Tatsuoka senpai's figure was no longer visible, but his death cries could be heard for a while after.

However, once even that faded, only the squelching sound of something chewing echoed.

Rea reflexively covered her mouth with her hand and gagged.

As I huddled close beside her, she buried her face in my chest.

I don't care about Tatsuoka senpai, but I understand why hearing that sound would make anyone feel sick.

Cutting off your emotions to say you don't care if someone dies is a different matter from whether you can enjoy their grotesque death.

"Sensei... to think you would go that far..."

Meiji sensei killed Tatsuoka senpai with her own hands.

Shimakawa kun, seemingly quite shocked, stared blankly at her back.

Without turning around, Sensei spoke while staring intently down the hallway where Tatsuoka senpai had disappeared.

"I knew from the beginning, you see. That Tatsuoka kun was one of the ringleaders who bullied Nanase san and Yuya kun."

Even so, that wasn't enough to abandon his life.

Meiji sensei must have had enough common sense to think that.

At first glance, she might have seemed like an irresponsible and sloppy teacher.

But in reality, she was a dedicated teacher who hid bullied students in the infirmary and took care of them.

Perhaps because she is such a person, she had no choice but to act as if she had "given up" in this abnormal school.

"Why didn't you say that before?"

"Even if I said it, I couldn't just kill him, right? Though it ended up this way."

"But still..."

"You're too kind, Shimakawa kun. But Yuya kun was like that too. Even though there's no way words would get through to beasts like them."

Meiji sensei moved away from the door and sat deeply in the chair in front of the desk.

I understand what she's saying very well.

Trying to have a dialogue with them is a waste of effort.

Because to them, I'm already not human.

"Before Nanase san committed suicide... I saw it. Nanase san being attacked by the students in that class."

"Attacked... Sensei, that means..."

Rea raised her face and asked timidly.

Meiji sensei didn't say it explicitly, but smiled bitterly as if to say that was her answer in its stead.

"And even though it was after school, the location was the school entrance. Nanase san was openly hurt in such a place, and Yuya kun, who tried to help her, was beaten to a pulp."

"And... you were watching, Meiji sensei?"

"Yes, all I could do was watch... I was scared. Even though I thought I had to help, my body wouldn't move..."

Her words seeped with strong regret.

But—even if she is a teacher, she is a woman.

She isn't strong enough to stop a group of high school boys by herself.

"Ai thinks it would have been better to ask other teachers for help."

"It would have been nice if this was a school where you could do that."

"Kaisei kyou, right."

"Exactly, Kuragane san. In the end, that incident led to Nanase san's suicide, and in her place, Yuya kun became the target of bullying... And then."

Meiji sensei stopped her words there.

Shimakawa kun clenched his fists tightly and asked her.

"Could it be... does it have something to do with the death of my uncle and aunt too?"

"There's no proof. But Yuya kun said it: 'The fire started outside the house.' And yet, ultimately, it was concluded that the fire started from inside, and it was treated as an accident."

"They manipulated information and covered that up too... Two people died, you know!?"

"In other words, people in the same class, including Tatsuoka senpai, set fire to Shimakawa Yuya's house."

At my words, Meiji sensei slowly nods.

Then Shimakawa kun fell to his knees and lamented in a voice that echoed all the way down the hallway.

"Why did my brother... suffer alone after having such things done to him? Why didn't he consult me!"

"He didn't want to involve you."

"Then who was my brother supposed to ask for help! Forever... until he was killed, he had no choice but to suffer alone...!"

The reason Shimakawa Yuya stubbornly refused to live together must have lain there.

He must have definitely been opposed to Shimakawa kun entering this school too.

In reality, getting caught up in something like this, Shimakawa Yuya's judgment was correct.

"It's nothing but murder now. In the first place, including the incident where that girl named Nanase was attacked, why doesn't anyone know about it? It's a major incident."

"That's exactly why, Mitsurugi san."

"What?"

"Maintaining the authority of Hikarinomiya Academy—that's going too far for such a reason. Don't you think they wouldn't go this far unless it was for a reason like... for a ritual, to create a sacrifice? Tatsuoka kun called it absurd, though."

"Maybe that guy knew too."

"I wonder about that. But it seems Tatsuoka kun and the others were close to their homeroom teacher, Setaguchi sensei."

"My homeroom teacher, Ooki, was close to Inuzuka san and her group too. She praised them to the point of hurting me."

"Praising... are you saying they were exacerbating the bullying happening at school that way? To make you, Erika, a sacrifice..."

"There must be various other methods. I suspect they were doing things like that too."

Until now, I thought I was the only victim.

But if it involves the entire school, the story changes.

I originally thought there was a high possibility the teachers were enemies, but this pretty much confirms it.

"In short, my brother, Nanase san, Kuragane senpai... everyone is a victim of this school. What the hell is this place, why does a school like this even exist! Goddammit!"

As if venting his frustration, Shimakawa kun kicked a nearby shelf.

A bang echoed emptily in the quiet hallway.

Before we knew it, the chewing sounds from outside could no longer be heard.

◇◇◇

After that, a quiet time passed where no one opened their mouths.

Shimakawa kun seemed to have complex feelings, but Meiji sensei was looking up at the ceiling with a calm expression, as if released from something.

Naturally, I'm feeling refreshed now that Inuzuka san is gone.

I sat hugging Rea, who still looked slightly ill, from behind, occasionally glancing at my smartphone.

"Is Inuzuka san... still alive?"

"She's moving around in circles in some classroom. She must have fled there."

"If she can create a sanctuary, she'll survive, right..."

"That's impossible. Even if her level goes up, she can't learn skills without my smartphone."

