On the next day, Madoka has already found something about the intruder she mentioned. Once again, I’m impressed by her skill in gathering information.

We gather inside my room before school starts. While eating breakfast, Madoka tells us what she found.

The intruder in question is a person called Taira Keiichi, who’s an unemployed man who got divorced by his wife 3 years ago.

According to Madoka’s investigation, he used to work as an electrician before he got fired for drinking at work. Since then, his violent outbursts towards his wife, which was already terrible to begin with, got even worse. His wife finally had it and left him for good. Ever since then, he had been living all by himself in a tiny apartment at the outskirt of Shibuya.

Taira was infamous for being a person with a short fuse. Literally anything and everything gets on his nerves, and that’s before he’s drunk. Due to his bad temper, people tend to avoid him like a plague. His fellow tenants. His ex-wife. His family members. Even his landlord, who already gave up on getting rent from him.

Which is why it took people more than a week to notice that he’s gone.

‘Prior to his disappearance, he was always seen wandering around the busy city of Shibuya rudely accosting passers-by and demanding small change from them.’ Madoka reports. ‘Even so, no one suspects anything when he stopped appearing.’

I shrug. ‘Maybe he looks way too similar with hundreds of homeless people who’re also in the area. They probably all look the same to normal, working citizens.’

‘Speaking of homeless people, there were 42 of them who went missing these past 3 months. Not just Shibuya, but Tokyo, Harajuku and other places with lots of homeless.’

‘Did you manage to find out where they went?’ Ichika asks.

Madoka shakes her head. ‘Their traces vanished completely. It’s like they never existed. There were no witnesses who saw them being taken, as well.’

‘But, that is impossible! No one can just disappear just like that!’

‘Unless they got taken by Destroyers.’ Mashiro suggests.

‘It weren’t Destroyers.’ Madoka says. ‘I’ve scanned the area where they went missing. No portal was opened.’

‘Hold on.’ I interrupt. ‘I feel bad for them too, but how is it related to the case we’re investigating?’

‘The thing is, I found out that all 42 of them have bought medicines at Yamagata Pharmacy, just like Taira did.’

‘And all of them disappeared right after they bought it?’

‘Not immediately. It varied from 7 to 10 days, give and take. At least, that’s what their neighbours said.’

‘Did they suffer the same symptoms as Taira?’

‘They did. Their neighbours often heard them suffering from headaches, fever and other minor sickness. The irony is, some of those medicines they bought are supposed to cure the diseases that they’re suffering from. Instead of curing it, it got worse instead.’

‘These 42 people can’t be the only ones who bought something from the Yamagata Pharmacy, right? I mean, there are lots of other stores around, but there’s bound to be some who also went there.’

‘There are.’ Madoka affirms. ‘After all, Yamagata Pharmacy never turns away customers, no matter how ragged they’re dressed up. More than half of those I interviewed went there at least once and got something. However, nothing has happened to them.’

‘Do those people still have some of those medicines with them?’

‘They did. I took back some and have them examined by the Research Department. They were just regular medicine.’

It’s pretty obvious at this point, but Yamagata Pharmacy is definitely suspicious. Based on what happened to Taira, they’re probably running an experiment to produce some sort of enhanced humans. They can’t kidnap random pedestrians, so they add in…whatever that caused Taira to become mutated inside assorted medicine and sell them to unsuspecting customers.

Of course, those customers can’t be regular people. They have to be someone insignificant enough so that the majority of society won’t care should they start to disappear. And so, jobless people like Taira and those squatters are chosen.

Or, my imagination is just going crazy.

I mean, they’re already using an expandable group. Why let them wander around and risk having their experiment found out? Look what Taira did. There’s only so much you can cover up with your authority.

‘By the way, where did Yamagata Pharmacy get their medicines from? Do they have their own labs?’ I ask.

‘No, they got it from Ryuuouji Bio Lab.’

Ryuuouji Bio Lab. It all makes sense now.

I’ve told you all way back in Chapter 1 that a terrible tragedy happened in Season 3 of the original anime. Well, Ryuuouji Bio Lab is partly to blame for it.

On the surface, it’s one of the top names when it comes to producing medicines. It’s also a pioneer for producing cure for 6 different types of cancers.

The founder, Ryuuouji Tatsuma, a man already in his 60s, believed in the endless possibilities of humans and is determined to find methods in helping us to evolve, no matter the cost.

