Chapter 72: Tactical Exchange Meeting (3)

I’m going crazy.

The path that other Justice Realization Committee members had cleared and prepared was the outer wall leading to the rooftop of the building…in other words…rappelling through the window.

When Ichika carried me on her shoulder and approached the window, I even thought, “Are we just going to jump down?”

It was a height where I or Ichika wouldn’t have to worry about serious injuries if we jumped.

When the rappelling equipment suddenly came into view, I felt relieved that there was a separate route prepared.

Since there was only one entrance and the room was designed with a siege in mind, there was of course no escape route, so it was a natural choice.

“Phew…it’s a good thing Sora is light.”

“…How did I end up like this…”

Fortunately, Ichika was quite strong and had good stamina, so she was able to climb up to the rooftop with one arm while carrying me on her shoulder.

When I heard from them during the previous Millennium Festival that I had gained some weight, I was a little shocked, but I guess increasing my light exercise after that had some effect?

….It’s not really a long enough period to have an effect, but it must have had an effect…anyway, it did…

“Wow…Ichika is fast even when carrying a person on her shoulder?”

“Ah? Yae from team VI? Wow…this will make things easier.”

“Well, we know, but let’s stop the chit-chat…let’s go. I don’t know how long the rest of the team can hold out.”

“Alright. Sora…are you okay?”

“…I…have already given up…”

Oh, they knew each other.

Thanks to that, the story and situation explanation ended quickly, and I moved with the help of team VI, who came to pick me up along the route I was informed of in advance.

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“…! !!….!!!!”

“Wow…um…I didn’t see her often…but this makes her really pitiful…”

Yeah…well…I was grandly captured.

Somehow, when I moved about halfway along the pre-arranged path, a large number of Prefect Team ambushes were waiting.

It was really absurd…Ichika, a power that is recognized even within the Justice Realization Committee, was tied down by contact with Iori,

and since it was an ambush, naturally there were more members of the Prefect Team than members of the Justice Realization Committee,

so I naturally reached the result of being dragged to the temporary barracks of the Prefect Team’s key personnel defense.

Yeah, I can understand that.

But was it necessary to gag my mouth and turn the handcuffs that were facing forward to the back? Isn’t this really getting dangerous now?

Fortunately, the gag was not an OTM or a tool, but a cloth that blocked my mouth, so that’s fortunate.

Anyway, thanks to that, I’m now in a state where my clothes are wet with spilled coffee, my mouth is gagged, my arms are fixed behind my back and handcuffed, and I’m even wearing shackles.

I’m even thinking, wouldn’t anyone who sees it think that I’m really doing such and such play?…

In the first place, was there a reason to do this to this extent when it’s not even an official situation? I was filled with such thoughts.

[Haha, is this revenge for the last Millennium Festival?]

“What, Sensei, what happened with that executive during the Millennium Festival?”

“!!! !!!!!!!”

No, is that Sensei still thinking about being tied up because of that alcohol incident?

Petty! I didn’t see Sensei like that!

[Ahem…it’s a long story…]

“It’s Sensei anyway, so it must be something strange…for example, you were caught by that executive while licking someone else’s leg?”

[Ugh, I wish you wouldn’t say that…]

Wait, that wasn’t a rumor? It was real? I’m utterly embarrassed. This person was really a pervert…

At this point, I decide to give up everything because it seems that the first round of the defense of key personnel,

that is, the attack of the Prefect Team and the defense of the Justice Realization Committee, ended with the victory of the Prefect Team.

-Crack, rip-

“Ptooey…I’m really not going to do this again…”

“Huh…you just ripped it off with force…?”

[Haha, but since you followed obediently, you enjoyed it to some extent…]

-Crack-

[Sorry…I was wrong…]

I answer Sensei’s words by crushing the handcuffs in my hand.

You’ll understand what I’m thinking with this…

-Slide-

“Huh, you’re not supposed to untie that…eek?!”

-Crack…clang!-

“It’s already over, you know?”

“….Yes…um…that’s right…”

Iroha opened the tent and came in, and spoke to me, who had torn off the handcuffs with a playful expression.

My answer was to tear off even the handcuffs remaining on my left hand with just strength and throw them off.

Anyway, even if it is composed of only 1st and 2nd graders, the Prefect Team is also under the same conditions, but don’t you think the Justice Realization Committee was pushed back too quickly?

[Hmm…so the morning is over with this. The injured members should go to the joint medical headquarters, as the Emergency Medicine Department and the Hospitaller Knights are here.]

To explain the reason…yeah, the attacking side fought under Sensei’s command.

Sensei’s command, who is called a cheat and a superhuman when it comes to strategy and tactics within Kivotos.

That’s why, despite being included in the patrol route, they used it as an infiltration route by taking advantage of a brief gap,

and the reason why the external security team couldn’t support was that they launched a conspicuous attack just before entering the room where I was, so that the external manpower would be concentrated.

