While Ooki and Rea were talking, Hiyami san had been continuously calling out to Marin—but Marin's body didn't twitch an inch.

The pierced location is near her heart.

She might have died instantly.

I felt a chill.

Even to clear my grudge, even to gouge out Marin's brain and expose her complexes to the light of day, this is still far from enough.

I'm troubled if she dies this easily—contrary to my impatience, Marin and Hiyami san's bodies began to turn transparent.

"Erika-senpai, I'm sorry. It seems this is as far as we go."

"What are you saying, Hiyami san? What's happening to your body!?"

The one who answered my question wasn't Hiyami san, but Ougi, laughing foully.

"Could it be that because the party leader died, they are about to vanish along with the member? I haven't observed a case where the leader dies first yet, so this is fascinating."

"So this is the relationship between a slave and a master..."

Leaving those words behind, her body completely vanished.

"Hiyami san? Marin!? This can't be... for those two to die so easily!"

"It just means my aim was that spot on. Guess I really do have a talent for sniping."

Three men and women descend from the second floor.

Two of them were people I knew well.

"Shiromachi kun, Suguro kun..."

Holding a long rifle—probably the one who sniped Marin with a ricochet—was Shiromachi Ren.

A tall man with a frivolous-looking face, his long hair tied back in a bun.

True to his face, he goes through women like changing clothes in class... rumors even say he dated Inuzuka for a while.

And the other one, Suguro Rikuto, is so large and brawny he makes the tall Shiromachi look small.

He was in the judo club, but is a problem child with a past of injuring a senior and being forced to quit.

What they both have in common is that while I've been directly subjected to their violence several times, they weren't among the group that surrounded me "that night."

I think they were in a different group from Shudou kun and Asanuma kun.

Either way, it doesn't change the fact that they are worthless humans.

Moreover, to make matters worse, they probably possess the same power as me.

As they stood silently on the landing, Shiromachi kun flashed me a triumphant peace sign, while Suguro kun stood with his hands in his pockets, looking bored in a random direction.

"Why... is Runa there."

And the remaining one, a petite, ordinary-looking girl, seems like Rea's know her.

However, the fact that she's near Ooki means—

"It's just that this girl is someone I prepared for you."

Runa's face sluggishly melts away.

"Hii..."

Rea's face contorted in fear.

Because what was there was the "scraped-off" face with exposed muscles that Ooki had briefly shown earlier.

"Amazing, isn't it, this technique. We are borrowing a fraction of Giraiguu sama's power. With this slime-like liquid, we can freely change our faces and voices. Like this."

Ooki squished and mixed Runa's motionless face.

When she removed her hand, an unfamiliar girl's face was there.

Rea shook her head side to side in small increments, terrified.

"Th-that's... a lie..."

"This one too. This one too. This one too. You know them all, don't you, Rea."

"It's a lie, it's a lie, it's a lieeeeee!"

Rea crouched down, clutching her head.

I hugged her body tightly.

"What's wrong, Rea!"

"Th-that can't be! That can't be! It's not true, it's completely not true!"

"Ooki, what on earth did you do to Rea!"

I threw an Illusion Dagger at Ooki.

But Shiromachi shot it down with his gun.

I couldn't help but click my tongue.

"What did I do? I'm just reuniting Rea chan with her friends from the past."

"From the past...?"

"This is Hina chan, a friend from early elementary school. This is Hiruno chan, whom she met as an upperclassman. And this is Himawari chan, a friend from her first year of middle school."

"No... no... no...!"

Don't tell me, Ooki—

"You were really good friends, weren't you? Just like your current friend, Nakami Runa chan. Of course you are, because she's a childhood friend who's been your friend since long ago. It's only natural you'd get along perfectly!"

—Are you saying you always kept the "friends" you created by Rea's side?

To monitor her.

Or perhaps, to intervene in her daughter's personality formation.

"Ooki, you're out of your damn mind."

"It's a mother's nature to wish for her daughter to grow up ideal. Besides, I wanted Rea to become an executive of Kaisei kyou in the future. For that purpose, I've been giving her a little bit of Giraiguu sama's part since she was in my womb."

"...What, are you saying."

