Back at the designated combat zone, the dust had finally settled over the wrecked alleyways.
"Did... did Sensei just leave us here?" one of the first-years asked, blinking in disbelief.
Geto laughed, quickly turning into the shadows to disappear.
Before anyone could react, a frantic buzzing sound cut through the silence. One of the students pulled out their phone, tapping the screen as the call connected.
"Sensei! Suguru managed to slip away during the chaos," the student reported, trying to keep the panic out of their voice. "The barrier's gone, but we can't find him anywhere."
A beat of heavy silence stretched over the line, followed by the faint sound of rustling cloth and muffled groans coming from a dark corner behind the student group.
"Wait—Sensei, hold on," the student added, turning around as they spotted movement near a stack of discarded crates. "We found Ijichi."
Kiyotaka stumbled out from the shadows, thoroughly tied up with thick, cursed ropes, a gag dangling uselessly around his neck. He looked utterly mortified, blinking behind his glasses as he gasped for air.
"He... he took my phone the second I stepped out of the car," Kiyotaka stammered, wincing as a student rushed forward to untie him. "I tried to warn you all, but—oh dear, is everyone alright?"
On the other end of the line, the call abruptly disconnected with a sharp click. Gojo, entirely preoccupied with checking on Akari back at the safehouse, had already hung up.
The student stared at the dead phone screen, then looked back at Kiyotaka, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "Yeah, Ijichi-san," the student muttered, rubbing their temples. "We're going to need a lot of paperwork for this one."15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7MwccgtSh
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