Chapter 57: District Defense

…Now then, what should I do? Stay here for a while? Head back to Trinity for the moment? Or should I join the assault on the False Sanctum?

As I hesitated over my next move, my phone rang. The caller was Maiha.

"Hello, Maiha?"

〈Ah, finally! Aika-chan, come back to Trinity! I have a ton of things I want to ask—like what happened to Sensei—but just get back here first!〉

With only that, she ended the call. Or rather, she had to end it. The signal was terrible, and it felt like the connection could drop again at any moment.

"Well then, time to head back."

Everything regarding Sensei should be fine if I leave it to everyone else. After saying goodbye to the Valkyrie Police School officers, I drove down the road—now uneven and broken in several places from the destruction.

"Aika-chaaan~!"

After refueling and restocking ammo, I returned to campus and headed for the Tea Party headquarters. Masa and Maiha were waiting for me.

"Aika, you’re unharmed."

"Yes. For now, I’ve managed to resolve Kaiser’s control over the D.U. District. However…"

"Yeah, this weird-colored sky."

That ominous, blood-red sky. It hadn’t changed at all—not since leaving SCHALE, not even after returning to Trinity.

"Anyway, Aika, let’s head inside."

Urged by Masa, I parked the Royal Tea nearby, then followed the two inside the building and out onto the usual balcony.

"Aika-san…"

Nagisa was there, of course—but so were Sakurako, Mine, and even Hanako. With so many key Trinity figures gathered, I felt a little out of place as just a first-year.

"…Yes. First, a report on what happened in the D.U. District. How much have Maiha and Masa told you?"

Nagisa responded first.

"The reason Sensei didn’t appear at the Emergency Countermeasures Committee meeting is because Kaiser abducted him. After we returned to Trinity, Kaiser attacked the General Student Council and took control of the D.U. District. He then declared martial law and sealed all entry and exit."

Hanako continued.

"On our way back to Trinity, the officer cadets saw Kaiser’s forces occupying the district, made a U-turn, and joined with Valkyrie Police School to rescue Sensei… that’s everything up to that point."

So they only knew up until the moment before I returned to the district myself. That means I need to explain things properly.

"Understood. After that, I left the follow-up reporting to the two of them and returned to the D.U. District to support Sensei. To stop Kaiser’s control of the district, we needed to reclaim the SCHALE building—so I helped with that, and we successfully got SCHALE back into Sensei’s hands. But…"

That’s when the sudden anomaly appeared in the sky. Soon after, Maiha called me back, so I rushed home.

"Then, Aika-san, you also don’t know the cause of this abnormal phenomenon."

"That… would be correct. I’m terribly sorry."

Of course, I did know. But if they asked how I knew… well, Sensei probably didn’t yet understand the full picture himself.

"No, it’s fine. As for what comes next…"

Just as Nagisa tried to continue, her phone rang. She immediately answered.

"I see… yes. Understood. We’ll handle it at once."

"Who was it from?" Sakurako asked.

With a serious expression, Nagisa replied:

"The Justice Task Force reports that mysterious machines have appeared throughout Trinity, and copies of Justina—who should have been erased—are attacking citizens and students."

"The Sanctum Council…?"

The Chroma were using Decagrammaton, Replica Mimesis, and Divi:Sion to attack—not only Trinity, but all of Kivotos.

"And there’s also a message from Sensei…"

Sensei instructed that all district students must stay away from the black pillars and evacuate immediately, leaving everything from here on to Adult SCHALE.

"Oh, I got one too… I see…"

Hanako also received a message from Sensei. But the content differed from the one sent to Nagisa.

"…Sensei is asking me to come to SCHALE to help resolve the situation. Sorry, but I’ll be going now."

"Understood. We’ll handle Trinity’s defense."

After watching Hanako dash off, Nagisa addressed us again.

"Now then… we must face this unidentified force attacking Trinity. The Tea Party, the Sisterhood, the Remedial Knights, and the Justice Task Force—this is the time for all organizations to unite beyond our boundaries, for the sake of defending Trinity."

"…Yes, of course."

"I’ll also—no, we’ll also do everything we can to aid anyone in need of rescue."

With everyone in agreement, we headed out—toward the battle to protect the district.

Nagisa’s instructions for us were simple: patrol Trinity territory and operate as a mobile strike team.

