Rei Houomaru thought she had seen everything. Ever since coming under Raygo's employ, her life had been one huge near-death experience—not that she regretted it or anything.

Still, nothing in her mind could justify the thought of Satsuki Kiyruin summoning that she-devil of all people to her private island/city. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Grand Couturier and her boss' daughter didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. Their relationship could best be described as one-sided love, or whatever Nui had believed love to be like.

For her part, Rei neither hated nor disliked the Grand Couturier all that much. That woman was necessary for bringing Ragyo's plans to fruition, so that was all the justification Rei needed to put up with her unhinged and childish personality.

Still, she had no idea what was in it for Satsuki to have to deal with such a creature. The only thing Nui was good for was sewing clothes and eliminating threats.

Flipping through some online articles, a particular headline caught her eye.

"What's this?"

Despite his rambunctious past as a former delinquent, Uzu Sanageyama grew into what most saw as a reasonable and chill person. Out of all the Elite Four, he considered himself to be the most well-measured and willing to hear out the problems of those in the lower castes.

On a good day, he'd even be willing to forgive one of them if they had made a mistake.

"KUMAGAWA!"

This was not one of those days…

"『Ah, Sanageyama. Is that your name? Good morning. Lovely weather for a pic-』"

Before Kumagawa could finish his sentence, the larger man lifted him by the collar and glared at him with burning hatred hotter than a million suns.

"You have a lotta nerve coming back here after what you did!"

"『Why whatever do you mean?』"

Uzu's thoughts ventured back to yesterday. It was a particularly late night when he saw Omiko, a bunch of other club captains and one-stars leaving their meeting room in tandem.

"Going out for a bite to eat?" he playfully asked. "Can I come with?"

In response, Omiko turned to him and said, "Unfortunately, the reservations have already been made. But we'll be sure to bring you some leftovers, director." She flashed him her shark-toothed grin and went off.

Uzu sighed. Omiko had always been a terrible liar. He could tell that they were up to something, and for whatever reason, they didn't want to get him involved.

Though there was some temptation to prod further, Uzu had prided himself on being a hands-off style manager. If it was something really important, far be it from him to impose himself into matters he had nothing to do with. So long as it didn't endanger Honnouji Academy or Lady Satsuki, he was alright with whatever it was they had planned for tonight.

Boy, how he regretted his decision not to chase after them.

Early in the morning, he had noticed a sizeable chunk of his club captains missing. At the same time, rumors from the no-star students were circulating about a massacre that occurred within the Honnou slums. Putting two-and-two together, Uzu ventured down into the slums to confirm his suspicions.

To his horror, he had found that the massacre in question was not perpetrated by his club captains (though, that, in and of itself, would be quite the troubling revelation). Seeing their beaten and broken bodies strewn all around the area, Uzu ran up to each one of them to confirm that they were still breathing—thankfully, they were.

Out of the alleyway, he spotted a crowd of civilians gathering. Rendered unrecognizable by his street clothes, Uzu was able to sneak in without getting called out. From the corner of his eye, he could spot the boxing club captain, Takaharu Fukuroda, gazing at something in particular with a blank expression that Uzu could not quite put into words yet. Looking up, his eyes widened and, for the first time in forever, Uzu felt a genuine sense of rage welling up within him.

Perched up high was a beaten Omiko Hakodate. Her uniform was in tatters, and two mid-sized screws were dug into both her wrists, holding her firmly in place in a similar fashion to a crucifixion.

"For what you did to my men? Do you remember now!?"

"『Hm.』" Kumagawa placed a hand on his chin and displayed a pensive expression. He then lifted one finger and said, "『Ah, yes, that was me. Problem?』"

"You're damn right there's a problem! Hakodate and the others are in critical condition because of what you did! Why'd you do it, huh!? Couldn't get directly to me, so you had to go and target the club captains instead? Well!?"

"『Now, that's unfair, Sanageyama. They targeted me! I was completely minding my own business when they ambushed me out of nowhere. What else was a weak, good-for-nothing no-star like me supposed to do other than defend himself?』"

Uzu flinched. He was already taken aback by the sudden confession, but the fact that Omiko and the others had dug their own graves… Well, that was more or less certain. But he still didn't want to believe it. He was just too angry to let it go. Even though he had seen Satsuki doling out similar punishments to those who went against her rule, as long as it wasn't his friends, he didn't find any problems with it.

