"From now on, a candidate for the Student Council election, and also the Student Council President, will be here to give an address, so all of you, stay in your seats."

So said the teacher to the students who were trying to rush off.

"Not that I care, but do you know where the third years have gone?"

"No idea."

I give a half-hearted answer accompanied with a yawn in response to Hyoro's random question.

"Oh, the third years? This week they're away on an extracurricular trip..."

So informs Jaga after turning around from his seat in front of us.

At that moment, the cla.s.sroom door opens, and two female students come in. In exchange, the teacher goes out.

I recognize one of the faces. It is Student Council President Rose Oriana, who I had fought the other day.

Why is it that even though it's the usual uniform, when a chic person wears it, it somehow gains a mysterious chic aura?

"Umm, we are very grateful to the teacher for setting aside precious time for us today. About the Student Council election..."

The first year girl, clearly still not used to this, starts speaking in a stiff voice.

Is it only for me that speeches like this go in one ear and right out the other?

I notice Hyoro also listening to the speech with a blank face and yawning.

Jaga is taking down notes of some sort.

Abruptly, I feel like the Student Council President and my eyes had met. If she really remembers the mob who only suffered an unsightly defeat against her in the first round, then she'd be quite something indeed.

"Oi, the Student Council President just looked at me."

So says Hyoro while arranging his bangs.

"Good for you."

"Oi oi, I might get scouted by the Student Council."

"Good for you."

"Oi oi oi, I really don't want to get involved with bothersome things."

"Good for you."

And that's pretty much how the time is going by.

But suddenly, I felt a disturbance in my magic.

"Eh?"

"What happened?"

I am constantly manipulating and controlling my internal magic as practice, but as of just now, I suddenly can't seem to feel that magic anymore.

It feels like something is obstructing the flow of magic. I can either push through it with brute force, or I think I can also circ.u.mvent it by making my magic extremely fine.

As these thoughts go through my mind, I feel some presence approaching the cla.s.sroom.

"They're coming..."

I just felt like saying that.

But at that moment.

Abruptly, an enormous explosion echoes out.

The door to the cla.s.sroom is blown away, and the entire cla.s.s is rendered dumbstruck.

Immediately afterwards, men in black holding naked blades march into the cla.s.sroom.

"n.o.body move! We are Shadow Garden, and we have occupied this academy!"

So shouting, they stand in front of the exit.

"No way..."

My mutter is drowned out in the surrounding commotion.

There is not a single student who can move.

Is this a drill, a prank, or... real?

Almost all of the students are having trouble coming to grips with the reality that the Magic Swordsman Academy is under attack.

I am the only one who has fully grasped the situation.

That these men are for real, that all magic in the surrounding has been blocked, and that the same thing is currently happening in all the other cla.s.ses.

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"Awe~some..."

Words of appreciation automatically spilled from my lips.

These guys, they're truly gone and done it.

They've actually done it.

'That thing' that every boy in the world has dreamt of.

'That thing' that has colored a page of our teenage fantasies.

'That thing' being... having the school being attacked by terrorists!

I am s.h.i.+vering with emotion.

Exactly how many times have I fantasized this situation.

Several hundred, several thousand... several hundred million times.

I've explored all the innumerable patterns that such a situation can turn, and finally, it's actually happening in front of me!

"Stay in your seats, and raise your hands!"

Seeing the students gradually coming back to their senses, the men in black threaten the students with their swords.

I thought I'd prefer to be on the terrorist side, but it already got chosen by them.

No worries, being on the student side is more common.

So, what should I do?

How should I move?

Infinite possibilities are spread out before me.

"It seems like you lot fail to understand what kind of place this is."

At that moment, a gallant voice rings out.

A single girl places her hand on the sword on her waist and confronts the men in black.

"You wish to occupy the Magic Swordsmen Academy? It seems that you are not in your right minds."

Only one person, Rose Oriana, is standing out to face against the men.

"We told you to discard your weapon, little girl."

"I refuse."

So saying, Rose draws her sword.

"Hmph, you'd be just right as a prime lesson."

One of the men in black raises his sword in a fighting stance.

This is bad.

