"So, where'd you hide Nagisa-chan? I'm kinda short on time," Mika said breezily.
"No way I'm telling," Mash replied.
The Remedial Class Club held their breath. Mika's carefree demeanor radiated confidence, backed by over 100 Arius students. The club, including Mash, numbered only five.
"I could wipe you all out and search later, but that's a hassle. Spill it, and I'll be grateful. Though, someone here doesn't seem cooperative," Mika teased, eyeing Mash.
"Before I stop you, one question," Mash said.
"What's that, Sensei?"
"Why do this?"
"Wanna know? Guess I can't refuse you." Mika's smile turned eerie, like a mask. She nodded, perhaps hoping Mash might join her. "It's simple. I hate Gehenna."
"Gehenna?" Hifumi blinked.
"Hate, huh?" Azusa muttered.
"Yup! Hate it with all my heart!" Mika's voice boomed through the gym, too cheerful for a coup leader. Hifumi murmured, stunned.
"I despise Gehenna from the bottom of my soul."
"So, you're stopping the Eden Treaty? Targeting Nagisa-san?" Mash asked.
"Exactly! Nagisa's pushing this weird Eden Treaty—allying with Gehenna? Peace? Those horned freaks? It's a sick joke. Gives me chills."
"…"
"They'll betray us the moment we turn our backs. I'm here to prevent that."
Hating Gehenna wasn't uncommon at Trinity, but Mika's loathing was extreme—she refused to even speak to its students. The Eden Treaty, meant to end Trinity-Gehenna conflict, was a nightmare to her, a farce of "cozying up to brutes."
"Nagisa's too kind, too naive. This isn't some fairy-tale school story with a guaranteed happy ending. We live in a messy, ugly world. Don't you get it?" Mika said.
In a fairy tale, peace might be assured. But reality was betrayal, deceit, and malice. Mika believed in acting before losing what mattered.
"So, hand over Nagisa-chan. I won't hurt her… though she might spend the rest of school in a cell!" Mika chirped.
"You tricked me, didn't you?" Mash asked.
"Sorry about that. Most of what I said was a lie. The Eden Treaty is for peace. Nagisa's too naive to use it as a military pact. But not everything was a lie."
"About Arius?" Mash guessed.
"Yup." Mika spun, gesturing to the Arius students. "I meant it—I wanted to reconcile with them."
"…"
"They hate Gehenna as much as I do. Arius was once part of Trinity. Their hatred? Pure, maybe even stronger than ours." She stepped forward. "So I offered them a deal: 'Let's take down the traitors pushing peace with Gehenna!'"
"…"
"If Nagisa has the Justice Task Force, I, the next Tea Party host, have Arius. That's the deal, Sensei."
"Wait… then Arius—" Hifumi stammered.
"You brought Azusa here not for peace, but to frame her as the coup's mastermind," Hanako accused.
"Yup, guess it's a coup. I'll oust Nagisa and take her place," Mika admitted casually.
Azusa's grip tightened on her gun, fury rising. Mash stopped her.
"Sensei…"
"So, you planned this to become Tea Party host?" Mash asked.
"Yup. But don't misunderstand—I don't care about power. I just want Gehenna gone. Completely."
"Gone?" Mash echoed.
"Yup. Everyone in Gehenna—wiped out."
Mash froze. Erasing Gehenna meant killing his friends—Aru, Hina, Geheko, Gehemi, Fuuka. Something dark and primal stirred within him, like gunpowder and shadow.
"I'll purge Trinity's moderates, replace them with Arius. Nagisa's Filius faction will resist, so we'll form a new trinity: Pater, Sanctus, Arius. A new coalition, maybe a new council. Then, my reborn Trinity, armed with Arius, will wage total war on Gehenna. That's my plan!"
Mika aimed to seize Trinity with Arius and Pater, then declare war on Gehenna—the ultimate taboo in Kivotos.
"What do you think? Pretty great, right, Sen—"
ZWOOSH!
"!?" (What was that?) Mika leaped back, a chill gripping her. Everyone looked puzzled, but the reason became clear.
"You're going to… kill everyone in Gehenna? My friends?" Mash's voice was low.
"Yup, that's what I said—"
"Don't mess around."
"!?"
Mash's words carried a murderous intent, a chilling aura flooding the gym. The killing intent, aimed at Mika, shook everyone present.
(This…) Hifumi thought, skin prickling.
(It hurts…) Koharu winced.
(Sensei…) Azusa stared.
(He's furious…) Hanako realized.
Mash's poker face morphed into a glare of pure wrath.
"Gehenna's students are my students too. If you try to harm them… I won't forgive you."
"Wow, Sensei, didn't know you had that face," Mika taunted.
She planned to erase Gehenna, frame Azusa, and drag Arius into a bloody war. She'd hurt countless people. Mash was genuinely enraged.
"Prepare yourself… I'll—"
Grab!
"!?"
"Sensei, no… you can't go further," Koharu pleaded, clutching his arm.
"Koharu-chan…"
"If you say more… you won't be Sensei anymore."
"!"
"I'm not saying don't be mad! But… doing that to Mika-sama isn't right! You're not yourself right now…"
Koharu's words snapped Mash back. He was angry, yes, but he'd felt killing intent—a forbidden emotion for a teacher toward a student. He'd nearly wanted to kill her.
That was wrong. Koharu reminded him. He woke up.
"Sorry, Koharu-chan. You're right—this isn't me."
"Sensei…!"
"Almost forgot my cool-guy vibe."
"Cool… wasn't ever there," Azusa muttered.
"Thanks for stopping me. Stay back."
Mash slapped his cheeks, took a deep breath, and faced Mika and Arius.
