Fate Twists into Wounds - 5

However, the situation doesn't calm down at all. Rather, a tug-of-war centered around Sensei was happening in real-time.

"Um, girls. I'm kind of hurting. Why don't you both stop?"

"Well, like my darling said, I think you should stop. You."

"You're one to talk."

A situation where neither side was willing to yield. The tug-of-war between the two sides only intensified.

(Squeeze)

(Squeeze)

"Girls, listen to me. Both of you, let go of each other's hands for now."

But they showed no signs of letting go of each other's hands. Sensei was bewildered as to why the situation was unfolding like this. And Sensei didn't realize that this was all stemming from their mindset of "I must protect Sensei!". Normally, if that were the case, they would cooperate, not engage in a tug-of-war, making it all the more perplexing.

"Will you let go?"

"Let go."

And this tense tug-of-war grew increasingly intense, and eventually, the line couldn't hold.

"Aaargh!!"

The gunshot wound on his right shoulder finally gave way. Sensei cried out in pain from the sudden surge of agony. Only after hearing Sensei's scream did the two hastily let go of their hands. And when they saw him clutching his shoulder, his face contorted in pain, they were flustered and didn't know what to do.

"Sensei, a-are you okay?"

"Darling...!"

And whether it was because of the two not listening to him, the pain in his shoulder, or the stress of an indefinite fugitive life, Sensei, who would normally just laugh it off, felt a surge of displeasure in his heart. So, without realizing it, Sensei glared at the two with an annoyed expression and said.

"You two... what exactly are you thinking...?"

And at those words, the glares they had been exchanging moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced by a frozen look. And they had to meet the eyes that loathed them.

And the two were not people who could withstand Sensei's loathing.

"I-I'm sorry... I just... just..."

"Darling... I didn't mean to hurt you... I'm, I'm sorry..."

And Sensei realized his actions at that moment, and immediately flustered, he said to them.

"No, that was just... the pain surged for a moment."

But their guilt didn't easily disappear. They simply sought Sensei's forgiveness.

"I was wrong. Please forgive me..."

"......I.."

"Aigoo, are you going to be like this again?! I really hate this atmosphere! Come on, come on, it's not like you did it on purpose, and I don't mind at all, so don't worry about it!"

"I'm sorry...! Darling...!"

".....This is really..."

Sensei soothed them for another 5 minutes before he could finally calm them down.

* * *

Night had fallen once again. Sensei returned to Saori's hideout. It seemed like it wouldn't be easy to persuade Wakamo, but surprisingly, she backed down easily. However, she said she would continue to watch from nearby, and Sensei, of course, allowed it.

'At first, I was worried she might fight again, saying no, but it's a relief. At least we can talk things out...'

However, there was something Sensei didn't know. The reason Wakamo backed down was that if she insisted one more time and Sensei looked at her with those loathing eyes again, she wouldn't be able to bear it, and she didn't want to receive Sensei's loathing anymore.

'For now, regardless, I need to sort out the situation again.'

With a pen and notebook he had obtained while outside, Sensei began to organize the current situation.

「1. The students of Kivotos hate me. And that hatred comes with the manipulation of memories.」

It was truly horrifying. A terrible curse that placed all the sins Sensei didn't commit onto Sensei. And Sensei had experienced the extent of that hatred firsthand.

'Missiles flew, fingers were blown off... it just goes to show how much I was hated.'

And Sensei continued to write in his notebook with the pen.

「2. If you question the contradictions in memories, you face even greater hatred. And the hatred is solely focused on 'Sensei'.」

'This is the biggest problem. It's practically brainwashing. This is something the students can't help. It's not a matter of willpower, as anyone caught in this would suffer the same fate.'

In Saori's case, she vaguely noticed the contradictions in her memories midway, but instead of the hatred disappearing, even greater hatred overwhelmed her. All the causes of Saori's unfortunate past became Sensei, and so she tried to kill him. Of course, it ended in failure, but Sensei's left hand was now permanently damaged. Sensei didn't hold a grudge against Saori for this. Rather, he only felt pity.

'That's how much she wanted to kill me. Beatrice, what a trashy thing to do...'

But what's the point of talking about the past? Nothing changes. Sensei sighed and continued writing.

「3. This curse seems to only affect 'students'. It didn't happen to other citizens.」

He realized this after hearing whispers about him during his fugitive life.

"Isn't he falsely accused? It's so sudden and out of the blue..."

