Chapter 17: About Taking It Out on Others.

It had been a month since my first encounter with Saori and the others.

And in that month…

"Nice to meet you!! I’m your big sister!"
"I’ve come to find my little sister who’s resting in this land!!"
"Hey, want to be my little sister too?"
"I’m your big sister!"
"I’m your big sister!!"
"I’m your biiig sister!!!"

…Looking back, I must have seemed pretty strange.

But because of that, I somehow managed to reach every Arius student around my age within the area I could access.

Their reactions were all over the place. Some treated me coldly, some worried about me, and a few accepted me as their sister.

That’s fine for now. Trust is built over time. I never expected it to form overnight.

If anything, the kids who accepted me as their sister from the start are the ones who need the most care.

Are they that desperate for someone to protect them? That starved for family? Whatever the reason, it isn’t healthy. I’ll need to handle each of them individually.

And then there’s Beatrice. Killing her right now is impossible.

That monstrous form she takes… and the strength likely born from the reversed terror of the Mystical—its replica, the Mimesis.

With my current strength—barely above a stronger Arius student—I wouldn’t stand a chance.

If I lost? Or even if I won but she escaped?

What would happen to the remaining Arius students? Facing Beatrice when I’m not even sure I can kill her is too dangerous.

Then… when could I kill her? By when must it be done? What timing would be best?

“…Phew.”

Flipping through my notebook at home, I reviewed my notes and thought things over.

I don’t know. I can’t say for sure. But there’s one thing I can say—the assassination of Beatrice depends heavily on whether Sensei exists in this world.

Will Sensei appear here? What will happen to the GSC President?

If Sensei does come, then even if I fail… even if Beatrice kills me… I’m sure Sensei would save everyone. That would make the risk worth taking.

But that’s no guarantee.

“…It was my mistake.”
“My decision—and everything that followed from it.”
“To think I’d only realize you were right all along… after reaching this ending…”

Those were the words of the GSC President—the top authority in Kivotos.

From that line alone, it’s clear that if the GSC President and Sensei both exist in this timeline, things might diverge from the main story… and end in ruin.

Putting it all together, the best time to kill Beatrice would be—

“During the peace talks for the Eden Treaty. That’s the only chance.”

The Eden Treaty. The non-aggression pact between Trinity and Gehenna.

In the original story, it was postponed because the GSC President disappeared.

The actual negotiations didn’t begin in earnest until a year later—after Sensei’s arrival and the President’s vanishing.

In other words, if the GSC President doesn’t disappear, the Eden Treaty will be signed… and Beatrice’s long-cherished wish could be fulfilled without Sensei’s involvement.

Whether the GSC President disappears—or not.

If it’s the former, I’ll seek Sensei out somewhere and ask for protection for the Arius students.

If it’s the latter, I’ll contact Sensei at the Eden Treaty signing and have them protect the Arius students with everything they’ve got.

Nine or ten years from now… Until I know what happens to Sensei and the GSC President, I have to postpone Beatrice’s death.

I won’t involve children in her assassination.

There’s always the risk of someone using a “bomb that destroys halos.”

…I’ll never let it happen again. Not ever. I won’t let a single child die. I won’t let them suffer.

“…Yeah. That’s how it has to be.”

Absolutely.

So if Sensei never comes, then when that time comes… I’ll carry out the plan alone.

I’ll make it happen—on my own.

“…Guess it’s about time to head out.”

Ignoring the swirl of anxiety, impatience, and fear boiling inside me, I shut the notebook.

I knocked and opened the door.

A girl with deep-blue hair stood there…

"Saori!! Big sister’s heeeere!?"
"Go away!!!"
"Pl-please don’t throw water at me!! That’s precious drinking water!!"

“…That’s what makes you mad?”

Ah — Misaki was here too.

But… doesn’t this water smell kinda weird…?

“Seriously! You said you were coming today in advance, didn’t you!?”

“That’s why we were waiting here to chase you away! Misaki!”

“Yeah, yeah… here you go.”

Misaki handed me a lit match…?

“Huh? What is th—ahhhh!? Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!?”

These brats!? The liquid they threw earlier wasn’t water — it was liquor!! Where did they even get that!?

“Ha… ha… you can’t just set people on fire! What if someone gets hurt!?”

