Imada-san takes a deep breath before he starts reporting.

   ‘It was the shift change for the guards who were in midnight shift to hand over their duty to those in the morning shift. As usual, the change was done at the entrance of the department. Just as it was about to take place, the entire place suffered a power outage. A few seconds later, the emergency lights are turned on, but pretty much everything that requires more electricity is out of commission.’

   ‘I was one of those scheduled to work at the morning shift, so I head to the generator room in an attempt to restore electricity to the department along with a few guards. At the same time, I send three guards to the monitor room to check the condition of the cells as soon as the power is back online, and I had most of the guards to watch the entrance so that no prisoners may escape during the confusion.’

   ‘I manage to restart the generator without any issue. However, my men who were in the monitor room report to me via walkie-talkie that Brennan’s cell is empty, and his is the only one that is free of its captive.’

   ‘I wasted no time in raising the alarm. I have also made sure to inform the Reception Department so that all combatants can join in the search.’

   ‘Were you able to find out how Brennan managed to escape in the first place?’ Principal Morifuji inquires.

   From what I know of the Prison Department, each cell are surrounded by both physical and magical barriers. The physical barriers are your typical combination of steel and cement that are sturdier than normal metals. The magical barriers, on the other hand, are anti-magic and won’t allow the use of magic while the inmate’s inside. Furthermore, it has high magic resistance. Under normal circumstances, the only way for a prisoner to get out of the cell is being let out by someone from the monitor room.

   ‘Maybe it’s Shimazaki’s new weapon.’ I suggest to Principal Morifuji.

   ‘To be honest, it is doubtful. The barrier is proven to be magic prove. Only magic of the highest level are being able to penetrate it.’

   ‘And there are no such traces. I would know, as my men and I had searched for clues in the cell for over an hour by using the tools provided by our comrades in the Research Department.’ Imada-san adds.

   Takara-san, who had been quiet the entire time, speaks for the first time ever since he came in here.

   ‘Please elaborate on that new weapon.’ he requests.

   So I did. He became quiet for a while after I’m done.

   ‘Interesting. An ability to create a portal that allows its user to teleport, you say...’

   ‘Um, I’m not trying to offend you or anything, but is this concept new for you?’

   ‘Not at all. I, along with my colleagues of the Research Department, have tried to create a Pseudo Regalia with the exact ability for a while now. It’s a shame that someone has already beat us to it.’

   ‘In any case, this ends my report.’ Imada-san says while saluting. ‘You have our deepest apologies for allowing this to happen, Principal Morifuji. Please punish us as you see fit.’

   ‘Before I decide to do anything, I would first like to hear Takara-kun’s report. Takara-kun, if you will.’

   Takara-san nods. ‘Yes sir.’

   There isn’t much to his report. While he and his subordinates were busy with something that he refuses to disclose, Shimazaki appears from the elevator. When Takara-san asks him of his business, he got knocked out instead.

   The rest of his report are pretty much what I know and based on information provided by Takagi and Ueno: Shimazaki then proceeds to knock out all the researchers who were there except for those two, and he threatens them to open the vault so that he can get his hands on Excalibur. Just as he was about to succeed, I arrived right on time to stop him. Instead of fighting me, Shimazaki chose to retreat.

   ‘...And that’s all I have, sir.’ Takara-san ends his reports by saying.

   Principal Morifuji nods. ‘Thank you, Takara-kun. Now then, for the actions I will be taking. What do you think I should do, Kagenashi-kun?’

   I flinch visibly at the sudden question. Why is he asking me? Then again, dilly-dallying is probably a bad move, so I decide to answer his question. I take a deep breath to calm myself, and then I open my mouth.

   ‘Sir, may I start with how you should deal with the situation at the Research Department?’

   ‘Of course. Please give me your honest opinion.’

   ‘Before that, I would like to ask Takara-san a question.’

   The person in question looks at me curiously.

   ‘Why doesn’t your department has a single guard capable of combat?’

   ‘The reason is simple. I don’t want any outsider to be loitering around the lab and risking the chance of our research getting leaked. Whatever results we obtained are for our eyes and ears only. Whether we choose to share it with others is decided by us.’

