Madness Overcomes Hatred - 4

In the Gehenna Prefect Team's office, a bleak atmosphere hung in the air. A white-haired girl listened to a report, her purple eyes shining sharply.

"Where is Sensei?"

"Sensei's whereabouts are unknown in Gehenna, Millennium, Trinity, Hyakkiyako, and everywhere else. The police reported seeing Sensei fleeing to the outskirts, but they lost him. He seems to have completely vanished."

A girl with gray hair in twin tails crossed her arms and spoke in an annoyed tone.

"It doesn't make sense in the first place. How can they just fire a missile without even confirming if the target is there? I don't care if he's someone I don't even want to see, but who handles things this way?"

"Well, there's no point in talking about what's already happened. There's also the possibility that Sensei noticed it first. Well, since the initial suppression failed, it will be difficult to catch him from now on..."

And to Chinatsu's words, Iori sighed and replied.

1

"It is difficult. How big do you think Kivotos is? No matter how tight the encirclement is, there's a limit. Well, not just us, but everyone is looking everywhere, but if he's determined to hide, there's nothing we can do. Besides, everyone is looking for him on their own, so it's like looking for a needle in a desert."

To these words, Ako sighed and replied.

"Really, it's just sigh after sigh. To think that we have to live with that wicked person wandering around the city."

To that, the head of the Prefect Team spoke in a low, cold voice.

"It doesn't matter. His accounts and funds are all cut off anyway. He'll eventually come out on his own because he can't take it anymore. We'll find him no matter what."

Then, she emitted an intense bloodlust and said with a cold smile.

"And I'll kill him with my own hands. That disgusting human."

The Gehenna Prefect Team's office was filled with an eerie chill. If anyone else were to enter, they would be overwhelmed by the atmosphere and unable to breathe.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Saori's hideout, Sensei was steadily recovering. At first, he had so little energy that he could barely walk properly, but after about a week, he definitely felt stronger, and his body was almost back to its original state.

"My body is definitely back to normal now. I think I can even run."

"That's a relief! Your face also seems to have returned to normal to some extent!"

"Yeah, the last time I saw your face when we were outside, it was almost like a corpse. You look much better now."

"Sensei, what are you going to do now?"

"....Yeah, that's what I'm most worried about."

He was in a safe place for now, and he was definitely better off than before, but the fundamental problem remained unsolved. And Sensei couldn't find a clue to solve it.

"There's just too little information I can get right now. I need to go out to find out anything properly.."

For now, all Sensei knew was that this was the Black Market and that this place was relatively safer than other areas. The Black Market district was a place where most students and police wouldn't even try to enter, so the place that was usually the most unsafe was now the safest for Sensei.

'But I can't stay here forever. If they don't find me after searching other areas, they'll eventually come here. Then Saori will be in danger too. I can't let that happen.'

But he couldn't just go out like this, and he needed to prepare thoroughly before he could go out. And anyway, Sensei wasn't in a situation where he could go out as he pleased.

'I was worried about Saori, so I tried to sneak out on my own. And..'

That attempt was quickly suppressed. Not long after he left, he was immediately caught by her. And when he was dragged back into the house, she informed Sensei with dead eyes.

"Sensei, if you try to sneak out like this one more time, I'll have to put you in shackles. This is all for your own safety. Please just stay put."

"But I can't involve you..."

She glared at Sensei with even colder eyes and said.

"Answer."

"Yes."

If Sensei had resisted a little more then, he would have been immediately handcuffed and shackled. Seeing a ghost in a cemetery would have been less scary than that.

'No matter what, I need to go out. I need to get information and somehow ease this situation..'

When Sensei raised his head. He immediately saw Saori's face. It was like a jump scare, so Sensei stepped back in surprise.

"Sa-Saori? When did you get here?"

"I just got here. But why are you so surprised? Don't tell me..."

She lost the light in her eyes again and said to Sensei.

"You weren't trying to sneak out again, were you?"

Sensei hurriedly waved his hands in surprise and spoke rapidly.

"No, no, no. Where would I go without you? I won't go out alone. I was just a little surprised."

Even after Sensei finished speaking, her expression still wasn't good. Sensei started to panic at her appearance.

'Wh-Why is she like this? Did I say something wrong? Did I step on a landmine? What is it?'

"Sensei."

"Y-Yes?"

Sensei started to break out in a cold sweat. It seemed clear that he had upset her.

'Am I going to be shackled now? What should I say to excuse myself?'

"Are you afraid of me?"

The voice Sensei heard again was somewhat sad. And she spoke again.

