Chapter 267: Chapter 267:The Vault [2]
At the same time, on the opposite side of the field, two confused figures could be seen standing next to the principal's fierce figure.
Kaneki, with a deadpan expression, stared directly at Kazuki without saying a single word.
Though...his silence spoke volumes.
Unable to avoid Kaneki's deadpan stare, Kazuki let out a sigh before saying.
"What is it, Kaneki?"
In a combined furious and sarcastic tone, Kaneki copied Kazuki's tone before replying.
" 'Oh, it'll just be a couple of minutes, Kaneki. Come on, we're already here. We might as well!' "
"..."
Hearing a perfect replica of his voice, Kazuki was at a loss for words.
Beside him, Principal Seraphina chuckled before muttering.
"Some things never change..."
Kaneki, putting one hand down in his pocket, was about to take out his smartwatch to call for pick-up when Principal Seraphina stopped him.
Raising her hand, Seraphina stared at the two boys before smiling and saying.
"Kaneki, it just happens I have the perfect way for you to take out that anger you're feeling right now."
"...?"
"..?"
After hesitating for a moment, as if she was trying to build up suspense, Seraphina pointed to the surrounding forests.
"It just so happens... that we have a couple of extra visitors today."
While Kaneki got even more furious, clenching his fist and shaking with anger, Kazuki stared at his smiling principal for a second.
Having been the student council president and on the student council itself for all three years of his schooling earlier, Kazuki had grown close to the principal.
So close that he could sometimes tell what she was thinking or feeling just by staring at her face.
He was no therapist...but she did not seem shocked or worried in the slightest.
And considering the fact that the emergency alarm had just gone off during the school's most important event...Kazuki could easily realize something was off.
Kazuki knew that she was a good principal...but then, he didn't know why she wasn't worried or concerned.
An emergency alarm could mean anything... from fires to invaders to even air attacks.
Yet...this great principal and ranker in front of him was simply standing still instead of trying to investigate the cause of the alarm.
Shaking his head, Kazuki stared at his principal before asking.
"Do you... by any chance know something about this emergency alarm that we just heard?"
Principal Seraphina, making eye contact with Kazuki, grinned before curiously replying.
"And what makes you think that?"
Kazuki, about to dissect her expression to seriously explain why he thought something was off, opened his mouth.
Yet, before any words could escape Kazuki's mouth, he suddenly felt someone tightly gripping his shoulder.
Kaneki, grabbing Kazuki by the shoulder, pulled him back before stepping up to the principal and saying.
"Oh, there just so happens to be an emergency alarm when the two of us here... and you're not even doing anything about it."
"oh no, I'm hard at work right now..!"
In reality, her words were true.
Simply, her presence was preventing the djinns from attacking.
The djinns weren't stupid enough to all flood out of the forest when a top ranker in the entire realm was casually sitting here.
Instead...they were waiting.
Waiting for Seraphina to be distracted or leave to go investigate the cause of the emergency alarm.
Seraphina, however, was also in quite a precarious position.
She couldn't go after the djinns right now, as they would simply grab one single student before she could do anything and use him as a hostage.
Seeing Principal Seraphina's sarcastic remark, Kaneki's facial expression tightened before he eventually asked.
"Just tell us what you want us to do, alright? We'll do it; is that enough for you?"
Seraphina, sensing some movement in the trees around here, still kept her gaze locked on her two former students before replying.
"Oh, if you're volunteering, I'll gladly take your help!"
Immediately after those words came out of her mouth, Principal Seraphina dropped the sarcastic and joking tone.
Her facial expression immediately transformed as she looked dead serious, with her eyes shining an amethyst purple.
Pulling the two boys, Principal Seraphina explained.
"When I leave, the students here will be attacked."
Discreetly pointing at the surrounding forest, Seraphina continued.
"They will flood out of the forest, all from different directions. What I need you two to do is stop that."
