Mash Burnedead and the Unfazed Spirit
"…Ugh…" Saori groaned, clutching her chest.
"Saori-san! You're okay!" Hiyori cried, relief flooding her voice.
"Leader, you alright?" Misaki asked, concern etched on her face.
"Yeah… Where's Azusa?" Saori rasped, eyes darting around.
"She… escaped from Azusa," Hiyori said quietly.
"What!? Why!?" Saori's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Don't you remember? You lost, Leader," Misaki replied, her tone heavy.
"…What?" Saori's breath hitched.
In the Arius Autonomous District's corridor, the Arius Squad rested, battered and shaken. Saori, their leader, struggled to accept her defeat to Azusa.
"I… lost to Azusa…" Saori muttered, disbelief lacing her words.
"It's not just that. The attack from Shalle's Sensei hit hard. Don't beat yourself up," Misaki said, trying to soften the blow.
"We were at risk of being wiped out, so we used smoke to escape," Hiyori added, her voice trembling.
"Leader!""Wait, everyone!""…Sorry, Azusa. I need to think.""…!"
Saori let out a dry laugh, standing slowly. "So… I lost." She understood her recklessness had cost them. Then, softly, "…Azusa was smiling, wasn't she?"
"For the first time… such a bright smile," Hiyori whispered.
The squad pictured Azusa's radiant, unfamiliar smile—fulfilled, happy. A smile from someone who rarely laughed.
"Was it because she was with Sensei? That smile…" Hiyori mused.
"Stop it, Hiyori," Saori warned.
"Sensei knew our struggles, yet still reached out. That's why she smiled like that, right?" Hiyori pressed.
"I said stop!" Saori snapped.
"Maybe, just maybe… Sensei could even save Madame—"
"Enough!" Saori shouted, her voice raw.
Deep down, Saori sensed the truth in Hiyori's words, but accepting it would unravel everything—her purpose, her fight, her very existence as an Arius.
"We can't rely on him now! After everything, you think he'd offer us a hand!?" Saori's voice trembled with frustration.
"But nothing changes if we keep going like this! Hime-chan, too!" Hiyori pleaded.
"Stop it!" Misaki interjected.
"Then what? Beg for help from the one who nearly killed us? You think he'd say, 'Sure, I'll save you'!?" Saori's voice cracked.
"Please… stop," Misaki whispered.
"If we're just going to die like this, then—" Hiyori's voice broke.
"I said STOP!" Misaki screamed, clutching her throat, her voice shaking with pent-up frustration. "I'm done… with talk of saving or dying. I don't care anymore. Just… do the mission. That's enough."
"Misaki-san…" Hiyori faltered.
"I don't care…" Misaki muttered, sinking to the ground.
"I'm stepping away to clear my head. Stay here," Saori said, pressing a hand to her temple as she walked off. Hiyori pulled her hat low, Misaki gripped her wrists, and Atsuko sat alone, praying silently.
(…Sensei…) Atsuko thought, her heart heavy with memories of the one who changed her.
"Out of the way, please!" Hifumi shouted, racing toward the hospital room.
Panting, the Remedial Class members sprinted, having learned Sensei—Mash—had been gravely injured and taken to Trinity's infirmary.
"Sensei!" Hifumi burst through the door.
"Hm? Oh, Hifumi-chan!" Mash said, mid-squat, bandages wrapping his body, IV drips dangling from both arms.
"What are you doing!?" Hifumi exclaimed.
"Squats," Mash replied casually.
"Sensei! You're supposed to be—What!?" Koharu stammered.
"He's… seriously injured, right?" Hanako asked cautiously.
"Yeah, seems so," Mash said nonchalantly.
"'Seems so'!? What's that mean!?" Hifumi demanded.
"My arms feel off, but I'm fine otherwise," Mash said, shrugging.
"…What?" The group stared, dumbfounded.
They'd heard he was on death's door, yet here he was, squatting like nothing happened.
"There was poison, but I stopped it with muscle pressure," Mash explained.
"You… stopped poison with your muscles?" Hanako blinked.
"Yup."
"How does that even—!?" Hifumi sputtered.
"Overdid it, though. Blood spurted out, so I'm anemic now," Mash added.
"You're doing squats while anemic!? Are you insane!?" Hifumi yelled.
"No need to be harsh…" Mash mumbled.
"It's that bad!" Koharu snapped.
Hanako, deadpan, said, "Alright, time to rest, Sensei." Mash, chastised, lay back on the bed.
"Those bandages… Are you really okay?" Koharu asked, eyeing the heavy wrappings.
"I'm fine, really," Mash insisted.
"Your skin's barely visible. Is it that bad?" Hanako pressed.
"They just overdid the bandages. I'm good," Mash said, waving it off.
"…Are you hiding something, Sensei?" Hifumi asked sharply.
"Nope," Mash said, too quickly.
"Then why are you sweating?" Hifumi pointed at a bead of sweat on his forehead—Mash's telltale sign of lying.
"…Sorry, guys. I need to be alone for a bit," Mash said, his voice low.
"You're not okay!" Hifumi cried.
"Sensei, what's wrong? Tell us!" Koharu pleaded.
"Please… I just need time alone," Mash said, his tone heavy.
"Sensei…" Hifumi whispered.
"I'm tired. Sorry," Mash said, sitting up and bowing slightly.
The Mash who loved talking, who hated being alone, was asking for solitude. It stunned them.
"…Let's go for now," Hanako said softly, taking Hifumi and Koharu's hands.
"But—" Koharu protested.
"It's Sensei's request. He has his reasons. We'll come back later," Hanako said firmly, leading them to the door. She paused, turning back. "Get well soon."
They left, Hifumi and Koharu's voices fading outside. Mash waited in silence.
"…The discolored parts won't heal quickly," he murmured, unwrapping his bandages. Painful wounds and purpled skin lay beneath. "Can't show this, huh? They said it could've been worse, though."
He moved slightly, wincing. "…It hurts," he whispered, alone, hiding his pain.
"Hmm… Trying to solve everything alone, brushing off injuries, acting like self-sacrifice is normal…" Mika mused.
"…Can you convince him otherwise?" Nagisa asked.
"Convince? No, Nagisa-chan. He needs a lecture," Mika said with a grin.
"A lecture?" Nagisa raised an eyebrow.
"Yup! That stubborn Sensei won't budge with just talk," Mika said, winking.
Deep in Trinity's isolation tower, Mika, freed temporarily by Nagisa, stretched with a playful smile.
"Relying on no one while telling others to lean on him… That's kinda infuriating," Mika said, practicing a mock slap.
"Keep it peaceful. No violence," Nagisa warned.
"Don't worry, just a light smack," Mika teased.
"…That's not light with you," Nagisa sighed.
Mika laughed, walking with Nagisa. "Alright, Mash-kun. My turn now," she said, cracking her knuckles.
Mika, the one Mash saved, was unleashed.
Next Time: The Tale of Lecturing Mash-kun
Stay tuned… It'll probably be a long one.
And it's not just Mika—Azusa's joining the lecture, plus one more.
-------------------------------
Curious about what happens next?
You can read up to 30–40 chapters ahead right now on Patreon!
👉 [patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support! 💕