"Because I did that... Are you afraid? Is that why?"

It was an unexpected reaction. Sensei immediately denied her words.

"No, no... We decided not to talk about that. I could never be afraid of you. I'm not afraid of you, you're my student. Why would a 'teacher' be afraid of his student?"

"......."

"P-Please don't make that face. Stop, stop. I was wrong. I'm indebted to you, so the homeowner shouldn't be like this."

When Sensei smiled softly again, her expression softened as well.

"Understood."

"Yes, yes."

And again, she asked Sensei.

"But what were you doing standing here? Your body must not have fully recovered yet."

"My body is recovering faster than I thought. Walking is no problem now. I think I could even run."

"That's good to hear, but I hope you won't overdo it."

"Yeah, I need to so I can go out and do something..."

"Go out?"

Her expression started to turn scary again, and Sensei answered without a 0.1-second hesitation.

"Together."

And her expression immediately returned to normal, and she said.

"Yes, that's right."

Sensei realized once again that one wrong word could lead to him being shackled. But putting that problem aside for now, Sensei had to do what he had to do.

"I'm sorry to ask again, but was there really nothing that could have caused your mind to return?"

".....Unfortunately, there was nothing specific that I could pinpoint as the cause. I just regained my senses right before I was about to kill you."

For Sensei to solve this situation, he needed to reverse the state where all the students defined him as an 'enemy'. But since he didn't know how to make them return to normal, he asked Saori, but he couldn't find out anything from her testimony.

'If I don't know how to make them return to normal, there's nothing I can do..'

And again, Sensei saw her expression turn gloomy. So he immediately changed the subject.

"Oh, what did you buy today?"

"Porridge."

"...There must be things cheaper than porridge.."

"I doubt the digestive system of a person who was exhausted until recently is functioning properly. You should continue to eat like this for the time being."

"Okay."

Sensei was touched by her kindness. If the porridge was seasoned, it would probably be Sensei's tears.

"Thank you. For thinking of me like that."

"It's.. what I should be doing."

And Sensei, here, says one more thing to her.

"Ah, and I have one more favor to ask."

"What is it? I'll do what I can."

"Well.... do you happen to have a helmet?"

"?"

* * *

Two days later, on the ninth day since he arrived at her hideout, Sensei prepared to go outside for the second time. Of course, he wasn't going out alone. If he did, he would be shackled. Today, he was just going out for a short while.

"Hmm, how do I look..? Do I look suspicious or anything?"

"You certainly don't look like Sensei on the outside. It's a common look in the Black Market, so you won't stand out."

Sensei was wearing a motorcycle helmet, a black hoodie, and pants, the best disguise he could do here, and he was ready to go out.

"If this disguise works, I won't have to just hide anymore."

"You can't wander around for that long. It's just a 20-minute outing."

"Got it."

"And I'll be right behind you, so if the worst happens, I'll respond immediately. And we'll have to move the hideout right away."

"If that happens, wouldn't it be better to just split up?"

"........."

"Okay, okay! L-Let's go out for now."

And Sensei opened the door. He came out of the darkroom and saw the sunlight. And Sensei felt a sense of being alive again.

'Ahaha... It's so unfamiliar since I've been inside for a while. But I feel good for some reason.'

Sensei jumped and walked around. Fortunately, his body moved as he wanted.

"Okay, let's just walk around the alley."

Sensei slowly took a step. And Saori followed behind him, and Sensei's outing began.

'I didn't have many reasons to visit the Black Market district, but I've been here once before.'

Fortunately, this wasn't a foreign place that Sensei didn't know, but a place familiar to his eyes. As a result, Sensei's steps were not cautious but rather confident.

'I know this store too. I know that place too. I know roughly where everything is. In the worst case, there shouldn't be any major problems escaping.'

And there were a few people walking in the alley. There were delinquent students, various robots, beastmen. And everyone looked somewhat suspicious and had a bad impression. Of course, one shouldn't have prejudices based on appearance, but this is the Black Market district. If you frequent the Black Market district, you're a suspicious person.

'.....It should be fine, right?'

Sensei passed by people one by one. And they seemed to have no interest in Sensei and just passed by. If they knew he was Sensei, they would have caught him immediately, but the fact that they didn't mean they didn't know. And that meant the disguise was working.

'Alright! It's working to some extent! Unless some crazy person suddenly takes off my helmet, I won't be discovered!'

So slowly, Sensei continued to walk. Some people looked at Sensei in the middle, but they soon turned their heads and went their own way. Sensei was nervous, but he soon felt relieved. And as he wandered around, it was almost 20 minutes.