Inuzuka san is checkmated in every sense of the word.

I think she'll die eventually if I leave her alone, but—I look at Gii, who is lying on the bed panting painfully.

"Did something happen to Gii?"

"It's different from the original plan, but I was wondering if it's okay to corner Inuzuka san one step further."

I haven't seen Inuzuka san suffer directly.

I was planning to go observe her soon, but I felt it was a little lacking.

"You look happy, Erika."

"Does it show on my face?"

"Yeah, perfectly."

"Haha, it can't be helped. Because she self-destructed so splendidly, I can't help but laugh. Did you dislike that, Rea?"

"Mmm-mm... to be honest, I'm relieved she's gone."

The fact that her expression is still a little dark is probably because she hasn't fully digested her own feeling of relief towards a person's death—something like that.

I touch Rea's neck.

"Nhyah."

"Sorry, did that tickle?"

"Y-yeah... it was so sudden."

"I knew there was a possibility Inuzuka san would take you hostage, Rea."

I tell her, like a confession.

I was planning to use any method if it meant ruining Inuzuka san.

But when Rea was hurt, I felt more unsettled than I thought I would—thinking things like I can just heal her later anyway, or I can always save her so she definitely won't be killed. These excuses pierce through, and guilt wells up.

Then, she placed her hand over my hand touching her neck.

"Something like that is nothing. Besides, you protected me, Erika. You had a face that said 'If you go any further, I'll never forgive you'."

"...Did that also show on my face too?"

"Yeah, though it seems I was the only one who noticed. That's why I got bold and needlessly provoked Inuzuka san. In short, that injury was my own fault."

Indeed, even though she had a knife pointed at her neck, Rea recklessly defied Inuzuka san.

If not for that, she might have been released unharmed.

...Having said that, there's still a part of me that can't accept it.

"If something like that happens again, I'll do it much better next time. I absolutely won't let you get hurt, Rea."

"Rather, you can use me, you know?"

"This is my revenge."

"I've stepped so far into you, Erika, that I've already reached the point of thinking 'I'm glad Inuzuka san died'. It would be easier for me if you just used me as an accomplice."

Rea intertwines her fingers with mine and squeezes tightly.

Feeling the touch of her fingers on the thin skin of my palm, a sweet ticklishness sent a shiver down my spine.

Ah, indeed—we might be sinking into each other.

Just a little more, and we won't be able to get out.

"Come to think of it, Erika, you were talking about parties and stuff earlier... is that basically the same as a party you hear about in games?"

If this silence, where we can only feel each other's body heat, continues any longer, my accelerating heartbeat feels like it might burst my heart.

It helps that she changed the subject.

"Probably. They must have made it imitating that."

"Then does that mean I can fight alongside you too, Erika?"

"Hmm... well. Hiyami san, who was with Marin, seemed to have gained power that way."

"I want to fight too—I was going to say, but are you perhaps not keen on the idea?"

"Yeah. I don't completely trust this system, I guess..."

Suddenly, I noticed Ushizawa san looking our way.

Come to think of it, she also mentioned wanting to survive to meet someone.

Hiiro san, I think it was.

"For example, there's a skill here called Resurrection, right?"

I explain while showing the smartphone screen to Rea.

"Uh-huh."

"This is a skill that revives a party member, but..."

"A dead person comes back to life?"

"If they're in the party. But don't you think that's—suspicious?"

"Hmm," Rea ponders with a hand on her chin.

"True, it seems like there would be a price to pay."

"There's also another skill like this."

I show Rea a different skill I had my eye on for a while.

Reading its description, she gets confused, saying "Eh..."

"U-um, this is... regarding the monster you caught with the previous skill, isn't it..."

"But the text says 'party member'."

"...What happens if you use it on a human?"

"Who knows? But perhaps, with this, we might be able to save Gii."

"Gii? But the reason Gii can't get her energy back is because there's no food in this world, right?"

"We just have to make her able to eat."

"B-but who exactly—Ah."

"There's one perfectly suited for this. Just the right test subject."

With a gulp, Rea swallowed her saliva.

Then she turned around and stared at my face.

Her gaze was mixed with fear, as if asking, 'Are you really going to do it?'

I return a smile saying, 'I will.'

Because I'm sure if I go that far, I'll be completely satisfied.

Above all, if it saves Gii, it kills two birds with one stone.

I stood up, leaving Rea's side, and spoke to Gii lying on the bed.

Then I told her everything I was about to do.

There's no certainty.

There are risks too.

But upon hearing the plan, Gii showed that wicked smile from before and nodded deeply.

It seems she know how to win.

Then there should be no need to worry.

Carrying her body on my back, I head towards the entrance of the infirmary.

"Where are you going."

Mitsurugi san stops me.

"I thought I'd go see Inuzuka san."

"...You're plotting something again, aren't you."

"That's right. Like I said before, I can use the party system to increase my allies. Or rather, I really do want to increase them because I want even a little more fighting power."

"Then why don't you team up with Oogi san?"

"There's a reason I can't. I want not just Rea, but others to join the party too. Since you guys stayed here, there's no worry of betrayal. Everyone would feel safer having the power to fight, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"Ai wants to fight too. Ai thinks that would increase our chances of survival."

"But it seems this system isn't just a convenient thing that simply gives you power—"

They didn't betray me.

I want to show respect for that choice and not do anything deceitful.

Hiyami san became Marin's "slave" because the two had a relationship of trust.

If you ask whether I have that kind of connection with the people here, the answer is a clear "no".

"I want you to judge whether you truly want to join the party or not after properly watching what I'm about to do."

Leaving those words behind, I exited the infirmary.