Chapter 16: Training Camp

"Komori-chan, this part…"

"...Ugh… I hate this kind of problem… um, this one probably uses sine… For 60 degrees, it’s 1, 2, and √3, so…"

"Komori, I can’t figure out this part."

"...Agh, it’s one of those crappy questions asking you to ‘explain the emotional reasoning’… But usually there’s a sentence before or after you can use as a reference. There it is. Use this one…"

Hey there, Observers. It’s me.

Since then, a Sisterhood girl who came to this school building got blown up by a booby trap, there was some kind of mysterious swimsuit party (I didn’t even get wet, so why was I involved…), and even though I hid in my room for most of it, there was apparently a scuffle with some Gehenna students. A lot happened, and time passed.

Enough time, in fact, for me to grasp the full layout of this entire school building, establish my own safety zones, and secure a livable territory. At this point, I can wander out of my room all by myself. Honestly, that’s an incredible achievement.

Of course, it’s not like I spent all that time expanding my territory. I am, after all, nominally supposed to assist Sensei and help the girls study.

Well? I mean, I’m a genius. So this much is easy for me. Sure, it’s still annoying, but what can I do? Sensei asked me to help, and the comrades asked me too. I take pride in not being the kind of garbage who ignores people relying on me.

"U-Um! This part…"

"Hm? Ah… ionization tendency… that one is…"

"Oh, that one goes like this: Rin and Kaikan Nama-Gyaru… Li > K > Ca > Na > Mg > Al…"

"Pervert!"

"Okay then… Koharu-chan, I’ll leave you with Hanako-san. Thank yooou~"

"Of course♡ I’ll teach you gently and thoroughly, okay?♡"

"Eh!? Wait!? Komori!?"

It’s not like we’re short on manpower anyway, so there’s no real issue.

"All right… ‘Good hunt, everyone’…"

"Hero Alice has leveled up by 1!"

"Ooh… ‘That’s great. Did you get the drop?’"

"Nope, nothing… This is what people call the desire sensor!"

"When the desire sensor strikes… you counter it with numbers. ‘Let’s do one more run.’"

While the diligent girls studied beside me, my hands were even busier than theirs, flying across my device as flashes of light reflected off the screen. Gah! That roar is loud—did I mess up my headphone settings?

"K-K-Ko-Komori-chan?"

"Hmm…? What is it…? Sensei…"

"Are you playing a game right now?"

"Yep~~ Want to try it too, Sensei?"

"No, that’s not the point! Aren’t you supposed to be helping Hifumi-chan and the others study?"

"Hehehe… multitasking… multitasking… In this day and age, you have to be able to do at least this much… Ooh, tail’s cut—nice job, Yuzu Ponzu-chan… Ah, Black Suit-san—great stun… I thought you were running a landmine build, but you’re surprisingly competent…"

"Uh…"

Well? At my level, multitasking is just a basic skill. But—Observers, do not imitate me. I can manage this only because I started with a full set of academic ability from my previous life. Normally, doing this would guarantee a failing grade.

Anyway, enough fooling around. Let’s get to the main topic—everything that happened these past few weeks.

Ah—right. First, the members of the Supplemental Lesson Club finally cleared their academic hurdles. A very delightful outcome, really. Koharu and Azusa, who simply hadn’t been able to study properly before, managed to reach their target scores thanks to Hifumi and Sensei—and above all, my own perfectly efficient, refined teaching.

As for Hanako, who had the lowest scores among the three, it seems there was a deeper reason behind it. Once Sensei and the others persuaded her to take things seriously, the issue was resolved with ease.

As long as no–thing–at–all happens from here on out, they should be able to secure passing grades.

Yes. If nothing happens.

Their poor grades are indeed one reason they were placed into the Supplemental Lesson Club, but their true purpose is to eliminate dangerous elements within the Eden Treaty.

If you asked whether Nagisa would simply allow them to pass without interference… well, of course she wouldn’t.

To truly “pass,” they must not only prove their academic ability—they must also expose the “traitor” hiding among them.

…Well now. I wonder who it could be? I wonder which little Shirasu-chan might fit that description?

Hm? What? Did you actually think I wouldn’t notice?

Have you all been underestimating me? Seriously, whoever just said “no way she noticed,” step forward.

Have you forgotten where I spent my entire life until now? The Black Market. The underground of the underground. Betrayal and deception are everyday occurrences. It’s a world where people only ever care about maximizing their own gain, where you must always assume the person in front of you—even a friend—is lying. That’s the norm.

If you thought I would be swayed just because someone shared one or two common hobbies with me, you’re dead wrong.

Besides, it was way too obvious. Of course anyone would suspect someone who sneaks out alone in the middle of the night to meet with someone in secret.

…That being said, I’m not going to report this to Nagisa, the one who hired me.

Not because she’s a rare, like-minded friend or anything ridiculous like that. Sensei told me to keep quiet. He said he wanted me to leave her alone.

Apparently, she’s a transfer student deliberately admitted by one of the Tea Party, Seia Mizono—formerly from one of Trinity’s old factions, the Arius Branch School. She’s meant to serve as a bridge to repair the relationship between Trinity and Arius, whose rift deepened long ago due to various… complicated events.

Hmm… there are parts of it that feel a bit off to me. Not that what Sensei said is wrong, and Seia Mizono—the pink-haired girl from back then—probably didn’t bring her into Trinity with malicious intent.

But… well… how should I put this… I happened to overhear something. I caught her meeting someone—likely another Arius student. I heard it through a listening device.

"Sigh…"

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing… at all… really…"

And that’s exactly why it’s complicated. I know full well that this girl, studying so earnestly in front of me, is the traitor. It puts me in a very weird mood.

I haven’t told Sensei yet. I don’t want to hurt him unnecessarily. Besides, no matter what happens, Sensei will always side with his students.

But, like I said earlier, I’m not going to break his instructions and report this to Nagisa, either. Her request was to guard the girl—not to eliminate suspicious elements.

…Also, this is just my personal feeling, but… she really doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would do the things I heard through that listening device.

It’s not that my judgment is clouded because we both like Momo Friends. This is purely intuition. Something feels off.

As I mentioned before, I’m from the underworld. I’ve dealt with countless lies, so I’m sensitive to that kind of thing. I can tell whether someone’s lying from their face, their voice, their expression. Even a beginner could tell with someone like Koharu.

But even with my level of observation, I didn’t sense any “lies” from her. She genuinely seemed to be enjoying this situation. On the other hand, the voice I heard through the listening device felt… wrong. Off.

In other words, while the evidence is more than enough, my intuition says it’s too early to jump to conclusions.

So the option I chose was silence.

I’ll just sit back and watch quietly until something actually happens.

Hah. Lowering my guard? No, not at all. This is confidence.

Sure, my old title might have fallen after being beaten by Problem Solver 68, but that doesn’t mean the other cleaners are suddenly stronger than me.

"...—! ...I—died…"

【You have fallen.】
【Reward has been reduced. (2 remaining)】

『Oh! Fellow traveler! How pitiful to perish so easily!』
『Don’t worry about it.』
『There’s always next time. Let’s do our best.』

…It’s not like I let my guard down. I was totally calm. Completely.