Experiment Subject No. 1 (Part 2)
In Breadcademy, or rather the original game Esdinas of the Blue Heavens, angels aren't the enemies. Sure, they're a bad ending trigger, but strictly speaking, you mainly face off against the demon race—the demons—as vanguards of the final boss, the Demon King (Demon God).
That said, there are cases where you have to deal with those who've become angels. When a heroine turns into one. They're a real pain to take down, but just because an angel possesses a heroine doesn't mean the screen instantly fades to black for a game over. It's like how you can treat cancer with chemotherapy, or surgically remove a tumor if you're lucky enough to save the patient's life—the same goes for those possessed by angels. You can save them.
Defeat Angel OOO within 3 turns!
Special Condition: Persuade at 3% HP remaining...?
Most cases involve heroines, and the difficulty is insane enough that people often say, "If an angel possesses her, just abandon that playthrough."
First method: Destroy the halo. Like with Angelica's halo, just brute-force smash the angel's ring.
And if the angel possesses another "vessel" and goes on a rampage? That's a whole other hassle. Worse, the angel becomes a wraith targeting the next host, so gamers have to hunt it down again.
So, what about the second method? Unlike smashing the halo to force it out, is there a way to preserve the host's mind intact while excising just the angel?
"So, you're saying the angel's possessing this underwear right now?"
"That's right."
"......."
Instructor Cardisha stared at the underwear inside the case with a complicated expression.
"The angel's in the underwear?"
"Yep. It ended up possessing her panties."
"Why?"
"It got caught while trying to escape. As it was fleeing Yuribel's body, it accidentally possessed the underwear."
It might be utterly embarrassing for some, but sadly, that's reality.
"I knew angels could possess clothes, but of all things, her worn panties..."
"Thanks to that, it can't release its angelic power... or holy force. It's just sitting there."
"It's twitching, though?"
"It's trembling, sure, but what can underwear do?"
Inside the mana-forged case, a pair of white panties adorned with a single red ribbon trembled like a phone on vibrate. Unlike a phone that might skitter off the table from excessive vibration, Angel Yuribel was set to the lowest buzz, quivering gently as if nestled on a cushion.
"If it were one of Evangeline's dolls, it might've tried puppeteering the doll for revenge. Sneaking in with a kitchen knife while she slept, maybe."
When dwelling in a human body, it could wield that flesh's power.
"But can panties grip a kitchen knife?"
Right now, it was just a triangle of fabric.
"Is that halo okay?"
"Even if the halo's floating there, it's proof the angel's still inside. No halo would be more worrying."
No matter the halo bobbing above the underwear, trapped in the mana case, Angel Yuribel couldn't move.
"Unless someone deliberately breaks this non-attribute mana barrier and puts the panties over their head, possession won't be easy."
This was speculation based on real-world experience fighting angels, not in-game knowledge.
"...Not down there, but on the head?"
"It's mental possession. Angels can't easily take over a conscious host or one with a living spirit. The contact point needs to be close to the head for easy takeover."
I mimed reaching for the head of the woman now to be called "student Yuribel" and shrugged.
"That's our second angel downed. Plus... we've secured the angel's soul too."
"......."
"Instructor Cardisha?"
I pointed at Instructor Cardisha's magic pad.
"The magic pad... seems disconnected right now."
"......."
Instructor Cardisha scratched her cheek. We'd been talking just between us so far, but the infirmary held others: Unia, Rydmila, Evangeline, me, Instructor Esta, Instructor Cardisha, and the still-unconscious Yuribel herself.
"Instructor Esta hasn't connected her magic pad either."
"...We can say the signal's bad due to mana reaction issues from suppressing the angel."
Instructor Esta glanced out the window with a casual excuse.
"With both instructors halting real-time reports, the academy staff will get suspicious. And it stopped right when..."
"Student Phoenix, when you grabbed Angel Yuribel's head."
Esta and Cardisha simultaneously pointed at the underwear trapped in the barrier.
"Cardisha. What do you think?"
"If it were for public disclosure, they wouldn't hide it like this."
Cardisha pretended to tap her magic pad at Esta's question, and Instructor Esta nodded gravely.
