Desperately, we ran with every ounce of strength we had, even from when we were still wet behind the ears, and somehow succeeded in reaching the deck without a single break. The FOX Squad must have braced themselves for death, but I’d wager they had no desire to be sunk to the bottom of the sea either.

When we finally made it to the deck, the sight of evacuees all wearing yellow life vests struck a familiar chord within me… It felt like seeing a box full of chicks in front of my school back in childhood.

After that, we called the nearest Aigis ship through Nereus’s captain, just in case of a possible explosion. It made sense to evacuate the people here to another academy ship for safety.

It wasn’t long after we called for the Aigis that…

KWA-BOOM———!!!

An explosion erupted from the hull, rapidly spreading to the engine room and leaving the Nereus in ruins.

I never once imagined I’d witness such a large-scale catastrophe in my lifetime, yet here I was in Kivotos experiencing it firsthand. How utterly unpleasant.

On second thought, this wasn’t merely witnessing; it was living through it. Truly, I had no breathing room.

Fortunately, there were no major casualties. At most, someone might have bumped their head during the explosion or gotten buried in the crowd. In terms of Kivotos, it was a mere minor injury.

However, from the perspective of those living on this academy ship, it wasn’t something to be grateful for at all.

First of all, the moment all the containers were sunk, they incurred astronomical losses.

Plus, they’d now have to forcibly relocate to another ship due to losing their home.

They needed someone to blame.

And who better to blame than the only obvious choice? However, not a single person recognized Wakamo, who was just soaked and wearing a life vest after taking off her mask.

This was partly because we still hadn’t restrained Wakamo.

“I never imagined it would result in something like this,” she said.

“Everyone says that after making an unmanageable mistake,” I replied.

“…Well, yes. That’s true. It’s all because I foolishly fell for it,” she admitted.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Wakamo would even reflect on this incident. Regardless of the seriousness of the situation, I found myself curious about her fate.

If it were a typical act of destruction, Wakamo would have surely found no reason to repent. However, the weight of a whole academy ship being wiped off the map because she was deceived and used was no light matter. More than that, the fact that people nearly died because of her choice must have hit her harder.

…It’s not easy to say this in Kivotos, but in my opinion, the fact that no one died was almost miraculous.

The atmosphere on the life raft between the FOX Squad and Wakamo was tense, but the stifling air brought on by the disaster kept them from arguing.

“I’m not going to tell you you’re not responsible, Wakamo-chan. I can’t lie about that, nor do I want to. Of course, not all the blame falls on you, but every negative emotion those people should have felt since the moment you took over this academy ship was sparked by your choices. Keep that in mind.”

“…I won’t deny it. It shouldn’t have happened. Yes, I fully acknowledge my huge responsibility in this incident. But I also feel a bit… unfair—Aah?!”

“Yep, reflect again!”

“My hands are too stingy…”

Wakamo appeared to be much sturdier than Seiya, which perhaps made the hits pack a good punch.

Why on earth did Hina have to make our Seiya into a frail, sickly girl…!

Putting that aside, I hope Wakamo can redeem herself through this incident.

Did the teacher say there’s always a next opportunity for students? Unfortunately, I also believe there are cases where that just isn’t allowed.

If a minor’s crime isn’t properly corrected, it can continue into adulthood. That’s why schools teach morals and ethics from a young age.

From my standards, Wakamo’s actions came precariously close to being serious. In Kivotos, where destruction and chaos are everyday life, the acceptable threshold is very generous.

Perhaps the only thing to consider is Wakamo’s claim that she was merely used.

But Wakamo is already on the verge of adulthood. She is, after all, the oldest out of everyone here.

So I can’t accept her attempting to justify herself. At her age, she needs to learn to take responsibility for her actions.

“Do you know that thinking it’s unfair when you make a mistake weakens your sense of guilt? Rather than saying it’s unfair, strive to be someone who can genuinely reflect on their wrongdoings.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t be the one to receive your apology regarding this incident… but I guess I’ll have to accept it, since I’ve got my share of it too.”

