Yami was seriously attending the class.
She had her notebook open, pen in hand, and was jotting down the important points. The class was "VIP Protection Studies II," a subject directly aligned with Yami's goal.
The location was the audiovisual room. The seats were arranged in tiers like a university lecture hall. There were no assigned seats, so the students sat spaced out, their faces all serious.
The lights were dimmed, and a huge screen near the blackboard displayed a video. The video presented specific cases and scenarios.
For Yami, who had always been on the attacking side, all this knowledge was fresh.
This session only covered how to deal with general firearms, but she would learn how to handle supernatural abilities in the next one.
Yami wanted to focus intently on the class for her goal, but something kept bothering her.
"..."
Ever since she parted ways with Asuna and the others after lunch, she had felt a presence trailing her.
However, there was no sign of an attack. There was no killing intent, not even hostility. It didn't seem to be observing her for revenge. It was just "watching."
(What in the world is their purpose...?)
She couldn't figure it out.
In the end, she couldn't come up with an answer even after thinking about it for the entire class.
---------
"Oh, Yami-chan!"
"..."
When the class ended, Yami met up with Asuna and Kurumi. Aria and Riko were on a separate matter related to a trial. Their schedules didn't quite line up, so they would all meet up after Yami's test.
"I'm being watched."
"Is it that one?"
"Did something happen to you?"
"Nothing in particular. They're just watching."
As long as the other party didn't make a move, she couldn't do anything reckless. Even if fights among students were common, they would be stopped if a teacher was present. Not for moral reasons, but because it would be too noisy.
"We don't have time. Let's go."
The gaze still followed her, but she couldn't be late.
Most of the teachers at Butei High had rough personalities unsuitable for an instructor. This was especially true for the Assault department teachers. Even a slight delay was unacceptable.
"I believe the other two are joining us after this. If we're going to do something, it'll be then."
Asuna and Kurumi nodded at Yami's statement and quietly followed her.
It took about 10 minutes to walk to the Assault department building. It was quite a distance from the regular classrooms.
The reason was, of course,
"O-rah!!! Fight to the death!!"
Kachun kachun!!
Because bullets were constantly flying.
"It's always like this whenever we come here..."
"Everyone's so energetic."
Shouts and gunfire were flying everywhere. Blades and fists clashed. It was a typical scene in the Assault department.
The one shouting the most enthusiastically was the department head, Lan Pao. As soon as she saw Yami, she gave an order, and the brawl stopped.
"Hm? You've got one of Yozuki's girls with you. What happened to him?"
"He had another matter to attend to today..."
"Huh? Another matter... A matter related to the Bureau?"
"That's right."
When Kurumi confirmed, Lan Pao angrily punched the wall. The wall dented slightly.
"Tch! He's fallen so low as to become a Bureau dog! When he comes next time, I'll make sure to beat him thoroughly!"
By the way, some of the hot-blooded Butei (mostly in the Assault department) see the Bureau as their enemy. It's because they dislike the Bureau's refined demeanor. This is where the "half-yakuza" reputation comes from, but it seems there's nothing that can be done about what they dislike.
"Haha..."
"My condolences."
"Don't act like it's none of your business, Yami. We'll make anyone who causes us the trouble of a retest suffer twice as much. Be prepared."
"Ah, so that's why..."
Asuna nodded in understanding. The other students around them had oddly gloomy expressions. All the students who had just been training were retest takers. They were all trembling, thinking about the hell that was about to begin.
"No problem. It'll be a good way to get back in shape."
Yami walked into the training space without a change in her expression at the threat.
---------
To put it simply, Yami was completely fine. At the end, there were a lot of casualties, but Yami was the only one left standing, albeit slightly out of breath.
Now, she had taken a shower and left the Assault department building earlier than anyone else.
Yami walked around for a while. After confirming the shadow discreetly trailing behind her, she suddenly picked up her pace.
That wasn't all.
She kicked off the school building wall and instantly leaped over the rooftop fence. Yami landed lightly. Because she was doing this in a skirt, you could see a few things, but it would be un-Butei-like to comment on it.
"Won't you come out, Kurosaki Mea?"
"..."
Yami, who had flown to the rooftop, confirmed that the gaze watching her had followed as well and said that.
"Being followed around is a nuisance. Please stop."
"As expected of Yami onee-chan. You noticed."
Mea appeared easily. She had the ability to keep up with Yami's superhuman movements. She was also a superhuman herself.
She put her hands behind her back, swaying her red braided pigtails. Yami glared at her, but Mea was completely unfazed. Her killing intent was enough to make an ordinary Butei wet their pants.
Yami tapped her own shadow with her toe. This was a signal to the person lurking there that they didn't need to come out yet.
There were a few other people hiding in other places. A pink twin-tail was slightly peeking out. But it quickly retracted. The person with her must have managed to hold her back. Since she was right behind Mea, Mea couldn't see her.
"What is your purpose?"
"Don't say such a lonely thing, 'onee-chan.'"
"...Just because you have a transformation ability doesn't mean you and I are sisters."
Yami had already been told by Sho that Mea had a transformation ability.
"Ah, you heard from Yozuki-kun."
