In the end, Fuuka still didn't get her way and couldn't manage to take the opportunity to insist on driving.
As if realizing her own mistake, Akari suggested it would be better for Fuuka not to drive. After all, having Fuuka behind the wheel could cause unnecessary trouble or even make her look like an accomplice.
Haruna also advised Fuuka that, since she was free now and would have to work tomorrow, it was better to rest early. There was nothing else to worry about as everyone was like family, and they would take good care of sensei.
But that only made Fuuka sulk. She sat back down in the rear of the pickup, right next to me, shouting that she'd rather continue being a hostage than separate from her club's precious new ride.
I had intended to say something, but reinforcements from the Prefect Team were already closing in.
There was no time to argue, we had no choice but to accept Fuuka joining us.
About two hours passed.
Bang!
A shell hit the ground, shaking the road.
The explosion occurred just tens of meters behind the speeding pickup. Yet, amid the deafening blast, one trembling plea could still be heard:
"Haruna! Please, no matter what, just let me get out—!?"
Fuuka regretted it.
Amid the scorching heat of the explosions, Haruna pressed one hand on her military cap and casually said to Akari beside her: "Since Fuuka's cheering us on like this, let's make it even grander."
Akari nodded approvingly: "Exactly☆ Transform their support into power, then convert that into speed!"
"Are you even listening to me?! If you really can't handle it, let me drive!?"
But in the midst of this tense situation, Fuuka's compromise request was clearly impossible to fulfill.
Sitting in the corner of the pickup bed, I couldn't help but sigh.
If only we had known it would turn out like this…
Still, I understood why Fuuka's attitude had shifted. The intensity of this escape far exceeded my expectations.
Earlier, Haruna mentioned that the Hot Springs Department had detonated bombs downtown, clashing with the Prefect Team. I had thought we might take advantage of the chaos, but somehow we ended up as a third party under fire.
On one side: Gehenna's strongest and current law enforcement.
On the other: Gehenna's most chaotic armed criminal group.
Even without fully coordinating, they were enough to leave us powerless…
Honestly, surviving this long without being caught was a miracle.
Our survival was due not only to Akari's expert driving but also to the efforts of the Make-Up Work Club girls themselves.
Behind the pickup truck, a scooter that was originally lying sideways in the back of the pickup is speeding down the road, with a speed no less than that of the pickup and even greater agility.
And riding it? Hifumi.
Koharu sat behind, aiming a sniper rifle and scanning warily.
Thanks to their cooperation, they intercepted several missiles whose predicted trajectories were extremely dangerous.
They didn't stay in the pickup bed partly to disperse enemy fire and partly because the crowded space made precise maneuvers impossible.
So currently, four people were in the pickup bed: Me, Fuuka, Junko, and Izumi.
Though Haruna and Akari had initially seemed willing to abandon these two, they circled back to rescue them.
One sentence "We're best friends" was enough to move Izumi to swear she would repay the favor.
Thinking back, I suspected this rescue was improvised, an opportunistic decision after realizing the situation was turning dangerous.
Worth noting that after getting on the pickup, Junko glared at me with obvious annoyance.
Until I pulled a piece of candy from my pocket.
It was a prepared response to Junko's earlier complaint that I'd never treated her to anything nice despite knowing her so long.
The effect was remarkable.
After a moment of disbelief, Junko blushed, thanked me, and beamed as her gaze was soft and affectionate.
But just as she was about to pop the candy into her mouth, Akari slammed the brakes. The candy flew from her hand and vanished…
Yes, I had only brought one piece.
Since then, Junko had been sulking. Even while eating bread Izumi offered her, her expression was twisted.
Perhaps she had already developed feelings for me, which made losing this small gift so disheartening.
Maybe the mustard Izumi spread on the bread also contributed.
Meanwhile, Hanako and Azusa, who had been in the vehicle earlier, noticed the enemy's increasingly aggressive attack and executed a feint to draw the pursuers away, escaping from the main group. How they fared afterward was unknown.
"Sorry." While I worried, a message came from Azusa: "The feint failed, we're surrounded."
"What!?"
Hifumi shouted while narrowly dodging a sudden explosion.
"Flamethrowers from the Hot Springs Department are ahead, and the twin-tailed Prefect Team members are behind. There's no way back. Hanako and I will try to escape and meet up later. Good luck."
Azusa ended the transmission hurriedly.
"W-what!? What do we do now!?"
Koharu panicked, looking to Hifumi, who seemed dazed.
"Ugh… ugh! Ugh ugh ugh!"
At that moment, Izumi, mouth stuffed with food, having been watching the chaos behind, uttered a frantic, garbled sound.
For a brief moment, Koharu and Hifumi were startled but it was too late.
A missile with an incredibly precise angle and timing struck between the scooter and the pickup, detonating explosively.
The blast shoved the pickup violently to one side.
In the critical moment, I felt several hands grab me and hurl me out of the vehicle.
I landed safely by the roadside, protected by the Shittim Chest. Raising my head, I heard a loud crash. The Fuuka's newly purchased pickup truck had slammed into the guardrail and plunged with its passengers at least ten meters into the river below.
…They should all be able to swim, right?
Leaning on the intact guardrail, I saw Haruna's thumbs-up from below. I thought quickly, the Prefect Team should arrive at the crash site soon. We couldn't waste the sacrifice made by the Gourmet Research Society and Fuuka's truck.
Looking back after the dust settled, neither Koharu nor Hifumi could be seen.
All we could do was hope everyone stayed safe.
Brushing off dust, I pulled out my phone and followed the map alone toward the exam site.
However, when passing through a narrow alleyway said to be a shortcut, I had to stop.
Someone had already arrived at the center of the alley.
"…Hoh?"
Noticing me, the petite girl holding a map looked up, raised an eyebrow, and smiled:
"Hello there. What a coincidence."