48: Big… Bang…
“You’ve come, Raccoon.”
“Makoto… it was you?”
Waiting in the center of the gym was a man who I thought I had reconciled already with.
Makoto was also a suspect, but Ryugo suspected that Madoka or even Ira herself was responsible. He never would have thought she was capable of something like this.
“Tanuki. Did you come all this way just for Ira’s sake?”
His expression was hard to make out from where I was standing, but I could tell that he looked stern.
This wasn’t the face of someone happy that their prey had fallen right into their trap.
“I’d feel bad if I didn’t help her out.”
“You’re going to help that gloomy girl who gets bullied, avenge your best friend, stand up no matter how many times you get beaten down, defeat the girl who was behind it all, and now help the same awful girl who made your best friend transfer schools? Do you even have a mind of your own? You sound just like the corny hero Madoka was talking about.”
“That’s always been my motivation.”
Ryugo rolled up his sleeves and raised his fists, trembling with anger, to his chest.
“I punch the guys who piss me off.”
“Tanuki… I’ll let you go unharmed if you leave right now. Just leave your phone behind.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“If you don’t want to do that, then all I can do is make you cry and beg for forgiveness.”
“Cut the crap. You must have some kind of trap up your sleeve. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Very well.”
As soon as Makoto nodded, the sound of footsteps approached from all directions. Along with the sound of a bustling crowd, people started pouring out of every door—the back entrance of the gym, the storage room, the stage, the second floor.
In an instant, I was surrounded.
There must have been about thirty of them, by my rough count.
I wasn’t particularly surprised. I had already confirmed their presence with my sensor.
Of these, about ten of them were wielders.
“Makoto, have you joined forces with the other wielders?”
“You can’t possibly take on this many people.”
“Is Ira here?”
“Do you want to know? Then try defeating all of these guys first.”
This was getting annoying.
The enemies on the first floor were gradually closing in. A few more had entered through the exit we had just come in through.
The enemies on the second floor were pushing each other as they made their way to the stairs, shouting, “Hurry up!” They wouldn’t be able to jump down from that height. Were they idiots?
“Let’s get out of here. Clear a path for us.”
The muscleheads responded to Ryugo’s simple command.
They charged towards the exit, knocking away the enemies who were in their way like bowling pins.
We managed to escape without much trouble, but the fact remained that dozens of enemies were chasing us.
We couldn’t give up on this fight, because we wouldn’t be able to find Ira unless we defeated Makoto.
But I had a secret weapon.
A secret weapon that could only be used in a school.
“I have an idea. Let’s head to the chemistry lab.”
“Got it.”
The chemistry lab was on the first floor of the main school building.
Ryugo and I ran as fast as we could, charging up the stairs in our shoes.
As the pressure from behind us intensified, we threw open the door to the chemistry lab.
“Find some sodium or potassium metal!! As much as you can find!!”
I ordered to the muscleheads, and Ryugo frantically searched through the shelves.
I don’t usually come to a classroom like this, so I have no idea what’s where. Still, I know the thing we need is here.
During class, the teacher did an experiment as a joke, and for a while, the school building was in chaos.
“I found it! Metallic sodium!”
The container the muscle-bound guy brought had a large amount of silvery lumps in it. It had a dull shine to it, unlike metal or stone.
This should be enough.
“Next is the pool!”
“Got it!”
And then, the pursuers broke in.
Various people gathered. All high school students, but from different grades.
They must have finally caught up, but it’s too late.
We’ll escape through the exit on the other side and head for the back entrance.
The other side probably didn’t think it would turn into such a long battle, as some of them looked exhausted.
“I see it! The pool!”
We jump into the oasis that holds the key to the battle.
It’s locked to prevent break-ins, but the muscle-bound guy will somehow――
“No matter how muscular I am, there’s no way I can do anything about metal.”
–he couldn’t.
“W-what do we do!?”
“I got it. We’ll just climb over the chain-link fence normally.”
“What? Using your brains instead of your muscles? You’re not a muscle-bound guy at all.”
“I’m throwing you into the pool right now.”
“Sorry.”
We went with the realistic plan and quickly made it to the other side of the chain-link fence.
Even though we didn’t have time, we should have stolen the key during the day.
The enemies who had chased us were exhausted as they put their hands on the chain-link fence. It was almost sad to watch how pathetic they looked.
Almost all of them came down to the poolside and moved to surround Ryugo and the others.
“Th-there’s nowhere left to run!”
One of the enemies said in a hoarse voice.
“Nowhere to run? Hah.”
Ryugo laughed off his words.
“We came here… to catch every single one of you.”
“Don’t make excuses! Get them!!”
The muscle-bound guys prepared themselves as the group of enemies charged at them.
But Ryugo was different.
He threw the contents of the bucket he was holding… all of the metallic sodium into the pool.
The lumps sank with a violent splashing sound.
“Get down!!”
Ryugo and the muscle-bound guys dropped to their stomachs, opened their mouths, and covered their ears.
“What are you――”
The surrounding enemies looked confused for a moment, but some of them showed expressions as if they realized what was going to happen next.
But it was too late.
The pool water bubbled up with a loud *GOBO* and then…
*DOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Just like a fish on a chopping board. A carp on a cutting board.
“Grr…!”
I deliberately follow her lead to wait for a chance.
“W… why aren’t you destroying my smartphone?”
“Just keep walking.”
Ryugo wondered as he was being dragged along.
Something… there’s something terribly strange about this.
The fact that Makoto’s here feels wrong.
It’s not as if his existence is a dream or an illusion, but there’s something unnatural about him fighting Ryugo like this.
“Get in.”
He’s thrown into the gymnasium and rolls onto the floor, unable to catch himself. The shock still hasn’t been worn off, and the pain feels distant.
The gymnasium is still as desolate as ever, but there has been one change.
A figure stands alone on the stage…
“…Damn it.”
Ryugo curses his own shallow thinking.
Oh, of course. I knew it, subconsciously, perhaps even hoping it wasn’t true…
The figure walks unsteadily and smiles happily.
A demon who smiles like an angel… is looking down at him.
“You did such a great job~”
Her small mouth twists into a cruel smile.
“Ryu-kun.”
“Aira…!!”
The mastermind and host of this party.
The enigmatic and capricious flower.
Miyano Aira waits with an innocent smile on her face.