"Maki?"
The girl only came to her senses when she heard her friends exclaim in surprise. She was sitting in the activity room, trying to kill some boring time.
The arduous, four-day struggle for survival in the Shirakawa Apartments felt like an unreal, illusory dream.
It wasn't until she saw the sunlight again, until she saw the familiar school campus before her, that she realized she had finally returned to reality.
"Wh-what happened, Maki? Why are your clothes suddenly all tattered and torn? What's going on?!"
Ah.
I'm really back.
I really... left that place and came back.
Her body feeling weak, the girl fell backward, only to be caught by her anxious friend.
A harsh noise rang in her ears, a notification from the Sacrificial Game reminding her to participate in the next round in a month, mingling with the clamor of the people around her. It gave Maki an even more surreal feeling, a strange sensation where she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or awake.
What am I... No! That's not it! That's not the important thing at all!
She seemed to hear someone's faint voice thanking her and saying goodbye, and she felt a peculiar sensation of her body and consciousness being further strengthened.
But Maki had no energy to focus on any of that right now.
She remembered.
In the final moments, she had been pushed through the door by Gao Hai, while he and her aunt were dragged away by those black arms.
Did they make it back?
Did the two of them manage to escape?
Hai-kun... Hai-kun... You wouldn't be left behind in there. Someone as smart as you, as capable as you, you definitely wouldn't be left behind, right?!
She shot to her feet.
The next moment, the girl ran out of the activity room.
Heedless of her friends' calls from behind, and heedless of the confused stares of the other students.
Wearing a school uniform that was filthy from scrambling through ruins, and even had a few tears in it, the girl ran forward, only to stop, unsure of her destination. She stood there, dazed, on the campus path, looking up at the sky.
Meanwhile, outside the main gate of Shuchiin Academy's high school division, Gao Hai stepped out of a taxi. He muttered to himself, "The taxi fares in Japan are just ridiculous," as he looked at the school gate before him, took a deep breath, and walked forward.
Then, unsurprisingly, he was driven away by the security guard.
"He even acted like he'd call the police if I didn't leave. Do I look that suspicious? The local security is so impolite."
Wearing a hat and a mask, Gao Hai, who had been tempted to just force his way through, shook his head and walked away helplessly. Then, he looked at Shuchiin's outer wall.
It wasn't very high, only a little over two, approaching three meters.
I wonder what Maki is doing right now. But at this time of day, she should be at school.
Without a word, Gao Hai left the school gate and circled the outer wall. Relying on his fairly adept reconnaissance skills, he quickly found a corner with no pedestrians or surveillance cameras.
Two steps back, a running start, and a leap.
The next moment, Gao Hai jumped over three meters high, holding his hat with one hand. He flipped his body in mid-air and landed effortlessly inside the Shuchiin school grounds.
It's been a while since I've done this kind of detective infiltration.
Gao Hai couldn't help but recall his part-time jobs before he started writing novels. But looking back, there wasn't much worth remembering from that time. In comparison, the priority now was to find Maki quickly and check on her condition.
With this in mind, Gao Hai concealed himself among the school's bushes and trees, carefully observing the surrounding buildings and facilities.
After a short while, Gao Hai slipped through a second-floor window into the men's changing room of the Shuchiin swimming pool. Using his now greatly enhanced strength, he opened a swimming instructor's locker, put on the man's jacket and sunglasses, then took off his hat and mask. He then walked out, brazenly pretending to be a Shuchiin teacher as he moved through the school.
I remember Maki is a second-year high school student. Is she in her classroom now? But I never asked which class she's in, and I never paid attention to that kind of detail when I read the manga.
Gao Hai started to feel a bit troubled.
Students passed by from time to time, greeting him politely. Some also whispered to each other in confusion, wondering why there was suddenly a new, unfamiliar teacher who, no matter how you looked at it, seemed a bit too young.
Gao Hai, paying them no mind, continued walking through the school until his path was blocked by a pink-haired girl holding a basketball-sized die.
"Next turn, advance!"
The pink-haired girl with a bow in her hair threw the large die on the ground and shouted enthusiastically. Of the two girls beside her, one held a rule sheet and announced, "Chika gains 5000 money this turn," while the other picked up the die, declared with great bravado, "Now it's my turn!" and prepared to throw it again.
Did I just run into the legendary Cancer of the Earth, Chika Fujiwara, this quickly?
This cheerful girl with an impressive figure attracted a huge fanbase in both the manga and the anime. And, how should I put it... during the bizarre later stages of the manga with the soba guy x photographer plot, she was probably one of the few characters who still kept things grounded.
Should I try asking her?
"Excuse me, student..."
So Gao Hai cleared his throat and began to speak slowly, mimicking the deliberate tone of an old teacher.
"Ah, it's a teacher! Hello, sir! We're just conducting an extracurricular practical activity. Is there anything you'd like to advise us on?"
