To say the sudden admission/accusation caught Shinjiro off-guard would be an understatement. Even Mako, who had been playing around with some origami, halted upon sensing the sudden tonal shift.

"What do you mean, you 'destroyed the newspaper club'?" Shinjiro asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.

Kumagawa's smile deepened. There was an oddly familiar aura behind it. It wasn't one that denoted any happiness or content but was one that was instead used to hide its owner's true intentions.

"『I mean exactly what I say. There is no longer any newspaper club, so who exactly did you receive your assignment from?』"

Hostility—that's what Shinjiro felt behind Kumagawa's gleaming features. His hands were shaking. As he struggled to think of a reply, he saw the entirety of the room beginning to warp around them. Was this a mere trick of the eye, or…

"I assure you that I am, or in this case, was a member of the newspaper club. I received my assignment from a nameless one-star who introduced themselves as a messenger. I honestly didn't have any time to see for myself, so you'll have to forgive my impertinence on this matter."

…something more.

Kumagawa leaned back. "『My humblest apologies. I didn't want to make this feel like an interrogation. This is your interview, after all. I was just confused because I thought I crushed the last of your members. But here you are. Oh, but no need to worry. I won't do anything to you so long as you treat us with kindness.』"

"Good to know." Shinjiro recalibrated himself. "I assume the rest of the club did not treat you with such kindness."

"『Huh? Oh no, I lied about that.』"

It took both Shinjiro and Mako a few seconds to sync with the present. "Eh?" they both said in unison.

"『Come on? What does it even mean to destroy a club? Even if I eliminated all its members, new ones would just crop up. That question was just a test, and you passed it splendidly.』"

"I-I see…"

"『I promised Mako I wouldn't do bad things on academy grounds. Isn't that right, Mako?』"

Turning to the other, Shinjiro watched as Mako quickly nodded her head. He then turned back to Kumagawa.

"So, if you don't mind me changing the subject, why exactly are you building this 'Going Home' club?"

"『As a flagship to rebel against Satsuki's rule,』" Kumagawa answered nonchalantly.

As he said this, Mako continued nodding, only allowing the depth of his words to sync after five or so nods. To which she then proceeded to jump backward and let out a poignant, "EH!?"

"You're being quite honest about your intentions."

"『'Honesty is always the best policy.' That's what I always say.』"

"Wait, wait, wait, Kumagawa," Mako erupted. "You have to be joking. I didn't sign up for this. I can't be part of a rebellion. If that's the case, I'm quitting the club right now."

"『Too late.』" Kumagawa lifted a piece of paper with both his and Mako's names on it. "『I already submitted the roster with both our names on it. No matter what you say, Satsuki will now think of you as a collaborator.』"

As he said those words, Mako keeled over. One could even see her soul leaving her body.

"You do realize that I am a member of the regime you wish to topple," Shinjiro continued. "I could use the information here to my advantage. Rise up through the ranks, so to speak."

"『At this point, I don't have anything to hide. Even if you write a hit piece article against me, any publicity would be good for our cause.』" Kumagawa stood up. "『Now, it's getting late, and I'm sure you have some business to attend to as well.』"

Likewise, Shinjiro stood up. "It's been a pleasure."

As the two shook hands, there was a slight, underlying tenseness in the air. Upon leaving the room, Shinjiro collapsed against the wall and stared at the hand he used to shake.

"How stressful," he mused, chuckling to himself.

Similarly, Kumagawa stared out the window and thought back to his encounter, not more than a few minutes ago, with the one calling himself Shinjiro. It was not every day that he felt something amiss. What was this feeling?

In that moment, both grinned and thought something along the lines of…

I'll have to keep an eye on that one.

Nonon stood in silence as the last of the medical club members carried the injured members of the origami and newspaper clubs to the clinic.

"Not so funny when it happens to your guys, huh?" Uzu stated.

"Shut it," Nonon replied.

"Calm down, both of you," interjected Gamagori. "Arguing amongst ourselves is not going to resolve this issue."

