Chapter 33: A Breath of Morning

"…Nn…"

Morning…? Did I fall asleep? But it’s so bright outside… and also—

"You’re awake."

"…!?!"

Wait—someone’s in the room!? Who is it? Beatrice? A Teacher? Or someone else—no, whoever it is, I need to stay alert—

"Calm down."

"…Ah, it’s you, Saori."

"Even just waking up, you don’t need to be that tense."

"Sorry… I’m honestly bad at waking up."

I really am terrible at it… but more importantly—

"Was I asleep just now?"

"Strictly speaking, you passed out. I couldn’t leave you there, so I brought you back to our house."

Looking around, I notice the four members of the Arius Squad, Azusa included, all fast asleep. So Azusa stayed over too.

…Ah, right, it’s coming back. Mika contacted me again, and then… I couldn’t breathe properly… and blacked out.

So that’s it. Passed out. No wonder there weren’t any dreams. …Guess I was saved.

"Good morning, Saori!"

"…Haa… You’re already feeling better?"

"Yep, perfectly fine! Honestly, this might be the best I’ve ever felt waking up!"

"…You sure about that…?"

She’s watching me with obvious concern. Not good. I’ve probably given her more than enough reasons to worry lately.

That won’t do.

"I’m serious. Want me to check your fever by pressing my forehead to yours?"

"No, that won’t be necessary—wait, why are you moving closer?"

Her expression tightens instantly, suspicion flaring.

"……"

"Say something. And stop creeping forward. Stop it."

"I just… I just want to press my forehead against my little sister’s! I want to do that!!"

"You’ve finally revealed your true colors, haven’t you…! Stay back…!! I’m serious, I’ll shoot!!"

"Hahaha… and what’s this, I wonder?"

"…A rope…?—Wait, what!?"

With my reflexes, slipping a hair rope around a sleepy Saori without her noticing is—literally—a piece of cake.

"Hyah!!"

I yank the rope tight and snatch her gun away.

"You tricked me!? So this was your plan from the start…!!"

"Fufufu… ha—hahhahaha!!! Now, Saoriii!! Resign yourself to your big siste—!!!"

"What are you two even doing first thing in the morning…"

Misaki walks over, smoke still drifting from the muzzle of Azusa’s gun.

"Good morning, Misaki!"

"Judging by that energy, you’re fine already. Guess I worried for nothing."

"Yep! But thank you for worrying about me!"

"…It’s nothing."

Yep, yep. That’s how it should be.

No matter if I get shot, blown up, or burned, I’ll always be fine—because I’m the big sister who loves her little sister. If I keep making her worry, then I wouldn’t be me.

"Thanks for the save, Misaki…"

"…I’ve been too careless lately. Easy to forget, but she really is insane."

"Yeah… couldn’t have said it better."

…Insane? Maybe that can’t be helped, but still, harsh.

"How rude. You shouldn’t say things like that to your big sister."

"I’m not your little sister."

"Me neither."

"Waaah… they’re both so cold…"

All my “little sisters” are so mean…

Still… I’m glad. I feel like I’m finally back to my usual self. I’d been remembering some bad things… if I had stayed in that state, things could’ve turned dangerous.

"But Saori, you did call me your big sister once…"

"Don’t spout such nonsense… right, Saori?"

"…Uh… ah. Y-yeah. She’s right. Must’ve been a slip of memory, huh…?"

"You’ve got to be kidding… don’t tell me you actually acknowledged that lunatic as your sister!? Hey, Saori!!"

"Hehehe. Misaki just doesn’t know. Saori tells me all the time in secret how much she loves her big sister, over and over—"

"S-stop spewing nonsense, you fool!!! Enough already!! I’ve never called you my sister, and I’ve certainly never said I love you!! Even calling you “sister” happened only once!!!"

"Oh, that makes twice now, by the way."

Wait—hold on, Saori…

"…Did you just say you did call her sister once?"

"…Ah."

…You’ve just given yourself away.

"…I see. So Mika-san will be coming again another day then."

"Yeah. …So, what exactly did you talk about with Misono Mika?"

We were having a light breakfast with everyone who’d woken up from the earlier commotion when Saori asked me that.

"Mm… ah, well, that was…"

I swallowed the hardtack I’d been chewing and answered.

"…To put it simply, we established a cooperative relationship, I guess."

"A cooperative relationship?"

"Yes. If something like what happened this time occurs again—for example, if Beatrice ordered the assassination of another Tea Party—then Mika-san would help cover it up."

…Honestly, I don’t want her doing that.

"That sounds incredibly dangerous…"

"Exactly, Atsuko."

If Mika’s involvement with us were ever exposed, she’d almost certainly lose her authority in the Tea Party. And more than that, Trinity has plenty of malicious students who wouldn’t hesitate to lynch her regardless of the circumstances.

That’s why we made that contract—to ensure the connection between Misono Mika and Arius stays secret.

…Still, it was a relief that things weren’t as dire as I feared. Mika’s mental state seemed more stable than expected. Of course, I won’t let my guard down, but maybe I don’t need to always assume the worst.

The important thing is to grasp the current situation clearly.

"So at first, I was going to refuse… but then she basically took me hostage."

"Took you hostage? What do you mean?"

"She said, ‘I’ll cooperate on my own terms—if I get exposed, you’ll be dragged down with me.’ Something like that."