Mea's pigtail twitched unnaturally. Like a whip, like a tail. The pigtail, from the round hair tie down, transformed. A hand with sharp claws was aimed at Yami.
"What did Yozuki-kun tell you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yami onee-chan, you suddenly got all motivated starting today, didn't you?"
That was not wrong.
After the previous incident, and thanks to Sho's persuasion (provocation), she decided to stay at Sho's house and continue her relationship with Vivio and the others. If it weren't for that, she would have definitely returned to her previous life.
"We thought you wouldn't come back to this school, you know? But it's a good thing our preparation didn't go to waste."
"So? What's your purpose in the end?"
Mea didn't answer the first question. But Yami didn't expect to get an easy answer. It was just a question to continue the conversation.
However, Mea surprisingly opened her mouth easily.
"The reason I came to this school is to get to know Yami onee-chan."
"Get to know me...?"
"That's right. Yami onee-chan, have you forgotten 'what' we are?"
Mea took a step forward.
"We are weapons. Transformation weapons, you know? We're tools meant to kill people, so why are you making human friends and imitating humans?"
Mea looked as if she truly didn't understand.
"Yeah. I get it. A weapon is supposed to break if it's defeated, but you survived after losing to Yozuki Sho, so you've gone a little crazy, haven't you? That's why you're making human friends and playing pretend, right?"
"Don't talk like you know everything...!"
She denied it, but it had no effect.
"So, I'll learn everything you've learned and everything you know, and in the end, I'll destroy it all. That way, Yami onee-chan will return to her original self, right?"
Mea said it like she was singing.
"I'm going to turn Yami onee-chan back into her true self. It's only natural for family, right? — How wonderful!"
"..."
Yami chewed on what Mea said and then spoke a single word.
"That's enough."
"Huh?"
"I said, that's enough."
"Honestly, your signal is so hard to understand!"
Kurumi, who had been hiding in Yami's shadow, jumped out.
Taking that as a signal, the girls who had been hiding appeared.
Asuna opened the door to the rooftop, and Aria and Riko, who had been clinging to the school building wall, also showed up. They were each already in a fighting stance. They held their respective weapons and surrounded Mea from all sides.
"Sorry? But it's a Butei tradition to teach the rules of this place to new transfer students, hee hee."
Riko laughed joyfully.
"Hehe, yes, yes, we have to teach her our way."
Kurumi also manifested her Angel—the strongest armament that manipulates time, Zafkiel—and took out her pistol and rifle.
"Kurosaki Mea, you're going to spill everything you know about I-U!!"
Aria pointed her two pistols at her.
"Ah... Yozuki Sho's women. You were sticking to Yami onee-chan after all."
Yami pointed at each of them in turn.
"Mine Riko-Lupin IV. Kanzaki Holmes Aria. Yuuki Asuna. Tokisaki Kurumi... Matou Sakura and the crucial Yozuki Sho aren't here. Are they watching from somewhere?"
As a member of I-U, she had their names and appearances memorized. Their abilities as well.
"Everyone's here, what's wrong?"
"Don't play dumb. We heard your entire conversation with Yami-chan."
"...And? So what do you want? I was just talking about my thoughts, you know? I haven't done anything yet. Are you going to fight?"
Asuna was troubled by this. She didn't have a hobby of hurting defenseless people.
"That doesn't matter. Just being affiliated with I-U is enough for us to exercise our extra-legal right to arrest!"
Now Aria was barking.
The truth was, even at Butei High, where violence was rampant, it was considered uncool for a group of seniors to bully a junior. It was fine the other way around, though.
"Oh? If you say so, then I'll do it. 'Show no mercy to those who show hostility.' That's what Master taught me."
The air became tense.
"How many people will die, I wonder? There are a lot of unrelated people here..."
"..."
(Aria, it's bad to fight here. The teachers will be watching, and from a standpoint perspective, we'll look like the bad guys.)
Riko's words made her release her finger from the trigger.
"Yeah. That's for the best. For both of us—"
Immediately after, a silver blade flashed where Mea was.
"This is a warning."
It was Yami's transformation attack.
"Kurosaki Mea, I don't know what you're thinking, but be careful who you mess with. If anything happens to Takamachi Vivio, I will kill you."
"Such intense eyes...! How wonderful!"
Mea shuddered with delight, finding the killing intent pleasant. But Mea herself didn't seem to want to fight. The transformation on her hair was undone.
"But I don't want to fight. It sounds incredibly fun, but I can't afford to be kicked out of this school."
She walked toward Asuna, who was blocking the rooftop door.
"Oh, right, about I-U? I don't really know anything about it, you know. I only joined I-U to get close to onee-chan. I'm told to monitor Yozuki Sho, but that's a secondary goal. My main goal is onee-chan."
Asuna pointed the tip of her weapon at Mea.
"Wait a minute. Why does Sho-kun have to be targeted?!"
"Who knows? I don't know anything more than that."
Mea advanced, unconcerned by the point of the blade.
"Well then, onee-chan. If you ever feel like coming with us, just say the word, okay? I'll be waiting."
With that said, Mea left the rooftop.
--------------------------------------------
🚀 Want Early Access (80+Chapters ahead ) & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!