Chika Fujiwara, who had been excitedly playing her game just a moment ago, paused for a second upon seeing Gao Hai. Her eyes quickly scanned the area around him as if searching for someone. After confirming there was no one else, she breathed a sigh of relief, then waved energetically at Gao Hai and asked with a grin.
Looking at the equally casual behavior of the two girls behind her, it seemed these students weren't afraid to show their playful side in front of a teacher. Hmm, it could also be that most Shuchiin students come from powerful backgrounds, so teachers can usually only offer advice. Only the student disciplinary committee members would dare to enforce rules, right?
"Have you seen a student named Maki Shijo pass by here?"
Gao Hai's expression remained unchanged as he asked in a very ordinary tone.
"Maki Shijo? Hmm, I think she's the one related to Kaguya... I'm not sure. Sir, did something happen? I'm the school's famous Detective Fujiwara, you know! I can help if you need me to!"
Chika paused at Gao Hai's question, then gave a somewhat disappointing answer. But immediately after, as if sensing something from his reaction, the girl's eyes began to sparkle, and she took a step forward, ready to volunteer her services.
"No need. You can continue playing, just don't disturb anyone else."
However, Gao Hai had absolutely no interest in starting some new gal-game side quest right now. He just wanted to find Maki, so he simply waved his hand and walked away.
"Aww, really."
The girl's slightly deflated voice sounded from behind him.
With light steps, Gao Hai had already passed the park path below the school building and reached a more secluded road.
It was at this moment that he heard the fragmented conversations of passing students.
"What was up with that girl just now?"
"Her clothes were so dirty, right?"
"Say, wasn't that Shijo, the one who's second in our year? How did she end up looking like that?"
Gao Hai's steps came to a halt.
He turned his head and looked down the road ahead.
Maki lowered her head slightly, let out a soft sigh, and sat silently on the bench.
Her friends' anxious questions came from beside her.
A few teachers and other students were also drawn over, wanting to find out what had happened.
How utterly pathetic.
I'm the eldest daughter of the Shijo family, yet here I am in public, completely disheveled. I'll probably be punished by my father when I get home.
Thinking this, Maki sighed again and prepared to stand up and leave.
In any case, I should go find my great-aunt first. She was pulled down with Hai-kun. If Hai-kun can return safely, then she definitely can too. So, as long as I can confirm my great-aunt is safe, I won't have to worry about Hai-kun.
Honestly, I should have thought of this from the start, but instead I ran out in such a panic.
I don't even know anything about him besides his name.
It's possible we might not even have a chance to see each other again after this...
"Yo, why haven't you changed into some clean clothes? How are you supposed to maintain the dignity of the great lady of the Shijo family like this?"
And then she heard that familiar voice.
The voice of that person she thought she wouldn't hear, or at least not so soon.
"Huh?"
The girl looked up in surprise and saw Gao Hai, who had taken off his sunglasses, giving her a little wave.
"Hai-kun, why are you—"
Her surprised words didn't get a chance to come out.
Because in the very next moment, Gao Hai took a decisive step forward, reached out, and wrapped the girl in a hug. Paying no mind to the stares and chatter of the surrounding students and teachers, he lifted Maki right off her feet.
"A little hug to celebrate our reunion in the real world isn't too much to ask, right, Maki?"
Gao Hai smiled calmly at the girl.
Overwhelmed by multiple shocks, the girl stared blankly for a long moment before processing the situation. Her face immediately flushed red, the blush spreading across her cheeks in an instant.
"Y-y-y-y-y-you idiot, what are you doing!?"
Following her shriek were the sounds of other teachers rushing forward to question him, the uproar of the students, and the sound of Gao Hai's very practiced escape. All sorts of chaotic noises filled the campus, creating quite a lively scene.
Meanwhile, in an empty little classroom in a nearby school building, Kaguya, who had already changed into a clean school uniform, looked out the window. She watched Gao Hai sprinting past on the park path below, the cold expression on her face softening slightly with a hint of relief.
"So everyone made it out alive."
Muttering this to herself, she turned to the side, where her maid was picking up the tattered uniform with its torn collar.
Judging by the worried look on the maid's face, she would definitely have to think of a good explanation for the uniform later. But for now, just for this moment, Kaguya's heart was filled with the joy of survival and the relief that Maki and Gao Hai had also made it. She felt lighter than she ever had before.
"This dirty hair ribbon... no, this isn't a hair ribbon, it's just a strip of cloth torn from a t-shirt, isn't it? And a man's t-shirt at that. Lady Kaguya, what on earth is this about? I would like you to tell me everything."
The maid with long, blonde hair stepped forward, holding the scrap of cloth with suspicious red and white stains on it as she questioned her.
"This..."
Kaguya looked down at the piece of cloth, her gaze freezing for a moment.
Then, as if she had thought of something, Kaguya reached out and gently tapped the scrap.
"A little change of style might be nice, yes. In that case, I'll have to ask you, Hayasaka, to help me pick out a suitable red hair ribbon."
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