"It is said that giving a fetus a part of Giraiguu sama makes it easier for them to grow into an excellent child. Good at both studies and sports, with an excellent personality, possessing a charm that attracts others. And in the future, sympathizing with Kaisei kyou's doctrine, becoming a splendid executive—"

"Stop saying things that don't make any senseeeeee!"

To the point where a heart-wrenching scream echoed, Ooki's face distorted hideously.

I brought my mouth close to Rea's ear and whispered.

"Rea, Rea."

"I don't know... I don't know..."

"I'm different, Rea."

"Erika...?"

"No matter who is plotting what, our meeting was a coincidence, and us becoming close like this has nothing to do with your mother's intentions. For now, just lean on me."

"Ah... aah... thank you, Erika..."

Rea clung to me, regaining her sanity just a little.

Ooki glared at that with displeasure, and purposely spat out saliva.

"A sacrifice doing unnecessary things..."

"Either way, there's no way Rea is going to follow a mother with a rotten brain like you. Future executive? Are you crazy in the head? You should replace everything above your neck before scraping off your face."

With just a light provocation, Ooki's face dyed bright red.

"You made that with a part of Giraiguu, right? It's detailed enough to turn red properly, you could probably use it as a party trick."

"Kuragane Erika...! What gives you the right to act so high and mighty, you filthy sacrifice living when no one desires it!"

"Right now, it's what Rea wants."

"That is an emotion that should originally be directed at Giraiguu sama, Rea!"

"What are you getting mad about, Ooki. How stupid. Right, Rea."

"...Yeah, she's stupid, that person. A massive idiot! And she's way too creepy! To use my... my feelings for my friends to do such a, such a thing!"

Rea glared at her mother and declared definitively.

In the first place, a considerable amount of time has passed since they divorced in her childhood.

It seems her father raised his daughter splendidly, and there's no way a mother who neglected her daughter for a religion can capture Rea's heart now.

Having said that, it seems the damage regarding her friends is quite large, though.

But it's no problem.

Because I'm here now.

"Ooki chan, aren't you a bit too weak in arguments?"

Shiromachi familiarly puts his arm around the shoulder of Ooki, whose face is bright red and teeth clenched.

"Anyway, this Kaisei kyou thing has already achieved its goal, right? Then you don't need your daughter, right. Let's just kill her quickly, okay?"

"It's true the ritual is complete and Giraiguu sama has descended. We are receiving his blessings. But, you know! Rea is my daughter! Even if a future where she becomes a Kaisei kyou executive doesn't exist—Aah, as a mother, loving my daughter is my imposed duty!"

Hugging herself, Ooki blushes and writhes her body.

She is completely intoxicated with herself.

Rea openly grimaced as if looking at filth.

"That's why I'll only take her back. I don't need the rest, do as you please."

"Haa... Got it, Ooki chaaan. Then who should I make my target~, I'll save Kuragane chan for fun later, and Inuzuka chan is—I guess I can't kill her. No, but maybe she unexpectedly has a desire for that. How about it, Inuzuka chan, you wanna be killed or something?"

"As if, don't mess around! Being with Trash-gane is depressing enough as it is, so could you stop saying weird things? Hurry up and guide me to a safe place."

"Right~, Shiromachi chan has no words for such a sound argument."

Gii strictly answered as Inuzuka san.

I was worried if they had heard our conversation before the sniping—but it seems their surveillance wasn't that thorough.

"Then... Ah, Mitsurugi chan, how about it, don't you want to try being killed by me? I guess that's a no with this way of asking."

"...Isn't it obvious. I don't want to die, especially not by a frivolous guy like you."

"Right! Which means you'll probably cry real nice when I kill you. What are you gonna do, Suguro chan."

Suguro, who had remained silent with his arms crossed, finally opened his mouth.

"Don't waste lives pointlessly. We need a labor force, we'll take the survivors to our base."

"Haaan? That's boring. Come on, there are plenty of spare lives around anyway~."

"We're short on manpower because you kill for entertainment."

"Tch, then at least I'll kill Kuragane chan. And beat her up good."

Shiromachi readies his gun.

"Shiromachi kun, you think you can kill me."

"You seem to have the same ability as me, but a gun is obviously stronger than a knife, right?"

"Wanna test it?"

"Sure. But in exchange, don't complain if unrelated civilians get caught up in it, okay?"

