sitting me down with a serious expression as soon as we returned to the dorms.

“Even if that girl threatened me, students shouldn’t suffer such pain as punishment—especially not from another student.”

Honestly, I didn’t mean to go that far…

A slight pang of injustice hit me, but Sensei’s words were undeniably fair, so I silently accepted the lecture.

…By the way, those Arius students are Kivotos residents too, and I injured them that badly?

Just how strong is Kaoru supposed to be?

Or maybe it’s a good thing they’re Kivotos residents, since they survived that hit.

“…”

The incident fizzled out with Mika, still wearing an odd expression, leaving under the Justice Task Force’s escort.

The culprits’ identities remained unclear, and with countless Justice Task Force members witnessing the Gourmet Research Society rescuing Sensei, pinning the blame on Gehenna—as Mika intended—was impossible.

“Fufufu, we didn’t get to enjoy gourmet delights, but it was quite the experience. Call us again—we’ll be waiting with Fuuka-san,” Haruna had said.

“Why am I automatically included?!” Fuuka protested.

Unlike Fuuka, Haruna seemed to view it as an amusing adventure.

Sigh… every day is such a whirlwind.

Exhausted by the relentless string of incidents, I sighed inwardly when—

“Fufufu, Kaoru-san, you seem deep in thought,” Hanako said, suddenly appearing beside me with her usual playful smile.

“…Oh my, Hanako.”

The cunning pink-haired girl, instrumental in resolving this kidnapping fiasco, glanced out the window and murmured softly.

“Hmm… you’re under quite the scrutiny, Kaoru-san.”

“Fufu, it seems so.”

Though the darkness hid them now, Justice Task Force members were patrolling the annex in pairs, starting today.

“Even with the Tea Party’s emergency martial law, there’s no reason to station forces in such an outlying area~ Quite an interesting person,” Hanako remarked.

Officially, it was for Sensei’s safety, but as Hanako’s teasing suggested, it was likely to monitor me directly.

They’re not even hiding it anymore—five days of martial law, no less.

Given the mess I was involved in yesterday, it wasn’t surprising that Nagisa’s paranoia had exploded.

But unlike this somewhat understandable measure, there was another action that truly angered me—and Sensei most of all.

“…”

Recalling the move that crossed the line, I turned my gaze back into the classroom with a pang of regret.

“Sniff… I worked so hard to prepare… It’s so unfair…” Koharu sobbed.

“Aw, Koharu-chan… it’s okay…” Hifumi comforted her.

Koharu’s eyes were still red, with Hifumi trying to console her.

The second special exam for the Supplementary Lessons Department, meant to happen during yesterday’s chaos, ended—as in the original story—with everyone failing.

But unlike me, who expected this outcome, the others who reached the exam site faced an even harsher fate than the original hot spring development team’s sabotage.

“Nagisa-sama went too far… not even giving us a chance…” Hifumi muttered.

Because Sensei couldn’t make it to the exam site, Nagisa, remotely overseeing the situation, canceled the exam outright, citing the lack of a proctor.

Hanako’s logical protests were met with Nagisa abruptly cutting off communication.

“Nagisa…!” Sensei, understandably furious, had been ready to storm Nagisa’s residence despite the late hour, but with Nagisa severing all contact and hiding, there was no way to reach her.

Nagisa, your sins are piling up way beyond the original story.

Mulling over what to say to the Tea Party’s paranoid host later, I suddenly noticed someone was missing, even with Sensei briefly absent.

“…By the way, where’s Azusa?”

“Oh my, you’re right. Azusa-chan’s been gone for a while,” Hanako replied, tilting her head curiously.

Our question was quickly answered.

Bang.

The small silver-haired girl we were looking for appeared, opening the classroom door with a grim expression.

“Azusa-chan… what’s wrong?” Hanako asked, sensing that this wasn’t Azusa’s usual stoic demeanor.

Standing at the door, Azusa hesitated before speaking with resolute determination.

“…I have something to tell everyone.”

Seeing her expression, I instinctively knew what she was about to say.

…Looks like Mika and Arius moved up their coup timeline to align with the martial law.

“The traitor Nagisa is searching for in Trinity… is me.”

“I’m from the Arius Branch. And the ones who attacked Sensei and Mika were surely from Arius.”

“I just heard from another Arius student. They’re planning to infiltrate and assassinate Nagisa tonight. I have to stop them.”

As expected, Azusa’s confession—likely after a secret meeting with Saori—to Sensei and the Supplementary Lessons Department matched what I knew.

“…I see. So the plan is to secure Nagisa before Arius does. But how do we find her?” Sensei asked.

“Fufufu, don’t worry, Sensei. I know the rotation schedule for all 87 of the Tea Party’s panic rooms. With Koharu-chan’s help, we can easily bypass the Justice Task Force guarding the area,” Hanako replied.

As in the original story, Hanako’s plan to “kidnap” Nagisa first was set in motion.

But there was one small change I made.

“…Kaoru, are you sure you want to go with the others?” Sensei asked, her expression tinged with concern as I volunteered to join Azusa and Hanako in securing Nagisa.

“Fufu, yes. If any unexpected situations arise while retrieving Nagisa, my strength could be useful.”

“…Alright, I’m counting on you,” Sensei said, reluctantly nodding, likely reassured by witnessing my strength yesterday.

…Though her concern was that I might act on personal feelings toward Nagisa isn’t entirely unfounded.

Half my reason for volunteering was to deliver a famous line from the original story to Nagisa myself.

You deserve this, don’t you?