New Order

Tuesday and Wednesday were, strangely, the best days Hina had experienced since returning to school. The "Reject Club" had grown. Now, at lunchtime, their table had four occupied chairs.

Ren Ishida didn't sit comfortably yet. He maintained a rigid posture, as if expecting someone to come and tell him he didn't belong there. But he was there. He traded sarcastic comments with Kaito about old anime and, surprisingly, listened to Mei talk about watercolor techniques without rolling his eyes.

Hina felt like the universe was finally getting back on track. She had friends. She had controlled the magic. She had fixed the bully.

Then, on Thursday morning, the sirens started.

It was second period, History class. The sharp, rising sound of an ambulance made the teacher stop speaking. The vehicle entered the school gates, red lights spinning and reflecting in the classroom windows.

Hina felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at Kaito, two rows away. He was pale.

"Stay in your seats!" the teacher ordered, running into the hallway.

But no one stayed. The entire class ran to the windows.

Down in the administration courtyard, paramedics were running with a stretcher. Hina saw Mr. Tanaka holding the door open, looking panicked.

And then she saw who was on the stretcher.

It was Principal Tanabe.

She looked small and fragile under the blankets, an oxygen mask covering her face. Her hand, usually firm when signing detention slips, hung limp by her side.

"The principal..." someone whispered. "Did she have a heart attack?"

Hina's heart skipped a beat. Stress. The word echoed in her mind. On Saturday, they broke into her office. On Monday, she was paranoid, installing cameras.

Was it us? Hina thought, terror rising in her throat. Did the fear we caused her do this?

The ambulance drove away, taking the principal and the school's peace with it.

On Friday morning, an urgent summons echoed over the loudspeakers. All students and staff were to report to the gym immediately.

The mood was somber. Hina, Kaito, and Mei stood together in the bleachers. Ren was on the other side, with the basketball team, but Hina saw that he kept looking at them, as if he wanted to switch places.

On the stage, where Principal Tanabe used to stand with her motherly smile and long speeches about "school spirit," stood a man Hina had never seen before.

He was tall, thin as a skeleton, and wore a gray suit that looked like it had been starched with cement. His glasses were rectangular and rimless, reflecting the gym lights in a way that made it impossible to see his eyes.

He walked to the microphone. He didn't adjust it. He just stood there, waiting for absolute silence. It took three seconds for five hundred students to shut up.

"Good morning," he said. His voice was nasal and cold, void of any emotion. "My name is Mr. Akama. I am the Vice-Principal sent by the District Board of Education."

He opened a black folder and took out a single sheet of paper.

"As you know, Principal Tanabe has been hospitalized due to collapse from exhaustion. The management of this school, unfortunately, has been... lax. Inefficient. Chaotic."

Hina exchanged a worried look with Mei.

"I have been sent to correct this," Akama continued. "The school is running a budget deficit. And discipline is below acceptable standards. The security breach last weekend—a break-in, it seems—was the final straw."

Hina shrank back. Kaito pulled his hoodie up to cover his face.

"Therefore, starting today, we are instituting the 'New Order.' Austerity measures to save this institution."

He began reading the list. And with each item, the gym grew tenser.

"Item one: The cafeteria budget will be cut by 30%. The contract with current suppliers has been canceled. We will switch to the municipality's standard service."

A murmur of protest ran through the crowd. The school curry was legendary.

"Item two: Extracurricular clubs that do not bring prestige or trophies, and that consume resources like electricity and materials, will be suspended indefinitely for review."

He paused, his lifeless eyes scanning the gym.

"This includes the Occult Club, the Gardening Club, and... the Art Club."

Kaito let out a strangled sound. "What?"

"The art room will be converted into storage for the track and field team," Akama said, unconcerned.

"Item three: Reduction of support staff. The cleaning crew will be cut by half. Those with questionable performance or who failed security protocols will be let go today."

Hina saw, in the corner of the gym, Mrs. Tani—the kind janitor who left the window open—cover her face with her hands and start to cry.

"That is all. Return to class. Efficiency starts now."

Akama stepped down from the stage. He didn't look at anyone. He walked like a robot, ignoring the looks of shock and anger from the students.

Lunch was a funeral.

The food had already changed. The delicious tonkatsu had been replaced by a gray meat paste and soggy rice.

"He can't do this," Kaito said, pushing his tray away in disgust. He was shaking. "He's going to close the art room. My supplies are in there. The contest... I need that space."

"And Mrs. Tani," Mei said, her voice choked. "Did you see? He's firing her because she left the window open. It's our fault."

Hina felt the weight of guilt crush her. First the principal in the hospital, now the janitor fired and Kaito's refuge destroyed. All because they broke into the school.

"We have to do something," Hina said.

"Do what?" Kaito asked, desperate. "Break into his office and smash another cabinet? He'll call the actual police this time."

"We're not going to break anything."

The voice came from above. Ren Ishida placed his tray on the table and sat down next to Kaito. He hadn't touched his food.

"Do you guys know guys like Akama?" Ren asked, staring at the cafeteria door as if expecting the vice-principal to walk in.

"Jerks?" Mei suggested.

"No. Efficiency consultants," Ren said, with the bitter knowledge of someone who heard his father talk business at dinner. "My dad hires guys like this when he wants to 'clean up' a subsidiary before selling it. They don't care about people. They care about spreadsheets. They cut costs to show pretty numbers to the board, take their bonus, and leave, leaving scorched earth behind."

Ren looked at Hina, his eyes serious.

"If he fires Mrs. Tani and closes the art club, he saves a few bucks. But he destroys the soul of the place. That's what they do."

"How do we stop him?" Hina asked.

"He's a bureaucrat," Ren said. "He follows rules. But guys like that... they always have something to hide. Or they make mistakes because they're too arrogant to check the details." Ren lowered his voice. "My dad says every 'cost-cutter' has a skeleton in the closet or an error in the spreadsheet. We need to find his."

"And if we don't?" Mei asked.

Hina looked at the ring on her finger. It was cold and dormant. She had promised to use it for good. To fix things.

Saving Mrs. Tani, protecting Kaito's dream, and bringing Principal Tanabe back seemed like the most "right" thing she could do.

"If we don't," Hina said, closing her fist, "we're going to ensure he has very, very bad luck until he gives up."

Kaito looked at her, then at Ren.

"The Art Club is my home," Kaito said. "I'm in."

"Mrs. Tani is nice," Mei said timidly. "Me too."

Ren gave a half-smile, that arrogant smile that now looked like a weapon on their side.

"Great. I know how to get into his filing system without needing a chair."

The Reject Club had a new mission. And this time, they weren't just running away. They were fighting back.