Chapter 36: Transfer Student

“So… it’s been a month now. How did that thing turn out?”

“Hehehe… ta-daa! I brought Azusa-chan’s uniform!”

Mika proudly pulled a neatly folded outfit from a paper bag. It was clearly too small for her—actually, it looked more like something that would fit me. Without a doubt, it was Azusa’s new uniform.

“Oh, whoa!!”

Wow… that’s impressive! Flashy, but somehow refined.

If I remember right from my past life… this design looks kind of like a sailor uniform.

“This is… quite showy.”

“Yeah… I think so too.”

I liked it, but Saori and the others didn’t seem to share my opinion. Well, the four of them had never seen the original Azusa, so they probably couldn’t picture how she’d look wearing it.

“Is this what’s popular in Trinity right now?”

“Mika-san said about thirty percent of students customize their uniforms. I think it’s really stylish.”

“Uh, um, what’s this piece for?”

“Oh, that’s a feather ornament! Cute, right?”

…A feather ornament, huh. Now that I think about it, I’m glad I wasn’t born with wings, horns, or a tail. If I had been, it’d probably be hard to control them with my past-life memories still in my head… worst case, I might’ve died just from not being able to move properly.

…Wait a second. If you had wings, wouldn’t that basically mean having four arms? In close combat, Tsurugi had done something like that before.

I can’t do that myself, but maybe Azusa or Mika could…?

“Azusa, Mika-san—can you use your wings to fly up high and smash down on enemies or something?”

“What kind of situation are you imagining? I mean… at the very least, I can’t, and I’ve never tried.”

“They’re not really made for flying. If you handle them wrong, you can actually break a bone, you know…”

“Huh, is that so…”

When I fought Tsurugi, it really looked like she could attack with her wings, though… well, she was a special case anyway.

“Oh, speaking of wings—Azusa-chan, do you know how to put this uniform on?”

“…There are slits near the back for the wings, so I can imagine how it works. But I might not know how to attach these decorations.”

“Ah, yeah, that makes sense…”

Now that I look at them, how do you attach those wing accessories? Surely you don’t just stab them through…

“Hmm, yeah… okay, I’ll show you! Let’s have you try it on here. Once we’re in Trinity, we won’t be able to meet you openly.”

“…Thank you.”

“Yup! I’ll borrow that building over there for a bit!”

“Got it. Suou, don’t move from that spot.”

“If you do, my rocket launcher’s gonna fire.”

“What do you people think I am…?”

If they’re guarding me that seriously, I might actually cry…

A few minutes later, Mika and Azusa emerged from the building.

“All done! How does it look?”

“…Honestly, I’m not used to clothes like this, so it feels strange. But it’s easier to move in than I expected. I’ll get used to it.”

“Whoa…!”

Yeah, that’s exactly how I remembered her from my past life! The Arius uniform—well, battle outfit—looked good on her too, but this Trinity one suits her even better!

“You look adorable!!! It’s just… so! So cute!!”

“Ahaha, what kind of reaction is that? Your entire vocabulary turned into ‘cute’ and nothing else!”

Can you blame me? She really is cute.

“Hm… the decorations aren’t as flashy as I expected.”

“R-right! She looks like an ordinary Trinity student now!”

“Well, it’s an infiltration mission, so that’s kind of the point.”

“But, this mark on the scarf clip…”

“Scarf clip?”

Following Atsuko’s gaze, I noticed gold embroidery on Azusa’s scarf clasp. Without question—it was the Arius Branch School emblem.

“…Hey, this is…”

“Ah, that’s the Arius school crest…!”

“…Suou. You were there when this uniform was made, weren’t you? Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Ah—haha…”

“Don’t you dare laugh that off!”

I mean, it just got added so naturally… and honestly, Mika’s enthusiasm was unstoppable.

“It’s fine! I didn’t even know that was the Arius crest.”

“That’s exactly why it’s not fine…”

“Wait, did you just insult me?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about~”

“…You really like that line, huh? It’s seriously annoying, you know that? Hey.”

Well, it probably won’t be an issue. The color isn’t that noticeable anyway.

“Sigh… whatever. I guess this is the last thing we needed to hand over. Azusa-chan, are you ready?”

“…Yeah. No problem.”

It had been a month since I asked Mika to arrange Azusa’s transfer. Finally, everything was in place.

The transfer itself would happen the day after tomorrow, but her belongings needed to be moved in advance. So, starting today, Azusa would head to the Trinity Autonomous District.

“Azusa, are your belongings all set?”

“Yes, I’ve made sure everything’s ready.”

“Ammunition?”

“Got it.”

“Maintenance tools? Trap kit?”

“They’re packed.”

“Student ID?”

“I have it—and money too.”

“Ha! With my powerful power of authority, this is nothing!”

…That’s literally power and power again.
Well, whatever. Not worth pointing out.

