"Huh?"
Mari Watanabe, who had just said there was no way to open the door, froze on the spot. He watched Yunyi push it open with ease, his mind filled with a single question: What's going on?
Yunyi said nothing more and pushed the door open, entering under the gaze of everyone outside.
But just as the people behind him were about to follow, the door to the broadcast room slammed shut again. Then came the sound of a lock clicking into place, a sound they all knew very well!
"What happened!?" Katsuto Jumonji asked in confusion.
"I don't know," Suzune Ichihara said.
"Hey, Shiba, is that guy working with the people inside?" Mari Watanabe asked in surprise.
Tatsuya Shiba shook his head. From what had happened in the classroom earlier, Yunyi probably wasn't working with them. His actions now, however, were somewhat hard to explain.
While Tatsuya Shiba and the others outside the door were puzzled, Yunyi strolled leisurely up to Sayaka Mibu and the others.
"Hmm, looks like I was right. You really are a bunch of idiots. You people think you can change the way things are at First High School? It's not as simple as talking about it."
"Hey! How the hell did this guy get in here?!"
"What a load of nonsense! You're a Course 2 Student yourself. Don't you think it's unfair at all?!"
"We made this decision for everyone's sake! We won't let you tarnish our efforts and spirit like that!"
Looking at the indignant idiots before him, Yunyi sighed helplessly.
"All right, all right. Shut your mouths and come with me." Yunyi's icy voice rang out, silencing the people who had just been shouting that they'd teach him a lesson.
The anger on their faces quickly faded, replaced by terror. Their bodies moved beyond their control, following Yunyi toward the door to the broadcast room.
Outside the door, Mayumi Saegusa had arrived.
Before coming here, she had contacted the school, and the school had entrusted the handling of the matter entirely to the Student Council under Mayumi Saegusa's leadership.
But when she learned that Yunyi was inside the broadcast room too, her heart skipped a beat. She had been confident before, but now she was clearly a little shaken.
Just then, the lock clicked open again. The doors to the broadcast room opened under everyone's watchful eyes. The next moment, Yunyi walked out with the members of the Alliance of Volunteers who had occupied the room.
"Hey, what are you public morals committee members staring at? Hurry up and take these people into custody."
Seeing the public morals committee members standing there in a daze, Yunyi irritably urged them to act.
Yet they simply stood there, apparently still unable to understand what had just happened.
Mayumi Saegusa was the first to recover. She called softly, "Mari!"
"Ah, oh! Quick, take them into custody!"
At Mari Watanabe's command, the public morals committee members immediately moved in and seized everyone behind Yunyi. Only then did Yunyi release his magic.
"Hey, you bastard! We won't let you get away with this!"
"Damn it!"
"Curse you!"
Listening to their complaints, Yunyi helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose. He walked up to the Course 2 Student who had shouted that he wouldn't let him get away with it, then crouched down to meet his eyes.
Seeing the anger churning in the young man's eyes, Yunyi said calmly, "It's only natural to want to fight for your own interests. I don't think there's anything wrong with that in itself. But did you ever think about the consequences of using such extreme methods?"
"You're like idiots, letting the people scheming behind the scenes move you around like pawns. You might even drag others down with you because of it. You're beyond saving!"
"You wanted to negotiate with the Student Council? Do you have a clear line of argument? A complete system of reforms? You have nothing. All you've got are those empty heads on your shoulders and mouths that can only shout. Can you succeed with just that?"
"And the Alliance of Volunteers or whatever-it's just too low. Think about what you need to make your wishes come true! Once you've figured that out, then you'll have the right to talk big, instead of being so easily defeated like you were just now."
"You bastard!" The young man held by the public morals committee members tried to struggle, but Yunyi no longer wanted to waste words on him. He stood up and looked at Mayumi Saegusa, the Student Council president, standing nearby. "The farce is over. I can go now, right?"
Mayumi Saegusa took a deep breath, calmed the little universe inside her that was about to erupt, and forced a rather strained smile.
"Yes, you can go. We really have you to thank for this, Yunyi!"
Faced with Mayumi Saegusa's look, as though she wanted to bite him to death, Yunyi gave a small shrug. But as he passed her, he leaned close to her ear and whispered something, right in front of everyone.
He spoke so quietly that no one present except Mayumi Saegusa heard him. But the surprise on her face made it clear that what Yunyi had just said definitely wasn't idle chatter.
Watching Yunyi walk away, Mayumi Saegusa couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. What is that guy planning to do now?
Suddenly, Mayumi Saegusa burst out laughing.
"Hey, Mayumi, what's wrong?" Mari Watanabe asked from beside her, bewildered.
"Oh, it's nothing. Let's deal with what's in front of us first," Mayumi Saegusa said.
She had laughed because she suddenly realized something. Ever since the attack at the department store, after she saw Yunyi's true strength, she seemed to have been constantly wondering, What is that guy planning to do? This time, Mayumi Saegusa wasn't going to guess anymore. She would take the initiative and ask that hateful guy directly!
Meanwhile, the members of the Alliance of Volunteers who had been subdued by the public morals committee had quieted down. Sayaka Mibu stood to one side with her head lowered, but her expression was somewhat fierce.
Tatsuya Shiba walked slowly up to her and said evenly, "Mibu-senpai."
"Oh, it's you, Shiba." Sayaka Mibu seemed to be in low spirits and offered Tatsuya Shiba, standing before her, only a brief greeting.
"Mibu-senpai, what are you planning to do now?" Tatsuya Shiba asked.
"Now? Planning to do?" Sayaka Mibu repeated Tatsuya Shiba's words, her voice growing increasingly agitated.
"It's all that guy's fault! If it weren't for him, we'd have already achieved our goal! What is his problem, anyway?! He's a Course 2 Student too, so why can't he agree with our ideals?! We did this for all the Course 2 Students!"
"You too, Shiba! You're both capable people, so why are you content to be Course 2 Students?! Why won't you help everyone fight for..."