As long as the cost does not involve him, that is.

For the past decades, he and his crew of scientists had been conducting experiments on human subjects. Supposedly, these human subjects are being experimented on out of their own accord, and they are treated in a humane way. I said supposedly because no outsider is ever allowed to watch how they conduct these experiments.

No matter the truth, the scientists are being backed by most governments around the world, so they continue to exist until now, never mind that the death counts of the failed experiments have reached tens of thousands.

When Lost Children obtained Excalibur in the original anime, they contacted Ryuuouji and struck a deal with him. Now that they got the Sword of the Saviour with them, they can brainwash countless people that they’re the new saviour of mankind. Those brainwashed people will then do anything their “saviour” tell them to do, including taking on the role of a test subject. In return, Ryuuouji is to share any test subjects who’re successfully enhanced with Lost Children.

Blinded with the promise of countless test subjects and fame that the experiments will bring him, Ryuuouji agreed to the deal. As a result, millions of people were turned into lab rats.

To stop the crazy elderly mad scientist, Madoka was ordered to assassinate him. Yuuji caught wind of it and tried to stop her. They had a dramatic battle, which Yuuji emerging as the victor. After that, it’s the usual annoying preaching that you shouldn’t kill someone just because you’re ordered to, blah, blah, blah.

In the end, Madoka teamed up with Yuuji and his harem to stop Ryuuouji without killing him. They had lots of battle with Ryuuouji’s failed and successful test subjects and even some members of Lost Children. However, they prevailed nonetheless, thanks to Yuuji’s power of shounen protagonist and plot armor. The damage was already done, but at least Ryuuouji and his crazy team of scientists were stopped, and Excalibur were kept inside the Academy’s vault after Yuuji obtained it from one of Lost Children’s executive. That’s the entirety of Season 3.

We’ve secured Excalibur way back in Season 1, which is why I no longer consider Ryuuouji Bio Lab as a threat. I should have known better than to underestimate the ambition of a mad scientist.

There’s one more thing. Assaf-sensei flinched a bit when the name of the lab was mentioned.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

‘Assaf-sensei, you got your bodies from them, didn’t you?’ I guess from her reaction.

The other girls stare at her in surprise, even Madoka. Assaf-sensei was quiet at first, but speaks up anyway in the end.

‘That’s right.’

‘I should have known. I doubt any other facility could give a body as realistic as yours.’

‘Wait. How do you know that her body is realistic, Akira?’ Ichika asks.

Assaf-sensei answered before I could.

‘Oh, we had a passionate exchange in the infirmary-’

‘By hugging each other. I felt her body warmth and her heartbeat.’ I add by using a monotone voice.

‘We had another exchange in this very room-’

‘We kissed. Her lips felt very real.’

‘And speaking of real, I was told that milks will come out of these babies if I got pregnant.’ Assaf-sensei says out of nowhere while lifting up her breasts.

‘Sensei, could you stop that? Mashiro and Yui are dying over there.’

Assaf-sensei smiled sympathetically at them and did as I asked.

‘On that note, I’m very curious as to how far of their statements ring true. Akira-kun, could you be a dear and help me with making a bab-’

‘All joking aside,’ I interrupt. ‘The lab is definitely behind all these incidents. I doubt that sensei’s testimony alone is enough to get them into trouble, since sensei herself has a troublesome past.’

‘I could sneak inside their main lab and get some samples of those dangerous medicines.’ Madoka suggests.

‘It will be difficult.’ Ichika warns. ‘You may already know this, but you will be prosecuted if you are caught, since the lab is approved by the local government.’

‘No problem. I’ve been to worse places than a science lab.’

‘Hold on. Don’t take risks if you don’t have to.’ I say to Madoka. ‘I’m pretty sure Yamagata Pharmacy will have some of those medicines left. You could get those and expose both groups at once.’

Madoka looks disappointed. Clearly, she was excited on breaking into the lab, which is rumored to be one of the most highly-secured places in the world.

Which reminds me, she had a weird look on her face when she was infiltrating the lab where Ryuuouji was in the original anime. Looking at her now, it must be an expression of excitement.

I look at the time. School’s about to start, so we quickly finish our breakfast and head for school. The discussion would have to be continued on our LINE group.

