Find [Ultimate Black] and [Ultimate White], hidden somewhere in this academy.
That was the choice made by the thirteen people here.
The possibility of a third party was a headache in itself, but turning our suspicion on one another was no better.
"...That attitude is all well and good, but where do you intend to start?"
In front of the dining hall, Kitsui opened the discussion.
"Well, obviously, we have to search the entire academy. More precisely... the Main Building, the Annex, and the Dormitory. Other than those, there's only the outdoors, which doesn't mean much."
"Tsurudo, wait a moment. Didn't the two buildings, excluding the Dormitory and outdoors, have places we can't enter?"
"...The second and third floors of the Main Building. The infirmary in the Annex, along with several other classrooms."
"Even if we somehow search everywhere else, we have no way of dealing with those places. The school rules say we can't break the doors down."
What was more, the staircase leading to the second floor of the Main Building was completely blocked by a door that probably would not open anytime soon.
"Tch. In other words... if the mastermind and the white mastermind are hiding somewhere like that, we'll just be getting some inefficient cardio."
"Tana is confident in cardio! If Tana drinks lots and lots of blood, no problem! When Tana was little, Tana once ran for a hundred hours without resting!"
"That's seriously impressive, though..."
"Ahh, I agree. The only problem is that even if you drink lots and lots of blood, we'll all be slaughtered if we fail to find the mastermind and the white mastermind. Heh-heh..."
Ignoring the rest of what she said, she was right: unless we resolved that issue, our motivation would be cut in half on the spot.
"...Ah!"
Then Shu's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together.
"Shu...? What is it? Did you think of something good?"
"Yeah! Everyone, will you hear me out? It might not be perfect, but this should solve it with a pretty high chance of success!"
"Sonoconsigliere... Coming from the [Ultimate Fixer], that certainly inspires confidence."
With everyone's attention on her, Shu slowly began to explain.
"First, I'll explain the Annex, since it's more likely. To get straight to the point, why don't we pump gas inside?"
"Gas...? Pork cutlet! Pork cutlet! Tana likes it a whole lot! Tana can't eat it unless it's dipped in blood, though..."
"Can't eat it, huh? You're sort of close on that point. Just like you said, this is a gas that you can't stand without getting out!"
"What the hell is that...? Isn't that a little too bizarre, even for an [Ultimate Fixer]...?"
"So what exactly is this gas? And where is it?"
In response to Ubauchi's question, Shu pointed toward the third floor of the Dormitory.
"It's in my research lab. A substance called Lethal Gas!"
"Lethal... Gas? Hey, Shuko, just going by the name, doesn't that sound pretty dangerous? Is this really okay...?"
But Shu neither shook nor nodded her head.
"Well, I can see why you'd think that. But this is a special gas. If we just pump it into a sealed room, it has no effect outside—but inside, it's an extremely dangerous gas that suffocates people to death within minutes!"
"D-Don't say something like that with a smile...! What if a door opens by mistake...?"
"That's exactly it, Kadra. Locked doors won't open in the first place, so there's no chance of the gas leaking out. And if it does leak out... you know what that means without me saying it, right?"
Whoever came crawling out would be the real culprit—or culprits.
"Oh? I think that's quite a good idea. Surely no one here is going to prattle on about, 'But what if they die?' after coming this far, are they?"
"..."
Using that affirmative silence as a foothold, Shu began discussing the problem of the Main Building this time.
"Unfortunately, we can't use that gas in the Main Building. There's no gap in the doors for the gas to get through, and more importantly, they could just retreat to the third floor."
"Right, I thought of that too. But you said you had a solution for that as well?"
At Tsurudo's question, she nodded.
"It's a really crude method, but like I said, this isn't the time to be picky about our means, right? Let's think simply!"
What followed that confident smile was—
"Let's just pile up lots of really heavy things to block it! So they can't get out in the first place!"
It was a solution so bold it bordered on simplistic.
"Hmm...? No, wait... That doesn't sound like a proposal I can simply object to. Roshiya, explain a little more."
"Just like I said! If the mastermind is hiding on the second or third floor, they have to open a door to get out, right? We'll block that."
