You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 45: The Real Challenge Begins Now

On a day when the sun was dazzlingly bright, the atmosphere in the room felt as if it were enveloped in darkness, with a heavy air lingering.

Sharp eyes were fixated on a paper compiled with care, reflecting the array of characters and numbers written horizontally onto those keen pupils.

“Amakusa-sensei, you’ve worked hard on this mission,” the principal said, placing the report documents on the wide desk and pulling out a small, elongated box from his pocket.

“Truly,” pressing a high-quality seal onto the document, marking it with red characters.

“It seems it was quite the challenge indeed.”

“Yes. There were unexpected developments, and I am somewhat exhausted,” Amakusa-sensei said with a wry smile, recalling the collapse site he had seen two days prior. It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

“The recording medium from Shiori-chan has already been submitted to the analysis team. We should have the data in about two hours.”

He added another report, then tensed up.

“Hearing Shiori-chan’s report is one thing, but I’m afraid to confirm it myself.”

“I’m scared too. After all, I can’t even begin to imagine what was done… I mean, I don’t want to see it! If I did, my mental stress capacity gauge would go into overload!”

The mood in the room lightened.

The previously somber atmosphere shattered, and the head of the Japan branch released a storm of screams, venting his frustrations.

“But we have to watch it! The report meeting is coming up! It’s that thing! Where the tops of combat studies from around the world gather! We’ll meet via hologram, but it’s intense! Surrounded by huge LCD monitors in a super dark room and all that!”

With a slap, the impact created a gust of wind, causing the bundled documents to flutter.

“I can imagine what you’re going through.”

“…No,” the principal, catching his breath and shaking his head now mixed with white hair, apologized.

“I got a bit too emotional there.”

“No, if anyone understands the principal’s hardships, it’s us.”

Facing him with a gesture of sympathy, they started to organize the scattered documents.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Amakusa-sensei spoke in a calm tone.

“How is Hazuki-chan?”

“Ah, she was dispatched safely.”

“I was surprised. To dispatch her right after we finished.”

“She completed a long-term mission promptly and headed there.”

“Why the rush, though?”

“I asked, but she didn’t tell me anything,” the principal said, pulling out a sheet of paper from a bundle of documents to show Amakusa-sensei. It was Hazuki’s request form for early departure.

“She wished for an early departure. It was exactly what I wanted, so I approved.”

“But, even if she arrives early, the site would still be in ruins. She must be bored.”

“No…”

The principal, with an indescribable expression, continued,

“There was a report the day you guys returned to Japan. Before starting her official mission, she worked on the collapse site. In a few hours, she recovered and transported all the brains.”

“…”

“Yeah, that girl is exceptional. And when did she become such a workaholic?”

Leaving a sweating Amakusa-sensei behind, the principal talked about Hazuki.

“She managed without causing a secondary disaster. Now, it’s all up to Hazuki-kun.”

Her actual mission was to create human bodies for the children.

◆

Keep only your eyes forward as you walk,

Do not look back at the past,

Do not be imprisoned by the past,

Do not stop, run,

Live in the present.

Everyone must have heard these famous sayings.

From a teacher, a parent, an acquaintance, a drama, an anime, or a novel.

These words are meant to guide us toward the future.

But I can’t help but think.

Before moving forward to the future.

About memories of the past.

Shiori, causing a group of armed men to scream,

Shiori, sprinting as if gravity didn’t matter, tearing through walls,

Shiori, gobbling down ominously dark ramen with an expression unbefitting a high school girl,

Shiori, illegally breaking into a room while it’s unattended,

Shiori, speeding down the highway, overtaking countless cars,

Shiori, Shiori, Shiori, Shiori, Shiori, Shiori, Shiori…

“Why am I crying?”

On a sunny day, in a one-room apartment, Hiroki lay sprawled on the sofa in the brightly lit living room, tears streaming down his face as he reminisced.

Now that he had peace of mind, he tried to confront those memories again.

But what he remembered were her terrifying and abnormal actions.

Unlike the tears he had shed just a few days ago, another tear streamed down his cheeks.

Silently, he turned his body toward the balcony, where light from the kitchen shone through, perplexed.

The image of Shiori he had just formed didn’t match the one he had created in the past, making it hard for him to confront her again.

Like oil and water, the past and current images of Shiori wouldn’t mix.

He wanted to confront it, yet a part of him didn’t.

Taking a deep breath.

