CHAPTER 14 – THE THREE IDIOTS

LYSANDER FARADEISS

Hiraya's brows furrowed in bewilderment as the public address system crackled to life. She wasted no time and swiftly projected a vivid, three-dimensional model of the main school building, her fingers dancing in the air to construct it. Her thoughts took shape in words, spoken aloud.

"The P.A. Room is just below us," Hiraya pondered, her voice carrying a note of concern. Her elven ears quivered with apprehension as she listened closely, then continued, her voice tense. "I'm hearing five different sets of heavy footsteps approaching this floor. This is a dire situation."

My frustration mounted, disbelief gnawing at me. We had only been monitoring the movements of the terrorist knight and dragonoid a few minutes ago, yet now they had gained complete control of the school grounds, eluding our vigilance.

"How could they act so swiftly?" I questioned, my fists clenching in anger. "It's been barely ten minutes."

Hiraya rested a contemplative finger on her chin, her gaze dropping to the floor. "There's only one explanation: This invasion is an inside job. It's likely that some students or even staff were complicit. If they managed to seize the school without raising an alarm, the terrorists must have been connected to this campus all along."

"Perhaps," I conceded, my voice tinged with uncertainty. "There are indeed many dragonoid students in this school, so it's a possibility."

Hiraya's expression turned serious as she admonished me, her tone firm. "Don't be prejudiced, Lysander. Just because they are dragonoids doesn't automatically mean they support Neo Arcadia. I know plenty of them who are staunchly against the terrorists."

My fists clenched tighter, and I spoke through gritted teeth. "I apologize, but it's difficult for me to trust dragonoids."

Hiraya fell silent for a moment, her golden eyes fixed on me, assessing, rather than hostile. Her gaze held a sense of pity as she forced a smile and began to close the map.

"Listen, I understand there might be a history between you and the terrorists," she began, her tone softening. "But you'll soon discover that not all dragonoids are evil. In fact, some of them are my dearest friends."

A sudden, thunderous burst of machine gun fire ripped through the campus, the echoing reports shaking us to our core. The deafening sound reverberated within the confines of the school, and from the echoes, it was unmistakably originating from this very floor. I instinctively moved to position myself at the door, ready for what was to come, but Hiraya swiftly raised her hand, silently urging me to stay composed.

With a slow, ominous creak, the doorknob turned, and the door inched open, revealing three female students, their irises aglow with a crimson hue—a clear sign of dragonoids. Blood smeared across their faces, but they appeared unharmed.

"Sorry we're late, Vice President," the dragonoid girl with long red hair and a muscular build apologized. "We had a bit of a warm-up session with the terrorists wielding assault rifles."

"Um, so the information about the terrorist attack on this school is accurate?" inquired the dragonoid girl with long black hair and a plump physique.

"Fantastic, so Neo Arcadia is upon us," commented the slender dragonoid girl with long brown hair, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "Now my hair is all stained with blood. Are we going to keep on fighting on close range? Because it's not my specialty."

"D-Dragonoids?" I stammered in surprise.

Hiraya stepped forward, her smile unwavering, and began introducing me to her friends one by one.

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"Girls, this charming fellow is Lysander. He's the one who provided the intel about the terrorist attack today. He's a bit peculiar and tends to have digestive issues, but he's a good person," she said, her words carrying a reassuring tone.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Lysander!" the red-haired girl exclaimed, extending a sweaty hand for a handshake. "I'm Kate. I'm a lesbian, but Vice Prez here won't let me cut my hair. My pronouns are they or them."

I shook Kate's hand, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity. "Y-Yeah, nice to meet you, Mis- I mean, Sir? Should I address you as Mister?"

"As long as you don't call me Miss or Ma'am, that's fine," Kate replied with a smile, putting me at ease despite the tension in the air.

The next girl extended her hand, a sense of regal poise radiating from her every move. "Hello, I am Charlotte. You should address me as 'Your Royal Highness' in public. Only Vice Prez is permitted to use my name."

