Chapter 38: 『Her』—The Story I Do Not Know

It was not the first time this had happened to “him.”

“…Sensei.”

It felt as if he existed in the space between dream and reality—a floating, sinking sensation, as though immersed in a sea of slumber, where even the awareness of his own existence blurred.

There were no clear thoughts. All he could do was listen to the words spoken by the girl before him.

When he had first arrived in Kivotos… and, of all things, had nodded off during their very first meeting, even then it had felt as though someone, somewhere, was speaking to him like this.

“Perhaps the story that is about to begin is not suited for someone like you. It may not be a tale befitting of you.”

But no. That wasn’t it. Clearly not.

The girl before him was someone different from that blue-haired student.

“Unpleasant, distasteful, loathsome… the kind of thing that makes one frown…”

But since he had neither a mouth to voice those feelings nor brows to furrow, all he could do was quietly keep listening.

“Doubting others, doubting the premise, doubting your own assumptions, doubting the truth itself…”

If the “her” who did not exist here had been present, she would have been disappointed by the identical words. The girl—Yurizono Seia—spoke exactly as “she” had known her.

“And in the end, everyone acts selfishly, tries to bear everything alone. Because they cannot bring themselves to trust anyone else.”

And now, it changed. A story that “she” did not know was about to begin.

“So it will be sad, bitter, depressing… and in the end, leave nothing but a foul aftertaste. That kind of story.”

Yet unaware of that change, the two continued speaking according to what “she” knew.

“But at the same time, it is undeniably the truth. Although… this part is still up for debate. Ah, don’t mind it. You’ll understand eventually.”

His consciousness began to rise.

The drifting haze of slumber faded. Gradually, gradually, he surfaced toward clarity.

“Please don’t turn away, don’t avert your eyes… watch until the very end. …Ah, I ended up saying the same thing she once did. Well, no matter. In any case…”

The words were already beginning to blur.

“That is… Sensei, the duty you bear for choosing 『what lies ahead』. And as for me, who does not know 『what lies ahead』…”

────And then.

“…Huh?”

“Sensei!!? This is no time to be sleeping!!”

“Eh…? …Oh no…”

He woke to find himself staring down at the stack of documents before him, his head buried in his hands.

"Hello, Sensei. This is the first time we’ve met like this, isn’t it?"

On a terrace overlooking Trinity, across the table prepared for the meeting, stood a girl with long, platinum-blonde hair.

She lifted the teacup in her right hand to her lips, inhaling its fragrance with a soft breath. Yet her eyes never left Sensei.

"I am Kirifuji Nagisa, the host of the Tea Party. And this is another member of the Tea Party, Misono Mika."

Prompted, Sensei turned his gaze to the girl beside Nagisa—a pink-haired girl, her halo so large and ornate that “grandiose” hardly seemed an exaggeration.

After offering a polite bow, he looked back at Nagisa.

"Once again, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. We are the Tea Party, the student council of Trinity."

And then.

He felt an impertinent stare.

"So this is the Sensei I’ve heard so much about, huh. Honestly, you don’t look that different from us."

"…"

Silence.

Whoa. Did she seriously just say that on their first meeting?

Sensei shook his head to clear the thought, pretending he hadn’t heard it.

"I see, hmm… Ah, sorry, that was rude, wasn’t it?"

"…It’s good that you realized it yourself, but next time, I’d advise you not to say it at all. My apologies, Sensei."

"Uuuh… I’m sorry… A-anyway! I look forward to working with you, Sensei!"

"Likewise."

Her tone was casual, soft. Not domineering, but measured, as if speaking on equal footing.

I see. There are dark rumors, but at the very least, she wasn’t the type to openly act arrogant or leer at him in broad daylight. Of course, that didn’t mean he trusted her… at least, not yet.

"…"

"…Hehe."

Unaware of Nagisa’s careful analysis, Mika simply observed Sensei without much thought. Ah, he seems like a nice person, pretty decent-looking… though those dark circles under his eyes are rough. …And just a little, she harbored both caution and hope. If, just if, he could…

It wasn’t about who was better. But if anyone were more fitting to lead, Nagisa was undeniably the answer.

"A person from outside Trinity being invited to the Tea Party… as far as I recall, Sensei, you are the very first. Normally, even Trinity’s own students are not easily granted a seat here."

"Ah—Nagisa, you make it sound kind of… suggestive—ah, sorry again…"

"…That’s three."

"Three what? Don’t say it like that, it’s scary…"

"Ha ha…"

At their almost comical exchange, Sensei let out a wry smile. The two of them seemed quite close.

"…My apologies, Sensei. Once again, the reason we invited you here is that we have a small request."

"A… request?"

Nagisa’s expression grew serious, and Sensei straightened, listening intently.

"Geez, Nagisa? You jumped straight into the main topic! You need a little icebreaker first, don’t you? Like, comment on the weather, ask about hobbies, family… even glaring at me with those pretty eyes won’t work. Small talk matters! You have to do it right!"

Mika’s very specific advice made Nagisa pause—she had a point.

…But that applied only under normal circumstances.