Run away as children across the country do at the beginning of summer vacation.

If he didn’t want to confront it now, maybe it wasn’t necessary.

In other words—just procrastinate without thinking about it.

He desperately wanted to understand, but the past couldn’t be altered.

The image of a person once planted in one’s mind wasn’t easily rewritten.

So, he decided to forget everything once.

Yes, a reset.

Time would eventually solve everything, he felt as if someone had once said.

So, what should we do from now on?

For now.

Yes, for now.

“Shall we go soon?”

◆

Haruna-kun, what is this?”

“It’s Excalibur!”

“…”

“This one is my masterpiece! It works!”

“What does?”

In the director’s office during the afternoon, the space, dominated by white, was filled with homey furniture like sofas, fans, and a refrigerator.

Sitting across a large desk from each other were a doctor, sitting down, and an excited Haruna.

In the girl’s hand was a medium-length sword, the legendary king’s holy sword.

Upon hearing the doctor’s question, Haruna placed what she held behind her as if to hide it.

“I’d like you to see it at the testing ground!”

The doctor exhaled deeply, facing Haruna with a skeptical look that was unique to him.

“So that you know, your evaluation has already been decided.”

“Then!”

“Yes, you’ve failed.”

The declaration of failure was blunt.

“Why?! What’s wrong with my Excalibur?!”

Haruna approached the doctor, pointing Excalibur at him with a smile.

“It’s about the coolness, you know! Like… Excaliburrrrrr! Isn’t that cool?!”

“Looking for coolness, what for? And it smells, what have you planned?”

“It’s surströmming extract! When you shout ‘Excalibur!’ and swing it hard!”

“If he were alive, he’d be Excalibur.”

Saying “Excalibur” as she swung down the holy sword, releasing the world’s smelliest canned extract.

Surely, even the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table would be in tears.

Imagining such a scene, the doctor, bewildered, said:

“You want to increase your rank, right?”

“Yes!”

The girl faced a challenge.

It was the rank examination for mechanics.

Those who worked as mechanics in combat studies were awarded ranks based on their evaluations.

“The exam is coming up. If you don’t produce results soon, you might be demoted.”

“But I made Excalibur for that!”

“I want you to make something realistic. And, could you please place that Excalibur in the corner by the door? It’s unbearably smelly.”

“Pfft.”

Haruna puffed her cheeks and propped the sheathless, exposed holy sword near the door.

“Excalibur is good, isn’t it?”

“I won’t allow it. I’m responsible for letting my student take the exam, which also affects my evaluation.”

The doctor’s words, fueled by self-preservation, only made Haruna’s cheeks puff more.

“And there’s a message from the principal.”

“Yes?”

Haruna looked puzzled by the sudden change of topic.

“Disaster.”

“Ugh!”

The girl involuntarily gulped, her playful demeanor vanishing instantly.

Sweat broke out on her forehead, which the doctor did not miss.

“A tank-buster… I’m curious what you’ve put in that bullet.”

“Gulp.”

“Weapons are the life of their wielder. You do understand what this means, don’t you?”

“Ugh.”

“And something is missing from my lab.”

“!?”

Seeing the girl’s face turn pale, the doctor’s eyes sparkled.

“The ‘Prototype Chemical Substance.’ It was stored in the hazardous material safe, but somehow it’s gone.”

Only the girl herself was unaware of her disordered breathing, sweating profusely with her mouth half-open.

“You know my specialty, don’t you?”

“…Yes, it was about replicating abilities, wasn’t it?”

Trying to curry favor, she clasped her hands together, putting on a sweet tone and smile.

Continuing, the doctor said:

“To be clear, ‘A chemical based on the research data and DNA sample of a certain combatant’ has disappeared. Oh dear, that’s troubling.”

“That’s certainly troubling.”

“By the way, Haruna-kun.”

“Yes…?”

“You created this from explosion-based abilities, didn’t you?”

Haruna held her breath at the last word, spoken in a heavy, pointed tone.

“I’M SOOOOORRRYYY!”

This was an apology made while prostrating.

With her forehead rubbed against the floor, the young girl, not fitting her age, made a full-hearted apology with tears and sobs.

“It was just a whim! Just a little feeling! I only intended to do it a little bit! I didn’t plan to go through with it until the end!”

Her face and words were a complete mess.

In front of her, the doctor, sitting on a chair, sighed deeply as he looked down at the girl.

