After quelling the commotion on the beach, I returned to the command room with Iori and Chinatsu.
Although we had achieved a temporary victory, the girls' expressions were even more serious than during the battle.
"Even though it's all handled," Iori said in a deep voice, "both the delinquent gang and the Helmet Gang seem to be just the vanguard."
Chinatsu nodded.
"In other words, what we just faced was only a skirmish. The real full-scale war in four hours will gather far more people than just now…"
And that's not even counting the Gehenna students who, having seen the news, would come running just for the spectacle.
The level of trouble we just handled already required my command to overcome, given that the Prefect Team currently lacked Hina and Ako.
Four hours from now, during the final showdown…
"Looks like the scale will be huge," Chinatsu suggested.
"Maybe we should report to the President…?"
I hesitated.
"But the true purpose of this operation is to let Hina rest properly, right? If we report to her, she'll just switch back to work mode."
Iori sighed.
"That's true. But if the scale we just faced was only a skirmish, it's indeed worrisome. And Ako doesn't look like she'll be back anytime soon…"
"At this point, there's no other choice," Chinatsu said, pulling out her phone.
"I'll contact the President now—"
"Wait a—"
"Please wait!!!"
Ako's projection appeared before us, shouting so loudly it drowned out my interruption. Her expression was stern, teeth clenched.
"Even though the Pandemonium Society interfered at the worst possible moment… I will not give up! We finally brought President Hina to the beach, and we won't let a small obstacle ruin that!"
With that, she waved her hand dramatically.
"The intelligence department has investigated the delinquent gang and Helmet Gang gathered on the coast. The data has been organized, and I'll send the relevant files immediately."
Almost as soon as she spoke, I received the files she sent.
Listening to Ako's explanation, I quickly skimmed through the materials, my expression growing increasingly strange.
"The delinquent gang calls themselves the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang, recently arrived in Gehenna. They used to operate in the No-Man's Shore area near Trinity but were defeated by other forces. The remnants have gathered at Alaba Beach."
No wonder they seemed familiar…
I almost wondered if all the non-Helmet delinquent girls along the coasts of all Kivotos wore the same style of swimsuit.
Yes, this was also part of Lord Faust's scheme, indirectly affecting Hina's rest.
"On the other side is the Splash Helmet Gang, a long-standing problem-child group in the slums near the hotel. Their scale, equipment, and numbers have all been fully analyzed. Based on this, I'll skip to the conclusion."
Ako paused briefly, then resolutely said.
"Operations continue. Do not report to the President; we'll handle this ourselves!"
Iori hesitated.
"Are you sure this is okay…?"
Chinatsu said nothing, but her expression clearly showed she thought this was reckless.
Yet Ako, as the Prefect Team's administrator, wasn't just speaking on impulse.
At least, not this time.
"If we follow the schedule, President Hina will begin her walking training in four hours," Ako explained.
"However, the full-scale battle is also scheduled for four hours from now. Therefore, the focus of our preparations shouldn't be then; we need to defeat both sides beforehand!"
Iori remained unconvinced.
"Even so, can we really handle it alone?"
"No, it's not about whether we can, it MUST be handled so it doesn't become a problem!" Ako went into her usual dramatic speech.
"If we don't do this, Kivotos will be ruined!"
"That's a bit exaggerated… but I'll do my best," I replied.
Ako nodded in satisfaction.
"Then Iori, take the delinquent gang. Chinatsu, handle the Helmet Gang. Divide the Prefect Team members on standby in the hotel accordingly. Meanwhile, sensei, continue to accompany the President."
"Ah?" I said dryly.
"That doesn't seem right."
Leaving the other students to handle the fight while I'm alone with Hina in the hotel room…
That's way too exciting.
Although I wanted to agree immediately, I had to maintain my dignified image, so I offered a polite excuse first.
Ako wrinkled her nose.
"What's wrong with that? Sensei, everyone is working so hard for the President. Are you, as an adult, really going to shirk your responsibility over a trivial obstacle?"
Clearly, she was emotionally worked up, and her tone, besides showing dissatisfaction, carried a hint of grievance.
Even before I could speak, the girls who secretly liked me began to protest on my behalf.
Chinatsu sighed.
"Administrator, that's a bit too much…"
"Yeah, Ako," Iori added,
"Sensei is probably just worried that without his command, we might encounter trouble we can't handle again, like just now."
…Exactly! Iori is right! That's exactly what I was thinking!
Ako blushed and stammered, still trying to maintain her pride.
"I-I know that! But right now, only sensei can watch over the President! If the President notices this commotion, she'll start working again, and all our efforts will be wasted! Sensei, you're not going to just stand by, right?"
With it phrased that way, how could I refuse?
Besides, I hadn't intended to refuse.
"Sigh…" I looked up at the ceiling and muttered,
"Ako, you really make things hard for me."
"That's a strange way to put it. You've agreed to stay in the room with the President, right?"
I nodded.
"Yes. But just to be safe, I actually had an idea beforehand."
Upon hearing that, Ako urged me.
"Don't keep us in suspense! Just say it!"
I smiled faintly.
"Have you forgotten the scope of Schale's authority?"
In short.
If the Prefect Team can't handle it without Hina, why not just bring in more students?