Chapter 71: Intersection

For a brief moment, silence drifted across the terrace.

Breaking that stillness, Nagisa slowly lifted her face.

“…Understood. If you’re willing to go that far, Hifumi-san… then just this once, I’ll trust you. About Arius… and about Azusa-san as well.”

“Ah…! N-Nagisa-sama!!”

Hifumi’s face lit up instantly, her smile radiant as the sun.

Squinting slightly at that brightness, Nagisa continued, her voice calm but firm—

“…In exchange, I’d like you to join me for tea again, like this. And tell me everything you’ve seen, Hifumi-san. Especially about that… ‘Masked Swimsuit Gang,’ was it?”

“Y-Yes! Of course!”

Her tone still held a trace of stiffness, but the smile on Nagisa’s face was gentle—genuine.

“‘Nagisa…’”

“…And you as well, Sensei. I apologize. The matter with Arius… it’s too risky to discuss openly for now. We’ll brief the department heads and upper ranks after the signing ceremony. We can’t afford any leaks—especially not to Mika-san.”

“‘Ah, yeah… about that…’”

Sensei averted his eyes, glancing left and right as if searching for the right words. Seeing that, Nagisa tilted her head slightly.

“What’s wrong, Sensei? Don’t tell me Mika-san already knows about this? Just kidding…”

She said it half-jokingly—unaware of what was coming. Sensei took a quiet breath, steeling himself to tell her the truth.

“‘Actually… Mika’s been connected to Arius since last year.’”

“…Huh?”

Her voice cracked into the most bewildered sound she’d ever made.

“I see… so that’s what happened.”

“‘Y-Yeah…’”

After listening to Mika’s situation, Nagisa’s expression settled into a carefully maintained smile.

“That idiot…!!”

“‘…’”

The vein throbbing at her temple left no doubt—she was furious.

“Haah… I thought her behavior had been strange lately, but to think she was doing something like that…”

Her exasperation was clear, yet beneath it lingered a faint sense of understanding—perhaps even relief. A weary smile escaped her lips.

“…In any case, I understand the situation with Arius Branch School. Leave that matter to us of the Tea Party.”

Her tone was calm, though her words carried the quiet weight of a promise—a stern lecture was inevitable later. Turning to face Sensei again, she continued:

“‘If there’s anything I can do, tell me. I promised, remember?’”

“M-Me too! If I can be of help, anytime!”

“…Heh… yes. When that time comes, I’ll count on you both.”

It was Hifumi’s request—the one who had once pulled her out of that place. Betraying that trust was unthinkable.

For now, the signing of the Eden Treaty came first.

That treaty, in part, existed to counter the unprecedented threat posed by Arius Branch School—just one of many reasons behind it.

If Seia truly was still alive, then the one who discovered or possibly sheltered her would be Aomori Mine. They would need to make contact.

Whether it succeeded or failed, the signing ceremony would mark a turning point.

“Truly, there’s never a moment’s rest.”

With a faint, soft smile, she took a sip of the strong, astringent tea.

The scene shifts—to Arius Branch School.

“Hmm? When I first met the squad leader…?”

“Yeah. You’re probably the only one who met her before the unit was formed—aside from me.”

“Well, yeah, but still… that’s rare, Saori-chan. You asking me questions?”

Facing Joumae Saori of the unit was the Fourth Squad Leader, Yasuteru Rei.

“Let’s see… I think it was about nine years ago? She just walked up out of nowhere, called herself my sister—crazy, right?”

“…Yeah. Can’t argue with that.”

Saori nodded deeply, jotting something down in her notepad.

“Thanks. That helps.”

“Huh? That’s it?”

“Yeah… I’ve confirmed what I needed.”

“Huhh… sounds shady. You plotting something?”

Rei, ever mischievous, used her small frame to snatch the memo right out of Saori’s hands.

“Hey—give that back! Dammit, you’re way too strong for your size…!”

“Hmm…? Just a bunch of names. Boring~”

Abruptly, Rei released it. Saori stumbled back but caught herself quickly.

“…Well, I get it. The squad leader’s gone, and everyone’s nervous, huh…”

“…”

Saori’s eyes dimmed slightly at those words.

“Well, if anything comes up, just say so. I’ll lend you my strength.”

“…I appreciate it.”

Knowing Rei, “lend you my strength” probably wasn’t a metaphor—she meant it literally.

Amused by the thought, Saori turned on her heel. But instead of heading back to the base where the rest of the squad waited, she went elsewhere.

“This place…”

It was the abandoned house where Kirihana Suou had once lived. The room was sparsely furnished—a desk, a blanket, and a few necessities scattered here and there.

“…”

Examining the door closely, Saori noticed a single loose strand of hair caught in the gap—something that hadn’t been there when she entered.

“Chestnut brown… from before…”

Judging by the length, it must’ve been from years ago—before she’d even met the others. It had likely come loose from where it was wedged in the doorframe.

“…So she used it to detect movement?”

Brushing aside a lock of her own slightly longer hair, Saori stepped deeper into the room.

She checked the bed, under the desk, inside the drawers—but found nothing unusual.

“Guess I’m overthinking this…”

As she idly rummaged through the desk, her hand pressed against the drawer’s bottom—and felt it shift slightly upward.

“…A false bottom. Sorry about this.”

Flipping the safety off her gun, she cracked the drawer open just enough to aim and fired. Two, three shots later, a gaping hole appeared.

“Now then…”

Hooking her finger into the hole, she flipped it open—
And then—

“—!?”