“Good. Then, what’s the mission this time?”

“To gather information about the signing ceremony of the Eden Treaty and Trinity’s military capabilities. Especially the latter—regarding the Sisterhood, which even Mika can’t easily interfere with.”

“The Sisterhood isn’t under the Tea Party’s influence, after all…”

“Status reports?”

“Twice a week. I’ll meet Saori and Suou at the abandoned building inside Trinity’s autonomous district. If any new orders come, I’ll receive them there.”

“Yes, good—she remembered perfectly…”

…When all this ends, even if I manage to kill Beatrice—
will Azusa stay in Trinity, or return to Arius?

Whether I succeed or fail, I have no way of knowing.
Even so… I can only hope she chooses what she truly wants.

From now on, we’ll only see each other during those twice-weekly reports.
There are maybe three or four months left until the Eden Treaty’s signing ceremony.
That means… the number of times I’ll get to see Azusa
can really be counted on one hand.

…That’s why, while I still can—
I need to tell her what I want to say.

“…Azusa. Come here for a moment.”

“…Why?”

“Just do it.”

“…Understood.”

As she approached without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her and gently stroked her head.

“…?”

…I half expected Saori to stop me, but she didn’t.
Maybe she understood what I was trying to do.

“…You’ve been strong ever since the day we met. Even when everyone around you gave up, you never stopped fighting back. You never lost sight of yourself.”

“…That’s not true. You’re the one who’s strong, Suou. Just… in a bad way.”

“Haha… maybe so. But still, that’s something to be proud of.”

She really is amazing.
Even in the original story, she was.

“In the end, I just kept confirming orders… but what I want to say now isn’t an order—it’s a request.”

“…A request?”

…Honestly, I wish I could tell this to everyone directly.
But that’s probably impossible.

It might feel a little unfair to single someone out like this…
But that’s no reason not to say what I want to say.

“...First, make lots of friends. Among them, you’ll surely find someone who becomes very special to you.”

“…Got it.”

“And once you’ve made friends… make sure to have fun with them. We still don’t know much about the world, but—go to game centers, read manga, watch anime, play sports… whatever it is, just enjoy your youth to the fullest.”

“…Yeah. I’ll try my best.”

“Suou-chan, you sure know a lot about this kind of stuff… Oh, sorry, I’ll be quiet.”

“…There was some interference, but… whatever. Anyway, youth isn’t all good things. There’ll be tough, painful times too. Maybe not as harsh as the life we’ve lived so far, but still… when that happens, rely on someone. A friend, or even us. Just don’t carry it all alone.”

“Yeah. You told me that before, Suou.”

“Right, you remembered. And if your friends are ever in trouble, this time, it’s your turn to help them. …But I’m not too worried about that. What you do need to remember, Azusa, is to take care of yourself.”

“…Understood. You too, Suou. If anything ever happens, tell me.”

“Haha… thank you. Also, make sure to study properly. Be careful with money. Eat well and sleep well. There’s still so much more I want to say… but if you live your youth to the fullest, that’s enough for me. Can you promise me that?”

“…Of course. I promise.”

…Ah. I shouldn’t feel relieved. But still—
I did.

If it’s Azusa, she’ll be fine.

“And one last thing—can I be your big siste—”

“I refuse. I’m not your little sister, and this isn’t the end anyway.”

Aw, I thought I could slip that in smoothly.

Azusa pushed me away, breaking the embrace.

“You—! You just ruined the whole mood!! I was being serious!!”

“Suou… I don’t think that’s true…”

“I think that was the worst possible thing you could’ve said.”

“Y-yeah, Suou-san’s definitely back to her usual self!”

“Suou-chan… maybe think a bit more about people’s feelings next time?”

“Wh—! I’m getting roasted from all sides here!?”

Okay, fine! Even I know that was bad timing!

“…Anyway, Azusa. We all feel the same way. Come back safe—and make the most of your time in Trinity.”

“…Yeah. I promise.”

A quiet stillness settled over us.

“…Well, should I get going?”

“Yeah. It’s time.”

“Alright then. See you, everyone.”

Azusa and Mika began walking toward the edge of the Arius Autonomous Zone.

“…It’s going to feel a little lonely, huh?”

“…Yeah. Maybe a bit.”

“She’ll be fine, ability-wise. We don’t have much to worry about.”

“But we’ll see her again, once there’s another mission.”

“R-right… though who knows when that’ll be!”

Watching their backs fade into the distance,
I suddenly wanted to call out.

Not “See you” or “Goodbye.”
But something else—
Words I probably shouldn’t say.
Words that might narrow Azusa’s choices in the future.

“…Azusa!”

Even so, I couldn’t hold them back.

“Take care out there!”

“! …I will.”

Hearing those words echo back to me—
I couldn’t help but smile.