Hesitating for a moment, Principal Seraphina pointed at the area of the courtyard, which had a sign next to it that read, "Construction In Progress."
"Make them all come out there. Use the hole over there as a funnel for them."
Seeing Serpahina's dead serious expression, Kaneki and Kazuki also both dropped their attitudes before gazing at the hole.
After taking a moment to comprehend everything, Kazuki rapidly asked, fearing the djinns would attack at any moment.
"If we create a field that only allows them to attack from that area...won't it be too suspicious? I mean, they'll realize it's a trap and that we know, right?"
Nodding his head in affirmation, Kaneki stopped for a moment before speaking.
"We have to entice them...make it seem like that area is the best spot for attacking."
Patting the two boys on the back, Principal Seraphina smiled before replying.
"The djinns are getting restless...I can only act as a deterrent for them for so long before they start to not care and attack regardless."
Nodding their heads, the two boys replied in unison.
"We'll take care of them." Your journey continues at m v|l-e'm,p| y r
Principal Seraphina smiled at the two boys before leaving them with their last instructions.
"Once they'll all funnel and grouped together... I'll be there to deal them all a killing blow."
Having already predicted something like that due to Principal Seraphina's fame as a splash-damage attacker, the two began planning.
Taking one last glance at the courtyard filled with students, Principal Seraphina noticed that the tunnel to the vault from the courtyard had been opened.
Previously, there was a special elevated area in the courtyard, but now it was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh good, they're already down there."
Taking her last step of the courtyard, Seraphina began speed-walking towards the administrative building.
Just because she couldn't help in the courtyard right now didn't mean she couldn't be useful somewhere else.
Who knows?
Maybe some djinns had already sneaked into the vicinity and were scouting out the area around the vault.
*BOOM*
As Seraphina opened the glass doors of the administrative building, a booming sound echoed from behind her.
Checking the cameras on her smartwatch, Seraphina checked that no one was hurt before continuing on inside.
Walking past the empty reception desk, Seraphina quickly made her way to the office, where a secret tunnel to her vault was located.
...
...
...
Back in the courtyard, Kazuki and Kaneki had already begun.
Unbeknownst to them, all the teachers in the courtyard had been told by the principal that the two boys were currently in charge while she investigated.
Tapping his foot up and down while examining the border between the forest and courtyard, Kaneki muttered.
"She set us up... again!"
With all the evidence laid out, Kazuki couldn't even make a case to deny it.
"Maybe...this will count towards your required community service hours?"
Ceasing their joke and muttering, the two boys quickly got to the work.
Kazuki headed towards the construction area to begin creating the funnel while Kaneki began luring them in.
To lure them towards the construction area, where the gigantic hole in the ground was, Kaneki decided to bait them.
Hearing all the side-conversations between students as they discussed the cause of the emergency alarm, Kaneki sighed before loudly yelling.
"EVERYONE, QUIET!"
"..."
Staring at the source of the noise, the students all looked at Kaneki with confusion.
After a short second of silence, all the students practically ignored Kaneki and began talking once again.
To be fair, Kaneki only looked and was three years older than them, so they couldn't fathom the idea that he was currently their leader.
After turning to the teachers for help, Kaneki smiled as silence descended upon the massive ground of students.
Getting over 700 students to shut up was a much harder task than expected...
With all the students' gazes on him, Kaneki proudly pointed at the area of construction before confidently announcing me.
"Teachers, please move your students to that area and line up with them. Make a nice and well-rounded rectangle."
Right now, there were countless students gathered around the massive courtyard.
But... within the next few seconds, the half of the courtyard opposite the construction became clear and devoid of any students.
Seeing the teachers and students all huddled up, Kaneki was about to speak... when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a single teacher away from the construction area.
Although it wouldn't change anything, as there was already more than enough bait near the construction area, Kaneki still gestured for her to move.
Professor Zia, sensing the student's gaze on him, quickly replied.
"It seems... I'm missing a couple of students from my class."