"We don't know, but there's no smoke without fire, right? Something must have happened."

If the curse had affected them, they would never have said such things. And the police and automatons tried to subdue him, not kill him. This also supported clause 3. However, as he was branded a terrorist, he couldn't receive help from citizens or the police, so this situation wasn't of great help to him. But he was puzzled.

'How did this 'curse' of hatred only get into the students...'

But since he couldn't figure it out, Sensei moved on to number 4.

「4. There's no definite way to lift the curse yet. Wakamo - willpower?」

Saori and Wakamo definitely don't harbor hostility towards him anymore. However, since he couldn't find a common variable, he couldn't form a hypothesis. He couldn't use Wakamo's method, nor would he. So all that was left was Saori's case, but he couldn't make a judgment based on just one instance.

'She shot me, and then the curse was lifted... but what am I supposed to learn from this.'

Ultimately, to figure out how to lift the curse, more cases needed to be added. But the students were hostile towards him. The moment they met, it could be a one-way ticket to the afterlife, and he might not even be able to try. Also, he wondered if he could even go and meet them.

'...There are still so many things I don't know.'

And Sensei wrote one last thing.

「5. Who is the person who cast this curse?」

'..... This is the biggest question. I can't know since it happened so suddenly.'

It could have been someone who had immense hatred for Sensei, or maybe Sensei was just extremely unlucky and got caught in a god's prank, he couldn't make a judgment. However, one thing that bothered him was that the Black Suit seemed to vaguely know about this situation at the time.

'He definitely said I wouldn't be able to handle it then. Well, he was right. I almost died.'

He might have died that day. But luckily, Sensei was alive now. He didn't know if losing two fingers could be called luck, but he supposed it was a fair price for his life.

'As long as I'm alive, I can do something... but I'm a little sleepy now...'

Sensei began to feel sleepy. And his body didn't resist. With the notebook by his side, Sensei fell asleep.

And Saori watched him silently. She looked at Sensei with a sad expression and began to speak softly.

"Sensei... I committed an unforgivable sin against you that day. I showed you terrible malice. And you almost died because of it. But you forgave such a person so easily. And you saved us. I probably couldn't repay you even if I spent my whole life doing so."

And she lowered her head and said.

"But I wonder if it's because I was forgiven too easily. So I thought I could be forgiven again, and I committed such a terrible act against you again... How can I wash away this sin now."

She touched Sensei's left hand. It was wrapped in bandages, and two fingers were missing. Proof of the terrible sin she had committed. Her hand trembled as she looked at it.

"You're a good person. But... everyone hates you now. The kindness you showed to the students will all come back as malice.

And Saori took Sensei's right hand and said.

"Even so, I will stay by your side... until the end. I will protect you, even if it costs me my life. I have committed an unforgivable sin against you... I must repay it even in death...."

And so the night deepened. Along with a young girl's vow.

* * *

For a while, Sensei continued to roam outside. The disguise worked perfectly. However, he was curious as to how Wakamo had recognized him, so when he asked her once, her answer came back clear.

"I can recognize my darling no matter what he looks like~?"

"I see..."

Well, at that point, Sensei decided to make Wakamo an exception. Wakamo is Wakamo... he decided to think that way. However, he was worried that if there was someone with a sharp eye, they might recognize him, but he couldn't disguise himself any further. He couldn't exactly replace his body with a machine.

'There might be something in the black market, but I don't have money. My account would have been frozen by now.'

Well, after roaming around like that for days, Sensei came to one conclusion.

"I need to leave this place."

Sensei declared suddenly one day, and the girl listening to him agreed.

"I can feel the encirclement closing in around here. Students from other schools and the police have started to enter the Black Market district."

"Right. I think they've figured out where I am. I need to leave before it's too late."

"....Okay, I'll leave with you."

Sensei made a worried expression at those words and said.

"Are you sure? You know what it means to act with me, right? The arrows that would only be aimed at me will be aimed at you too, Saori. Honestly, I'd rather you didn't come with me."

But Saori's response was the same.

"Sensei, didn't I tell you? I can't let you go alone. And do you think I won't follow you if you say that?"

And Sensei felt like he couldn't break her will any longer. Sensei sighed and replied.

"Fine, whatever... it's no use trying to stop you. I'm sorry for getting you involved."

"I'm the one who's sorry... I... what have I done..."

"Let's not talk about that anymore. It's not like having 8 fingers affects your daily life."

"Sensei, where are you planning to go...?"

