Yachiyo gave the group an appraising once-over, then nodded to herself, seemingly ignoring their initial reactions. "Good, you're all here." Something about the woman had definitely changed: her eyes were sharper, she'd dropped her typical polite language, and even her body language was subtly different--just a little more alert, drawn just a little more taut.

It was only after that that she seemed to actually notice Taue, and regarded him coolly for a moment before turning back to the opening she'd come from. "Follow me. I'll explain when we've arrived. Someone assist Hazama-san along the way."

Without another word, she turned and stepped inside, proceeding in only a little way to allow the students to follow. Now that she was no longer blocking the way, the students could see that it led to a corridor only dimly lit by pale blue running lights along the walls, near the floor.