On a bench at the train station, Yami sat contemplating why he was even here.
Who could have moved him to this location?
"No... If that were the case, I wouldn't be standing up when I woke. Lying down would be the norm."
Haaah... His head throbbed from thinking about something resembling deduction after so long.
BOOM!!!
"Hmm?"
What was that? An explosion? Did a fight break out somewhere?
If this were Abydos, he might go check it out, but this was the General Student Council area. There was no real need for him to get involved.
Yeah. Right. No need to go.
"Assuming, of course, that they don't mess with things over here."
[We interrupt this broadcast. Due to a terrorist incident inside the academy, train operations will be suspended for 4 hours. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.]
Snap!!
The announcement, displaying an article about the incident, triggered his first wave of irritation.
He was just starting to think about heading back to Millennium, right when classes were letting out and he could make some money selling things to the crowd. Four hours? These guys...
"Hahaha... This isn't good..."
He had no idea how he'd ended up here and had just planned to take the train back to Millennium... but that wouldn't work now.
"It's the first time someone's caused trouble at the General Student Council."
Well, did it matter?
Not when there were still seniors planning to rob banks.
Even if someone did cause trouble, they could just blame it on whoever caused the terror attack. Everything would be fine.
"Shall we go then?"
Yami turned his steps towards the direction of the explosion. He was going to crush the guys who had wasted his precious time.
***
The General Student Council, which managed all affairs within the academy city of Kivotos.
There, Nanagami Rin, the Chief Administrative Officer of the General Student Council, was facing a difficult situation.
"Acting President!! We've been waiting for you!! Call the General Student Council President right now!! Huh? Who's the adult next to you?"
"Chief Administrator, we've been waiting."
"We've come to meet the General Student Council President. The Prefect Team Leader is demanding a satisfactory explanation regarding the current situation."
"Hmm... I seem to have been cornered by some troublesome people..."
People from Millennium, Gehenna, and Trinity had come, seeking to meet the missing General Student Council President. That's why Rin felt a slight annoyance. She wasn't exactly free herself.
"Uh... What? Why are they...?"
The reason Rin had no spare time was because of the Sensei, introduced on the recommendation of the still bewildered General Student Council President's side, standing next to her. She had been explaining the situation here to him just moments ago.
"Hoo... Hello, everyone. Student Councils, Prefect Teams, and other people with way too much free time from each academy who have gone to the trouble of visiting here."
However, Rin wasn't the type to lose her composure and get annoyed over something like this. She immediately put on a business smile and spoke to the noisy students in front of her.
"I understand very well why such leisurely— no, I mean— important individuals have come here. You're here to demand accountability for the chaos unfolding in the academy city, correct?"
"If you understand so well, then do something about it!! You're the General Student Council!"
The words "Please shut up..." almost escaped when Hayase Yuuka spoke, but Rin held it back.
"Many academy districts are in chaos! Our academy's wind power plant was shut down just a few days ago!!"
"We also received intelligence that some students suspended from the Federal Correctional Bureau have escaped."
"The frequency of attacks by delinquents like Sukeban on our students going to school has also sharply increased recently. Public safety is not being maintained."
"Illegal distribution of weapons like tanks, helicopters, and so on, from unknown sources, has increased by over 2000%. This is causing problems with normal academy life."
"..."
Her stomach churned. So many things were happening at once... Some of these were things they were already struggling with on their end, and hearing it directly from them like this... should she really feel grateful?
"What is the General Student Council President doing in this situation? Why haven't they been seen for weeks? We need to meet them right now!!"
Yes...as Yuuka said, Rin wanted to meet the General Student Council President too, but...
"The General Student Council President is not here at the moment. Or rather, to be frank, they are missing."
The problem was that the General Student Council President had disappeared. While they occasionally vanished due to work, it had never been for this many weeks.
"What?!"
"!!!"
"As expected, that rumor..."
Except for Sensei, the students were surprised by the news that the General Student Council President had disappeared.
"Therefore, because the final administrator of the Sanctum Tower has vanished, the General Student Council is currently in a state where it has lost administrative control. We are searching for a way to bypass the authentication... but until recently, there was no method."
"So, that means there is a method now? Chief Administrator?"
"Yes. The Sensei standing next to me will be the one to solve this problem."
When Rin pointed to the Sensei, who was still trying to figure out the situation beside her, the students were surprised again.
"Me?"
"That is correct."
"Wait a minute, come to think of it, who is this Sensei? Why are they here?"
"This is Han Seol-guk-sensei. They are someone who will work as a Sensei in Kivotos from now on, and more importantly, an individual specifically designated by the General Student Council President."
"Designated by the missing General Student Council President? Things are getting increasingly incomprehensible..."
Rin agreed with Yuuka's words. But what could she do? Although they were currently missing, it was their superior's order, so she had to follow it.
"Uh... Well... I don't quite understand the situation yet... but, hello... I'll be your Sensei moving forward."
"H-Hello, Sensei... I am from Millennium Science School—"
"N-No, introductions aren't necessary!"
"You don't need to mind that noisy girl. Now then, continuing—"
"Who are you calling noisy?! I-I'm Hayase Yuuka! Remember that, Sensei!"
"Thanks for telling me your name, Yuuka-chan. I already knew, though..."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
"Nothing."
"Did I mishear?"
"Ahem! Sensei originally came here to serve as the advisor for a certain club that the General Student Council President had created. The Federal Investigation Club, Schale."
"...Schale?"
"It's not just a simple club, but a kind of extra-legal organization. As a federal club, they can recruit students from all academies existing in Kivotos without restriction, and they can carry out combat activities without constraints in each academy district."
The students were surprised by what Rin said. Putting aside the fact that students from all academies could join without restriction, the ability to carry out combat activities without constraints... in short, it meant they could potentially cause a war if something went wrong.
Rin already knew that the people in front of her were thinking along those lines. She herself wasn't exempt from that thought.
"I don't know why the General Student Council President created an organization with this level of authority... but Schale's clubroom is about 30km away in the outer district. It's an empty building right now, but by the General Student Council President's orders, something was placed in its basement. We need to take Sensei there."
"...Arona..." (T.N. Aronaaa~ But wait...this Sensei. Hmm...)
Sensei said something, but it was too quiet for Rin to hear.
"Momoka. I need a helicopter going directly to the Schale clubroom..."
[Schale clubroom?]
When she contacted Momoka, a member of the General Student Council with pink twintails, via the tablet in her hand, Momoka replied.
[You mean the outer district? It's a mess out there right now.] Momoka said from the tablet held in Rin's hand.
"Isn't it just some commotion caused by a suspended student who escaped from the Correctional Bureau?"
She had heard something similar just a moment ago, so she had anticipated it. But that level of disturbance wasn't a major problem. Sensei might be in danger, but that was something they could leave to the people in front of them.
[I would have said yes a moment ago... but not anymore.]
"What does that—"
[Ugh... It's hard to explain in words. I'll just send you a video.]
Ping!
A video appeared, and Rin's blood pressure rose.
"Ha..."
What is that now?
The video showed a figure— dressed in a mouse costume riding on a large ball— throwing bombs around and taking down delinquents nearby.
It seemed like she needed to prepare some antacids.