Preventative Measures

Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, Tenrou Island. 

December 13, x787. 

After a day spent finishing the arena where the tournament for the S-Class Promotion Exam would be held, Alfonzo and the other S-Class wizards were once again seated around the camp fire and having a dinner cooked by Alfonzo. 

"Alright, guys." Alfonzo said as he stood up from his seat at the fire. "I've got some shit to do. So, I'll see you guys in the morning, the day after tomorrow." 

"Huh? Where are you going?" Natsu asked curiously, in a muffled tone with his mouth full. 

"I've got some business to take care of outside of guild work." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Oh, and I'll be bringing Lici with me for this. We're gonna stop at home to see Amar'e, too." 

"Yeah, I miss my baby!" Elicia said in a sugary sweet tone. "Ooh! It's been torture not being able to hug him every day. I wonder if he forgot about his mommy since I've been gone. 

While about half of the wizards present looked at Alfonzo with curiosity, Alfonzo's wives and fiancées looked at him with displeasure. And Gildarts had picked up on their looks, especially Cana's, who was always at least partially in his field of perception. 

However, since Cana did not voice a complaint, Gildarts decided he would keep his thoughts to himself… for now. 

Meanwhile, the other wizards, who knew Alfonzo and Elicia were always working on something for their other jobs, did not have much to say. So, they just nodded at the two and went back to eating. 

As for Alfonzo's other wives and fiancées, they were discontent because they knew exactly what Alfonzo and Elicia were going to do. And the fact that they were being left out upset them quite a bit. However, they also knew that being stealthy would be much harder if all of them went. So, they begrudgingly agreed to let Alfonzo and Elicia handle Junko alone. Even if they knew that the two of them would be more than enough to do so. 

"I'm gonna go pack a few supplies before I head out." Alfonzo said as he turned towards the tent he shared with his ladies. "I'll be back in a minute. Then, I'm gonna head out with Lici." 

With that, Alfonzo walked away from the camp fire. A moment later, Gildarts stood up and followed him. Meanwhile, Elicia, having seen Gildarts, only continued to chat with the others until Alfonzo came back. 

A few moments later, Gildarts pulled open the flap of Alfonzo's tent to see him packing a couple of bags, just as he said he would. However, Gildarts did not speak immediately upon entry. 

"*Sigh* It's kinda creepy if you just watch me like that, Gildarts." Alfonzo said as he continued to pack what he needed. "Don't tell me you've turned into some kinda creepy uncle since you started dating Ur. I won't keep my mouth shut if you really did." 

"Shut it, Kid." Gildarts said in a stern tone. "You're not really going to take care of any business or see Amar'e, are you? You're planning on doing something dangerous, right?" 

"Oh, we're definitely going to see Amar'e." Alfonzo replied with a big, wide, fond smile on his face. "I'm sure you can understand how much I miss my Little Man, right?" 

At that, Gildarts smiled at his old friend's son, despite himself. However, that smile faded away as quickly as it had appeared in the next moment. 

"But you didn't deny going to do something dangerous." Gildarts said, once again speaking in a stern tone. 

"No, we're not going to do anything dangerous." Alfonzo replied as he finished packing. Then, he slung the bags he was packing a moment ago over his shoulder as he stood up and continued in a solemn tone. "I promise. I couldn't bear leaving Amar'e alone if something happened." 

"Then, why are you being so secretive about it." Gildarts asked. "I mean, if it's not dangerous, what's the point." 

"Because it's not exactly something Legal Guild wizards should be proud of." Alfonzo said, finally turning towards Gildarts for the first time since he entered the tent. "We're gonna take out someone who promised to do some unthinkable things to us to make Lici suffer. And if they know about Amar'e, which I'm certain they do, then they'll eventually try to use him against us. And we're gonna make sure that shit doesn't happen… Ever." 

Hearing that, Gildarts could only sigh in response. Then, he looked at Alfonzo with understanding in his gaze, as he was capable of just about anything to keep Cana safe, as well. 

"Well, I won't try to talk you out of whatever you're gonna do." Gildarts said in a solemn tone. "But Kid, be careful. Even if you don't think it's dangerous, being cautious never hurt anyone. Just make sure you both come back safe and sound. Because I don't wanna imagine what Cana and the other girls would do if anything happened to you two." 

"Don't worry, Gildarts." Alfonzo said in a resolute tone. "We know that our lives aren't just ours alone anymore. We have too much to live for to go in recklessly. And I refuse to let Amar'e grow up as an orphan like we did." 

Nodding in response, Gildarts turned around to leave the tent when Alfonzo started walking towards the exit, as well. Then, when they returned to the campfire, they acted as if they never had such a heavy conversation, keeping the others from knowing anything was amiss. 

"Lici, the bags are packed." Alfonzo said with a smile. "You ready to go?" 

In response, Elicia hopped to her feet with a smile on her face. Then, she clung to Alfonzo happily. 

"Yup, I miss Mar'e!" Elicia said energetically. "Let's go! Let's go!" 

Smiling warmly at Elicia, Alfonzo made his way around to everyone else to say a quick goodbye. Then, with Elicia in his arms, he shot up into the sky before flying towards the rest of Fiore. 

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Skies of Fiore. 

"So, where is she?" Elicia asked, her tone much darker than the one she used on Tenrou Island. 

As of now, Alfonzo and Elicia have been flying for about an hour, and they had already crossed the sea and were flying above the peninsula. And if you take into account that they were moving at almost four times the speed of sound, Alfonzo thought they would make it to their destination by midnight. 

"She's here." Alfonzo said as an [Archive Magic Screen] appeared in front of him. Then, he pointed at an island off the west coast of Fiore. "but to be honest, I'm not sure if that island is under Fiore's or Caelum's jurisdiction. Then again, her location was picked up by the receiver network, so I guess it's Fiore's." 

