"Hahaha..."
The laughter slowly faded, dissolving into silence.
Kasumigaoka Utaha gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes—tears brought on purely by laughter—then completely ignored Eriri's gloomy, deadpan stare.
She reached out and lightly patted Yumiko's shoulder.
"Yumiko," Utaha said calmly, her tone sincere,
"welcome. From now on, you're one of us—our own."
Her expression was solemn. Almost serious enough to make Yumiko nervous.
"Actually…"
Utaha paused for a beat.
"We really need you."
"Eh?"
Yumiko froze.
She had already prepared herself mentally—ready to be blamed, scolded, or labeled that kind of woman.
After all, she knew how things looked.
But she also knew one thing very clearly.
She couldn't live without Yami Tsukishiro.
Yumiko was, at heart, a very traditional woman.
She had already made her choice.
Yet this sudden turn left her completely lost, her thoughts swirling like fog.
"Haven't you realized it yet?"
Utaha tilted her head slightly, surprised by Yumiko's reaction.
"R-Realized what?"
Yumiko still couldn't understand where this was going.
"Well…"
Utaha turned her head toward Eriri.
The two exchanged a helpless look.
Eriri's face instantly turned bright red as she spoke, her words stumbling over each other.
"H-Haven't you noticed that Yami-kun's… needs are, um… extremely strong? Just you alone probably can't handle it, right?"
"——!!"
Yumiko understood immediately.
Her face flushed crimson.
Of course she knew Yami was strong.
But… that strong?
Utaha noticed the hesitation in Yumiko's expression and boldly pressed on.
"Have you… experienced it?"
"——!!"
Such a direct question hit her head-on.
Yumiko's mind nearly short-circuited.
But under their unwavering stares, she had nowhere to run.
She lowered her head, cheeks burning, and nodded softly.
"Uh… y-yes…"
Utaha didn't let up.
"So… how many rounds? And how long?"
"Eh?!"
That was way too detailed!
Yumiko panicked internally, completely overwhelmed.
But as the latecomer, she could only endure it.
"…Three rounds," she whispered.
"About… three hours."
"Ha?!"
Eriri let out a sharp cry, half shocked, half jealous.
"Why does Yami-kun treat you so gently?!"
"G-Gentle…?" Yumiko blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean by gentle?"
She genuinely didn't understand why Eriri looked so agitated.
Utaha finally realized the problem.
Yumiko had never seen the real Yami.
Utaha leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"We once witnessed ten consecutive rounds. Eight and a half hours in total."
She paused.
"And that… was only our limit."
"——!!!"
Yumiko's eyes widened.
Ten rounds?
Eight hours?!
I'd die. I absolutely would die.
"Humph."
Eriri crossed her arms and snorted.
"This is the absolute truth. If it weren't for Yami-kun, we wouldn't have approved you so easily."
Utaha clasped her hands together, her face flushed as she bowed slightly.
"Yumiko… please help us next time."
"We just want Yami-kun to be happy too."
Only when everyone was satisfied would it truly mean something.
Otherwise… guilt would linger.
"..."
Unbearable images surfaced in Yumiko's mind, shattering her worldview piece by piece.
How could she agree to something so outrageous?
But then—
She remembered how Yami had still held her gently afterward, letting her rest for most of the day.
A complicated, indescribable emotion surged in her chest.
Slowly… she extended her hands.
She gently held Utaha's hand.
"I… I'll try my best," she whispered.
Her voice was so soft only she herself could hear it.
The agreement was reached.
An awkward silence fell over the room.
At that moment—
Kato Megumi happened to pass by and overheard everything.
She froze.
Once again confronted with something she really shouldn't have heard.
A trace of distress flickered in her eyes.
"…Do I know too much?"
She sighed quietly.
Meanwhile — The Principal's Office
A discussion regarding the assessment results was underway.
Yami Tsukishiro was extremely satisfied.
Through this assessment, everyone had gained a clearer understanding of both their individual strength and team coordination.
Mizuki carefully recorded the rankings and detailed data.
Nearby, Shinomiya Kaguya calmly brewed a cup of black tea for Yami.
He took a sip and immediately praised it.
"Delicious. Your tea is excellent, Kaguya."
"Thank you."
She smiled faintly.
Yami turned his gaze to Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Tell me about the matters you've been concerned with lately."
"Understood."
Haruno nodded gracefully and began her report.
"Society has been increasingly unstable recently."
Her tone remained calm.
"Doomsday prophecies and cult organizations are appearing everywhere. Some extremist groups have caused serious casualties."
She had seen it firsthand.
Two fanatic believers holding bombs—pure hell.
"Then there are crimes committed by superpowered individuals."
Her voice grew heavier.
"This trend is becoming impossible to ignore."
She continued.
"The Alliance responded by mobilizing the Superpower Administration, capturing criminals while publicly revealing its existence."
"A beacon in the darkness," she summarized.
"Lastly—news from the Allied States."
She placed her laptop on the desk.
Displayed clearly was a site titled:
'Superpower Office'
"This is a public online platform established based on the power-ranking system you announced," Haruno explained.
Levels one through five—evaluated by performance and energy output.
Though crude, it was sufficient for classification.
"At present, even third-level superpowers are extremely rare."
She concluded solemnly.
"The platform allows certified superpowers to accept anomaly investigation commissions from civilians."
"The rewards are extremely attractive."
She exhaled.
"It's… a brilliant move."
Kaguya frowned slightly.
"The real purpose isn't that simple."
"Certification means voluntary registration of personal information."
Haruno nodded.
"They're also recruiting aggressively."
"There's even an openly registered second-level superpower."
Both women looked toward Yami.
He merely smiled.
"There's no need to concern yourselves with it."
"We won't rely on that platform."
"Focus on growing stronger."
"At your current pace… you're already ahead of ninety-nine percent of the world."
His words carried quiet confidence.
"But don't stop."
"One day—"
"The world will have no choice but to notice you."
A strange light flickered in their eyes when they heard his words.
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