Thus, as wave after wave of rescue teams arrived, the great riot sparked by Instructor Mikawa finally came to a complete end when the last Out-of-Control One fell.
"Doctor, doctor! Someone's passed out over here. Hurry!"
A desperate escape from death, a mind in chaos, a reality she couldn't accept.
When she saw the rescue team coming toward her, Hoshinomiya, who had been forcing herself to stay on her feet this whole time, could finally let her tightly wound nerves relax.
As an overwhelming drowsiness swept over her, the things she was destined never to understand sank into her dreams.
After everyone had been brought back to school, the school administration addressed the riot the next morning. They issued a statement over the broadcasting system, publicly apologizing to all four first-year classes,
and promised to deposit 100,000 private points into the account of every participant, with double compensation for those who had been seriously injured.
Even so, one thing left everyone puzzled. As for the aftermath, aside from notifying them that Mikawa, who had been unconscious at the time, had been expelled and sent to the police station,
the school's response to the party behind the incident was a vague answer, and it seemed to have no intention of investigating further.
As for the Security Department members who should have been able to prove what really happened, everyone was disappointed to learn that after the incident, they were all still receiving emergency treatment in the neurology department.
According to the attending physician, whether they would ever regain consciousness was one thing; simply surviving what came next would already be a tremendous stroke of luck.
No one felt any better after hearing that. If something like this could happen once, who could say it wouldn't happen again?
Unfortunately, although many people had heard the voice in the recording device at the time, the school administration insisted that everyone provide actual evidence for them to hear.
But the recording device containing that crucial evidence had mysteriously disappeared after the riot.
After all, words alone weren't proof... For something this serious, they needed actual evidence or a witness with enough standing. Unfortunately, the deputy head who could testify was still in the hospital, receiving emergency treatment...
And of the four homeroom teachers who were the only others qualified to testify, three had strangely chosen to claim they hadn't heard anything, while the one who was still in the hospital had chosen to remain silent...
Perhaps in this elite school, there was a limit to how much status students could ever attain. Even teachers were no different~
What's more, ever since the strange geological disaster last time, everyone knew deep down that whenever something touched on the school's interests or reputation, all they could do was keep quiet...
Rather than a school, many had long since come to see it as another society, one that kept its true nature hidden.
"Master, don't we actually have evidence? Then why..." Kushida looked at everything unfolding, her face clouded with confusion.
"Heh. That's a treasure I'll use against the school someday. What a waste it'd be to use it now." Rinya's eyes glinted with amusement.
The girl was stunned.
"The school..."
Inside the Class 1-D classroom.
"Come on, come on. Don't be sad, okay? My boss said that once we enter society, things will be even more harsh than this."
Inside the Class D classroom, Kanji Ike was, as always, trying to cheer up the downcast Shinohara Satsuki.
"Mm~ Thanks, Kanji~"
Watching the two people at the neighboring desks gaze into each other's eyes, Yamauchi Haruki, seated nearby, turned away in annoyance and muttered contemptuously, "Damn it, making me play third wheel for you two. Pah, what kind of friends are you?"
That said, when Yamauchi happened to catch sight of Sakura Airi sitting there in a daze, he turned his gaze and immediately sauntered over to her. He slicked back his hair and copied Kanji's line, saying, "Airi, don't be sad, okay..."
"Did you need something?"
"Uh..."
After a single cold glance, Sakura had cut him off. Awkwardly, Yamauchi grabbed Kanji, who had been exchanging affectionate looks with Shinohara at the next desk, and pulled him over.
"Th-this, what do I say? H-help me out."
"???" Kanji stared blankly at him, then gradually figured out what was going on.
He immediately snapped, "What the hell, Yamauchi? Are you doing this on purpose to ruin my moment?"
"Damn it, I'm just asking you to help me out. She's not going anywhere, so what's the rush?"
As the two started bickering, the onlookers around them finally felt some of their heavy moods lift and couldn't help laughing.
But Rinya's gaze fell lightly on Sakura Airi as he watched the scene.
"Heh~ Looks like I was right about her. She's got potential."
He could already sense, indirectly, that since that incident, the other girl's personality seemed to have quietly developed another side.
No wonder~ Rinya thought.
Ever since the last riot, he'd felt as though a few people were missing from Class D.
It was only when he saw the accounts of those who had taken part in the incident today that he realized Sakura Airi and Karuizawa had both taken extended leave early, citing health problems, before the joint physical education test was announced.
"Could it really be that much of a coincidence~"
Rinya smiled faintly. His dark red eyes, as deep as an abyss, seemed to hold the answer already...
That night, after the riot, the area surrounding the entire school had fallen into near desolation.
Even the upper-year students rarely went outside after hearing what had happened.
But those conditions happened to make things convenient for certain people.
For instance...
Outside the Security Department's Supervision Center, the boy who had been unremarkable during the day had somehow slipped quietly into the darkness.
Apart from a pair of beastlike eyes that occasionally glowed an eerie red, there was nothing else to see.
"What... What did you say... They're going to kill me to silence me!"
The voice that came through the boy's earpiece was none other than Chairman Sakayanagi's, full of disbelief.
"That's why I came to get you out."
"But how did you know...?" Chairman Sakayanagi asked, still unwilling to give up. After all, he was supposed to return to his position tomorrow. If he escaped tonight, there would definitely be serious trouble.
"Would you believe me if I said I'd expected this?" The boy didn't answer directly. Instead, he watched him with a meaningful look.
"I..."
"I believe you!" Without giving it much thought, Chairman Sakayanagi clenched his teeth and replied.
Having long since recognized the other boy's terrifying talent, the moment they struck their deal, he had unknowingly tied himself to the same side as him.
He believed in everything the other boy did, just as the other boy believed in the help he provided behind the scenes whenever he set a plan in motion.
"Heh~ You hesitated for a second, but I don't mind."
"And don't worry. Someone will take the fall for your early release." Rinya smiled faintly.
Chairman Sakayanagi was a little puzzled, but he still explained his hesitation.
"Actually, I was thinking about whether Arisu might be able to—"
"Wait, there's prey here. I'll contact you later."
"Beep~"
"Uh..." Looking at the call that had been cut off in an instant, Chairman Sakayanagi shook his head with a wry smile.
As for Rinya, things had indeed gone as he expected, but the person who'd shown up still took him by surprise.
"Oh? Sakura Airi."
Remembering how cold she'd been toward everyone earlier that day, the corners of his mouth gradually curved upward. "Heh, things are getting interesting."
Though she wore a mask, her striking figure was obvious at a glance, no matter how well her clothes concealed it.
"Click!"
Just then, no one could tell what kind of tool the girl was holding. A tiny red light flashed, and every surveillance camera and electronic system in the Security Department abruptly lost its signal.
Before you continue