Chapter 65: Wish

“Sister…?”

“Yes. Everyone in Arius is my sister. Though there are plenty who refuse to admit it.”

“…I-I see.”

“What’s wrong, Sensei? That face… what’s with it?”

Well, I guess even Sensei would be confused hearing that. But a sister is a sister. I’ll just keep talking.

“From here on, things get serious. First, about the Arius Branch School… how much do you know about it, Sensei?”

“…I heard it was a school that was persecuted when Trinity was founded.”

“Yes, that’s mostly correct.”

So, this Sensei’s knowledge isn’t any different from the one in the original.

“And… I also heard that ten years ago, there was a civil war.”

“…What?”

Wait—what? Why does Sensei know that?

No way. There shouldn’t be any way for him to know—no… there is one.

“Sensei. Who told you that?”

“…Sorry. I can’t answer.”

“…I see.”

The Volunteer Activities Club. Asiri. It has to be.

There’s no other way Sensei could’ve learned about the civil war. But why? Why would Asiri tell him that? Unless… she still—

“Suou?”

“Ah—sorry. I was just thinking. About that civil war… how much do you know?”

“…It was a fight between the Revenge Faction and the Anti-Revenge Faction. In the end, the Revenge Faction won, and… maybe some people died.”

“—!”

She remembered that much? Unexpected.

No… maybe not. Asiri’s strap charm—she’s still searching for her sister, isn’t she?

That memory must have burned deep into her childhood. But her sister probably… died in that war.

“So you knew that much already. Then this’ll go faster.”

“You mean… about everyone in Arius?”

“Hmm… yes, that’s right.”

First, I need Sensei to know who the real enemy is.

Without that, I’ll never gain his trust or understanding.

“The general outline of the civil war is as you said. The Revenge Faction won… and the Anti-Revenge Faction suffered casualties.”

…No. This isn’t the time to get emotional. I can only speak to Sensei now, in this moment.

Don’t remember. It’s fine.

“…Sensei? Can you picture our students dying in something as small as a civil war?”

“…”

“Ten years ago, during that war, a bomb capable of destroying Halos was used.”

“—!”

He expected it—but hoped he was wrong. His face said as much.

Of course. The thought of students, of children, dying halfway through their lives… no one would want to believe that. I wouldn’t either.

“That bomb wiped out the Anti-Revenge Faction’s strongest forces… and the rest was just cleanup.”

“That’s horrible…”

“But it wasn’t just a defeat.”

“…?”

If Asiri and the others have shared the Arius Branch case with Sensei, then he might already know this too.

Telling him should build trust—or at least, I hope it will.

It’s fine. Don’t be afraid. There’s no way the two of me—watashi and ore—will ever connect.

“The surviving Anti-Revenge Faction sent away the children from the Arius Branch School—think of it as an elementary or middle school.”

“…”

“I can say this with certainty. Those girls never lost. Not once.”

Those kids—the ones they sent away—they’re still alive. Beatrice’s so-called victory means nothing.

They fought. Fought and kept fighting to the very end.

“That’s what happened ten years ago in Arius… but that’s not the whole story.”

“…What?”

“It’s not everything. The real enemy wasn’t the Revenge Faction.”

Yes. The real enemy wasn’t them. They were just being used—used by Beatrice to feed her own revenge.

I don’t sympathize with her. But it’s not something you can hear without disgust, either.

“The current student council president of Arius Branch—the one at the top of us all—is actually an adult named Beatrice.”

“…An adult!?”

“Yes.”

In this world, the head of a student council—the leader of a district—is always a student. Kivotos is, after all, a city of academies.

Given that, Sensei’s shock makes perfect sense. An adult serving as president—it’s unthinkable.

“And that Beatrice was the one who brought the Halo-destroying bomb ten years ago… and even now, she still controls us, the students of Arius.”

“—!”

What I saw in Sensei’s face was anger—and helplessness.

…Yeah. I’m glad. This Sensei is no different from the one I know.

“…Gematria.”

“—!? Suou… where did you hear that name?”

“It’s the organization she belongs to. Probably my true enemy. Though… I’m the only one who knows that. Sensei, do you know anything?”

“Suou. Even if you’ve learned that… what are you planning to do?”

“…”

I expected that question. I’d already prepared my answer.

“What am I planning to do? Nothing I can do, really. Haha… look at me—well, you can’t see me, but I’m pretty tightly restrained right now, you know?”

Keep it light. Keep up the act—be “me,” as usual.

Don’t let him see through it. Not even for a second. But I still have to move forward.

Contradictory, yes—but I have no choice. If I want to kill Beatrice, I must.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to end up restrained here… I wanted to talk with you more, Sensei. But it can’t be helped, I guess.”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, back to the point. My sisters are basically being held hostage by Beatrice. Torture-like training, Halo-destroying bombs… if we disobey her, it wouldn’t be surprising if people died.”

