Chapter 32: Her Resolve

"Ah… hey☆ Suou-chan! It’s been a whole day, hasn’t it?"

"…Why are you here?"

When I arrived at the place Shio had specified, there she was without a doubt—Misono Mika.

"This place… it reminds me of the first time we met, doesn’t it? Back then, Saori-chan and Shio-chan were here too."

"Answer me."

"…"

Why… why is she here?

No—I already know.
I know the truth.

Mika’s mental state had become far more unstable than I ever imagined.
Misono Mika was so much more self-punishing, so much weaker, than I thought.

That’s why she can’t stop anymore. And at this rate, nothing is going to change.

"Why…?"

"Hmm… maybe because I didn’t really get to finish talking with you, Suou-chan."

"Talking…?"

What more could there possibly be left to say?
No—that wasn’t enough.

If I’d supported her more… or rather, if I hadn’t dragged Mika into this in the first place—
No, better yet. I should’ve let her direct her hatred at me. If she had, Mika could’ve acted with purpose. That would’ve been a hundred times better than this.

I failed.
I failed, I failed, I failed…!

Why… what now… what should I do!?

The distortion in Yurizono Seia’s predicted plan—coming this soon—was unexpected. No… it should’ve been foreseen. I should have seen it coming.

…Did I make another mistake?

"Ngh, ugh…!"

Just like back then—

"Calm down, Suou-chan."

"…!"

"Ah… though maybe it’s not very convincing coming from me? Still… right now, you’ve got such a terrible look on your face, you know?"

"…Sorry. I’m just… not feeling well."

What do I do? What should I do from here?

Even if my relationship with Misono Mika continues, the plan itself can still move forward.
The plan to help everyone in Arius escape Beatrice—and to kill Beatrice.

But at this rate, Misono Mika will…!

"Eh, really? Are you okay? Maybe you should rest—"

"Don’t worry about it. More importantly, what did you want to talk about?"

…Ah. I’m glad I didn’t bring Saori and the others here.

Right now, I can’t trust myself to keep being me.

"…Okay. First, let me tell you about what happened afterwards."

"Y-yes."

"After that… Trinity took a fair amount of damage. But, well, buildings get destroyed all the time. It won’t take too long to repair. Just like you said, Aomori Mine found Seia-chan. Officially, she’s listed as critically injured and hospitalized… but to us in the Tea Party, and to the Chair of the Justice Realization Committee… we’ve been told she was killed."

"……"

Just like in the original story. Just as I remember it.

Mine… really handled it well.

With this, surely… the teacher will come.

"I haven’t completely come to believe everything you’ve said, Suou-chan… but still, Seia-chan—at the very least, she must be seriously injured."

"…"

"You told me it wasn’t my fault, right? But still… if I hadn’t interfered, Seia-chan wouldn’t have been hurt."

But there was no need for things to follow the original story here.
Because of my mistake, Mika…

"That’s why. I thought about it! I thought and thought… and then it came to me."

…No more. I don’t want to hear this anymore.

"If I cooperate… then maybe Suou-chan and the others won’t have to hurt anyone."

"……What?"

What did she just say?

"Huh? Did I say something weird again? Did I mess up?"

"N-no… I’m sorry, I was just… a little surprised."

So Mika… instead of hurting Seia and finding comfort in that—
It wasn’t out of any negative reason like that.

She wants to help us…?

"…Suou-chan, you said it, didn’t you? Even if it seems meaningless, that’s no reason to do nothing. Even with people you’re not good with, you should try talking to them."

"Y-yes…"

"If you give up on trying to talk, that’s the end of it. Yeah, exactly! So, I… I don’t want to give up on trying to talk with you all."

"…!"

"You might think it’s better if you don’t get involved anymore… but… you crossed dangerous paths just to make sure Seia-chan wouldn’t die, didn’t you? I want to understand everyone more. I believe we can understand each other—even the people above you."

"Th-that’s…!"

Like that—
『Murderer! You witch!!』

"Ugh…!"

"A-are you okay!? You really look unwell! We should… call Shio-chan or Saori-chan…!"

"I’m… okay… thank you."

"No! Your face is pale…!"

"…Please, continue."

Not yet. I can still stop her.

"…So, if something like this happens again… maybe I can cooperate, and it can look like I followed orders and completed the task? But for that, our connection can’t be broken, right? That’s why I came here again."

"…I appreciate the thought. But if this relationship is exposed… what would happen to you?"

"…I don’t know. Maybe I’d have to quit the Tea Party? But honestly, that might be fine… I don’t think it suits me anyway."

"…You wouldn’t be able to live the way you have until now. You’d lose your freedom—money, daily life."

"Oh… right. Yeah, but even so, that’s fine. I… don’t want to give up trying to understand you all."

…Even so. For that—

"…For that, Mika-san, you don’t have to take that risk."

"…Suou, chan?"

"I… I’ll handle it…! Please reconsider…!"

