Looking at the three subordinates who had always followed her in fooling around, Hanasaka Warabi sniffled and put on the dignity of a proper boss.
“Do you understand?!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Looking at their boss, whose eyes were clearly red but who was still desperately trying to act cool, the Three Beast Warriors nodded hard.
Their voices were perfectly in sync, even carrying a hint of tears.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner elsewhere in the academy…
The shade beneath an old tree was as thick as ink that refused to dissolve.
Tamaba Satori was squatting beneath the tree, playing with several poisoned blow darts in her hand.
In the shadows behind her stood a small short-haired figure—Misogi.
“Are you really going, Satori?”
Misogi’s voice was a little hoarse, and it carried obvious worry.
“That world… might be even crueler than he said.”
“Cruel?”
Tamaba Satori stopped what she was doing and tilted her head.
The smile on her face was still innocent and pure, yet it carried a chill that made one’s spine go cold.
“Is this world not cruel?”
“It simply hides its blades beneath smiles.”
“Besides…”
Tamaba Satori stood up and patted the dust from her skirt.
“If I leave, Onee-san won’t have to be that shadow anymore.”
“You can become the real Satori again, or go back to being Misogi.”
“Isn’t that interesting?”
Misogi fell silent.
After a long while, she finally spoke carefully, her voice so soft it was almost scattered by the wind.
“You have to come back alive.”
“Of course I will.”
Tamaba Satori narrowed her eyes and smiled, waving her hand before turning to leave.
…
At the same time…
Aichi Symbiosis Academy, top floor.
The Headmistress’s Office, which symbolized the highest authority of the entire academy.
At this moment, an indescribable fragrance of tea filled the air.
“I am truly sorry, Lord God.”
“The incident happened too suddenly, and the academy is located in a remote area, so we were unable to prepare refreshments worthy of your status in time.”
“These crude offerings are all we have. Please forgive us.”
The woman speaking was the nominal headmistress of this academy—Fujibayashi Yukino.
She had capable short dark-purple hair and wore a well-tailored professional dress.
The usual calm, unhurried, and all-controlling posture of a powerful career woman had vanished completely.
Her hands were folded in front of her, and she bowed slightly, as if even her breathing had been deliberately lowered.
“It does not matter.”
“I came uninvited.”
“As an unwelcome guest, it would be rather improper of me to criticize my host’s hospitality.”
Heimer did not dwell on trivial details like tea.
Instead, after taking a light sip, he set the cup down.
The crisp sound of porcelain touching the saucer made Fujibayashi Yukino’s shoulders tremble slightly.
“Besides…”
“Compared to the tea…”
“I am more concerned about another matter.”
“Regarding my purpose here, and the fact that I intend to take those children away…”
“Headmistress, you have already told that child about what happened here, haven’t you?”
That child.
The moment that phrase appeared, Fujibayashi Yukino’s breathing clearly stopped for an instant.
Naturally, she knew exactly who Heimer was referring to.
Narukami Koharu.
Inaba Tsukuyo’s half-sister.
A genius who used Unyo.
At the same age as Inaba Tsukuyo, she defeated her birth mother and forcefully seized the title of No.
2.
She had mastered Unyo’s two great instant-kill techniques, Jinrai and Raimei, to perfection.
She was the terrifying swordswoman countless swordsmen feared—the Thunder God.
In addition, although Narukami Koharu attended another school, she was also deeply connected to Aichi Symbiosis Academy.
One could say that the academy’s current system had been driven forward by Narukami Koharu herself.
Her purpose was to turn this academy into a massive breeding jar.
Within its brutal struggles, she expected the strongest poisonous insect to be born—the one that survived until the very end.
“Yes.”
Fujibayashi Yukino lowered her head, her voice slightly tight.
Lying in front of a god would undoubtedly be foolish.
“When you first descended, that side had already noticed the abnormality.”
“I reported the situation truthfully.”
“And she said…”
Fujibayashi Yukino paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully.
“She found it very interesting.”
“After all… if even Lord God has taken a liking to her gu insects, then it proves her judgment was correct.”
“Gu insects, is it…”
“How arrogant.”
“To treat lives with infinite possibilities as insects.”
“However…”
“That is fine.”
Heimer did not mind those words.
After all…
From the moment humans walked out of their caves, the instinct for competition had been carved into their genes.
Society, schools—on a certain level, were they not merely jars of different forms?
Living in groups gave weak individuals the right to survive.
But at the same time, it also created a larger jar.
Just as placing a hundred poisonous insects into one jar would inevitably leave the final survivor as a monster that had absorbed a hundred poisons.
The weak fall, the strong survive.
