As soon as the test ended, the classroom was locked, and the students were ushered out into the hallway.
With nowhere else to go, groups immediately formed in the corridor, turning it into an impromptu post-test review session filled with chatter and noise.
"So? How'd it go?""Question two, choice D—wasn't that Prometheus?""No way, it was—"
Hearing the lively voices from afar, Mako let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Fiiiiiih…"
Right beside her, Shizuku leaned in, peering at her face with concern.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me the test went that bad?"
"That too, maybe… but it's more like… I don't feel so great. Physically, I mean…"
Mako answered in a small voice.
"Well, you did just come back after being out. If you're feeling off, don't push yourself—tell a teacher. Want to go to the nurse's office?"
"Yeah… thanks. Honestly, your kindness is the best medicine, Shizuku."
Mako exaggeratedly leaned into her, pretending to cling to her.
Laughing, Shizuku played along and lightly hugged her back.
Their little skit made the surrounding friends chuckle.
"What are you two doing?""Come on, break time's precious! At least memorize one term!"
"Ah—right!"
Snapping back to reality, Mako remembered.
Right now, even one minute of study time mattered.
She hurriedly rummaged through her bag, reaching for her personal device—
"…Ah. Right. It's broken. I didn't bring it…"
She froze, panicking all by herself.
Shizuku sighed wryly and held out her own device.
"Here, here. You can use mine."
"Shizuku…!"
Mako clung to her in gratitude.
Friends really were precious—
That was when it happened.
A chill crawled up her spine.
—Something was wrong.
Gin must have sensed it too, because an internal alarm rang through Mako's consciousness.
『Behind you, Mako. Turn around.』
Slowly, she turned—
Down the hallway stood a boy holding a personal device.
His body trembled uncontrollably.His eyes were vacant.His mouth hung open, drool dripping from his chin.
"A… a… a— AAAAA— +MEIw/DD8MPww/DD8MPww/A-!"
The moment he shrieked, blue-white electricity crackled violently around his body.
—It was a sight Mako recognized all too well.
"That's—!"
『Same as the child at the hospital. He's digitized—Cyberization.』
Before she could even feel fear—
The boy screamed again, "+MEYwQjD8MPww/DD8—!" and suddenly punched a nearby student.
BAM!
The student slammed into the wall and collapsed unconscious.
"Kyaaaaaaah!!"
Screams erupted from the girls around them.
The hallway descended into instant panic.
The deranged boy attacked others indiscriminately—
And then he charged straight toward Mako's group.
"I—I can't move…!"
Frozen in terror, Shizuku and the others could only stand there.
At that moment—
Mako's body moved on its own.
"M-Mako?!"
Before Shizuku's cry could reach her—
Mako sprinted toward the rampaging boy.
(Wait—what?! What am I doing?!)
『I'm controlling your body. Leave it to me!』
Gin seized full control.
In an instant, Mako's hands transformed into cat-like paws, and ears sprouted from her head.
—Thus appeared the cat-human hybrid known as "Ginko."
Ginko darted forward with incredible speed, grabbed the boy firmly—
And charged straight for the window.
CRAAASH!!
(THIS IS THE SECOND FLOOR!!)
As Mako screamed internally, the glass shattered spectacularly, and both of them fell into the courtyard below.
Midair, Ginko twisted her body gracefully and landed like a cat—knees bent, impact perfectly absorbed.
The boy—
Despite slamming into the ground, showed no signs of injury and staggered back to his feet as if nothing had happened.
(He's fine?!)
『Cyberization drastically enhances physical abilities. A fall like that won't faze him.』
(Then what are we supposed to do?!)
『Simple. We take him down.』
Ginko's right paw began to glow faintly.
The boy roared.
"+MEYweTCJME4wgzBwMIkwiTB5MIUwiQ――――!!"
But—
Ginko kicked off the ground.
She closed the distance in a blur—
—SMAAASH!!
A devastating uppercut cat punch slammed into the boy's jaw.
His body flew several meters before crashing onto the ground, sprawled on his back.
He didn't move.
(D-Did we… kill him?!)
『Relax. He's just unconscious.』
Relieved—but still frozen—Mako stared at the fallen boy.
Then desperate voices rained down from above.
"MAKO—!! ARE YOU OKAY—?!"
Shizuku and the others leaned out the shattered window, frantically searching for her.
Hidden by the shadow of a cherry tree in the courtyard, Mako wasn't visible.
Judging the situation safe, Gin released control.
The cat ears and paws vanished.
Returning to normal, Mako stepped out from behind the tree and waved up at the window.
"I'm okay! Really! Don't worry!"
She desperately tried to reassure them.
But the chaos in the hallway hadn't settled yet.
Among the crowd—
One boy stood apart.
Ignoring the panic around him, he calmly looked down at Mako.
"…So. A 'Transformation,' huh."
Murmuring to himself, he pulled out his personal device and began operating it.