“This girl… by the way, how did you open the vault? I made sure to lock that door securely.”

“I recently developed a lock-picking tool and used it to open it easily.”

“That secure security lock?”

“I opened it in a minute.”

“……Haaah…”

A heavy sigh was released.

This was it. This was a waste of talent.

Feeling disheartened, the doctor stared at Haruna’s sweaty face.

“It gives me a headache.”

“Uuu…”

“Do you remember what I told you when you joined this laboratory?”

“……’Let me grope your boobs.'”

Thud!

“I’m sorry, it was ‘Polish your talents, steal techniques, and give birth to something only you can create.'”

With a swollen bump on her head, she recalled the past words. Hearing this, the doctor lightly swung his red, swollen right fist at chest height.

“That’s right, so you’ve polished your talents, huh? Wow, that’s amazing. To think you could unlock that security, what did you steal, and what did you create? Huh?”

To the doctor’s question, Haruna breathed out lightly and said,

“……Heh, I stole hearts and created bonds.”

Thud!

“I’m sorry, I stole your research materials and created a disaster.”

The girl, now with an additional bump atop her existing one, resembling a snowman on her head, calmly gave the requested answer.

“Every time I hit you, my chest, head, and fist hurt.”

“If you didn’t hit me initially, I’m sorry.”

Seeing the right fist raised again, Haruna mixed an apology into her words.

Whether she was truly remorseful or not was unclear to the doctor, who was troubled.

“Disaster… Have you conducted a safety test trial with that bullet in practice?”

“Eh? There’s no way I’d do something that dangerous, ow ow ow!!”

Haruna’s cheeks were being pulled from both sides. There was no mercy now.

“What are you doing, huh?”

“No! According to calculations, it passed! It was a close call whether a tank would be blown away, but there was no problem with the user’s safety, so it hurts! Please stop, my cheeks won’t go back to normal!”

Releasing her, the doctor pondered in front of Haruna, whose cheeks had turned red.

“My head hurts.”

“Uuu, my pretty cheeks~”

“You’re not reflecting, are you?”

“I am! If I weren’t, I’d have run away from here!”

The girl stood proudly, her chest puffed out, while the doctor leaned heavily on the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

“It looks like you need a punishment.”

“!?”

“Well, that’s the way it is, right? You’ve been taking liberties with my research, handing out equipment that hasn’t passed safety tests, creating a so-called holy sword that spews foul liquid when swung around shouting ‘Excalibur’…”

Dr. Hazama glanced at Haruna, who was rocking back and forth on her chair, shifting her weight from side to side, with a bitter expression.

“Um, well, we should try to handle this situation as peacefully as possible, considering the circumstances…”

She spoke in a sweet voice.

“I’ve got it! How about I start calling you ‘Daddy,’ Dr. Hazama? Yes! Let’s do that! Isn’t that punishment enough!”

Haruna emphasized her subtly developed physique, putting on a sugary-sweet tone and attitude to the fullest.

“You, my dear, might need… a punishment as severe as cutting oneself…”

“Huh!? I don’t think such a severe punishment is necessary! Are you planning something indecent with my innocent body!? Eek, you pervert! Trying to defile my purity! You mad scientist!!”

The scientist, having halted his weight shift, murmurs.

“…I guess it’s half correct.”

“Eh, no way, you’re kidding, right?!”

Blushing, Haruna shudders and hugs herself.

In front of her, the scientist weaves his words.

“This sword that erupts in filth…”

“Eh?”

“Prostitution, compensated dating, pranks, and other misdeeds.”

“Um…”

“All the bad girls in this world…”

“Excuse me? Doctor?”

“The very image of the ideal girl that boys aspire to, only to be destroyed by the reality of what they become.”

“What are you talking about? What is this?!”

“To repaint the irredeemably filthy girls with new filth.”

“What kind of chant is this? It’s scary! Scary!”

“The boy declares the true purpose of the sacred sword he holds high.”

“…The boy?”

Haruna realized.

The doctor continued to speak in front of her and was not looking at her but behind her.

And slowly, Haruna turned to look behind her.

Just as she did, the sound of a caster rolling on the floor came from where the doctor was, as if it had been timed for that moment.

But, at that moment, it was impossible to understand the significance of the sound.

Because—

There was—

“The name of this sacred sword is—”

“Exxxcalibuuuuuur!!!”

There stood Hiroki, swinging down Excalibur.