No matter how many layers of civilization were draped over those words, the bloody cruelty at their core had never changed.
Narukami Koharu had seen through this.
That was why she even pushed the process forward, attempting to cultivate the strongest gu king.
Heimer did not dislike this.
On the contrary, he appreciated it greatly.
“Speaking of which…”
“Before I descended into this world, in the list of qualified candidates I had drafted, aside from the girls here now, there were indeed a few other names.”
“And among them…”
“She happened to be included.”
“However…”
“This time, I will only take these few with me.”
Heimer gave Fujibayashi Yukino a meaningful look.
“As for her…”
“If she wants to see other scenery…”
“Then have her prepare herself.”
“The next time I descend…”
“I would like to see what kind of surprise she, the greatest gu king, can bring me.”
The moment those words came out, Fujibayashi Yukino’s entire body shook.
Even though her head had remained lowered the whole time, one could clearly see her folded hands tighten slightly.
A flash of shock passed through her eyes.
It was quickly replaced by a deeper sense of awe.
“Yes.”
“I will convey your will to her truthfully.”
At this point, Fujibayashi Yukino bowed deeply.
…
A short while later…
Aichi Symbiosis Academy, the plaza in front of the main gate.
The setting sun sank in the west.
All unrelated personnel had already been evacuated from the empty plaza.
Amou Kirukiru stood with her arms crossed, tapping the ground with the tip of her foot.
Beside her, Inaba Tsukuyo held her katana and quietly rested with her eyes closed.
Onigawara Rin had already put her mask away in a small box and kept it close to her body.
She was now checking the luggage she carried with an extremely serious expression.
And at this very moment…
“Hurry, hurry! Kyobo, stop dragging your feet!”
Hanasaka Warabi was struggling to pull the black bear that stubbornly refused to move.
The poor black bear dug all four paws into the ground, leaving several deep marks behind while letting out whimpers as if begging for help.
“Oh my, if Warabi-san can’t drag it along, Satori can help~”
Tamaba Satori squatted nearby, playing with a few coldly gleaming blow darts as she spoke with a smile.
“For example… giving it a shot to make it fall asleep?”
“I don’t need your fake kindness!”
Hanasaka Warabi was so frightened that she quickly stood in front of the black bear and glared at her warily.
“Don’t stab my Kyobo with your poison needles!”
As for Kikakujou Mary…
“Aaah! My hair conditioner! And my black tea set!”
“Can I really not bring these?!”
She was worrying over a suitcase that had been stuffed completely full and could no longer be zipped shut.
Her golden curls had been scratched into something resembling a bird’s nest.
“You can’t bring them.”
Amou Kirukiru gave her a cold glance.
“Other than weapons and necessities, throw away every other burden.”
“We are going to fight, not on a picnic.”
“But…”
Kikakujou Mary still wanted to argue.
Just then…
An invisible pressure suddenly descended.
The originally noisy plaza instantly fell silent.
Everyone instinctively raised their heads and looked toward the school building.
Heimer’s figure appeared on the steps.
His gaze swept over everyone.
“Are you all ready?”
“R-ready!”
Onigawara Rin was the first to stand straight and answer loudly.
The others also nodded one after another.
Even Kikakujou Mary, who had still been struggling over her suitcase, gritted her teeth and kicked the suitcase aside, only grabbing that thick dictionary and hugging it to her chest.
“Then let us go.”
Heimer did not waste words.
He raised his hand and lightly tapped the void in front of him.
Buzz—
An azure gate of light appeared out of thin air.
The rotating ripples were like a deep vortex, releasing an aura that made one’s heart tremble.
“Cross this gate.”
“Beyond it lies Orario.”
“And the beginning of your new lives.”
After saying this, Heimer stepped inside first.
Amou Kirukiru followed immediately behind him, the corners of her lips lifting into a fanatical smile without the slightest hesitation.
Inaba Tsukuyo, Onigawara Rin, Tamaba Satori…
One figure after another vanished into the gate of light.
Finally…
Hanasaka Warabi took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the chain in her hand.
“Let’s go, Kyobo!”
“Awooo…”
The black bear let out a mournful cry and followed with utter despair, hugging its cub.
One person and two bears charged into the gate of light.
As the gate swallowed everyone’s figures, the next second arrived.
The wind stopped, and the clouds scattered.
Only a few fallen leaves swept up by the wind remained, along with an abandoned suitcase by the roadside.
In front of the glass window of the Headmistress’s Office, Fujibayashi Yukino looked down at the empty plaza.
Ubarazaki Choka secretly slipped into the plaza and dragged Kikakujou Mary’s luggage back to the girls’ dormitory.