Chapter 19: The Cut Fuse

"That… damn bird woman… does she have tea where her spinal fluid should be… damn it…"

"K-Komori-chan? Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay, damn it… Sensei, that—grab it… I’m drinking."

"Ah, yes."

She gulped down the last of the energy drink left in the can—glug, glug—then slammed it down hard on the desk.

Hello, everyone. It’s me. The one who got screwed over by a certain tea addict.

Aaaah—damn it! Seriously! That 《unspeakable slang》!!

This is still just a hypothesis… no, honestly, it’s closer to certainty—but somehow, based on information from Nagisa, those idiots in the Hot Spring Development Department became convinced there was a hot spring right in the middle of the city and caused an explosion. As a result, the “Scatterer,” which had already been guaranteed to rack up a hefty repair bill after the fight with Iori, was completely wiped out. It blew apart into pieces, leaving behind nothing but a single screw Sensei had picked up.

Do you have any idea how many millions I poured into that machine!? I even installed precious—possibly irreplaceable—OOPArts into it! Damn it!

And on top of that, this job was done at a “friends’ rate”—free of charge. Meaning zero income. A massive loss!

"Y-You’ll be okay…?"

"So you’re saying this looks like I’m okay…!?"

"I’m sorry…"

Right after that, I fired off a complaint message straight to Nagisa, but there was no reply. I even tried calling her in a fit of rage, but all I got was the same recorded message—no response. I know where she is from the location data sent by the Cleaner I assigned as her escort, but at this rate, there’s no way she’ll even hear me out.

What am I supposed to do with all this anger?

Maybe I should just ditch all my requests and go on a rampage. Honestly, if I think about it, even if I got expelled, it’d only be a mild inconvenience—I could manage. I can fake an identity easily enough, and if I talk my way into owing a favor to somewhere like the Pandemonium Society I tangled with on a past job, I could get one or two identities made without much trouble. The name “Cleaner”—no, my name—carries real influence. And besides, their chairman’s an idiot. I’d manage somehow.

"Komori-chan… you’re not thinking about doing something bad, are you?"

"I’m not thinking about anything…"

Well, I won’t actually do it—it’d cause trouble for Aru-sama and Sensei. I won’t. But I want you to remember this: if I got serious, I’d be the stronger one…!! I’m a Cleaner, you know!? Want me to make your teeth chatter!?

"Nwaaaaaaah!"

"C-Calm down, Komori-chan!"

"How am I supposed to stay calm like this…!?"

"More importantly, do you know where Nagisa is right now?"

"That’s… haah… I know where she is… but it’s probably pointless… I’ll just get sent back by her guards…"

sigh… All right. Let’s calm down for now. Staying furious forever won’t help anything.

Like I said earlier, I know where Nagisa is. But it’s not that “fancy, self-important tea party room” anymore—it’s probably one of the safe rooms. And the fact that she’s hiding in a place like that is basically her way of saying, I have nothing to say. Even Sensei probably wouldn’t be able to meet her.

Well! Unless I start causing a scene—then it’d be a different story!

"That’s not allowed."

"Ah… yes."

…If Sensei says no, then I’ll stop. Still… I kind of think Sensei could stand to be a bit more extreme sometimes. If you want to accomplish something, you need to take actions worthy of it. Aru-sama and the others, too—back when they were Problem Solver 68, they protected their pride by refusing shady or outright corrupt jobs, and sometimes even took down others as villains.

Ah… Aru-sama and the rest really are the best…! That’s it—exactly.

Remember Haruka-senpai, Komori. She understood Aru-sama’s will, and when Aru-sama couldn’t act, she took the initiative and did what was best for her. Shouldn’t I do the same?

Above all else, Sensei is an ally to the students. And Kirifuji Nagisa is also one of those students. That’s why he can’t lay a hand on her… but I’m different. If it’s just student-to-student—just a simple fight—then I could step in—

"Absolutely not, okay?"

"I know…!"

"You definitely don’t understand at all…!"

