5:53 PM
At this very moment, Miyu must have lit the paper roll I inserted into the vehicle. In a countdown, Ailiss is likely just waiting for the perfect timing to make the assault most impactful.
After a while, I hear the roar of the engine approaching.
Here she comes… The bus speeds up, heading straight for the main building's entrance.
Does this girl have no sense?! She waited too long! The bus is practically in flames! The tank could explode at any moment.
Then, the collision happens. The flaming bus crashes through the entrance, shattering the glass doors and entering the lobby. Shards of glass fly everywhere, and I hear the sounds of the bus's impact, followed by the screams of the students who were in the area.
The damage is massive, but now we're in a position to counter Mikoto.
Ailiss bolts out of the block in a split second and hurls herself toward us. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. While she's still in midair, a powerful blast reverberates through the air.
What little intact glass remained after the initial collision shatters with the bus explosion.
I fall backward—not because of the explosion, as it was only a bus and not an atomic bomb, but because of Ailiss. I try to catch her to cushion her impact, and in the end, I'm the one who ends up scraping myself on the ground.
"Why did you get in my way?" Ailiss asks, still lying on top of me.
"I just wanted to hel—" I try to respond, but she cuts me off.
"It doesn't matter. Let's go; we don't have time to waste," she says as she gets up.
But you were the one who asked in the first place!
According to Manabu, this was supposed to be the moment when she'd feel embarrassed and grateful, right? Well, it's my fault for falling for a girl with a black hole where her heart should be.
Ailiss is the first of the five of us to enter the lobby. Manabu and Shou glance at each other and follow her. I turn to Keiko and see that she's also ready, holding Ailiss's weapon. We follow her inside.
As we enter the area, I immediately notice the wreckage from the impact and explosion. Parts of the bus's frame and tires are scattered across the floor. In addition to the glass shards covering the entrance, I see that the flames are beginning to spread through the room.
"Somebody help me," a boy groans, injured and writhing on the floor.
I'm sorry; I'm in no position to help you.
Looking around further, I see that the impact was enough to remove a significant number of guards occupying the ground floor. Many of them are injured, and some are even dead.
At this point, unfortunately, we have no choice but to consider sacrificing some classmates for our goal.
Due to the fire, Mikoto will have to leave this building soon. And since all the stairways, including the emergency exits, converge on this lobby, our confrontation becomes inevitable.
"They're coming, guys!" Shou warns.
"Stay on guard," Ailiss commands.
A crowd of students rushes down the stairways. We ready ourselves to face them, unsure of who is merely fleeing the conflict and who are our adversaries.
"Fire! Run!" a female student screams.
"Move! Get out of the way!" another shouts, sprinting past us.
Fortunately, most of them seem to be simply running from the chaos. However, a portion of them stop in front of us, likely Mikoto's supporters.
It's time to face them.
"Mistkerl, cover me," Ailiss says.
"Ah, okay," I respond.
Given her superiority in battle, I'm unsure how I can assist her. I don't think I can quickly take down any of them with my bare hands. Perhaps the best I can do is slow them down.
While the four of us fight on the front line, Keiko remains focused on the stairways. Mikoto will have to come down sooner or later, so it's crucial she stays ready to fire, especially since she has no experience with weapons.
Ailiss charges fiercely at the boys in front of us and, as usual, begins her knockout spree. She advances rapidly, striking critical areas like the head and stomach, taking them down at a rate of roughly one knockout every three seconds. Then I notice one of them trying to attack her from behind.
It's my time to act.
I rush toward him and stop his attack by grabbing his arms. Immediately afterward, Ailiss turns and knocks him out with a powerful punch to the face.
It seems I've found a way to contribute to this fight. This is how I'll proceed: since I can't fight effectively, I'll grab one enemy at a time, and Ailiss will finish them off.
Yes, this definitely seems to be the most efficient way for someone like me to fight.
"Go, Manabu! I'll hold him, and you land the punches!" Shou yells.
I glance to the side and see Manabu and Shou also trying to fight. Usually, Manabu would take a beating due to his physique, which is somehow worse than mine. But they're making progress since they're working in a two-on-one strategy.
"Got it!" Manabu strikes a special pose. "SOUL-TEARING PUNCH!"
Even though it looks ridiculous, it's surprisingly effective. Shou grabs an opponent, and Manabu takes the opportunity to playfully act as if he has some supernatural power. Regardless, what matters is that this strategy is working. In the end, we're somehow managing to support Ailiss.
"Shoucchi, this one's yours!" Manabu jumps and grabs another boy by the torso, giving Shou a clear shot to punch him.
The three of us are truly pathetic. We have no honor in combat. Honestly, I might be the worst, as I'm letting a girl do most of the work.
"Don't move, or I'll shoot!" Keiko's shout draws my attention back to her.
I look toward the stairways and spot our target. The student council president appears, holding a machine gun.
Keiko has Mikoto in her sights, but judging by the faint smile on Mikoto's face, she's not intimidated in the least.
"Spare me this joke, Kobayashi-san. Lower that gun and let me finish the work these incompetents failed to accomplish," Mikoto says as she slowly descends the stairs, raising her machine gun.