Chapter 50: Mayumi’s Realization

"Th-th-that’s it for today’s lesson…!"

Gasping for breath, Asiri somehow managed to announce the end of the study session.

"Why are you the most exhausted one here…?"

"Th-that’s not true!!"

Caught off guard by the accurate jab, Asiri flinched. Still, anyone looking at her right now would have a hard time believing she wasn’t worn out.

"A-anyway! Everyone, let’s give it our all tomorrow too! And to do that, we need plenty of rest tonight! Got it!?"

"Y-yes! Um… Asiri-san, please make sure you rest too, okay?"

"Ah—yeah. You’re right. I’ll… do my best…"

───Even though I’ll probably be glued to the security cameras again tonight.

She gave Hifumi a vague smile, slumping inside at the thought.

Honestly, she already knew she wouldn’t be getting a decent night’s sleep for at least a week. But since this was something she’d chosen herself, she had no choice but to accept it.

…More importantly—

"…"

"…? Is something wrong?"

Shirasu Azusa.

She had spent most of her time without sleep. Not just for a day or two—ever since Asiri began her surveillance, Azusa had been up nearly every night, setting traps, maintaining her gun, and performing countless other tasks.

When she even went so far as to pitch a tent for short naps, Asiri could only stare in disbelief. Compared to that kind of dedication, her own fatigue felt trivial.

…Of course, all of that was merely a cover for her secret communications with the Arius Branch School. Neither Asiri nor Mayumi knew the truth.

"N-no, it’s nothing. Um, Azusa-chan, I’m sorry, okay?"

"…Doesn’t matter."

"Uuuuuh!? I-I said I’m sorry! I really did forget about the Momo Friends thing, but I swear I didn’t mean to!!"

"…"

"Waaahhh!!"

And so, Asiri could do nothing but bow her head in apology to the thoroughly sulking Azusa.

"Ugh…! Ah, the volunteers from the Volunteer Activities Club will come by later to pick up the laundry, so make sure to put it all together, okay?"

"Understood. Everyone, please remove your clothes and place them in this basket. That includes your underwear!"

"Ha!? W-why right now!?"

"Understood."

"Don’t you dare just ‘understand’!!!"

"E-everyone’s so energetic…"

Despite the hellish study session, the group still seemed full of energy—except for one person: Hifumi, who could barely keep up.

Azusa had undergone combat training at the Arius Branch School. Hanako’s physical potential was remarkable too—she was a natural prodigy.

If anyone was struggling, it was Koharu. But as a member of the Justice Task Force, even she had built some tolerance to exhaustion.

"Sigh…"

Which meant, inevitably, Hifumi was the one paying the price.

"‘Hifumi, are you okay?’"

"I-I’m f-fine! Somehow!"

The Sensei, noticing her struggle, spoke to her gently. Though flustered, Hifumi managed a quick, awkward reply.

"‘I see. Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?’"

"Th-thank you… Ah, um…"

"‘…?’"

"Could we talk later? In your room…? It’s about Hanako-chan…"

Seeing her worried expression, Sensei gave a small nod.

"…"

That entire exchange did not escape Amakawa Asiri’s notice.

"Okay, Mayumi-chan! Tonight again, we’re breaking about five communication laws and several minor criminal ones! Let’s do this!!"

Late that night, in a corner of the Volunteer Activities Club’s clubroom.

Asiri was, as always, connected to Mayumi and glued to her surveillance monitors.

"Could you not phrase it like that? You make it sound like I’m your accomplice in some major crime… Wait, hold on—don’t tell me you’ve been drinking energy drinks again? How many this time?"

"I stopped counting after it hit double digits!!!"

"…You’re banned from caffeine starting now."

"Noooo!!"

"Obviously! You’ve clearly overdone it!"

Truth be told, Asiri had been running herself ragged from days of constant monitoring. Mayumi was used to sleepless nights and fatigue—but Asiri wasn’t.

At this point, relying on energy drinks just to stay functional was almost understandable.

"And you know what!? Everyone’s grades have gone way up!! So now I’m gonna start monitoring Hifumi-chan’s conversation with Sensei!!"

"Your sentence structure is already collapsing, you realize that?"

Mayumi sighed. Maybe it was time to force Asiri to take a break. Then again, she couldn’t handle all the surveillance from Millennium alone either… and she felt bad for pushing her.

"Okay, here we goooo!!!"

"Wait—don’t you dare—"

Ignoring Mayumi’s protest, Asiri switched the camera feed on-screen.

"What in the—!? I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know—really, I had no idea! When did this even start!?"

"Hifumi-chan, you just said this is later than last night, didn’t you!? That means you came last night too, didn’t you!? Didn’t you!?"

"Wha—Waaah!? A swimsuit!? Why is she in a swimsuit!? Don’t tell me that’s what this is, Hifumi-chan too!? You can’t—no, you mustn’t do that!!!"

Seeing Hanako in a swimsuit, Hifumi in a tracksuit, and Sensei in casual clothes, Asiri shrieked so loudly it nearly shook the room.