“…That’s… she’s gone that far…”

Rotten to the core—that’s probably what he wanted to say.

Since I’m here, he doesn’t want to speak too openly about Gematria.

“That’s why… we have no intention of harming Trinity. We just want to escape—all of us, together. So we made a plan.”

“A plan…?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you the details.”

To kill Beatrice without dragging everyone down with me, we’ll need the Student Council’s Mimesis duplicates.
Which means we can’t avoid hijacking the signing ceremony.
It’ll make Arius look bad… but I have ways to soften that.

All that’s left is time.
Hatred and resentment don’t fade overnight—you have to see the long view.

For that, everyone will need to leave Trinity—at least for a while.

But Sensei won’t overlook an attack on the ceremony.
He’d never let his students do something like that.

And that’s the problem. People will die. Without question.

“We’re planning to escape—not only from the Trinity District, but from the Arius District as well. What I want, Sensei, is for you to help us.”

“Help…?”

“Yes. Our destination is Shanhaijing and the Abydos District. We’ll entrust the children to Shanhaijing, hide ourselves in Abydos, and from there, start negotiations toward reconciliation with Trinity. I’d like you to help resolve any problems that come up along the way.”

“…”

“I know it’s selfish to ask, but… please… could you protect my little sister?”

…Because by that time, I won’t be around anymore.
There’s no one else I can rely on but Sensei.

It’s pathetic, but even so—there’s no reason not to make use of his strength.

“…Yeah. Leave it to me.”

“! Th-thank you… so much…”

Good.
Now I can die without regret.

Everyone in Arius… they’ll be fine.
Azusa too. Little by little, she’ll find her way back to everyone else.

I’ve taught them everything I could—the knowledge, the way to think, how to negotiate.
Those kids are far more capable than I ever was.
They picked it all up in no time.

They’ll be fine now.

“But… there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Hm?”

“Suou, how do you know… about the civil war and Gematria?”

“Ah… th-that’s…”

Expected question.
Even so, my heart started pounding harder than I thought it would, cold sweat crawling down my back.

I was getting too close to the truth I’d been hiding—and I couldn’t let it show.

My memories from a previous life… the memories of Blue Archive.
Should I tell Sensei about them?

No.
If I did, my entire plan could fall apart.
It’s not time yet.

So, I’ll tell a truth wrapped in lies—just enough to let a sliver of reality peek through.

“…Ten years ago, I knew someone who went to fight in the civil war. Through that connection, I gathered information… and started investigating Beatrice.”

“Ten years ago… but Suou, back then you were—”

“Those people left behind their records. I’ve been studying them ever since, doing everything I could to avoid Beatrice’s eyes… and eventually, I found traces of an organization called ‘Gematria.’”

Honestly… I’m surprised at how easily these lies keep coming out.

“So that’s why I—huh?”

“Suou? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just… something feels off…”

What is that?
Above Sensei’s shoulder—something just slipped in?
The door was cracked open a little, wasn’t it…?

“Sensei, don’t move.”

“Eh…?”

Even through these iron bars… a small rock like this should be fine.
These shackles are annoying, though.

“Haah!”

Thud!

“!?”

Knew it—there was something there!!

“Sensei! Get out of this room, now! There’s an intruder!”

“Got it!”

Damn it—are they after Sensei!?
I can’t let that happen! I’ll break out right now if I have to—

“Wa-wait! Please wait!! It’s me!!”

“Huh…?”

A faint crackle of electricity ran through the air as the figure slowly appeared.
Optical camouflage?

Wait—what even is that thing…?
A yellow… robot bird?

“That voice… Asiri!?”

“Y-yes! It’s me, Asiri! So please, don’t call anyone else here! I’m begging you!!”

“Ah… she’s crying.”

Pretty nimble for a bird… wait, Asiri?

“Do you mean Amakawa Asiri?”

“! Y-yeah… that’s me… but how do you know my name…?”

“You’re Azusa’s friend, right? My little sister’s always in your care.”

Asiri—the Volunteer Activities Club.
One of the Arius Branch’s survivors.

Most likely, she’s the one who gave Sensei the intel.

“S-sister…? You’re that lunatic who claims to be her sister!?”

“I’m not a lunatic, I’m her big sister!”

“I-I can’t believe you’re actually real… you’re insane—ahh! I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry!! Please don’t throw rocks!!”

…Yeah, that’s kind of pitiful.

Besides, it’s not like I even have the right to call myself her sister anymore.

“But I never imagined you’d turn out to be a yellow bird… I told Azusa so many times not to get close to weirdos.”

“You—you know Azusa-chan!?”

“!”

That voice just changed…?
Wait, I know that voice—

“H-Hifumi!? Don’t grab the controller! It’s got a mic built in!”

“Ah—s-sorry! I lost my composure for a moment…”

“Hifumi too!? How are you two even here!?”

“Ah, um, that’s, well…!!”

