"Checkmate, Sensei!"
"…Wow."
Asuna's stalling trapped Mash's team, cornered by reinforcements. A swarm of robot soldiers stood ready to fire.
"Ugh… Yuuka!"
"Been a while. I'll commend you for stirring things up this far. You really surprised me."
"Hehe, right?"
"Thanks to Sensei."
"Ugh."
"You too, Sensei. Quite the performance."
"Not really."
"Not a compliment! Attacking Seminar like this is too much. I was too lenient giving you leeway."
Yuuka disengaged her gun's safety, aiming at the trio.
"No more pranks. Expect a week's suspension or detention."
"Suspension!? Detention!?"
"A week… we'll miss Millennium Prize!"
"Alice is in the reflection room. She'll be thrilled to have company."
"Ugh…!"
The punishment hit harder than expected, panicking the sisters. Yuuka turned to Mash, her tone grave.
"You too, Sensei. Detention or a pay cut."
"That's fine. I can handle it." Smug.
"No, two months without muscle training or cream puffs."
"What?"
"And no help with work—not from me, Noah, or the Federal Council's chief officer!"
"No way…" Despair.
"Taking Sensei's cream puffs and training… that's cruel!"
(More important than detention or a pay cut? And just no help with work? That's it?)
Akane bit her tongue, staying silent. Mash's despair lingered.
"Even if we get the mirror, we can't finish the game in time… We have to break through!"
"Break through? Us?"
Yuuka and the robots aimed. The sisters flinched, raising their guns, but they were outnumbered.
"Won't I get hit too?"
"Crawl away! ♪"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Sensei, hand over your weapon. I'll reduce the ban to a week, and we'll help with work as usual."
"Really?"
"Yes. Finishing those extra documents alone will be tough, right?"
"Absolutely."
"So, toss your weapon and surrender. Karin's coming soon."
The robots, Yuuka, and Akane closed in. Mash pondered, then—
"Alright… I'll toss it."
"Sensei!?"
"Nooo, it's over!"
"Good call, Sensei. Hurry."
"One sec… Alright."
Mash drew two iron staffs, pointing them at Yuuka. She smirked, certain his honesty had cornered him.
"Here I go—"
"Heh, I win this time—Wait, toss?"
"Here—" Whoosh!
Mash hurled the staffs, piercing the robots. The explosion kicked up smoke.
"There, tossed."
"Sure, but—! I can't see!"
"We've got plenty of robots left, and we know your position. Attack—"
Something flew from the smoke.
Whoosh!
"What now!?"
"Another one!?"
"What flew—? A crash behind—!?"
Yuuka turned. The robots were smashed, and something soared back to Mash.
Catch!
"Worked better than expected. Lucky."
In Mash's hand was a perfect iron boomerang. Midori, the only one grasping it, explained.
"I… saw something impossible."
"What happened!?"
"Sensei threw the staff, smashed the robots, and smoke blocked their view. Then—"
Crunch!
"In a split second, Sensei crafted that boomerang and threw it, circling to destroy more robots before returning… Wait, isn't that staff a ton heavy?"
"Hahaha! Sensei, you're hilarious!"
"Not funny! Our robots, crushed so easily… I'll stop you!"
As Yuuka and Akane stood, two voices struck from behind.
"Sorry, Yuuka!"
"You too, sorry!"
"Huh—?"
Thwack! Thud!
Both collapsed, Yuuka foaming at the mouth.
"Super Alice Chop!"
"Nice, Alice-chan!"
"Alice!? Why're you here?"
"Alice followed the plan—pretended to be caught to reach the mirror. But… I got worried and came."
"Alice!"
The plan had a hidden layer: while Momoi's group caused chaos, Alice slipped away to grab the mirror.
"Was gonna join you if you got caught."
"But you saved us! Thanks, Alice-chan!"
"Great chop. Training paid off."
"You taught her that?"
"Alice… a hero?"
"Totally cool hero!"
"Ehe, Alice is happy!"
