Chapter 70

Episode 70: Plunder and Defeat

The day after the negotiations at Mikage Academy.

It seems no one has noticed that I secretly slipped away and conducted a godlike negotiation with Yukihira.

“Throughout, it felt like I was being toyed with, huh.”

Shut up!

Mysterious Beautiful Girls always toy with their opponents!

And so, I punish this personification of filth that is far worse than garbage as a Mysterious Beautiful Girl.

“Huff! Huff!”

Ha ha ha, calm down there, Star Reader’s Staff.

Being full of spirit is good, but a Mysterious Beautiful Girl must remain cool.

Yes, even if the opponent is a beast who has taken over and discarded the bodies of many beautiful girls.

…Thinking about it makes me angry again!?

I’ll kill him, definitely kill him!

Huff! Huff!

“You’re not much better yourself. How did you manage to hold back during the day?”

It’s currently one o’clock in the morning.

The plants and good children are sleeping at this hour.

Incidentally, Factom General Academy is fully enjoying nap time regardless of day or night right now.

There’s no way they would attempt any rescue; the three of them plus Nana were beautifully and gracefully blooming lilies together.

Having witnessed that scene through my eyeballs, I have already reached super Mysterious Beautiful Girl status, with power crackling intensely.

I can kill him anytime!

“―Is the Professor around here?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I said while deliberately holding my hair.

The high places really do have a nice breeze, huh?

“He will come here.”

I am located in one of the autonomous zones of Kisou Academy.

I’ve been standing guard on a pleasant spot on the rooftop while gazing at the back alleys.

And naturally, Jouka is by my side.

This girl needs to let off some steam before becoming a terrorist…

She seems to particularly dislike Professors, doesn’t she? After we kill this guy, will you stop? Maybe transfer to Mikage Academy?

“Still, you properly called me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, it was a promise.”

“Will the Professor really come?”

“Of course.”

“Then, that’s fine.”

Though polite, this is far from her usual cheerful demeanor.

Somehow, she feels cold… Is this your true self?

Don’t you frequently click your tongue? Aren’t you that type of character?

Well, that’s still a fine beautiful girl.

“We’ve already marked that beast’s location. Please don’t think you can escape from me.”

How reassuring.

It was a good idea to let Star Reader’s Staff memorize the Professor’s magical power.

If we let that guy escape, someone else will become a victim…

“Finally…with my own hands…”

Jouka is tightly clenching her fists filled with intense emotions.

Scary… A beautiful girl’s angry face is scary…

“Umm, he should be passing through here soon.”

Upon hearing the words of the Star Reader’s Staff, I look toward the other end of the alley.

Sure enough, I see a girl ― the Professor desperately trying to escape.

Her skin is battered, her hair disheveled… damn, is this what a beautiful girl looks like?

A beautiful girl should be more like―

“…Hikari.”

That’s right, a beautiful girl should radiate light.

Jouka understands this point well!

As the Professor passes beneath our eyes, two shadows appear following them.

They turn out to be the protagonist and main heroine from the original story whom I know well.

Huh???

Why??

I momentarily panicked but quickly remembered.

It must be a capture order from Mikage Academy.

Just like in the original story.

However, it would be troublesome if they catch him here. We need to kill this guy, right?

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Thus, we intend to fight Tourak and the others to take the Professor.

By the way, lately, we’ve been interacting with Mikage Academy students quite often.

This isn’t good.

Factom General Academy and Mikage Academy are sister schools, but I want to be left alone.

A Mysterious Beautiful Girl is bound by nothing.

So, I decided to distance myself with a somewhat cold attitude.

Incidentally, let’s resolve some omitted defeat events involving Tourak here.

Of course, I won’t actually strike the original protagonist seriously.

With a cold attitude, we’ll swiftly snatch the Professor and cleanly eliminate him.

“Kill him ― ^^^^^^.”

We jumped down between the Professor and Tourak.

■

Capturing the mastermind behind illegal experiments, the Professor, was a mission given to Tourak and Mihaya.

