[Tru...]
"—!"
In the infirmary, Inori had been about to wipe the unconscious Gai's body with a warm towel when an ethereal voice suddenly sounded in her mind. The moment she heard it, a wave of dizziness swept through her head. The towel slipped from her hand, and as she stumbled backward, she accidentally struck a chair with a clatter.
Her back pressed against the wall as she slowly slid to the floor, clutching her forehead with a pained expression.
[Tru... in the way.]
The voice continued. She gritted her teeth and endured the erosion as her eyes gradually began glowing crimson.
[Tru... in the way.]
The voice repeated itself endlessly.
"...No..."
She murmured unconsciously...
[Kill him... kill him...] ×N
The words repeated in her mind like an incantation.
"Kill... him... Tru."
At last, the girl calmed down. Her lips parted, repeating the words spoken by the voice in her mind. Then she slowly rose with a puppet-like stagger, her eyes dim and hollow, even her steps unsteady.
[Kill him.]
"Kill... him, Tru."
[That's right. Kill him.]
She picked up the fruit knife nearby and approached the bed. Her lifeless eyes stared at the unconscious man lying there as she slowly raised both hands, preparing to drive the blade into his throat.
Knock, knock!!
"—!"
The next second, a sudden knock at the door interrupted her. Inori came back to her senses, her eyes regaining their clarity. She froze as she looked at her current posture, the fruit knife in her hand, and Gai on the bed. Her pupils contracted, and her entire body began trembling as she stumbled back in terror.
Clatter!
The fruit knife fell to the floor, and she collapsed as well.
"...Inori? I'm coming in, okay?"
Hearing something fall from outside the door, Hare instinctively called out before opening it. She saw Inori kneeling on the floor in a daze.
"Inori?!"
Startled, she immediately hurried to the girl's side and touched her cheek.
"What's wrong? Inori... are you okay?"
Looking at the girl's pale face, Hare grew worried.
"—!"
Inori silently shook her head, then got up and quickly ran out.
"Wait—Inori!"
Hare wanted to chase after her, but something reflecting the light caught the corner of her eye. She paused and looked down, discovering a fruit knife lying on the floor.
"...Why did the knife fall?"
She was puzzled but did not think too much about it. Inori had seemed strange, so she picked up the fruit knife and put it back where it belonged. However, something still felt wrong. The fruit knife had been unsheathed.
"..."
Why?
Could it be—
No, no, no. That couldn't be!
Inori isn't that kind of person.
She glanced at Gai, who remained unconscious on the bed, then hurriedly shook the thought from her mind. What was she even thinking? Honestly.
She looked at the sunlight outside the window, drew the curtains a little farther closed, then left the room.
That evening, the members of the student council gathered in the student council room, looking at the purple-haired woman currently gazing out the window. She wore the same school uniform as the rest of them.
Her well-proportioned figure, the braided fishtail plait hanging down her back, her shapely legs wrapped in white stockings, and her graceful posture all made her appear exceptionally stunning, even though she wore the exact same uniform as everyone else.
Those present were Arisa, Yahiro, Ayase, Tsugumi, Hare, and Kanon...
"Mio... were you serious about what you said to them earlier?"
Yahiro asked from where he leaned against the wall.
She glanced at him.
"Do I have any reason to lie?"
She stepped back and lightly perched on the student council president's desk, crossing her white-stockinged legs as her gaze habitually drifted toward the night scenery outside.
"..." ×N
The others exchanged glances.
"So, Mio... you really intend to take them away?"
"...Correct."
She nodded.
"Under the current circumstances, even setting out would be difficult, let alone doing so on such a grand scale."
Moreover, the students were all weak and defenseless. What would they do if someone was injured along the way?
"I think we really do need to start considering evacuation."
Ayase spoke.
"GHQ is pressing us harder and harder. We won't be able to hold out for long if all we do is defend, especially since our resources are already running low."
On top of that, the perimeter wall was closing in almost every day. At this rate, the school would be overrun in less than a month. By then, it would already be too late to think about evacuation.
"Yeah, I also think it's time to consider evacuating."
