Episode 66: Escape and Planning
The retrieval of the experiment records is complete!
Everyone’s already escaped, leaving it completely empty!
“Hahaha, there’s no way I could be stopped by such a shoddy security system! I’ll just take all the data with me~ ^_^”
With the help of the Star Reader’s Staff, I successfully obtained the data to present to Mikage Academy.
Now, all that’s left is to meet up with the seniors.
I arrived at the place where I first parted ways with Mizuki Senpai.
It’s been utterly trashed by Rokuhara, leaving piles of rubble everywhere.
Hmm, this must be the spot?
“Then, I suppose I should deactivate Super Mysterious Beautiful Girl. From here on out, you should do your best as Na Takikai.”
My outfit scattered in an instant, returning me to my original uniform.
Though torn in places from the battle with Rokuhara, it still isn’t enough.
I need to make it look like there was an even more intense fight.
I tore my uniform further for dramatic effect and used the rubble to add some minor wounds.
Hahaha, even the pain feels good right now.
Finally, leaning against the wall and sitting down with my head bowed completes the act.
This way, it will seem as though I’ve survived a fierce battle.
“Mu, they’re coming soon… Hmm? There seems to be more than expected?”
Of course, there’s Miroku Senpai’s share too, so naturally, there are more people than before.
Hahaha, Star Reader’s Staff, please don’t let me down.
As I teased the clumsy Star Reader’s Staff while waiting, eventually, multiple footsteps approached.
“—Kei!”
It’s Mizuki Senpai’s voice.
But I mustn’t respond yet.
To maintain the illusion that I’ve been unconscious until now, I need to be woken up.
“Hold on!”
As my shoulder was shaken, I slowly opened my eyes as if waking up.
“…Ah, Mizuki Senpai…”
“Are you alright, Kei?”
“Yes… somehow.”
Saying that, I looked up.
Woah, Mizuki Senpai is so close!
She looks great…
“You held up well against Rokuhara.”
“W-well, Sorciera intervened midway through… and somehow…”
“…I see, so Sorciera came here too?”
I nodded.
Then, I glanced behind her.
There was Toa, relieved that I’m safe, and Miroku Senpai, who seemed filled with guilt, thinking she had caused my injuries.
“Kei-kun”.
Miroku Senpai bowed her head upon seeing me.
“I’m sorry. I acted recklessly alone and dragged everyone into it…”
“Not at all, there’s no need for apologies!”
Apologies are unnecessary.
Rather, I should apologize for getting to witness something so incredible for free.
Just as I was about to tell her to lift her head…
“Lift your head—”
When Miroku Senpai bowed, I caught sight of It clinging to her back.
An emerald-haired little girl peeked out curiously from behind her.
…Huh!?!?!?!?
“Ahh, Ciel…?”
Right?!
Isn’t that the Demons Gear from earlier?
Eh, why did you bring it?
There’s already one crazy Demons Gear at Factom General Academy; why increase the count?
“Hehe, aren’t you embarrassed?”
Not now for compliments!
We’re talking about the bad-luck count here!
And what’s worse, it’s a Demons Gear I don’t even know about…
Moreover, Miroku Senpai is touching it!
“M-Miroku Senpai! What’s t-that behind you..!?”
“Oh, you mean Nana-chan?”
Miroku Senpai smiled casually and showed me the child she referred to as Nana-chan.
“This child… well, various things happened, so I brought her along.”
“Eh…?”
Absolutely not, right?
Because she’s a Demons Gear, isn’t she?
“Ahh, it’s about time.”
Huh? Miroku Senpai? What are you doing opening the attaché case?
…Miroku Senpai!? Why are you taking out a syringe, Miroku Senpai!?
“Hey”
“Eh?”
Miroku Senpai expertly jabbed it into her arm.
After injecting the liquid with equal ease, she closed the attaché case.
“…Eh? E, eh?”
I was surprised at first. But after seeing it three times, I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I’m still… injections are scary and…”
What exactly happened while I was stealing the data?
“I’ll explain to Kei-kun eventually. For now, please understand that this child is also a student at Factom General Academy.”