Kisou Academy and Mikage Academy are enemies.

Therefore, large-scale searches were impossible, and the two individuals chosen for their sufficient capability were natural choices.

One reason for their selection might also be due to having understood the enemy’s habits somewhat after yesterday’s battle with the Kisou Academy Discipline Committee.

In fact, based on the data collected by Rinka, Tourak and Mihaya were successfully cornering the Professor.

Or so it seemed.

“That’s our prey.”

Before them appeared the figure chasing after the fleeing Professor.

Unfitting for the decrepit back alley, a black and white dress danced lightly in the air.

“…Kei-kun.”

“It’s probably Solciera judging by the vibe. And most likely, she’s trying to interfere with us.”

Tourak looked sorrowfully, while Mihaya stared resolutely at Solciera.

Next to her stood an unfamiliar girl.

“Nice to meet you~ My name is Jouka. Remember it when you leave. Ah, please give me feedback and likes too!”

Her voice was cheerfully upbeat.

Contrary to its seemingly innocent tone, her right hand was pressing the Professor’s neck against the wall.

“Hey, let go! I’m the Professor! Do you know who you’re laying hands on?!”

“Ahh, yes yes. Don’t talk with that appearance. I’ll feel the urge to explode you immediately.”

A mechanical frog leaps into the Professor’s mouth.

The Professor struggles in distress, but the restraint isn’t going to break that easily.

“I appreciate what happened at Factom General Academy.”

For her, this was a rare expression of gratitude.

It must mean that much to her.

Solciera continued, “However…”

“One person would have been enough. There was no need to help.”

“…That incident was necessary to create a pretext for war against Kisou Academy. So, saying ‘it wasn’t help’ might satisfy you?”

That’s sophistry.

Tourak and the others moved to assist Solciera and Factom General Academy, and their actions lacked ulterior motives.

What existed was merely a post-hoc justification for those with power to act.

However, pointing that out would never be acknowledged by Tourak and the others.

Knowing this, Solciera uninterestedly replied, “That’s right”.

“By the way, what do you plan to do with that person?”

Mihaya still had her gun aimed at Solciera.

This was because she already knew the answer that would follow.

“―I will kill her.”

It was spoken as if reciting a poem.

As though discussing tomorrow’s weather, Solciera uttered these words without any weight.

One smiled, another sadly lowered their eyes, and one placed their finger on the trigger.

Among the three different reactions, Tourak was the first to speak.

“This person has a capture order from Mikage Academy. Therefore, we’d like you to hand them over.”

“What happens after handing them over?”

“They will be judged under the law. That’s what should happen.”

Solciera sighed with disappointment.

“No good. The law isn’t enough to judge this. How many tragedies has this person lived through?”

Solciera positioned the scythe’s edge at the Professor’s neck.

“I will kill and judge.”

“Yes! Using the judicial system for such trash is a waste, a complete waste!”

With a bright smile, Tourak realized the difference between the world he and Solciera inhabited.

For them, killing is just one means.

Not a taboo, but an immediate option available.

Just how much hell must one witness to fall this far?

Tourak, who has never killed anyone, doesn’t understand.

But he knows people with the same eyes.

(They’re the same eyes as Dad.)

The Gatou family is a lineage of explorers specialized in killing illegal explorers and those who harm humanity.

Therefore, all adults in the Gatou family have experience taking someone’s life.

And each of them invariably carries the cold light of lead sunk in water in their eyes.

Solciera’s eyes emitted precisely that chilling light.

“Ara, what do you plan to do with Lutra?”

“Stop her.”

Tourak said that.

Yet, his mind couldn’t visualize stopping the scene before him.

Still, he was certain that if he lets this moment pass, he’ll never truly save Solciera.

“If my partner says that, I can’t back down either.”

Mihaya also aimed at Solciera.

She knows this girl’s capabilities.

There’s no room for carelessness.

“Lutra, one swing.”

“Understood.”

Prolonged combat would only aid in focusing Solciera’s magical convergence.

