Early in the morning, I was woken up by a series of frantic knocks at the door.
"Sensei! Sensei! Something's wrong! Wake up, hurry!"
Hearing Ayane's voice, I quickly threw on my clothes and opened the door to find her face filled with urgency.
"We've detected that Kaiser PMC has gathered a large-scale force! They're launching an attack on the school, and at the same time, carrying out indiscriminate strikes on the entire Abydos Autonomous Region!"
"What?" I frowned in surprise. "So they've already found a loophole in the contract?"
"It seems so... Please, gather everyone quickly and issue the sortie order!"
"You're right. It's time to move."
The surprise faded, and slowly, a smile crept across my face.
"We can't let our target escape now, can we?"
That overly strict yet flawed contract was destined, from the moment it was signed, to be exploited.
But that also gave us a chance to strike back.
Among the people we could reach, only the Kaiser PMC director was likely to know the Black Suit's true location.
As long as he deployed his troops, whether or not he personally entered the battlefield, if we gained the upper hand, we could negotiate again. We had already prepared for this moment.
They came faster than expected, but that only made things better.
Soon, the girls were all shaken awake, washing up in record time, grabbing their ready-to-eat breakfasts for the road. Once everyone was prepared, we boarded Schale's helicopter and headed straight for Abydos.
As I gazed into the distance, a thought crossed my mind.
What was Hoshino doing now? Was she regretting the choice she made?
Whatever she thought, now was the time for me to save Hoshino, and save Abydos.
——
"What are you doing?!"
Bound and unable to move, Hoshino knelt on the cold floor, staring in shock at the scene displayed before her by the Black Suit.
"Why? Why are you attacking the towns of Abydos?!"
The Black Suit tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "Why, you ask? Isn't this exactly what our contract stated?"
"What...?"
"To make Kaiser Corporation and Schale's Sensei disappear forever from Abydos High School."
He recited the words of their contract, then added with a cold tone, "If I remember correctly, your Foreclosure Task Force was never officially approved, was it?
"In other words, now that you, the last remaining member of the Student Council, have withdrawn, Abydos can no longer exist as an independent academy within Kivotos.
"So once the buildings carrying the name 'Abydos High School' are completely destroyed, our contract will be fulfilled.
"Because if there's no more Abydos High School, not Kaiser, not Schale's Sensei, not anyone in this world will ever be able to approach it again.
"That was the deal between us."
The shock in Hoshino's eyes slowly turned into anger, and faint traces of fear and confusion.
The Black Suit continued to speak with disarming honesty, laying out the full truth before the powerless girl.
"Supporting those ridiculous corporate scams was merely a diversion. We wanted to see what kind of impact a new, corporate-based academy would have on Kivotos.
"Hoshino, our true goal has always been you. We needed your signature on the contract to obtain every right you possessed. Our interests happened to align with Kaiser's, so we cooperated. Nothing more.
"It seems you misunderstood... If my words caused confusion, I apologize. But I never said our 'joint enterprise' included Kaiser."
At this, Hoshino suddenly asked, "Then what about Sensei?"
"Hm?"
"Your joint enterprise... does it include Sensei too?"
Even the Black Suit seemed taken aback. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"
Hoshino lowered her head and muttered, "It doesn't matter. Even if he wasn't your accomplice, I'm sure he had his own agenda."
"...Takanashi Hoshino, after all this, why do you still insist on denying the Sensei who helped you?"
She did not answer.
The Black Suit tilted his head, then murmured, "Don't tell me..."
"Shut up."
"...My, my. Forgive me for offending you." The Black Suit shrugged. "In any case, now that I've obtained a mystery as rare as you, I wouldn't dream of wasting it."
Then he delivered her fate without emotion.
"You will be studied, analyzed, and understood as an experimental subject.
"Only through this fascinating experiment can we observe what we truly seek.
"And that's all there is to it."
After that, he gave Hoshino a polite bow and left.
The heavy door closed behind him, sealing the cold, dark underground chamber where Hoshino sat alone.
After a long silence, her faint voice broke the stillness.
"I see... I've been deceived by adults again.
"I'm sorry... Shiroko, Nonomi, Serika, Ayane... I'm sorry... Yume-senpai..."
Drip.
A drop of water hit the cold floor.
"I... really am..."
And then, no more sound followed.
——
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted. Under the force of the blast, Kaiser PMC soldiers were flung high into the air before crashing back to the ground. Their damaged armor and vehicles could no longer move.
The Kaiser PMC director shouted in frustration and fury,
"What's going on?! Didn't we just clear the mines two days ago?! How could they possibly have planted so many again so soon?! Tell me! Were you slacking off?!"
Burning with the need to avenge his prior humiliation, the director had come to the battlefield himself.
Based on his subordinates' reports and the small number of Abydos students detected, he had assumed they couldn't have rebuilt their defenses in just a day.
So he led a small team to chase one of the Abydos students, only to realize too late that he'd walked straight into a minefield.
With no demining equipment, the only way out was to sacrifice men to clear the path.
And after the explosion at the hangar, their number of armed helicopters had plummeted. The few they brought could easily be shot down by hidden enemies.
Bringing in reinforcements would take time.
And time was the one thing they no longer had.
The director clenched his fists in anger and confusion, furious at his losses yet unable to comprehend how the enemy had managed to lay so many mines in such a short time.
—Meanwhile, not far away, inside a concealed base—
Listening to Ayane's battle report, I couldn't help but sigh.