“…I see, understood.”
Well, if it means more beautiful girls around, then it’s fine…
“Nana-chan, can you give a brief self-introduction?”
Upon Miroku Senpai’s words, Nana-chan tilted her head.
By the way, why call her Nana-chan? Isn’t her real name Ciel?
“Is it necessary? That person already knows me, so it’s unnecessary.”
Eh?
Nana-chan looked at me and gently narrowed her eyes.
“Sister, it’s been a long time. I couldn’t greet you earlier because… ”
“Huh?”
The atmosphere froze.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards me.
“Ah, we’ve been found out~”
What am I supposed to do now!
Why does my identity have to be revealed like this? It’s super embarrassing!
Oh no, I need an excuse fast!
“…You mean Sorciera as ‘sister’?”
“Yes. To me, the original unit, Sorciera, is the only sister.”
“…That’s not true. This is… Ah, a while ago, Sorciera came here and fought.”
Spinning my eyes wildly, my brain whirring, I opened my mouth to speak.
“At that time, she unleashed numerous artillery magic spells. Since I was nearby, I ended up being bathed in her magical power. Perhaps this is why you’re mistaken?”
Silence once again enveloped the area.
How’d it go? Did it work?
“Wow, that was surprising. That makes sense! After all, Kei-kun lost consciousness here, right?”
Innocent Toa was the first to relax, visibly relieved.
Following her lead, the other two also softened their expressions.
Star Reader’s Staff! Now’s your chance to hide!
“Let’s leave the rest to you~”
Thinking this is none of her business, she says something casual…
“Indeed, you mentioned earlier that Sorciera suddenly appeared.”
“Yes… Apparently, their target was the Demons Gear that Rokuhara possessed. Leaving me behind, they quickly headed outside.”
Seizing Mizuki Senpai’s story, I pointed to the hole in the wall and stood up before Nana-chan could interject, saying,
“Therefore, Kiso Academy is currently in quite a mess! Let’s escape while we have the chance!”
“…But, sister…” “Escape! Uh, Nana-chan, right? Looking forward to working with you!” “…Yes.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s hurry and escape!”
At my words, Toa nodded.
These kinds of moments, when she agrees with my suggestions first thing, it’s not that she’s gullible… but really helpful.
■
The central district of Kisou Academy, being a popular tourist destination, has gates nearby.
Once we pass through those gates, we enter the autonomous zone of Hinotuchi Academy City.
Even entering combat-free zones or Ariannrod would suffice as an escape route.
However, whether we can reach there safely remains the question.
Two entities responsible for maintaining order within Kisou Academy pose concerns.
One is Rokuhara, bearing the title of Enforcer.
Empowered directly by the academy city, he can apprehend students from other schools based on his own judgment and is authorized to operate across different academy zones.
Honestly, this guy is the most troublesome. That’s why we dealt with him carefully.
If it weren’t for the paralysis poison, he’d probably be chasing us by now.
The second entity is the Kisou Academy Discipline Committee.
This organization maintains order solely within the autonomous zone.
Once we pass through the gate, it’s our territory.
So currently, the only obstacle standing between us and freedom is this Discipline Committee.
And right now, we’re being chased by them.
Help!
“Don’t stop running!”
“Yes!”
We’re currently speeding through the Kisou Academy district.
It didn’t take long for the Discipline Committee, alerted by the commotion, to find and start chasing us.
“Nana-chan, don’t bite your tongue!”
“No issues. I can handle combat alone to a certain extent, so this kind of shaking won’t be a problem… Gah… I bit it anyway.”
“Toa-chan, are you okay?”
Toa expressed concern.
Surprisingly, these guys have plenty of stamina.
Truly, they are excellent explorers.
Their stamina rivals athletes’, able to keep pace with cars, and they excel at tag games.
“Kyaa, they’re shooting at us!”
However, if we’re explorers, then they are too.
Moreover, the Discipline Committee resolves disputes among explorers.
They’re skilled. In fact, I recognize the figure of one of the original characters, the vice-chairman of the Discipline Committee.
