"Silence."
Following the woman's cold command, everyone instantly stopped making noise. Of course, they might simply have been frightened into submission by her opening display of thunder. Either way, the gymnasium had indeed fallen silent.
"Vice President..."
The student council member beside her began to look worried...
"..."
She did not look at the other person. Instead, she silently swept her gaze across the students below. Her eyes were cold and scrutinizing, and their intensity could be felt even from a distance.
"...!" ×N
Everyone subconsciously held their breath... Although they did not know who this woman was, her commanding presence was unmistakably genuine.
"Hey!! Who are you?! What gives you the right to stand up there—"
"Did I give you permission to speak?"
She looked at the braided boy, who was still blustering, and cut him off in an extremely chilling voice. For an instant, a faint trace of killing intent even appeared in her eyes.
"Urgh—!"
Tap, tap...
The boy's body instantly trembled. His face turned pale, and he subconsciously staggered several steps backward, colliding with Nanba behind him.
"!"
Nanba shoved him away in disgust, pushing him back out in front.
At that moment, no one dared to speak. Even Arisa, whom she had shielded behind her, was beginning to feel nervous.
"I have only come onto this stage today to correct several matters—"
She began speaking, her steady voice made even clearer through the microphone.
"First, your current state of mind is far too agitated. You need to calm yourselves. In consideration of your mental condition, a cultural festival was arranged for you some time ago. That's right, the cultural festival should never have been held, yet a considerable amount of resources was still spent to organize it for you. Therefore, I expect you to be grateful, rather than throwing the hysterical tantrum you are displaying now."
"The student council has the authority to listen to your opinions and resolve your concerns, but that does not mean you may continue pushing your luck. I believe you all understand that these are extraordinary circumstances. Cause as little trouble for others as possible, and cause as little trouble for us as possible. A person who creates trouble is a problem in themselves. Should they remain unrepentant, we will have no choice but to remove that problem."
"—!" ×N
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone was stunned.
"Furthermore... I will respond to the remarks made by a certain individual earlier. As I just stated, these are extraordinary circumstances. Every area outside Tennoz is filled with danger. We must avoid any activity that could result in the loss of personnel."
"Every member of the student council has their own responsibilities. Should we lose even one person, your daily lives will suffer. Should any of you meet with misfortune, your parents will be devastated. Therefore, to the person who proposed that idea, you have no right to dictate what others think, much less order us around. Should you insist on clinging to your opinion, then I have only one thing to say—"
"Why not go yourself? Why must you incite others to do it for you? Such behavior only makes you appear childish. Before saying things such as 'the student council president is incompetent,' I suggest you first reflect upon what kind of thing you yourself are."
She delivered the mocking rebuke before the entire crowd.
"—!"
Nanba's face darkened with rage.
"Pfft!"
On the other side, Tsugumi could no longer hold back her laughter.
"What is her problem...? What kind of attitude is that? Isn't she just causing trouble?!"
Dissatisfied with her words, Souta stood up and glared at the screen with an unhappy expression.
"Sit down! You're blocking my view."
Tsugumi shoved him aside in disgust.
Whose side is this guy even on?!
She complained inwardly.
"But I think what Raiden-san said really does make sense... At this rate, everyone will fall into chaos."
Kanon quietly objected.
"Even you, Kanon?!"
Souta stared at her in astonishment. She was not supposed to react like this...
"Sorry... Souta-kun. I only know that the only person capable of protecting us right now is Raiden-san..."
Kanon shrank back slightly, yet spoke with a resolute expression.
The others remained silent, but it went without saying that they agreed.
"Then the third matter is—"
"Please! You have to do something!"
Just as the Shogun was about to state her third point, she heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the girl who had somehow already climbed onto the stage.
"Wait—You there..."
The subordinate beside her immediately moved to stop the girl.
"Never mind. Let her speak."
She ordered the other person to release her, allowing the girl to continue.
"Please, I want to see my mom and dad! I miss them!"
The girl wiped away her tears and cried out.
"I miss mine too!"
"I want to go home too!!"
Wonderful. Another expert at stirring up the crowd.
The Shogun complained inwardly. Had she known this would happen, she would never have allowed the girl to speak.
"Then go."
She let go of her and spoke.
("—?") ×N
Everyone froze.
"Go. The doors are right there. No one is stopping you."
She gestured toward the gymnasium doors.
("—!")
The crowd fell silent once more.
"Did you not say you wanted to see your parents? Then go. We will allow you to leave..."
She looked toward the stunned girl onstage. The girl's face gradually turned pale, and sweat appeared on her forehead. She was clearly frightened, even though she had been shouting louder than anyone else at the beginning.
"What is it? Have you changed your mind? Or do you want someone to accompany you? As I just said, we must avoid losing personnel whenever possible. Go by yourself."
"You do not even wish to preserve your own life, yet you expect someone else to preserve it for you? You will find no such generosity from me."
