Chapter 13: Their Resolve

I couldn’t understand what Anna was saying.

Me… taking the training school kids and running away?

"What the hell are you saying…?"

"Didn’t you hear me? While we buy time, you get them out of Arius."

"That’s not it!!!"

"…"

"Don’t screw with me!? You call that a strategy to win!? That’s just—"

"Listen up, kid. Pay attention."

Anna seized both of my cheeks, forcing me to meet her gaze.

And right after—distant booms rumbled through the air.

"…That sound."

"Radicals, no doubt. Hey, kid. If they’ve really killed the strongest—Cyan-chan—then who do you think they’ll see as the next biggest obstacle?"

"…"

When I stayed silent, Anna pressed on.

"Second-strongest, Asaba Linda? Or Akagane Rose, with her command? …No. The real threat is the one with the sharpest leadership, command, and intellect. The ultra-genius—Mototsuki Anna. In other words, me."

"Tch, but that doesn’t mean—!!!"

So you’re saying that again.
That I can do nothing but let myself be protected.

"Listen. The enemy won’t hesitate to kill us. Maybe Beatrice has already poisoned their heads with lies. Either way, in this situation, there’s no way we can fight and actually win."

"Th-that’s… not…"

I knew it.

I already knew—there was no chance of victory.

"But think about their goal… and Beatrice’s too. They want to twist this school into a weapon of revenge against Trinity, right? Without future students, that’s impossible. …Lucky for us, all the kids from the training school are gathered in one place."

"B-but… but still…!!"

Maybe Anna was right.

The booms and gunfire kept getting louder.

But even if she was right, that doesn’t mean…!

"Anna… if you do that… you’ll die too…!!"

It’s impossible. Facing them head-on, dodging bombs meant to shatter a Halo?

The difference in power is overwhelming.

Anna will be killed. She must know that herself.

And yet, Anna never wavered.

"Somebody has to do it. Even weak little me can at least manage this much."

"No, there’s still… still another way!!! Y-yeah, me! Look, look—I’ve got heterochromia, right!? Beatrice has that Black Coat guy on her side, and I’m probably what he’s after…!! Hahaha, see? There, there’s still hope! So, I’ll… I’ll make a contract with Beatrice, sell him a favor, and in return, she’ll leave Arius alone—"

"No way. Beatrice wants the school itself. Once she has the school, she gets you automatically."

"…Tch."

I couldn’t say anything back.

Because she was right.

"I’m not gonna say crap like, ‘There’s no point in living without Cyan-chan’… or ‘I’ve always loved this school’… or any other fairytale, cool-girl lines like that."

"……"

"I hate this school. No decent fun, never enough food, training that grinds you down. Honestly, I always thought it should just collapse already."

That must’ve been her true feelings.

She laughed at herself, but still went on.

"But you know…"

Her expression was half exasperated, half resolved.

"Even so. This is still the school where we grew up—our youth. Like hell I’m letting some faceless hag and a bunch of idiots who think fighting is everything turn it into a factory for killers. Even if it costs my life, I’ll make them pay for it."

"…!"

"Hey, kid—no, Suou. Please. Carry our wish. Our resolve."

…Why?

Why are they so strong?

It’s not that they don’t fear death.

But for someone else, they’ll risk everything.

And it should be me doing that.

But even if I tried, I couldn’t change a damn thing.

"Anna-san!! The radicals are attacking!!!"

The door burst open and a student rushed in.

"I know. …What’s the situation?"

"Heavy casualties… the enemy is pressing with full force. We’ve also confirmed the presence of the Student Council Vice President… Tachibana Saria."

"…Their target is me. Patch me through to all students."

The comms connected, and countless holograms of students flickered into view.

"Anna-san, we’re engaged right now—!"
"We need medics for the injured—!"
"What’s our current status!?"

"───Calm down."

Sharp, commanding.

The moment Anna spoke, everyone fell silent, straining to hear.

"This transmission won’t last long. Some of you are in combat and can only listen to audio. So I’ll keep it short and say everything at once."

