After venting my emotions to Arona, I finally remembered that there were still people waiting for me outside.
I quickly disconnected from the Shittim Chest. The moment I opened my eyes in reality, I was met with Eimi and Himari's anxious, concerned faces.
Seeing me awake, Himari hurriedly asked, "Sensei, are you alright?"
"I'm sorry for making you worry," I said apologetically. "I just checked whether this tablet had any issues. From what I can see now, it hasn't been invaded by Decagrammaton."
"Although I'm kind of happy that sensei cares about me this much… but isn't sensei underestimating my capabilities a bit? It's not like some random third-rate AI can just invade me!"
Arona's voice came from the tablet, a complaint only I could hear.
This little brat who naps and makes others worry still has the nerve to call others third-rate AI?
Wait until I can enlighten a few young and beautiful Prophets to work for me during the day, then she can say that again!
"Phew…" Eimi also let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're alright. Next time something this dangerous happens, please leave it to the president."
"Huh?"
Himari pointed at herself. "Why me? Although I'm willing to do it for sensei, why not Rio, and why not you, Eimi?"
"Well, everyone has their specialty. And those who are capable should take on more work."
Seemingly accepting that explanation, Himari fell into thought again.
"Decagrammaton really is a dangerous existence… Just from a simple data analysis, it managed to invade us this deeply… If we only treat it as a rogue AI, there are far too many inconsistencies… I think it would be better to establish more proper defensive measures before continuing our research."
Even as she called it dangerous, there was no trace of fear in Himari's words toward Decagrammaton, which had completed its invasion in mere seconds. If anything, she seemed even more eager.
That was likely the pride of Millennium's holder of the [Omniscience] degree.
As for me, although I still had doubts about Decagrammaton's sudden appearance and disappearance, since it had not successfully invaded the Shittim Chest, there was no need to worry too much.
When facing threats like Decagrammaton and the Prophets, which remained shrouded in mystery yet had clear points of existence to analyze, I felt it was better to take the initiative and strike first.
In contrast, the other existence I wanted to eliminate even more, Beatrice, remained completely untraceable. Acting rashly might alert her instead. If she saw through my situation, I would lose the deterrence provided by my authorities and fall into an even deeper crisis.
In other words, dealing with the Arius students would have to be done gradually.
At the very least, regarding Beatrice and Arius, Trinity, which had nearly been overthrown by a military coup, naturally stood on the same side as me.
Once the Eden Treaty was successfully concluded, Trinity would be able to free up its hands. Their first joint operation with Gehenna would most likely fall on this matter.
Of course, if Beatrice realized this, she might act desperately before that, which also required caution.
However, with Arius's current remaining forces, it was no longer possible for them to carry out a large-scale operation like the previous one.
Moreover, they would not be able to find another insider like Mika, someone in a high position with leverage against her.
Compared to an enemy that could only wait for an opportunity and was not an immediate threat, it was better to focus on what could and should be done now.
The only issue was that the Arius students would have to endure a bit longer.
"Eimi," Himari continued, "while we have the chance, let's properly establish a clubroom for the Department of Super Phenomenon Task Force. That way, we can truly prevent situations like this from happening again."
"Understood." Eimi nodded seriously. "I'll prepare what we need within the limits of our club budget."
"No."
However, the white-haired girl shook her head. With a confident wave of her small hand and a raised smile, she declared boldly:
"Buy everything according to Millennium's highest existing standards! If the General Student Council has more effective ancient relics, OOPArts, then rent them! And long-established academies like Trinity and Gehenna must have technical patents worth referencing as well! This time, no matter how much money it takes, I'll pour it in and build a safe room that absolutely cannot be invaded!"
That extravagant?
"Wow! Amazing!"
Eimi clapped her hands. "Could it be that, despite how you look, president, you're actually a hidden rich girl? No wonder your personality is so twisted."
Rather, as one of Kivotos's top hackers and one of Millennium's two actual leaders, even using only legal means, it would be perfectly normal for her to accumulate a fortune beyond ordinary imagination.
But to my surprise, Himari looked at Eimi with confusion.
"Leaving aside what you mean by 'how I look,' who said I would be the one paying?"
"Huh? But if we follow what you said, the club budget definitely won't be enough…"
"Then just submit a request for additional funding to Rio."
Himari said seriously, "Because of that stingy person, even sensei was almost put in danger this time. If she doesn't show enough sincerity now, wouldn't that be utterly disgraceful?"
Hearing that, even I couldn't help but be stunned.
Using Rio's lingering feelings for me to spend her money so freely… that's truly shameless, Himari!
I like it.
Just imagining Rio struggling to squeeze out sufficient funds made me feel a bit excited.
Wait… thinking about it carefully, wouldn't the one who actually suffers the most in the end be Yuuka, who manages the accounts…?
Just as I was about to speak up for her, Himari spoke to me first:
"Sensei, please don't think this is purely personal revenge. Our first contact with Decagrammaton was this kind of sudden, unprepared assault. There's an old saying in Shanhaijing, if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools.
"If we can eliminate a threat to Millennium and even all of Kivotos, then no amount of money is too much. Even sewage in the gutters knows the importance of priorities… or rather, she understands that better than anyone."
"…Alright," since she had said this much, I had no further objections. "Then let's do as you say."
"Hehe. Then it's settled."
With a faint smile, Himari's gaze and tone grew even more resolute.
"Next time, we won't be this passive again. When that happens, it'll be our turn to show it what we're made of."
[…Heh.]
For some reason, the murmur seemed to laugh with contempt.