"Mika-san."
"What, Sensei?"
"I can't agree with or forgive your plan to erase Gehenna."
"Of course! If you want to stop me—kill me."
"I won't kill. Ever. Killing is unforgivable, and Koharu stopped me."
"Capture me? I'll escape, even alone, from any prison."
"I'll stop you."
"How?"
"With my fists."
Mash raised his right fist. This wasn't a childish brawl—it was a teacher guiding a student.
"You, stop me? Alone? Against this many, plus me? Impossible."
"She's strong. Really strong," Azusa warned.
"Yup! I'm kinda a big deal," Mika boasted.
"I knew that from the moment we met," Mash said.
"Haha, whatever. Let's stop talking—it's making me feel bad."
"Mika-san…?"
"I'll explain to you later, Sensei. For now, let's deal with the others."
Mika aimed her submachine gun, Quis ut Deus, at the club. Arius students readied rifles and grenade launchers.
"Everyone, group up. Don't move," Mash ordered.
"Sensei?" Hifumi questioned.
"No idea what you're planning, but it's futile. Take out the club—don't hurt Sensei. If you do, even accidentally, you'll regret it," Mika warned.
"Understood," Arius replied, fingers on triggers.
Thud.
"?"
"!" Slam!
Mash punched the ground, cracking it. The gym shook, fractures spreading like a spiderweb.
"What!?"
"The whole gym's shaking!"
"One hit… scarred the entire floor…"
"Impossible…"
As the dust settled, only Mash and Mika stood. The club and Arius students collapsed, stunned.
"So, the rumor was true—you beat Tsurugi-chan," Mika said.
"She held back," Mash admitted.
"Still, you won. Against a Kivotos student—Trinity's strategic weapon."
"Yup."
"Got it…"
The cracked gym floor held only Mash and Mika. Arius and the club sat, awestruck.
"Sorry for disappointing you. I tend to ruin evil plans," Mash said, stretching.
Mika hopped lightly, gun in hand. "Run now, if you want."
"Laughable."
"I'm unstoppable."
"Then I'll stop you with everything I've got."
"You'd have to kill me. If you try, don't complain if you die."
"I won't kill, and I won't die. I'll protect everyone—without killing—and stop you."
"Would be easier if you just killed me."
"…?"
"My bad, never mind! ⭐︎"
"Let's start the lecture."
"Sorry, I hate lectures!"
Outrageous vs. Outrageous—the ultimate clash of Kivotos' strongest began.
Mash moved first, charging straight at Mika, aiming to disarm her.
"Didn't tell you, Sensei…" Click.
BOOM!
"!"
"I'm not normal!"
Mika's gun fired radiant bullets, forming a barrage. Mash halted, smashing them with his fists. They were harder than hollow-points, heavier than full-metal jackets—unlike any submachine gun ammo. He was baffled.
"What… are these?"
"Kivotos folks have this thing called mystique. Mine's pretty strong."
"So, these bullets—"
"Enhanced by mystique, probably."
"First time seeing that."
"Here's more!"
Mika kept firing. Destroying them was inefficient, so Mash dodged, leaping across walls and beams, waiting for her to reload.
(Now!)
As Mika reloaded, Mash circled behind, throwing a chop. But she'd already reloaded, turning to fire.
"!"
"Sensei!"
"At that range, those bullets—" Azusa warned.
Mash's chop met Mika's bullets—or so they thought.
Freeze!
Both stopped. Mika lowered her gun, questioning Mash.
"You're protecting something…"
"…" Rustle.
Mash pulled out—a pristine cream puff.
"Why!?" everyone shouted.
"If we're both protecting something, we can't go all out. Leave it behind," Mika said.
"Like Trinity's knightly chivalry?"
"Nah, I just wanna have fun! ⭐︎"
Silence fell.
"What a back-and-forth!" an Arius student exclaimed.
"Trinity's mystique queen, Mika, vs. the superhuman weapon, Mash Burnedead!" another analyzed.
"We can't compare…" one groaned.
Hifumi and Koharu were exasperated.
"What was that pause?" Hifumi muttered.
"I want that time back…" Koharu sighed.
Hanako and Azusa observed closely.
"They're not serious yet," Hanako noted.
"Testing each other," Azusa agreed.
"Mika-san's power… I knew she was strong, but…" Hifumi said.
"Glowing bullets that heavy? She's a monster," Koharu added.
"Where'd that cream puff come from, Azusa-chan?" Hanako asked.
"Sensei gave it to me earlier," Azusa replied.
(Azusa's turning into one of them, huh…) Hanako thought.
Mash, now in a fighting stance, entrusted the cream puff to Azusa. Mika aimed her gun, smirking faintly.
"My bullets are useless against you, Sensei…" Toss!
"She threw her gun!?" Hifumi gasped.
"She's closing in!" Azusa shouted.
Mash deflected the gun and threw a punch, anticipating close combat. Mika dodged, slipping under his arm, and slammed a fist into his stomach.
"Take that! ⭐︎" Bam!
(Heavy!)
Mash's body lifted off the ground. Mika leaped, delivering a piercing high-heel kick. Mash barely dodged mid-air, but Mika followed with a spinning kick, which he countered with his own.
"Yah!" they shouted, landing.
They charged, fists colliding with a metallic clang, the impact sending both flying back.
"Haha! ⭐︎ You're amazing, Sensei! This is fun!" Mika laughed.
"I'm too shocked to enjoy it," Mash replied.
Mika relished fighting an equal. Mash was stunned by her unexpected strength.
Later, witnesses called it: The Monstrous Gym Showdown.
--+--
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.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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