Chapter 54: Default and Schemes

Trinity’s terrace.
While sipping tea at the table set out on the balcony, Kirifuji Nagisa listened to the report before her.

“…I see.”

The contents of that report could be summed up in a single phrase: utterly unexpected.
Completely, and entirely beyond her expectations.

How—no, what could they have done? The question lingered in her mind.

“…Well, I suppose those slackers are to blame for their grades.”

Her tone, sharp with irritation she couldn’t fully conceal, was laced with venom. After taking another sip of tea, she let out a long sigh.

“But this confirms it.”

A note of conviction colored her words.

This recent incident—she’d heard the rumors about the Hot Springs Development Department’s bad reputation plenty of times herself.
But that level of chaos wasn’t something a bunch of lowlifes could have handled.

Rumor had it that a group calling themselves the Helmet Gang had fought to defend their turf, but frankly, that level of power didn’t add up.

These were people used to combat. Command-capable, coordinated—
An organized force trained purely for one purpose: battle.

And such individuals supposedly fought while carefully avoiding harm to bystanders?
That the Supplementary Lessons Department just happened to benefit from their mercy?
…Impossible.

“Someone among them is hiding something.”

Nagisa’s conviction deepened.

Among the members of the Supplementary Lessons Department, there was definitely at least one person connected to Arius Branch School.

“But this complicates things… meddling where they shouldn’t.”

That Volunteer Activities Club’s president—she’d heard the girl sometimes interacted with students from other academies.

There was room for suspicion. Spending holidays secluded in the library, or venturing into restricted zones under the guise of volunteer work…
Her name had once come up as a potential Trinity traitor, but given her personality and her long-standing ties with students from Gehenna, Nagisa had dismissed her as unlikely.

That was why she hadn’t even remembered her name. The girl had been on the edge of her awareness—until she got involved with the Supplementary Lessons Department.

An unforeseen irregularity.

“Well, I’ll just have to revisit the matter…”

This time, she wouldn’t overlook it.

The incident had deepened her suspicion toward that Volunteer Activities Club president.
Next time, Nagisa would make certain the traitor within Trinity was eliminated.

“What was her name again…? Ah, that’s right—”

“Asiri, wake up.”

“Mngh…?”

Roused by the gentle shake of Sensei’s hand, Asiri stirred, drooling messily in her sleep.

“S-S-Sensei!?”

Seeing Sensei right in front of her in such a defenseless, just-awakened state, Asiri’s panic skyrocketed.
Wiping the drool from her face, she sprang up from bed so fast it might have made a snap! sound.

“N-night visit!? No, wait, it’s daytime—so a daytime visit!? No way, I thought you didn’t do that sort of thing anymore, Sensei! At least spare the others—just take me instead—!!”

“Calm down.”

With practiced ease, Sensei soothed her as if taming a panicked animal.
Asiri blinked, trying to recall why she’d even been asleep in the first place.

Ah, right—the exam location had been changed, and they’d been headed to Gehenna for it.
They’d arrived at the site and waited while she stood guard to keep delinquents from causing trouble.

“—Wait! The test! What happened to the test!?”

“Ah, Asiri-san, you’re awake!”

At that moment, Hifumi and Hanako opened the door and entered.

“H-Hifumi-chan!! The test!! Did everyone pass!?”

“Please calm down, Asiri-san.”

Hanako smiled gently, lowering herself to meet Asiri’s frantic gaze.

“…Everyone passed.”

“Ah…! Th-that’s… that’s amazing…!!”

Asiri couldn’t even find words of congratulations.
Joy flooded through her—so strong it hurt, an indescribable pressure in her chest that made tears stream down her cheeks.

“I’m so glad…! I’m so, so glad…! Really, I am…!”

“Yes. Thanks to that, it seems we’ve avoided expulsion.”

“Yeah… that was close, huh…? If even one of us had failed, we’d all be expelled…”

Then, a sudden realization struck her.
Only Sensei should have known the true purpose of the Supplementary Lessons Department.

“W-wait… Asiri-san, how do you know about that…!?”

“Eh? Ah, uh, that, um, eeeeh!? I didn’t know that was a secret!?”

“…”

“I’m sorry!”

Hanako gave her a tired look at the obvious fake act, leaving Asiri no choice but to bow her head in apology.

She couldn’t hide it anymore.
She took a deep breath and braced herself.

“…Yeah. I know.”

“That matter should only be known to me and Hanako-san…”

“…I used a bit of a dirty trick. I’ll have to apologize to everyone… so maybe, can it wait until we’re all gathered?”

She wondered if that sounded like she was just stalling for time, but met their eyes anyway.

“…That’s fine with me. I suspect Sensei has a hand in this as well.”

“I-I’m fine with it too!”

“Thanks, both of you…”

Letting out a long sigh, Asiri flopped back onto the white bedsheets.
And that was when something strange occurred to her.

“…Wait, why am I in the infirmary? Did I… collapse?”

“…!”

At her words, Hifumi’s face tensed.
Knowing her kind nature, Asiri guessed she must have gotten into a fight with delinquents and been knocked out, leaving Hifumi feeling guilty.