"O-Okay, Your Royal Highness," I responded, trying to maintain a respectful tone. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Hmph, you should consider yourself fortunate that I'm willing to shake hands with a commoner like you," Charlotte remarked, her tone brimming with aristocratic haughtiness.

"E-Eh?" I stammered in bewilderment.

Hiraya chuckled in the background, clearly amused by Charlotte's antics.

The last girl to introduce herself was the black-haired, slightly plump dragonoid. She seemed a bit hesitant as she extended her hand, but she shook mine nonetheless.

"H-Hello," she said, her voice barely audible. "I'm Gaeun."

"H-Hi, I'm Lysander," I replied, trying to ease the tension in the air.

We shared an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity before Gaeun withdrew her hand. Sensing the discomfort, Hiraya stepped beside me and whispered, attempting to alleviate the situation for both me and her shy dragonoid friend.

"Gaeun is a little bit shy around human males, but she's a good girl," Hiraya explained softly.

"R-Right," I nodded, understanding Gaeun's unease and silently hoping that time would help her feel more at ease around me.

I couldn't help but find Hiraya's group of dragonoid friends rather peculiar. I pondered which of the three was the most challenging to comprehend: the openly gay one, the imperious one, or the painfully shy individual. Understanding dragonoids was already a puzzle, and adding girls to the mix seemed like a recipe for utter chaos.

Hiraya stood at the forefront and beamed with pride. "These are my cherished dragonoid friends," she introduced. "You could say they also function as the student council's private defense force. They are..." She scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed. "Uh... What's the name of your group again?"

"Wright Brothers," Kate declared enthusiastically, pumping her fist.

"Pussycat Dolls," Charlotte asserted with an air of sophistication as she flicked her hair.

"P-Powerpuff Girls," Gaeun mumbled shyly, her voice barely audible.

It was clear that this group was as eclectic as they come, a mix of personalities that was certain to keep me on my toes.

These girls seemed to be a bit clueless, so I couldn't resist chiming in for a bit of humor. "Three Idiots," I muttered under my breath.

Hiraya chuckled, her laughter echoing somewhat foolishly. "Ahem! Let's save the squad name discussion for later. Right now, we have a school to rescue."

Hiraya opened another map of the school and arranged peculiar chess pieces resembling dragons. She positioned the dragon pieces around the map, each piece representing a part of the school, and then she placed regular human pieces inside the school grounds portion.

"I've been monitoring the terrorists' positions with my observer ward," Hiraya explained. "They've established a full perimeter, cutting off any means of escape. Most students and teachers are locked inside their rooms, but there are some clubs stuck in the gymnasium and the ceremony hall."

"Alright, so whose butts should I kick?" Kate inquired eagerly.

Hiraya pondered for a moment before assigning tasks. "Kate, you should enter the school vent from the third floor and make your way to the gymnasium. You can deal with the guards there if you wish. Afterward, create chaos in the cafeteria."

"Got it," Kate acknowledged, her determination evident on her fiery red eyes.

"Charlotte, I'm aware of your aversion to crawling in vents and getting your hands dirty with blood, so I'll assign you a sniping position," Hiraya explained. "Head to the rooftop of this building and take out the enemies on the eastern side."

"Oh, you know me so well, Vice Prez," Charlotte purred, flicking her brown hair with a hint of smugness.

"Gaeun," Hiraya began, her voice carrying a sense of purpose, "I'm entrusting you with the task of freeing the hostages on the lower floors. Additionally, I need you to secure the home economics building and transform it into an evacuation center. There's a sewer system entrance there that leads all the way to Tasty Town's wharf. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I will give it my all, Vice Prez!" Gaeun exclaimed, pumping her fists with determination.

"Great," Hiraya affirmed, a menacing grin spreading across her face. "Neo Arcadia may believe they've successfully seized control of the campus, but they are completely wrong. They will have to deal with us first."