And Sensei told her his destination. And at those words, Saori's face turned pale and she said.

"Sensei! What are you saying? You're going there? That's impossible!"

"I had to face them eventually. I can't keep running forever, and in my situation, it's the only possibility open to me."

"Sensei... those kids will never welcome you. They might not listen even if I tell them."

But Sensei's will was firm.

"I don't have the option of running away from the students forever. If that were the case, I would have left Kivotos. Well, I can't leave even if I wanted to now. I have to find a clue somehow."

"Sensei...."

Sensei smiled and said.

"So tell me, the Arius kids. Are they still living where I know?"

Sensei's choice was the Arius Squad.

* * *

"....Leader, where on earth are you?"

The black-haired, bob-cut girl sighed. It had been quite a while since their squad leader had been out of contact.

"Leader... her last message was 'I'll kill Sensei'... What if something went wrong...!"

The light blue-haired girl said anxiously, and the purple twin-tailed girl comforted her.

"Don't worry, Hiyori. Sacchan will definitely be safe."

It had been some time since Saori and the others had been apart, but they had been in sporadic contact. However, this was the first time they had lost contact for so long. The three were secretly anxious.

"If something happened to her... we can't just stand by."

Misaki adjusted her mask and made up her mind. She had no intention of taking lightly what the leader had entrusted to her. It was different from when she felt a sense of emptiness in her life. As she was searching for the meaning of life, she couldn't afford to lose that meaning again.

"If Leader is in danger... I, I'll...!"

"Right, if Sacchan is really in danger, I'll go too."

And Hiyori and Atsuko agreed with her. The bond of the Arius Squad was unbreakable.

Misaki picked up her smartphone again to contact the leader. Just as she decided that if she didn't get a response this time, she would go out and look for her.

Creak...

With the sound of the door opening, the three immediately went on alert. There was no one who would come here except for the leader. If it wasn't the leader, they had to respond immediately, so they didn't let their guard down. But the next sight was enough to make them lower their guard.

"Have you been well?"

A too familiar sight. And the blue-haired woman they had always been with, the leader of the Arius Squad. It was Jooma Saori.

"Leader...?"

"Leader!"

"Sacchan!"

They immediately welcomed the return of their leader. Seeing her after several weeks was truly a relief.

"Pueeeng!! I was worried something bad had happened, Leader!"

"What could possibly happen to me? Don't cry, Hiyori."

"Sacchan, it's been so long. Fufu."

"Right... Princess... it has been a long time."

After exchanging warm greetings, it was her turn.

"Leader, you're safe."

"Yes... I'm safe."

And Misaki asked the leader.

"Then, is everything finished?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Your last message was that you were going to kill Sensei. Is it all resolved?"

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

And Saori shuts her mouth at those words. Misaki, puzzled by this reaction, soon realized something and said,

"Sorry, maybe that wasn't the time to bring that up."

"Ah, no. It's just that I left after saying those things..."

"I'm glad we could meet again."

"Yeah, I'm glad we could meet again too."

And just as the heartwarming atmosphere continued,

"So, you were still living here."

Another voice was heard. The three of them instantly hardened their expressions. Saori's expression stiffened as if she knew this was coming. And the person who revealed themselves was...

"It's been a while, Arius Squad."

It was Sensei.

Bang!

And immediately, a shot rang out. A direct hit aimed at Sensei's head. But the bullet clearly missed. And Sensei said,

"Well, I didn't expect this from the start. It's quite different from what I anticipated."

"You... you!"

Misaki pointed her pistol, her expression contorted. A fierce expression of anger, a stark contrast to her usual blank face. Both Sensei and Saori were taken aback by this sight.

"Why are you here? Why are you with the leader?"

"...Misaki, there's something I need to tell you. I..."

Bang!

Another shot at Sensei. But the bullet missed again. With the Shittim Chest activated, the bullets couldn't reach Sensei right now. That's why Sensei could step forward. But Misaki, trembling with rage, spoke.

"You... why did you come here..."

"I..."

"Leader, don't tell me... did you bring him here?"

To Misaki's anger-filled question, Saori replied,

"You're misunderstanding something. Think about it again. Sensei..."

And at that moment, another shot rang out. But this time, it didn't come from Misaki's gun.

"Leader... the leader... she's been charmed... there's no other way... why, why is that man... here...?"

Hiyori's sniper shot also didn't reach Sensei, but both Sensei and Saori could clearly sense it. The animosity they were showing towards Sensei right now was beyond imagination.

