"So, to summarize: the General Student Council President, the final administrator of the Sanctum Tower, has been missing for several weeks. And this Sensei here is the person she designated as the advisor for 'SCHALE,' the Federal Investigation Club, an extrajudicial organization she created before her disappearance... and at present, Sensei is the only one who can regain control of the Sanctum Tower. Is that the story?"
"That is correct. As SCHALE is fundamentally a federal club, it can recruit students from any academy without restriction, and it can conduct combat operations within each academy's autonomous district without constraints. We do not know why she created a club with this much authority, but..."
"Th-Then what are we standing around for?! For the last week, I've been so busy I've been sleeping an hour less than usual!"
"Yes, you need not be so impatient. We were just about to move on to that topic."
Rin pushed her glasses up with her fingertips, turned on the screen of the tablet PC in her hand, and displayed a map for us.
"SCHALE's clubroom is located in a district on the outskirts, about 30 kilometers from here. It is currently an empty building, but on the President's orders, a certain item was placed in its basement. To retrieve control of the Sanctum Tower, we must first take Sensei there."
With that, Rin tried to call Momoka, the Chief of Transportation, on her radio, but even after a long wait, there was no response from the other end.
"Momoka. Momoka?"
"Hey, Rin-chan. There's no answer."
"This is a problem. Without a helicopter, we will have to travel on foot..."
"Right, that is a problem☆ And the road conditions outside are a total mess right now."
The problem wasn't that the outside world was a warzone or anything. One way or another, thanks to the hard work of the Defense Office and Valkyrie, public order in the D.U. was being maintained at a minimum level.
It was simply that the traffic system itself was in shambles. My guess is that the lack of response from Momoka's side is because she's literally being worked to death. As the one who's been single-handedly managing all the duties of the Transportation Office, she must feel an immense sense of responsibility for this situation. It's not surprising.
"30 kilometers..."
Sensei let out a groan. Regardless of whether it was possible to travel on foot, the time it would take would be extraordinary, so his reaction was perfectly natural.
"...Host of the Tea Party. There is one thing I would like to ask. When you came here, did you... arrive by helicopter?"
"I'll answer if you call me Mika-ssi☆"
"..."
Wow, was it really necessary to make such a disgusted face? Honestly.
Sometimes, looking at Rin, she feels like a hedgehog with its quills sharply raised. Life would be easier if she'd just relax a little... though that seems like a distant prospect in the current situation with the President gone.
"W-Wait a minute. Host of the Tea Party... I mean, Mika-ssi. If a helicopter is available, then shouldn't we stop wasting time like this?"
"You're right, Yuuka-chan. It would be easier for her too if she'd just shorten the title, but to think she'd rob us of our precious time because she can't bring herself to say that one little thing... isn't Rin-chan just too much?"
"...You're exactly the person the President described."
Wait, what? What did Hina tell Chinatsu for her to react like that? I'll definitely have to interrogate Hina thoroughly about this later.
"...Hahh. I understand, Mika-ssi. A helicopter to take Sensei to the SCHALE clubroom... you do have one ready, correct?"
I casually ignored her murderous glare, which seemed to say she'd kill me if I answered no, and gave her the smile of a victor. This was but a small victory for me, but a great leap for mankind...
"...Is it ready?"
"It's definitely ready, so could you please stop glaring at me...?"
Sensei, who had been watching this whole situation in silence, looked like he had a lot on his mind. He must be overwhelmed, since everything is so confusing right now.
Anyway, it was time to head to the SCHALE building.
***
After seeing the state of the roads from the sky, Sensei's expression had grown quite serious. And for good reason—the view of D.U. from the helicopter was reminiscent of a city in the early stages of an apocalypse.
Normally, Wakamo would have incited delinquents to occupy SCHALE, leading to a recapture operation, but our former Fox of Calamity is busy with various things right now.
She's probably running around in special forces gear, beating up Black Market guards, I'd imagine. Thanks to that, we encountered no resistance as we landed at SCHALE and entered the building.
"The facilities here are quite impressive."
"What, a hangar...? How much of the General Student Council's budget went into this? And to prepare something like this and then disappear... it was planned, wasn't it?"
The facilities in SCHALE, which we saw on our way to the basement, were impressive enough to draw gasps of admiration. It seemed Chinatsu felt similarly.
Yuuka, however, seemed to have arrived at an uncomfortable truth: that the General Student Council President's disappearance was a thoroughly prepared scenario.
