Mash Burnedead and the Defiant Ones
"…Huh?"
"…What's that about, all of a sudden…?"
Silence hung heavy.
Azusa's confession stunned the Remedial Class Club into bewildered silence. Mash, momentarily floored, recalled a past conversation that steadied his resolve.
Azusa stepped back from Mash and began.
"…I'm originally from Arius Branch School. I'm here at Trinity under a falsified identity."
"Arius Branch School…?"
"What's that? Never heard of it…"
"Arius Branch School—"
Hanako cut in, clarifying for the confused pair.
"It was a faction that opposed Trinity's alliance. Their rebellion caused friction with Trinity General Academy, and they've since gone underground somewhere in Kivotos."
"That's right," Azusa confirmed. "I was in the Arius District until I came here, tasked with infiltrating this academy."
"Infiltrating…"
Hifumi's mind reeled, her thoughts grinding to a halt. Still, as a friend, she struggled to process Azusa's circumstances.
"So… you're saying you're not originally a Trinity student. But what does that have to do with being a traitor…?"
"My mission," Azusa interrupted, her voice firm, her expression taut with resolve, "is to destroy the Halo of Nagisa Kirifuji, leader of the Tea Party."
"!?"
"To… kill Nagisa-san?"
"…Yes."
"No way, that's a lie, right!?"
"…I'm here to kill her. And… Sensei."
Azusa's gaze locked onto Mash, delivering a devastating truth that shattered one of his dreams.
"Arius… my comrades… they plan to kill you, Sensei."
"…"
"K-kill!?"
"Why… Sensei was trying to make peace with Arius!"
"It's impossible. Arius sees Schale as an enemy… and Sensei as a target for elimination."
Gah…!
Mash reeled internally. They hate me that much…? Damn, that's rough… The blow stung deeply.
"…Arius will stop at nothing to eliminate the Tea Party and Sensei."
"No… that's…"
"They deceived Mika, a Tea Party member, to get me enrolled here. I don't know the details, but they likely fed her lies about wanting peace with Trinity."
"I see," Hanako mused. "Mika-san isn't suited for politics, so they used her… and probably planned to pin the blame on her afterward, sparking internal conflict to fracture Trinity."
"Probably," Azusa agreed.
Arius aimed for Trinity's collapse through internal strife—a fittingly tragic end for such a place.
"And by revealing this, Azusa-chan, you're…"
"Wait, hold on!" Koharu interjected, thrusting herself between Hanako and Azusa.
"What are you even talking about!? Destroying the Tea Party's Halo, killing Sensei… I get that Azusa's from this 'Arius' place, but what does that have to do with us, the Remedial Class Club!? Why are you suddenly saying all this!?"
Azusa closed her eyes, Koharu's desperate words piercing her. They were pure, trusting, and they pained her deeply.
"…Tomorrow morning, Arius Branch students will invade Trinity to target Nagisa."
"!"
"…I have to protect Nagisa and stop Arius's scheme."
"Tomorrow morning!?"
"With martial law in effect and the Justice Task Force absent due to Nagisa's reckless exam stunt, it's the perfect time for an assassination. Arius has sharp strategists."
"Why do you have to do this, Azusa!? And tomorrow's the exam—"
"It's because—"
"Azusa-chan came to Trinity with that purpose from the start… right?"
Mash's calm tone drew Azusa's gaze, her eyes tinged with sorrow.
"…Sensei."
"You never intended to destroy Nagisa's Halo or harm me, did you?"
"…Azusa-chan joined this mission to protect Nagisa—as a double agent, essentially," Hanako added.
"…Hanako."
"You fed Arius false reports while preparing to betray them at the last moment, didn't you?"
"…You're not wrong."
"Then why protect Nagisa? Whose orders are you following?"
"No one's," Azusa replied firmly. "This is my choice… because I believe it's the right thing to do."
Her words carried the weight of her own conviction, unswayed by orders or pleas.
"If Nagisa dies, the Eden Treaty will collapse. Without that peace agreement, Kivotos will descend into deeper chaos—and more schools like Arius could emerge."
"For Kivotos's peace?" Hanako pressed.
"…Partly. I don't want more students like me to suffer. It's selfish, but it's also true."
"I understand," Hanako said, her piercing gaze meeting Azusa's. A tense silence followed.
"…A sweet, dreamy tale, as hollow as the Eden Treaty itself, don't you think?"
"Hanako-chan…?"