Jokes aside… well, no, I really am joking. Even I know that Aru-sama gets flustered by Haruka-senpai’s actions. I just don’t stop her because I know it tends to work out for the best in the end.

"Speaking of which… the final exam…"

"…Tomorrow."

"……"

Yes—by now it’s already 10 p.m. And tomorrow is the third exam, the final chance for everyone in the Make-Up Work Club.

…Up until today, they’ve held mock exams and study sessions over and over, all in an effort to reach the raised passing score Nagisa imposed. I know that much. But… honestly, this time will probably be pointless too. That Nagisa would go easy on them at the very end? There’s no way.

No—this is something I can say with certainty. She won’t.

The Justice Task Force has mobilized. At the Tea Party’s request, Trinity’s Nineteenth Annex—meaning the very venue where the exam is supposed to be held—has been placed under strict lockdown under the pretext of “protecting important documents required for the Eden Treaty.” Entry is effectively impossible.

In other words, taking the exam itself has become impossible.

No options left. There’s nothing more I can do. If I really stretch it, maybe I could use my connections to fabricate post-expulsion identities for them. …Man, being completely powerless like this is depressing.

"Haaah… huh? …Who is it?"

"G-Good evening, Sensei, Komori-chan. You’re still awake?"

"Yeah… this is basically… my normal state…"

"Hifumi, couldn’t sleep either?"

"Y-Yes…"

"I came too♡"

"It’s an exam tomorrow—what are you doing? You were the one saying rest is important, weren’t you!?"

…Hey now, don’t just waltz in with a “I came too♡.” This is my room. Please don’t turn it into a late-night girls’ hangout. I can’t handle that extrovert aura. Also, my room’s a mess, so please don’t look around too much.

And don’t just move the conversation along on your own. Do that stuff in your own room. My sense of not belonging here is off the charts.

…Sigh. Well, whatever. I don’t have the guts to complain to them anyway. I’ll just listen quietly—keeping my eyes on my game while half-listening.

What they’re talking about is exactly what I mentioned earlier. Sisterhood—apparently one of the largest organizations in Trinity, said to rival the Tea Party. Hanako, who has connections there, heard about it. They initially thought about explaining the situation to someone named Hasumi—Koharu’s senior—and asking her to let them through.

But helping them could be interpreted as a clear act of defiance against the Tea Party, and regardless of whether that senior accepted or refused Koharu’s request, they couldn’t justify dragging her into it. So they abandoned the idea.

"…This is my fault."

The one who opened the door to that funeral-parlor-like room and stepped inside was Azusa, her expression just as dark.

"Azusa-chan!? W-Where did you go?"

"……"

"Everyone, listen. There’s something I need to say."

"Azusa-chan…?"

"…The ‘traitor of Trinity’ that Nagisa of the Tea Party is searching for… is me."

As she said it, Azusa’s face had gone pale, her hands trembling. Understandably so. What she’d just said was tantamount to betraying friends she’d treated as comrades—people she’d shared hardship with.

Using those words as a starting point, she revealed her true identity piece by piece. That her original school was Arius Branch School. That she had deceived Mika, a member of the Tea Party, and infiltrated Trinity under a false identity. And that she was here to complete her mission—to destroy Kirifuji Nagisa’s halo.

Still, this move was unexpected. I never thought she’d confess it herself. Doing so would obviously become an obstacle to her mission. After all, standing here were a soft-hearted Sensei and a “Cleaner” hired as Kirifuji Nagisa’s bodyguard. If she thought confessing would make us stay out of her way—or that we’d resent Nagisa enough to cooperate—then that would be foolish to the extreme.

And I don’t believe Azusa is that kind of person.

Then why?

"Tomorrow morning, students from Arius Branch School will infiltrate Trinity to target Nagisa."

"………I have to protect Nagisa."

…Oh?

"W-Wait! Isn’t that weird? I don’t totally get it, but you came to take down the Tea Party, right!? So what do you mean ‘protect’? That doesn’t add up!"

