The Terrifying Infiltrator

Perhaps the timing had simply been perfect. As Rinya raced after them, he happened to spot something unexpected behind a clump of bushes.

The Out-of-Control Ones who had followed Hoshinomiya were actually all ordinary people in disguise.

"So I really underestimated that man. When did he even manage to infiltrate this place? Heh."

Rinya's gaze shifted slightly as he listened to the group whispering. It seemed they planned to wait until Ayanokoji came to rescue them, then kill all the injured students and make a quick getaway.

That way, a serious crime would take place somewhere without surveillance. Even if Ayanokoji hadn't actually killed anyone, he wouldn't be able to explain away the fact that he was at the scene.

After all, everyone else would be dead, and he'd be the only one there without a scratch. The school would likely be concerned about his reputation and the fallout from public opinion, but it probably wouldn't let him off lightly. At the very least, he'd definitely be expelled.

"Heh. That's a vicious trick." Rinya nodded to himself.

But now, he had a new idea.

Originally, he'd wanted to use the Out-of-Control Ones to bring out Hoshinomiya's other side and see how she performed in various situations, as well as whether he could completely control her.

But now that someone was willing to help for free, he was happy to sit back and relax.

After all, of the four class teachers, she was currently the one Rinya thought he had the best chance of winning over.

As long as he could bring her completely under his control, everything in Class B would become the foundation for building his new class.

And the new class under his complete control would be a class of nothing but strong students, with no useless people at all.

It would be a class that could definitely graduate from Class A.

More than that, even after graduation, it would be a class of strong students who could help him take the next step into a new world.

This was what Rinya had been quietly working toward ever since he entered the advanced school.

This was the first step toward the entirely new life he wanted...

"Teacher, someone's fainted."

Hearing the anxious voice of a girl behind her, Hoshinomiya set down the unconscious girl she was carrying on her back and had everyone stop to rest.

They were a group of injured students, and just about everyone had been hurt. The stronger ones were holding up, but the weaker ones had already done remarkably well to keep going until now.

When she reached the girl who had fainted, Hoshinomiya recognized her at a glance as Sakura Airi from Class 1-D.

"Airi, how are you? Are you all right?"

The girl murmured faintly, her face pale. Hoshinomiya took out what little water she had left and gently tipped some into her mouth. She couldn't help sighing. Had she really made the right decision back then...?

She asked herself the question, then fell silent for a moment.

But now she understood that since she had made the decision, she had to ensure everyone's safety.

No matter the cost.

Standing around like this was too passive. After a moment's thought, Hoshinomiya decided to go back alone and see what was going on.

She'd been finding the sounds strange for a while. Sae and the others should have drawn all the Out-of-Control Ones away.

Yet she could still faintly hear running footsteps behind her.

Each time she looked back from a distance, though, she could see at most a few bloodied figures, and they seemed to be deliberately keeping their distance from her.

She didn't believe anyone would play a prank like that, but whatever was happening, she had to find out.

After telling everyone to wait there, Hoshinomiya turned around, her expression quickly turning cold.

As she picked up speed, the girl who had once been willing to do anything to win for her class seemed to awaken once more.

After darting forward a few steps, she spotted the Out-of-Control Ones behind a tree. But when she drew closer, she realized something was wrong.

These people weren't members of the Security Department. And thanks to her keen instincts, she could tell from their steady, normal breathing that they were clearly ordinary people in disguise.

She didn't know why they were doing this, but she could sense from the cold, sharp aura each of them gave off that they were no good.

Just as she was about to call Sae and tell her what was happening, a powerful alarm suddenly rang in her mind, warning her of imminent danger.

"How...?"

Acting on instinct, Hoshinomiya sprang away from where she'd been standing.

Boom!

The dead tree she had just taken cover behind was blasted open by the force of a single punch.

If she'd been even a little slower, the blow would have hit her in the chest. She would have been dead for sure.

"Hey, you actually dodged that? You've got quick reflexes, beautiful." The man who had launched the attack had a brown ponytail and a wolfish face. He looked at her with mild surprise.