"Sacchan... what's going on?"

And at those words, Sensei sighed and said,

"It seems this couldn't be solved through conversation. In the end, we have to go with Plan B."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everyone, calm down. Isn't something strange? Try to remember! Think about what Sensei did to us!"

But at those words, Misaki replied with a cold voice,

"Yes, it was him who trained us like he was trying to kill us, who tried to kill Atsuko, who threw us away like rags when we were no longer needed. So how can the leader be with him?"

"Misaki, there's a contradiction in your words. Sensei has been in Kivotos for less than a year, how is that possible?"

".....?"

"Remember! It was Beatrice who made it like that, not Sensei! Sensei was the one who tried to help us!"

"Ugh..."

Misaki clutched her head. Something definitely felt wrong. It was Beatrice who abandoned them. The Madam. It was the Madam who used them. She was sure of it, but in her mind, everything was being replaced with Sensei. She could see his cold, mocking smile as she suffered.

"No..."

"Misaki, Hiyori, Princess! Remember! Your memories are distorted right now! But you have to remember! Sensei..."

"Shut up!!!!!"

With her scream, a missile was launched towards Sensei. Saori was startled and pulled Sensei away.

KABOOM!!

And a hole was blasted in the wall where Sensei was standing. Sensei just let out a hollow laugh at this sight.

"This is no joke."

"Sensei, I told you! They wouldn't welcome you! You should leave now..."

"Running away won't change anything. If I can't bring them back now, there will be no hope in the future. I just have to pray that my hypothesis is correct."

And they slowly approached Sensei. They were clearly radiating immense hostility towards him.

"Leader... move aside."

"I can't do that."

"I knew it... she's charmed. She's definitely charmed by that wicked adult!"

"Sacchan... something is definitely wrong."

And they prepared to attack Sensei. Seeing this, Sensei shouted,

"There's no other choice! Plan B! Wakamo!!"

And at that moment. Someone flew in from the broken window. A girl wearing a fox mask smiled and said,

"Did you call for me, Darling?"

"Yes! Capture Hiyori and Atsuko! Can you do that?"

"Of course."

And she instantly stood in front of them and said,

"Well then, shall we have a little chat?"

"H-eek...!"

"Hiyori, Atsuko!"

As Misaki tried to launch a missile at Wakamo, Saori immediately grabbed her and stopped her. A struggle ensued between the two.

"Get a hold of yourself! You know something is wrong!"

"Leader, you're the one who needs to get a hold of yourself...!"

And thus, a gunfight began inside the hideout. Sensei looked down at this sight.

'This wasn't what I wanted..! But there's no other choice. It's already happened, and I have to resolve it!'

All Sensei could do was watch.

"Misaki, stop this!"

Saori couldn't think of any other response than to restrain Misaki. She couldn't bring herself to attack her comrades. Especially if she believed they were being controlled. But Misaki was different.

"Get out of my way!"

Misaki even pulled out a knife from her pocket and swung it at her. Saori dodged the blade, but she couldn't help but be deeply dismayed by her murderous intent.

"Misaki! Listen to me!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! My head is killing me!"

"Damn it, is she not hearing me?"

The animosity that was supposed to be directed only at Sensei was now also directed at her. Was the scope of hatred expanding as the hatred grew? She couldn't make that judgment right now.

"Misaki..."

Misaki was consumed by hatred to the point of aiming a missile at her. And Saori was saddened by Misaki's state.

"Was your pain... that great...?"

"What are you talking about!"

And as a missile was about to launch from her Stinger, Saori forcibly grabbed the gun and twisted it upwards, causing the missile to fire into the ceiling, destroying it. And she continued to persuade her.

"Please, Misaki! Don't do this anymore!"

"Kugh...! Don't stop me!"

And then,

"Darling! I've captured both of them for now! What should I do next!"

Hiyori and Atsuko were captured and subdued by Wakamo. And seeing this, Misaki was consumed by even greater hatred than before.

"Was this why you brought her..? If you were going to do this... you should have just let me die that day!"

"Misaki...!"

And in that moment, Saori was pushed back by Misaki's strength. It was Saori's mistake, as she had been focusing on restraining Misaki without hurting her.

"Kuh!"

And then, Misaki ran towards Sensei with a knife.

"You...!"

"Sensei!"

And Saori followed her. And Sensei, seeing Misaki running towards him, just stood there.

"Sensei, dodge! Why aren't you moving!"