"Azusa-chan, you're a liar and a traitor."
"Yes."
"You hid your true self at Trinity, at Arius, deceiving everyone around you."
"…Yes."
"You deceived us, too. Everything we saw of you was a lie, wasn't it?"
"…"
"Those moments you happily ate cream puffs, or got along with Sensei like a sibling… all fake?"
Azusa nodded stiffly, fighting back tears. I can't cry… they're the ones who deserve to cry, to be angry.
"As I said before… I'd betray you all, your trust, your hearts. This crisis in the Remedial Class Club is my fault. Nagisa's reckless actions were because she was searching for me, the traitor."
Azusa bowed deeply.
"I'm so sorry… I know apologies can't fix this. Please, hate me. This is all my doing—every bit of it."
"Azusa-chan…"
"No way…"
"…Sensei… I'm sorry… You collapsed, nearly died… all because of me…"
Guilt crushed her, urging her to flee, but she stood firm.
"Please, Sensei… hit me. Seriously."
"Hit you!? Are you insane!?"
"Sensei's full-strength punch would—"
"It's fine. I deserve it. I endangered a life… so please, punish me."
Her plea was resolute, a student's wish. For a teacher, refusing it was unthinkable.
"Alright," Mash said.
"Sensei!?"
"If that's your wish, Azusa-chan."
"Wait! Yes, she lied, but—"
"Hifumi-chan, stop," Hanako urged.
"Why stop!?"
"Calm down… trust Sensei."
"…"
Mash stepped forward. At 171 cm, he towered over Azusa's 149 cm frame, his presence intimidating.
"…Azusa-chan."
She braced herself, expecting a slap or a punch—ready to accept any punishment as atonement.
This is fine…
Smack!
"Ow—…?"
"There. Punishment delivered. We're done. Don't worry about me collapsing—it was my fault anyway."
"…Huh?"
"So, what's next? We need to deal with Nagisa's issue first, right?"
"Wait, wait… what was that?"
"But first, food! I've got a new recipe to try—"
"What was that!? Sensei!!"
"…A forehead flick."
The light flick to her forehead stung, but that was all. Her punishment was over.
"That's not punishment! I need something harsher!"
"Do you? I don't think so."
"Why…?"
"Someone told me you were a traitor. But now I'm sure—you're not a bad person."
"Not… bad?"
"You acted to protect everyone's smiles, didn't you?"
The group froze, struck by Mash's words. Azusa had betrayed them, yes—but she chose to protect Nagisa and the Eden Treaty.
She acted for peace.
"I was shaken, sure. But that's it."
"But… I—"
"You said all the responsibility is yours, right?"
"Yes, I—"
"No. That's my job as your teacher."
It was his unshakable principle: no matter the sin, a student shouldn't bear the burden. That was the teacher's role.
"If Nagisa and Mika had trusted each other just a little, this might've been avoided. If someone had been kinder, we could've been happy together. That's all this is."
"Indeed," Hanako agreed. "Changing someone who's lost trust in others is hard. Trust itself is difficult—but…"
She approached Azusa, her expression softening.
"You opened up to us, Azusa-chan. You could've stayed silent or disappeared, but you faced us and apologized."
"I…"
"I'm sorry for being harsh earlier. Seeing your honest face… it stirred something in me."
"…I don't mind."
"You had countless chances to vanish unnoticed, but you didn't. I know why."
Hanako smiled.
"…Because the time with the Remedial Class Club was too precious."
"!"
"The time with Sensei, with us, doing all sorts of things… it was happiness, wasn't it?"
"…Yes."
"Working together, learning new things with Hifumi, Koharu, and Sensei… it was fun, so you couldn't let go. Right?"
"…Yes, exactly."
Her tension melted away, emotions settling in her chest.
"Learning, doing things together… those moments were too joyful to abandon. Relying on someone, eating together… it was the happiest time."
"I understand," Hanako said. "Someone else felt the same. To them, everything was meaningless, a prison. They wanted to quit school."
(That's…) Mash sensed something but stayed silent. Hanako despised Trinity—except for the Remedial Class Club, which she loved.
"But you're different, Azusa-chan. After saving Nagisa from Arius, what were your plans?"
"!"
"You betrayed Arius, deceived Trinity, and would've had nowhere to go. Yet you gave your all to the club."
"…I…"
"Unlike someone who sabotaged exams to escape, you lived every fleeting moment here to the fullest. Why go so far? What meaning does it hold when everything's supposedly 'vain'?"
Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas.
All is vanity.
Everything fades.
Every action is meaningless.
She'd known that.
But that was the past.
"…Someone taught me it's not all vain."
"…"
"When Sensei taught me to make cream puffs, I failed. I felt sad, empty… but…"
'It's okay. Everyone fails. Wanna try again?'
'Wow, Azusa-chan, a perfect cream puff! You didn't give up—great job!'
"That moment of success… I realized even if everything's vain, it's not a reason to stop fighting or give up!"
"Exactly," Hanako said. "That person learned it too—the joy of friends and school life."
The joy of effort, the wonder of doing what you love—Azusa discovered it here. Hanako decided this world wasn't worth abandoning.
"You're scared of putting everyone in danger, right, Azusa-chan?"
"…Yes."
"Then don't worry." Mash stripped off his shirt, revealing his training gear and flexing his chiseled muscles. "You've got me—and these muscles. They're unbeatable."
His words enveloped Azusa, who sank to her knees, covering her face.
"…I… I don't get it! This is all crazy, but I don't want Azusa to leave Trinity or get expelled! If there's a way, I'll help!"
Sniff "…Koharu…"
"Me too!"
"Even… Hifumi…"
"I don't know what I can do, but we've come this far. Together, we can overcome anything—I believe it!"
"I'll do everything I can!"
"Brilliant, Captain!" Hanako cheered.
"Kivotos's top comedian!"
"That's irrelevant! You're ruining the mood!"
"Everyone…"
"Haha! This is the Remedial Class Club, right!?"
"…Yes."
Koharu once hated the club, but now, like Hanako, she loved it. Hifumi and Mash felt the same.
"Alright, enough emotions—time for a counterattack!"
"Agreed!!"
To protect their home, they'd fight back—or strike first.
"We'll stop the attack on Nagisa, but we're also taking the exam. We'll ace it with over 90 points, leaving no room for complaints."
"Arius's attack… well, Sensei can handle it alone," Koharu said.
"Exactly."
(Normally impossible, though…)
"The problem's Nagisa. She won't believe us if we warn her."
"Yep, she'd probably hang up."
"So what do we do?"
"Simple, Koharu-chan. We've been toyed with by lies and schemes. Now it's our turn."
"Our turn…?"
"Yes. We've got a Justice Task Force member, a guerrilla warfare expert, a self-proclaimed ordinary student adored by the Tea Party, and me, who knows almost everything about Trinity."
"Adored…?"
"Plus, a master-key Sensei. Together, we can—"
"Flip Trinity in half a day! ♡"
"What!?"
"W-Wait, what's the plan!?"
"…Flip?"
"That's… intense."
Hanako's confidence was chillingly genuine. Mash knew she could do it. Don't cross her…
"We're just taking the exam and passing! ♡ The key is… acting!"
"Acting…?"
"Leave the strategy to me. I've got a plan."
"Hanako-chan, I'm a bit worried after that talk…"
"Trust me, Sensei! ♡"
"…Alright, I trust you. The plan's yours."
"Thank you! ♡ Now, let's begin, Captain Hifumi!"
"E-Eh!?"
"Your usual rallying cry! Make it epic!"
"O-Okay!"
Hifumi, as club leader, raised her fist to boost morale.
"I don't fully get the plan, but we'll be fine together!"
"Yeah!"
"Exactly."
"Absolutely! ♡"
"Cool, Hifumi-chan!"
"Our bond is unbreakable! Here we go—join in!"
"Remedial Class Club! FIRE!!"
"FIREEEE!!!"
Their hearts united, marking the true start of their counterattack.
"Let's prepare. Sensei, can you gather some things?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Ketchup, strawberry jam… lots of red liquid."
"Huh?"
"And tattered clothes—like those ruined in that explosion."
"Uh… what's the plan?"
"I'll handle makeup. We'll need photos, too… angles and setting matter… hehe…"
"Hanako-chan? Seriously, what's the plan?"
Hifumi shivered at Hanako's mischievous grin—a scheming witch or final boss vibe.
"We've been through hell, especially because of Nagisa-sama. Now it's our turn."
"Uh… yeah…?"
"We've been cornered physically and mentally. The body heals, but the mind? Not so easily. ♡"
"Sensei, Hanako's scarier than before…"
"Same here."
"There's a saying…" Hanako's expression gleamed with devious delight.
"An eye for an eye…
Payback… doubled! ♡"
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
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