Mash and the others had returned to Byakuya Hall for a strategy meeting, but no brilliant ideas were forthcoming, leaving them stumped. Tsubaki, perhaps overwhelmed by sleepiness, had commandeered Mash's lap as a pillow and sprawled out, dozing. If students from rival schools saw this, they'd probably cry tears of blood.
"Fwaaah…" Tsubaki yawned. "The teacher's amazing, though. I could never dodge shurikens coming at that speed… Snooze…"
"What are you doing, casually using Teacher's lap as a pillow!?" Mimori exclaimed.
"It's just the right firmness…" Tsubaki mumbled.
"That's not the point!!"
"Tsubaki-chan, you're making Teacher uncomfortable… or… not?" Mimori tilted her head, puzzled. "He's just… blank?"
"How'd you know?" Mash asked, unfazed.
Mimori smirked. "Let's just say I'm skilled at mind-reading. I can grasp someone's thoughts and desires just by facing them."
"Whoa, that's incredible!" Mash said. "So you can read my thoughts and desires too?"
"Of course," Mimori replied, her tone confident but her thoughts racing. (I'll dig into Teacher a bit. He's definitely a good guy, but… I'm just a little curious about you.)
Mimori activated her mind-reading ability, peering into Mash's desires and thoughts. His face was so impossibly expressionless that it only piqued her curiosity further. (Years of honing my mind-reading… my insights have never been wrong. No matter how well someone hides their feelings or desires, they can't mask their heart. Teacher, let me see yours—)
What she saw was… Mash buried in a mountain of cream puffs.
*(Cream puffs…? Wait, just cream puffs? That's it? That's your desire!?) *
"Bo—" Mimori froze, stunned.
(Why? Why are you so expressionless in that state? Wouldn't most people panic? There's a girl resting her head on your lap! No, this must be a mistake… One more try…)
Mimori dove back into Mash's mind.
[Bliss…]
"…"
"Hey, Mimori? You've been quiet for a while. What's wrong?" Tsubaki asked, concerned.
"Her eyes look… empty!" another student noted.
"—Cream puffs," Mimori intoned, "are a confection where dough is baked to form a hollow shell, filled with custard cream."
"Mimori!?" Tsubaki gasped.
"She's gone hollow!" someone else cried.
"Particularly, cookie cream puffs have a firm dough with gooey cream inside, like strength hiding gentleness within. Therefore—" Mimori continued, her voice suddenly animated.
"She's getting super talkative all of a sudden!?" Tsubaki interrupted.
"Anyway," Mimori concluded, snapping back, "I've confirmed Teacher is a kind person. Sorry for doubting you."
"No worries," Mash said. "So… about what to do next. Shouldn't we figure out who's behind this?"
The conversation shifted back to the culprit—whoever had the wealth to hire the Chimi Troupe as mercenaries. Clearly, no ordinary person.
"They've gotta be a bad guy!" Tsubaki declared. "Maybe they can't stand seeing everyone laughing and having fun, so they're causing chaos! Yeah, definitely a bad guy!"
"How do we track down their hideout?" someone asked.
"There's a surefire way," Shizuko said. "We head into town, find the Chimi Troupe causing trouble, and surround them all at once. The festival committee alone couldn't pull off such a big plan, but with the Training Club here, we can do it!"
"Oh, nice!" Mash nodded.
"Surround them, and then…?" Tsubaki prompted.
"Take them all down at once! Restrain them! Make them spill the culprit's identity!" Shizuko said. "If we need to get a bit rough, so be it!"
"As expected of the committee leader!" another student cheered. "Time for some finger-slicing punishment for those villains!"
"Whoa…" Tsubaki winced.
"Oh my…" Mimori murmured.
"Let's not go that far," Mash said, shaking his head.
"Point is, we capture the Chimi Troupe and make them talk!" Shizuko said. "We're running out of time. The climax of the Byakuya Spring Cherry Blossom Festival is tomorrow!"
"Oh, I've heard of that!" Tsubaki piped up. "The fireworks, right? The holographic ones! Boom, boom, bang!"
"Yes, the peak of the excitement," Shizuko said. "We've prepared new holographic fireworks to cap off the festival in style."
Her gaze drifted to the firework device, commissioned from Millennium to project those holographic displays.
"If the Chimi Troupe causes trouble during that, it'll be more than just a disturbance…" Mash said.
"If that happens, the festival committee will be held responsible…" Shizuko trailed off.
"That won't happen," Mash said firmly. "And even if it does, I'll take responsibility."
"No way, it's not your fault, Teacher!" Tsubaki protested.
"Doesn't matter," Mash said. "It's my job to take responsibility. But don't worry—this festival belongs to everyone. I'll protect it with everything I've got."
Tsubaki lifted her head from Mash's lap, and he stood, stretching with a guh-guh-guh.