That was a declaration that he would indiscriminately kill the survivors.

Hostages, so to speak.

They are already in a state of panic from Marin and Hiyami san being killed.

Applying more psychological pressure might make them go crazy.

"You can't kill Erika."

Then, Rea suddenly snaps at Shiromachi kun.

"I'm participating in Erika's party. If Erika dies, I'll disappear just like Hiyami san."

"Haa? What's that, way too annoying. Ooki chaaan, I really think it's better to kill that one too."

Shiromachi kun entangles with Ooki again.

"Don't get too carried away, you brat!"

As expected, this was the last straw for Ooki too. She grabbed his throat with her hand and slammed him against the wall.

With a thud, the surroundings shook, and the wall shattered and caved in.

"Gu, gah... it, hurts... st, stop it... you're joking, right..."

"An existence merely receiving scraps from Giraiguu sama is going to kill my daughter? Don't get carried away. There are countless replacements for you, you know?"

"Go-got it... ugeh, I get it so... let, go..."

Released from Ooki's hand, Shiromachi kun fell to his knees and coughed violently.

His neck was beyond red, congested with a bluish-purple color.

"Holding back way too little, this hysterical teacher... cough, cough."

"Serves you right."

"Suguro chan, so cooold."

"Now Rea, let's end the idle chatter here. The shaking has grown stronger too. This floor will collapse soon, before that, come to your mother's—"

"As if I would go! That's enough!"

"Haa, what a helpless child."

Ooki sighs.

The next moment, I felt "heat" swelling at my feet.

Instinctively yelling "Look out!", I shoved Rea, who was nearby, away.

And due to the explosion erupting from the ground, my lower half was blown away.

"Erika!?"

Good grief... how many times am I going to make Rea scream.

I immediately cast Healing to regenerate my lower half.

But immediately after, the floor where I was blown to began to explode again.

Lifting my body with both arms, I jump high backward—managing to escape disaster with that.

But what is this? An explosion from the floor without any warning, does that mean there's magic like that?

Even with Burning magic, you can at least tell there's some kind of precursor.

"Countless bombs have been set at your feet."

Rea's former friend Runa said with a mechanical voice.

"The explosions are at my discretion. There is no escape. Please be aware."

"If I died from that just now, Rea would have disappeared too."

"I am aware of your capabilities. I deemed the possibility of you dying from an attack of that level to be zero."

Despite the mechanical voice, her words are quite provocative.

Seems to have a really nasty personality.

I wonder what kind of parent raised her.

"Ai and the others hurried here, but bombs were already set."

"They were lying in wait."

"That's right, Mitsurugi san. Finding a daughter's whereabouts is a mother's duty, after all."

At Ooki's words, Rea hurriedly took her smartphone out of her pocket and threw it onto the floor.

"It wasn't just registering her contact info... She tracked my location without permission!"

"Why do you think I slipped in as a teacher?"

"Becoming a teacher for a reason like that is screwed up!"

Rea is absolutely right.

However, the GPS location tracking function working even inside here—is it the same reason why messages go through?

Anyway, it means our actions were grasped to some extent via Rea's smartphone.

That's exactly why they could lie in wait and snipe Rea, and set bombs on the floor.

"You heard her, Kuragane. You're tragically checkmated, aren't you? Honestly, I find this boring too. If we're going to do this, I wanted to fight to the death and kill each other."

"Then won't you let us go?"

"Glaring at me won't change the situation. Give up and surrender."

"Hah, I'll be killed even if I surrender anyway, right?"

"That's right. But if you don't surrender, the number of victims will increase."

Suguro kun's gaze turned towards the survivors Marin and the others brought.

They are pitifully terrified.

Setting aside the members on the infirmary side who are all in the party, there's no way to heal the people over there if they get hit by bombs.

Since there are no people from my class, I don't hold any grudge against them at all.

What to do—for now, I've thought of one move, but to carry it out without any victims, I need one more move.

It's like praying for a miracle, though.

Gii is staring intently towards the landing, occasionally making eye contact with Shiromachi kun and Suguro kun.

She's fine like that.

She probably understands my intention, so I'll let her stay like that.

"A movement of the eyes like asking for help. Do you have other allies?"

"Who knows."

