At the headquarters of the Kaiser Corporation.
Kaya stepped out of the car, wearing a perfectly measured smile. Her long hair was neatly tied up behind her, and the custom-tailored General Student Council uniform she wore radiated an air of grace and refinement that commanded attention.
Everything about her exuded polish and poise except for the cheap, mass-produced long-handled umbrella she carried, which seemed utterly out of place.
Lately, Kaya had been carrying that umbrella almost every time she went out, as if flaunting it. But there was one particular person she would always hide it from, for reasons only she knew.
The Kaiser Corporation employee in charge of receiving her hurried over, only to freeze when a dozen police cars arrived behind her, sirens blaring.
The emoji-like expression displayed on the employee's electronic face changed to one of pure shock.
"What's wrong? Not going to show me the way?"
The employee trembled and stammered nervously, "M-Ms. Shiranui, ma'am… may I ask what all these vehicles are for?"
Kaya slightly narrowed her eyes, letting out a soft, questioning hum. "Hm?"
That was enough to make the poor employee shudder again. Without another word, they turned and led her ahead.
They arrived at their destination without incident. The employee stopped at the door, unwilling to step inside, leaving Kaya to enter the luxurious president's office alone.
The Kaiser Corporation's president stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the sight of police cars sealing off the building's entrance.
"Director Shiranui," he said without turning around, "is this your way of declaring that our partnership has ended?"
"Not at all," Kaya replied pleasantly. "Quite the opposite, in fact."
She pulled a thick stack of documents from her briefcase and flicked it lightly, the sound drawing the president's attention. He turned toward her, puzzled.
"And what might that be?"
"I heard that not long ago, there was an extremely nasty bank robbery in one of the black market districts," Kaya said, her tone carrying a subtle edge. "And I also heard that the culprits didn't just steal money. They were bold enough to 'borrow' the bank's official seal and create… a forgery."
"Oh?" The president's tone was dry. "And you came all this way to tell me that?"
Kaya smiled. "Mhm. If this forgery were to spread, it would cause quite the trouble for the Kaiser Corporation, wouldn't it? So, out of concern for your company's well-being, I went through great lengths to obtain this document."
"Great lengths," he repeated, his tone sharp. "Would those happen to include suddenly abandoning your plan to dismantle Schale, and instead choosing to cooperate with that teacher from Schale?"
Kaya's grip tightened around the handle of her umbrella. "Cooperation… Well, you could say that, or you could say not. But really, does that matter for the discussion we're about to have?"
"Hmph. Fair point."
The president watched as Kaya produced a lighter and set the stack of papers ablaze. The three sets of glowing yellow mechanical eyes on his face reflected the firelight as the documents turned to ash.
"I understand your intentions," he said flatly. "From here on, in the conflict between Kaiser PMC and Schale, the Kaiser Corporation will remain a neutral observer."
"Fufufu. That's wonderful news~"
Kaya thought to herself, satisfied, Everything's going smoothly on this end. I wonder how Sensei is doing now.
—
The mechanical serpent opened its jaws wide and lunged at me.
I didn't know whether Arona's shields could withstand that thing's bite. I turned and ran toward the nearest cover.
Good thing I brought the White Wolf(Bike) with me!
While sprinting, I mustered all my strength and activated [Lion's Dignity], just barely slowing the serpent's movement, even if only for a brief moment.
I swung myself onto the bike, one foot pressing hard on the pedal.
But instead of charging again, the serpent remained in place, mouth open and fixed on me.
"Ha—!"
Suddenly, a figure dropped from above, landing squarely on the serpent's head with one foot.
Compared to the massive mechanical beast, the figure was tiny wearing a frilly dress and ribboned heels, like she was headed to a tea party rather than a battlefield.
Yet the moment her heel struck, the serpent's jaws snapped shut with a thunderous crash. Its head slammed into the sand, leaving a crater, and it howled in pain.
"Hahaha~ Sensei∼ Why do you look so messy∼?"
The girl leapt lightly to the ground, laughing cheerfully as she aimed her gleaming submachine gun and fired a burst into the serpent's exposed joints.
What shocked me more than her strength was her identity.
"Mika…? You're here?"
She turned with a playful grin. "Hehe~ Surprised, aren't you? I asked Nagisa and Hifumi not to tell you! That way, Sensei, you owe me one~"
Taking advantage of the moment, the serpent dove back underground.
Soon after, the rest of the students arrived. Seeing that I was fine, just covered in sand and looking disheveled, they all sighed in relief.
Hina's eyes widened slightly. "…Mika from the Trinity Tea Party? You actually came in person?"
"And you must be… from Gehenna? Heh~ hmm. I see."
Mika gave Hina a sidelong glance, clearly uninterested in talking.
Hina frowned in return, clearly annoyed.
Not good. If it were just the Tea Party's Filius faction that Nagisa and Hifumi belonged to, that would be manageable. But Mika was part of the Pater faction, the most radical group in Trinity.
Just as I was about to step in to calm things down, a thunderous roar echoed across the desert.
Under the escort of Kaiser PMC soldiers, the serpent returned for another attack. Two forces that were supposed to be unrelated or outright enemies had somehow joined hands, united by a common threat.
Hina narrowed her eyes. "What a hassle. Sensei, you and your team should move on ahead. We'll handle things here, us from the Prefect Team, and this Trinity Lady Mika, as well."
Mika snorted. "Fine. Just this once... for Sensei's sake."
Even Trinity and Gehenna, usually at odds, were momentarily united for our sake.
Schale's helicopter waited not far away. My team, along with Problem Solver 68 and the Foreclosure Task Force, made for it at top speed. The helicopter lifted off, circling to approach the Kaiser PMC base from a different angle.
But then—
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling filled the air, followed by explosions grazing the rotor blades. The helicopter spun violently out of control and began to plummet.
The serpent, its body bristling with missile ports, had shot us down. It let out a triumphant, metallic roar.
Tch. Think you can stop us? Justice's flame won't die that easily.
With the students' help, I managed to crawl out of the wreckage. We ran for cover just before the helicopter exploded behind us.
At least we didn't end up as prisoners.
Ayane fell to her knees, despair written across her face. "What do we do now…?"
Good question. The helicopter was gone, and we were stranded. With the encirclement closing in, how could we reach the Kaiser PMC base in time?
At this point, there was only one option left.
I looked down at the Shittim Chest, its energy core flickering, its power halved from the crash. I sighed helplessly.
Then I turned to Shiroko. "Guess I should've been stubborn and installed a second seat on the White Wolf."
"White Wolf?"
It took her a second to realize I was talking about my bike. When she did, she quickly pulled her scarf up to hide her reddening cheeks.
"Ayane," I called out, "can you confirm that most of Kaiser PMC's main force has already moved out?"
"Huh? Yes… yes, they have."
"No time to explain." I swung onto the bike and called out, "One in front, one in back… You two, Shiroko and Serika! Hop on!"
Serika blinked, her face flushing. "Ride through the gap, carrying two people on a bicycle?! That's impossible!"
"You'll never know unless you try! Come on! Look, Shiroko's already on board!"
Indeed, Shiroko had already wrapped her arms around my shoulders, settling naturally behind me.
To be honest, it was… a little stimulating.
Serika hesitated, blushing furiously, but she knew we didn't have time to waste. Gritting her teeth, she climbed on and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
Now it was not only stimulating, it was heavy. But bearable.
I looked back at the others with a confident smile.
"Everyone, catch up as soon as you can!"
Then I pushed down hard on the pedals, holding Shiroko in front and carrying Serika on my back, speeding toward our destination.
Tens of kilometers away.