Chapter 19: Answering That Kirie

The morning outside was still dim as I tended to my equipment and finished getting ready.

My vision was blocked by my hair—annoying.

“…My bangs… they’ve grown out again.”

I grabbed a pair of scissors from the nearby shelf and sharpened their edge with a touch of mysticism.

As the blade sliced through my hair, a few strands streaked with gray drifted down softly.

“All right… here we go.”

I trimmed just the bangs so they wouldn’t get in the way, then gathered the cut hair and set it neatly back on the shelf.

“…I wonder how long it’ll get in nine years.”

Honestly, it’s a nuisance—but a necessary one. To kill Beatrice.

Long hair doesn’t interfere with combat.

So whatever happens today shouldn’t be a problem either.

“Yawn… so sleepy.”

Rubbing my eyes, I went back to checking and maintaining my gear.

The shotgun I’ve used until now—two of them, including a spare. I can handle both at once now.

The gas mask—for concealing my identity. When moving, I wear it together with a hooded coat.

The bombs. Hard to replace, so I have to be careful when I use them. Once training starts, that might change.

The rope. Mainly for practicing knots and mobility drills. Once that project’s finished, all that practice will pay off.

“…Hand cannon.” The sidearm Cyan gave me for self-defense. I modified it to full-auto, boosting both power and rate of fire. A weapon made for hurting people.

Finally, the compartment at the bottom… No, I don’t plan to use that. Not on anyone but Beatrice.

“It’s okay. I can fight.”

My preparations to kill her are going smoothly.

All that’s left is the resolve—to kill, to be killed, and to prevent being killed.

It’s fine. I’ll make it work. Today, I don’t need to steel myself to kill.

Inside a certain facility within Arius, children were being gathered.

“…Suou, huh. That was fast.”

“Yes, Suou-oneechan. And you, Saori…”

“…I’m not your little sister.”

Still the same, huh…

But something feels a little different.

The hat Saori always wore in the original story—she didn’t have it when we first met, but now she’s wearing it.

Just a little. Just a little, but it feels like she’s inching closer to the original story… and that’s unsettling.

“…? Something wrong?”

Noticing my gaze, Saori tilted her head slightly.

“No, it’s just… your hair looks soft and cute… hahaha.”

“That’s a creepy way to put it.”

“Ruthless!?”

Well, since I didn’t get burned the moment our eyes met, I guess she’s gotten used to me.

I want to believe that when she said, “It’s useless trying to defeat you—it’s a waste of supplies,” she was just embarrassed.

“Why don’t you just cut your hair already?”

“I did, see?”

“Just the bangs…”

That part’s necessary, so I can’t cut more yet. I can’t exactly tell her that, so I just brushed it off for now.

“What about Misaki and the others?”

“They just arrived.”

“Ugh!”

A voice suddenly came from behind me, and I let out an awkward sound.

“Misaki! Atsuko, and Hiyori too!”

‘I was just checking the surroundings.’

“I see…”

I’ve started to understand Atsuko’s sign language pretty well by now.

“Wh-why were we gathered here…? There are so many people…”

“That’s a mystery to me too—”

Lie. I already have a guess.

It’s been two years since Beatrice took control of this land… and since the internal conflict began.

It probably took about a year to eliminate the surviving moderates. Surveillance got tighter around that time.

Then the following year… what did ‘I’ do after becoming her sister?

From here on, it’s speculation—but I suspect she’s been maneuvering to manipulate Arius’s ruling class and rise to the top.

“Then I’ll check on the other little sisters.”

“Quiet. Everyone, be silent.”

And after that? What does she need?

Simple.

Beatrice doesn’t just want sacrifices for her ritual or the facility. She wants to bring this land completely under her control—establish her territory within Kivotos—and create her pawns.

“From today, you will all be placed under the rule of Madame… of the Arius Branch School.”

“…Huh?”

In short, Beatrice’s authority—which hadn’t reached us until now—is finally spreading.

The reign of terror has begun.

“…Madame?”

Of course, the kids in the Arius squad, including Atsuko, probably already knew who Beatrice was.

We mustn’t make a mistake. One misstep, and it’s death.

Wait for the right moment.

Fortunately, only two instructors are present here. Beatrice herself hasn’t come.

Don’t let any information about me reach her.

Don’t act immediately.

“To take revenge on Trinity, you will undergo combat training. Starting tomorrow.”

“W-wait a minute… so suddenly—”

“Silence.”

“Kyah!?”

“…Huh?”

Yeah, I figured as much.

“M-Mai!? Are you okay!?”

“Ugh…!”

“What are you collapsing for? Stand up!”

…Honestly, I wanted to handle this more carefully.

There was no need to hurt anyone recklessly.

I even thought it’d be better to frame it as part of the training.

“Cease idle chatter.”

“Ugh…!!”

“W-wait… please stop…! The gunshot marks… they’re bruising…!”

“…Fine. This is a perfect example to make a point.”

“Huh…?”

“Remember this well. Resistance is useless. Obey us. And if you still insist on resisting… this is what happens.”

“Eek…! I-I’m sorry…!! Please, have mercy…!!!”

But… whatever.

I no longer feel the need to restrain this anger.

“Hey.”

“…Huh?”

“What are you doing to my precious little sister?”

Clutching a bomb in my right hand, I infused it lightly with mysticism and hurled it with all my strength.

It exploded, pain lancing through my hand—but it would heal soon enough. No problem.