But Sensei didn't move. Instead, his expression was calm. As if he was ready to accept everything, he remained composed. And..

Stab!

Misaki's knife pierced Sensei's shoulder. It was the exact location of the gunshot wound that Saori had inflicted not long ago.

"KUGHHH!"

Sensei let out a cry of pain. And Misaki climbed on top of him, intending to push the knife deeper.

"Die...!"

And Saori, finally catching up, pulled Misaki away from behind. And the two spoke while entangled.

"Get out of my way...! I have to kill him, that man has to die...!"

"Please stop this now! Misaki! You shouldn't do this...!"

Misaki pointed at Sensei, who was slumped on the ground, and said,

"That man... the ones who made us so miserable... I have to kill them...!"

Misaki was even shedding tears. Tears of resentment for the one who ruined their lives. Saori was heartbroken, knowing this.

"Kughhh..."

Sensei groaned in pain, the knife deeply embedded in his shoulder. And he spoke with difficulty.

"Misaki... was it that painful for you.. that sad..."

And at those words, Misaki's head snapped towards him. She was about to unleash her anger upon him.

"We're suffering like this because of you...!"

And then it happened.

'Misaki, do you like teddy bears too?'

'Should we give these to the other kids?'

Memories flashed through her mind. And from that moment, a flood of memories began to pour in. The memory of being stuck in an elevator with Sensei when it suddenly stopped working returned. Sensei had sung to her, held her hand, and tried to comfort her as she trembled with claustrophobia. And he had said,

'Close your eyes. I'll be right here with you.'

"......."

Her hatred was fading away. The Sensei who had been so detestable just moments ago. The Sensei who had driven them into misery was no longer in her memory.

"Sensei...?"

"Ahaha... hello, Misaki."

The incredibly kind person who had reached out to the one who pushed everyone away more than anyone else. That Sensei was right in front of her. And...

"Uh... uh?"

Her knife was plunged into that very Sensei's shoulder. Blood was flowing from Sensei's shoulder, and he was forcing a smile.

"Se... Sensei..."

"You've come to your senses... haha.."

"Sensei...?"

And in that moment, she realized what she had done. So she pushed Saori away again and ran towards Sensei frantically.

"No... no!"

And then,

Crash!

"Ugh!"

She immediately collapsed in front of Sensei. And her head was instantly stepped on and subdued. And standing over her was the Fox of Calamity, seething with rage, veins popping on her neck and head.

"How dare... how dare you..! You dare hurt Darling..!"

Wakamo roughly grabbed Misaki's head with her hand and slammed it down with all her might.

"Cough!"

"Misaki!"

And Saori immediately tried to stop Wakamo, but Wakamo stared at Saori with a truly murderous aura.

"This is ridiculous. Arius Squad, you said you received kindness from Darling, no, Sensei, but is this how you repay that kindness?"

"She wasn't... she wasn't in her right mind! Please forgive Misaki!"

But those words only provoked her further.

"So does that mean attacking Sensei didn't happen..? If I had known this would happen... I would have taken him and run away from the beginning...!"

Wakamo was shedding tears. She was even angrier with herself for not being able to protect him.

"Ughh... Sensei..."

And a groan was heard from below. The girl who had stabbed Sensei with a knife. And Wakamo became even more enraged at that sight.

"How dare you!"

And just as she was about to slam her head down again, someone grabbed Wakamo's leg. When she looked to see who it was, it was Sensei, his face contorted in pain.

"Da, Darling..!"

"Wakamo... don't!"

"But..."

"Wakamo...!"

Sensei spoke with a distorted expression as blood trickled down his body. With his hand, which only had three fingers left, he tightly gripped Wakamo's foot. And seeing this, Wakamo burst into tears.

"Darling... hng... what are you doing... If you were going to do this... you should have just run away... what are you doing..."

"I'm fine... I'm fine, Wakamo. Forgive Misaki... she's a good girl... can you do that?"

She couldn't refuse the plea that he barely managed to utter in pain, with a knife still lodged in his shoulder.

"I understand... I understand.."

And seeing this, Misaki remained face down, shedding tears.

"I'm sorry... Sensei..."

And Saori also bowed her head in grief. This was not what she wanted, but it had happened anyway. It was a truly cruel joke.

And Sensei spoke with difficulty.

"But, the rule... I found it... I'm glad..."

Sensei had found the rule. He had found a way to reconnect the severed bonds. The wounds were what brought the bonds back together.