Late at night, the normally bustling center of Trinity was ablaze, smoke curling into the sky.
Two groups of people stood as if separated by some unknown force, engaged in a silent standoff.
"Sensei!"
Finally, a sorrowful cry broke the silence, which, though objectively brief, felt interminable to me.
A silver-haired girl in a military uniform fixed her gaze on me, her expression rare and pained: "Even you… have betrayed us?"
A petite red-haired twin-tailed girl, dual-wielding assault rifles, scowled impatiently: "I've already told you not to trust him! Stop wasting time and break through already!"
Among them, the tallest blonde girl smiled at me warmly: "Hehe~ good evening, Sensei. Didn't expect to see you in a situation like this."
"Waaah! No reminiscing right now!" another silver-haired girl, holding a golden tuna in one hand, exclaimed in panic, her predicament almost comical, "It's still slapping me!"
Clearly, the four of them were not of one mind.
Then there was the last girl, with black hair, tightly bound in the center by the others, her mouth sealed with tape. She gazed at me with watery eyes full of unspoken emotion, making muffled sobbing sounds.
…Even knowing roughly what was going on beforehand, seeing these girls and Fuuka in person made me want to press a hand to my face and sigh.
If I could, I really wouldn't want to wade into this mess.
In truth, given the Justice Task Force's strength and the participation of Tsurugi, the top fighter of Trinity, practically on par with Nero, surrounding and capturing the Gourmet Research Society should have been trivial.
The problem, however, was the sensitive timing: With the Eden Treaty about to be signed, if the Justice Task Force, one of Trinity's main armed forces, under the current Tea Party leadership, clashed with the Gehenna students, the repercussions could be severe.
Whether professionally or personally, I had no choice but to accept Hasumi's request:
Mission: Lead the Make-Up Work Club into battle under the name "Schale."
Yet I hadn't expected that the Gourmet Research Society, previously launching indiscriminate attacks and fleeing recklessly, would immediately halt upon seeing me and Hasumi, dressed in Justice Task Force uniform, standing on the same side, and respond as they did.
Even if one assumed they were already enthralled by my charm, it was still absurd.
"Ah, Sensei," Hanako asked curiously, "are they people you know?"
I twitched my face and reluctantly nodded: "…Sort of, yeah."
Hasumi recalled: "Come to think of it, a few months ago I also met them once. You were there too, Sensei. If I had known something like this would happen now, I should have given them a lesson back then!"
Indeed, at that time, Hasumi had not yet developed the current hostility toward Gehenna, and even tacitly approved the Gourmet Research Society's disciplinary actions against unscrupulous merchants.
After a brief internal sigh, I forced a smile and waved toward the Gourmet Research Society and the supply department head, once again abducted by them:
"Good evening, Haruna, Junko, Akari, Izumi, and Fuuka. What are you all doing here?"
Yet Haruna, now smiling, shook her head and replied:
"Hehe. Sensei, as our Gourmet Research Society advisor, are you really asking that?"
Ah, so it's that reason again.
As expected, Haruna passionately raised her fists: "The golden tuna, the legendary tuna, is only for display? This is an outrage against food itself! Did you hear it? Its heart screams! It doesn't want to be treated as a mere tool to make money!"
…All I could hear was the smack of the tuna tail hitting Izumi's face.
"Clearly," Haruna nodded gravely, "Its true wish is only to be cooked by an outstanding chef and eaten by us, who relentlessly pursue the pinnacle of culinary artistry!"
No way!? It's clearly struggling to escape, right!? It'd rather fall to the ground than end up in someone's stomach!?
Though I wanted to argue, they probably wouldn't listen.
"So, Sensei, it's time to make a choice. Taking such a rare ingredient without informing you is our fault… but we had actually planned to contact you once everything settled, hoping to taste the dish made from this golden tuna together with you."
Haruna looked at me earnestly, extending her invitation: "So, will you return to our side?"
Hearing such sincerity, I naturally felt a tug… Not really!
What is she even saying!? A test for Sensei!? Which Sensei could resist such a test!?
I felt even if she had unbuttoned a few buttons of her outfit, that might have been more persuasive.
While I hesitated, Akari, reading my troubled expression, smiled as usual, but feigned a sigh:
"What a pity… looks like this time we can't enjoy the meal with Sensei. We used to be so close, yet now we're on opposite sides... what a fickle twist of fate… even Fuuka almost shed tears over it."
Wasn't that because she was about to be rescued?
Besides, I'm not even that close to the Gourmet Research Society, right!?
So their "affection" for me has already gone so far they're inventing false memories… I truly am sinful…
"…No, Akari."
Haruna's expression suddenly became serious: "Thinking carefully, it's strange from the very beginning, isn't it? Everyone, do you remember the last ingredient raid in the Millennium District? Clearly, Sensei's decision now confirms what I suspected back then. Among us, there is indeed a traitor. And the identity of this Gourmet Research Society traitor… hehe, at this point, there's really no one else, right?"
At this, my expression changed slightly.
Could it be that only now has Haruna realized I was the one who notified the seminar and C&C?
I had assumed she already knew and was just playing games with me.
Yet the next moment, Haruna spun around gracefully and demanded sternly:
"Fuuka! Why did you betray us!?"
In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.
The School Lunch Club head, tightly bound and gagged, unable to speak, stared lifelessly like a dead fish.
SAUCE