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V2 Chapter 14: It Has to Be Kaiser’s Doing!
🕑 Added 2025-09-28 13:35:47 +0000 UTCThey say the quieter a person normally is, the harder it is for them to calm down once they really get angry.
At least, Ayane certainly fit that description.
Even after Serika had already gone off to work with a smirk, the unreliable upperclassmen and the supposedly innocent me were still stuck listening to Ayane's lecture.
To soothe Ayane, who was still sulking and ignoring everyone, we unanimously decided to take her to Shiba Seki Ramen for something good to eat.
Bribe her with food!
This time, I didn't go along with the girls. I stayed at school, gnawing on hard bread under the pretext of urgent work.
But that wasn't the truth.
What I actually needed to do was something I wanted to keep hidden from them for now, so I could only do it while they were out.
I had to verify a piece of intel Kaya had given me.
As for why I kept it from them, it was simply because, for various reasons, I hadn't yet decided whether to let everyone know.
So, after watching them leave from the window, I headed alone to the school archives.
As an old school that once had a five-digit student population, Abydos Academy's archives were vast, practically a sea of documents.
Because of repeated relocations due to desertification, combined with severe staff shortages after the school's decline, the materials were in considerable disarray.
It took me a good while to finally find what I was looking for.
Brushing away the dust, I opened a thick folder and pulled out several maps about fifty centimeters long and wide.
As I carefully studied the writing on the maps, my brows gradually knit together.
"…They really went and did this."
I murmured in disbelief. After taking photos for my own record, I returned the cadastral maps to their place.
Cadastral maps, in plain terms, show detailed land ownership and usage rights.
I had always thought Abydos Autonomous District belonged to Abydos High School.
Or rather, that's what any normal person would think, which was why no one had bothered to look at the maps before.
Until I received that intel.
Now, anger, shock, frustration, absurdity. All of it churned in my chest.
I couldn't help recalling Kaya's words:
"Sensei, you still don't know, do you? The now-dissolved former student council of Abydos sold off its land."
Yes, the student council of a legitimate academy, the highest governing body of a political entity, had sold almost all of its territory to a corporation...
The Kaiser Corporation.
Kaiser Industries, which sold me weapons; Kaiser Credit, which loaned money to Abydos, both branches of the Kaiser Corporation, as their names made obvious.
Today, the only land still belonging to Abydos High School was the campus and a small surrounding area.
Clearly, the Foreclosure Task Force had no idea. Otherwise they would have reached the same conclusion I just had...
I could now say with certainty that behind the Helmet Gang was the shadow of the Kaiser Corporation.
The gang's ability to "hijack" a Kaiser transport plane, to suddenly acquire a stockpile of new equipment…
All of it now had a far more reasonable explanation.
It has to be Kaiser's doing!
At the same time, this also meant my earlier assumption had been flawed from the start.
Using delinquent students to harass Abydos, even kidnapping Abydos students…
It was all clearly to force or frighten the students into leaving, paving the way for Abydos's closure.
Willing to flush away nearly a billion in loans and the endless interest just to seize all of Abydos...
But Why?
I knew there had to be a larger motive hidden behind it, but with the information I had, I couldn't guess what it was.
Still, though the mystery had deepened, it wasn't all bad news.
Since Kaiser clearly didn't care about the debt and was only using interest as a tool to pressure Abydos students…
Even though my starting point had been wrong, ironically, my open strategy could still achieve the result I wanted.
It might even go more smoothly, with better outcomes than before.
As long as the Kaiser Corporation still had designs on Abydos High School.
So now the pressing question was only one.
Should I tell everyone about what I'd discovered?
After some hesitation, I decided to keep it secret for now.
The reason was simple: Abydos currently didn't have the power to confront Kaiser head-on.
Even knowing who the real enemy was would do more harm than good, only adding to our worries.
Some of the more reckless students might even rush off to attack the Kaiser Corporation in a fit of passion, handing them a perfect excuse for retaliation.
Yes, I was talking about Serika.
So, I had to wait.
Until I understood Kaiser's true goal, or until the corporation was driven into a corner.
There was no need to rush.
My grudge with the Kaiser Corporation, Abydos's enmity with the Kaiser Corporation. It would all be settled one day.
For now, this was just the necessary humiliation to endure for the sake of a better fight.
I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, emptied my mind, and gradually felt only a quiet calm remaining.
When I opened my eyes again, no trace of negativity lingered.
I pulled out my phone and opened Momotalk.
Me: Wakamo, are you free?
Wakamo: Yes yes yes yes! Do you want to pet my ears, or my tail?
Wakamo: Or maybe… Fufu This humble one is always ready to fulfill any wish of her lord and husband
Me: Ahem! Not for that today.
Me: I need you to cause some trouble for the Kaiser Corporation. Remember to hide your identity.
Wakamo: Yes~ Your will is my everything!
Me: Be careful, don't get hurt.
Wakamo: Okay~
Now I really felt at ease.
"Hm hm hm Where's a good place for a nap"
Imitating the little tune Hoshino always hummed, I went off to find a spot to sleep.