"If Teacher's that determined," Tsubaki said, "we'd better find the culprit fast! I'm gonna take all the stress I've been through and shove it right back at them! I'll pummel them to bits!!"
"I don't want Teacher getting into weird trouble either," Mimori added. "I'll do my best~!"
"For Teacher and everyone looking forward to the festival—let's do this!!" another student shouted.
"Hoorah!!" the festival committee, Training Club, and Mash's crew roared, rallying to protect the festival.
"…I messed up," Mash muttered.
He'd really done it this time. While patrolling to catch the culprit before tomorrow's fireworks, Mash had spotted a troublemaking student and subdued them. But in the process…
"I got lost."
He'd contacted Shizuko via his device, but she was dealing with her own troubles, so meeting up would take time.
"First, I need to head to the festival grounds… but which way is it…?" Mash wondered aloud. "Hm?"
"…Sss-sss!"
Mash glanced back, sensing a presence. There was Izna, probably thinking she was hiding, making sss-sss sounds with her mouth. It was kind of cute, but this was a golden opportunity.
"…Oh, look, a legendary scroll over there!"
"Huh!? Where!? Where is it!?" Izna popped out.
"Gotcha," Mash said, grabbing her.
"D-Darn it!" Izna yelped. "What a cunning trap!"
"Cunning, huh?" Mash tilted his head.
"Anyway," Izna huffed, "Izna is a ninja serving her lord! Even under torture, I won't spill my lord's secrets or cozy up to you, my enemy, Teacher—"
"There's a sweet snack stall over there. Wanna grab some? My treat," Mash said.
"Really!?" Izna's eyes lit up. "Yaaay!"
(…I'm starting to worry about this kid.)
Too gullible, too easily swayed—Mash was genuinely concerned for Izna. For now, he kept the conversation light, wandering the festival stalls and enjoying the atmosphere.
"Cotton candy, candied apples… these are great. They're almost as good as cream puffs," Mash said, munching.
"Izna loves this yakisoba!" Izna declared. "Sauce is justice!"
"You were awesome at that shooting game, Izna-chan," Mash said.
"I do handle guns, after all!" Izna beamed. "But I never imagined Teacher would clear it barehanded!"
"Thanks to that, we got a bunch of prizes," Mash said.
"Oh, Teacher! Let's check out that stall too!" Izna pointed.
"Sounds good," Mash agreed.
They hopped from stall to stall, but Mash couldn't shake a nagging unease. Izna was having so much fun at the festival—why would she help a group trying to ruin it? She must've been deceived. It was the only explanation. So, he decided to ask.
"Having fun at the festival?" Mash said.
"Yes!" Izna grinned. "Ehehe, Izna loves the Byakuya Spring Cherry Blossom Festival so much! Being able to enjoy it with Teacher makes Izna so, so happy…!"
"Yeah," Mash said. "It'd be a shame if something this fun got canceled."
"C-Canceled!?" Izna's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean!?"
"Izna-chan," Mash said gently, "the person who hired you… they're trying to ruin the festival."
"W-What…?" Izna stammered. "B-But they told Izna to take down the bad guys interfering with their business…"
"That's right," Mash said. "Those 'bad guys' are me. I'm trying to protect the festival. Which means… you've been helping the real bad guys without knowing it."
Izna had been completely fooled. Her mission was to "defeat the villains disrupting business," but those "villains" were Mash and his allies, protecting the festival. Unwittingly, Izna had been aiding the very people trying to destroy it.
"N-No…" Izna's voice trembled. "Izna just… wanted to be a ninja…"
"Izna-chan, can you tell me about your employer?" Mash asked softly.
"I… I can't!" Izna said, her voice breaking. "Betraying my lord is unthinkable for a ninja… Izna wants to be a great ninja! But… but…" She faltered, tears welling up. "Izna has to go… for now!"
"Alright," Mash said. "See you later, Izna-chan."
"…Y-Yes!" Izna managed a shaky smile before leaping away.
Mash finished his candied apple and cotton candy, tossing the trash in a proper bin.
"—You're there, aren't you?" he called over his shoulder. "Come on out."
From the shadows emerged a few trembling Chimi Troupe members, clearly rattled.
"Y-You knew…?" one stammered.
"Your presence was obvious," Mash said. "Izna-chan was too shaken to notice, though."
"Guess stealth isn't our thing…" another muttered.
"You're here to catch me, right?" Mash said. "Good, 'cause I've got business with the bad guy who hired you."
Mash stepped closer, meeting their eyes with a calm but firm gaze.
"Take me to them," he said, his tone strong yet kind.
"'Y-Yessir!!'" they squeaked.
And so, guided by the Chimi Troupe, Mash set off toward the mastermind's hideout.
No foreword, you say? I didn't have anything to write… running out of ideas? Maybe.
As the event nears its climax, the next chapter will include a short side story before diving into the second half of Eden… and I'm still wrestling with how to handle that traumatic boss fight scene.
Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!
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