"But why did it take so long to find her?" Elicia asked curiously. "I mean, you were able to find her because of the lPhones, right? So, why didn't that hot word thing you were talking about alert anyone to her, then?" 

"Junko might be crazy, but she's not stupid." Alfonzo said in a serious tone. "I wouldn't put it past her to know that I was the one who created the lPhones. And if she did, she probably thought there was a way to track it, or something. She probably has spies on the new Magic Council, too. So, she probably knew about the chance of being pinged for saying something she shouldn't while on a phone call." 

"I see." Elicia replied with a nod. "But why didn't you just add something like Batman used in the Dark Knight. You know, to access the microphones and cameras without anyone's consent?" 

"*Sigh* That's because of an issue from our past life." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly. "I mean, you remember how some oddly specific adds would pop up on your phone browser while you were surfing the net on your phone back then? I mean, something you never searched for. But something you might have only talked about for a second?" 

"Yeah, I always thought that was weird." Elicia replied. "Wait! You think it's because the phone was listening?" 

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied. "And because I intend to bring something like the internet to this world, eventually, I don't want shit like that popping up on my phone. It's a stupid reason, I know. But that's how it is." 

In response, Elicia only looked at Alfonzo blankly for a moment. Then, she smiled at him before pecking him on the cheek. 

"Fonzie, you're so cute sometimes." Elicia said happily. 

Though he did not like being called cute, Alfonzo smiled at Elicia as the two continued to fly forward at high speed. 

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Unnamed Island. 

December 14, x787. 

"Hmm… What should I do with them?" Junko, with Monokuma in her arms and standing in front of a window in the principal's office overlooking the rest of the school she had built, asked herself while smiling happily. "I mean, the school is almost finished and I did promise them I would let them go if they built the school for me." 

At the end of Junko's line of sight, the group she enslaved to build the school she named Hope's Peak Academy were returning to the shelter they used when they were finished working for the day. Though, calling it a shelter was a bit of a stretch. 

In reality, the thing she called a shelter for the enslaved people was nothing more than a pig stye. There were even mud puddles for them to cool off in. On top of that, she forced all of them to be naked for the entirety of their stay on the island. Treating them like livestock, because livestock did not need clothing. 

"They look so happy." Junko said while smiling at the group of forced labor returning to their pig stye. "The hope in their eyes, hope that they'll be able to go home soon, is shining so brightly." 

And just as Junko said, the group of people she was watching all looked hopeful that they would be able to go home soon. The school was almost complete, after all. And they were promised that they would be returned to their normal lives, unharmed, if they finished it. 

And even though they were exhausted, having worked from sunrise to just after midnight every day since they were kidnapped, now that it was almost over, they could put up with it for a bit longer. And Junko watched all of this with a smile. 

In the next instant, however, Junko's expression changed, her happy smile from having her school disappearing completely. 

"Disgusting." Junko said in a tone filled with loathing. "It's so disgusting. No one in this world deserves hope. It needs to be bathed in despair. And this is the perfect opportunity to give those people just that." 

"Does that mean we're not gonna send them home?" Monokuma asked with a creepy smile on his little teddy bear face. 

Once again, Junko's expression changed. Now, replacing her disgusted expression was a cheerful smile. 

"We're definitely not." Junko replied cheerfully. "The question is, what should we do with them? Should I just kill them?" 

With that, both Junko and Monokuma fell into a contemplative silence. 

"Ooh! I think I got it!" Monokuma said in an excited tone. 

Hearing that, Junko came out of her contemplative state and looked down at the black and white teddy bear in her arms. 

"Why don't we force them to be the custodial staff for the school?" Monokuma asked. "We'll need someone to clean up during the killing game, right? I mean, you know how hard it is to get blood stains out of the carpets and drapes." 

In response, Junko wore an expression of enlightenment. Then, she hugged Monokuma tightly and began to dance around the principal's office. 

"Monokuma! You're a genius." Junko said in glee. "That's a brilliant idea." 

"Well, I guess I have my moments." Monokuma replied in a humble tone. 

At that moment, the door to the principal's office was opened. Through it, a young woman with a face nearly identical to Junko's, chin-length black hair, and greyish-blue eyes wearing an outfit similar to a green army uniform with a skirt instead of pants, two magic rifles on her back, a military knife strapped to each of her thighs, and carrying a third magic rifle entered the office. 

"So, how are the island's surroundings, Mokuro?" Junko asked with a smile after turning around to see who entered the office. 

"There are no issues." The black-haired young woman, Mokuro Ikusaba, Junko's older twin sister, replied with a smile of her own. "Soon, we will be able to set everything in motion." 

"Yes." Junko replied in a sensual tone. "We'll be able to bring despair to people all over the world. Mmm~! We really need to thank that Alfonzo for making a way for us to reach so many people with our little game. The question is how? I mean, he's done so much for our plans." 

As she spoke, Junko removed one of her arms from around Monokuma. Then, she began fondling herself in ecstasy. 

"Oh, I know!" Junko said with her eyes lighting up. "Why don't we go and kidnap his son. Then---" Junko started to say before she was interrupted when Mokuro rushed forward and tackled her to the floor. 

Unbeknownst to Junko, whose back was to the window, the pig stye where her forced labor was staying had been covered in a cocoon of threads. Mokuro, on the other hand, who could see out the window from her position opposite Junko, knew that something was wrong immediately. So, she tackled Junko to the ground to keep her sister out of harm's way. 

A moment later, something crashed through the ceiling at high speed, just above where Junko stood before she was tackled out of the way, before crashing through the floor, and every floor below, as well. 

*Boom~~~~~~~!*