“Ah, um, don’t worry about it, okay? I just did what I wanted to do—”

“Actually…”

Before she could finish, Hifumi pulled out a plastic bag.

“…What’s that? Burnt trash?”

“…A stuffed toy. Or, what’s left of one.”

“A stuffed toy…? Oh no—”

Then it all came rushing back.

She’d been patrolling nearby, checking the buildings for delinquents.
Normally, a situation like that would have made her heart pound with fear—but she remembered feeling oddly calm.

And then, inside an abandoned building—probably an old toy shop—she’d found it.

A stuffed toy from the series that inspired Momo Friends.

She’d been overjoyed. So happy it might’ve rivaled the moment she’d learned everyone had passed the test.
And wanting to share that joy, she decided to bring it back for everyone.
Even though it was an abandoned place, she’d left all the money in her wallet behind out of guilt. The toy had felt strangely heavy in her hands.

But right after she’d moved it to a safe spot and turned to rejoin the others—

“NOOOO!!!”

“My condolences…!!”

Clutching the blackened remains Hifumi had called “trash,” Asiri wept.
For a completely different reason than before—but she wept all the same.

A wail of pure grief—no other word could describe it.
When her sobs finally subsided, she began to regain her composure.

“Hic! Ugh… sniffle…”

“Asiri…”

“Snf…”

“Are you feeling a little calmer now?”

At Hifumi’s gentle voice, Asiri nodded silently, still trembling.

“…I understand how you feel. I had something similar happen once. I even went all the way to the black market for it, but it turned out to be a fake… Losing something you thought you’d finally found—it hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Mhm…!”

This time she nodded hard, giving voice to her agreement.

"…It’s all right. It’s okay to feel sad when things are sad. You don’t have to tell yourself it can’t be helped, or that you never could’ve had it anyway. Don’t force yourself to pretend. Just cry as much as you need. Cry a lot, and then—let’s look for it together again, shall we? We’ll bring Azusa-chan with us too."

"…Thanks, Hifumi-chan."

Asiri swallowed back her tears at Hifumi’s words—gentle and warm like those of a loving mother—wiping them away before straightening herself up.

Then, Hifumi took Asiri’s hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

It was a picture-perfect moment, like something straight out of a story—and Hanako and Sensei were completely unable to keep up with it.

"…Y-yeah, you’re right! Anyway, congratulations, everyone, on passing the test!! By the way, where are Azusa-chan and Koharu-chan?"

"Ah, y-yes…"

Hanako stammered, still flustered by Asiri’s sudden recovery, trying her best to answer.

"Koharu-chan went to report the good news to the Justice Realization Committee. She looked very happy. As for Azusa-chan…"

"…?"

When Hanako quickly averted her eyes, looking awkward, Asiri tilted her head suspiciously. Something must’ve happened.

"…Um, apparently someone from her old school contacted her… She went to talk with them for a bit."

"—!!?"

"…And that’s what happened."

"Hahaha… she sounds like quite a character, that Asiri-san."

"She reminds me a little of Hiyori."

Hm. She does a bit, now that she mentions it.
She’s timid like Hiyori, and that overactive imagination of hers is similar too. She’s just missing that thicker skin.

"So that’s what caused the explosion, huh… You really saved us there."

It was truly dangerous. If Asiri hadn’t been there, the testing hall might’ve gone up in flames, papers and all.

If that had happened, the supplementary lessons would’ve continued, and Azusa might’ve been driven right to the brink of expulsion. It would’ve been a disaster.

"…Azusa. Are you enjoying school?"

"…Yeah. Though seriously, how many times are you gonna ask me that?"

"Indeed. You’ve asked her first thing every single time."

What’s with these two?

Not that Saori isn’t curious about it herself.

"Oh come on, don’t act like you’re not curious. You wanna know too, right, Saori?"

"Well… yes, I suppose I do."

See? Honesty’s a virtue.

…Now then.

"All right, let’s get to the main topic, shall we?"

"…Okay."

"Phew…"

I’ll have to choose my words carefully.

Azusa bears no blame for what happened—but I can’t let her feel even a shred of guilt.
Still, this isn’t something I can just hide from her either.

"…Regarding this incident. Kirifuji Nagisa suspected four students, including you, Azusa, of being affiliated with the Arius Branch School—and tried to have all of you expelled. That’s the gist of it, based on what I heard from Mika-san."

"Yeah, that’s right."

Hmm… so far, this lines up with the original record. I owe Nagisa an apology.

Even knowing how things would turn out, I couldn’t stop it. Seia being critically injured was unavoidable.

And once that happened, Nagisa’s trust in Trinity’s students was bound to shatter… though interestingly, Mika seems to be an exception.

Doubt and paranoia—those were the seeds I planted.
I’m the one who drove Nagisa to that point, the one who made Hifumi suffer because of it. I have no excuse.

Because of my own weakness, I couldn’t save Nagisa.

…but what’s about to happen next makes even that look merciful.

"…Beatrice decided, after this incident, that Kirifuji Nagisa poses a threat. And what she handed me was… this."

