Ikki was a grown man. How could he possibly get lost? Bronya calmly sat down and continued playing her game.
"Bronya isn't going to do anything? If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed at all."
Emmm... had she really not noticed? Bronya was skeptical. "You didn't notice? Are you sure, Alice?"
"I truly didn't notice at all." This time, Arisugawa spoke much more seriously.
If even the Shadow Killer had failed to notice, then... it could only have been that person, right? Bronya maintained her expressionless tone. "Sometimes, luck is also part of one's strength."
!!!
"What is Bronya talking about?" As an undercover agent, his instincts told him he might have been exposed.
"Alice knows, doesn't she?"
As she spoke, Bronya did not even raise her head. "Bronya isn't interested in that. Just do what you want to do."
By evening, Ikki finally returned on his own. According to him, he had gotten thirsty during training and gone to buy a drink from a vending machine... only for the vending machine to "happen" to be broken.
With no other choice, he could only go to a convenience store.
On the way, he had "just happened" to run into someone committing a crime, so he stepped in and stopped them.
Then, by another "coincidence," he ran into Shinomiya Amane, Jumon Academy's representative competitor who was always absent.
"He said he was my fan and seemed quite enthusiastic, so it held me up for a bit."
Ikki scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Um... sorry for making everyone worry."
"..."
Bronya merely listened without commenting. But inwardly, her thoughts were quite active. Don't you think... there were a few too many 'coincidences' involved?
Interesting.
"Goddess's Excessive Grace," a power almost capable of making wishes come true...
—All those coincidences had linked together perfectly, fulfilling Shinomiya Amane's wish to meet Kurogane Ikki. No one had even noticed; they had simply assumed it was a "coincidence."
The ten-day training camp quickly came to an end, and White Night finally arrived near its conclusion.
At the slacker group's spot, White Night approached Arisugawa. "So? After all this time, have you made up your mind?"
"White Night, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Being a professional, Arisugawa handled it flawlessly. Judging from appearances alone, there was not the slightest flaw.
"Dawn Academy, right?" But White Night was not going to play vague games this time. He went straight to the heart of the matter.
!!!
After a brief flash of surprise, Arisugawa's expression gradually turned cold, like an emotionless machine. "How unexpected. White Night, how did you find out?"
"I never said my Supernatural Ability was lightning." White Night smiled mysteriously, letting the other person fill in the blanks. Supernatural Abilities really were useful; anything could be pinned on them.
"What are you going to do with me?"
As he spoke, a pair of Dark Hermit daggers silently appeared in Arisugawa's hands.
"Don't misunderstand. I have no intention of attacking you."
Yet White Night showed no reaction at all and remained completely defenseless. "I saw it, you know. At the very end, you still chose to stand with us..."
"Dawn."
Arisugawa remained silent. A killer could not be swayed so easily.
"Not answering? Fine, it has nothing to do with me anyway. You know what choice to make."
White Night did not intend to say anything more and prepared to leave on his own. He passed by Arisugawa. "By the way, Shinomiya Amane's ability is Fate Intervention-type."
"If you're planning to stab her in the back, save yourself the trouble. It won't succeed."
After White Night left, Arisugawa stood alone in the shadows, as if someone had pressed a pause button. He remained silent for a long time.
Arisugawa had been born in Northern Europe, where it was freezing year-round and warm weather was rare.
Back then, he had lived with several other orphans. A kind nun had taken them in, and they lived in the storage room of an old church, caring for everyone alongside a girl named Yuri.
Though their days were very poor, the two of them worked for the mafia as Blade Dancers and could barely manage to cover their expenses.
They were not wealthy, but to Arisugawa, those had been the happiest days of his life.
But later... for various reasons, those in power had purged the orphans for the sake of profit.
Of course, those people would not dirty their own hands, so they commissioned the local mafia to clear the city's orphans away, with no restrictions on their methods.
Arisugawa's younger brothers and sisters, and even Yuri, all died in the mafia's purge.
The strong devoured the weak. The grieving Arisugawa came to understand that fact. In his rage, he nearly slaughtered the entire mafia! Yet... the children he had protected witnessed it...
—He had protected them, but he had also lost them.
In the end, one of the Twelve Apostles passing by, the One-Armed Sword Saint, took an interest in Arisugawa and brought him away to train him as a killer.
He donated the hundred million in cash he had received for selling himself to the convent, asking the nun to take good care of his younger siblings. After that, he stepped into the world of darkness.
Bearing the title of Shadow Killer, his hands had already been stained with far too much blood. There was no washing them clean anymore.
Before he knew it, night had fallen. Burdened with countless worries, Arisugawa pushed open the dorm room door alone. "Shizuku, I'm back."
"Welcome back, Alice."
Though Shizuku had not been selected as a representative, she still assisted the others' training as a sparring partner. After all, the coaches had all run off.
