Chapter 22

A few days had passed since the attack on the shopping mall by the five monsters.

We, the members of the student council, had gathered in the student council room after school to discuss the recent increase in the frequency and individual strength of monster appearances.

“Alright, I’d like to begin the monster countermeasures meeting.”

The one running the meeting was, of course, the Student Council President, Saionji.

The cheerful atmosphere she had at the shopping mall that day was gone now; she was completely in Student Council President Koharu Saionji mode.

Saionji’s expression was tight, her gaze sweeping over us student council members once before getting to the main topic.

“What we’re here to discuss today is none other than this. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the unusual increase in the frequency of monster appearances lately. What’s more, their individual combat strength has also increased dramatically. The situation has gotten so serious that we can’t afford to be optimistic.”

Every student council member had recently encountered and fought these unusually strong monsters, so we all understood the problem and listened to Saionji with serious expressions.

“Today, I want to discuss countermeasures for these stronger, more frequent monsters. First, could you tell me in detail about the monsters you fought and the situations at the time? It would be best for all of us to share as much information as possible.”

The ones Saionji directed her gaze at were Kisaragi and Usami.

Kisaragi and Usami looked at each other and nodded, then began to speak without either being prompted.

“We would like to report on the monster we fought.”

“The monster, who called himself Venom… appeared at the fountain square in front of the station during our morning patrol.”

Kisaragi and Usami recounted in detail the circumstances of their encounter with the monster Venom.

For me, who had been there, there wasn’t any particularly new information.

Saionji and Takanashi, who hadn’t been there, listened to the two’s story with serious expressions.

“The monster Venom was unbelievably strong. I can say with certainty he was the strongest monster I’ve ever fought.”

“We were completely outmatched. In speed, in power, in every aspect, the monster Venom surpassed us.”

“One of us was taken hostage, and we were unable to move.”

“Just as we were about to be killed by the monster Venom… Toujou-kun came to our rescue.”

Kisaragi and Usami looked at me.

Saionji’s and Takanashi’s gazes also focused on me.

“Toujou-kun, would you mind taking it from here?”

“Since you were the one who actually defeated Venom, you’ll probably be able to explain it in more detail than us.”

“Ah, yeah… got it.”

I nodded and took over the story from Kisaragi and Usami.

“When the monster Venom first appeared, I watched things unfold for a while. I thought Kisaragi and Usami might be able to defeat him. But, since they lost, I defeated the monster Venom.”

“Was there… anything you felt while fighting the monster Venom? Toujou, you’ve fought all sorts of monsters up until now, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Was the monster Venom any different from the monsters you’ve fought before?”

“The differences… I feel like there weren’t many. If I had to make a distinction, I’d say the monster Venom was definitely one of the stronger ones I’ve fought. But in terms of appearance or abilities, I don’t think there was anything particularly new… No, wait… now that I think about it, he did say something. Something about being a ‘created’ entity, and something about ‘that person’.”

“What do you mean by that? Explain in detail.”

Saionji, her interest piqued by my story, pressed for more details.

I spoke, grasping at my hazy memories.

“I don’t remember it clearly, but he said something like he was a being created by someone. That he was created by ‘that person’ or something…”

“‘That person’… who on earth could that be?”

“I don’t know. But maybe the monster Venom, unlike the monsters so far, was an entity created by someone.”

“Hmm… interesting.”

Saionji stroked her chin and nodded.

“Do you remember anything else?”

“I think I’ve covered all the important parts.”

“How about you, Mikan and Chiyo?”

“We believe we have also said all that we needed to.”

“I believe we have covered all the important points.”

“I see. Understood. Thank you for the report.”

Saionji nodded and looked at me.

“Let’s leave the monster Venom that Kisaragi and Usami fought for now. Next… I’d like to share information about the monster I fought, who called himself Gotees.”

Saionji cleared her throat, then began to speak about her encounter and battle with the monster Gotees.

“I encountered the monster Gotees while I was on after-school patrol with Toujou. A monster alert suddenly blared, and there he was. I immediately transformed and fought the monster Gotees. And I lost, and was about to be killed. At that time… I was lacking a bit of composure. With no strategy whatsoever, I challenged Gotees all by myself and was soundly defeated. It’s utterly shameful.”

As if remembering that moment, Saionji glanced my way, her cheeks turning red.