The only wildcard, the elevator, was solely for the theaters connecting the first and fourth floors.
"Whether they push or pull the door... they'll just be trapped inside."
"Exactly! And there are heavy things scattered all over the place, along with people who can move them!"
Just thinking about it, several people came to mind.
"Hmm? Why is everyone looking at Tana? Is Tana pretty today...? Hehe!"
More than anything, if we had this girl, didn't that mean we had nothing to worry about when it came to strength?
"...I'm not trying to nitpick, but what if they have some means of forcibly smashing those things from the inside?"
"Fuck, if we start factoring in stuff like that, it never ends. Why not say they can drop a nuke just by pressing a button while you're at it?"
"For the same reason, it would be meaningless to assume they might wear gas masks and nullify the gas."
In short, whether it worked or failed, we had to try it first.
Sure. If it was going to work or fail either way, it only made sense to try.
"Heh... This is an unexpected but rather delightful development, isn't it? As befitting a leader, I'll at least show you the bare minimum of an example."
"Of course, if Hiranui joins in, I'll follow as well. And I suppose it can serve as atonement, too."
"Mari, didn't you say just a little while ago that atonement was beside the point...?"
Even Hiranui and Akano were fired up, so surely no one would object now.
"Then... let's go over the situation again. There are two major things we need to do right now. Retrieve that Lethal Gas from Roshiya's research lab, and thoroughly seal off the second floor of the Main Building. Is that right?"
"That seems to be it for now. Shu and I will move the gas, so could you all seal off the second floor in the meantime?"
"Huh? Y-You don't have to help...!"
"But I want to lighten your load, even a little. I reject your rejection."
"Eep... Then, I'll be counting on you..."
When I firmly shook my head, for some reason, she blushed shyly.
"Fuck, they're catching feelings here? Is this what they mean by winners being winners...?"
"Who knows... Anyway, let's get moving. If we want time to eat in the middle, we need to get this done fast."
With Tsurudo's words, we began moving busily.
To make the most of this unpleasant time.
*
*
And so, I stepped into Shu's research lab for the first time.
"Wow... It's really full of junk."
"Well... I'm a fixer!"
Stationery such as scissors sat alongside all kinds of axes and even niche self-defense weapons like blackjacks.
"Huh? Oh, is that your room? Let's see..."
"I-If you move any farther, I'll show you the weapon called my fist!!"
Whack!
...In the end, I had to offer up my back for failing to be considerate.
"Ow, ow... You hit way too hard..."
"B-But I haven't put away things like my underwear yet! Try to understand a girl's feelings!"
"Y-Yeah... Still, aren't things like these pretty hard to get?"
"...I know. I still don't understand why they're in my research lab. Oh, it's fine to leave the door open."
Carrying armfuls of gas canisters, we headed for the Annex together.
"Ah, we just fit these into the narrow gaps in the doors, right?"
"Yeah! It's effective enough, so you can release it now!"
"Hey, what happens if the door opens by accident...? Do we die instantly?"
"Come on, that won't happen. Don't worry—the gas is highly sensitive to sealed spaces, so the moment it's exposed to even a little outside air, it disappears immediately."
"Damn..."
I wasn't thinking of it as a detective, but it struck me as an excellent gas for poisoning someone.
And so, we pumped gas into every locked door from the second floor to the fourth.
"Huh...? Is this... a storage room?"
As we did, my attention fell on an old door at the far west end of the fourth floor.
"...Well, it doesn't matter since we can't get in anyway."
Of course, that was as far as it went.
Having finished the job in no time, we immediately headed to the Main Building, leaving the whitened classrooms behind us.
*
*
"...Wow."
Honestly, it was beyond anything I had imagined.
"Hmph, it's about as difficult as five—no, four—people with knives."
"Hup! Compared to the dolphin I once carried on my back, this is nothing!"
...Sorry, but these two weren't the ones I meant.
"Tana will do her best! Ngh! Tana's friends are watching! Tana will be useful!"
Even Tana, who had two hundred kilograms of weight plates from the training room hanging from both arms... No, wasn't this a bit much?!
"Tana! You can do it...! Don't push yourself too hard!"
