"What on earth were you thinking!?"
"Eek...!"
Several days had passed since Regen’s arrest and the subsequent dismantling of the criminal syndicate he led.
The kidnapped children had been safely rescued. Moreover, the actual damage to the city had been so minimal that it was hard to believe a riot had even broken out during an event as large as the Water Thanksgiving. Consequently, the townspeople were overflowing with gratitude and trust toward the Security Force for their heroic efforts.
Ideally, the story would have ended there, with everyone living happily ever after—but this particular disturbance had not concluded without its fair share of problems.
Specifically, there were those who had botched things quite spectacularly.
That honor belonged to Cyan and his companions, whose unasked-for interference had completely derailed the Security Force's tactical operations.
If that had been their only mistake, it might have been overlooked (though barely), but their blunders went far deeper.
Despite being the ones to pick a fight with Regen and incite the criminal organization to violence, they had inexplicably vanished from the battlefield at the height of the conflict. It wasn't just the members of the Security Force who noticed; many civilians caught in the crossfire had witnessed Cyan’s group fleeing the scene after being blown away by Regen. From the public's perspective, they looked like nothing more than cowards who had recklessly escalated the danger only to scurry away in fear.
Because they had displayed such a pathetic sight while wearing Luminous Academy uniforms, a flood of criticism from both the general public and the Security Force was only to be expected.
Which brought things to the present: Cyan, Woz, and Torin had been summoned by Uno and were currently in the middle of a scathing lecture.
Wondering how many times he would have to reprimand these same students, Uno let out a weary sigh before continuing.
"It was the same during the Society of Friends of the Night incident, and the same during the visit from the Yamato Three Great Houses the other day! You act with utter disregard for authority! Even if your actions are rooted in a sense of justice, if you end up increasing the damage, you’ve defeated the entire purpose!"
"N-No, I mean, we had our reasons for doing what we did..."
"We didn't run away from the Thanksgiving venue, either! We realized the enemy had a separate unit, so we moved to intercept them!"
"It’s a fact that we rushed to the hospital, isn't it?! We really weren't running away!"
"And that is why I am telling you to report in before you move! If you had simply communicated properly from the start, none of this trouble would have happened!"
"""Ugh..."""
The three of them groaned, unable to offer a rebuttal to Uno’s airtight logic, which was delivered with simmering anger.
Uno let out a deep, heavy sigh at their reaction, his expression one of total exhaustion.
"Regarding this matter, a formal protest has arrived from the Security Force. The festival participants have filed complaints as well. The Academy Side cannot overlook your conduct. For the time being, you are to remain in your rooms on School Probation and reflect on your actions. Is that clear?"
"W-Wait, please! Have a little mercy..."
"Think long and hard about whether you're in a position to ask for mercy before you open your mouths again. If you cause any more trouble, I will bar you from the upcoming School Trip entirely."
Being placed on School Probation was essentially the same as a suspension.
For the three of them, who had been scrambling to prepare for the fast-approaching School Trip, a penalty that forbade them from stepping a single foot out of the dormitory was devastating.
In the first place, the recent battle had made their lack of strength painfully clear. They desperately needed to spend this time grinding and leveling up, but they couldn't even do that if they were confined to their rooms.
While they were stuck in limbo, the other Hero Candidates would be moving forward with their own preparations for the trip and the events surrounding it. A massive gap would inevitably open between them.
Fearing further penalties during the actual trip, Cyan and the others begged Uno to reconsider the punishment, but they were cut off by a cold, final word.
As the three of them hung their heads in dejection, Uno pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
"While you are on probation, you will write a Reflection Statement and an Apology Statement to be submitted to both the academy and the Security Force. And hear me well: if you pull another stunt like this, I will show no leniency. Do not forget that this punishment is already quite merciful given the circumstances. Do you understand?"
"........."
The three of them had no choice but to nod in silent submission.
Having received their lecture and their sentence, they were finally dismissed and left Uno’s private room.
As they walked down the hall toward their quarters, their dejection curdled into a bitter, mutual resentment, which they immediately began hurl at one another.
"This is your fault...! Everything went wrong because you guys kept messing around! If I’d just handled it alone, things would’ve turned out fine!"
"Hah?! Don't give me that! The only reason we didn't make it to the hospital battle in time was because you were dawdling!"
"In the first place, even with all three of us together we couldn't do a thing against that opponent. I don't think for a second you would have won if you'd challenged him alone!!"
While the three of them were engaged in such an unsightly, shouting match, a group of students appeared from around a corner and called out to them.