Honestly speaking, is accepting an apology and eight light taps on the head reasonable after this much trouble? Even I think it’s the definition of being a pushover.

“Anyway… there’s something I want to ask Wakamo-chan.”

“That would, of course, concern who is behind this incident… right?”

“Oh, I had a hunch at least.”

“…Really, Misono Mika?”

Yukino was startled to hear my answer. It seems she reached a similar conclusion during the operation.

“Yeah. The only ones with any motivation to pull this off are Kaiser Corporation. They proposed to be a sponsor for this summer festival, but I turned them down. While it’s rather thin motivation… if it’s Kaiser, it’s not entirely out of the question. Wakamo-chan’s words also reinforced that certainty.”

Wakamo definitely mentioned that she had been deceived by a bunch of scrap cans.

In Kivotos, ‘scrap cans’ refers to robots. The only company operating robots that could pull off such a feat would undoubtedly be Kaiser Corporation.

“According to what you said, this incident indeed seems like a retaliatory terror act from Kaiser. However, I only remember two relevant motivations from them.”

I can’t just sit back and allow you to meddle with our affairs.

It wouldn’t hurt to bundle up those annoying pests and deal with them at once.

As Wakamo’s words sank in, both Yukino and I fell into thought.

…Does the first one refer to me? Refusing the sponsor efforts seems hardly meddling. Did I ever meddle in Kaiser’s operations? I’m not sure.

Hmm, perhaps Abydos? If the man in the Black Suit did mention anything connected to me… that’s a plausible hypothesis.

Even if it wasn’t a detailed account, if the Black Suit mentioned that I was supporting Abydos in passing, it could serve as adequate motivation to tie that refusal into launching terror at the festival.

“Well… the part about bundling up troublesome pests might have been referring to us. As we execute the Student Council President’s orders, we often get entangled with Kaiser. I mean, the SRT made its name known in Kivotos by neutralizing the thermobaric bomb meant for ballistic missiles stored in Kaiser Industry’s factory.”

After hearing Niko’s words, I saw that it somewhat aligned with what I had in mind.

“If they got wind of the FOX Squad being on standby at the festival venue… Yeah, if a big incident were to occur nearby, they might conclude you’re likely to intervene. I think we’re starting to see the picture, right?”

If we assume that targeting the festival venue for bombing only serves to strike me while also busying my hands for cleaning up, leaving me with no chance to attend to Abydos.

And with the FOX Squad getting involved, they might have thought of transforming this academy ship into a giant trap. If they sent reinforcements to subdue Wakamo, then it goes without saying that FOX Squad would be the top candidate.

They likely couldn’t have imagined I’d be stepping foot on that academy ship hand in hand with the FOX Squad.

Neutralizing the Student Council President’s hounds and sending an academy’s head to the bottom. While the processes of both tasks might be similar, the outcomes and aftermaths are on completely different scales, so Kaiser would have to tread more cautiously.

“The issue, however, lies not in the idea of turning the Nereus into a trap but rather how they dragged us along to this point. The only reason we were able to obtain prior information about the terror was due to the Onsen Development Department being involved…”

“Oh, that part was my own unilateral decision, unrelated to Kaiser. Nothing beats having an insider as an ally.”

“…Ah.”

That means the possibility of the Onsen Development Department colluding with Kaiser is out.

Kaiser’s intended plan must have involved the takeover of Wakamo’s academy ship followed by bombing it… then quickly dispatching the FOX Squad to the festival site to deal with them, sending both Wakamo and the academy ship to the ocean floor simultaneously.

Cutting off potential interference while eliminating troublesome FOX Squad members and silencing collaborator Wakamo in one swift stroke—what a convenient scheme.

“…We need to discuss this matter with the Student Council President, the Odyssey side, and me through a triad meeting.”

Odyssey must be compensated for the material losses they incurred.

The Student Council President has to deal with the uppity Kaiser power.

And I, being the key player who can provide the excuse of ‘terror targeting the student council president of one academy’ to apply strong pressure on Kaiser, should join forces to confront them.

Ugh, I feel like losing my mind. Why on earth does this keep escalating in complexity?