"Hmph, you'll end up handing everyone over anyway. First, remove everyone from the party."

"If I don't obey?"

"I'll kill them one by one."

Looking at their eyes, you can tell they are humans who can kill.

Not just one person, but everyone.

The type who can murder without any sense of guilt.

"Wh-What should we do, Erika..."

Rea's eyes are wavering.

She must know we are cornered.

Mitsurugi san and Ushizawa san have become completely quiet, but they are all looking at me as if asking for help.

What to do, there's no more time.

I let my gaze wander once more.

...Is she there?

Beyond the corner, I see clothes different from a uniform.

I was hoping she'd react to the earthquake and commotion—haha, it seems my wish got through.

"...Got it, I'll dissolve the party for everyone."

"W-wait a minute, Kuragane san, if you do that!"

"Ai thinks we'll lose any chance of winning."

Since Mitsurugi san and Ushizawa san are level 1 anyway, I feel like we had no chance of winning from the start.

Judging from their level of confidence, their level seems to be equal to or higher than ours.

"That's right, to submit to people like this!"

"But... it's the only way to protect everyone's lives. I intend to kill those guys over there, but—I don't want any meaningless sacrifices."

The revived Shiromachi kun looks down at me and bursts out laughing.

"Ahahahahahaha! Acting tough when you're about to die, Kuragane chan. Did you think you could take us just because you got a little power? There's no escape route, you know. You're definitely going to die."

"I might survive about 0.1%."

"I'm saying we'll kill you so thoroughly there's not even a one-in-a-million chance. Got it?"

"I get it, I get it. Anyway, let's talk about that after we're done. There, I just dissolved the party."

Perhaps feeling the power drain from her body, Rea stared at both her hands, then directed an anxious gaze at me.

All I can do is smile back.

Then Ooki approached Rea from behind and hugged her tightly.

"Rea chaaaaaaaan! You're finally freed from that filthy Kuragane, I'm so glad. From now on, let's get along nicely with your mother—"

"Someone like you isn't a mother!"

Smack—Rea slapped Ooki's cheek as she turned around.

Then Ooki suddenly turned deadpan and punched Rea's cheek with her fist.

I saw something unbelievable.

Rea fell down holding her cheek, widening her eyes and looking up at her mother.

Ooki glared at her daughter with a demonic expression, but immediately returned to a smile and hugged her fallen daughter.

"I'm sorry, but that just now was 'discipline' too. Come to think of it, your father didn't show understanding for this kind of thing either. There there, I'll teach you properly from now on."

Rea's body trembled violently, and she was shedding tears.

—My outlook might have been slightly naive.

I thought she wouldn't lay a hand on her if handed over quietly, but she was creepier than I imagined.

Yikes, I'm getting goosebumps.

Rea, who is nearby, must feel even more disgusted.

Ooki.

I have to kill that woman as soon as possible.

Sorry, Rea. Sorry, sorry, I'll go save you right away.

"W-well, I'll leave that girl to Ooki chan. The other kids come over here too, I won't kill you out of respect for Suguro chan."

The survivors approached the stairs while trembling in fear.

I am the only one left in the minefield—or so it seemed, but,

"Wait, Shiromachi. I don't know if Kuragane really dissolved the party."

Suguro stops him.

A guy who notices small details despite his large frame.

"Hah? You mean Kuragane chan deceived us? Does she have that kind of guts?"

"Look at the look in her eyes, it's clearly different from before. It wouldn't be strange if she's already killed a few people."

"Then should I ask? Kuragane chan, did you kill our friends?"

"Three of them."

"Can you tell me their names?"

"Shudou kun, Asanuma kun, Yoshioka san."

"Whoa, specific. You really did kill them. This is bad, Kuragane chan finally became a murderer! Even though you were already useless goods! You're industrial waste!"

"She's probably planning to kill us too."

"So scary, good citizens like us are targets too! But we're fine if we have hostages, right?"

"Do you think her grudge is only of that level?"

"Ah... true. In the worst case, she might kill us even at the cost of the hostages."

"That's why I want to crush her here. Show me the party member list, Kuragane. You should be able to."

I sighed, fiddled with my smartphone, and showed Suguro kun the screen displaying the party member list.

The names written there are—"Kuragane Erika" and "Gii."