   That explains why all of them were so cranky and on guard the first time I was there. They thought I was there to spy on them.

   ‘Perhaps this incident has thought you a lesson.’

   Takara-san looks genuinely confused. ‘About what?’

   ‘That you either needs to start giving your subordinates combat training or you need to employ armed guards at your facility.’

   ‘Absolutely preposterous! Neither myself nor my men have the time for workout sessions! We’re simply too busy with our research! As for the guards, haven’t you been listening? I don’t want any outsiders inside the lab!’

   ‘Are you saying that your research are more important than your lives? All of you would have been killed if Shimazaki had decided to be merciless. Please be rational and more trusting towards others.’

   ‘Listen here, you-’

   Principal Morifuji clears his throat loudly. The two of us stop arguing in an instant.

   ‘I’m afraid Kagenashi-kun is right, Takara-kun. You were very fortunate just now. However, luck may not be on your side all the time. I have approved of your selfish whims in the past, but for your safety I hereby declare that armed guards will be dispatched to the Research Department to keep watch for intruders at all times. There is no room for objection.’

   ‘...Yes sir.’

   Takara-san glares at me for a while before averting his eyes. I made sure to look right back at him before he did. Once he calmed down, he would (hopefully) realizes that I meant well for both him and his subordinates. I mean, he won’t be doing any glaring if he’s dead.

   ‘And what of the Prison Department, Kagenashi-kun?’

   Imada-san looks at me expectantly.

   ‘...Well, it’s unfortunate that Brennan has escaped. However, they did all they could. They remained calm when the blackout occurred, they raised the alarm immediately, and they made sure that other inmates remained in their cells. They did everything by the book. As such, they don’t deserve any punishment.’

   Principal Morifuji nods in agreement of what I said. ‘Indeed. Accidents do happen, and this is one of them. You should not blame yourself for it, Imada-kun.’

   ‘Yes. Thank you for your kind words, sir. And thank you, Kagenashi-kun.’

   I shake my head. ‘There’s no need for thanks, Imada-san. I just said what was needed to be said, that’s all.’

   Now that the verdict’s been passed down, the two of them are dismissed and asked to go back to their respective department. I could finally breath normally.

   ‘You must be wondering why I asked you all those questions.’ Principal Morifuji says to me once we’re alone again.

   ‘Yes, sir.’

   ‘You see, I wanted you to know that this is what it means to be a leader. Sometimes, you have tough decisions to make. You might have to take your own friends and comrade-at-arms into custody. You might need to make decisions that will make you enemies. And you have to think it through whether to make all these decisions by strictly following rules and laws or your own conscience. This is an extremely difficult role to fulfill, but an important and necessary one.’

   ‘Is it because Morifuji-senpai nominated me to be the next student council president?’

   ‘Indeed. It is better to get as much exposure related to the position before even thinking of taking up the offer. From now on, I will get you involved in as many meeting similar to the one we had just now. Participation is entirely up to you.’

   ‘Yes, sir. Thank you for your willingness to train me.’

   ‘Think nothing of it. For now, you are dismissed. You may join your schoolmates to defeat Ryuuouji’s experiments while looking for Brennan.’

   ‘Understood.’

   Once I go outside the office, Mashiro is already waiting for me along with Sogdrul.

   ‘Are you ready to go?’ Mashiro asks.

   ‘Yup.’

   Mashiro nods. She looks at Sogdrul and nods once more. The Destroyer responds by snapping his fingers.

   The good news is, we were at the middle of a street at the blink of an eye, thus saving the trip of leaving the school and getting here. The bad news is, quite a number of students are here, and all of them surround us the moment they saw me.

   ‘Hold it!’ I quickly raise up my hands and shout. ‘I know you have tons of questions, but can we concentrate on our mission first?’

   Thankfully, all of them agree, even though they look quite reluctant to wait a single second longer. They seperate themselves into groups and head somewhere else, presumably to look for more soldiers to fight while looking for Brennan.

   ‘Let’s head for downtown.’ I suggest to Mashiro. ‘If he’s hiding, the abandoned buildings there are some of the best places to keep a low profile.’

   She nods and follow me at my side wordlessly.