"This is what we call the triumph of technology."
Most inventions from the Engineering Department seemed utterly useless at first glance.
But every invention had its moment to shine.
Take the Potato Mine Seeder MK1, a machine so useless it exploded its own mines by running over them. After a few adjustments, it found its purpose in this plan.
If the machine triggered mines by rolling over them, then why not remove the steel rollers that flattened the road... and drive it backward instead?
Thus, the Potato Mine Seeder MK2 was born.
It automatically planted mines at intervals and covered them with a thin layer of soil.
Normally, that would still be useless since the soil mounds were too obvious. No one would be stupid enough to walk over them.
But what if... it was in the desert sands of Abydos?
In a place already covered in yellow sand, all we had to do was replace the soil with sand.
That idea, combined with the Engineering Department's swift action, quickly became reality. While I was running errands yesterday, the specialists from Problem Solver 68 carried out the operation near Abydos High School.
"But why does it have to drive backward?!"
Nearby, Aru, who was aiming her sniper rifle and ready to shoot down enemy helicopters, protested loudly. "Can't you just put the mine-dropper at the back of the car? Driving in reverse is so inconvenient!"
"That's a question for the Engineering Department."
"Who are you and what have you done with the real Aru?!"
"Sensei! What's that supposed to mean?!"
After teasing Aru a bit, I turned my gaze back toward the Kaiser PMC director, now deep in the minefield, surrounded by only a handful of battered bodyguards. It was time to talk.
I took a deep breath and pulled out a nearly new loudspeaker I'd found in Abydos's storage.
"Director over there! Hey, Director! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? My number is... let me repeat, my number is XXX-XXX-XXX now hurry up and call me!"
The girls around me all clapped their hands over their ears. I gave them an apologetic look.
Serika snapped, "It's too loud! Sensei, why not just drop a radio over with a drone?!"
"Heh, you don't understand. This is a man's romance."
Saying that, I pulled another gadget from my bag, a retro telephone handset that could connect to a smartphone.
Aru blinked, then her eyes lit up. "Wait, that's so cool! Sensei, where did you buy that?!"
"Pretty stylish, right? I'll share the shop link with you later."
Just then, the phone rang. I picked up the receiver, cleared my throat, and spoke in a low voice.
"Hello, Director. It's been a few days. Hope you've been well."
"...Sensei. So it's your doing again. Fine, I admit it. You've won this round. What do you want?"
"I don't care how you exploited the contract. I'm not here to waste time talking in circles." I went straight to the point. "Tell me where Hoshino is. If you don't know, then tell me where the Black Suit is."
Even over the phone, I could hear his wariness.
"You're looking for the Black Suit?"
"To be precise, I'm looking for Hoshino. And he knows where she is, doesn't he?"
"...I see. I'll pass your contact along, but I can't guarantee he'll—"
"If you'd rather sit there waiting for reinforcements, that's your choice."
"...I'll do my best."
A burst of noise came through the line. After a moment, the director's voice returned.
"The Black Suit says he's willing to meet you, but only if you come alone."
"Alone?"
"Alone."
"..."
I fell silent.
If it was a trap meant for me... what then?
But...
At this point, only the Black Suit could reveal Hoshino's whereabouts. Only he could make it possible to save her.
I glanced around. Since I hadn't put the call on speaker, the students hadn't heard the details, but their eyes were filled with expectation.
Still, I hesitated.
Was it worth risking my life for such a faint chance?
I asked myself, and the answer was clear... It wasn't.
Hoshino, who didn't trust me. Hoshino, who hated me. Hoshino, who was stubborn and prideful. She wasn't worth a damn. Only a fool would agree to such a suspicious demand.
So...
"Tell the Black Suit," I said, closing my eyes, "I accept."
After all, I really am just the kind of fool who acts on his own whims.
In my heart, my life belongs to me alone.
How I use it is my decision.
Nothing more.
I hung up and smiled at the anxious girls.
"Everyone, the plan worked."
As cheers and relief spread through the room, perhaps I was the only one whose heart grew heavier.
——
After receiving the Black Suit's message, I went alone to the appointed place.
The man's bizarre appearance startled me, but he greeted me warmly, with an air of polite restraint.
"I've been looking forward to this, Sensei. I've long wanted the chance to speak with you face-to-face."
"So you're the Black Suit."
Suppressing my disgust, I shook his hand and sat down across from him at the desk.
"We know who you are... the mysterious being summoned by the President of the General Student Council herself. The owner of that lost relic, the 'Shittim Chest,' and the teacher of Schale's Investigation Department."
"Spare me the formalities, Black Suit," I said coldly. "Tell me where Hoshino is."
"My, my, such concern for her. Though I must say, she too seems rather fixated on you, in her own way."
So Hoshino still doubted me, then.
It didn't matter. I had expected as much. However she saw me, I'd long since prepared for it.
Even so, I couldn't deny a faint ache inside.
I steadied myself. "So then..."
He interrupted me. "Forgive me for asking, Sensei, but seeing how you two react to each other, I can't help but wonder. May I ask you a question?"
"Ask."
"I'm curious... Takanashi Hoshino's gun... it ended up in your hands, didn't it?"
"...What of it?"
"I see. My apologies, then. No wonder you care so deeply about her."
A faint smile curved his lips, his tone filled with meaning.
"I never would have guessed... that the two of you were lovers."