In the shadows behind her, the petite, short-haired figure of Misogi stood silently.
"Are you really going, little Satori?"
Misogi's voice was slightly hoarse, heavy with unmistakable worry.
"That world... might be even crueler than he said."
"Crueler?"
Nemumeno Satori stopped what she was doing and tilted her head.
Her smile remained innocent, yet there was a chill to it that sent shivers down the spine.
"Isn't this world cruel too?"
"It just hides its knives beneath a smile."
"Besides..."
Nemumeno Satori stood and brushed the dust off her skirt.
"If I leave, you won't have to be that shadow anymore, Sis."
"You can go back to being the real little Satori, or just be Misogi again."
"Doesn't that sound fun?"
Misogi fell silent.
After a long while, she finally spoke with caution, her voice so soft the wind almost carried it away.
"Make sure you come back alive."
"Of course I will."
Nemumeno Satori smiled with narrowed eyes, waved, and turned to leave.
Meanwhile.
On the top floor of Aichi Kyosei Academy.
In the headmistress's office, which symbolized the highest authority in the entire academy.
An indescribable fragrance of tea filled the air.
"My sincerest apologies, my lord."
"Your arrival was so sudden, and the academy is in such a remote location, that we had no time to prepare refreshments worthy of your divine station."
"Please forgive these humble offerings."
The woman speaking was none other than the academy's nominal headmistress, Yoshino Fujibayashi.
She had neat, short, dark-purple hair and wore a well-tailored professional dress.
Her usual air of composure, that of a powerful woman who had everything under control, had vanished completely.
With her hands folded before her and her body slightly bowed, she seemed to have deliberately slowed even her breathing.
"It's fine."
"I did arrive uninvited."
"As an unwelcome guest, it would be rather ill-mannered of me to criticize my host's hospitality."
Haimo did not dwell on trivial details such as the tea.
Instead, he took a light sip and set his cup down.
The porcelain struck the tray with a crisp clink, making Yoshino Fujibayashi's shoulders tremble slightly.
"Besides."
"Rather than the tea."
"There's something else I'm more concerned about."
"As for why I'm here, and my intention to take those children with me..."
"You've already told that child what happened here, haven't you, Headmistress?"
That child.
The moment he used those words, Yoshino Fujibayashi's breathing noticeably stopped for an instant.
Naturally, she knew who Haimo meant.
Koharu Narukami.
Tsukuyo Inaba's half sister, born to the same father.
A prodigy who wielded Cloud Gleam.
A genius swordswoman who, at Tsukuyo Inaba's current age, had defeated her own mother and forcibly seized the title of [Number Two].
She had mastered Cloud Gleam's two instant-kill techniques, [Thunderclap] and [Thunderous Roar].
She was the Thunder God, whose very name struck terror into countless swordsmen.
Beyond that.
Although Koharu Narukami attended another school, she had countless ties to Aichi Kyosei Academy.
One could say that Koharu Narukami had single-handedly helped bring about Aichi Kyosei Academy's current system.
Her purpose was to turn the academy into a vast breeding vessel, hoping that its brutal battles would produce the strongest venomous creature, the one left standing at the end.
"Yes."
Yoshino Fujibayashi lowered her head, her voice slightly strained.
Lying in the presence of a god would undoubtedly be foolish.
"The moment you descended, she noticed something unusual."
"I reported the situation truthfully."
"And she said..."
Yoshino Fujibayashi paused, seemingly weighing her words.
"She found it very interesting."
"After all... if even a god took an interest in her venomous creatures, that proved her judgment was right."
"Venomous creatures..."
"How arrogant."
"To treat lives with limitless potential as insects."
"Still..."
"It hardly matters."
Haimo took no offense at those words.
After all.
From the moment humans emerged from their caves, the instinct to compete had been etched into their genes.
Whether societies or schools, on some level, were they not simply vessels of different shapes?
Living in groups gave weak individuals the chance to survive.
But it also built a larger vessel around them.
Just as when a hundred venomous creatures were placed in a jar, the final survivor would inevitably be a monster bearing the venom of them all.
The strong prevailed over the weak. The fittest survived.
No matter how many layers of civilization those words were dressed in.
The bloody cruelty at their core never changed.
Koharu Narukami had seen through precisely that.
So she had even fanned the flames, seeking to cultivate the strongest Gu King.
Haimo felt no aversion to this. On the contrary, he greatly admired it.
"Come to think of it."
"Before I descended into this world, there were indeed a few other names on my list of suitable candidates besides the ones here now."
"Among them..."
"She happened to be included."
"However..."
"This time, I'm only taking these few."
Haimo gave Yoshino Fujibayashi a meaningful look.
"As for her..."
"If she wants to see what lies beyond this world."
"Tell her to prepare."
"The next time I descend..."
"I'd like to see what surprises she, the greatest Gu King, can offer me."
At those words.
Yoshino Fujibayashi's entire body jolted.
Even with her head lowered all this time, the slight tightening of her folded hands was clearly visible.
Alarm flashed through her eyes, then was quickly replaced by an even deeper reverence.
"Yes."
"I will faithfully convey your will to her."
With that, Yoshino Fujibayashi bowed deeply.
A short while later.
In the plaza before Aichi Kyosei Academy's main gate.
The sun was setting.
Everyone uninvolved had already been cleared from the empty plaza.
Sasamori Aya stood with her arms crossed, tapping the ground with her toe.
Beside her.
Tsukuyo Inaba held her katana, quietly resting with her eyes closed.
Onigawara Rin had already packed her mask into a small box and stowed it securely on her person. She was now checking the luggage she carried with a solemn expression.
And.
At that very moment.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Fierce Man, stop dawdling!"
Hanabishi Warabi was struggling to drag the black bear, who refused to budge no matter what.
The poor black bear dug all four paws into the ground, leaving several deep gouges as pleading whimpers escaped its mouth.
"Oh my, if you can't manage, Warabi, little Satori can help~"
Nemumeno Satori crouched nearby, toying with several coldly gleaming blow darts as she spoke with a smile.
"For example... how about a dart to put it to sleep?"
"I don't need your fake kindness!"
Startled, Hanabishi Warabi hurriedly stepped in front of the black bear and glared at her warily.