   To be honest, Brennan’s probably lone gone, but a mission is a mission, and there might be some brainwashed soldiers there. After we get there, Mashiro summons the bee Destroyer she summoned way back at the underground cavern. The fireflies that came out of its sac fly disperse and fly to all sorts of directions.

   So they can be used as scouts too. I’ve learned something new today. While waiting for them to look around, Mashiro proposes to take a walk around the place. Since there’s nothing better for me to do, I agree with her suggestion.

   Then again, we’re at downtown, where it consists of mostly housing areas and abandoned buildings. Plus, it’s still very early in the morning. There isn’t anything fun to see or do here at all. Even so, Mashiro seems to be enjoying the walk.

   ‘It’s fun as long as you’re with Mashiro.’ Mashiro explains when I ask her the reason of her joy. ‘Besides, it’s been a long while since Mashiro has you all to herself.’

   ‘Sorry about that.’ I say apologetically.

   She shakes her head. ‘It’s fine. Mashiro didn’t became your girlfriend because she wants to be the only one in your mind. Mashiro is happy whenever she’s with you. That’s all that matters to Mashiro.’

   It didn’t take long for the fireflies to be done with the scouting. They didn’t find Brennan nor anyone suspicious. Mashiro dismisses the bee Destroyer. With it gone, the fireflies disappear too.

   ‘Hmm, where to next?’ I ponder out loud.

   ‘The shops would be open by now. We should go check out the shopping district.’ Mashiro suggests.

   ‘Let me guess. You’re hungry.’

   Mashiro puffs up her cheeks like a squirrel.

   ‘What are you saying, Akira? This is all for the mission! We can’t leave a single stone uncovered!’

   ‘Uh-huh. Well, let’s go there anyway.’

   Thankfully, the shopping district is safe from harm. As Mashiro had predicted, the shop owners are getting ready to open up their store for business. Every once in a while, I come here for grocery shopping instead of the supermarket that’s nearer to the dorm so that I could get fresher and cheaper ingredients. Therefore, pretty much all the shop owners here know of me.

   ‘Morning, Kagenashi-kun.’ Shimada-san the fishmonger greets me.

   ‘Good morning, Shimada-san.’

   ‘Say, I’ve been woken up by loud noises from other areas earlier in the morning just now. Is everything all right?’

   ‘Please don’t worry. We’ve got everything under control.’ I assure him.

   ‘Okay, I believe you. By the way, I saw two of your friends passing by just now, but I didn’t greet them since I was too busy. One’s a blonde with green eyes, while the other one’s a typical Japanese beauty.’

   He must be talking about Sakuya and Ichika. I wonder what they’re doing here.

   ‘Thank you. We’ll go meet up with them right now.’

   It didn’t take us long to find them.

   ‘President, we really should be going.’

   ‘I know that, Ichika-chan. The thing is, your big sister is really hungry, so she wants to get something to eat first.’

   ‘Here you go, missy. Two potato croquettes.’

   ‘Oh, thank you so much!’

   ‘Say Mashiro. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Principal Morifuji were to find out about this?’

   ‘Definitely.’

   Sakuya, who’s about to eat the croquette she just bought, freezes at her track when she heard our voice. She slowly looks over here, only to see me holding up my phone.

   ‘Akira-kun, what are you doing with that phone of yours?’ Sakuya asks with a pale face.

   ‘Oh, please don’t mind me. Do continue.’ I encourage.

   ‘Wait, please! Delete the pictures or video that you took! I beg of you!’

   ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

   In the ends, I agreed to delete the photo as she was close to crying. I had to spent some time to assure her that I was just joking.

   ‘You, jyoking? When you were mewean to me all thwe twime?’ she asks between mouthfuls of croquette.

   ‘Senpai, please don’t talk while you’re eating. It’s bad manners.’ I point out.

   She made sure to swallow the breaded deep fried potatoes before saying the next sentence.

   ‘I can’t help it. I was hungry.’

   ‘And the search for Brennan?’

   ‘Will be continued right after I’m done with filling up my stomach, even if only a little.’

   ‘Fair enough.’