I sent a look back at Saionji, one that said, I know exactly what you mean.

Saionji’s cheeks grew even redder as she looked down.

“Hmph. I’m getting a bad vibe from this.”

“I concur.”

“Likewise.”

For some reason, the other three shot me reproachful looks.

With a pointed ahem, ahem, Saionji resumed her story.

“I-I’ll be skipping the parts of that incident that have nothing to do with monster countermeasures! I-I’ll only talk about what’s important! In any case… I lost to the monster Gotees, and Toujou defeated Gotees. The monster Gotees was extremely powerful, stronger than any monster I had ever fought. If Toujou hadn’t been there, I would have died.”

“Toujou-kun, you just go around saving everyone, don’t you?”

“It’s true.”

“No scruples.”

“Hey, what did I do!?”

All I did was save someone from a monster, and somehow I’m the one getting trashed for it.

“Regarding the monster Gotees’s actual combat power, it would probably be better to have Toujou speak on that. For now, let’s set that aside… The next part is important. I need you to listen a little more seriously.”

Saionji said, a sense of gravity seeping into her voice.

“The truth is, the monster Gotees that I fought said the exact same thing. That he was a being created by someone. A monster brought into existence by someone’s hand for the purpose of defeating magical girls.”

Saying that, Saionji looked at me as if for confirmation.

I nodded, affirming Saionji’s words.

“I heard it too. I think the monster Gotees said that as well. The same kind of thing as the monster Venom.”

“You’ve heard it. The monster Gotees we both fought said the same thing as the monster Venom that Mikan and Chiyo fought. What this means is, in short…”

“The monster Venom and the monster Gotees…”

“Were created by the same person?”

“That would be the natural conclusion.”

Kisaragi and Usami voiced the obvious conclusion drawn from the information so far, and Saionji nodded, affirming it.

“Oh, President! In that case, the monster I fought… or rather, was unilaterally beaten by, Orochi, said something similar too! That he was a created being!”

“What did you say!? Is that true!?”

Saionji was surprised by Takanashi’s words.

Takanashi looked at me, as if asking for confirmation.

“He said that, right? Don’t you remember too, Toujou-kun?”

“He certainly did seem to say something like that.”

“…Is that so. Then, the monster Orochi is also a being created by the same person as the monster Venom and the monster Gotees…”

“President! Who on earth is this ‘someone’?”

“I don’t know yet myself. But it is clear they are our enemy, and the greatest threat we can currently conceive of. The monster Venom, the monster Gotees, the monster Orochi. If that person created so many powerful monsters in such a short period… if we leave them be, it will lead to a catastrophe…”

What Saionji said was true.

If Venom, Gotees, and Orochi were created by the same person, then monsters as strong as or stronger than those three would continue to appear one after another.

If that happened, the damage brought upon the city and its people would be immense.

To prevent that, there was likely only one effective measure we could think of.

“Until now, we’ve been fine. Toujou was miraculously present at the scene of all three attacks. Thanks to that, the monsters were subjugated, and we were spared from death. However, we can’t keep relying on Toujou from here on out. Having only Toujou subjugate the monsters is too great a burden, and if multiple monsters as strong as those three—or stronger—were to appear at the same time, it would be physically impossible for Toujou to handle them all. Therefore, there is only one way to solve this problem.”

Saionji said, her voice filled with conviction.

“We defeat the one creating the monsters. That’s it. That is the only way to deal with this problem.”

“I think so, too.”

“Yes, that would be wise.”

“Well, realistically, that’s the only thing we can think of, isn’t it…”

The other three voiced their agreement with the conclusion Saionji had reached.

Saionji looked my way.

“Toujou. What is your opinion? Do you have any objections to the conclusion I’ve drawn? Don’t hesitate to say anything.”

“No, I think Saionji’s method is logical. If we don’t do something about the one creating them… we’ll be stuck in a vicious cycle of fighting endlessly stronger monsters.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

Saionji stood up and declared the meeting’s conclusion anew.

“Our highest priority is to pinpoint the whereabouts of the one creating the monsters and defeat them. To that end, I believe we should pour everything we have into it. Are there any objections?”

“None.”

“I’m in favor, too.”

“Alright… then let’s dismiss for today. Regarding this matter, I will convey it to my mother and share the information with the higher-ups. Dismissed!”

And with Saionji’s command, the monster countermeasures meeting came to a close.