Inside the club room, the remnants of Utaha's screams still lingered in the air, mixed with the cheap chemical smell of red marker.
Yukino held her phone, her fingertip hovering over the call button with a face turning blue.
"I'm calling the police." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like it was carved from a block of ice. "Unauthorized entry, attempted assault, and destruction of others' property. Darius-kun, your actions today are enough to land you in a juvenile rehabilitation center until you're an adult."
"You can't do that."
Darius shook his head, his expression as serious as someone attending a state funeral. He pointed at a handkerchief that had accidentally fallen from Utaha's bag when she fled earlier, now slightly stained with red.
"That's a Stigma." Darius's tone was filled with pity for the ignorant. "That's residual spatial coordinates left behind when the Evil God's projection was successfully repelled. Reporting to the police will only expose ordinary people to this bad karma and expand the contaminated area. You're gambling with the sanity of all teachers and students in this school."
Yukino's chest heaved violently. (I want to argue, I want to scream that 'it's just marker ink', but seeing his eyes so convinced and unwavering, helplessness overwhelms me.)
Arguing logically with a madman is fundamentally the most illogical act.
"Besides." Darius changed the topic while pointing at the black spot on the floor from the burned cookie crumb, "We just experienced an S-class object containment failure incident, immediately followed by the exorcism of a high-risk Evil God Priestess. The defense system of this club room has shown serious flaws."
He walked toward the fallen door panel and kicked it with his toe.
"Zero structural strength, can't withstand any physical impact."
He then pointed at the black spot on the floor.
"Negative energy resistance, can't even contain plasma leakage from a single carbon-based biscuit."
Finally, he stared at Yukino.
"Security personnel (meaning Yukino) has unstable emotions, easily provoked by enemy verbal attacks (meaning Darius), and unpredictable combat effectiveness."
He spread his hands, giving his conclusion: "This headquarters is no longer safe."
Just then, the sound of rapid, heavy high-heeled footsteps approached, like an out-of-control road roller.
"Yukinoshita! Yuigahama! I think I just heard Kasumigaoka-san screaming?"
Shizuka's figure appeared at the destroyed door. When she saw the scene inside the room, her words immediately stopped.
The door panel lay on the floor, there was a strange black spot on the floor, the air smelled odd, Yukino looked like an iceberg about to erupt, and Yui was clutching a bag of "weapons" while trembling.
And in the midst of it all, Darius stood at the center of the ruins with a professional expression as if "this problem is very complex."
The corner of Shizuka's eye began to twitch. (How long have I been gone? Half an hour? Was this place just raided by Godzilla?)
"Da... rius..."
"Report, Hiratsuka-sensei!"
Darius preempted Shizuka's fury with a perfect upright posture and a resounding voice.
"Under my brilliant command and Yukinoshita's valiant struggle, we just successfully thwarted an evil conspiracy from outside the school aimed at overthrowing Sobu High through mental pollution! Although there were some sacrifices, we succeeded in maintaining school peace!"
He pointed at the chaos around him with a tragic tone: "This battle revealed many gaps in our club room's defense system! I strongly recommend immediately applying for special funding to upgrade the door panel to a titanium alloy blast-proof door, coat the floor with anti-radiation layers, and equip D-Class Personnel Yukinoshita with a stun gun and sedatives to handle emergency situations!"
Shizuka: "😐"
She felt like her brain had been poured with a ton of cement. She understood every word, but when combined, the words formed chaotic logic that could drive a sane person mad.
"I..." Shizuka took a deep breath, her lungs felt like they were burning, "I'm going to kill you!"
In the midst of that roar, the iron fist gathering all the hatred of this single female teacher shot out again.
"Danger!"
Darius shouted, his body flashed, and instantly hid behind Yui's back, holding the girl's shoulders and using her as a human shield.
"Yuigahama Bunker, activate! Quick, protect me with your anti-matter grenade!"
"Eh? Eh eh eh?"
Yui was pulled by him, starting to spin around the table in the cramped club room, truly performing the scene of "King Qin circling the pillar."
Shizuka's fist several times nearly struck the characteristic bun on Yui's head, but she forcibly stopped just in time.
"Darius! Get out from there!"
"I can't come out! I'm the commander, the commander must not die! Yukinoshita, quickly activate your 'Apocalypse Witch' mode, control this rampaging elite monster!"
Yukino just coldly watched this spinning comedy without saying a word. Her SAN (Sanity) value had already fallen below a certain threshold, now she had entered "Sage Mode."
(Just destroy it all, hurry up, I'm tired.)
The chase finally ended after Shizuka's energy was completely drained. She leaned against the wall panting. She lost. Not in strength, but morally and physically.
"Good... very good." Shizuka regulated her breathing, pointing at Darius. "Ten thousand word self-reflection essay, title: Analysis of How to Conduct Club Activities Without Destroying the School. Submit it to my desk tomorrow morning. One word short, and I'll drown you in Tokyo Bay."
She then looked at Yukino with a complicated gaze.
"Yukinoshita."
"Yes."
"Starting today, your Service Club activities have one additional long-term task." Shizuka's tone was non-negotiable. "Monitor Darius. Whatever he does, whatever he destroys, everything will be recorded under your name and will directly affect your year-end evaluation."
Yukino's pupils contracted instantly. This was collective punishment. This meant she and this madman were completely bound together.
"Why?" She asked, not understanding.
"Because." Shizuka showed a smile worse than crying, "I realized that only when you're present, his efficiency in destroying the school is at its lowest level. Consider this... for world peace."
After saying that, Shizuka dragged her exhausted body and left without looking back. She needed a pack of cigarettes—no, a carton of cigarettes—to calm her heart that had just been on a roller coaster today.
The club room returned to silence.
Darius emerged from behind "Yuigahama Bunker." straightening his slightly disheveled collar as if nothing had happened before.
He walked toward the door that now only had its frame remaining, took out the red marker that had just performed great service from his pocket, then tore a sheet of white paper from the table.
He wrote a line on the paper, then solemnly attached it to the door frame.
[SCP Sobu High Branch]
[Warning: Vicious Dog (referring to Yukino), Enter Without Permission at Your Own Risk]
After completing that, he clapped his hands with satisfaction. A proper headquarters must have a clear identity.
Just then, a figure appeared at the door.
It was a somewhat chubby young man, wearing an unseasonable trench coat, disheveled hair, and wearing black-framed glasses.
He ignored the strange warning paper on the door, one hand touching his chest, the other pointing to the sky, then declaiming in a tone like singing:
"The wheel of destiny begins to turn. I, the Sword General who masters the Sword of Light and Darkness, have finally found my destined stage! You all, are you ready to welcome my dominant aura?"
The corner of Yukino's eye twitched violently.
(Another one? Is today a mass field trip day for mental hospital patients?)
Meanwhile, Yui stared at the person with curiosity.
However, Darius's reaction was truly different. His gaze changed instantly. It was a gaze full of passion like he had just discovered rare material.
He stared at the chubby person posing in chūnibyō style, and the corner of his mouth slightly lifted.
"Excellent." He murmured lowly. "D-Class Personnel has arrived at their post."