   After Sakuya’s done with the croquettes, the four of us decide to patrol together. Sakuya has received a report that all the soldiers had been defeated and restrained, so the only task left for us is to search for Brennan.

   ‘Not trying to be pessimistic or lazy here, but I sure think that he’s already gone.’ I say to them.

   ‘I think the same way too. Alas, We have to keep up appearances anyway or some people will never shut up about it.’

   Ah yes. The medias, government officials and the police who disagree with the existence of the Academy. They’re on the news all the time and keep on ranting about how the people don’t need them and that we shouldn’t be given too much authority and support, lest we turn into an evil organization like Lost Children.

   ‘Mashiro and I had just been to the downtown. Where did the two of you went?’ I ask.

   ‘We have been to the harbor and some places that was being suspected of being the hidden hideout of Lost Children. We did not find him in any of those places.’ Ichika reports.

   ‘The good news is, we did root out quite a number of Lost Children in those hideouts, so it wasn’t completely fruitless.’ Sakuya adds. ‘There’s so many of them they’re probably still being escorted away to all the prisons nearby as we speak.’

   ‘Nice. Were there any executives, by any chance?’ I ask.

   ‘Unfortunately, there was none. All of them were foot soldiers and in some cases, lieutenants.’ Ichika answers.

   ‘More importantly, some students have told me that Shimazaki-kun has betrayed us, and they said they heard it from you. Is that true, Akira-kun?’

   ‘Sadly, it is.’

   I told them the same thing I told Principal Morifuji just now. All of them look shocked after I was done, even the usually expressionless Mashiro.

   ‘Are you taking it well, Akira?’ Ichika asks me with a concerned tone.

   ‘Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, you know.’

   ‘Just remember that we’re always here for you if you want to talk about it.’

   ‘Yes. Thank you, senpai.’

   After a while, all of us receive a message that tells us to abandon the search mission and gather at the assembly hall, so we did. While we’re on our way there, we met students who’re dying for me to continue with what I told Principal Morifuji just now. I don’t feel like telling the same story for the third time, so all I did was assuring them that Principal Morifuji will be the one who’ll be telling it. Probably.

   It took everyone almost an hour to gather up as ordered, since some of us were very far from the Academy when we got the message. The assembly hall’s completely quiet, but I can still tell the emotions of everyone who gathered here: fatigue after the mission, hunger for not having breakfast yet, and the eagerness to know about the details on Shimazaki’s betrayal.

   After the teachers are done taking a roll call to make sure that everyone is here, Principal Morifuji walks up to the podium to give his speech.

   ‘Good morning, everyone. First of all, I would like to thank you all for your hard work. Even though we have failed to re-capture Joseph Brennan, we have at least protected the civilians from Ryuoouji Tatsuma’s mind-controlled soldiers.’

   He then moves on to the topic that most of the students here wanted to hear about.

   ‘As most of you may or may not have heard, Shimazaki Shinra-kun, one of our students from First Year, Class 2 has gone rogue. That rumor is in fact true.’

   The assembly hall bursts into an uproar in an instant. Everyone seems to be talking loudly with each other to the point where I can’t even hear my own thoughts. There are a lot of cries of anguish too, probably from Shimazaki’s fans. Suddenly, I hear Yuuji’s voice from somewhere within the hall. Honestly, I’m kind of impressed of his lung capacity to be allowed himself to be heard when thousands of people are talking at the same time.

   ‘Aren’t you guys making too much of a fuss here? It’s just one guy. If he betrayed us, he should be seen as an enemy from now on!’

   Naturally, that statement of his didn’t sit well with a lot of students, and he’s getting lots of jeers and spite. Despite my immense dislike for the main character, he’s right about one thing. Shimazaki is our enemy now, whatever his reasons for turning on us.

   After the students have calmed down, the principal continues with his speech. He didn’t elaborate on Shimazaki’s story and just mentioned that the latter has released Brennan and tried to steal Excalibur, but was stopped by me. He then proceeds to inform us that the joint training with the Kyoto branch is postponed indefinitely until further notice.

   ‘...That is all from me. You are dismissed.’ the principal concludes his speech.

   With that, we leave the assembly hall. About time. I was starving.