The two scoffed.

However Satsuki wanted to handle this, Gamagori could not ignore the fact that a war was brewing. And as long as they continued letting this delinquent have his way, more bodies would pile. The student council needed to act quickly, because one way or another, their members were going to continue being chipped away like this until there was nothing left.

Meanwhile, Satsuki sat in her office on the top floor of the academy's tower. Not even the bitterness of Soroi's tea could hope to match that of what she felt at this moment—defeat.

This was a declaration of war, plain and simple.

It had been a week since this transfer's debut, and already, she had lost a substantial percentage of her forces. Individually, they were weak, but collectively, they had made a sizeable bulk of her army.

"Damn it," Satsuki pounded her desk. Where is Nui!?

This was a question that had entered her headspace, and one she never knew she would ask in any context other than during a fight where she would attempt to kill the little gremlin.

It had been about a week, so she had to have made her way to Honnou by now. But then Satsuki thought back to Nui's personality and realized that the other wasn't the type to just show herself unless she felt compelled. So either the grand couturier was being distracted by some other frivolity, or…

The thought made Satsuki gulp.

…she was already here. And the fact that Houka's vast surveillance network couldn't pick her up must've meant she was in disguise and had successfully infiltrated the academy.

It was then that Satsuki wondered if those two had already met each other. Of course, the original intent of her plan would've been for naught if she couldn't discern the two as separate individuals, but that no longer mattered.

The fact that Kumagawa's was a separate antagonistic force had been made more apparent than ever before. As much as she didn't like the fact, Satsuki had to now contend with two enemies rather than one. And while she knew very much about her mother's motives and machinations, she knew next to nothing about Kumagawa?

Why visit her academy just to declare war on her? Why go through all this trouble? Nothing about that man had made any sense thus far.

Satsuki took a deep breath.

There was no use racking her brain over this. He was an enemy, and thus, needed to be purged. In this regard, she somewhat regretted not listening to Uzu's council sooner.

"I trust you have something important to report, Inumata."

"Verily, my lady. It is with regards to a matter separate from today's incident."

"Report."

"My surveillance has picked up a lone Nudist Beach operative within the territories. He has been making headway, disabling our forces. His destination appears to be our academy. Correction, in my pre-analysis, I have found several holes in our infrastructure. It is possible he has snuck into our academy on several occasions prior to today. I have worked with Iori on fixing those weaknesses. My apologies for the trouble, ma'am. Anyway, it appears he's noticed the tighter security and is approaching with a frontal assault. My estimates place his ETA as being within a day."

"Nudist Beach…"

Satuski's mind spun with numerous possibilities. For what reason would a single member go through all that trouble? What was his goal?

The one that stuck out the most was that, like flies, they were being attracted to the chaos festering within her academy. Or, more likely the case, the man at the center of it.

Perhaps this matter wasn't separate like Inumuta had said. After all, an alleged "human"—personality not withholding—who could fend off Goku uniforms would be a highly valuable asset to the only known rebellion against REVOCS. They may have already become aware of Kumagawa and his antics and were looking to recruit (if he wasn't theirs, to begin with). If so, then her bringing the Grand Couturier here may have ended up doing more harm than good.

Still…

"Continue to block his path," Satsuki ordered. "Ensure he does not reach academy grounds."

"By your order."

Houka delivered a bow and then left the room. Upon his exit, Satsuki let out a sigh and looked out the window.

The chances of mere two-stars being able to halt a professional were slim to none. To the likes of this agent, Kumagawa, or anyone else of higher strength, she may as well have sent lambs to their slaughter. However, if that man so much as thought he was getting light treatment, he might've grown suspicious and left mid-way.

She couldn't have that.

No, at this very moment, a scheme began whirling around in Sastsuki's mind, and it was one that would require her utilizing all the pawns presented before her.

"I don't know for what reason you came to my academy, but I will make sure to make full use of your presence, Kumagawa Misogi."