"…A bomb… meant to destroy a Halo."

"…Yeah. In other words… you can guess what that means."

This was the price to be paid.

The assassination of Kirifuji Nagisa—ordered by none other than Beatrice herself.

But there’s no reason I have to accept that.

"…Of course, I have no intention of using something like this. So don’t worry."

She tossed the “bomb capable of destroying a Halo” behind her with a carefree pop, flashing a lazy grin.

"H-hey! What if that thing goes off by accident!?"

"It’s fine at that distance. Besides, I threw my coat under it as a cushion."

"When did you—wait, aren’t you cold?"

"I am cold."

As Saori sighed in disbelief, Suou tried to sneak under her coat and got shot at for her trouble before turning back toward the communicator.

"Anyway, as I said, I’ve got absolutely zero intention of killing Nagisa-san… The real issue lies elsewhere."

"Elsewhere…?"

"Yes."

Beatrice had no doubt anticipated things would unfold this way.
Without question.

"If Kirifuji Nagisa disappears, the Tea Party will be down to one member. Automatically, that makes Mika-san the new host."

"Ah…"

"In other words, the one who’ll carry out the Eden Treaty will be Mika-san."

At first, I thought Mika might try to sabotage the signing ceremony altogether, but that’s basically impossible.
Considering her past actions, she’s not someone who acts without a plan.

…However, that’s where another problem comes in.

"Two Tea Party hosts die in successive attacks, and by sheer coincidence, Mika becomes the new host. Don’t you think that sounds a little too convenient?"

"…You’re right."

"If I were in their shoes, I’d be suspicious too. Like, ‘Misono Mika killed the other two so she could become host herself!’"

Yes—left as things are, Mika will have every reason to be suspected. But even that, on its own, might still be manageable.

The real problem is—

"Unfortunately, I’ve got ties to the attackers. Sooner or later, cracks will show—where I was, what I was doing, Azusa’s forged documents… that sort of thing."

"…"

"And once that happens, even if Mika is the only possible host left, she’ll be hit with a vote of no confidence right after the signing ceremony."

The very outcome I feared—Mika getting dragged into the mess.
It’s something that has to be stopped before it’s too late.

This isn’t about whether we kill Nagisa or not, or whether Seia was murdered or wasn’t.
We’ve already left behind too many grounds for suspicion. Once that doubt takes root, it’s over.

…and there’s no way that bastard Beatrice hasn’t noticed that. She’s doing this on purpose.

Once the Eden Treaty signing is over, Mika and Azusa will both be disposable to her.
That’s why all the issues I pointed out to Azusa earlier mean absolutely nothing to Beatrice.

She only ever saw them as pawns—weak, expendable puppets to be discarded. It’s disgusting.

"Anyway. That’s the situation. But for now, the most pressing issue is Kirifuji Nagisa."

Yes—one way or another, it all comes down to Nagisa.
Naturally, killing her isn’t an option. Which means… we’ll have to leave her critically injured instead.

"About that… what’s the plan? I heard you only managed to put Yurizono Seia into a coma because she was already frail, right?"

"That’s right."

In truth, the dream-based precognition played a role too, but in any case, that method won’t work on Nagisa.

"So, my plan is to knock her unconscious with a normal explosive… and then have Mika-san hide her in her room."

"You think that’s possible? Wouldn’t she be on high alert after that?"

Well, if they were just casual acquaintances, maybe.
But Nagisa trusts Mika deeply—so much that she subconsciously excludes her from the list of potential traitors within Trinity.
A little trick like this won’t make her suspicious.

"Nagisa-san and Mika-san are childhood friends. Their trust runs so deep, there’s no room for doubt. Plus, Nagisa knows how strong Mika is. All she’d need to say is, ‘Nagichan was attacked, but I saved her! Let’s just pretend she’s dead for now so she can stay safe, okay?’—and she’ll believe it instantly."

"That impression was… uncanny. You even got the voice right."

Savoring Saori’s reluctant compliment, Suou continued her explanation.

"I’ve already discussed this with Mika-san and gotten her approval. The next issue will come after she becomes host—
but if we reveal that Nagisa-san is still alive right after the signing ceremony, it should calm things down, at least temporarily."

"I see… But will Nagisa even agree to that? There might still be traitors out there."

"I’ve thought about that too… Suou, do you have a plan?"

"…Yes. If my plan works, Nagisa-san won’t even have time to think about that. And even if it fails, and Mika-san ends up being suspected, I can still handle it."

…Now then. What comes next is something even Saori hasn’t heard before.

My plan is finally reaching its climax.
No one else can catch on. No one can know.

I won’t let anyone get dragged in. I won’t let anyone get hurt.
I’ll handle everything myself—because I can.

It’ll be fine. I’m not the same person I was back then.
I’ve spent ten long years thinking this through. It will work.

With that in mind, I have to explain it carefully—without letting any suspicion fall on me.

"…On the day of the signing ceremony. Let’s run away—together. All of us, from Arius!"

"…Wh—!?"

"…!?"

I’ll definitely save everyone. No matter what it takes.