Tourak, having seen video footage of Solciera’s battle against Rokuhara, quickly selected an effective strategy against her.

He sheathed his sword and held it at waist level.

One strike, ultra-short-term decisive battle type.

(This single stroke. Beyond that, I see no chance of victory for me against her.)

The concept of cutting accumulates within Lutra, refined into extraordinary power.

This single stroke is undoubtedly a blade capable of reaching the very world itself.

“Should we help?”

“Not necessary. This is just child’s play.”

Saying that, Solciera made her scythe disappear.

Instead, she summoned a short sword familiar to Tourak.

“That’s…”

“Lutra, be careful―”

A warning from her trusted sword.

But he didn’t respond to it.

Before Tourak could respond,

Before Mihaya could pull the trigger,

Faster than anything, a silver wind blew once.

“Wha―”

“!??”

Defense was impossible.

Even tracking it with the eyes was beyond them.

Together, Tourak and Mihaya collapsed onto the ground.

Their slightly cut arms told the tale of what had occurred.

“Too slow. Everything.”

Supporting the fallen duo, Solciera bluntly assessed them.

Then, propping their backs against the wall, she activated a teleportation magic circle in front of the Professor.

“Wait!”

“No, you lost. Understand that there are worlds that kindness alone cannot save.”

Unable to move their numbed bodies,

Tourak could only watch as she took the Professor into the magic circle and disappeared.

(I haven’t changed at all since back then…)

That was himself before meeting Lutra—worthless.

Powerless, with ideals smoldering faintly in his chest, he was a small, insignificant version of himself.

“…President, sorry. The Professor was…taken…from us.”

At the sound of her voice, Tourak’s will emerged from the sense of powerlessness.

Looking over, his partner was forcing her numbed body to move and perform communication via Dive Gear.

Though burdened by her own lack of strength, it wasn’t a reason to stop acting.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s Solciera.”

The conversation partner—Yukihira—had foreseen Mihaya’s words and mentioned Solciera’s name first.

While his body was numb, having his words predicted like this was quite comforting.

“She’s going to judge according to her own ego. Hmm, she seems to be driven emotionally these days. Ugh, her thoughts are unreadable and troublesome. Ah, both of you can return.”

“Is it…okay?”

Surprisingly casual reaction shocked the two.

“Yeah. There’s no need. Besides, we have the Professor’s experiment records anyway. Also, fighting Solciera isn’t favorable. Let’s consider this as letting her handle it. Yep.”

“But…!”

“Tourak-kun, I’m saying it’s unnecessary. Do you understand?”

His voice was gentle, like a parent advising a child.

Clearly explaining in a way that calms a stubborn child.

“We can’t afford to lose a Demon’s Gear user and her excellent partner. Come back. If you’re found by Kisou Academy’s Demon’s Gear users or the Discipline Committee, it’ll be trouble.”

“…Understood.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Foreseeing the future and concluding further conversation unnecessary, Yukihira ended the call unilaterally.

Silence enveloped the surroundings.

“This is…what we are now.”

Mihaya muttered quietly.

Yesterday, they thought they had helped Solciera.

But apparently, that was just wishful thinking.

“Yeah, we couldn’t even fight Solciera.”

“Sis, she’s stronger than before. We absolutely can’t win against her now.”

At Lutra’s words, Tourak almost sighed but instead looked up at the night sky.

“We need to get stronger.”

“…Right.”

Using this feeling of powerlessness as firewood, heat spreads from deep within his heart.

Now, it has grown into a massive flame roaring loudly inside Tourak.

(Because I’m not strong, she won’t look at me. So, I’ll become strong enough that she can’t ignore me.)

It’s a selfish wish born partly out of obstinacy.

A unilateral and dogmatic determination to destroy the value system created by tragedy.

An utterly self-centered will that normal people might dismiss as trivial.

“We need to grow stronger, even more. So that she doesn’t have to bear any more sins.”

And that is precisely the quality of a hero.

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