Following that order, we drove the Royal Tea through the city streets. Thanks to the strange, meteor-like objects embedded everywhere—each one glowing ominously—the once-beautiful scenery was ruined.

"Ah—are those things the mysterious forces we heard about?"

From the driver’s seat, Maiha leaned out and pointed. A bizarre entity—something like a metallic jellyfish, dangling countless squirming tentacle-like arms—was attacking a student. Alien? Machine? It was hard to describe. Written out like this, it almost sounds like something from an eroge, but that thing definitely had no such intentions.

"It feels weird… I wonder if attacks even work on it?"

"We won’t know if we don’t try."

With zero hesitation, Masa pulled out her firearm and opened fire. The jellyfish creature took a clean burst of five shots, then collapsed with a wet splat and went still.

"If we can hurt them, that’s a little reassuring~"

"Yes, indeed."

My Pom-Pom Cannon excels at clearing out swarms of enemies. As long as they can be defeated by normal firepower, this becomes our battlefield, not theirs.

Taking advantage of our mobility, we swept across Trinity, crushing enemies as we went.

"Ugh… what are these things? They look like bugs. So gross…"

The jellyfish ones were bad enough, but then there were four-legged spider-like robots and six-legged scorpion-like ones. Instant mood killer. In my previous life, I absolutely couldn’t handle bugs. In this life, I’m a farmer, so I’ve gotten used to them… but not ones this big. And their movements were all skitter-skitter and disturbingly realistic.

"Haha…"

"Let’s finish them quickly so you don’t have to look at them."

"Y-Yes… disappear already!"

I fired the Pom-Pom Cannon. By the time all fourteen rounds were spent, the enemy was pulverized beyond recognition.

"…! More coming. This time it’s the Justina Sanctum Council."

In the direction Masa pointed, I saw them—those bizarre figures we hadn’t seen since the Arius infiltration mission. Wimple hoods, gas masks, leotards, dresses slashed with deep slits… an absolutely deranged aesthetic.

"We can’t leave everything to Aika-chan. We’ll get out and fight too~"

Maiha and Masa jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire on the replicas. After a few hits, the enemies shimmered upward like spirits finding peace, then vanished entirely.

"Are you two alright?"

Ammo isn’t unlimited, so having them fight helps, but… I still worry. When I asked, they answered:

"I told you already—resilience is one of my strong suits."

"I’m fine too, don’t worry~"

"…Alright. Then I’ll prioritize long-range targets."

And so we continued our defense of Trinity.

We eventually reached a quieter area near the center of Trinity. This region was known as the Ruins District—normally a well-known tourist spot.

"…You two. I intercepted a Justice Task Force transmission. It sounds like Koharu is in danger."

"Koharu-chan is?"

I wasn’t going to ask why she was intercepting Justice Task Force comms in the first place, but apparently Koharu was holed up with evacuated civilians in the remains of an old chapel, barely holding off an attack.

"Fortunately, it isn’t far from here. We should go help."

"Yes, let’s hurry."

This is exactly why we’re acting as a mobile strike team. I brought Masa and Maiha back into the car, then sped toward the location.

An explosion shook the old chapel building. The barricades—made from rubble, desks, and chairs—were blown apart, and the Chroma’s forces poured inside like a collapsing wave.

"A-Aahh… d-don’t come any closer!"

Koharu, who had been defending this place all by herself, faced the replicas of the Justina Sanctum Council creeping toward her. Behind her were civilians and students. As a member of the Justice Task Force, she couldn’t back down—but…

"Uu…"

Dozens aimed their weapons at her at once. Outnumbered, outgunned. A truly hopeless situation.

But then, the outer wall of the chapel suddenly exploded outward, sending dust billowing through the air. From within the smoke stepped a single figure.

"Okay, okay~ coming through for just a moment."

Her iconic long, flowing pink hair trailed behind her, white wings spread wide as she planted herself between Koharu and the approaching enemies. She turned back and spoke with a smile.

"I heard Koharu-chan was here, so I sprinted over☆"

"Ah, um… Tea Party’s…"

For Mika, Koharu was a special person. On the day of the Eden Treaty… after Mika was assaulted by pro-war students, after her position worsened irreversibly, Koharu protected the precious belongings that bullies tried to burn. Koharu was her savior.

…Though to Koharu, both those actions were simply what her own justice demanded. As for Mika, at the moment she only recognized her as “Masa’s amazing boss.”