Tsugumi spoke while idly tapping away at her terminal.
"But... how are we supposed to do it?"
Arisa murmured with downcast eyes. GHQ was monitoring them very closely, and she could not guarantee that their plan would remain undiscovered.
"That's the most crucial issue..."
Yahiro frowned.
"Getting out itself is actually simple. The key is finding a way to evacuate the students safely while minimizing casualties."
She looked at everyone.
"But... if we forcibly break through the wall, those people from GHQ will definitely notice. If they launch an attack at that point, wouldn't the unarmed students be caught in the crossfire?"
Yahiro analyzed.
"That's why we split into two groups... right, Mio?"
Ayase smiled at her as though she had already seen through her plan.
"Mm..."
"Mio, could it be that you already have a plan?"
Arisa had also caught on and asked hopefully.
"More or less..."
She nodded, then returned to her feet. She spread a map of the area around Loop 7 across the round table where everyone could see it, then switched on the desk lamp.
Tap, tap...
At that moment, Inori entered the room as well. She was later than usual.
"Sorry... I'm late."
Inori apologized to everyone.
"No, Inori, are you all right?"
Remembering what had happened earlier, Hare deliberately asked.
"It's nothing... I'm fine."
Inori shook her head.
"Perfect timing. Hurry over. Mio is about to explain the evacuation plan."
Tsugumi urged.
"Everyone is here, correct?"
She casually swept her gaze across the room. Once she confirmed that everyone had gathered, she began her explanation.
"First, we must ensure that every student evacuates while preventing the unarmed among them from being exposed to GHQ's firepower. In other words, we cannot allow GHQ to notice them."
She began.
"But... how can we do that? With so many people, it would be difficult to avoid detection, wouldn't it?"
Kanon adjusted her glasses.
"And GHQ has already sealed off the entire city. There are practically no blind spots."
Yahiro added.
"Even without blind spots, we can create one. We merely need to prevent them from seeing us."
She smiled.
"...?" ×N
The others did not understand. Or rather, they could not grasp what she meant. How could they make GHQ unable to see them?
"Ayase... when Funeral Parlor carried out missions, did you have any specially designated secret passages?"
She looked at Ayase.
"Mm... we did. They're underground."
Ayase nodded.
"Location."
"Not far from the school..."
"Destination?"
"The farthest one should lead to the docks at Tokyo Bay."
Ayase looked toward Tsugumi, asking her to confirm.
"Mm... that's right."
Tsugumi swiped across her terminal and nodded to them.
"Beyond the wall... So you want them to leave through that underground passage?"
Yahiro's eyes widened as he understood what they meant.
"Precisely... assuming the passage is still usable."
She nodded.
"It is. Even now, GHQ still hasn't figured out how we've been appearing and disappearing so unpredictably."
Ayase winked proudly.
"That's a good method, but what happens after they reach the docks? That many students would be far too conspicuous, wouldn't they?"
Yahiro asked again.
"As for that problem, Arisa..."
She looked toward the blonde woman beside her.
"Yes, Mio."
Arisa turned to her.
"Does the Kuhouin family have any ships in the waters around Tokyo Bay?"
She asked for confirmation.
"Yes. We have a passenger liner capable of carrying around ten thousand people."
Arisa answered.
"Excellent. Have that passenger liner wait at the docks ahead of time. Once everyone emerges, they can board it and leave."
She traced her fingertip across the bay on the map.
"Also, to make departure easier, the passenger liner will need to dock in advance."
She added.
"Understood. I'll speak with Grandfather."
Arisa nodded.
"Wait, Mio... a passenger liner is enormous, and it's also property of the Kuhouin family. Wouldn't that attract GHQ's attention?"
Yahiro asked.
"...Besides, there may be soldiers guarding the area near the docks."
Inori looked at the map and spoke softly.
"Then we will create a diversion and draw their attention elsewhere... forcing every GHQ unit in the surrounding area to converge on a single location."
She made the decision without hesitation.
"...How?"
The others froze before turning toward her in unison.
"It's simple. We only need something capable of drawing their fire, correct? This body will serve as the bait."
She gave them a mysterious smile.