When Shiromachi kun, looking at the screen, was about to say "Aren't there two?",

"Now!"

I sent a signal to "her" hiding behind the corner.

Then a bead of light appeared before our eyes, filling our vision with dazzling radiance.

I quickly approached Ushizawa san and Mitsurugi san, and shoved their bodies towards the stairs.

The students Marin brought are—already near the stairs, so they should be fine.

"An ambush—Nakami, blow up Kuragane!"

When Suguro kun gave the order, my feet rapidly grew hot.

So they did try to kill the hostages along with me.

Well, in this position, I'm the only one who will die.

But before the explosion, someone grabs my arm and helps me escape.

"We're jumping!"

Using something magical, she and I teleport out of the place filled with light.

...Nemusia, you can do something like this.

"Good grief, why must I help you."

Nemusia guiding me while interjecting complaints.

Even though I say we escaped, the stairs are still right there.

"Thanks, Gii!"

I deliberately said that in an exaggerated manner.

"I am not named Gii—"

"Shhh!"

And we turned the corner, disappearing from Suguro kun and the others' sight.

◆◆◆

"Don't run awayyyyyyy!"

The bullet Shiromachi fired hit the corner where Erika and Nemusia turned.

However, it didn't hit the two of them, only leaving a scar on the wall.

"Tch, let's chase them, Suguro chan!"

"There is no need."

"Why!"

"Have you forgotten? This floor has already begun to collapse."

The earthquake became even more violent, and cracks began to appear on the floor.

The area away from the stairs must have long since become a void of nothingness.

"I see, which means it's pointless even if Kuragane chan escapes."

"It's a shame I couldn't finish her off with my own hands, but we have no choice but to give up and return. You're fine with that, right, Ooki."

"Yes, I don't mind. As for me, as long as I can take Rea chan back, that's enough. Right, Rea chan?"

"Erika... Erika... Erikaaaa..."

"Do not speak the name of such filth!"

Ooki slapped Rea's cheek repeatedly as she continued to call Erika's name.

Shiromachi saw that and recoiled with a "Whoa."

Nakami stared at it expressionlessly, as if it were an everyday scene.

Meanwhile, Suguro called out to the survivors who were too terrified to raise their faces.

"You should have grasped the story. We'll have you come to our base. There, you'll be engaging in various tasks. Don't worry, if you obey, we won't take your lives, and we'll give you food."

Of course, Suguro also knew that saying such a thing wouldn't remove their anxiety.

This was, so to speak, a ritual.

By saying it, he had fulfilled his responsibility.

And, turning his back to the survivors, he climbed the stairs.

Terrified but with no choice but to obey, they walked, chasing after his back.

"But really, Suguro chan, don't you think it's strange?"

"What is."

"We were lying in wait using information from Ooki chan. It was a complete surprise attack."

"Right."

"Yet whhhy was Kuragane chan able to prepare an ambush? Also, who's Gii? Since it's registered with a real name, she's not Japanese, right? I wonder if she's a natural blonde. Also, I feel like I saw her face for a split second, and I have a feeling I've seen her somewhere before."

"Shut up, I don't know."

"Suguro chan, so coooold."

"She's going to get caught in the floor's collapse and die anyway, there's no need to worry about it."

"You say that, but I have a baaad feeling about this. Oh right, Inuzuka chan, do you know anything? You were with Kuragane chan and all."

Asked that, Gii completely assumed the role of Inuzuka Supika and answered.

"As if Trash-gane would trust me. When talking about such things, she always sneaked around where I wasn't."

"So it comes down to that after all."

"She said Shudou and the others were killed, but I'm surprised you weren't targeted, Inuzuka."

"She was disgustingly close with that girl named Oogi Rea, so she probably wanted to look good while in the infirmary, right?"

"Come to think of it, it was like that with Ikuna chan too."

"Ikuna herself also had that tendency."

"Man, that girl is tragic. But it's her own fault for getting along with someone like Kuragane chan. We aren't the bad ones."

"Shall we try begging her, 'Please don't curse us'?"

"I definitely want to put some purifying salt at the base. After all—"

Shiromachi laughed frivolously, speaking without showing any sign of fear.

"The one who summoned Giraiguu was Ikuna chan, after all."

Next chapter begins Arc 2.