Suddenly joining the fray were four foxes, each with a different coat, one black, one pink, one yellow, one gray. They wore full face tactical masks, as if to conceal their identities.
Yet I recognized them at a glance. They were the elite unit of SRT Special Academy, the FOX squad.
Their reason for hiding their identities was just as obvious. Without special permission from the GSC President, even the FOX squad was usually restricted to missions within D.U., and this was the Hyakkiyako Autonomous Region.
As for the purpose behind taking the risk of being questioned by Hyakkiyako for using force in their territory.
It could only be to recapture the seven prisoners who had escaped, to make up for the Correction Bureau's failures and the Defense Office's mismanagement.
How should I put it. This was definitely something Kaya would come up with.
And just as I noticed the FOX squad, they also noticed me.
Yukino, the one in the lead, reacted a beat slower than she usually did in action, then issued her order in a calm voice.
"...Squad, full assault."
Wakamo clicked her tongue. With her extensive experience of being hunted, she instantly judged the situation.
Before the FOX squad spread out according to their roles, Wakamo turned and ran straight out of the ruins without even saying goodbye to me.
"Pursue."
Yukino continued giving orders, chasing after Wakamo with seamless coordination and brushing past me. The other three foxes of the squad followed.
In the blink of an eye, all five foxes had vanished without a trace.
Only then did it dawn on me. Wakamo choosing to flee instead of fighting here was probably to avoid creating a chaotic scene that might drag me into danger.
Or it might have been for some other reason. Maybe she and Yukino had some kind of understanding I didn't know about, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that Wakamo had drawn away the FOX squad, leaving only the alliance of the Festival Operations Department and the Inner Discipline Club on the battlefield, along with Street Mouryo, who had been defeated countless times.
The delinquent girls, who had already gained a clear sense of their own strength through repeated losses, exchanged uneasy looks, then turned and ran together without even daring to throw out a single threat.
"Stop! Don't run away."
Shizuko charged forward at the head of the chase with astonishing momentum. Kaede and Pina followed close behind.
I called out loudly. "Be careful, don't overextend."
"Got it."
Shizuko replied without even looking back. I hoped she really meant it.
Then, Sensei, Tsubaki and I will go support everyone for now. Please stay at the rear and handle the command. Once we clear the path, we will return.
Understanding as always, Mimori tugged at the sleepy Tsubaki's sleeve and both hurried after the others.
Everyone generously refrained from asking about Wakamo and me.
Soon, the room that had been packed with dozens of people just moments ago returned to its original emptiness.
Left standing alone, I slowly lowered my gaze and thought, as expected of Mimori, she must have already seen through my intentions.
I walked to Izuna, who lay collapsed on the ground, and crouched beside her. I shook her shoulder, but she showed no sign of waking.
Then I reached toward the back of her head. She had clearly taken a point blank shot, yet I couldn't even feel a bump. Such was the physical resilience of a Kivotos student.
Just to be sure, I brushed aside her thick black hair and examined the area. No trace of a red mark at all.
Given my limited medical knowledge, she should be fine.
Relieved, I rolled Izuna onto her back, about to make my next move, when I suddenly froze.
Because I saw two faint, still damp trails of tears on her face.
To be honest, I rarely understood Izuna's thought process, but even so I could guess what had happened. She must have seen the close interaction between Wakamo and me.
With Izuna's way of thinking, what would she believe.
That I was a bad person. That I had been deceiving her from the very beginning. That this was why she cried.
I couldn't make sense of it. Or rather, I was too unsettled to want to think about it.
Besides, Izuna was still unconscious. Thinking about it now was pointless. I would figure out a way once everything was over.
Using a clean handkerchief, I wiped away the dust on Izuna's face. Then I lifted her by the waist in a princess carry and moved her to a concealed spot outside.
Looking at the unconscious little fox, whose face normally brimmed with lively, adorable smiles and now seemed even more endearing because of the contrast, I felt something stir. Unable to resist, I reached out with what could only be called wicked intent.
And took her phone from her pocket, used her fingerprint to unlock it, opened momotalk, and sent a friend request to my account in one smooth motion.
That was close. I almost forgot to exchange contact information. This way, once everything was over, I could reach Izuna through momotalk.
After handling everything, I returned to the abandoned building to regroup with the students who had gone after Street Mouryo.
Not long after I left, Izuna, laid flat on the ground, let out a small whimper. Her fox ears and eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was the blinding sunlight, making her squint and raise a hand to shield herself.
Once her foggy mind regained a bit of clarity, Izuna jolted upright. She looked left and right in confusion, muttering to herself as she tried to make sense of the situation.
"Wasn't Izuna inside just now. Wakamo betrayed everyone's expectations and took a shameful cheap shot at Izuna while she was talking to Shishou, and then..."
Izuna's fox ears drooped as she refused to think any further.
Returning to the first question. After what happened, who carried Izuna outside.
In a battlefield filled with smoke and shrapnel, where fierce combat raged every moment, someone must have used everything they had to carry her, heavily wounded as she was, to safety, gently laying her down before gallantly returning to the fight, just like in a ninja movie.
"Someone who would be so kind to Izuna, so strong, so cool. Could it be..."
Izuna's eyes sparkled. It could only be Shishou. Which means Shishou hasn't given up on Izuna.
With that thought, Izuna leaped up from the ground in excitement. Even the pain in the back of her head from the gunshot seemed to vanish. The sting of seeing Wakamo and her Sensei act close no longer hurt at all.
"If that's how it is, then this time, Izuna will prove her resolve to Shishou."
Her big fluffy tail swept back and forth behind her. "Shishou, please wait for Izuna. Nin-nin."
With that, the ninja girl, who could return to full energy with shocking ease, cheerfully dashed off.