She urged the girl again, then addressed the crowd as well.
"Did you all hear that? Should you miss your parents or wish to return home, we will not stop you. You may leave at any time."
You brought this upon yourselves, yet you still expect us to clean up your mess? How shameless can you possibly be?
She sneered inwardly.
"..." ×N
Those who had been shouting about wanting to go home had all fallen silent. They were obviously afraid.
"Changed your minds? Then step down. I still have matters to discuss."
"—!"
The female student glared at her before storming off the stage in resentment.
The Shogun ignored her glare and continued speaking.
"Third, Arisa Kuhouin is this school's student council president, as well as the person currently leading you. Show her some respect. She should never have needed to come here and listen to your utterly worthless complaints. Then why is she standing here today? Because she wanted to reassure you. She was afraid your unstable mental condition might drive you to do something foolish."
"The food you eat, the warm clothing you wear, and even supplies such as vaccines are all provided by the Kuhouin family to which she belongs. Did you truly believe these things appeared from nowhere?"
"You take generosity for granted without ever considering gratitude. You even vent your anger upon her. This only exposes how utterly deplorable your upbringing is. You live in such an advanced era, yet your character continues to deteriorate. What disgraceful behavior."
After saying this, she briefly swept her gaze across the crowd to observe the changes in their expressions. They were incapable of anything else, yet each and every one of them excelled at cursing the very person feeding them. Who had spoiled them into developing such a disgusting habit?!
"—!"
Nanba in particular wore an extremely ugly expression, yet he remained visibly disdainful.
Mio...
Arisa knew she was incapable of bearing such a responsibility. She pressed her lips together in pain, yet as she looked at the woman standing before her and speaking in her defense, her heart filled with emotion. Having someone willing to stand beside her was such a rare and precious thing.
Once she finished, the Shogun ignored their reactions. She turned around, took the stunned Arisa by the hand, and led her away from the stage.
After the crowd recovered, discussions immediately broke out, and the gymnasium descended into chaos once more.
By noon—
[It is time for vaccine distribution. Students scheduled to receive a vaccine, please remember to report to the student council room on the fourth floor during the lunch break.]
At that moment, Hare was sitting in the broadcasting room, delivering the school's routine announcement to all the students. For someone as attentive as her, this duty had already become a small part of her daily routine.
As if confirming her announcement, the hallway was packed with people standing in line as they waited to receive their vaccines.
Ayase and Arisa were responsible for distributing them...
"Here... Hold on to it."
Ayase handed a mechanical injection syringe to the student before her.
"Next..."
She waved for the line to move forward.
"..."
Although Arisa continued recording names almost automatically, her mind had already begun to wander. She was recalling what had happened in the gymnasium, or perhaps she had been deeply wounded by those words and could not recover from the blow.
Once the vaccine distribution ended, she finally collapsed into a chair and wearily covered her forehead. This exhaustion came from within her heart.
"Are you all right?"
A trace of warmth appeared on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked over, discovering a slender, fair hand resting there. A moment later, the other woman's figure settled beside her.
"Mio..."
She subconsciously revealed the polite smile she always showed others.
"If you are tired, do not force yourself to smile..."
"..."
Arisa froze upon hearing those words, then obediently dismissed the professional smile she had spent years training herself to wear.
"Do not concern yourself with what they say about you. You need only remain true to yourself. You have already done more than enough for them. There is no need to torment yourself further."
She looked toward the blonde woman beside her and comforted her in a gentle voice.
"...Mio, I'm... so tired."
Arisa took the initiative to place her palm over the back of the Shogun's hand and slowly tightened her grip. She rested her forehead against the Shogun's shoulder and spoke in a fragile voice.
"If you are tired... then do not think about it any further. As president, you have already done everything you could."
She did not reject Arisa's actions. Instead, she raised a hand and gently stroked her hair, even as the woman's body continued trembling.
"...Your body is... so warm, Mio. It makes me feel safe."
No wonder Inori Yuzuriha is so attached to her. At that moment, Arisa finally understood.
"Mio... Thank you for today..."
"It was nothing. A vice president must consider the president's well-being. It was only natural."
She smiled as she gave that answer.
"Hehe... Say, Mio, I want to give you the position of president. Would that be all right?"
Arisa raised her eyes and looked at her with that beautiful face.
"...Are you certain?"
She asked.
"Mm... I am not suited to being a leader. I understand that better than anyone. After seeing you today, Mio, I made up my mind."
Should Mio become president and lead everyone, she would certainly be far more efficient than I am now, wouldn't she?
"Even so, you—"
"I'll be fine, Mio... I'll become your vice president."
Looking at Arisa before her, she sighed softly.
"Haa... There is simply no dealing with you."
She gently pinched Arisa's cheek, signaling her compromise.
So be it... She had known this day would eventually come. In the end, the responsibility had still fallen upon her shoulders. But that was fine. She was not alone.