Chapter 87

"Let's get to the point. You said you came to discuss the training program, right?"

---

Standing at the entrance of the classroom, I took a deep breath and firmly held the letter containing the secret that my mother had given me.

"Who taught you that? Bella?"

I couldn't guess, but it didn't matter. It was fine as long as it was good.

Feeling much lighter after the fatigue had vanished, I headed to the top-floor suite of the hotel.

At the temporary student council office, I met Nagamine Reiji again at the door.

"Here you are again."

Nagamine's eyes sharpened, clearly on guard.

As a fanatic supporter of the student council president and someone who secretly admires her, his reaction was understandable, but it still felt childish.

"I'm here because of my promise to the president. Nagamine-senpai, could you open the door?"

A message had come that Kasumi-senpai had already arrived at the temporary office, so I just needed to get there.

"Fine. But my warning... still stands."

"Nagamine-senpai, just open the door."

What warning? He would probably just repeat the obvious advice not to say anything reckless to Arisu.

"Ugh... Alright."

Nagamine Reiji bit his lip and opened the door.

Click.

I closed the door and entered the office.

"Have you arrived? Kim Deok-sung."

Arisu's calm voice reached my ears as she looked at me from the front.

"Senpai, you're here?"

Kasumi-senpai smiled and waved at me.

"Please sit down."

I sat in the seat Arisu offered.

"Since Kim Deok-sung is here, let's start the meeting. First, Hoshino, please report the information you obtained from Maruyama Ryosuke today."

"Ah? Yes! I understand, President."

Kasumi-senpai nodded.

"They said the operation will take place on the first night of the training. They plan to attack our dorm and... annihilate our students..."

Kasumi-senpai's hands trembled.

"If I don't cooperate, they'll... they'll do something to Lena..."

"Did you find out the level of the League's reinforcements?"

"...They said a Sado will come."

Kasumi-senpai spoke in a low voice.

An attack on the first night, with Sado joining in. When I only heard Kasumi-senpai's words, it didn't seem much different from the original story. Not yet.

The principal of Meijin Hero Academy is the dangerous S-rank villain 'Doctor Moromoro,' a member of the 13 Apostles.

'In the original, the protagonist Yuji fought Doctor Moromoro in a secret underground laboratory but ended up letting him escape.'

Doctor Moromoro is the first of the 13 Apostles to appear in the story and the mastermind behind the Chimera Project, which turned Kasumi and Lena into chimeras.

In the latter part of Volume 4, Yuji, along with Olivia, Rin, and Nishizawa, fought him to the death, but Doctor Moromoro easily withstood their combined attacks.

However, when Kasumi made mental contact with Lena, who had transformed into a plant, and awakened her, stopping her rampage and reviving her, Doctor Moromoro pressed the self-destruct switch and calmly escaped.

'A typical villain in light novels, appearing early to show how strong the enemy is.'

Of course, I had no intention of letting Doctor Moromoro escape like in the original.

The 13 Apostles are the closest aides to Messia. It's best to reduce their numbers when I can.

'The Kamiya clan isn't enough.'

While it seems the events will unfold similarly to the original, it's too early to be complacent.

Additional reinforcements are needed for an overwhelming victory, not just a win.

I had already decided who would provide the additional support.

"Sado... It sounds like it will be a tough fight."

Arisu spoke calmly.

"President."

"Go on, Kim Deok-sung."

"Let's contact the chairman and ask him to secretly dispatch Ritsuko to Kyoto."

Kamiya Ritsuko, the former head of the Kamiya clan, who had fallen to the chairman's slave.

With an S-rank hero president and the addition of an S-rank villain like her, it would be easy to handle this situation.

"Dispatching Ritsuko, that's a good idea. I'll take care of it."

Arisu nodded after a moment of thought.

Good. Everything was going as planned.

Then,

"Senpai, President. Can we... save Lena? I don't even know where she is..."

Kasumi-senpai spoke with a trembling voice.

