Chapter 4: Halo-destroying bomb

This was something I only learned much later—back then, there was no way any of us could have known. But apparently, right before we headed out to join the frontline units, an enemy faction launched a large-scale assault on the Student Council Headquarters.

"Are the pursuers still there!?"

"They’re still on us!"

Up until then, the attacks had been nothing more than ambushes on supply trucks or minor skirmishes—basically the kind of “See? We’re totally doing our jobs!” performances that barely even counted as battles. I don’t know what their higher-ups were thinking, but at the very least, no one on the ground had shown any real intent to accomplish something big enough to justify dragging the civil war out further. Well, it had already been going on for years, so that wasn’t surprising. Grunts like me didn’t even know why it started. Probably the same on their side.

"How long are they going to chase us!?"

"Hah… hih… I—I’m gonna… die…!"

"Captain! Kou-chan looks like she’s about to die!"

"If you don’t wanna die, then run!"

"Eeeek!"

But then adults from the “outside” appeared—and everything changed. One of them seized control of their entire upper leadership in the blink of an eye. Impressive, sure, but there was no way they did it through anything clean.

"Should we split into two groups!?"

"Denied! There should be a church up ahead! We’ll hold them off there—just temporarily!"

That adult wanted the civil war settled quickly. As a result, the enemy launched a massive offensive… the frontline collapsed, and shortly after we departed, the Student Council Headquarters was surrounded and forced to surrender. And with that, the civil war ended.

Normally, an assault like that would be suicide. In defensive battles, defenders always have the advantage. In both numbers and equipment, the Student Council held the upper hand. Even if the academy itself was falling apart, it was still the Student Council—and the position was hereditary. The Student Council President was practically equivalent to an Emperor in our previous world. Of course resources and manpower gathered around them.

And yet, in reality, the enemy broke through our frontlines. They must have taken heavy losses too, of course.

I didn’t know it at the time, but there were reasons why such a reckless operation succeeded. Not luck on their part or misfortune on ours—nothing that simple.

"Alright! We’re in!"

"Idiot! Don’t break the door!"

"Room is clear!"

"Minato, secure the escape route! Kou, find a sniping point! Everyone else, start building barricades! Move it!"

"Yes ma’am!"

There were two reasons. First: three squads’ worth of Student Council troops defected. They told the enemy about a gap in our defensive lines and timed their betrayal to open a breakthrough point for the invading forces.

Of course, something like that alone wouldn’t have overturned the entire war. If it were that easy, the Student Council would’ve collapsed ages ago every time some soldier went “I’m done with this!!” and ran off.

"…They’re not coming?"

"Maybe they finally got bored."

The other reason… no, it would be more accurate to say this was the reason for everything. Why those three squads revolted, how the enemy overturned our numerical and positional advantage, how they made the battlefield so one-sided, why we were pushed back without being able to mount real resistance.

"Kou, can you check what’s happening outside?"

"Y—yes."

We just happened to slip through their encirclement. Happened to avoid the pursuing units. Happened to wander into the old city district—the kill zone the enemy had created to ensure no one escaped. Or maybe “kill zone” is too generous. “Testing ground” might be more accurate.

By chance, the door to the second floor hadn’t been opened yet. By chance, the squad leader ordered me—who happened to be nearby—to check outside. By chance, I had noticed that this building even had a second floor, and thought I might be able to safely scout from there.

I placed my hand on the doorknob.

It must have been old. There was some resistance, but it opened without much trouble.

Or at least, it should have.

"—Ah."

This is bad.

My instincts screamed at full force. A chill worse than anything I’d ever felt. This was death.

My brain, moving with lightning clarity in the face of imminent danger, found the cause. In the tiny gap of the door—barely visible—a pin caught on a taut string. A textbook booby trap. But that wasn’t the real danger. This wasn’t some training prop. Beyond that door was unmistakable death.

But I couldn’t stop. Not anymore. Not at this point. Traps aren’t kind; noticing them at the last second doesn’t save you. All I could do was watch as my accelerated mind observed a body that would no longer obey it.

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.

But the scythe of the Reaper didn’t slow, swinging mercilessly toward my neck—

"Kou!!!"

"—Hh!?"

—My head didn’t go flying.

A powerful yank on my shoulder dragged me back so hard I lost my balance. And then, cutting across my field of vision, a red-haired girl—Aina, that was her name—threw herself in front of me with her arms spread wide.

The next moment came a blinding flash that forced me to cover my eyes, followed by a strange, muffled whump of an explosion. Oddly, no heat scorched my body. Because she shielded me? No… that wasn’t it. It felt unnaturally wrong. It didn’t match any kind of bomb I knew.

"Aina!? Aina-chan!?"

"Kh… ah—what… happened…"

"Kou! Can you hear me!? Are you hurt!?"

"I—I’m okay. I don’t think I’m… injured anywhere…"

"Captain! Aina—she’s bleeding! She’s bleeding!"

Even with my ears still ringing with a piercing, metallic whine, I heard Mayu’s voice—high, panicked, almost a scream. She was half-crazed, clutching Aina’s limp, unconscious body.

One look at her hands told the whole story—beautiful, terrible red stained across her palms.

"Kou! First-aid kit!"

"Y—yes!"

I yanked it from my pack and handed it over. The captain snatched it immediately and rushed to Aina’s side.

Blood. That was blood. Only now did it truly register. I’d seen it before, in training. It flowed in my own veins. And yet…

The reason was obvious: there was simply too much of it. The blood spilling from Aina had pooled around Mayu’s feet, forming a small crimson puddle—and it was still growing.

"Hah… hah… hah…"

My legs locked. I couldn’t stand. Worse, my body instinctively tried to recoil from the scene—against my will.

I was supposed to help with the treatment. That was my role. But I couldn’t. My legs shook too violently to stand, and my hands trembled too hard to hold anything. The captain must have realized this, because he handled the treatment alone.

Would he hit me later? Abandon me? I didn’t even have the mental space to fear that. The scene in front of me was too unreal, too terrifying. I didn’t want to accept it. I wanted to run. To run. To run. To run—

"Kou!!! Hemostatic agent!!"

"Eek—y-yes!"

His shout shattered the fear gripping me. Muscle memory from training took over; I reached into the pack, grabbed the hemostatic agent, and handed it to him. He applied it in one fluid motion.

I had no idea how long the emergency treatment lasted. But to me, it felt like hours—tens of hours.

"Captain! Aina—how is she!?"

"…"

"Captain!!"

"The bleeding… has stopped."

Aina lay atop the captain’s coat. The bleeding had ceased, but her face was ghastly pale—so pale she looked almost dead.

"Kou."

"…"

A sharp SLAP! rang out.

"I taught you to always pay the utmost attention to traps."

"…Yes."

"Useless idiot. If you want to die, do it alone. Don’t expect someone to save you next time."

"…Yes."

"Aina goes on Mayu’s back. You’ve got five minutes to get ready. We move before the enemy gets here."

…Ah. I want to run away.