"Calm down, for heaven’s sake…"

Mayumi, on the verge of tears from being dragged into this chaos, could only think— So this is how that weird rumor started spreading, huh…?

"That’s why I got worried about Azusa-chan… and Sensei and Hifumi-chan too!"

"S-so that’s what this was all about…"

"…"

"M-Mayumi-chan…? Um, maybe it’s time to forgive—"

"Quiet. Just focus."

"Eep…!"

Mayumi’s tone was ice cold—clearly, her patience had run out.

After downing so much caffeine, Asiri had been making blunder after blunder all night. Even she was feeling guilty about it now, sniffling softly as she leaned closer to the monitor.

Apparently, Hanako had gone to visit Sensei out of concern for Azusa, who had been disappearing more often lately and likely wasn’t sleeping well. The reason for the swimsuit, though, remained a total mystery.

"Exams are important, of course, but failing just means you have to retake them. Isn’t your health far more important?"

"‘That’s…’"

"That might be true normally… but…"

"‘Hifumi-chan?’"

"It’s not just failing…! If we fail two more times, we’ll be… expelled! We’ll have to leave Trinity!"

Hifumi spoke firmly, and Hanako, slightly shaken, responded with a sincere question.

Then, the teachers explained everything—every detail related to the incident.
They concealed anything regarding Asiri, Mayumi, and the Arius Branch School.

"…I see, so that’s what happened. If everyone failed, then all would be expelled…"

Hearing that, Hanako was filled with mixed emotions.

Frustration and guilt for not noticing Hifumi’s suffering.
Disappointment and resignation toward Trinity, which never seemed to change.

Before she realized it, she had lowered her hands, trying to bow in apology—only for the teachers to stop her.

"Mika-san… would never go that far. So perhaps… Nagisa-san is behind this?"

"…!"

She was sharp. It didn’t take her long to figure out who had created the Supplementary Lessons Department.

"But why do something like this right before the Eden Treaty? No… perhaps that’s exactly why… I see. So this Supplementary Lessons Department is really a gathering of suspects—those who might interfere with the Eden Treaty."

"…!?"

"E-Eh!?"

And she even saw through their possible motive.

"Typical Nagisa-san, I suppose. That sly little cat."

"C-Cat…?"

"Wouldn’t it be more efficient to deal with everyone at once? Seems like even Sensei was outsmarted by Nagisa-san."

"Eh!? I–Is that true!?"

Asiri let out a loud, surprised cry at Hanako’s unexpected remark.
Forgetting it was the middle of the night, she quickly covered her mouth and tried to quiet down.

"She used the pretense of helping struggling students to manipulate Sensei’s goodwill and freely use Schale’s authority… But that also means Sensei has been working hard for our sake. …Thank you, Sensei."

"…T-That can’t be…"

"Hanako Urawa. You’re not someone to be underestimated, are you?"

"M-Mayumi-chan…!"

Mayumi finally spoke, and Asiri’s eyes grew wet as she tried to hold back tears.

Come to think of it—why was she even angry to begin with? She had already forgotten.

"I’m not angry anymore. Here, blow your nose."

"Sniff…"

Why was Asiri always so childish? Even though she was older.
Mayumi didn’t mean to criticize her, but she couldn’t help thinking it.

In truth, Asiri was simply sensitive—and Mayumi just had a caring personality.

"To think she could deduce all that from so little information—that Sensei had been manipulated too…"

"M-Mayumi-chan, you knew? That Sensei was being used?"

"More or less. But only after I gathered enough information. With just ‘fail and you’re expelled,’ there’s no way I could have guessed that much."

Mayumi shivered slightly, feeling a new wave of awe toward Hanako.

Give her even the smallest piece of information, and she would eventually uncover the truth.
Even if she didn’t realize the details about Arius, she’d certainly sense that they weren’t cooperating with Trinity—that they had another goal.

"In that case, it’s lucky she hasn’t noticed the bugs and hidden cameras yet… though, that was careless of us."

"She muttered that with a faint, bitter smile."

"B-But she’s so smart… how come she doesn’t notice the surveillance and bugs?"

"Because that’s a completely different skill set."

Hanako Urawa—terrifying for her insight.
Her ability to deduce truth from limited information was extraordinary, but only when given the right premises.
Without that starting point—without the notion that there was something to uncover—her reasoning wouldn’t even begin.

"After all, who would assume their conversations are being bugged? It’s not like we’ve done anything shady."

"T-That’s true…"

"And it takes experience to detect them. Some are even disguised as security cameras…"

Then, it hit her.

There was one student capable of finding such devices.
Someone from the Arius Branch. Someone familiar with traps—someone who had real field experience.

"…!!"

Why hadn’t she realized it sooner?
Or had she simply dismissed the possibility from the start?

Neither Sensei nor Hanako had noticed the bugs.
That had made her overconfident—complacent.

There was no way, she’d thought, that anyone from the Supplementary Lessons Department—no, that Azusa Shirasu—could detect their surveillance.

"You idiot…!! You complete idiot!!!"

There had to be a clue—some moment when Azusa slipped out of their sight.

"…!"

Mayumi’s thoughts raced—and then she remembered.

