This was a golden opportunity. With outsiders present, Hishigata Hirumi—or rather, Taowu—wouldn't reveal its true nature. The two espers had gone out to engage the enemy, leaving only the seemingly harmless blonde girl in the RV.
Esther discreetly placed a talisman on herself, channeling the power and finesse of a pseudo-soul into her body.
Pretending to fetch something from the fridge, she suddenly sprang into action, shattering the glass window and leaping onto the highway below.
Frenda instinctively reached for her bombs, but the confined space of the RV prevented her from acting, allowing Esther to escape.
The sequence was too swift. Esther had seized the perfect moment and fled.
Mugino Shizuri, wary of an ambush if she disembarked, had taken Kinuhata Saiai, who could defend herself, and left Frenda, a non-combatant with limited defenses, in the vehicle.
This indirectly led to the outcome.
"Damn it..."
Mugino watched as Esther jumped from the highway, landing on a lower road and sprinting into the distance.
Her face twisted with irritation. The only one fast enough to catch her was Kinuhata Saiai, but she was busy subduing Scavenger.
While Mugino's combat prowess was formidable, her attacks were too lethal to ensure Esther's survival.
She could only watch her escape.
"Tch!"
Part of this was Samuel's fault. If he hadn't spontaneously ordered Scavenger's capture, Mugino could have wiped them out in one go.
Then none of this would have happened.
"Kinuhata, we have to capture them..."
No matter what, with Esther gone, they at least had to complete the other task.
"Ha!"
Sheets of paper rapidly assembled, thousands forming a massive doll-like armor around Sakuragi Naruha. She shouted, swinging her right arm fiercely at Kinuhata Saiai.
"Boom~"
Kinuhata was pushed back by the force. Her Offense Armor spared her from injury, but alone, she couldn't easily take them down.
Though they seemed odd, their strength was undeniable—all Level 4s.
"Swish~"
Green beams formed a humanoid shape, disintegrating Sakuragi Naruha's armor into atoms without harming her.
Kinuhata seized the moment, rushing forward and landing a heavy punch to Sakuragi's stomach.
The blow left Sakuragi reeling, saliva spraying from her unconsciously open mouth as she flew back, crashing into a wall.
"Damn it..."
Yakumaru Itsuki pulled a test tube from her waist, injecting it into a metal sphere and hurling it at Kinuhata.
It contained special liquid nitrogen, crafted by her ability, capable of rapid freezing.
The green beams consumed it, incinerating it instantly.
"No good! That Level 5's suppression is too strong! She doesn't seem to want to kill us, but... we can't win like this..."
As team leader, Iizumi Rita racked her brain. The Level 5's overwhelming pressure was suffocating.
"Hmph~"
Seike Taroumaru used Friction Control to block Kinuhata's advance, while Yakumaru Itsuki threw more specialized liquids.
Mugino Shizuri's patience was wearing thin. Controlling Meltdowner with her computational power already made her irritable, and these pesky insects kept buzzing around.
Her expression darkened. Pointing at Seike Taroumaru, a green beam pierced her abdomen, blood gushing out and staining the surroundings.
Samuel had only mentioned Iizumi Rita and Yakumaru Itsuki's abilities as interesting, so... killing or injuring a few others shouldn't matter, right?
"Tsume!"
Yakumaru Itsuki shouted in concern.
But Kinuhata was already at her side. With a sweeping leg and a grapple, she pinned Yakumaru down. The fight was nearly over.
Only Iizumi Rita, with no combat ability, remained.
"Clack~"
Mugino tossed a pair of handcuffs at Iizumi Rita, gesturing arrogantly. Iizumi complied, snapping them on.
Scavenger was captured!
Meanwhile...
Young Master Samuel was on a date!
"I didn't expect you to ask me out. That's rare!"
In a café, Shokuhou Misaki sat across from Samuel.
"I heard you've been looking into... things related to Dolly's creation?"
"...Your intel is sharp as ever. What? Is our Committee Chairman trying to tell me to back off?"
"Not quite. I'm looking into it too, but some things... I can't just force my way through."
For Samuel, pushing now could jeopardize future gains.
Shokuhou Misaki, however, slightly misunderstood...
She knew this man's status well. If even he couldn't force his way...
"A decision from the Board of Directors?"
"Sort of..."
"Even so, I'll still—"
"Hey! Samuel?"
Shokuhou Misaki's words were cut off as a blonde girl with twin tails, dressed in a white shirt and checkered skirt, approached Samuel.
"??? My dear Committee Chairman, who's this?"
Shokuhou Misaki smiled lightly, but her leg subtly kicked Samuel's shin under the table.
"Why'd you kick me?"
"Because I wanted to!"
"..."
It was Eriri. Samuel had been waiting to meet her at the department, but he hadn't expected to run into her here.
Then again, meeting in the Garden of Learning was normal, since she lived there.
"Yo~ What a... coincidence... Uh, who's she?"
Eriri started off shyly, but her expression shifted upon seeing Shokuhou Misaki across from Samuel.
Girls often felt inexplicable hostility toward other beautiful girls, especially those sitting next to a guy they liked.
"Oh, hello! I'm Shokuhou Misaki from Tokiwadai. Are you a friend of Yuu-nii? We're on a date!"
Shokuhou flashed a radiant smile, gently grasping Samuel's right hand.
"Really...?"
"Uh, sort of!"
"S-Sorry... I guess I came at a bad time..."
"No! You're right on time. Join us!"
"???"
"???"
Shokuhou Misaki and Eriri's expressions were surprisingly identical.
"Hey! Inviting another girl to join a date with a girl? Don't you think that's a bit scummy, Committee Chairman?"
"But haven't I always been like this?"
"...You know, one day, some girl's gonna boil a kettle, and as it whistles, she'll stab a cleaver into your side and chop off your head... Hm, but with your charm, there'll probably be girls crying over your head anyway!"
"If you want, I can let you hold my head anytime!"
"I meant just the head~"
"Come, my loyal subjects, chop me up for my dear Misaki's amusement."
"..."
***
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