They’re both controlling it together—no wonder it’s moving so wildly.
Actually… that’s kind of impressive.

“We’re using this bird to locate the Arius Branch—”

“Wait, Hifumi! You can’t say that in front of an Arius person!!”

“Ah—y-you’re right…!!”

“So noisy…”

I never imagined this prison cell would get this noisy.
Still, I think I’ve got the situation figured out.

They’ve been using that bird—or whatever that machine is—to search for the Arius Branch from the sky.
Along the way, they spotted Sensei and decided to secretly follow him.
That’s about it.

“When did you even start doing something like that?”

“T-today’s our first time…!”

“I see. So it’s a machine. Though if you’re doing nighttime reconnaissance, wouldn’t black be a more practical color?”

“M-Mayumi-chan said that wasn’t allowed…! Uuugh…!”

…?
I’m not really following, but if they came all the way here, then… probably.

“So? You must have something you want to ask me, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah! I do!! But it’s going to take a while, so Hifumi-chan first!!”

“Ah, th-thank you…”

So we’re starting with Hifumi, huh?
I can already guess what she wants to ask.

“Um… where is Azusa-chan right now?”

“…In the Arius District. Our school.”

“Ah, no, I-I know that…! What I mean is—where is that, exactly…!?”

“…”

Of course she’d want to know.
She never even got to say goodbye before they were torn apart.

Because of me. Even now, the guilt eats at me until I feel like I’m going insane. Talking to someone like this helps take the edge off—but still—

"And once you know that, what do you plan to do?"

"O-of course… I want to talk to her—"

"How?"

"Huh…?"

…I can’t allow that. It’s far too dangerous.

"The Arius District—it isn’t officially recognized. There’s no order, no morality. Nothing there will protect you."

"…!"

"If you go, you’ll only end up captured. Maybe you could see Azusa from inside a prison cell, but that’s all."

Beatrice—the danger she represents. These girls have no idea.

If Hifumi went to the Arius District, Beatrice would take her… and Azusa would try to rescue her. I can’t let that happen.

"But—!"

"No. I can’t tell you. Even if you managed to talk to her, if you got hurt in the process… Azusa would be devastated."

"…But… back then, Azusa-chan… was crying."

"…"

"She wore a gas mask so we wouldn’t notice… but she was crying…"

…Right. Of course she was.

That’s how much it meant to her.

"So I know she must have had her reasons this time too… That’s why I—!"

"It’s alright."

"Huh…?"

"You’ll see her again soon. That’s what I’ve been talking to Sensei about."

…Maybe not right away. And maybe Azusa won’t be able to return to Trinity. But even so, I’ll make sure Hifumi gets to see her again. I’ll make it happen—by killing Beatrice.

"So please, take better care of yourself. Azusa would be sad otherwise."

"…Okay…"

"Haha… Azusa really is lucky to have such a good friend. Her big sister can rest easy."

I’m truly glad Hifumi is her friend. She noticed Azusa was crying—she cared, and she thought about her. A kind friend like that.

If I could make one last wish… it’d be that, even after I’m gone, Azusa and Hifumi can smile together again.

"…Asiri-san, thank you for waiting."

"No, thank you, Hifumi-chan."

"Right…"

…Alright then.

"…I have a lot of things I want to ask you, um—"

"Kirihana Suou."

"Suou-chan."

…So the problem lies with Asiri, huh.

"First off, the location of the Autonomous District. I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me that one, right?"

"Yes, I’m afraid not."

"No worries. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to even talk with me like this, much less take me seriously."

"Haha… sounds like I’ve been rather underestimated, haven’t I?"

Well, in her mind, the current image of the Arius Branch must be… yeah, the kind that assumed the victors of the civil war were all revenge-driven fanatics. To her, Arius was a group that sought vengeance against Trinity—people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill. That’s the image she must’ve had.

"…The first thing is this keychain. It belonged to my sister. She had long, dark greenish hair. You wouldn’t happen to know her, would you?"

What should I do? What should I say?

I know. I know exactly what happened back then—what I saw in that place.

Her sister… since that day, I haven’t seen her once. No trace of her—no sign that she’s still around.

When I returned to the territory, blending in among the Arius street children… I found it. I found it in the building where Anna holed up to buy time.

…A blood-soaked gun, with a broken strap hanging from it.

For a student with that kind of durability to bleed that much—it could only happen in a brutal fight between true monsters. And that amount of blood…

This girl’s sister is probably already…

"I… don’t know."

…Would knowing make her happier? Or would ignorance be the kinder truth? I have no idea anymore.

"…I see. Then, next question."

"…"

"Brown hair, big gas mask, talks kinda rough, and shorter than me—well, shorter than I was back then. Tiny, basically. Mayumi-chan said she carried a hand cannon."

"…What?"

Wait. That can’t be right. Because that’s—

"You don’t know her?"

Because that’s… me, back on that day.