She still hasn't realized that she can no longer use magic here.

"...! What is happening?"

Agitation colors Rose's face.

"So you finally realized it?"

The man in black laughs behind his mask.

Bad, this is bad. This cannot continue like this.

"But it's already too late."

He swings his sword towards Rose.

There is no way that a girl whose magic has been sealed can ward off that sword imbued with magic.

I jump up from my seat and dash forward.

"...!"

Stop, this is isn't how it's supposed to go.

My brain processing speed accelerates, and the world slows down.

Right now, my heart is filled with a bottomless impatience and rage.

"...aaaAAAAHHHH!!"

At this rate, she will become the first one to be killed by the terrorists, Victim #1.

That must not happen.

It definitely cannot be allowed to happen.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

The first person in the cla.s.s to be killed by the terrorists is always...

A MOB CHARACTER!

"SSSSSTTTTTTOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP IIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!!"

Along with the roar from my very soul, I manage to slip in between the two of them.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Watching the naked blade drawing close, Rose foresees her own death.

With a weak body that cannot manipulate magic, she can neither block nor evade the attack.

In order to make the wound as shallow as possible, she tries to turn her upper body, but even that feels extremely sluggish.

She will not make it in time.

Death is there, as simple reality.

But at that moment, a cry pierces her eardrums.

"SSSSSTTTTTTOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP IIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!!"

Immediately afterwards, something crashes in from the side and sends Rose flying.

"Kya...!"

By reflex, she lands with an ukemi.

And when she looks up, a shocking sight greets her eyes.

"How could..."

There is a blood-covered boy lying limp on the ground.

The blood flowing over the floor is making a puddle that is growing larger by the second.

It was apparently a fatal blow.

"KYYYAAAAHHHHH!!"

Someone's scream reverberates around the cla.s.sroom.

Rose rushes over to the boy's body, not caring the slightest about the blood staining her clothes.

This boy is someone who had left an extremely deep impression on her only very recently.

"Sid Kagenou-kun..."

In response to Rose's murmur, the boy faintly opens his eyes.

"Baka, why did you cover me...?"

She had met him only just so recently. She hasn't even had the chance to have a proper talk with him yet.

There shouldn't have been a reason for him to save her, even at the cost of his own life.

The boy opens his mouth, seemingly trying to say something.

"Geho, goho!"

But only manages to cough up a large amount of blood.

"Sid-kun!"

Some of the boy's coughed up blood splatters on Rose's white cheek.

The boy smiles with his blood-covered face... then breathes his last.

His dying face is one filled with accomplishment.

"Why..."

A single line of tears flow down Rose's cheek.

Rose clutches the boy's body and holds back the sobs racking her body.

Seeing the boy's dying face, Rose finally understands the answer to all the mysteries.

His abnormally tenuous struggle in the Senbatsu Tournament.

That burning gaze that he looked at her with.

And how he protected her, even with his own life.

Everything is now connected.

Rose is not quite that slow on the uptake. With her status as a princess and her looks, ever since when she was young, a countless number of people have proffered love to her.

But no one previously have shown her such pa.s.sionate love.

She has never been loved with love so deep that the other side is willing to even lay down his life for her.

"Thank you..."

She would never have the opportunity to answer his feelings.

But she swears that she will never let them go to waste.

"Hah, that made a good lesson."

The man in black stops before Rose.

"...!"

Rose bites her lip and stares up furiously at the man.

"You still want to resist?"

"Kuh... I will do as you say."

Rose hangs her head. She had already sworn to not let the boy's feelings go to waste.

Now is not the right time.

"Hmph. Alright, everyone make your way to the auditorium!"

The men in black all begin moving.

They make the students stand up, bind everyone's hands behind their back, and direct them to leave the cla.s.sroom in single file.

There is no longer anyone trying to resist.

At the end of the line, two of the male students turn around for a brief moment.

"Sid..."

"Sid-kun..."

They look at the corpse on the ground, looking like they have something they want to say.

"Move!"

The men in black prod them to resume walking.

Then the cla.s.sroom becomes empty.

The sound of footsteps recede down the hallway, until silence comes to fill the air.

Then.

The dead boy's arm twitches.