A Disaster That Arrived Suddenly One Day - 1

....How did I end up like this?

....I am not meant for such a trivial end.

....I am meant to achieve sublimity.

....I cannot end so meaninglessly.

....Yes, it's all because of him. That damn bastard who looked down on me. He ruined everything.

....I will kill him no matter what. I cannot disappear like this. If only I could awaken again... if I were given just one more chance...

....Sensei, I will make sure you meet an end more miserable than mine.

* * *

Inside a driverless taxi, a man fidgets restlessly. His legs tremble, revealing his considerable anxiety.

"This is bad, I'm late, I'm late. I'll definitely be late at this rate. I should've just slept in the nap room instead of going home. What an idiot I am."

"There's still some time left, isn't there? If you hurry, I think you can make it just in time!"

"I really hope so..."

Sensei holds onto a glimmer of hope at Arona's words, but soon, Plana delivers a devastating response.

"It will likely be impossible. Considering the remaining distance, the taxi's speed, and the traffic congestion, there's a 99.9% chance that you'll be late, Sensei."

"No! Yuuka's on duty today! If I arrive later than her today, she'll nag me for an hour! There's a precedent, so I have to arrive on time today!"

At Sensei's cry, Plana sighs and answers.

"There's nothing you can do about it now. Just calmly accept your fate."

"Ah, life. Who knew that having one beer would lead to this."

Sensei cursed himself for wanting to drink beer that day. If he had a time machine, he'd go back to yesterday and smack himself in the head. And Sensei looked at the clock. There were 3 kilometers left, but less than a minute until work started. And Sensei smiled bitterly and said.

"Confirmed late! Hooray!"

"It's not something to laugh about, Sensei..."

"Now I'll get all sorts of nagging, 'Sensei! Are you out of your mind?! You called me to be on duty and then you're late, what were you thinking?! You should have some sense of responsibility as an adult! Don't make excuses about traffic, you should leave 30 minutes earlier! Blah blah blah...'"

Sensei even imitated Yuuka's voice, simulating what was to come. Arona burst out laughing at the sight.

"Wow, that's exactly how Sensei gets scolded! Hahaha!"

"Heh, I've been scolded so much that I've figured it all out."

"I don't think that's something to brag about."

And as they were talking, Schale's building came into view. And at this point, he was 10 minutes late. Sensei smiled bitterly and steeled himself.

'Hoo, it's like going to the Demon King's castle.'

And then it happened.

Ring~

Sensei's smartphone rang. As soon as he heard the sound, he lowered his head and thought, 'Here it comes.' With a deep sigh, Sensei took out his smartphone from his pocket, and as soon as he saw it, he tilted his head. The smartphone screen showed an unfamiliar phone number.

'What is it? I should probably answer it.'

Thinking that if it was an insurance ad or a new phone promotion, he would hang up without a second thought, Sensei answered the call.

"Hello?"

"I'm glad I got in touch before it was too late."

A voice that was all too familiar to Sensei. Sensei's goofy expression from a moment ago disappeared immediately, and he answered seriously.

"What do you want, Black Suit? Were we on speaking terms?"

"Sensei, you don't have to be so guarded right now. Actually, I don't even have time for this."

"I understand, so get to the point."

Black Suit said in a serious voice.

"Sensei, where are you right now?"

"In a taxi, why? I'm on my way to Schale."

"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Turn that taxi around immediately, and do not head to Schale under any circumstances."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I don't have time for twenty questions. From now on, you must not trust any of the students. If you want to live, you must run away."

Sensei was bewildered by the sudden statement.

'What is he talking about out of the blue?'

To suddenly say not to trust the students, it's ridiculous. Hadn't Sensei and the students gone through thick and thin, building bonds and connections? Yet, this man, an enemy of the students, was telling him not to trust them? What could this possibly mean?

"Are you sick? Why are you..."

"Sensei."

Black Suit's voice was devoid of the usual unpleasant, cunning feeling, leaving only seriousness. And at this point, Sensei definitely recognized the seriousness. No, he should have recognized it from the beginning. After all, Black Suit was someone who didn't do anything frivolous, at least when it came to Sensei.

