Having successfully met at the entrance, the girls from the Make-Up Work Club and I quickly located the exact position of the exam site.
As we looked around the abandoned building, Hifumi suddenly noticed a problem: "Ah… what about the exam papers? Will anyone be bringing them…?"
"No, looks like no one is coming," Azusa said calmly. "But it seems everything has already been prepared."
She immediately began scanning the surroundings and soon spotted something unusual.
"…It's this."
Azusa parted the weeds and picked up a shell from a corner.
Hanako was the first to lean in, curious: "Is this… a dud?"
"It's a warhead for an L118 towed howitzer. Probably used for dropping leaflets. To prevent detonation, the fuse and explosives have been removed."
"I see… the L118 is for the tea party… so this was prepared by Nagisa-sama, right?"
I glanced at Hifumi, who remained calm.
A few months ago, when Hifumi had asked Nagisa for help with the Abydos incident, it seemed Nagisa had lent her this exact model.
And now, it reappeared in an exam designed to force the Make-Up Work Club members to fail. Why did I feel this was so ironic?
"There should be something inside. Let's open it."
With a click, Azusa opened the shell.
"Ah, there's paper inside…" Hifumi realized. "So this is the exam paper!"
Azusa retrieved four sheets of paper and another object. "No damage detected. This… is a communicator?"
No sooner had she said that than the communicator projected an image.
On the screen was a graceful girl in white, smiling: "…If you're seeing this, it means you've arrived safely."
"Nagisa… Nagisa-sama!?" Hifumi gasped.
Koharu, a newcomer to the Justice Task Force who had never met the tea party host, blinked: "Eh? This is the tea party's host…?"
I watched Nagisa quietly, but she didn't even glance at me, clearly still angry.
"Hehe… I can hear your resentment. But this is just a recording, so I can't hear you in real time. Which means speaking to me is pointless."
…Ahem. She didn't even provide a live comm device, which only confirmed my deduction.
Perhaps she was hiding under the covers, remembering my harsh words from earlier and shedding tears, too embarrassed to appear.
"Now, take the exam within the scheduled time, and then come back."
Nagisa, exuding her elegant, highborn demeanor, continued: "I'll be watching via the monitors, so don't forget that… Good luck, Make-Up Work Club students."
She added slowly, enunciating each word: "Please be careful."
With a beep, the recording ended.
"Something about that last line feels… like there's more to it," Hanako murmured, frowning and looking uneasy.
If I hadn't struck a deal with Kasumi, the Hot Spring Department Club might have arrived as the Make-Up Work Club students were just beginning the exam, starting their excavation right there.
Even so, given the Make-Up Work Club's current level, there was no way all of them could reach the 90-point passing line if the exam scope was tripled…
Kirifuji Nagisa, your decisiveness is ruthless.
I smirked inwardly, outwardly composed, watching the girls enter the building, while I pulled out my phone outside.
Fortunately, Nagisa hadn't deleted me or blocked me.
She, who prided herself on composure and intelligence, wouldn't stoop to that.
Me: My dear princess, are you watching right now?
Of course, no reply.
Me: Even though you turned most of your threats into reality, the Make-Up Work Club still made it here through their own effort.
Me: They probably won't pass this time, but I believe that even under such harsh conditions, they will be able to pass with dignity.
Me: …Honestly, I didn't think you'd go this far.
Me: Still, your methods stayed within the rules. At least you didn't resort to dirty tricks, I'm relieved.
Finally, Nagisa couldn't resist.
Mainly because she had actually tried a dirty trick.
Nagisa: After what happened today, I'm surprised you still had the leisure to talk to me.
Nagisa: Want to make peace? Hehe… unless, Sensei, you give up on the Make-Up Work Club, don't get any ideas.
Why does it feel like the one desperate to reconcile, even imagining unrealistic things, isn't me?
Me: Then I guess there's nothing more to say.
Nagisa: That's my line.
Me: You're right. Go get some rest.
And so, a brief conversation ended.
With flawless composure, I managed to aggravate the increasingly unhinged Nagisa, feeling thoroughly satisfied, and then patiently waited outside the exam site.
When five minutes remained until the exam ended, I received a Momotalk message.
Kasumi: Hahaha! We've reached the limit! It's coming!
Kasumi: Three minutes until the explosion, covering the entire street.
Kasumi: Run!
Upon receiving this, I grabbed the shell and rushed inside, shouting to the girls furiously writing or thinking: "Situation change! Hand in your papers early!"
"Eh!? But I still have…"
"I know," Azusa said calmly, standing to place her paper inside the shell I held, followed by Hanako and Hifumi.
Finally, Koharu bit her lip and did the same but tears immediately welled up.
"I was so close… just a little more and I could have done it… just a tiny bit more…"
The girl wiped her tears, frustrated.
But I couldn't comfort her now: "All of you, get out, leave this street, now. Immediately."
Hanako reacted quickly; Azusa faithfully executed my instructions, leading Hifumi and Koharu away.
Alone in the empty classroom, I screwed the shell tight again, lifted it high, then gently set it down.
I took out my phone and saw Nagisa send a string of ellipses.
Me: Too bad. I win this round.
Nagisa: No. You cannot change the outcome.
Me: Heh… perhaps.
At that moment, there was no time to argue. My only task was to place the shell containing the Make-Up Work Club exam papers somewhere it wouldn't be affected by the explosion, while also proving it hadn't been opened again.
Given the exam rules, this building certainly had at least one spot meeting both conditions.
Me: Now, tell me the location of the cameras.