"Um... everyone, I've been wanting to ask for a while. Why are you all carrying guns? Does a gate suddenly open here, and monsters come through to attack people or something?"
"W-What? Sensei, that's something that only happens in novels, isn't it?"
"Come to think of it, I had forgotten that you are from outside Kivotos, Sensei. Unlike us, even a minor gunshot wound could be fatal for you."
Having seen the firing range with his own two eyes, Sensei voiced a natural question, yet his impression was somehow peculiar. Well, if I were dropped into Kivotos without knowing anything, I'd probably be bewildered as to why carrying firearms was the default, too.
"Ahaha. You can think of these guns as toys for us. Something like that, Sensei."
"Calling them toys is rude... no, I guess for you, they are toys. You did break a wall with your bare hands when you fought Neru-sunbae, after all."
"Hey, Yuuka-chan. Don't you think what you just said was the truly rude thing? Hm?"
"With her bare hands... a wall...?"
Sensei looked at me with eyes full of disbelief. Of course, who would believe that a girl who looks so delicate could blow away a wall with her bare hands? This was something you had to see to believe.
Honestly, wouldn't it be natural to be suspicious if someone said that kind of power came from these slender arms? I can control my strength as naturally as breathing now, but if I had shaken hands with Sensei in the early days of my reincarnation, I probably would have slipped up.
If something like that had actually happened... ugh.
When we arrived in SCHALE's basement, it was dark because the lights were off, but a familiar space revealed itself. The place where Sensei would rest outside of his work hours. It was, for all intents and purposes, about to become his home.
I turned on the weapon light I had received as a gift from Saori to illuminate the room. Rin, who gave a slight nod of thanks, walked to the central desk and picked up the white tablet PC resting on it. She then immediately held it out to Sensei.
"This is the item the General Student Council President left for you, Sensei... the 'Shittim Chest'."
Sensei, looking as if he were seeing something familiar, accepted the Shittim Chest.
As Rin explained the Shittim Chest to Sensei, I felt a gaze on me from the side, observing me intently. Yuuka was listening to Rin's explanation with Sensei, so that naturally left only Chinatsu.
"So, um..."
"I am Hinomiya Chinatsu, now serving as a medic in the Prefect Team. I have heard a fair amount about you from the President, Mika-nim."
"Right, come to think of it. You said earlier that I was just as Hina-chan described, didn't you? What on earth did she tell you...?"
"She said you were playful and a nuisance."
"...Don't tell me that was it?"
"I also seem to recall her saying your specialty is unconscious seduction, and that I should be especially careful when dealing with you. She also mentioned that she herself has already been hooked... As she said that, she gazed very fondly at a picture frame on her office desk."
"Wo—ow...?"
Hina, if you tell a new recruit to be careful not to get bewitched by that "fox," isn't my image going to get a little weird...?
Well, Hina tends to be completely honest when it's just the two of us talking, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much about what she says to others.
...Yes, I must protect our crybaby Prefect Team President's image. She's a charismatic and cool leader in front of her subordinates, so I can't carelessly tarnish that. Considering the Prefect Team's standing in Gehenna, Hina's public image must be maintained at all costs.
After browsing the books on a shelf for a while, I approached Yuuka and Rin, who were observing Sensei from a distance with Chinatsu.
I could see Sensei inputting something into the Shittim Chest.
That must be the password to activate it.
Right, it was definitely...
*...We desire. The Seven Wails.*
*...We remember. The Thema of Jericho.*
Yeah, I think it was something like that.
Not long after Sensei entered the password, the tablet's screen was bathed in a white light. Whether it was because of the light or for some other reason, Sensei closed his eyes.
And then.
[Mmm, castella... goes better with banana milk... than strawberry...]
"...?"
[Ehee... there's still plenty left...]
While Sensei had his hand on the Shittim Chest's screen with his eyes closed, I just blinked blankly. I couldn't understand this situation at all.
As far as I knew, the words of Arona, the main OS that manages the Shittim Chest, were supposed to be inaudible to anyone but Sensei. In the first place, their interactions take place in a space presumed to be inside the Shittim Chest.
But... why the hell can I hear Ttong-Arona's voice? (TN: Ttong-Arona is a common fan nickname for Arona, roughly meaning "Dumb/Poop Arona," often used affectionately when she's being unhelpful.)
***