"Who are you calling a petite maid!?Do you want to be killed by me!?"
"Eek…!"
Arisu shuddered in fright.
Momoi, who had barely recovered enough to walk with support, could not help saying, "S-so scary."
"Hah…"
Neru calmed her anger a little. "You really know how to get on my nerves. Still, you have had enough fun by now, right? So what will it be, surrender obediently, or do you want me to beat you until you cannot get back up?"
Momoi asked, "Is it possible to choose neither?"
"No! Do you think this is playing house!?"
Neru clicked her tongue and scratched her head irritably. "Listen carefully. I don't know what kind of mindset you had when you attacked the Seminar, but while things have not completely blown up yet, turning yourselves in voluntarily can still earn you some leniency. If you insist on pointless resistance, then be prepared for suspension."
Those words only hardened the resolve of the Game Development Department.
Noticing the expressions on the juniors' faces, Neru frowned slightly, then relaxed.
"Sorry, forget I said that. In that case… do your best to entertain me!"
Before her words even finished, Neru switched into combat mode, shut off communications with a flick of her hand, kicked off the ground, and charged straight toward Arisu.
The robotic girl pulled the trigger and began charging energy.
"It's useless! A sneak attack only works once on an unprepared me!"
The greatest weakness of the Sword of Light was magnified countless times when facing Neru, already one of the strongest in Kivotos.
Just as the charging had begun, Neru had already closed in to a distance where firing the light cannon would drag even Arisu herself into the blast. The twin submachine guns in her hands spat flames nonstop, forcing Arisu to raise the massive cannon body vertically and use it as a shield.
"It is certainly impressive firepower, but that is all it amounts to."
Neru completely ignored the attacks from Midori and Yuzu, focusing all her attention on suppressing Arisu. "Too slow. Your weapon is indeed powerful, but precisely because of that, once the opponent closes in to a certain distance, you cannot fire it. Because of the explosion, you would get caught up in it yourself!"
Arisu clenched her teeth and endured the impact transmitted through the Sword of Light.
"And besides." Neru declared the truth in an arrogant tone. "Someone who can beat me at this distance, even in the entirety of Kivotos… no, there is not a single one!"
However, in the next instant, Neru's hair stood on end.
"Eh? Really? Now I kind of want to try it."
Bang!
A single round struck Neru's shoulder squarely, right as she was making a move to dodge.
Momoi's eyes lit up when she saw the long-awaited reinforcements arrive. "Wow! Eimi!"
"…In a mission like this, maybe you should not be calling my name."
Eimi continued firing as she tossed out a complaint, then urged them on. "You should leave first. Sensei is waiting for you."
Midori could not help saying, "Is it not even worse to bring up Sensei at a time like this!?"
At that moment, Neru, who had staggered from the sudden ambush and then been smashed by Arisu swinging the Sword of Light, was sent flying several meters away.
Looking at Arisu charging up once more, and at Eimi who had suddenly joined the battle with formidable strength, Neru, having taken a loss and fallen into a disadvantage, lowered her head and actually started laughing.
"You all, you always bring me unexpected surprises… even Sensei is involved now… heh, interesting. This is too interesting."
When she raised her head again, Millennium's undisputed strongest had nothing left in her eyes but blazing fighting spirit.
"Then! Let us begin round two!"
—
Under the cover provided by Arisu and Eimi, Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu began their retreat.
On the way back to the elevator, as expected, they ran into robot units sent by the Seminar to intercept them.
But because the distance had closed and communications were restored, under command, the group managed to break through without serious danger. They entered the next level early through the huge hole that Arisu's Sword of Light had blasted open during their first encounter with Neru.
Fully recovered, Momoi said excitedly, "Almost there! As long as we get through the last room, we can reach the elevator!"
"…Onee-chan, don't raise flags."
"Right." Momoi's expression grew serious. "Even if we manage to escape, I did not expect Senior Neru to return this much earlier. Whether the second phase of the plan can be carried out properly… well, whatever. With Sensei around, they will definitely think of something!"
"Isn't that also a flag!?"
"Relax. With Arisu and Eimi helping us draw attention, it cannot be that unlucky, right?"
Momoi was brimming with confidence.
However, when they actually reached the final room,
Under her younger sister's deadpan stare, only an awkward look remained on Momoi's face.
"You guys are really slow. I've been waiting for you for so long."
A blonde, blue-eyed maid with a bright smile greeted them warmly. "Welcome, Game Development Department!"
"A-Asuna-senpai!?" Midori let out a cry of despair. "Why are you here!?"
Asuna thought for a moment. "Should I say it was by feeling? I don't know whether to call it a premonition or intuition, but it was something like that. Ah! And I also received a communication from Akane."
"The last part is the real reason, right?"
"Nope, it was mainly intuition."
After saying a bunch of puzzling things, Asuna said, "Then, shall we begin?"
Midori swallowed. "Just in case, let me ask first, what are we starting?"
"Of course, battle!" Asuna was in high spirits. "I love fighting the most! C＆C Code 01, moving out!"
Just as both sides were about to start fighting,
A voice cuts in.
"Wait a moment."
The girls all lowered their guns at the same time, looked toward the source of the voice, and smiled from the bottom of their hearts.
"Sensei!" the girls of the Game Development Department called out.
"Master!" Asuna called as she ran over and hugged me tightly. "Hahaha, I knew that staying here would lead to something good happening."
Her smile is so bright… no, her clothes are so big… no, her voice is so soft…
Seeing this scene, Midori and Yuzu fell into confusion, while Momoi widened her eyes, put one hand on her hip and pointed at Asuna as she scolded her.
"Stop! You are not allowed to take Sensei hostage!"
That little Momoi, trying to ruin my good moment again!?
And is your mouth actually blessed or something?
"What are you talking about?"
Asuna released me in confusion. "How would I ever take Master hostage?"
"Ugh!" Momoi puffed up her cheeks. "Sensei is ours!"
"T-that is right." Midori and Yuzu nodded frantically.
Asuna frowned and hugged me again. "I don't understand what you are saying at all."
"I mean, let go of Sensei first!"
Sigh, it is all because my sins run deep…
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat, suppressed the smugness that was almost spilling out, and said in a deep voice, "Stop it. don't argue over me anymore."
Everyone really did quiet down, looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to finish speaking. They were all such well-behaved good kids.
"Anyway." I paused slightly. "Everyone, surrender first."
"…Eh?"
Momoi blinked.