Thankfully, the first few lessons of the day are taught by Assaf-sensei, so we can be overlooked for not paying attention in class and tapping away at our phones.

‘Here’s a thought, Madoka. Instead of sneaking into one of Ryuuouji’s labs, you could first find some of those contaminated medicine inside one of the Yamagata Pharmacy branches. It’s much easier and safer that way.’ me

‘Will they be that foolish to just have those medicines laying around?’ Ichika

‘True. They would have been long caught if they were that careless.’ Sakuya

‘I’m not sure. For all we know, they already got their quota on their test subjects and already got rid of the medicines. But it’s better to try the safer way first.’ me

‘Alright. I’ll do just that. I guess around midnight is the best time to sneak in.’ Madoka

‘But, which branch are you infiltrating, Kojima-san? There’s quite a lot of them.’ Yui

‘I’ll ask my teammates at the Information Squad for help. We’ll be searching all of them.’ Madoka

‘Wait, how will you know which medicine is problematic, and which isn’t?’ me

‘The Research Department will have something.’ Madoka

Ah yes, the ever helpful Research Department. Speaking of them, Ueno messaged me that the adjustments on my ring is finally over. I should head over one of these days.

‘Just be careful, okay?’ me

‘Don’t worry. I’m always careful.’ Madoka

Now that the discussion’s over, I put my phone away. Just because my teacher’s also my girlfriend, it doesn’t mean that I can be excused from listening to lessons.

The class before lunch is PE. Usually, I don’t really mind PE, but today, we’re playing dodgeball. And dodgeball means Oomori.

‘YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! DODGEBALL! MY TIME HAS COME!’ Oomori shouts at a volume that can probably be heard by the whole school.

The rest of us sigh in dismay. This is not going to end well.

‘Yamada-sensei, can I be the captain of one of the teams? Can I can I can I? Preeeeeeeeety please?’ Oomori keeps on begging our PE teacher.

‘All right all right! Yes you may! Just, keep your distance from me!’

‘Oops. Sorry about that, sensei!’ Oomori apologizes while doing a ‘tee-hee!’ pose.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ I mumble to Yui.

Oomori points her finger at me.

‘Kagenashi-kun, you’re the captain of the second team, got it? You don’t have the right to refuse!’

I let out a long sigh. ‘I stand corrected.’

Next, we’re to choose our team members. There are 24 students in Class 2, so no one will be the odd one out. Oomori gets to choose first, and she immediately picks Yui.

‘Mwahahaha! Now that I have a hostage, let’s see how you’ll fare!’ Oomori laughs diabolically.

‘I’m sorry, Akira-kun. I wanted to be on the same team with you, but Saya-chan picked me first.’ Yui says guiltily.

‘It’s fine, Yui. Let’s just do our best with no holds barred.’ I tell her.

‘Okay.’

Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that no one in the class made a fuss when Yui and I start calling each other with our first name. I was at least expecting Miyahara and Takayama to tease us, since Oomori and I teased them before.

Anyway, it’s my turn to choose, and I choose Miyahara to be in my team. On the other hand, Oomori chooses Takayama.

‘...Oomori, are you into soap dramas or something?’ I couldn’t help but ask her.

She looks at me in surprise.

‘How did you know that, Kagenashi-kun?’

‘Just my gut feeling.’

Meanwhile...

‘Shizuku, oh Shizuku! Fate is indeed a cruel mistress! To think that I would have to face my beloved at a battlefield!’ Miyahara says dramatically.

Takayama sobs loudly.

‘Isao, my darling! No matter the outcome, know that I will still love you!’

‘Shizuku!’

‘Isao!’

‘Hey Arima, mind joining my team?’ I ask my former teacher in magic while pointedly ignoring the unfolding drama.

‘Of course.’

Oomori then chooses Shimazaki. As expected, most of the girls in the class wants to join Oomori’s team. I patiently wait for them to calm down before I continue.

Before long, everyone in the class belongs to a team. It’s finally time for the match to begin.

When Yamada-sensei shouts ‘Go!’, those of us at the front dashes forward to try and grab the 4 balls that were placed in the middle of the court. Oomori, Yui, Takayama and I are the ones who got them.

‘...Miyahara, you slowed down on purpose, didn’t you?’ I accuse him.

‘I can’t help it! Shizuku was right in front of me.’

I toss my ball to him without looking. ‘Whatever. Just make this count.’

‘Right.’

