In the Gehenna Prefect Team headquarters building, inside an interrogation room that any ordinary Gehenna student would avoid, was Maki's location.
"Sensei!" The red-haired girl with the bun cried out as soon as she saw me enter, tears welling up as if I were her savior. "Save me!"
"Hey! Behave yourself!" A silver-haired, dark chocolate Prefect Team member with tasty tootsies barked at her. "Don't think everything's fine just because sensei is here!"
…Isn't she right?
I scratched my head and asked, unable to help myself:
"So, what exactly happened?"
Why on earth had Maki suddenly run off to Gehenna, and why had the Prefect Team arrested her?
Iori hadn't told me the answer on Momotalk, she simply confirmed that I knew Maki and then brusquely told me to come and ask her myself.
Judging by Iori's tone, she probably wanted to make a big deal out of it, and maybe force me to, I don't know, licking her succulent foot…
Before I could ask, Maki shouted indignantly:
"Uwaaah! I didn't do anything wrong, and suddenly I got grabbed! They even took my phone!"
Iori couldn't hold back:
"Stop pretending! Do you think the Prefect Team is some kind of organization that arrests people indiscriminately? It's not like the Pandemonium!"
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Maki pouted, emphasizing her point. "I only did what I was supposed to do!"
"What did you say!?"
Seeing them about to argue, I quickly interjected:
"So, what exactly happened?"
"Ah, forget it, I'll explain, so this one doesn't twist things!" Iori pointed at Maki. "She sneaked into a slum that recent reports flagged as possibly having criminal activity and needing close observation—and left strange marks on the buildings!"
Maki shot back angrily:
"They're not strange marks! That's street art! It's art!"
"Huh? If that's true, why would you, a Millennium student, need to come all the way to Gehenna? Leaving paint on walls in permanent patterns, it's obviously trying to send some information to delinquent students!"
"That's not it at all! I heard that place used to be home to students brave enough to defy the Prefect President, so it drew attention from many Gehenna students. Plus, there are plenty of unused buildings, perfect for me to show my art to visitors making a pilgrimage to the site!"
Why does this story sound vaguely familiar?
"Wait a second… you really have a problem with President Hina, don't you!?"
I nodded slightly, having roughly understood the situation.
I lightly patted Iori on the shoulder, only for her to flinch like she'd been shocked, eyes full of suspicion. Clearly, she had a crush on me, that reaction would explain it.
"What are you doing!?" Iori snapped. "Pervert! Don't just touch me!"
"What are you talking about!?" Maki protested indignantly. "Sensei isn't a pervert!"
…The truth is obvious now!
Clearly, Maki was an honest, perceptive kid, and Iori had simply misunderstood something.
I cleared my throat:
"So Iori, that means you're not even sure Maki actually colluded with any criminal organization, right?"
She glared at me:
"Exactly why I brought someone trustworthy to confirm her identity. Besides, even putting aside suspicions of collusion, randomly tagging walls without permission is a public order violation, it's a pain to clean up, got it?"
I got it. Iori's subtext: even though she sometimes teases people, she already trusts my judgment.
I then turned to Maki, serious:
"Right, Maki. What you did could bother other people."
"Ugh… I was just decorating this gray city a little…"
"…Let's just pretend it was for decoration, then." Iori seemed calmer now. "Sensei, so which club is she actually in?"
Maki frowned:
"I told you... I'm in the Veritas Club!"
Iori frowned:
"I already said it, but the so-called Veritas Club isn't on Millennium's official club list, so we can't verify your identity. That's one reason you were brought here."
The Veritas Club indeed didn't have official recognition from the student council.
Much of the reason was the combustible relationship between Rio and Hibiki, the rest came from the Veritas Club members' behavior.
Kotama loves eavesdropping, Maki loves art, and Chihiro is impulsive and childish as the club president…
I don't know if rumors about Hare and Chihiro are true as well.
Still, even though the Veritas Club is technically unofficial, their strong technical skills, school-wide reputation, and Hibiki's protection mean they generally don't run into trouble at Millennium.
But today, Maki ran off to Gehenna at a particularly sensitive time.
Wasn't it just after the Trinity coup?
"Maki really is a member of the Veritas Club."
"…The Veritas Club from the urban legend?"
"Hehe~" Maki's eyes sparkled, a triumphant smile on her face. "Yes! The Veritas Club, the one gathering Millennium's top hackers, unstoppable in the online world!"
Iori paused, sighed, and said:
"That's exactly like the rumors."
I could roughly guess what she meant.
"So can I go now?"
"No way."
Hearing Iori's firm response, Maki froze.
"Even if the suspicion of collusion is cleared, the graffiti issue isn't over."
"I-I already said it's art!" Maki tried to argue. "It's my burning artistic soul driving me…"
"Maki." I interrupted seriously. "You do need to apologize for this."
The Prefect Team already has plenty of work, and Maki's actions added unnecessary tasks.
I first bowed slightly to Iori:
"Sorry about that."
More people looked confused.
"Se-sensei? Wait, isn't the one who should apologize Maki?"
"Eh? I told you, I didn't do anything wrong…"
"You're right." I straightened, looking at Maki. "Maki, apologize."
"I… I…"
After struggling for a moment, Maki finally lowered her head to the troubled Iori:
"I… was wrong. I'm sorry."
"…It's fine. Don't make it worse, that would just make the Prefect Team look bad. But… there won't be a next time."
For some reason, Iori seemed a little deflated.
She waved her hand casually, finished her routine admonition, and let Maki go.