"Serika... I'm so glad you're alright..."
It took Shiroko quite a while to finally speak normally. She was so excited; her emotions were like a rollercoaster. After this rollercoaster of emotions, she could only mechanically repeat Serika's name at first, which made Serika feel embarrassed.
"Really~ Senpai, I'm perfectly fine!"
Even with her memories of being kidnapped erased, Serika acted the same as before, except for the blank and chaotic parts of her memory, which she found a little strange.
However, the excited Shiroko and the two other strangers in front of her made it difficult for her to investigate the nature of the memory gaps, so she could only suppress her questions for now.
"By the way, Shiroko-senpai, why are we in the desert?"
This was what confused Serika the most. Her memory stopped before she woke up the next day to go to work, and she had no idea what had happened to her.
Shiroko wiped away her tears, trying to compose herself. "Actually, it's because..."
"Let me explain, Shiroko-kun."
Ayane's drone nearby made a sound, attracting Serika's attention. "Ayane-senpai?"
Ayane shook the drone as a greeting and immediately explained to the bewildered Serika.
"The situation is like this—"
A few minutes later.
"Huh?! You mean Hoshino-senpai went to Kaiser Corporation alone to get them to extend the loan period, and then fell into their trap and got kidnapped?"
Serika's eyes widened in shock. Ayane's story was a mix of truth and falsehood, but most of it was true—Takanashi Hoshino left Abydos when Serika was kidnapped and Sensei was seriously injured. Everyone was at a loss, and then a mysterious stranger offered Hoshino this deal.
'Give yourself to me, and I will guarantee the safety of everyone else and the continued existence of Abydos.'
When everyone was desperate, the terms of this deal were incredibly tempting. Hoshino was Abydos's most mature student and the one who understood the situation most clearly. She knew perfectly well that this was a perfectly legitimate conspiracy—a conspiracy against Abydos, against her.
Whether she agreed or not, the Countermeasures Committee had no other choice. After seeing the Kaiser PMC's armed forces, Hoshino knew that it was an army they couldn't defeat—no matter how brave and skilled they were, they couldn't possibly take on a hundred enemies.
'Don't come looking for me.'
Leaving behind a farewell letter, Takanashi Hoshino decided to sacrifice herself for the safety of others.
At the same time, she secretly clung to a sliver of hope and a miracle—she didn't truly believe in the "man in the black suit" on the other end of the letter.
"Yes… Serika-san. Hoshino-san fell into the enemy's trap, entered their camp alone, and is now being held captive there."
Ayane didn't know Hoshino's current situation, but she could guess why Hoshino left Abydos.
From the farewell letter saying "Don't come looking for me" and the application to withdraw from Abydos, Ayane could deduce some clues. There must have been prior contact with Hoshino to present such an irresistible condition at this time.
"Kaiser Corporation! Damn it!"
Blue! Rage! Fire!
Serika was furious. "They actually used such despicable means to trick Hoshino-senpai into leaving Abydos alone! Kaiser Corporation, I'll make them pay!"
"And Hoshino-senpai—she fell for the enemy's trick so easily! After we rescue her, we'll give her a good talking-to! At least an hour!"
Stomping her foot angrily, Serika no longer cared why she was in the desert; her anxious desire to rescue Hoshino overshadowed her questions.
"Shall we set off now? But… where's Nonomi-san? Where's Sensei? Aren't they here?"
Turning her gaze to Dan Kuroto and Hanemi behind her, Serika couldn't help but ask.
"And speaking of which… who are they?"
"Good question, young lady," Dan Kuroto nodded. "You've ignored me for a full fifteen minutes. I thought you'd have more patience."
"Ah, this is Mr. Dan Kuroto, who's here to help us."
Shiroko walked over to Dan Kuroto and introduced him to Serika. "When Kaiser's Helmet Gang thugs attacked the school, it was thanks to him that we were able to hold them off. He's helped us a lot with all sorts of things."
Not just with the school, but also with Ayane and Serika. Shiroko wanted to say it, but remembering that these things were "unrelated" to Serika, she swallowed the words.
"As for this one, she was originally a student at Abydos." Shiroko turned her gaze to Hanemi, who introduced herself. "She was brought here by Mr. Dan Kuroto to help, and she's one of our fighting forces."
"Please leave the vehicle piloting to me." Hanemi gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you when you were in your most difficult time. Now, please consider this my atonement."
"Atonement… that's a bit harsh." Serika frantically waved her hands. "Making that choice back then was unavoidable, wasn't it? After all, we were just students, and there really wasn't much we could do at that time..."
Serika thought Hanemi was referring to the school's debt caused by the sandstorm, which led to a large number of students dropping out and transferring schools. But this explanation made Hanemi lower her head even more guiltily.
"Uh... so what do we do now?"
Serika realized that the more she talked, the lower Hanemi's mood became, so she hurriedly changed the subject. It was then that she realized she didn't have her weapon with her.
"Huh? Where's my gun? Did I forget it at home?"
She was probably just tossed into some unknown sand dune when she was kidnapped, and it's probably hard to find her now.
Dan Kuroto walked over, reached behind his back, and casually placed an oversized pistol in her hand. "Use this for now; you can buy new weapons when you get back."
"Ah, thank you so much, Mr. Dan Kuroto..." Serika gratefully accepted the weapon, then froze.
"What is this?"