Right on cue, the 5 seconds is up, and Yamada-sensei tells us so.

Oomori immediately takes up a throwing stance.

‘TAAAAAAAAAKE TH-’

‘Here you go, Akira-kun.’ Yui tosses her ball at me so softly I could catch it with my eyes closed.

Oomori’s stance crumbles when she witnesses the betrayal.

‘What are you doing, Yui?’ Oomori is almost screaming.

‘I’m sorry, Saya-chan. I just can’t do it if Akira-kun’s my opponent.’

Oomori covers her face with her arm, since she’s holding the ball with the other. ‘I can’t believe I let a spy into my team…’

Miyahara uses this chance to throw the ball at her. Oomori dodges the ball by just slightly bending her waist. Without looking. Fortunately, the ball still hits a guy from her team. I think his name was Tsubata.

Takayama throws her ball. Whoever the target was, she missed by a mile.

‘Don’t mind it, Shizuku! There’s always next time!’ Miyahara says to Takayama.

‘Okay! Thank you for your encouragement, Isao!’

I do a face palm. ‘I know your pain, Oomori.’

‘Oh, forget it. I’ll do this myself!’

Oomori throws her ball hard. It hits Aokawa. It then ricochets and hits Sakuma. Like a true athlete, Oomori doesn’t gloat. She’s too busy on concentrating.

As I thought, we need to take down Oomori as soon as possible if we want to win.

The match then goes off rapidly. I find myself enjoying it, even though some evil corporations are probably out messing with the general public right now.

In the end, it’s down to Oomori and I. On a side note, Miyahara and Takayama committed double suicide by throwing their ball at each other.

‘Well, it’s just you and me, Kagenashi-kun! I couldn’t hope for a better showdown than this! Time for my revenge!’

‘May the best athlete wins.’ I simply say.

‘Likewise! And if I win, you’ll join the dodgeball club!’

‘Whoa there, what?’

‘And if you win, you’ll get 2 tickets to eat Pied Piper’s special parfait!’

That makes me hesitate. Pied Piper is a very famous ice cream shop that most girls in the school couldn’t stop talking about. Rumor has it that their parfait is out of this world, and only chosen customers get to eat them. Somehow, Oomori got 2 of their tickets. I would love to bring one of my girls there.

‘...Fine.’

‘It’s a deal, then. Now prepar-’

I look to my left. ‘Oh look, a corgi.’

Oomori’s neck turns faster than lightning.

‘WHERE?’

In that split second, I was already aiming my ball at her stomach. I see Takayama who’s at the back is opening her mouth, probably trying to warn Oomori. Unfortunately, it’s already too late. The ball I throw hits her stomach with a soft ‘thud.’

The ball falls and bounces a few times before rolling away.

Oomori turns back her head in shock.

‘Well, thanks for the good game.’ I say.

The whole stadium didn’t erupt in applauds and cheering, but my teammates did come and pat my back and tell me good job and other words of congrats.

Meanwhile, Oomori is busy pouting.

‘That’s not fair~! I shouldn’t have told you about Norio~!’ she complains while stomping her feet.

For those of you who’re curious, Oomori’s a huge dog lover, especially when it comes to corgi. She has a corgi named Norio at her house. She has white fur with a square black spot at her forehead, hence her name.

I simply shrug. ‘I may not sleep well tonight, but a win is a win.’

‘Yeah, you’re right. It’s my own fault for getting distracted. Anyway, I’ll give you the tickets when we go back to our classroom, okay?’

‘Sure. No need to rush.’

Now that PE is over, all of us hit the shower and change back into our uniforms. Once we’re back at our classroom, Oomori hands me the tickets as promised.

I look at the date. It’s 12 days away. I just hope no emergency will occur on that day.

‘Well, a deal is a deal. You have fun on that day!’ Oomori tells me.

‘Yeah, thanks.’

Strange. I was expecting her to say ‘Have fun with Yui!’. Well, it’s not a guarantee that I’ll be bringing her, but our gang pretty much sees Yui and I as an item. I’m not gonna ask, though, since I’ll just be digging my own grave.

Everything is the usual after this. The usual lunch at the rooftop, more lessons, going back to the dorm after school’s over, shopping for ingredients, cooking and eating dinner.

After a long wait, the time is finally 12:00am. It’s time for Madoka and the Information Squad to move out.