During nap time. When they were setting up tents.
When she’d checked the traps—pits, smoke screens, poison gas.
When Azusa went to the restroom.

Those brief windows.
Moments where Azusa was beyond their watch.

Video or audio communication would’ve been impossible then.
But what about coded signals?
Rhythmic button presses. Short bursts of transmitted data.

If that’s what she’d done—

"Ugh…!! You idiot!!! What’s that head of yours even for!? Chop it off already, moron!!!"

"Eh, ehhh!!? What did I do!?"

"Not you! Me!! Listen carefully, Asiri!! Gather the equipment I’m about to name—"

"Mayumi-chan!?"

Suddenly, static flickered across Mayumi’s body—her form distorted, like glitched video.

And the next instant—

"Wahhhhhh!!?"

A thunderous boom rattled the building.
Asiri’s heart nearly stopped as she bolted from her seat, sprinting toward the Volunteer Activities Club’s base in a blind panic.

"Now that I think about it, I heard Trinity’s aquarium is showcasing a rare fish called the ‘Golden Tuna.’"

"Oh, I saw that in the pamphlet too! It’s called the ‘Phantom Fish,’ right?"

The members of the Supplementary Lessons Department and Sensei were chatting casually inside the gym.
Because of the heavy rain and a power outage, they had taken shelter there.

…Though, everyone except Sensei was still in swimsuits.

"Yes, apparently it was found in the nearby sea. I’d love to see it myself, but the admission fee isn’t exactly cheap…"

"‘Golden Tuna’…"

Sensei quietly mused that the Gourmet Research Club would probably want one.

"The sea, huh… come to think of it, I’ve never been there."

"W–Wait, what!? Not even once!?"

Azusa’s unexpected confession made Hifumi’s eyes widen in disbelief.

"I’ve heard it’s a place where salty water stretches endlessly—so vast you can’t see its end.
Beautiful, blue, cold… but unforgettable."

"…Yes! The sea really is wonderful! Next time, I’ll take you there, Azusa-chan!"

Maybe she’s from inland, Hifumi thought.
Either way, she made that small promise with a bright, reassuring smile.

"…Thank you. I’ll look forward to it."

"You’re welcome! Oh, and near the beach, there’s also an amusement park! We should go together!"

"An amusement park, huh… speaking of which, I heard a rumor recently.
Apparently, somewhere in the Millennium District, there’s an abandoned amusement park."

"…? That’s not really unusual, is it?—H-Hey, too close!"

Koharu, who had been speaking casually, found herself suddenly cornered as Azusa leaned in with an unsettling grin.

"It’s not just that… they say that at night, strange noises can be heard…"

"Wait, what? Is this a scary story? N-No way! You’re just hearing things!"

"And mixed in with the laughter… you can faintly hear someone sobbing."

"No! Absolutely not! That’s fake! Just someone’s prank!"

Then Hanako, at the perfect moment, leaned close to Koharu—
and softly blew a breath against her neck.

"W–Wah!? H-Hey, what was that for!?"

"Oh, the story’s over. I just wanted to let you know."

"Then just say that normally—mmph!?"

"Shh. Be quiet."

Without warning, Azusa clamped a hand over Koharu’s mouth.
The room instantly fell silent.

"…Do you hear that?"

"If my ears aren’t mistaken… it sounds like someone crying…"

"Mmmph!?"

Koharu tried to scream, recalling the story from moments ago,
but with her mouth covered, only muffled whimpers escaped.

Azusa narrowed her eyes, listening intently.

"…! I–I heard it too!"

"Yeah… and it’s getting closer, isn’t it?"

"Mmff…! Mmph…!"

At that point, Koharu gave up completely—collapsing in place with quiet sobs.

"…It’s coming this way. Everyone, grab your weapons.
I’m not used to leading… so, Sensei, could you?"

"Leave it to me."

"N-No way… my legs… they won’t move…"

"It’s okay. I’ll protect you."

Azusa raised her gun toward the gym’s door,
where the faint sobbing grew louder… and louder.

And then—

"They’re here!!"

"Sniff… uuugh…"

"Who’s there!? Hands up! Or else—"

"Wait, Azusa-chan… look!"

Dripping wet, her uniform soaked through,
a blonde student stumbled toward them.

"…Asiri?"

"Uwaaaaaaahhh!! I was so scared!!"

Rain, tears, sweat—or maybe even snot—ran down her face
as she threw herself into Azusa’s arms.
Even Azusa, normally composed, looked visibly unsettled.

"Oh my, what happened?"

"Sniff… I-I was in the c-clubroom alone… then the comms died… lightning—flash, boom!!
It was so scary, so scary…! So I came to the other building, but nobody was there…!
I got all soaked… followed the puddles…!"

Her words tumbled out in a panic, barely coherent,
but it was enough to understand what had happened.
There was none of her usual composure left.

"I see, that must’ve been frightening.
Oh my, your uniform’s drenched… let’s get you changed, shall we?"

"O-Okay… into what…?"

"A swimsuit, of course."

"That’s insane!!"

Asiri’s protest was weaker than usual—
but at least she still had enough fight left to shout.