"Ehh…!? That’s… well…"

"She’s walking a dangerous line. If Suou hadn’t agreed, she might have actually gone through with it."

"Right? Honestly, you never know what she’ll do, and that’s what makes her scary."

That kind of threat was unexpected. If she said something like that, I had no choice but to comply… but if I really hadn’t agreed, what would she have done then?

"Anyway, I’ll be reporting this to Beatrice later."

"You’re not going to hide it this time?"

"No. Honestly, there’s no way to. We’ll likely be in contact with Mika-san again, so it’s better to frame it from the start as if we’ve already drawn her to our side. Hiyori, you can have the rest of my hardtack."

I handed her the leftover rations, still in the can.

"Eh, really!? Thank you so much…!"

"You’re done with it?"

"Yes. I don’t usually eat much in the morning."

Pouring a certain liquid into the wooden bowl of vegetable soup, I took a sip and let out a slow breath.

"…Haa."

The warm soup spread through my weakened stomach.

The flavor was thin, but just having something warm to eat worked wonders for both body and spirit. A sound body and sound mind both come from a sound meal.

Starting a fire was easy enough if we used ammunition, and by infusing it with Mystery, the flames would last far longer—though they burned much hotter too.

…But really.

It feels like it’s been ages since I had such a peaceful morning.

Of course, once I go to report to Beatrice later, peace will be over. But for now…

"……"

Waking up to find everyone here.

Chatting idly while preparing food.

Sharing breakfast together.

"……Heh…"

"…? Suou, something on your mind?"

"…No, nothing."

I can’t stay here forever… but just for today. Just today, maybe it’s okay to be here a little longer.

"Ah, Hiyori. That’ll cost you, though. Let me pat your head in return. And call me onee-chan while you’re at it, hehe…"

"Mmgh!? N-no way… uwaaaahhh…!!"

"H-hey!! Didn’t you say before that it only has value if someone offers it to you? That’s disgusting!"

"Wait, Suou, you really said that?"

"Ah… Azusa wasn’t there. Yeah, it was about a month ago."

"……Ugh."

"Yeah… I was kind of taken aback too. Suou… she loses it sometimes."

"Not sometimes. She’s always crazy."

…That was just a harmless joke, but isn’t this reaction a little harsh?

Well, in the end, it always comes back to this. But… this isn’t so bad either.

"…Hahaha."

"U-uuuu…!! O-onee… o-onee-…cha…aaahh…!"

"You don’t have to say it! And Suou, stop intimidating her with that smile!"

"Eh?"

W-what? I wasn’t even trying to…?

"…So. Mika-san’s involvement has already been reported up the chain."

"Yeah, okay! That means Suou-chan officially recognizes me too, right?"

"…Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t."

A few days later, Mika approached Arius again.

"Mika-san is now considered to have used her cooperation in Seia-san’s attempted murder as leverage for threats. If anything happens going forward, please align your stories accordingly."

"I see… got it. Though, I’m not sure I’ll even get a chance to meet the higher-ups."

"…Could you, if possible, just not do that?"

Keeping Mika involved with us is far too risky. Honestly, I’d rather she returned to Trinity immediately.

"Ah, that again? I have no intention of stopping."

"But then, that puts you in danger…"

"Then…"

Immediately, Mika’s expression turned serious.

"…Then Suou-chan, why did you risk danger… to make sure Seia-chan didn’t die?"

"…Huh?"

"It would have been dangerous if you’d been found out, right? By the higher-ups. So why act for Seia-chan, whom you’ve never even met?"

"……"

Because that’s what an adult has to do.

I can’t abandon someone who might be saved right in front of me.

It’s necessary for the plan.

Reasons came to mind endlessly.

Still, I couldn’t speak them aloud. Saying anything might drag Mika further into danger.

"…I didn’t want to kill anyone. That’s all."

"…Really, that’s all?"

"…!"

I have no idea what Mika is thinking.

She seems to be probing my thoughts. At the very least, the Mika I knew would have accepted my words as they were.

"…Well, that’s fine. But no matter the reason… Suou-chan, you didn’t kill Seia-chan. So, this is my way of returning the favor. My thanks. Just like you, I’ll risk danger for what I want."

"…Haa… I can’t argue with that."

I had thought about forcing her to stop… but that’s impossible.

I can’t act recklessly and risk putting stress on Mika’s mental state.

…The assassination plan against Yurizono Seia.

I’ve finally cleared one peak of the original Eden Treaty storyline—just one, but it’s significant.

There will be more peaks ahead, more critical points. All of them must be overcome.

To kill Beatrice, to save everyone. That’s the goal.

‘You shouldn’t hear about my plan… It can’t be helped, no one’s fault. Impossible is impossible. Meaningless can only be meaningless.’

Yurizono Seia’s words echo in my mind.

What kind of future did Seia see?

On what grounds did she declare my plan a failure?

"…"

The next peak is likely Kirifuji Nagisa’s attack.

And that will significantly affect whether my plan succeeds or fails.

That’s why… having Misono Mika’s cooperation may actually be beneficial when looking at the overall picture.

But I have no intention of using Mika solely for that reason.

"…Mika-san."

"Yes?"

"…Let’s do our best. Together."

"!…Yeah!"

…For now, there won’t be any major peaks. During this time, Mika might even choose to stop cooperating.

I have to focus on what I can do to reach that point.