Right. It was time to reveal the existence of the secret laboratory.

It would be more efficient to split into ground and underground teams during the fight.

"Lena's location... is in the basement of Meijin Academy."

"Really? Senpai?"

"How did you know that?"

Both of their gazes turned to me.

In the original, Yuji learned about the secret laboratory after subduing Maruyama Ryosuke.

But I didn't need to go through such a troublesome and complicated process.

"Actually, I suspected Meijin Academy was suspicious from the moment the exchange program was canceled. So I asked the National Intelligence Agency to investigate Meijin Academy. During the investigation, I found out that there is a large, unknown facility in the basement of Meijin Academy."

Because I have the National Intelligence Agency.

"Given that... it's likely that she is being held in that unidentified space in the basement."

Arisu said.

"Lena... What should I do... Lena..."

Kasumi-senpai covered her mouth with both hands and stomped her feet.

"If what Kim Deok-sung says is true... we need to investigate the structure of Meijin Academy before the training."

Arisu's silver eyes turned to me.

"Kim Deok-sung, would you accompany me on a preliminary inspection of Meijin Hero Academy?"

With me?

She wants me to go with her?

"Sending Hoshino with us would only raise unnecessary suspicion from the enemy. We can't take other council members who don't know the secret, so you are the only one left. Kim Deok-sung."

Arisu added calmly.

Her reasoning made sense.

The question was whether this would benefit me.

'Preliminary inspection...'

The prospect of a slightly less tiring Kyoto tour was a significant advantage. Plus, since the animation and reality are similar yet different, it wouldn't hurt to see the structure of Meijin Academy with my own eyes.

I also needed to assess what kind of person Maruyama Ryosuke is.

It was a sufficient benefit.

Having made my decision, I nodded.

"Alright. Let's do it."

"Thank you for agreeing to accompany me. Kim Deok-sung. I'll contact you when the preliminary inspection schedule is set."

Thus, the preliminary inspection with just Arisu and me was decided.

---

Arisu's message came two days after the meeting.

[The preliminary inspection preparations are complete. Please come to the office, Kim Deok-sung.]

A polite message, as expected from Arisu, appeared on my phone screen.

'No need to worry today.'

Hard work pays off.

After changing into my school uniform, I stepped out of my room.

"Senpai!"

I met Kasumi-senpai in the hallway.

I was surprised.

Why is she here?

"Senpai? Why are you here?"

In response to my question, Kasumi-senpai fidgeted and bowed her head.

Her face turned red.

"Hehe... Senpai. You have an important task today, right? So... I wanted to cheer you on before you go! I've been waiting since dawn for you to come out. Isn't that good? Senpai, you're a black demon who dreams of a harem, but you're my savior..."

Savior? I felt my stomach churn from the morning.

"Understood. I'll be going now."

"Wait. Senpai..."

Kasumi-senpai grabbed my arm.

She pressed something into my hand with her blushing face.

"It's a protective charm from Seimei Shrine... It's not much, but... it's a superstition... I just want everything to go well for you, Senpai... Senpai, don't get hurt..."

When I opened my hand, I saw a red cloth envelope.

A typical charm from Japanese anime.

"Sorry if it's a bother..."

Kasumi-senpai said in a low voice.

But it was a gift.

Even if it's a superstition, I couldn't just throw it away in front of her.

I put the charm in my pocket.

"Thank you for the charm, Senpai. I'll be going now."

"Senpai? Yes. Come back safely! Don't get hurt!"

With the vice president Mio and secretary Nagamine seeing Arisu off, I headed to the elevator to go to the top floor of the hotel.

"Here you are again."

I passed Nagamine Reiji's childish challenge and entered the room to meet Arisu.

"Have you arrived? Kim Deok-sung."

Fwoosh.

Arisu greeted me while elegantly sipping her tea.

"Senpai, you're here?"

Kasumi-senpai smiled.

"Please sit down."