Besides, even after coming here for the training camp, Shizuku had still been assigned the same dorm room as Arisugawa.
"Shizuku, if I ever did something to wrong you, what would you do?"
Arisugawa looked at Kurogane Shizuku as though he were seeing his younger brothers and sisters far away in another country. If that incident had never happened, would they have clung to him the way Shizuku clung to Ikki?
"What a sudden question."
Shizuku did not think much of it and only considered it briefly. "Hmm... if Alice really did it, she must have had no choice, right?"
"I probably wouldn't say much. I'd just beat Alice up, then bring her back and treat her the same as always."
"..."
Unlike his former younger siblings, Shizuku possessed a firmer, more resilient sense of self. "Hehe, that's Shizuku for you~"
"I can't say I'm happy to be praised like that."
Though they had not known each other for very long, Shizuku trusted Alice deeply. She truly regarded her(?) as an older sister.
The two were chatting and laughing when a phone began to ring.
"Sorry, I need to take this."
Swiping open his phone, Arisugawa's expression did not change, but his eyes darkened at an angle Shizuku could not see. After apologizing to Shizuku, he walked out of the room and answered the call.
"Hehe, Shadow Killer, deal with someone..."
When the training camp ended, everyone said goodbye to the people from Jumon Academy, packed their luggage, and boarded the bus back to the academy.
But... White Night noticed that someone seemed to be missing from their group?
"Why isn't Gagami here?"
"Oh my, Gagami-chan had something to take care of and was delayed a little. She asked me to tell you not to worry."
Hearing that, White Night remembered... there really had been a part like this in the original story, hadn't there? Gagami had uncovered something secret, then Arisugawa had nearly silenced her!
Emmm... it should be fine, right? White Night casually walked over to Arisugawa and naturally placed one hand on his shoulder. "What could be keeping her so busy? When will she be back?"
"Probably tomorrow."
Seeing Arisugawa answer directly, White Night relaxed as well. Since she could return, her life was definitely not in danger.
Meanwhile, Bronya sat near Ikki and Stella's seats. "Stella, you barely qualify now. If you truly crave power, seek it within your own heart."
???
Stella was utterly confused. Since she did not understand, she naturally had to catch up and ask. She leaned close to Bronya. "What do you mean? Bronya, explain yourself!"
"Dragon!"
That single word made Stella's heart tremble violently! Bronya stood up and walked away. "Stella, remember, you might be rather irritable then."
"Hey, what exactly are you talking about?"
"Some things, Stella has to experience for herself."
Bronya gave Stella a deep look, then calmed herself and began regulating her breathing, secretly adjusting her condition.
Even White Night did the same. Usually so unreliable, he now closed his eyes and sat quietly in his seat.
Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the journey, only to abruptly stop at a certain moment. The bus slammed on its brakes—in the distance, thick smoke rose from the direction of Broken Blade Academy!
"What happened?!"
As student council president, Toudo Touka was the first to rush to the front. She looked through the window toward the academy in the distance.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Toudo Touka seemed to realize something and suddenly turned to White Night. "You know something, don't you, White Night?"
"Don't worry. The academy should have been evacuated. I informed the Chairman beforehand."
—Eyes that saw through the future!
His past misdirection was now paying off. Though White Night could not explain the exact reason, Hei Nai had listened after weighing the matter, even dropping his work to come personally.
A bus crashed through the academy gates and came to a sharp stop inside the half-destroyed campus.
Then, led by Toudo Touka, Stella, Ikki, and the others quickly jumped out of the bus.
It was a scene of devastation, as though... no, the academy had most likely truly gone through a great battle! The paved roads were shattered, while classrooms and dormitory buildings still burned, billowing thick smoke.
"...This is going too far!"
Just seeing this was enough to ignite everyone's anger, but then...
"Teacher Oregi! Ayatsuji!"
"Ari-chan!"
"..."
Their cries were different, each with its own distinct character—Oregi Yuri, Ayatsuji, and the others responsible for receiving them had already collapsed throughout the academy, which was nearly reduced to ruins.
"Ladies~ gentlemen~"
At that moment, a flippant and comical voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
A tall, thin man dressed as a clown stood atop a charred, shattered dormitory building. He performed a ridiculous bow. "Members of Broken Blade Academy's delegation, you must be exhausted after your long journey home~"
"Did you do this?"
Ikki's expression was cold as Yin Iron appeared in his hand, his entire body radiating a sharp aura.
Beside him, Shizuku and Stella stepped forward in tacit understanding, manifesting their Inherent Gears to show their support for Ikki.
"Everyone, don't be in such a hurry~"
The Jester continued smiling as he took a step forward and leaped down from the dormitory rooftop. "To be precise, it wasn't just me."
Behind the Jester, more figures leaped down from the rooftop. Invisible threads spread through the air, catching them before gently lowering them to the ground.
"Greedy Wolf Academy first-year freshman—'Immovable' Tadara Yui!"
Before you continue