Despite being a student of Kivotos, Nagisa's stamina was rather limited.
We had been running for only a few minutes before she started panting heavily: "Se… sensei…"
"Don't talk, almost there." Bullets whizzed past the side of my face. I furrowed my brow slightly at the slight deviation from the plan, my body already enhanced to superhuman levels thanks to my divine powers.
Because I had enabled GPS tracking, I wasn't worried about rendezvousing with the others later… The urgent issue was whether we could shake off the Arius pursuers behind us.
Fortunately, there were no extraordinary individuals among the pursuers, just students who had undergone so military training but ran at ordinary speeds, so perhaps even slowed by poor nutrition.
Additionally, the route I had chosen, blocked by the lake and forest, made it difficult for vehicles to pursue us, so we were unlikely to be caught imdiately.
However, Arius had likely split their forces, trying to circle around to intercept us ahead.
If this continued, Nagisa might tire before long, which wouldn't be a huge problem, it would just require to expend more power to block them.
Though we were in a life-or-death chase, I felt unnaturally calm, my mind clear.
But things soon took a turn for the better—
While we fled, a white figure suddenly leapt from the nearby woods, tossing a round object at the Arius students pursuing us:
"Light of Retribution!"
The reinforcents I had contacted, Suzumi of the Trinity Vigilante Crew, finally arrived on the battlefield.
"Sensei! Sorry, it took a bit longer to deal with the ones lying in wait outside!"
Suzumi called out loudly while firing her gun at the Arius students temporarily blinded and deafened by her flash grenades.
"Thanks!"
I abruptly turned with Nagisa into the forest, narrowly brushing past another girl who seed to have arrived alongside Suzumi, also a mber of the Vigilante Crew.
From behind ca a spirited, "Let's settle this!" as we plunged deeper into the trees, escaping outward.
"Just hold on a little longer," I encouraged Nagisa, not knowing if she could even hear through her heavy panting.
Judging by her lack of training, her legs and feet would ache tomorrow. A lesson I rembered from experiencing Sumire's grueling training nearly a month ago.
Suddenly, likely due to high heels poorly suited for the forest mud and exhaustion, Nagisa stumbled, nearly taking down with her.
I bent down to support her, noticing her furrowed brows and pained expression.
Unsurprisingly, she had twisted her ankle.
There was no ti for consolation, I quickly had her lie across my back, supporting her knees with my hands, and continued fleeing.
"What… what's happening…" Nagisa whispered into my ear, puzzled. "Arius people had an agreent with you… so does that an…?"
I replied gruffly. "Princess, let's save that question for later."
Nagisa, seemingly perplexed but obedient, said nothing further.
Two pristine white wings gently wrapped around my waist, warm and soft.
Soon, after passing through the forest, we reached a roadside.
At the edge of the forest, unconscious Arius students lay scattered, signs of battle around them explaining why Suzumi and her team had arrived late.
But more pressing than that…
Beep beep—!
Two honks drew our attention.
"Sensei! Nagisa-sama!" A familiar small scooter was parked next to the guardrail. Riding it was a girl wearing a helt, but her familiar voice, the way she addressed us, and the Peroro bag on her back made her identity unmistakable.
"Hifumi…?"
I quickly hoisted Nagisa on my back, vaulted over the guardrail, and hopped onto the scooter seat I had borrowed from Fuuka.
The wealthy young ladies of Trinity could easily replace a destroyed scooter with a new one from the supply departnt.
Crucially, Hifumi's driving skills had been unanimously recognized by all participants during the Make-up Club second retest chase, the scooter survived the simultaneous pursuit by the Prefect Team and the Hot Springs Departnt without a scratch. Truly a seamless human-scooter partnership!
With reinforcents secured, I could montarily deactivate my divine powers. I held Hifumi around the waist, Nagisa still on my back. Despite carrying three people, the supply departnt scooter moved smoothly without any lag, charging forward at top speed.
"Sensei, Hifumi…" Nagisa asked, helt on, "What's really going on?"
"Ahaha… Nagisa-sama, well… how should I put this…"
Hifumi looked a little embarrassed.
I answered for her. "Hifumi ant, 'Ahaha, playing with Nagisa-sama's friend is fun.'"
Nagisa froze in surprise, then, as if doubting her ears, said: "…Eh? Wait… what?"
"Eh? N-no, it's not like that!" Hifumi panicked. "Ugh, Sensei, didn't I tell you not to say things that cause misunderstandings…"
"…Sensei?"
I chose to remain silent.
This was a suggestion Hanako had made when setting up the plan, ant to let Nagisa experience the sting of not being treated as a friend.
Though the effect was softened by Hifumi's gentle nature, I felt this developnt might, in the end, be better for their relationship than a simple prank.
In any case, the scooter sped along the road toward the Trinity Annex.
Yet the route was far from safe.
Arius students pursued relentlessly, continuously firing at us, even attempting to use rockets to stop us.
All of it was easily evaded thanks to the bond between Hifumi and her scooter!
At last, Nagisa seed to realize. "Sensei… Arius isn't actually cooperating with you, right?"
"From the looks of it, seems that way," I replied ambiguously.
"Are they after you, or ? If it's …" Nagisa's tone grew complicated. "Am I being used as bait? And using such firepower in the city… why hasn't the Justice Task Force shown up? There really is… soone inside Trinity colluding…!"
The biggest flaw in the Justice Task Force was that any high-ranking Trinity student could influence events without breaking school regulations.
However, given what's happening, another big fish colluding with Arius would finally reveal themselves.
anwhile, the Trinity Annex, where the Make-Up Work Club was located, was already close.
The final battle was about to begin.
User Comments
0 comments from readers