I sat in the seat Arisu offered.

"Since Kim Deok-sung is here, let's start the meeting. First, Hoshino, please report the information you obtained from Maruyama Ryosuke today."

"Ah? Yes! I understand, President."

Kasumi-senpai nodded.

"They said the operation will take place on the first night of the training. They plan to attack our dorm and... annihilate our students..."

Kasumi-senpai's hands trembled.

"If I don't cooperate, they'll... they'll do something to Lena..."

"Did you find out the level of the League's reinforcements?"

"...They said a Sado will come."

Kasumi-senpai spoke in a low voice.

An attack on the first night, with Sado joining in. When I only heard Kasumi-senpai's words, it didn't seem much different from the original story. Not yet.

The principal of Meijin Hero Academy is the dangerous S-rank villain 'Doctor Moromoro,' a member of the 13 Apostles.

'In the original, the protagonist Yuji fought Doctor Moromoro in a secret underground laboratory but ended up letting him escape.'

Doctor Moromoro is the first of the 13 Apostles to appear in the story and the mastermind behind the Chimera Project, which turned Kasumi and Lena into chimeras.

In the latter part of Volume 4, Yuji, along with Olivia, Rin, and Nishizawa, fought him to the death, but Doctor Moromoro easily withstood their combined attacks.

However, when Kasumi made mental contact with Lena, who had transformed into a plant, and awakened her, stopping her rampage and reviving her, Doctor Moromoro pressed the self-destruct switch and calmly escaped.

'A typical villain in light novels, appearing early to show how strong the enemy is.'

Of course, I had no intention of letting Doctor Moromoro escape like in the original.

The 13 Apostles are the closest aides to Messia. It's best to reduce their numbers when I can.

'The Kamiya clan isn't enough.'

While it seems the events will unfold similarly to the original, it's too early to be complacent.

Additional reinforcements are needed for an overwhelming victory, not just a win.

I had already decided who would provide the additional support.

"Sado... It sounds like it will be a tough fight."

Arisu spoke calmly.

"President."

"Go on, Kim Deok-sung."

"Let's contact the chairman and ask him to secretly dispatch Ritsuko to Kyoto."

Kamiya Ritsuko, the former head of the Kamiya clan, who had fallen to the chairman's slave.

With an S-rank hero president and the addition of an S-rank villain like her, it would be easy to handle this situation.

"Dispatching Ritsuko, that's a good idea. I'll take care of it."

Arisu nodded after a moment of thought.

Good. Everything was going as planned.

Then,

"Senpai, President. Can we... save Lena? I don't even know where she is..."

Kasumi-senpai spoke with a trembling voice.

Right. It was time to reveal the existence of the secret laboratory.

It would be more efficient to split into ground and underground teams during the fight.

"Lena's location... is in the basement of Meijin Academy."

"Really? Senpai?"

"How did you know that?"

Both of their gazes turned to me.

In the original, Yuji learned about the secret laboratory after subduing Maruyama Ryosuke.

But I didn't need to go through such a troublesome and complicated process.

"Actually, I suspected Meijin Academy was suspicious from the moment the exchange program was canceled. So I asked the National Intelligence Agency to investigate Meijin Academy. During the investigation, I found out that there is a large, unknown facility in the basement of Meijin Academy."

Because I have the National Intelligence Agency.

"Given that... it's likely that she is being held in that unidentified space in the basement."

Arisu said.

"Lena... What should I do... Lena..."

Kasumi-senpai covered her mouth with both hands and stomped her feet.

"If what Kim Deok-sung says is true... we need to investigate the structure of Meijin Academy before the training."

Arisu's silver eyes turned to me.

"Kim Deok-sung, would you accompany me on a preliminary inspection of Meijin Hero Academy?"

With me?

She wants me to go with her?

"Sending Hoshino with us would only raise unnecessary suspicion from the enemy. We can't take other council members who don't know the secret, so you are the only one left. Kim Deok-sung."