Ambush? It is said that the route that our side thought was a cleared path was a path that Sensei deliberately gave out so that it wouldn’t be noticeable….

Absurdly, I was played by Sensei from beginning to end.

Additionally…in the afternoon, the attack turn of the Justice Realization Committee, it flowed in a similar pattern…

So the day passed like that, and the time of night came again.

[So, have you thought about it?]

“Yes, as I did in the morning…I felt it during the attack turn of the Justice Realization Committee in the afternoon…”

The defense of key personnel was conducted in the morning and afternoon, with the Justice Realization Committee and the Prefect Team alternating offense and defense.

And in the afternoon, during the attack turn of the Justice Realization Committee, unlike the attack turn of the Prefect Team, which was so noisy that it was almost a siege,

the point where the battle actually took place was only a short distraction that occurred just before the infiltration team escaped after taking the key personnel.

[The solution methods of both sides are originally specialized in the environment of each autonomous district. Changing this now or finding a compromise may rather have a negative impact on each other.]

“Then, in the end, it would be more realistic to respect each other’s methods and create a proper system…”

“It’s not like I can say it…but I don’t think our kids will accept that…”

[That’s why the plan and proposal started, right?]

“Sigh…I don’t like it, but it can’t help but be effective…”

Yeah, Sensei’s previous suggestion, it was clear that it would definitely be effective, so I had no choice but to accept it,

but honestly, it was close to suddenly flipping the contents and let’s mess it up once…and I didn’t want to do such a conspicuous thing.

[Right? It will be difficult for both of you…but let’s do it just once…um…just a moment…um…]

But this is not Sensei’s way.

That person doesn’t want anyone to suffer.

He doesn’t want any student to suffer.

He doesn’t allow even a slightly uncomfortable ending, an uncomfortable process.

[Hmm…then…I’ll properly explain it to the executive children. Otherwise, they’ll be confused.]

-Slide-

Sensei went out of the tent without saying a word.

Sensei asked us to bear it, to do it just once.

I could tell what it meant to Sensei, what kind of feeling he had when he said it, from the footprints Sensei left behind.

“…That…you said Sora, right?”

“…Yes”

And for those of us who have received numerous help and numerous memories from Sensei for a short, if short, and long, if long, time, what to do afterwards was already decided.

“Sigh…looking at your expression, I think you know roughly…”

“Yes, it’s not like I can say it…but Sensei is trying to carry everything alone.”

“Then…shall we go out?”

“Yes.”

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[Sigh…]

As a teacher, I made an unreasonable request to the students.

I put the cigarette I had quit after becoming a teacher back in my mouth.

No, it’s not even an unreasonable request.

Those kids will do it casually and wonderfully.

[Phew…]

In exchange for the cigarette burning the brain and volatilizing the lifespan, it makes you forget your worries, even if only temporarily.

But those kids are still students.

They are fragile.

The forgotten worries resurface with the cigarette burned along with my lifespan.

Even if they can be fine, they won’t be fine inside.

I take out a cigarette from my pocket again.

Even in Kivotos, where gunfights are common and chaos is commonplace, it will be so.

Mast…quitting smoking, which started when I came to Kivotos.

That’s why I only had the cigarettes I originally had, and I didn’t make any additional purchases after that.

It won’t last long, but even for a moment, I’m sorry and sorry again to those children who made me do such a thing.

I light the last cigarette…

-Flick-

“Ouch…what are you doing, were you smoking?”

[Sora?]

“No, I’ve seen you on duty or for work until now, but I didn’t smell like this, so you must be distraught. Sensei”

[Hina too?]

The two children, who I had just been filled with sorry feelings for, appeared in front of me.

“Phew…as expected of Sensei…it’s true that you ask for something and then suffer yourself.”

[What do you mean…]

“Yeah, Sensei was always like that, so you need to learn how to rely on others a little.”

Absurd. These children are telling me to rely on them a little.

It’s not about relying on them for usual tasks.

They’re saying we’re okay, we can handle this much.

They are admirable and admirable.

But that’s why I can’t rely on these children.

These children will try to carry everything someday.

Because these children are such children.

-Thump-

“You’re thinking strange thoughts right now, aren’t you?”

[Ugh…what are you doing…]

While I was lost in my monologue, Sora lightly tapped my forehead with her finger, and my consciousness resurfaced to reality.

“Sigh…it’s Sensei anyway. I thought you would be like this…how about looking around a little? Sensei?”

Hina’s words became the decisive blow.

Certainly, these children are still students, and I swore at the moment I took the position of teacher that I would take responsibility for these children’s mistakes.

But these children are not weak.

Someday, they will become adults like me…no, these children will be able to grow into even more wonderful adults than me.

[Pfft…that’s right…that’s right…yeah, I’m sorry, but I’ll ask you again just once.]

“Yes, we are always ready?”

“You always told us to rest a little…but Sensei is the one who is overworking himself the most, right? Good.”

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