It would be fine if it were Touak-kun, but for us now, they’re extremely bothersome.
“…Should we burn them?”
“It might be a ploy to slow us down. We should keep running.”
“But, Mizuki-chan must be reaching her limit, right? She shouldn’t be able to use those abilities so freely.”
“Muuu”
Though dissatisfied, Mizuki Senpai reluctantly agreed.
Yeah, yeah, if things get tough, I’ll transform into Sorciera.
Besides, a war between Factom General Academy and Kisou Academy would be disadvantageous.
For now, we have the moral high ground of rescuing comrades from illegal experiments and the confusion surrounding Sorciera’s appearance. However, if we seriously clash with the Discipline Committee, it would give Kisou Academy an excuse.
Thus, escape is our only option.
“…Yeah, we can’t let this throw off our plans.”
Mizuki Senpai muttered.
Hm? Is something starting without me knowing?
Lately, hasn’t my role as the knowledgeable one been lacking?
Just as I was about to ask Mizuki Senpai,
“That’s right, stick to the plan. No unnecessary actions.”
A voice came from somewhere.
No, actually, it was from Mizuki Senpai’s Dive Gear.
While running, Mizuki Senpai operated her Dive Gear, expanding the window horizontally.
A familiar face appeared on the screen.
“How long have you been listening to our conversation, Rinka?”
Rinka laughed, saying “Don’t make it sound like I’ve been eavesdropping.”
“We’ve hacked… Well, let’s say I’ve done a bit of tinkering with the surveillance cameras around here. I’ve been collecting information step-by-step. And coincidentally, I picked up some audio.”
Did she say hacking? Did she hack into Kisou Academy’s systems?
“The plan is proceeding smoothly. There’s no issue with sticking to Plan A as initially envisioned.”
“Yup yup, I’ve been watching. I was wondering what to do when you got all beat up. Touak-kun insisted on rushing over immediately, and it was tough to hold him back.”
“I caused you worry.”
“Haha, I wasn’t worried. Didn’t we decide to help? So, I knew we’d pull it off.”
Rinka and Mizuki Senpai both smiled faintly simultaneously.
What is this? I sent a questioning glance to Toa, who also smiled in relief.
Seeing that, all Miroku Senpai and I could do was stare blankly.
“Mizuki Senpai… What’s going on here?”
“This mission to rescue Miroku had assistance. Or rather, it involved cooperation from another academy.”
“Exactly. Long time no see, Na Takikai-kun.”
“……Long time no see.”
Super intense pressure.
Awful, she’s looking straight at me.
“We made a deal. A mutually beneficial trade. And to execute the plan perfectly, we assigned roles to each party.”
“Our role was to rescue Miroku or at least reach that location. However, this time we achieved the best possible outcome among our projections. …Had it not been for Sorciera’s interference, it could have been dangerous.”
“Indeed, that was a variable within our expectations. We anticipated Sorciera’s intervention.”
Saying that, Rinka grinned knowingly.
Eek, she’s looking at me again.
“You all performed your roles flawlessly. Now, it’s our turn… Right, both of you?”
In response to Rinka’s words, a gunshot echoed.
One of the discipline committee members, shot through, collapsed to the ground.
Caught off guard by the sudden counterattack, the rest halted and became cautious. But almost instantly, most of them fell to the ground where they stood.
It was as if they had lost consciousness, collapsing lifelessly.
This scene was familiar.
Disconnection interference targeting awareness.
His signature method to win without harming his opponents.
“—Alright, from here on, it’s our job.”
Two shadows descended, protecting us.
Probably disposable transfer magic.
Given their precise timing, having been observing us, I recognized them.
“…Touak, Mihaya.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kei-kun.”
“Not that you were waiting, judging by that expression. But, your shocked face makes me feel good.”
Tooth Tower Touak and Futaba Mihaya.
The duo later known as Mikage Academy’s strongest force appeared as if to help a friend.
Why??!!
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ni hyōi tensei shita ore wa TS o akiramenai, かませ役