Mash's team propped Yuuka, Akane, and Asuna—who waved, "Bye-bye!"—against the wall and headed for the mirror.
Fearing more reinforcements, they rushed to the vault and arrived.
"Made it!"
"Hngh…! Locked tight."
"Leave it to me. I break doors all the time."
"That's not okay!"
"Is this… a push door?" Crack!
"It's a pull door, Sensei!"
Mash forced the door open, startling Momoi and Midori, but they entered.
"Not that, not this… Where's the mirror!?"
"The USB with the mirror…"
"Not this, right?"
"Not that big!"
As they searched, Alice hushed them.
"Quiet, mute mode, please."
"…Footsteps. New ones!" Flinch!
Mash trembled, clutching his chest.
"Sensei, what's wrong?"
"Mike says be careful. This is bad."
"Mike?"
"Alice knows. Mike's Sensei's chest muscle."
"You named your muscles!?"
"Quiet, big sis! Harem-senpai's message… 'Run, no, hide! Now! Whatever it takes $!#^&!@#'… What!?"
Alice scanned the entrance.
"Target detected. Millennium roster search… Hit. Height 146 cm, dual SMGs, dragon-patterned jacket over maid outfit…"
"No way…"
"It can't be…!"
"Bad. Grab onto me."
"Yes!"
"Big sis, here!"
"Okay!"
The footsteps closed in. Mash hid them.
"What's this? Door's smashed… No bullet marks. Bare hands?"
The intruder was Maid Club's leader, the ultimate agent: Callsign 00, Neru Mikamo.
"Place is trashed. Someone was here… but gone. What's this huge weapon?"
Neru scoured the room.
"There."
She aimed her Twin Dragon SMGs at the likeliest hiding spot and shouted.
"Hey, I know you're there! Come out!"
(Eek!)
(Keep quiet! Scary…)
(Alice knows… That's a yankee.)
(Or maybe a Yakuza…)
(Definitely not!)
"Not under the desk… Where?"
They weren't under the desk or in a corner—they were on the ceiling.
Mash, with the trio clinging to him, jumped, dug his fingers and toes into the ceiling, and stuck perfectly.
(How does Sensei stick like that?)
(Grip strength.)
(You're unreal…)
"Tch, I sense them, but where?"
(Nobody'd guess the ceiling! We win! Pavane arc, done!)
(Momoi, that's a jinx.)
(Not my fault this time!!)
Neru glanced up.
"No way… Underground? Or… above?"
(Crap.)
(Big sis, stop talking!)
Just then—
"Um!"
"Huh?"
"Neru-senpai! Emergency!"
It was Yuzu, Game Dev's leader—a goddess of salvation.
"Who're you?"
"Yuzuki, Seminar! Combat robots are rampaging, wrecking everything! Akane, Karin, and Asuna-senpai are trying to stop them, but…"
"Rampaging? Weren't those confiscated ages ago? Still not fixed?"
"We need help… I heard you were here…"
A lie. The robots were mostly destroyed, but Neru didn't know. Yuzu bet everything on this bluff.
"Fine. Where?"
"Thank you! Second floor… B-block, I think."
"Big area, but whatever. You staying?"
"I'll clean up here. I'm… scared of combat. Not much experience."
Neru nodded, muttering, "Got it," and strode to the doorless exit. She turned back.
"Listen, kid. Combat's not about weapons or experience—it's guts."
"Guts…"
"I know how I'm seen. You're a scaredy-cat, obvious. But calling out to me, a stranger? That takes guts."
"Y-Yes! Thank you!"
"See ya."
Neru left. When her footsteps faded, Yuzu collapsed.
"Phew…"
"Yuzu, amazing!"
"Thanks, Yuzu-chan!"
"No, I… Where are you guys?"
"Look up!" Monotone.
"Wah!?"
Yuzu gaped at Mash on the ceiling. He landed, lowering the sisters.
"Now we can search for the mirror!"
"One last push, everyone!"
"Yeah!!"
They found the mirror, escaped, and claimed the treasure, clearing the dungeon.
Mash's team won.
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