Mission 124 (
Summary[]
The accusatory article
In the morning at Eden Academy, Henry Henderson is exhausted from routine paperwork when he is suddenly alerted to an urgent situation. Posted around the school is an article accusing Henry of accepting bribes from a student's guardian in exchange for providing test questions, complete with a photo presented as evidence. Confronted by his fellow teachers, Henry firmly denies the allegation, which comes from an anonymous journalist claiming to be acting in the name of justice.
Eden's headmaster appears to handle the situation and asks Henry where he keeps the upcoming elementary-level midterm test, which has yet to be printed. Henry explains it is in his personal safe in the school storage room, but when they check, the papers are gone. A young teacher immediately casts suspicion on Henry, even bringing up his arrest at the start of his teaching career as proof. Not wanting to rush their judgment, the staff opens an investigation, while Henry's classes are substituted with other subjects in the meantime.
Anya tears down the scandal article
Despite efforts to minimize any gossip, word spreads quickly among the students, and some begin speaking ill of Henry. The first-year students of Cecile Hall defend their teacher from the claims, refusing to believe he could have done anything wrong. Bill Watkins and other students from Wald Hall join them, remembering how Henry risked his life to protect them during the bus hijacking. Anya steps forward and tears down an article from the bulletin, which inspires her friends to do the same. However, she stuns them when she says she will be taking hers home as a souvenir.
At home, Anya shows the article to Loid, who has already received intel on the situation. When she questions if Henry is a criminal, Loid tells Anya the article alone does not prove anything and asks her what she thinks. Anya says she will ask Henry herself, all while planning to confirm the truth by reading his mind. As Loid analyzes the article, he considers how the allegation could inconvenience him if it turns out to be true, as the Ministry of Education and the SSS would start cracking down on Eden Academy. However, the more he studies the details, the more plausible the allegation appears, which shocks Anya.
"That's a Tonitrus. How very inelegant of you."
The next day, it is announced that Henry has decided to resign from Eden for personal reasons, much to the children's shock. Several teachers protest, including Thomas Austin, who argues that the investigation is not complete and doubts remain. Henry is firm in his decision, saying the situation is the result of his own oversight and that stepping down is the only way to end it cleanly, even mentioning that there are suitable replacements to fill in his roles. After leaving the dorm, Henry is approached by Donna Schlag, who is disappointed that he has given up so easily, but is startled when he admits he has simply grown tired. Before they part, Donna punishes Henry with a Tonitrus Bolt for abandoning the truth, lacking self-respect, timidity, and sloth, declaring his conduct inelegant.
Anya prepares to save Henry from his framer
Henry offers a final farewell to his students, who tearfully beg him not to leave. When they ask if the allegation is true, he assures them otherwise. In his thoughts, Henry admits he regrets ending his career this way but takes comfort in knowing he is innocent. Anya gets her answer when she hears this and clears her teacher of any doubt. As Martha arrives to drive Henry to the Ministry of Education to submit his resignation, the students head back to class. Suddenly, Connie catches the scent of her holy water blend on the suit of the young teacher who had accused Henry and tells her friends that he is the "ghost" they encountered at the old schoolhouse the other day. When Anya listens to the man's thoughts, she hears him gloating about how easily he managed to force Henry out with the article. Realizing this teacher is the true culprit, Anya becomes determined to expose him and save Henry.
Characters[]
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Trivia[]
- Mr. Viehmann makes his first on-page appearance, though he was previously mentioned and impersonated by Loid in Chapter 27 during his infiltration of Eden Academy after the first midterms.
- Instead of a usual illustration to announce the chapter release on his Twitter, Endo posted a short video.
References[]