"I-Is that thing even human!? Ah, no, it isn't, so I guess it's fine."
Naturally, everyone's eyes were usually on Tana, but—
"Shu... You're seriously amazing..."
"This is nothing...! If you want to make a living as a fixer... this is the bare minimum!"
Shu was carrying a display case as large as her own body up the stairs. It was almost surreal.
"...No."
Come to think of it, she had been born monstrously strong.
Even when she was little, though she had been timid, she could effortlessly lift things that even grown women could not easily carry.
"Huh...? Shoko! I said you don't have to help...!"
"It's fine. What are friends for? Besides, I'm confident in my strength too. I'm a violent-crimes detective, after all."
"Eep... Y-You do look dependable... You really do..."
Seeing the veins standing out on the back of my hand, Shu blushed again.
And so, everyone's work... No, honestly, Tana alone would have been enough. But it was finished.
The door we were sealing off on the second floor had, in turn, been sealed off by every sort of large, heavy piece of junk.
"...That was close, but we made it just in time for lunch!"
Looking at that imposing sight, Ubauchi spoke.
"Which means there's less than half a day left now, right? Let's eat quickly and get started for real."
"I recommend you eat quickly. Otherwise, I can share some of the tea I'm drinking with you."
"Whatever it is, if you've worked, you've got to eat! Come on, let's discuss the rest in the dining hall!"
As though swept along by Mayumi's energy, we wolfed down our meal and gathered outside again.
"...Then the stage is finally set, is it? In that case, let's dance to our hearts' content, until time and life run out."
"Hiranui, wait. There's one last thing we need to consider."
Shu once again drew everyone's attention.
"Obviously, I think it'd be inefficient for us to all swarm around together like this. So how about dividing into teams, with each team responsible for an area?"
"Right, I was thinking the same thing. If we're making teams, I guess it'll be three teams divided between the Main Building, the Annex, and the Dormitory?"
"Yeah, Shoko's right. Since there are sixteen of us, splitting into groups of four would be nice, but... the Main Building has relatively fewer places to search, right? So I'm thinking six, six, and four."
Everyone thought it over for a moment, but in the end, it was unanimous.
"...Fine. I'll take the Main Building."
"Ah, then I'll take the Dormitory."
"...The Annex."
Like that, everyone chose their preferred location one by one.
"Hmm... The Main Building is full, the Dormitory only has one spot left, and the Annex has four spots remaining?"
"...No, the Annex has one spot left."
Tsurudo spoke quietly.
"I contacted the three people who left earlier using their Monophones. They unanimously said they'd handle the Annex."
"Oh, Chosuke! You're quick to act, huh? Then there's one spot each left in the Dormitory and Annex... and the last two people are..."
To our surprise, the two people in Mayumi's line of sight were us.
"Come to think of it... I haven't picked."
"You're right... Then I'll take the Dormitory. Shoko, is that okay?"
"Ah... Yeah! Of course! I'll leave it to you!"
I hesitated briefly, but then nodded with relief.
"Then, now that the teams are set, can we start right away?"
"No, there's still one thing left. Honestly, it's the most likely outcome, but what will you do if we haven't found them by seven o'clock?"
At Akano's point, the area fell silent for a moment.
"...Let's think simply about this too. If we haven't gotten results by seven, we'll gather on the Common Floor in the Dormitory after making our own preparations."
"By preparations... you mean preparing to fight, right?"
"Yeah... We've been fighting with our backs to the wall from the very beginning. So let's see it through that way until the end. What do you say?"
"What is there to say...? It's already decided, isn't it? We'll bring out everything we can and struggle desperately... right?"
"...You're finally getting it."
For the first time, Tsurudo and Ubauchi exchanged smiles.
And the same was true of everyone else.
"All right! Let's give it everything we've got until seven! I'm heading out first!"
Beginning with Mayumi, who ran toward the Dormitory, we dispersed one by one.
"Shu, then... good luck."
"...Shoko."
Hoping more than anything that, when all of this was over, we would both still be alive.
"Let's definitely make it out alive. Okay?"
"...Yeah. Of course."
Especially you. You absolutely have to.
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