Abydos of a Midsummer Night (8) - 12

The air chills.

 

 

They knew her name, they knew her identity. The Prefect Team felt it.

 

 

The feeling of being utterly overwhelmed. A person who shouldn't be able to do that. It might be natural given her position, but no one in the Prefect Team had ever been afraid of her. If anything, they would be burning with fighting spirit and unconsciously aiming their guns.

 

 

Since when had their hands been trembling? Since when had their hearts been pounding?

 

 

It was fear.

 

 

A person they shouldn't fear, yet they felt fear. It was terror...

 

 

Fear of the unknown, and the instinct of prey encountering an overwhelming predator.

 

 

The same fear as when facing an angry Prefect President.

 

 

Ako, who was communicating from the Prefect Team office, was also sweating.

 

 

The atmosphere was unlike the person they knew.

 

 

"What, can't you speak? Didn't you hear me? Why were you trying to attack my students?"

 

 

Were "my students" referring to Abydos, or Problem Solver? Either way, it was a problem. Ako thought as quickly as possible.

 

 

If it was Abydos? Even though it was a fallen and underestimated school, it was still a legitimate autonomous district. If Abydos came under the control of the Pandemonium Society? Then the Prefect Team might receive an unreasonable order to take responsibility for the entire Abydos... It would be worse than a demotion, practically an exile.

 

 

Then what about Problem Solver? Ako judged that to be even more dangerous. Because of Onikata Kayoko from Problem Solver.

 

 

Before her suspension, she was a heretic who attended school diligently and a genius who ranked first in Gehenna, no, the entire autonomous district. She was scouted by the Thunder Emperor in the past and was one of the people who joined forces with Makoto to overthrow the Thunder Emperor.

 

 

For the Prefect Team, it was actually fortunate to have a minor problem group like Problem Solver, but if they joined forces with Makoto again, it would be dangerous.

 

 

Either way, it was a terrible situation for the Prefect Team. And they were properly caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Military action in Abydos was clearly an international issue. With the Eden Treaty approaching, they dared to do this because Abydos was a remote place... If Trinity found out, the Eden Treaty that Hina so desperately wanted might be swept under the rug.

 

 

It was a checkmate. No matter how foolish Makoto was, she was a natural maverick in politics. She was a fool who claimed to have a 3% voter turnout and called it mob rule, but she actually used it to get re-elected as student council president and pressured the Prefect Team.

 

 

It might not be elsewhere, but for the Prefect Team, she was a thorough enemy and the biggest obstacle.

 

 

Moreover... the Makoto they were seeing now was completely different from the usual Makoto.

 

 

'Like... President Hina...'

 

 

Even Ako felt a charisma comparable to Hina, and her body shrank back. But she couldn't back down now.

 

 

{Your students... Are you referring to Problem Solver 68? Are you saying that you, the student council president of Gehenna, have joined forces with a criminal organization?}

 

 

"It's not just Problem Solver."

 

 

{Huh?}

 

 

"The children of Abydos are also children I must protect."

 

{......}

 

 

Makoto, or rather Sensei, openly admitted to joining forces with Abydos and Problem Solver. However, for Ako, those words were even more despairing. It was a complete checkmate. If that was true, it meant the worst-case scenario was happening simultaneously.

 

 

Moreover, this meant they couldn't touch Problem Solver because of Makoto, and kidnapping Sensei from Abydos was impossible. Ako's plan to kidnap Sensei and manipulate the Eden Treaty in Gehenna's favor was thwarted from the start.

 

 

Of course... Ako didn't know that Sensei could change into a student's form. It was information known only to the student council, and since Iroha was the only one interested in that fact, Ako had no way of finding out.

 

 

She only knew he was an adult from outside, so Ako planned to kidnap someone who looked mature. Since the person who looked like Sensei wasn't in sight, she was going crazy.

 

 

"So I'll ask again... There won't be a next time. Why did you try to attack my students?"

 

 

{...To arrest the criminals of Gehenna known as Problem Solver.}

 

 

"This is the autonomous district of Abydos. What's more, it's the city of Abydos. A place even a child would know, marked on internet maps. Are Prefect Teams, the security organizations of each school, supposed to invade other autonomous districts?"

 

 

{That's...}

 

 

"Shouldn't Valkyrie have their district representative take action? Or... did the entire Prefect Team transfer to SRT?"

 

 

{...}

 

 

Sensei, in Makoto's form, was rebutting with unusually logical arguments. Ako was confused. Moreover, since it was the truth, she couldn't find anything to refute...

 

 

Beep.

 

 

{Ako, where are you?}

 

 

{P-President!?}

 

 

In the midst of all this, Hina contacted her, and Ako desperately made excuses...

 

 

"So... what's going on here?"

 

 

""...""

 

 

To make matters worse, Hina herself arrived. The Prefect Team squads that were hiding and waiting stood awkwardly behind Hina.