Arisu added calmly.

Her reasoning made sense.

The question was whether this would benefit me.

'Preliminary inspection...'

The prospect of a slightly less tiring Kyoto tour was a significant advantage. Plus, since the animation and reality are similar yet different, it wouldn't hurt to see the structure of Meijin Academy with my own eyes.

I also needed to assess what kind of person Maruyama Ryosuke is.

It was a sufficient benefit.

Having made my decision, I nodded.

"Alright. Let's do it."

"Thank you for agreeing to accompany me. Kim Deok-sung. I'll contact you when the preliminary inspection schedule is set."

Thus, the preliminary inspection with just Arisu and me was decided.

---

Arisu's message came two days after the meeting.

[The preliminary inspection preparations are complete. Please come to the office, Kim Deok-sung.]

A polite message, as expected from Arisu, appeared on my phone screen.

'No need to worry today.'

Hard work pays off.

After changing into my school uniform, I stepped out of my room.

"Senpai!"

I met Kasumi-senpai in the hallway.

I was surprised.

Why is she here?

"Senpai? Why are you here?"

In response to my question, Kasumi-senpai fidgeted and bowed her head.

Her face turned red.

"Hehe... Senpai. You have an important task today, right? So... I wanted to cheer you on before you go! I've been waiting since dawn for you to come out. Isn't that good? Senpai, you're a black demon who dreams of a harem, but you're my savior..."

Savior? I felt my stomach churn from the morning.

"Understood. I'll be going now."

"Wait. Senpai..."

Kasumi-senpai grabbed my arm.

She pressed something into my hand with her blushing face.

"It's a protective charm from Seimei Shrine... It's not much, but... it's a superstition... I just want everything to go well for you, Senpai... Senpai, don't get hurt..."

When I opened my hand, I saw a red cloth envelope.

A typical charm from Japanese anime.

"Sorry if it's a bother..."

Kasumi-senpai said in a low voice.

But it was a gift.

Even if it's a superstition, I couldn't just throw it away in front of her.

I put the charm in my pocket.

"Thank you for the charm, Senpai. I'll be going now."

"Senpai? Yes. Come back safely! Don't get hurt!"

With the vice president Mio and secretary Nagamine seeing Arisu off, I headed to the elevator to go to the top floor of the hotel.

"Here you are again."

I passed Nagamine Reiji's childish challenge and entered the room to meet Arisu.

"Have you arrived? Kim Deok-sung."

Fwoosh.

Arisu greeted me while elegantly sipping her tea.

"Senpai, you're here?"

Kasumi-senpai smiled.

"Please sit down."

I sat in the seat Arisu offered.

"Today's plan is as follows. We will infiltrate Meijin Hero Academy under the pretext of a preliminary inspection. We will observe Maruyama Ryosuke and investigate the structure of Meijin Hero Academy."

Arisu briefed me on today's plan.

"I will use my Gift to investigate the structure of the academy."

Her Gift is Lightning, the ability to manipulate electricity.

In the original, Arisu demonstrated her precise detection ability through electromagnetic manipulation several times.

I don't know how she applies it to achieve such abilities, but light novels are shameless like that.

In any case, she plans to use it to investigate the structure of Meijin Academy.

"While I use my Gift to investigate the structure of the academy under the pretext of touring the campus, you will keep Maruyama Ryosuke occupied with conversation."

"Understood."

"Then let's go."

Click.

Arisu put down her tea and stood up.

We left the room together.

"Have a safe trip, President."

"Come back safely, President!"

The vice president Mio and secretary Nagamine saw Arisu off.

"If a single scratch appears on the President, you're finished. Got it?"

Nagamine whispered menacingly in my ear.

"Relax, it won't happen."

"Ugh...!"

Nagamine flared up.

In the light novel, he's a typical comedic side character, but in person, he's incredibly annoying.

Why is a guy acting like this?

I was getting irritated and wanted a soda when...

"Nagamine. Is that