At the entrance leading into the Arius School.
Just as Saori had predicted, the students guarding the passage were the elite among elites, and there were a great many of them.
Even with Saori, who knew their tactics inside and out, joining forces with Wakamo, and with Misaki and Hiyori providing support, they were unable to secure a quick victory.
Although Arius Squad's less-than-ideal condition was certainly a factor, it also clearly demonstrated just how formidable their opponents were.
...And yet now, every one of those enemies Saori had believed could only be defeated once their commander arrived to identify an opening had already collapsed unconscious on the ground.
Click. Click.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed against the metal floor.
A pink-haired girl approached from the side passage, dressed in a pure white dress. Her relaxed demeanor made it seem as though she were out on a leisurely stroll, completely out of place in these surroundings.
But anyone who had witnessed what had just happened would never mistake her for an elegant young lady who had wandered onto a battlefield by accident.
Three seconds.
That was all the time it had taken from the first unexpected gunshot until the Arius elites who had forced Saori and the others into a desperate battle had all fallen.
Stopping beneath the wary gazes fixed upon her, the pink-haired girl turned toward Arius Squad with a smile of genuine delight.
"Hehe, just as I thought, you really did come here. Jackpot!"
"Misono... Mika..."
Saori tightened her grip on her weapon and warily spoke the visitor's name.
Then she froze.
A powerful sense of déjà vu welled up inside her for no apparent reason.
Why did it feel as though she had already experienced this sort of scene several times recently?
"And now the villain makes her entrance☆!"
While Saori was lost in thought, Mika gazed at the members of Arius Squad and continued talking to herself.
"...You remember me, right? I'm so happy to see you again... Though your expressions don't seem very happy. I wonder why?"
At that point, only hatred remained in Mika's cold, hollow eyes.
The smile still on her lips became one of pure mockery.
"Those are the faces... of people who just saw a witch."
Saori pushed the irrelevant thoughts aside and spoke in a low voice.
"...You should be in prison."
Mika nodded casually.
"I escaped~☆... Because I wanted to see all of you again as soon as possible. After all..."
She asked softly,
"There are still things we absolutely have to talk about, aren't there?"
...
Walking beside Azusa, I was still stunned by the news I had just received.
Only a few hours ago, I had promised Mika that Nagisa, Seia, and I would all attend her hearing together.
I had finally convinced her not to give up and to face it.
Yet after such a short time...
She had suddenly escaped from prison?
Assuming Mika hadn't been lying to me back then, my instincts told me that something unexpected, something I knew nothing about, had most likely happened again.
As it turned out, my guess was correct.
While meeting with Mika privately, Seia's condition had suddenly worsened, causing her to fall unconscious.
After finally reaching Nagisa, who was already overwhelmed with work, she confessed that she was doing everything she could to deal with both the Prophets of the Decagrammaton and the converted Justina Council members, leaving her no time to spare.
Because of that, she had forcibly exercised the authority of the Tea Party's host to temporarily suppress news of both incidents, limiting their spread to only a small circle.
"Hanako was the one who told me."
Azusa explained.
As for why everyone had kept the matter from me earlier, they all knew I was heading toward the Arius School and had decided it was better not to distract me.
"I wasn't planning to tell you either, Sensei."
Azusa continued.
"But on my way here, I discovered that every Arius student guarding another route had already been defeated by someone."
My heart sank slightly.
Aside from Azusa beside me, every other student I had contacted had been delayed by one unforeseen circumstance after another.
Even if they arrived eventually, none of them could possibly have gotten here before she did.
Which meant...
A third party, someone I had never asked for help, but who nonetheless knew this entrance existed, had appeared.
And the most likely candidate was...
"It should be Misono Mika."
Azusa paused.
"She's probably... here to take revenge on Saori and everyone else."
As absurd as it sounded at first, the more I thought about it, the more it really did seem like something Mika would do.
Azusa continued,
"That's also why Hanako told me all this. She asked me that if I noticed anything like this, I should tell you everything that happened, along with the conclusions she reached based on it."
"I see."
I nodded with a sigh.
"I thought as much."
It wasn't necessarily that Mika had intentionally concealed anything.
According to the information provided by Arius Squad, the existence of this entrance was practically common knowledge throughout Arius.
Even if she didn't know the exact route, it wasn't surprising that someone like Mika, who had worked closely with Arius so many times, would eventually find it.
Just then, several gunshots echoed faintly in the distance.
Azusa looked at me.
"Everyone has probably already encountered Misono Mika. Sensei, I can carry you on my back... or in my arms."
Hearing that suggestion, I felt both embarrassed and strangely tempted.
After weighing it for a moment, I regretfully shook my head.
"It's not so urgent that we need to go that far. Even if they've run into Mika, with their strength, they shouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage."
After all, everyone knew Saori was no weaker than Mika.
Wakamo was also roughly her equal.
With Misaki and Hiyori there as well, the difference in strength seemed obvious.
If anything...
Wasn't the real concern whether Mika herself might get hurt?
"More importantly..."
I said with concern,
"You ran all the way here. Why don't you use this chance to catch your breath? The entrance shouldn't be much farther. Walking a little faster like this will be enough."
"Mm. Understood."
Azusa didn't object.
Almost as though entering meditation, she focused entirely on regulating her breathing and calming her thoughts.
Although I had said there was no need to worry, an uneasy feeling still lingered.
Just to be safe, I activated my Authority and listened carefully.
Sure enough, a familiar voice drifted toward me on the wind.
"But... everything... that was important to me... is gone."
Mika seemed to be speaking to Arius Squad.
"My school... my friends... my treasures... the place I could return to... even my promise with Sensei..."
Listening carefully, I realized there were no sounds of fighting.
I couldn't help letting out a small sigh of relief.
So they hadn't started fighting yet.
Mika had managed to keep her composure after all.
"If you still believe that everything will go back to normal tomorrow... then those kinds of things only happen in fairy tales... Ahaha... It's like fate has already been decided. So, Arius Squad... especially you, Saori... you have to experience the same pain I did."
It sounded as though the exchange of threats before the battle was finally coming to an end.
Fortunately, the entrance was just ahead.
There was still time to stop Mika.
Thinking that, I deactivated the Authority, no longer needing it, and quickened my pace.
"I lost so much."
I heard Mika say coldly.
"So you have to lose just as much."
"Otherwise..."
"It wouldn't be fair, would it?"
Then I faintly heard a gunshot.
Immediately, I shouted,
"Wait! Stop!"
"...Huh? That voice... could it be..."
The instant Mika recognized my voice, her icy tone dissolved into panic.
"Huh?! N-No... i-is it a recording? Hmph, you won't fool me..."
By then, I had already reached the entrance.
Looking around, I fell silent.
Saori, Wakamo, and even Hiyori, the people I had placed such high hopes in, were all wounded.
Whether they couldn't move or simply no longer dared to, none of them made another move.
At the center of the group stood Mika.
She held her rifle in one hand, while the other was gripping Misaki's bandage-wrapped neck.
The moment she realized it was really me, she hurriedly let go.
Misaki staggered backward several steps before bending over, coughing painfully as she greedily sucked in fresh air.
...
It wasn't that the fight hadn't started.
It had already ended.
I had to admit it.
I might have seriously underestimated Mika's strength.
"Se... Sensei... why are you...?"
"Mika."
I looked at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I... um..."
She stammered for a few moments.
Then her nose twitched, her eyes reddened, and she looked at me with a deeply aggrieved expression.
"More importantly... why is Sensei... why are you together with the people from Squad...?"