 

 

Hina stared at Makoto for a moment, then slowly walked up and whispered in her ear.

 

 

"Did you find the Thunder Emperor's legacy?"

 

 

"...?"

 

 

The Thunder Emperor's legacy. Sensei knew the Thunder Emperor was the alias of Gehenna's former student council president... but didn't know about the legacy. So he thought about what to do... and decided to just wing it.

 

 

"Ah, yes, I did."

 

 

"... I see. Then, I'll come visit you later."

 

 

If it wasn't about the Thunder Emperor's legacy, Makoto wouldn't be so serious. Therefore, Hina decided to withdraw the Prefect Team, thinking it was about the Thunder Emperor's legacy. As she was about to leave...

 

 

"Wait."

 

 

"Hmm?"

 

 

"You have to apologize before you go, are you just going to leave?"

 

 

"..."

 

 

{A-Apologize!?}

 

 

"Of course. It was the Gehenna Prefect Team who made the mistake first. If you've made a mistake, you should apologize. Were you planning to shamelessly just move on? You shouldn't do that. You need to acknowledge your mistakes, reflect on them, and learn to apologize to become a great adult."

 

 

The Prefect Team members were dumbfounded, wondering who was saying that. However, Chinatsu looked at Sensei's attitude and thought, 'Could it be...?' but didn't say anything.

 

 

Hina thought she was trying to humiliate her at this moment, but she closed her eyes tightly, bowed, and apologized.

 

 

"I apologize as the Prefect President for the Prefect Team's infringement on Abydos' autonomy."

 

 

"Yes... that's enough, Hina."

 

 

Since she was the Prefect President, Sensei recognized her. He briefly saw Chinatsu behind her but didn't acknowledge her. He couldn't reveal that he was Sensei right now...

 

 

So, Hina took the Prefect Team and left Abydos.

 

 

Makoto let out a sigh of relief.

 

 

"Phew... Hey, is Master Shiba alright?"

 

 

"As I thought, it was you, Sensei..."

 

 

Seeing Sensei ask about Master Shiba, Serika finally relaxed.

 

 

Then, Hoshino arrived at the scene belatedly.

 

 

"Oh my~ Is this old lady late, perhaps~?"

 

 

"Yeah, you're late."

 

 

"Did something happen, Hoshino-senpai?"

 

 

"Nah~ I just overslept~"

 

 

"........."

 

 

Nonomi asked why she was late, but she felt a bit uneasy seeing Hoshino's evasive response. Shiroko also sensed it intuitively.

 

 

"Oh my~? More importantly, the student council president of Gehenna? Sensei, did you become the student council president this time~?"

 

 

"Keeheehee, it just happened. Was Master Shiba taken to the hospital?"

 

 

{The ambulance already came. The Problem Solver people disappeared.}

 

 

Like typical Kivotos residents, Master Shiba only suffered bruises from the huge explosion, but Aru, worried about him, called an ambulance before the confrontation with the Foreclosure Task Force. Master Shiba was taken to the hospital just before the Prefect Team arrived.

 

 

"I see~ Then that's a relief. Then, the next plan is set."

 

 

"Plan? What plan?"

 

 

"Isn't it obvious? Serika. It's... to visit Master Shiba in the hospital! He's always helped us, so we should at least bring a fruit basket, right?"

 

 

"Hehe~ Abydos has expensive fruits~?"

 

 

"Hmm... then, fruit juice."

 

 

"Yeah, then we're going right away."

 

 

"That's right! Let's go! Ayane, I'll leave the directions to the supermarket to you!"

 

 

{Yes, I'll guide you.}

 

 

"Come to think of it, has everyone eaten?"

 

 

"No~ We were about to before all this happened."

 

 

"I see. Then, we'll eat after the hospital visit. I'll pay, so Ayane should come to the hospital too."

 

Afterward... Sensei and the Abydos students went to visit Master Shiba in the hospital, and while listening to the story of what to do with the store... they learned that Kaiser Corporation owned a lot of land in Abydos.

 

 

It was a sign of another storm.

 

 

And...

 

 

"Makoto. Where is the Thunder Emperor's legacy?"

 

 

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

 

 

"? ...You said it was in Abydos."

 

 

"Why would Abydos have it?"

 

 

"......?"

 

 

"?"

 

 

Hina, who had requested a private meeting with Makoto, wondered if Makoto was deliberately messing with her.

 

 

After that, rumors circulated that gunshots were heard from Makoto's room.

 

 

Time passed, and the next morning.

 

 

"Was today the day we go to the Kaiser PMC base in the Abydos desert?"

 

 

{Yes. You woke up early today, Sensei?}

 

 

"Well, it turned out that way. Today, my vision is narrower than the day before. But my mind feels more at peace. Compared to yesterday, that is. Well, I should get up now."