"…"

"Listen. Cyan-chan… the one who killed the Student Council President used a weapon called the ‘Halo-destroying bomb.’ If it hits us, we die. The enemy has at least two more—maybe even more."

"…!?"

"Destroy the Halo…!? That’s impossible…!"

"How dare they do that to the President…!"

"Wait—does that mean we’re also—"

The atmosphere shattered instantly.

Whether shot, blown up, or crushed flat like cans, the students of Kivotos almost never died. But now they were being told about a weapon that could kill them for real. Fear was unavoidable.

Even so, Anna spoke on without a trace of panic.

"And right now, their target is probably me. They intend to use that bomb on me. Next in line would be Linda—and maybe Rose-chan."

The students she named—especially the small one who was likely a first-year—visibly flinched.

"…We have no chance of winning anymore, even if we fight."

"No way…"

"You’re giving up too, Anna!? Not me! I’ll fight! No matter what, I’ll make them pay for killing the President…!!"

"I-I… I don’t want to die yet…"

"…That’s why. I intend to evacuate the children from the training school out of Arius."

The moment Anna said it, the room froze.

"In short, this school… in the long run, we’re going to shut it down."

"But… if the enemy notices partway through! We don’t have the strength to fight and protect the children while escaping!"

"Yes. Exactly. That’s why… we’ll throw everything we have into holding off the extremists here, to buy them time."

"……!!"

"To be blunt, there’s no guarantee we’ll live. Even if we avoid the bombs, if we lose, we’ll be turned into test subjects—or simply killed. They have no use for anyone who might rebel. Either way, I’ll die here… but the rest of you might survive if you surrender. …No one will blame you. If you don’t want to die, cut the transmission."

No one spoke. Of course not—Anna was asking them to risk their lives alongside her.

…And then, one student slowly raised her hand.

"If… if we give up without doing anything… then what happens to the children…?"

"They’ll be raised as tools for killing. That’s the kind of people backing the extremists."

"…Does that mean… the child I took in… and my little sister too…?"

"…Yes. No exceptions."

The student who asked the question grimaced. She was terrified of seeing her loved ones hurt.

"This school will be turned into a place that teaches nothing but killing. And all of that… after they’ve already trashed our school like this. It pisses me off."

"……"

"We didn’t come here because we wanted to. We just didn’t know any other way to live, so we ended up here. That was true for Cyan-chan too. And then once we’re not needed anymore, they just toss us aside? Hell no. …So at the very least, I want to protect one thing. Just one. That’s all…"

No one raised their head. They all knew what she meant. Many had lived lives they hadn’t chosen, unable to live normally even if they wanted to.

In a way, Anna’s words spoke for all of them.

"…Those who agree with me, those who will help me buy that time… I want you to stay here with me."

At Anna’s words, one by one, the holograms began to fade. Voices dropped out, connections cut.

But when about a third had vanished, the pace slowed… until finally, no one else left.

Some students were crying in fear. Others had steeled their resolve. Still others burned with anger over Cyan’s death.

Each of them had chosen—to risk their lives and fight.

"…I didn’t expect so many to stay. Thank you. I’m proud of you all. I’ll cut the transmission here so we can plan our strategy…"

With that, the last of the holograms blinked out. Anna turned to me.

"…Suou. You understand, don’t you? You’re the only one who can do this now. Take the kids… and escape Arius. Get them beyond its borders."

"…………"

"I’m begging you. Please… I’m asking with everything I have."

Frustration. Hatred. A desire to scream that she should just die instead.

No—what I hated was myself. My own helplessness.

Her plan was reckless. Suicidal. I should stop her. As an adult, I should. For the sake of my own wish—to protect everyone.

There’s no reason the future should be thrown away.
There’s no such thing as a “necessary sacrifice.”

And yet… Cyan’s promise to me would go unfulfilled.

Even so—if I wanted to save as many as possible—there was only one answer I could give.

"……Fine… I’ll do it…"

And the self-loathing only grew deeper.