"Tell me in detail. What's going on?"

"Sensei, I won't make it long. From now on, there will be no safe place for you in Kivotos. And you won't be able to handle this situation. You must run away. This is the only advice I can give you. Goodbye."

Click.

The ominous message from Black Suit left Sensei utterly baffled. Just yesterday, hadn't he been laughing and exchanging greetings with the students with a smile and spend a pleasant time with them? To run away from such students. It was too sudden. It felt like an April Fool's joke. But Sensei couldn't just treat it as a joke and move on.

'.....What is it? What's going on?'

"Sensei, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Sensei, what's wrong?"

"......."

And then it happened. Arona and Plana suddenly turned pale and urgently said.

"Sensei!"

KABOOM!!!

It happened in an instant. A missile flew in and slammed into Schale's building, causing a huge explosion with a deafening roar. And a thick, ominous black and red smoke rose.

"Wh-what?!"

And it didn't end there.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Another missile flew in and hit Schale again. Sensei was speechless at the terrorist attack filled with such great malice. If he hadn't overslept, he would have been caught in that attack.

'Who on earth would do such a thing...'

Sensei was stunned by the sudden turn of events, but at this moment, one person came to mind.

"Yu-Yuuka!"

She was on duty at Schale today; she would be there right now. A horrifying image flashed through Sensei's mind. Believing that the mystic's protection would keep her safe, he quickly moved his fingers and called her.

'Pick up... pick up...'

And fortunately, the call went through. As soon as he heard the sound, Sensei said urgently.

"Hello, Yuuka. Where are you! Are you okay?"

"........"

But there was no answer. Sensei's anxiety began to grow. And the more it did, the more urgently Sensei spoke.

"Can you hear me?! If you can hear me, say something! Hello! Yuuka? Yuuka!"

And as if his earnestness had reached her, her voice came through the phone.

".....Why?"

"Yuuka! Thank goodness. Are you safe? Can you tell me what's going on right now?"

".........."

But again, there was no answer. Sensei became anxious again. What on earth is going on right now? Sensei tried to stay calm and spoke again.

"Yuuka, Yuuka? You can hear me, right? Answer me!"

And as Sensei wished, the answer came back. But as if a monkey's paw had granted his wish, the answer was utterly devastating.

"Why are you alive? Could it be, you weren't there?"

"....What?"

And with those words, the call ended. A situation that he couldn't understand, that he couldn't even begin to understand, kept happening to Sensei in the morning. A normal person would have already lost their mind, but he somehow managed to hold on. And then, he remembered what Black Suit had told him.

"From now on, you must not trust any of the students. If you want to live, you must run away."

As soon as he thought of these words, Sensei felt a chill down his spine. And Sensei was quick to act.

"Taxi! Turn around! Turn around and go back the way we came!"

Sensei felt it in his gut. If he went to Schale now, he would die. Every cell in his body was telling him so.

"Sensei, this is!"

"It's a very malicious terrorist attack. They're determined to kill me. What on earth is going on? And what did Yuuka mean by that?"

And he wasn't even given time to have doubts. Sensei's smartphone started ringing loudly.

"What, an emergency alert?"

Sensei immediately checked the message. And it contained shocking content. Along with a picture of Sensei himself, a terrible message was written.

「To all citizens and students of Kivotos. From now on, if anyone sees or finds Sensei of Schale, notify the police or a nearby school. And if students find Sensei, kill him immediately. The General Student Council will not hold you responsible in any way.」

"What..?"

Sensei pinched his cheek hard. It hurt, so it wasn't a dream. So he rubbed his eyes and checked the message again. But the message clearly stated to kill him.

"Sensei... what is this..? Why..?"

"Kill-on-sight order...?"

Arona couldn't comprehend the situation. Sensei couldn't either. But this was undeniable reality. And Plana understood this clearly.

"Sensei, you have to run away right now. You have to get a hold of yourself!"

With those words, Sensei also pulled himself together. And he did what he could do now.

"Arona, Plana! I think it's just you two now. We have to find a safe place now!"

"Yes!"

And so, the most cruel story for Sensei begins.