"Cardisha."
"Yeah."
"Any spare underwear in the infirmary?"
"......There wouldn't be spare underwear in the infirmary."
Cardisha paused subtly before denying Esta's words.
"Troubling. Dean Ederson's approaching outside."
"Shall I go stall for time?"
Rydmila raised her hand. Instructor Esta eyed her in surprise for a moment, then shook her head and pointed at Yuribel.
"Stalling won't help. Only Yuribel's underwear is gone—if they ask, 'Why just the underwear?' what then?"
"That's..."
"No choice, then."
Clap.
"Everyone, listen up?"
I clapped to draw all eyes, then pointed at Yuribel still lying obliviously on the exam table.
"We hide the angel-possessed underwear in some case or whatever, but when Yuribel wakes and notices her bottom underwear's missing, that's the problem, right?"
"Exactly."
"Simple fix, then. Hide a leaf in the forest; if you've stolen something, burn it all to cover the theft."
"The metaphor's weird, but I get it."
Instructor Cardisha mimed a bomb going boom and pointed at Yuribel.
"Strip her?"
"Not stripping—call it Cast Off. Like Student Council President Keiar did."
"......He's coming up."
Instructor Esta pointed toward the stairs.
"Looks like the student council president too."
"Perfect. No time. Need three helpers for a similar effect."
I quickly briefed the trio from the Zhuque Squad.
"Wh-what? Now?"
"...You mean right now?"
"N-No, is that even allowed?"
Unia panicked, Rydmila bit her lower lip, and Evangeline's eyes darted side to side as she swallowed hard.
"No reason it wouldn't be. We have to stage it this way... to sell it. Act as naturally as possible."
I pointed at the angel-possessed underwear.
"If someone's after the angel, they might try wearing those panties. Man over the head, woman straight on—either way."
"...Hide it."
Instructor Cardisha nodded heavily.
"Can you do it? Everyone?"
"......Hoo."
Rydmila exhaled deeply and reached forward.
"Let's do it."
[Right below, Old School Building main gate.]
"It's been 15 minutes since contact from the Old School Building."
"Dean Ederson, aren't you worrying too much?"
"No."
Dean Ederson shook his head seriously at the other staff.
"Instructors Esta and Cardisha both not reporting is suspicious. Especially since..."
"Neither is responding. That's the issue."
Student Council President Keiar chimed in from the side.
"Maybe the angel put up some barrier. We thought we captured it before, but something could've gone wrong mid-check."
President Keiar drew his rapier from his waist.
"Can't predict the danger. I'll go too."
"Crown Prince."
"Student Council President."
At Dean Ederson's worried words, President Keiar pointed to the faint aura on his rapier and nodded firmly.
"Let's go. To protect the Old School Building's people!"
Whoosh.
The two dashed to the infirmary in one breath. Amid a sharp, skin-prickling aura rippling around them, those following swallowed hard at the eerie flow emanating from the infirmary.
"I'll open it."
As Dean Ederson reached for the door—
BOOMFWhoosh!!!!
A massive gust exploded from inside like a bomb, and the infirmary door flew off with a bang.
"!!"
Dean Ederson and President Keiar were about to enter from either side when—
"Ah, crap."
Phoenix from the special class let out a flustered, troubled voice.
"Didn't expect this."
On the bed. Phoenix, gripping student Yuribel's head, grinned awkwardly at the "exploded" Yuribel.
"Who knew clothes could explode. Haha."
Fabric scraps fluttered down like pollen from the ceiling. It was unmistakably Yuribel's outfit—no other scraps fit the "explosion."
Unia covered her face with one hand, Rydmila sat flushed to her ears, and the two instructors glared with stone faces at the newcomers.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing!!"
Evangeline, voice stiff with tension, charged at Phoenix.
Knee to the groin. Elbow to the solar plexus. Uppercut to the jaw.
"Guhk."
Phoenix bled from his nose, reeling back from Evangeline's three-hit combo—a scene almost like a staged play.
"Ahem."
"...A-hem, hem."
Before the two men could sense the oddity, they had no choice but to turn away upon entering the infirmary.
Because they were gentlemen.