The next day, rumors circulated throughout the campus about the attacks that happened on several clubs, including the Newspaper and Origami divisions. Though the culprit wasn't named outright, many could wager a guess.

"『Please stand aside.』"

As soon as those words sounded, the crowd of one-stars and no-stars immediately dispersed into a separate division, forming a clear line for Kumagawa to walk through. The man, in question, looked to be no more or less chipper than he was yesterday. And yet, there was particularly foul and dark aura emanating from him. It was one that frightened the instincts of each and every person within the vicinity, making them get out of the way in that moment.

To contrast the darkness, a light shown from the highest pillar of Honnouji. Standing at the center of it was none other than Satsuki Kiryuin.

"Kumagawa Misogi," she said, her booming voice echoing throughout the courtyard.

"『Ah, good morning, Ms. Kiryuin. I say, it has been a while since last we spoke.』"

Though his voice wasn't booming, it still somehow reached Satsuki's ears. A fact that, considering Kumagawa's possible origins as a life-fiber hybrid like Nui, wasn't all too difficult for her to swallow. He continued.

"『Though, I'd prefer it to be under more comfortable conditions. But if this is how you prefer to communicate with others, I'll respect that uniqueness of yours, even though I hate it.』"

"Since coming here, you've made a mockery of my academy and its principles with your behavior. I've chosen to be lenient with you thus far, but you've stretched the limits of my patience. First, you dismantle the clubs, then you insult both my intelligence and this academy with a club request for, quote, 'Going Home', unquote."

Kumagawa shrugged. "『I would've picked a better name, but all the good ones got stolen by the clubs I destroyed. Hence, why I destroyed them. 』"

The nonchalant way he admitted his horrendous deeds, all with a smile on his face, left a bitter taste in Satsuki's mouth. It made tolerating him damn near impossible, but as long as his capabilities could be put to use in her favor, having to stomach the inanities of the Grand Couturier's supposed male clone was a small price to pay.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds, I see. But I am not without mercy. I will give you one chance. Leave my academy and do not return."

"『Or?』"

"Or you will be leaving it in a body bag."

Satsuki was very careful to leave not a single inflection in her voice that could've been mistaken as mere hyperbole. She wanted to be 100% clear that she was willing to go so far as to literally murder Kumagawa if he did not comply with her demands. The slight, barely noticeable change in his expression could've been an indication of his realization that she wasn't playing games with him anymore.

"『How interesting~! I welcome you to try,』" he said in his usual wishy-washy tone of voice that took nothing seriously.

"Very well then," Satsuki said to herself, her voice but a whisper. It then changed back to a booming volume. "The one who brings me the head of this insolent wretch will receive immediate three-star status."

With that announcement, various students throughout the academy, who had been listening to the exchange, perked their heads.

"Instant three-star status for beating a mere no-star?"

"It sounds too good to be true."

Aikuro, who had been listening to the exchange carefully, gulped in anticipation of what was to come. This was bad—like very bad. The teenager's abilities notwithstanding, having the entirety of Honnouji's forces gunning for his target would make recruiting him damn near impossible. He needed to move quickly.

He then thought back to Tsumugu's words from their most recent encounter. Hopefully, the mohawk-sporting renegade wasn't going to make a bigger mess of things, but it had been a while since they contacted each other. Couldn't hurt to make sure.

As Aikuro mused on his next move, Shinjiro—who was just a few desks away from him—observed the interaction with a blank expression.

"Kumagawa, Kumagawa, please say it isn't true."

Kumagawa, who was enjoying a bento-box, looked at Mako and said, "『It isn't true.』"

Mako puffed her cheeks. "You know that's not what I meant."

Shinjiro, who had trailed behind her, said, "You've certainly stirred the hornet's nest, Mr. Kumagawa. I haven't seen Lady Satsuki's forces mobilized like this in quite a while."

"But more importantly, I thought you promised you weren't going to get into any fights. Everyone's been saying that you beat up the Origami and Newspaper club's members. Is that true?"