I stomped it out on the floor and scolded Saori and Misaki properly.

“Why haven’t you done it…?”

“Give it up… we’re just that kind of creature.”

“Th-that kind of creature…? I’m your big sister, you know…?”

“Nope.”

“Terrible!!”

…Well, not bad.

Better if they think, “This one probably won’t get hurt even if we do stuff like this.”

“…Misaki, how much gunpowder do we have left?”

“Probably not enough to knock this one out either…”

“I see… too bad.”

Their hostility toward me was growing.

But I wasn’t backing down today over something so minor.

“Now then, both of you… can you call Atsuko and Hiyori?”

“No. We’re not letting someone like you meet them.”

“I’m their big sister, you know?”

“Misaki, bring the gunpowder after all. Let’s all escape from here.”

“Fine, but she’ll definitely find some way to catch up…”

“…Damn it!”

Still — it’d be a problem if they refused to let me meet them at all. Before, I’d approached them without a purpose just to earn trust. This time, I had a clear objective.

“…Well, for now, just the two of you will do.”

“…What are you planning?”

“Oh, it’s not complicated… well, complicated in a way, but the idea is simple.”

“…?”

“It’s time for a little… studying.”

“…And that’s how, by using multiplication like this, you can make calculations much easier. That’s it for today’s lesson.”

“……….”

“…Saori, are you still alive?”

Steam was practically pouring out of her head. Maybe I overdid it a little.

But I can’t spend too much time on each individual. There’s always the risk of a teacher noticing me, and I still have to go through this with the other kids.

“………What did you just make me do…?”

“Studying. Schoolwork. Isn’t that what students are supposed to do?”

“I don’t get it… why this…”

Saori’s voice had gone weak and unfocused. She was exhausted.

“…What use is any of this…?”

“Eh, like calculating fees and stuff.”

“…We don’t need that.”

This time Misaki spoke up.

“Why not?”

“…Well, it’s just that—”

“Do you think the two of you are going to live ordinary lives in the future?”

The moment I said it, both their faces darkened.

“…That’s true.”
“…Well, maybe.”

Exactly.

Street kids in the Arius district. A civil war breaking out. And soon, without them knowing, the top would come down to enforce brainwashing education.

Ordinary lives? No. That was already impossible.

But.

But—

“Pointless? Worthless? Yeah, that’s right. Exactly.”

“…You’re really just saying it that bluntly?”

Should I hold back? No. I can’t.

“But if you give up from the start… if you resign yourself, you’ll lose the ability to do even the things you can do.”

It’s the sort of platitude that could be swept aside like dust.

“Just struggle a little. You might grab something worthwhile beyond that struggle.”

Empty words. Consolation at best.

“And someday, this will be useful too! Even this kind of stuff!”

No specifics. No guarantees.

“…So yeah.”

Even so.

“…Saying everything is meaningless doesn’t give you a reason to do nothing at all.”

Even so… it’s surely an important line.

It’s the conclusion the future versions of these girls reached in the original story:

“Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas. All is vanity.”

Words that stand against such absurd teachings.
Words that let you take a step forward.

“…What’s that mean?”

“I have no idea…”

“Haha… well, that’s fine. You’ll understand someday.”

So these kids can live with hope.
So they can stay students.
So they don’t grow up bearing a grudge against Trinity.

“…Even so… our school, the place where we grew up… we won’t let some faceless old hag or idiots who think fighting is everything turn it into a factory for killers!”

…To make her wish come true.

“…We’ll do it again next week, okay?”

“…Sigh… alright. Next time, I’ll bring Atsuko and Hiyori too.”

“…Yeah.”

Even if I’m just pretending to be Sensei.
Even if I’m only a self-proclaimed big sister.
Even if it’s all lies.

Even so—
I’ll do what I can, right now.

GSC President (連邦生徒会長)

—The top of the GSC (Federal Student Council), the organization that manages the central administration of Kivotos.
—Has been missing since Sensei arrived in Kivotos.
—This person was responsible for founding Schale and also for inviting Sensei.

Terror (恐怖)

—A phenomenon resulting from the reversal of Mysteries.
—It is said to be irreversible in relation to Mysteries, and the two are inseparable.
—Exhibits properties similar to Mysteries.