"Y-you people... Who are you?" Hoshinomiya gasped for air, fear in her eyes. Her body was still trembling instinctively from the danger she had just faced.

She had never imagined that outsiders could sneak into the advanced school, which was supposed to be completely sealed off.

And there were so many cameras on campus. How had none of them caught anything?

"And who is this man in front of me, striking to kill from the very first blow?"

"That speed and power are ridiculous..." Hoshinomiya murmured. Her pupils contracted sharply. Even now, she couldn't accept how everything had suddenly changed.

At her question, the apparent leader of the five—a boy who looked like a child, with sparse white hair—acted as though he hadn't heard her. Instead, he turned to the man who had just attacked and spoke calmly.

"Genko, stop wasting time with her. Finish her quickly. That guy will be here soon."

"Tch. Let him come. Why are you all so obsessed with him? I can't stand it. 'The most outstanding creation'—if I hadn't still been on the outside back then, would he really have gotten that title?"

"Stop messing around. Do I need to remind you what kind of temper the Master has?"

Hearing the word "Master," the man shuddered despite himself. He immediately dropped his attitude and turned to Hoshinomiya with a wounded look. "Beautiful, I'd actually have liked to play with you a little longer. So, sorry about this."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hoshinomiya saw the man who had been right in front of her vanish in a flash.

As she frantically searched from side to side...

At the same time, Rinya, who had been watching from a distance, decided to act.

"Heh. What an obnoxious guy."

He'd originally wanted to use them to indirectly bring out Hoshinomiya's other side. But Rinya couldn't let them ruin his plans with an attack meant to kill. He couldn't help grumbling at their approach.

The next second, before Hoshinomiya could react, it felt as though a gale were crushing her face. Looking closely, she could see the man's fist bearing down from above. The impact was so powerful that a terrifying blast of air had formed before it even reached her.

"Ah!"

Hoshinomiya screamed instinctively as the wind buffeted her cheeks. She hadn't even had a chance to reveal the side of herself skilled in combat, and she had already lost all hope of surviving.

Having once been quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she knew better than anyone that this fight was on an entirely different level.

But this time, I'm the one who's going down... Hoshinomiya thought bitterly, her heart filled with despair.

Crack! A sharp sound of breaking bone rang out.

Hoshinomiya thought it was her own bones. But when she heard the man cry out in pain, she realized something was wrong.

"How... is that possible?!"

Boom!

His disbelieving cry was followed by his body flying backward and crashing into the ground with tremendous force, leaving a deep crater.

"Genko!"

"Y-you! Who are you?"

The other four sensed trouble at once. Even they were stunned by the terrifying speed and power of the attack.

They'd assumed it was Ayanokoji, but when they looked closely, they realized it wasn't him at all.

"Oh? He didn't tell you about me?" Rinya stood in front of Hoshinomiya with his arms folded and let out an amused laugh.

Seeing how bewildered they all looked, Rinya shook his head. "He really doesn't trust anyone completely."

Watching Rinya's calm demeanor, the white-haired boy at the head of the group was about to order everyone to retreat.

The newcomer's strength was so difficult to read that even he, the most perceptive person in the White Room, couldn't judge it at a glance. Something was clearly wrong.

But Genko, who had just been knocked into the crater, couldn't take it anymore. Furious and unwilling to accept that some stranger had easily sent him flying, he didn't bother thinking it through. He immediately charged in to kill Rinya.

"Genko, calm down!"

"Ah, you ambushed me! You're going to pay for this, punk!"

Seeing that Genko had already charged in, the others exchanged glances and shook their heads. They had no choice but to go forward and help...

"Hmm, over there..." Meanwhile, Ayanokoji had met up with the rescue team sent by the school and was traveling with them. As they walked, he suddenly stopped, as if he'd sensed something.

"Ayanokoji, did you notice something?" asked the team leader, who was fully armed with an array of weapons.

"No... It's nothing." Ayanokoji glanced in a certain direction, his gaze shifting slightly.

Then he continued, "Judging by the footprints on the ground, they should still be up ahead. Let's keep going."

"Yeah, I think so too. Let's go."