Right now, Nagisa didn’t have the time or mental bandwidth for that.

"…You make a fair point, but we don’t have time. You are not the host right now, so please follow my lead."

"…Nagisa… If you want to convince someone, I don’t think being so high-handed is the way to go…?"

──This idiot actually dared to argue. Even after being told there’s no time.

Nagisa felt as if two or three blood vessels in her head had burst, but she restrained herself, keeping her anger in check.

"…Well, we’ll discuss that point another day. Peacefully, of course."

"N-Nagisa…? Your veins are popping… Your pretty face is ruined…"

"Whose fault do you think that is…!"

"Uh… you two are the student council of Trinity, right?"

Sensing the tension was about to snap, Sensei shifted the topic to diffuse it.

"Oh, Nagisa! Sensei read the room and diverted the conversation!? See, this is adult diplomacy! Small talk really is important!"

"…Yes. That is correct. We are the student council of Trinity Academy."

"Ah, um, Nagisa? Are you mad?"

"'Student council,' plural, might sound unfamiliar… To put it simply, Trinity’s student council has historically been run by multiple members."

"Hey, Nagisa, are you ignoring me? Maybe ignoring me? Heeey?"

Nagisa decided it was pointless to respond to Mika’s antics and continued her explanation.

During this, Nagisa nearly lost her patience and wanted to shove a roll cake into Mika’s mouth… but ultimately, she managed to explain Trinity’s history to Sensei.

"…Now then. Let’s move on to the main point. What we’re asking of you is simple."

"Simple, but important."

"Yes, exactly."

Agreeing with Mika’s supportive interjection, Nagisa took a breath and finally conveyed the request.

"…Would you become the advisor for the Supplementary Lessons Club?"

"…The Supplementary Lessons Club?"

A club he had never heard of.

Nagisa quickly clarified.

"Yes. In other words, we’d like you to help students who are at risk of failing. It’s technically a ‘club,’ but this time, it’s better to think of it as being their ‘homeroom teacher’ rather than just an advisor."

Ah, now the ‘supplementary lessons’ made sense.

Sensei nodded in understanding and listened as Nagisa continued.

"Trinity Academy has a long history in Kivotos as a school that values both academics and athletics. And yet, for some reason, at this very time, we have four students whose performance is severely lacking…"

Presumably, they were asking him to oversee those students.

Sensei prepared himself mentally, opening the list of names handed to him.

Some names looked vaguely familiar.

Ajitani Hifumi.
Urawa Hanako.
Shimoe Koharu.

…And then.

"U-um…"

Hiss… hiss…

"…Th-there’s no poison gas or anything… Let’s just take that off for now…?"

…Shirasu Azusa.

"Sorry. Before we took refuge here, we used tear gas. Some might have leaked."

"E-eh…!? Y-you should have said so first… no wonder my eyes are watering…"

"Use this. And this, too. Eating will help calm your mind."

Next to her, Amakawa Asiri tagged along as a bonus.

"Th-thank you… Ugh… Why is this happening…!"

"It can’t be helped. Right now, all we can do is resist as best we can."

"I was trying to resolve things peacefully…!"

It had been a coincidence.

By chance, they had stumbled upon the scene of the bullying… and neither could ignore it.

From this chance encounter, born of their sense of justice, they were now fleeing together.

Though the reason they had to run was that Shirasu Azusa had shot one of the Justice Realization Committee members in an act of resistance.

"Uuuugh…! How am I supposed to explain this to the club members…!"

"…Club members?"

"You forgot!? Hey, did you forget!!? It’s me!! Asiri!! From the vending machine!!"

"…I don’t think we actually introduced ourselves. Also, keep your voice down. We’re not fully prepared yet."

"Ah… then, let’s reintroduce ourselves… My name is Amakawa Asiri. I’m the head of the Volunteer Activities Club…"

Suppressing a lingering sense of unease, she continued her self-introduction.

"Shirasu Azusa. I’m not affiliated with any club… no, that’s wrong. Supplementary Lessons Club."

"Su-supplementary lessons club…? I’ve heard of that…"

"I know you’re there!!! Stop resisting immediately and come out!!!"

"Eek!"

Ah. How had it come to this?

Clenching her teeth, she cursed her own fate.

Originally, she had intended to make contact again after more preparation.

She didn’t even know what kind of person this other girl was—or rather, the situation with Arius himself was unclear.

And, for that matter… she wasn’t even sure if ‘she’ was still alive.

"…"

If she was alive…

Then all the preparations they had made wouldn’t have been in vain.

"…Hm? Preparations? Wait, what are you doing now?"

"…This is the powder magazine. We’re completely surrounded. The only exit is that door, and it’s blocked. In other words, if we’re escaping, this is the only way. Hold on tight."

"…Eh? W-wait, what, wha-what nooo—"

With a BOOM, the world went black.

A sensation of floating through the air. Feeling heat all around, she gripped Azusa with all her strength.

"Waaahhh!!! I don’t want this anymore!!!"

…And thus, the story that ‘she’ did not know began.

The Eden Treaty Arc had finally begun.