Since ancient times, Hyakkiyako Alliance Academy had relied on tourism as its main industry, and festivals made up an especially important part of it.
Because of that, the Festival Operations Department, which handled almost every aspect of those festivals, naturally held an exceptional status in Hyakkiyako, far above ordinary clubs like the Inner Discipline Club.
I said in admiration, "That's incredible."
If so, what trouble had they run into that they couldn't ask other school clubs for help and instead wanted to entrust the request to Schale?
Could it be that Shizuko actually admired me that much and wanted to use this chance to chase her idol with public funds?
This is bad. I didn't practice my autograph beforehand.
While I was wondering about the reason behind all this, Pina cut in.
"And Hyakkiyako is the super cool command center of our Festival Operations Department!"
"And now, our carefully prepared Springtime of Cherry Blossom Festival has begun!" Shizuko proudly concluded. "This is the power of our Festival Operations Department."
I clapped lightly, remembering everything I had seen on the way here, and couldn't help saying, "It really is a wonderful festival."
At the very least, most of the people taking part in it wore bright smiles filled with excitement.
"That's right. Thanks to everyone's effort and cooperation, we were able to make it such a success…"
Shizuko spoke up to this point, but the gentle smile from moments ago shifted into a faint anger. "But recently there's been a group causing trouble everywhere. This morning they went around destroying things out of nowhere and really…"
Pinally getting to the main issue, I thought.
I frowned slightly. "Why would something like that happen? Ah, could it be that the request you mentioned on the phone is about this?"
"Yes." Shizuko's fair cheeks flushed as she looked shyly at me, her voice dropping. "Although we simply wanted to invite Sensei to enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival but…"
But because of the situation, she had no choice but to ask me for help, even though I should have been only a guest who enjoyed the festival in peace. I understood.
"All right. If there's anything I can help with, leave it to me. I'll do everything I can."
Shizuko and Pina blinked, then exchanged a delighted look before saying in unison, "Sensei, thank you!"
"No need to thank me. Faced with a request from cute students, how could their Sensei possibly refuse?"
I smiled gently. "So, what exactly is the request?"
Just as Shizuko opened her mouth to answer, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out from the street outside Momoyo Hall, followed by continuous gunfire.
I calmly picked up my teacup, wetting my throat without the slightest ripple in my heart. The tea leaves here in Hyakkiyako had a unique flavor; maybe I could bring some back as a gift for Nagisa.
As for the noise outside?
All I could say was that Kivotos was that sort of place. If you didn't run into a few gunfights a day, that would be the strange part. I was long used to it.
Pina rushed to the window and looked outside, then cried anxiously, "President! We're under attack!"
The smile Shizuko maintained as a self-proclaimed idol shattered instantly. Even her voice broke as she shouted in frustration, "Ugh! Speak of the devil and the devil appears! What an annoying bunch! Ugh…"
Having let out her real feelings, Momoyo Hall's poster girl froze with an expression of utter dread, then quickly glanced my way. "Um… ahh, Shizuko is so scared… just kidding… eheh."
You can't hide it like that.
Revealed for who she truly was, Shizuko stiffly changed the subject. "A anyway! We'll explain the details at the scene!"
...Why do I have to go to the scene?
Although I strongly disagreed inside, before I could politely state that a wise man should not stand under a crumbling wall, Shizuko and Pina had already rushed outside.
After checking the battery of the Shittim Chest, I decided to follow them.
The explosion had taken place very close to Momoyo Hall.
It was even possible that their target was Momoyo Hall itself, or the Festival Operations Department.
Within the drifting smoke, a group of girls wearing light yellow kimonos and masks struck strange poses as they loudly proclaimed their presence.
One girl wearing a tengu mask threw back her head and laughed wildly. "Huhahahaha! We are the spirits haunting the streets of Hyakkiyako!"
Another girl in a Noh mask added in a deep voice, "Our name is… Street Mouryo!"
The tengu girl resumed laughing as she shouted, "Everyone, destroy destroy destroy!"
It was obvious these were the delinquent girls endemic to Hyakkiyako.
They were also the ones Shizuko had mentioned, the group stirring up trouble everywhere recently.
"To think they'd disrupt the cherry blossom festival we worked so hard to host! Unforgivable!"
Just seeing the scene was enough to make Pina furious; she charged at the enemy without hesitation.
"Ha, the Festival Operations Department thinks they can fight us?" The tengu-masked girl from Street Mouryo waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. Treat them as enemies. Everyone, charge!"
Seeing this, Shizuko erupted in rage, gritting her teeth. "Those jerks. They refuse to surrender and even dare to fight back against us! They don't take us seriously at all!"
Although personally, I felt they weren't the ones treating the enemy lightly.
"Shizuko, I'll take command."
"Okay! We'll leave it to you!"
Shizuko drew a pump-action shotgun from behind her back, her eyes blazing. "For the sake of keeping the festival peaceful, Shizuko is going in!"
She then rushed into the battlefield, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Pina.
And I soon understood that Shizuko indeed had the right to look down on Street Mouryo.
Just the two of them were enough to overwhelm dozens of delinquent girls, breaking their formation completely. Even if my command helped, the Festival Operations Department's combat strength was nothing to scoff at.
The one sided battle only began to balance out when a certain girl I had met earlier that morning suddenly joined the fight.
[Izuna-ryu Ninpo!!]
A little fox girl sprang out of nowhere, shouting loudly as she threw a smoke bomb into the densest part of the crowd. She moved quickly, firing at the place where she remembered Shizuko standing.
But there was no cry of pain.
Izuna looked around warily, but once the smoke cleared, what she saw was a handsome man standing proudly at the center of the battlefield.
"Shishou?" Izuna rubbed her eyes in surprise. "Why are you here?"