Tokiwadai, Infirmary.
This place, originally intended to provide simple basic treatment for students, had now become something of a base for the Sha Faction due to Satan Sen's frequent visits and her becoming the new eternal princess.
Faction members took turns guarding the outside of the Infirmary; most of those on duty were Ability Users with a certain degree of sensory capabilities.
They leaned more toward support than combat, because inside the Infirmary they guarded existed a presence ten or a hundred times stronger than themselves.
At this moment, Satan Sen and Chinatsu were sitting at the table and chairs inside the Infirmary, elegantly sipping tea brought by a freshman from a family of tea ceremony masters.
At least, that was what the faction members thought.
In reality, the Infirmary was filled with a tense, sword-drawn atmosphere. Both of them already knew each other's cards, so there was no need to continue the charade in the absence of outsiders.
"It's been hard on you, monitoring me for so long, but in a few days you'll be able to rest. I will put a period to everything."
Satan Sen spoke and quietly took a sip of tea. Seeing this, Chinatsu let out a helpless, soft sigh and placed her teacup on the table.
"Why must it come to this? Does there have to be a fight?"
Chinatsu really didn't want Satan Sen to take that step. Although her past methods of instigating factional strife in private were malicious, they ultimately hadn't caused serious casualties.
But if Satan Sen's plan to destroy Tokiwadai truly came to fruition, the impact would extend beyond just Tokiwadai as a school; the students within and even the surrounding areas would inevitably be affected.
Considering this factor, perhaps using pure force to suppress Satan Sen now would be an excellent choice. Chinatsu had thought about it, but in the end, she gave up on the idea.
If Satan Sen were arrested and imprisoned, her younger sister Yukiko would inevitably be caught up in the investigation. In the original story, there wasn't a trace of Yukiko around Mikoto; one could imagine that Yukiko's ending was unlikely to be a happy one.
Death? Expulsion? Severed ties?
For the sake of the cute younger sister, Chinatsu would not allow anything to happen that would make Mikoto sad. Even if she was called an idealist, Chinatsu accepted it.
Satan Sen already understood Chinatsu's attitude quite well; after all, she had tried more than once to get Chinatsu to withdraw from this muddy whirlpool.
As one of only seven Level 5 Espers remaining in Academy City, such an existence was fundamentally different from the other students of Tokiwadai.
If the other young ladies attended Tokiwadai to gild their own reputations, then the enrollment of Espers like Chinatsu, Mikoto, and Shokuhou was instead gilding the school's reputation.
They would still shine brightly even if they left Tokiwadai; for them, Tokiwadai was just one of the better-looking springboards.
Perhaps in Satan Sen's heart, there was also a desire to be friends with Chinatsu, but she knew it was impossible. Even if Chinatsu didn't become a stumbling block in the process of achieving her goals, they could never be friends.
"Chinatsu, you've heard of the Takebayashi Yayoi, right?"
Satan Sen spoke slowly in a low tone. One could hear from her voice that she didn't really want to bring this matter up.
Chinatsu nodded. She had conducted a careful investigation of Satan Sen, so she naturally understood who Takebayashi Yayoi was and what had happened to her.
Three years ago.
Takebayashi Yayoi, the adopted daughter of the Wulin Family, broke through numerous difficulties and obstacles to become the candidate closest to the eternal princess at the time. Everyone believed that as long as no accidents occurred, that position would be hers.
But it was at this moment that an accident happened.
One day, a mysterious organization kidnapped a member of the Wulin Faction. Based on Takebayashi Yayoi's private investigation, she quickly found the organization's base and set out alone to rescue her.
As a candidate for the eternal princess, Takebayashi Yayoi's strength was naturally that of a top-tier Level 4 Great Ability User, a powerhouse beyond the reach of ordinary people.
It should have been a case of Takebayashi Yayoi successfully repelling the thugs and rescuing her kidnapped faction member, but at the most critical stage, an accident occurred.
The kidnapped girl did not appear at the base Takebayashi Yayoi attacked. She engaged in a fierce battle with members of the mysterious organization and ultimately killed two of them by mistake.
Almost at the same time, the Security Officers arrived at the scene with precision timing, witnessing the blood-stained Takebayashi Yayoi and escorting her to a police car.
Perhaps by utilizing the means of certain Ability Users, or perhaps by bribing the Security Officers at the time, the mysterious organization cleared themselves of suspicion for kidnapping a Tokiwadai student and took the accidental killer, Takebayashi Yayoi, to court.
As public opinion continued to ferment, Tokiwadai took the initiative to cut ties with Takebayashi Yayoi for the sake of its own reputation.
Not only did they expel Takebayashi Yayoi, but they also deleted all her archival information regarding her time at the school. In the end, Takebayashi Yayoi died quietly in a Juvenile Detention Center.
Satan Sen stood up from her seat and slowly walked to the Infirmary window. Her eyes looked out at the prosperous scenery of Tokiwadai, and she felt a deep-seated disgust.
Bang!!!
Satan Sen's fist slammed hard against the glass in front of her, letting out a dull thud. Even the faction members standing outside the Infirmary could faintly hear the sound.
"Chinatsu, don't you think it's ridiculous? Takebayashi Yayoi met with that accident clearly to protect the students of this school, yet the school didn't protect her; instead, they coldly abandoned her," Satan Sen said chillingly.
Chinatsu didn't reply because she knew Satan Sen was right. Tokiwadai's handling of the matter was indeed improper, one might even say cold to the point of heartlessness.
But Chinatsu still had doubts about the matter, such as that mysterious organization that had somehow successfully escaped responsibility three years ago.
Or, for example, why this mysterious organization would suddenly kidnap a young lady from Tokiwadai. Perhaps there was another hidden truth behind this incident.
Chinatsu really wanted to say this to Satan Sen, but unfortunately, she had no evidence. Talk-no-jutsu without any solid proof would never convince the Satan Sen before her.
Satan Sen turned back to face Chinatsu. Her eyes were filled with the hateful fires of revenge, forming a sharp contrast with the shining Eternal Princess Medal pinned to her chest.
"Chinatsu, I will succeed in my revenge!"
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