'Okay, this is enough. Later, there will be inspections in the city center, but I can get away with this in normal times.'

Of course, he would need a more detailed disguise later, but he had definitely achieved results. So Sensei was in a good mood and was about to return to the hideout.

"......Where are you..."

"?"

A voice coming from Sensei's right, and that voice was too familiar to Sensei's ears. Sensei inadvertently looked to the right where the sound was coming from. And Sensei was so startled that he almost made a sound without realizing it. A fox with long brown hair was muttering while looking at a piece of paper with a fox mask on.

'W-Wakamo?!'

"Where are you... Where on earth are you.. I have to find you.. Darling.."

Hearing these words, Sensei felt a chill down his spine. And the memories of Saori started to come back. Right now, all the students of Kivotos are hostile to Sensei. And Wakamo would be no exception. If he was discovered now, he didn't know what would happen. No, he could guess. It would definitely be something bad.

'For now, I need to get away naturally...'

Tuk.

The moment he tried to move his feet, Sensei accidentally kicked a pebble and made a sound, and at that moment, her gaze moved to where the sound came from. And Sensei made eye contact with her.

Wakamo stared at Sensei without a word. And Sensei, as if nothing had happened, just turned his head and walked forward. He didn't know why she was here, but that wasn't Sensei's concern right now. It wasn't like he would welcome her now even if he knew.

'Let's go. I have to go. And I probably wasn't discovered, right? Wakamo is wearing a mask, and I'm wearing a helmet, so there's no way she would notice.'

Sensei was filled with anxiety, but he felt relieved when he saw Saori in front of him again. So the first outing was dangerous at the end, but it seemed like he could return safely.

Whoosh!

"?"

That is until she suddenly jumped out of the alley and grabbed Sensei's body.

"Huh..?"

Neither Saori nor Sensei had time to react, and Sensei was grabbed by Wakamo and quickly disappeared into the alley.

"What..."

It was a sudden situation. But she was a professional, so she immediately took the next action.

'Sensei..!'

Following the kidnapped Sensei, Saori also entered the alley.

* * *

"......!"

Not knowing what was going on, Sensei was being carried by Wakamo. He might be 75kg, but she was just holding him with one hand and continued to run inward without a word. And Sensei had no choice but to be dragged along silently.

'If I shout for help...'

It would only be a matter of time before Sensei's identity was revealed. That's why he can't ask for help now. He just had to figure out how to escape using the Shittim Chest hidden in his clothes.

'Think, think. A way to get out of this... Ugh!'

And she stops. Deep, deep inside, he didn't know where. And she looks at Sensei without a word.

"......"

And she was quick. Before Sensei could do anything, she took off his helmet. And Wakamo just kept looking at Sensei without a word.

"......Uh..."

And Sensei's identity was revealed too easily. That face was revealed to her.

"I finally found you. I've been... looking for you all this time."

Sensei was nervous. Since he had the Shittim Chest, he thought he could respond to any threat if there was one, and he started to think about all the threats she might make. He thought she must have been chasing him to kill him.

'Damn it, I shouldn't have gone out..!'

Sensei hardened his expression and was preparing to respond. And the first action she showed was to take off her mask. The second action was,

Squeeze!

She hugged Sensei tightly. Sensei was taken aback by the action that was least likely to happen. In fact, this is the action she would do the most, but in the current situation, shouldn't it be the opposite? So Sensei was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Darling! I found you! This Wakamo has finally found you..!"

And she hugged Sensei with an expression that looked like she was smiling or crying. And Sensei immediately realized that this emotion was her sincerity.

"Wakamo...?"

"Yes, darling. It's me, Wakamo."

And when she started to hug him tighter, Sensei felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder where he had been shot, and Sensei couldn't help but groan in pain.

"Aaaagh...!"

"D-Darling. What's wrong?!"

She was surprised and stepped back for a moment. And Wakamo saw a sight that was too shocking for her.

"Uh....?"

Sensei's left hand was wrapped in bandages, with the ring finger and little finger cut off. She took Sensei's hand in her own and trembled.

"Wakamo, what's wrong? Wakamo?"

"Who is it?"

"Huh?"

With deep anger, she spoke with a distorted expression.

"Who dared to do this to you...?"

"Calm down, Wakamo."

"Yes, they suddenly became hostile to you, fired missiles at Schale, and even put a bounty on you. Of course, I knew you would be harmed... I should have found you sooner..."

She was visibly shaken, and Sensei could see it. And here, Sensei realized for sure.

"Wakamo, you're not hostile to me?"

And at those words, Wakamo immediately shouted.