"Koharu-chan, are you okay? Your injuries… mm, yeah, you’re hurt."

"U-Um… th-this is just a scratch…"

With a quiet resolve, Mika turned back toward the enemy.

"So you’re the ones who did this… huh…"

Then she opened her eyes wide.

"…What do you think you’re doing to my precious fri-end?"

"E-Eh? Friend…?"

Koharu blinked in confusion—when suddenly, the opposite wall, not the one Mika destroyed, burst open. A very familiar truck rammed through.

"A-Aika!?"

"Yes, it is I—Aika."

A 40mm anti-air shell had blown the wall apart for their entrance. A very familiar sight. The only difference from last time was that the Tea Party’s strongest firepower was on our side today, not the enemy’s.

"We came to help, Koharu-chan~"

"I heard you were holding out alone. As expected, you are strong."

"Maiha… and Masa too…!"

Seeing Koharu react far more enthusiastically to them than to her, Mika puffed her cheeks in a sulky pout—but quickly shook it off.

"…Sheesh, you’re making me jealous. But… we don’t have time for that."

She launched herself toward the enemies that had harmed her dear friend, and Koharu, along with the officer cadets, moved in from behind to support her.

Honestly, Mika and Koharu alone probably could have handled this, so adding three officer cadets on top of that made the outcome obvious. The enemy group was first blasted apart by anti-air shells, then shredded by submachine-gun fire until almost nothing remained. Anyone who somehow survived was finished off with precise sniper shots. What had been a desperate defense just minutes ago had now flipped entirely into a one-sided annihilation.

"Koharu!"
"Koharu-san! Are you okay!?"

Just as the situation had mostly been resolved, the Justice Task Force units arrived.

"Great, it's the Justice Task Force!"
"You really came to save us! That witch showed up here and—"

Before Mika could react, Masa was already turning toward the student who said it.

"...Take that back. Lady Mika is not a witch. How dare you call the person who saved you something like that."

"Y-yes… I'm sorry…"

"Masa-chan…"

Hasumi, who had been listening, approached Mika and bowed her head slightly.

"...Thank you for helping us."

"Oh? I didn't expect to get thanked…"

A lot had happened during the Eden Treaty incident, and Mika had caused more than a little trouble for the Justice Task Force. Even though some time had passed since then, she never imagined she would be thanked so straightforwardly.

"You did save Koharu, after all."

"…Well, that's true. Okay then, I've got more places to be, so I'm heading out☆"

Mika slipped out through the hole she had blown open earlier and flew off toward her next destination. Hasumi watched her go, then turned her attention to guiding the evacuated students and civilians in the sanctuary to a safer location.

Meanwhile, in the Millennium District—

"Alright, you lot! Stay sharp!"
"Yes ma’am, Chief!"

After quickly clearing out the enemies near the shipyard, Seira Karaho, head of the Shipbuilding Engineering Department, led a large group of her club members toward the central area of Millennium to provide support.

(That kid’s doing her best over at Trinity, so we might as well give it our all too.)

And so, in one of the Millennium Science School’s plazas, she ran into some familiar faces.

"Oh, Seira. You made it out safely."
"Of course! We’re not soft enough to get taken down by a bunch of nobodies like that, Utaha."

The Engineering Club and the Shipbuilding Engineering Department often formed joint fronts when developing ship engines or weapons. They had almost no experience cooperating in actual combat like today, but this level of opposition wasn’t an issue. Still, she noticed that first-year Nekozuka Hibiki seemed absolutely exhausted… but she’d probably be fine.

"Alright then… time to collect some live-combat data for Millennium Price."

Seira pulled out a controller about halfway between a smartphone and a tablet in size and began operating it with practiced ease.

"Martinique-chan, let’s go! Fire!"

Several seconds later, a Tomahawk fired from the newly completed missile cruiser Martinique scored a clean, critical hit on the enemy’s concentrated formation, wiping them out.

"Incredible. Did the Shipbuilding Engineering Department develop that on their own?"
"Yep. It’s for Millennium Price, so we handled as much as possible within our department. Though, well… that did rack up quite a few expenses…"

"Hmm… There are many things I'd like to ask, but for now, shall we deal with the enemies in front of us?"

Seira nodded at Utaha’s words and joined the Engineering Club and the Training Club in defending Millennium’s central district.