"『I don't know what you're talking about,』" Kumagawa said, gazing at Mako's judging expression. "『I only asked them if I could visit their room, and as I left, all 91 members consecutively slipped on a banana peel and fell face-first on the floor. How was I supposed to explain that to your ruler?』"

"Though Mako is not one of higher cognitive abilities, I do request that you do not insult her nor my intelligence on this matter."

"Yeah, what he said."

Shrugging his shoulders, Kumagawa conceded. "『Okay, fine, fine. I do admit that there was a bit of a scuffle. But can you blame me? At least none of them died.』" With that, he let out a chuckle, much to Mako's irritation and disappointment.

"My concern is with the Newspaper club. First, you admit that you destroyed it, then you state that it was all a lie. Later, we all find out that it was indeed attacked."

"『Your point?』"

"My point is, my membership notwithstanding, as a journalist, I can't respect such dishonesty."

"『But I didn't attack the journalism club or whatever its name is. Honest.』"

Mako's cheeks grew puffier as she hummed with resounding doubt.

"『Honest,』" Kumagawa repeated, leaning back in the face of Mako's prodding stare.

At this scene, Shinjiro couldn't help but let out a light chuckle. One wouldn't feel any danger from this man if they were to witness him in this state. But he knew all too well how deceiving looks could be.

As for the matter of the Newspaper club, Kumagawa was being truthful in his statement that he didn't attack it. How did Shinjiro know that? Easy.

He allowed a light smirk to appear on his face while the other two were distracted.

The culprit behind that incident was standing right in front of them.

Yesterday…

Nui never did enjoy the smell of an old-fashioned printing press. Nor did she enjoy the smell of human blood for that matter, despite her occupation being heavily involved with it. Yet, those two seemed to fill the majority of her olfactory senses for the remainder of today.

As she made her way towards the exit, she felt a hand gripping one of her ankles. It belonged to the club leader whom she had decimated along with the rest of his worthless friends.

"W-why…?" he asked, voice hoarse with what she had to assume was the result of her shattering his rib cage with a light nudge.

Instead of answering, she simply threw him off her ankle like it was nothing. As for the reason why she did this*…*

"I just can't stand liars."

At the time, however, she didn't think that Kumagawa would've made good on his threats to the academy. She assumed he was just some poser messing around and looking for trouble, which is why she worked so hard to frame him. Watching that cocky grin of his descend into a despair-ridden expression as Satsuki enacted punishment on him would've been an entertaining sight to see.

However, it seemed that all that work was unnecessary.

"The origami club's been attacked," one of the students had reported. "Almost all of its members are in critical condition."

"Damn, really," another student had replied. "This is just like that time in the slums. That transfer seriously doesn't know the slightest bit of mercy, does he?"

This Kumagawa was every bit the devil the rumors had made him out to be.

Now, as Shinjiro, he observed the light-hearted affair with disingenuous glee. Satsuki was certainly rattled by this look-alike. She might've even assumed that he and Nui were the same person, what with their similar personalities and all.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Even so, the notion that he was a life-fiber hybrid like her whirled around in her mind. After all, very few could humans could defeat Satsuki's forces without being enhanced by life fibers themselves.

As the Grand Couturier, it was her duty to report such anomalous occurrences immediately to Lady Ragyo. After all, the existence of another life fiber hybrid would be of absolute importance to the woman who gave her life.

Still, Nui couldn't help it. This entire situation was just all too fun for her to end it just yet. Her desire to see the indignation on Satsuki's brow every time things didn't go the princess' way turned into a hobby that could better be labeled as a borderline obsession at this point. And this man delivered big-time, to the point where it made even poor Nui somewhat envious.

What was he going to do next? She just had to find out.

"『Anyway, you guys probably shouldn't hang around me all too much.』" Kumagawa sat down and re-opened his bento. "『If they see you two with me, you might get roped into th-』"

But before he could finish his sentence, a throwing knife lodged itself into his lunch, followed by an exceptionally annoying catchphrase.

"SHOCKING!"