"Of course not! I would never be hostile to my..."

Bang!

A sudden gunshot, a bullet hits Wakamo's face. And Wakamo, without even showing any sign of pain, turned her head to where the bullet came from.

"Get away from him!"

Saori pointed her gun at Wakamo and spoke. And Wakamo, with an angry expression, looked at her and said.

"Darling, I will definitely protect you. Even if all the students are after you, I will protect you."

"No, wait, Wakamo?"

Wakamo rushed at Saori. Sensei immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation.

'Oh, no!'

Bang bang bang!!

Saori's gun fired, and a large number of bullets hit Wakamo, but they couldn't stop her onslaught. And just before Wakamo reached her, Saori rolled to the side and avoided her rush.

"Tch!"

"If you're after my darling, I'll just have to eliminate you all!"

And Wakamo took out her own gun and started firing at Saori. Saori dodged the bullets aimed at her with her movements and tried to close in for a point-blank shot, but Wakamo jumped in the air and flew over Saori. And then she fell on top of her and knocked Saori down.

"Ugh!"

But Saori didn't just take it lying down and immediately kicked Wakamo in the stomach, pushing her away for a moment, and then got up and created distance. But Wakamo immediately attacked Saori again, and she prepared to respond.

"Stop! Stop! Both of you, stop!"

And Sensei was running to stop them. And immediately, the two were surprised and shouted.

"Don't come here! It's dangerous! Run away!"

"Darling, I'll take care of this, so run away!"

And the two looked at each other. Because words that could never come out of each other came out.

"?"

"?"

Sensei came between the two who were puzzled by each other's words and said.

"Both of you, stop fighting. We're not enemies."

And so the fight came to an end for now.

* * *

"So, you've been hiding all this time? You just threw away your smartphone, so you didn't answer any calls?"

"Yeah. I've been hiding all this time."

"I'm so glad you're alive. I was worried that something might have happened to you.. I.. sniffle..!"

Wakamo hugs Sensei again. And Saori, who was watching the scene, opened her mouth.

"Um... You said your name was Wakamo? What... happened to you? Don't you hate Sensei?"

"What are you talking about? Why do you think I would hate my darling?"

When she glared at Saori, Saori corrected herself.

"No, all the students experienced the same phenomenon. They hated Sensei. But how are you okay?"

At those words, Wakamo hardened her expression and said.

"....To be honest, I should tell you. I experienced the same thing. Suddenly, I started to hate my darling. Just for no reason."

"Then, how did you come back?"

Sensei immediately asked. He thought he might be able to find a clue to how the students' minds could be restored from her.

"There's no way I could hate my darling. So every time I had such a thought, I would hit my head hard against the wall."

"Huh?"

"I hit my head against the wall, and on the floor, and kept doing it until I bled. If that didn't work, I would punch myself, and well, I even shot myself with a gun. And at some point, my thoughts about my darling became clear again. My love for my darling can't be stopped by something like this..!"

"Uh...."

"Uh...."

Wakamo put her hands on her cheeks and smiled. And the two were very taken aback by Wakamo's insane response. But still, Sensei looked at Wakamo with a bitter expression and said.

"Wakamo, you shouldn't do things that harm yourself.. I'd rather you just hate me. What are you doing.."

"Even in this situation, you're worried about me. Your heart is truly as vast as the ocean."

And she stood up, took Sensei's hand, and said.

"Now, don't worry. Darling. This Wakamo will never leave your side!"

And when she grabbed Sensei's right hand and tried to leave, Saori stopped her.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Ah, I didn't thank you. Thank you for hiding my darling all this time. I'll take care of him from now on. Please don't worry too much."

Wakamo tried to leave again, but she couldn't move forward. So when she looked back, Saori was holding onto Sensei.

"What are you doing?"

"Where are you taking Sensei?"

"To a safe place. I'll take good care of him."

And Saori hardened her expression at those words and said.

"That won't do. How can I trust you?"

And Wakamo's expression also hardened, and she said to her.

".....Let's not do this, shall we?"

Sensei felt the atmosphere turn tense again. They should have understood each other's situations, so why was this happening all of a sudden?

"Girls, why all of a sudden..."

"Darling, I'll take you to a safe place."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"H-Hey, girls?"

They were holding onto Sensei's body and not letting go. And at that moment, Sensei felt that something was seriously wrong. Because he could feel sparks flying from their eyes.

"Let go of my darling?"

"Let go of Sensei."

And Sensei started to sweat again. It should have been a good situation, but the atmosphere was becoming tense.

'Why, why is this happening..?'