"……If you won’t accept it, then I’ll cooperate unilaterally. Alone, I might… be discovered quickly, though?"

"…!"

She’s putting herself up as a hostage…

…Her resolve is that strong.

"……Understood."

"Oh…"

"…Let’s ‘make a contract.’"

Better to set conditions and limits now, rather than let her act unpredictably.
Better than risking Mika getting hurt without my knowing.

"One: do not deliberately expose this relationship. Two: if your physical or social safety is at risk, prioritize your own safety. Three: do not act on your own without instructions. If you can’t follow these three, I cannot agree to this. You’ll become my enemy."

…With this, even in the worst case, the chance of exposure is extremely low.

"Um… contract? Basically, as long as I don’t break those, it’s fine, right?"

"…Yes."

The enforceability of such a "contract" is uncertain, but I can make it feel binding.
No matter the form.

"This contract itself carries binding power… and if it’s broken, I will self-destruct with the ‘bomb that destroys Halo.’"

"Ahaha! You’re making yourself the hostage? Great minds think alike…?"

"…"

"Fine, let’s make a contract. Uh, pinky promise okay?"

"…Sure."

Mika and I interlock pinkies and bend them together.

"Then it’s a promise. I won’t break the three conditions from earlier. So, let me help too."

"…I won’t actively request help."

"…Okay. Then, we’re accomplices. Let’s work together, okay?"

"…!!"

Accomplices.

A familiar word.
Not from the teachers we made contracts with—
But from when I tried to save Arius, and failed.
When I relied on others, and someone died.
Just like Cyan and Anna.

"…Hah…! Hah…!!"

"S-Suou-chan!!?"

At least… the communication—!

"Geh…! G-got… pick-up…"

『Big sister!? Pick-up? What do you mean!?』

My breath ragged, vision dimming. Hypoxia making it hard to stay conscious.

"Hah… huh…! Hah… hah…!!"

『B-big sister!? Big sister…!!』

"Suou-chan, calm down!!"

…Now, what to do next… I need to think carefully.

"…Then, I’ll take you home, big sister."

"Y-yeah… uh, just so you know, I really didn’t do anything… okay?"

"…I know."

"You don’t really believe me, do you?"

Several minutes had passed while Kirihana Suou lay unconscious from hyperventilation, brought on by stress and flashbacks.
Sensing the crisis through their communications, Hankai Shio rushed over and managed to bring Suou back.

"This idiot… why do you always make me worry like this?"

"Now, now, don’t say that. Suou-chan wasn’t feeling well, apparently."

"…I see."

『…She didn’t show any of that in front of us, though.』

It seemed the Arius squad had also come—just in case a fight broke out. Shio and the others watched with concern as Saori carried Suou on her back.

"By the way… this is the first time I’ve seen Suou sleeping. That’s rare."

"Ah… th-that’s true… she’s always up first thing in the morning… even at night, she’s awake when we go to her room…"

"I see… so maybe this is lucky, then?"

"No, probably not. I heard she overslept last time…"

"…Now that you mention it, that’s true."

Saori frowned, recalling the bitter memory of almost being dragged into a dispute among the squad leaders.

"…I’ll hear the details from Suou herself later. Sorry, but please head home for today. She’s in no condition to talk, and you probably can’t stay long anyway."

"Ah, you’re right… yeah, I’ll take my leave for now."

"Contact us before you come again next time."

"Yeah, see you."

As Saori and the others carried Suou back toward the district, Misono Mika quietly waved them off.

"…Hmm… Suou-chan didn’t seem too energetic. She looked unwell— I wonder if she’s really okay?"

Strictly speaking, Suou wasn’t actually sick.
Her stress had simply made it difficult to keep up a conversation—something Mika had no way of knowing.

"…Contract… anyway, I just need to not break what was said, right…?"

Recalling her conversation with Suou, Misono Mika murmured softly to herself.

"Yeah, that should be fine… right? And besides, without the ‘bomb that destroys Halo,’ there’s no way she could self-destruct anyway…"

The contents of the contract:

—Do not deliberately expose the relationship.
—Prioritize one’s own safety.
—Do not act on one’s own.

The terms weren’t as harsh as Mika had feared.
Thinking so, she quietly began to prepare to leave.

"…For now, maybe it’s okay to trust Suou-chan… I think."

No one else had been told about her coming here.
If anyone found out, Trinity would fall into chaos.

With Seia Yurizono already hospitalized, losing another Tea Party member would only deepen the confusion.

Though her swift return to Trinity was expected, Mika began walking back at a leisurely pace, unconcerned.

"…But it’s okay. Nagi-chan, Suou-chan, everyone… I won’t let anyone die. I won’t let anyone get hurt. I’ll handle it somehow."

A faint shadow of doubt crossed Misono Mika’s expression—barely visible—as she held tightly to her resolve.

"…Wait for me. Someday… everyone will understand each other. I’m sure of it."

Suspicion and trust.
Without revealing the blend of emotions within her, Misono Mika returned to Trinity.