“Gah…!?”

“What the hell are you—”

“Shut up.”

I grabbed the instructor about to be thrown back by the blast and slammed them into the other one’s head.

“Ugh…! Oi, are you oka—ugh…!”

I drove a knee strike upward into their jaw, and as they staggered, I mounted them and fired mystically charged bullets straight into their shoulder.

Next came their knees, arms, and legs—the other instructor received the same treatment, each limb pierced by a round.

“Phew…”

Two bombs used. Oh well—couldn’t be helped.

“…!”

“S-Suou…san…?”

“Mai, are you okay?… Oh my, your arm’s swelling… I’m sorry, there’s no ice water here, so… just hang on for a moment, okay?”

Searching the incapacitated instructors, I found bandages and a basic first-aid kit.

“What… are you thinking?!”

“You two just lie there for a while. Oh, should I cuddle with you too?”

“Enough joking around!!”

“…It’ll hurt a little.”

“Ouch…!”

These kids aren’t used to infusing mysticism yet… they’ll need proper treatment.

Luckily, it doesn’t seem to be broken.

I lightly rinsed the swollen area with water, dried it, and applied some bruise ointment.

Then I wrapped it in a bandage and let it hang from her neck.

“All done… You did really well. The swelling should go down in a little while… Tsumugi, I’m counting on you to watch over Mai.”

The training had paid off.

It went better than I expected.

“Uh… yeah.”

Having finished treating Mai—one of my little sisters—I turned back toward the instructors.

“Now… you said ‘enough joking around’? Which of us is that directed at? You were the one who made the first move.”

“Just you wait…! You little—”

“Beatrice is going to punish you?”

“Wha…!”

Ruling purely by fear has weaknesses.

“You expect us to lose to you? How?”

“If we… disappear…!”

One weakness is that raw power—fear itself—doesn’t mean anything. Unless it’s deeply instilled from childhood, of course.

“Oh no, that’s not it.”

There’s another.

“If you report to her, aren’t you the ones who’ll be punished? Can you honestly say you would?”

…Loyalty like that doesn’t exist.

“Hah. I thought you’d say something foolish, and… indeed, nonsense.”

“Really?”

“…”

“Can you really call it nonsense?”

No one will speak honestly if it means putting themselves at risk.

Of course, part of fear-based rule is making people think they’re constantly watched… but I can’t believe Beatrice’s control has penetrated that deeply over just one year.

“Think about it. Who’s the more expendable piece for Beatrice? You, who might lose to even a child despite your obedience, or me, defiant yet potentially a strong pawn once brought under control?”

“…!”

“Is there any guarantee… that you won’t be killed? She’s a madwoman who doesn’t think twice about killing people.”

…Ugh, it makes me sick.

Using people’s fear like this… yet I do it because I have to, because it’s necessary.

“I’m not saying to stop training. If Beatrice finds out about this foolishness, that would be pointless. What I want is silence. Whatever happens here… do not report it to Beatrice. You are, in effect, accomplices.”

“Ugh…!!”

“Well, you have no choice. What will you do? Try to resist? Unless you’re confident you could survive drowning without breaking Halo, it’s irrelevant.”

“…Understood. I promise… I won’t tell Madame about this…!”

“Good. This is a ‘contract.’ Never break it.”

…This is insurance. In the world of Blue Archive, contracts likely carry real weight.

By stating it explicitly, it should have some kind of effect.

“…Now then. Once your injuries are healed, go home for the day. That was the plan anyway, right?”

“Y-yes…!”

No problem. It should be fine.

“Phew… I’m sorry for scaring everyone! Is anyone else hurt?”

Only silence returned.

Everyone seemed completely unsure what had just happened.

“…What are you doing, really?”

“Pfft!?”

A sharp impact ran through the back of my head. Turning around, Saori was standing there, looking both exasperated and angry.

“I can understand—even I know how dangerous it would have been to act in that situation.”

“…But everyone ended up safe, right? I’m strong, so it’s fine. More than that… as an older sister. I can’t just stand by if someone hurts my little sister.”

“…I see.”

“Oh, but everyone, listen up. As they said earlier, training starts tomorrow. It won’t necessarily go as smoothly as today, and different people might show up. So, you need to pretend to obey. We might manage if it’s just five people, but we can’t guarantee we could silence everyone if all of them act like that.”

Everyone nodded quietly, a series of small, serious gestures.

…Did I scare them a little too much?

To be honest, I’m not sure if what I did was the right thing.

There’s so much I don’t know.

If I fail even once, Beatrice might find out. Everyone could get hurt.

I’m scared. Always, always. Every time I try to change something, I can’t help but feel fear.

Can I protect everyone?

I don’t know. I don’t know—but I can’t do nothing.

I won’t let anyone get hurt. I won’t let anyone suffer.

“I will never disobey adults again… I won’t resist… I’ll try not to hope for the future… I will never wish for happiness again… I won’t pray… Please… please, have mercy…”

…Those words—denying one’s very humanity. I will never let anyone speak them.

That’s why I have no choice but to try.

No matter what happens from here. No matter what happens to me.

“Um, uh…!”

“Mai? Is something wrong?”

“Well, Suou-san isn’t really an older sister, but… thank you… for helping me!”

…Well, still.

“No!! I am your older sister!!!”

“Suou, you… ruined it.”

“Hahaha!”

Right now, the fact is I protected this child.

For now, that alone is enough for me to believe that what I did today wasn’t wrong.