"Are you an idiot, Professor Neila?! No, you are a complete and total fool!"
The following day, Professor Castle’s office rang with the sound of his thunderous roar.
The group gathered inside flinched, their shoulders hunching as awkward, pained expressions crossed their faces.
Uno was clearly incensed, his voice reaching a rare, deafening volume. Despite being the primary target of his ire, Lamy—who really should have known better than to open her mouth—attempted to voice her defense.
"E-Even if you say that, many of our students, including the exchange student Amamiya-san, were attending that meeting. When I heard that students were taking part in such a dangerous organization that worships a criminal, it was only natural to go and bring them back, wasn't it?"
"I am telling you that you should have considered your methods! It is true that the Society of Friends of the Night is dangerous, and student participation is a grave concern. However, if you barge in head-on and provoke them incessantly, you are obviously going to agitate the members of an already volatile group! What did you think would happen?!"
"Ugh, guuu..."
"In the first place, dealing with matters of this magnitude is something the faculty should have decided on after a careful, formal meeting. For you to act alone—and drag students along with you—is absolutely out of the question! What was the point of taking independent action if it only served to worsen the situation?!"
Beaten down by an irrefutable logic that left her with no defense, Lamy let out a low groan and visibly shrank into herself.
Cyan and his companions felt a flicker of grim satisfaction seeing her dejected after she had been told the exact same things they had said to her at the assembly hall. However, they had to remind themselves that they were also currently the subjects of this lecture.
"And that goes for the rest of you as well! Do you have any idea how many students joined the Society of Friends of the Night because of your reckless behavior? It was the same during the incident with Egos. Why must you all constantly act so selfishly?!"
As the spearhead of Uno's anger turned toward them, Cyan and the others cast their eyes to the floor.
While they privately felt that they couldn't care less what happened to a bunch of mob characters, they knew that expressing such a thought would lead to a catastrophe. For once, they chose the path of silence.
Seeing the group standing there with their heads bowed, Uno let out a heavy, weary sigh. He sank into his chair and began to explain the gravity of the situation they had invited in a somber tone.
"...I have received reports from the security force that the Society of Friends of the Night has begun showing suspicious movements. Furthermore, as of last night, students have already been attacked by Kurotobari. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but this is a state of emergency. It is because Professor Neila provoked them that we have reached this crisis, do you understand?"
"I-I am truly sorry..."
Unable to offer even a whisper of a rebuttal this time, Lamy simply kept bowing her head.
Beside her, Cyan and the other reincarnators felt no actual remorse. Instead, they were merely lamenting the fact that they hadn't been able to trigger an encounter with Sakura during the chaos.
(Damn it! If I had at least managed to trigger Sakura's flag, I could find some meaning in sitting through this lecture...!!)
The "Kurotobari Incident," as they thought of it, was supposed to be one of Sakura’s individual events.
Completing it was the key to deepening a relationship with her, which would eventually allow a player to recruit her as a party member.
The intended plan was simple: encounter her at the assembly hall, slowly build rapport, and then uncover Kurotobari's true identity after helping her escape the group. It should have been a massive windfall for her affection level.
However, because so many Hero Candidates had swarmed the assembly hall at once, everyone had only managed to exchange a few shallow words with her. No one had succeeded in actually triggering the event flag.
On top of that, Lamy’s sudden intrusion had been a "random event" that didn't exist in the original game, pushing the scenario completely off the rails.
As they sat there thinking that the situation couldn't possibly get any worse—stuck with a derailed plot and a lecture from a furious teacher—Uno muttered with a dark expression.
"I doubt the attacks will end with just one. Kurotobari and the Society of Friends of the Night are likely targeting Luminous Academy students specifically now. If we are to devise a countermeasure, we must all work together instead of acting on individual whims... do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Terrified by Uno's voice, which had dropped into a low, threatening growl, the group answered in unison.
Just as Uno let out another sigh, having finally managed to cow those who had muddied the waters, the door to the office burst open. A teacher came charging inside.
"P-Professor Castle, it’s a disaster! K-Kurotobari has...!"
"What about Kurotobari? Don't tell me he’s breached the academy grounds?!"
"N-No, that’s not it! It's not that, but... I don't even know how to explain what's happening anymore!"
The messenger was in a state of total panic.
He started to report something, then stopped, then tried to speak again, only to hesitate once more. He was completely incoherent.
Observing his behavior, Uno realized that something far beyond his expectations was unfolding. It seemed that while he was busy scolding the troublemakers and trying to plan for the future, Kurotobari had already made his move.
Understanding that time was of the essence, Uno cut the discussion short and prepared to act for the safety of his students.
"Summon the faculty at once! We are holding an emergency meeting to deal with Kurotobari and the Society of Friends of the Night!"
Uno didn't know exactly what was happening yet. But he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was something exceptionally bad.
Desperate to protect the students from the encroaching threat, Uno began racing to confirm the situation, his heart pounding with a growing sense of dread.