"『Don't get me wrong. I'm a good student. Because of a promise to a friend, I intend to not engage in any sort of violence while on academy grounds, even in self-defense. However, if it's off academy grounds, then I'm not necessarily a student anymore, right? So why should I be good?』" Kumagawa placed his hand over Uzu's. "『Now then, how long do you intend to hold onto my shirt for? You're giving it wrinkles.』"

Begrudgingly, he let the other go. Dusting his clothes off, Kumagawa gazed at Uzu and flashed him his familiar smile.

"Don't think you'll get off easy just because I'm letting you go for now. We'll be watching you. And the moment you slip up, your ass is getting launched into the ocean! Got that?"

"『Like I said, I promised to be a good student. I have always been very good at keeping my promises. So good, in fact, that…』" Kumagawa's grin grew more sinister, and his gaze bared not a single hint of sanity or emotion. "『…I'm able to break them at a moment's notice if need be.』"

A chill ran down Uzu's spine.

"『Welp, I'll leave you to your club activities, Sanageyema. Boy, isn't it wonderful? The springtime of youth. I wonder what youthful moment will bless me today!』"

As the other left, Uzu grit his teeth. From the corner of his eye, he could spot a large gathering of no-stars and one-stars staring at him. And who could blame them? After all, it wasn't everyday you got to see an altercation between one of the Elite Four and a mere no-star.

Still…

"The hell're you starin' at! Get back to work!"

Steadfastly, the students complied and scurried away.

Aikuro watched as the last of the ambulances drove off, taking the injured students to the nearest clinic.

"So," began Tsumugu, "still think it's a good idea to recruit that guy?"

Aikuro remained silent.

"I don't blame you. Kid's definitely got his uses. Problem is, I don't know whose side he's on. And frankly…" The Nudist Beach operative lit a cigarette and took one puff. "I don't want to go another day not knowing whether or not I'm going to wake up one day and find one of those screws jutting out of my chest. So I suggest you figure out what you want to do with him before I take matters into my own hands."

"I know, I know. I've been doing my due diligence, and I'm almost ready to make my approach. But we have more important things to worry about at the moment."

"Like?"

"The Grand Couturier. Intel says she's been summoned here—if she isn't here already."

"You're shittin' me. And the other one?"

"I've already done an extensive background check. His past is unbelievably shady… If I were Ragyou, I'd either fire or promote the poor schmuck who made it up. Funnily enough, it's so shady that it's convincing in a way, so maybe reverse psychology? Anyway, it's still a 50-50 shot on the disguise theory. Regardless, I'll be sure to be extra careful with my approach." As he said this, a few of his clothes started slipping off.

"Somehow, I feel like you're just going to make matters worse."

"Why is that?"

As Aikuro bid his comrade goodbye, he made his way back to the academy. It was time for him to be a teacher again, and boy, what a turbulent time to be one.

If his intuition was right, a war was about to break out. The rest of the sports committee—and by extension, the elites—wasn't going to take this humiliation lying down. They would be out for blood. And, judging by the massacre that unfolded today, they will get it. They will get it and much more.

That, Aikuro could be certain of.

"We have to do something about that freak!"

Satsuki remained calm and composed, even when Uzu slammed his fist on the nearest table he could find.

"Sans his hitting the table, I agree with Sanageyama," added Gamagori. "It has only been three days, and already, the one called Kumagawa has been responsible for irredeemable offenses against this academy and its students. If only with your permission, I will enact justice on that wretched soul."

"You do not have my permission."

"Why not!?"

"SILENCE!" yelled Gamagori, causing Sanageyama to instinctively shrink away. "I'm sure that Lady Satsuki has her reasons."

"Ira is right," added Nonon. "If this was a fight we could go in guns blazing, Satsuki would've ordered it by now. But you see what he did to all those two and one-stars that ganged up on him. Even the Toad couldn't leave a lasting scratch on him. Truth is, we don't really know much about our opponent, even with all the information gathering the Dog's been doing as of late. Well, Satsuki, how did I do? Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"An astute observation, Nonon. But you're only half-right."

"Half-right?" said Uzu.

"If memory serves, you reported that it was your people that attacked first. Correct, Sanageyama?"

"Well, yeah, that is true, but-"

"So if we were to act now, how do you think that would look like to the outside? As far as the student body is concerned, the only real unjustifiable thing he did was pulling that prank during my speech. Everything else he has done can be labeled as self-defense using 'reasonably lethal force'. Already, the headlines are reporting this as self-defense."

"We can manipulate the headlines to say what we want them to say! Say that he attacked them first!"