"……So… Azusa wants to stop the Eden Treaty… or rather, she doesn’t want the Eden Treaty to be realized in its current state… meaning she’s a double agent between Arius… and someone trying to stop Arius’s plot… is that… it…?"

"Komori!? You were here!?"

"………This is my room…"

…That’s probably the best way to summarize what Azusa’s trying to say.

Arius Branch School. I knew of its existence, and I’d considered it one of the organizations most likely to interfere if it was still active. But to think Azusa came from there—and is now in this position. Even I couldn’t get a clear grasp on Arius’s inner workings. It’s hard to imagine the Tea Party or Trinity managing to plant a spy like Azusa among them.

Which suggests a split in opinion within Arius itself.

That seems the most likely explanation, but—

"……Whose orders are those? Depending on who it is, I might have to—"

"…This wasn’t ordered by anyone. It was my own decision."

"…Huh?"

"So long as Kirifuji Nagisa is gone, the Eden Treaty will be nullified. If that peace treaty disappears, the chaos in Kivotos will only deepen. …And when that happens, I can’t believe another academy like Arius won’t be born again…"

…S-So you betrayed your own academy by your own decision?

…I can’t understand it.

That’s a choice I could never make. A mass of self-sacrifice—for Trinity, for Kivotos. To prevent the birth of people like us ever happening again. To deceive everyone and protect everything, even if it meant losing your own place to belong.

"I’m truly sorry. I want you to hate me. Everything about this situation… it’s all because of me…"

"…That’s not true."

And the fact that they accepted her—choosing to walk together down a thorny path with no end in sight—that too was something I couldn’t understand…

"…There’s no need to give up on anything."

"Kirifuji Nagisa… let’s protect her from the Arius attack."

…And yet, it reminded me so strongly of the light I once admired.

It was blinding.

"………So what are you going to do?"

"Komori-chan…?"

"…The expected enemy strength is at least an Arius platoon. Judging from Azusa alone, their combat ability is likely extremely high. These aren’t opponents ordinary students like you can defeat."

"……"

"…And I don’t think Nagisa will trust you and accept protection so easily. Most likely, she’ll see you as enemies as well—and send her own ‘guards’ after you."

"Guards…?"

"…Does everyone here even know why I’m here…?"

An urban legend of the Black Market. A mercenary who’ll do anything if the price is right. And the trump card Kirifuji Nagisa hired—

“the Cleaner.”

"…That’s me."

"If things continue like this, you’ll end up fighting me… the Cleaner. I will stop you all—or rather, you’ll interfere with my job. So I recommend that you leave the rest to me…"

"That’s impossible…!"

"……"

…The Arius I’ve heard about is probably the real deal. Not like those idiots who treat firearms as toys. They’re my kind.

Which is exactly why, for these girls—

"…Komori-chan, you’re kind. You’re worried about us, aren’t you?"

"……Hanako…"

"But it’s okay. After all, right now we’ve got members of the Justice Task Force, a master of guerrilla warfare, a supposedly ordinary person favored excessively by the Tea Party, someone who knows almost everything about Trinity, and even Schale’s Sensei—basically a master key."

And then she added,

"And also…"

"And we’ve got a cute and strongest mercenary too."

"…Huh?"

As she said that, she held out her hand.

"We’re going to protect Kirifuji Nagisa. Our methods might be different, but our goal is the same."

"…"

"And if that’s still not enough… won’t you let us hire you? You are a ‘mercenary who’ll do anything for the right price,’ right?"

"……"

…Yeah. It was probably impossible to stop them from the very beginning.

"…It’ll cost you."

"Then there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve got Schale’s Sensei’s wallet backing us up."

"What!?"

"………Sensei, I demand this Wave Cat plushie…"

"T-Thank goodness… if it’s just a plushie… wait—what? Limited edition? M-maybe something else—"

"Haggling is denied…"

"No way…"

If Nagisa doesn’t pay up, this is basically unpaid labor. Let me ask for at least this much.

"Leave the operation plan to me for now. Come on—this is when we combine our strength. Let’s go!"

The grand operation surrounding the Eden Treaty had just begun.