"And how would we justify all the elite students being in the no-star district, hm?"

"We'll say that he attacked them one-by-one while they were minding their own business. We'll say anything and everything to make him look like the villain and us the heroes. Because that's the truth, damn it!"

Uzu slammed his fist on the table again, leaving noticeable cracks. In response, Satuski merely sighed.

"The point I'm trying to make is that this man had to come to our academy for a reason. And judging by the data which Inumuta gathered thus far, that reason can at best be called unsavory." Satsuki stood up and walked over to the window. "Believe me, I know his type more than anyone else in this room. He's toying with us. Trying to make us crumble from the inside. He's the kind of person who likes to play mind games with his opponents—using their weaknesses to his advantage. If we mobilize now, we will be running straight into his trap. I implore you, do not take the bait, Sanageyama."

"Tch." Uzu gritted his teeth and looked to the side.

Satsuki turned around and glared at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"…yes, ma'am."

She then sat back in her seat.

With the Naturals Election coming up within three weeks, there will be plenty of time for combat. And that means plenty of time for Uzu, and anyone else who has a bone to pick, to get their much-needed revenge on this noisy interloper. Whatever demoralization occurred prior to the event would be washed away in the resulting bloodshed. And then no one would dare challenge her rule once she proved herself the victor yet again. Then she could execute as many noisy dissidents as she damn well pleased: Kumagawa, being one of them, of course.

Suffice to say, Kumagawa was not important enough to require her full attention. She had greater concerns than one simple man, mysterious powers notwithstanding, could command. Summoning the Grand Couturier was just a stop measure. A way to gauge to what degree her mother was influencing this school.

If she could prove his affiliations were not with REVOCS, that would give her the confidence she needed to stay on course with her longstanding strategy. However, if it turned out he was allied with REVOCS' interests just like Nui, then…

"『If it's something like this, then I don't have any problem going all out.』"

Her plans would need revision. That much was certain.

"So, Kumagawa, how are you liking Honnouji thus far?"

"『It's wonderful. I made so many new friends.』"

The two continued on their way home after a long school day.

"Really!? You'll have to show me next time!"

Though Kumagawa's face was expressing a perpetual grin, there was a slight hint of mirth behind it. Mako's simplicity—the way she couldn't detect his sarcasm even though he made it so obvious—was amusing to say the least. If it was all an act, then it was quite a convincing one.

"『Oh, but today, Sanageyama went ahead and bullied me. Even though I did nothing wrong.』"

"One of the Elite Four went and did what!?"

Kumagawa nodded. "『But it's okay. I talked him out of it. I didn't use any violence whatsoever.』"

"That's a relief. I'd be careful if I were you. This place isn't friendly to no-stars like us. In times of strife, we've got to pull through and stick together. That's at least what my dad says."

"『Mm. Your dad seems like a stand-up guy.』"

"He is. My whole family is fun! You should come and visit some time."

"『That's nice. I think I'll take you up on that offer.』"

This was nice. How long had it been since he got to chat so casually like this? Amidst all the chaos that his day-to-day goings brought, it was nice to have someone normal to accompany him for a change.

Oh, but like all goods things, these must come to an end. A minus like him could never be part of the plus world. He mustn't forget his original intentions.

Kumagawa recalled his initial visit and violent encounters with the residents of this town/school. And boy, was it all disappointing. No skills whatsoever. He pretty much got the skinny on everything yesterday: the Goku uniforms, caste system, and anything else that I won't waste a paragraph explaining since you most likely read Kill la Kill already.

He wondered if coming here was a mistake. If there was a really strong person in this place, wouldn't it be convenient if they showed up at the end of this chapter?

As the sun began to set, a peculiar figure stood atop one of the taller shacks overlooking Honnou. Parasol in hand, she twirled it around and showed the diving sun her wide, deceptively cute grin.

"It's just like I remember it."

It had been a while since she had been here. And she quite enjoyed the setting. After all, the dystopic environment was an amusing sandbox for someone without limits, such as her, to navigate through.

Twirling the parasol around some more, Nui Harime wondered what it was she should do first.

On an official basis, she would have to report directly to Satsuki Kiryuin and indulge the princess on whatever whim (provided she had the Director's blessing, of course). However, Nui was not officially here yet, so…

The girl jumped down to the ground, landing like a feather. And despite wearing pink and flashy Lolita-styled clothing, she somehow went completely unnoticed by the crowd of denizens that surrounded her.

"Let's have a little fun before then."