Flames erupted without warning. A trap, no doubt one Kirihana Suou had set in advance.

“Tch…!”

Saori yanked the entire drawer free and hurled it out the door, out of the base entirely.

Catching her breath, she approached the smoldering wreckage.

“…Nothing special.”

Examining the ashes, she found nothing but melted plastic and fragments of conductive wire.

“I see… the insulator came off the moment I pulled it out, completing the circuit.”

That knowledge—something Suou must have picked up somewhere—
was now what Saori used to reconstruct the mechanism behind the trap-laden desk.

“…Why would she do this?”

The desk itself was empty. That much was certain.

Yet the trap implied it had once been used to conceal something.

Something Kirihana Suou had hidden. Something that had likely been moved elsewhere long ago.

“…”

A strange mix of feelings churned inside her—satisfaction at finding a clue to Suou’s true nature, and unease, as though she’d overlooked something vital. It was as if this Suou didn’t quite match the one she had known.

Despite those conflicting feelings, she kept searching the house—but found nothing more.

“Hmm…”

As she walked back toward the base, Saori glanced at the notepad Rei had nearly snatched earlier. Names filled the page, written neatly—these were the “sisters” Suou had listed.

Names like Mai and Tsumugi appeared as well, though they weren’t squad leaders.

And beside almost every name was the same notation: nine years ago.

“As I thought…”

The earliest records of Kirihana Suou—the first sightings of her. Including themselves, the oldest dated back nine years.

───…Ahem! S-Sorry!

Stepping outside, Saori spotted someone unfamiliar banging—no, breaking—the door down. Come to think of it, Suou had always been forceful from the moment they first met. Through the broken doorway, light spilled into the room.

“Uh… this isn’t good…”

Saori shook her head, forcing down the sentimentality, the flood of memories. This wasn’t the time to get nostalgic.

Nine years ago. Before that, there had been no record of Kirihana Suou.

It was almost as if… she hadn’t existed before then.

“Haha… impossible.”

Discarding such absurd thoughts, Saori’s mind sank deeper.

Nine years ago—what had happened? Their first meeting with Suou. Misaki’s attempted suicide. Atsuko being forced to wear a mask and communicate in sign language. Even earlier… back when they had taken care of Atsuko.

It was certain—Suou had not existed in those memories. And going even further back…

“…The rebellion.”

The Arius Branch School Rebellion. It was said that Beatrice had appeared around that same time.

Suou had mentioned it before—several times.

───Ten years ago… during the rebellion, there may have been children caught up in it. I was one of them… I saw students die right before my eyes.

Rebellion. Halo destroyed. Death.

Those words connected in Saori’s mind, drawing tangled lines that swirled violently.

───And me?… Because of my failure… I killed people.

“…!!”

Killing someone. In Kivotos, that was something distant—almost unthinkable.
The only place, the only time, where it could have truly happened… was during the rebellion.

Because of Suou’s failures, people had died. There were countless circumstances where that could occur.
And yet, Saori finally understood.

That weakness… back then… what had it really been?

“Guilt…?”

Why? During the rebellion, Suou had been barely six years old.
More importantly, she’d been a street child like so many others.
There was no reason she should have been so deeply involved—so why such guilt?

No… perhaps—

“The rebellion… no, that can’t be it.”

“Saori? What are you doing?”

“Ah, Misaki…”

The sudden voice startled her. Then, realizing she had already arrived back at the base, Saori let out a wry smile.

“…What’s with that reaction? Was I wrong to call out?”

“No, it’s not that… sorry.”

“…Thinking again?”

“…Yeah.”

Answering Misaki quietly, Saori stepped inside the base.

“…That idiot Suou. Hope she’s okay.”

“Yeah… me too…”

“She’s reckless, but I don’t think she’s in danger. So don’t overthink it either, Saori.”

“…Ah, thank you.”

A faint smile escaped her—realizing she’d been cared for without even noticing.

“Misaki… can you gather the squad?”

“Huh? Why—”

“Please.”

“…Alright. Give me a minute.”

As Misaki left, Saori stood there in silence, letting her thoughts organize and dig deeper into the truth.

Meanwhile, in a certain Trinity clubroom—deep underground.

“…So, in the end, there was no information about that person.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Looking disappointed, though not surprised, Mayumi muttered with her eyes narrowing slightly.

“And… Onee-chan too…”

“Asiri…”

Mayumi didn’t know what to do as Asiri hung her head, tears spilling freely down her cheeks.
She could understand Asiri’s feelings now—because long ago, it was Asiri herself who had taught her what those feelings meant.
But even so, she didn’t know how to reach her.

“…No, it’s fine. I’m okay now.”

“You’re clearly not okay…”

“Ugh…! Y-you got me there…”

Her eyes shimmered with tears as she forced an awkward, flustered laugh.
Mayumi hesitated, searching for the right words—when suddenly—

“Yoo-hoo! You two!! What’re you whispering about!?”

“Ah.”

“Ugh.”

A voice cut through the transmission, startling both of them into choking out half-sounds.

“‘Ugh’? What’s that supposed to mean? …Eh, whatever. It’s been a while, Asiri.”

“H-hey!! You were the one who ignored my call the other day!”

“Huh? …Oh, you mean that?”

Asiri glared weakly toward the voice on the other end, whose casual reply—“Ah, that time”—was maddeningly unconcerned.

“It was just too much trouble to answer.”

“I—I had business in Gehenna! I thought maybe you could help! But instead! Instead you just—!”

“Haha, still as blunt as ever, huh? Good to see you’ve got energy.”

So loud. So arrogant.
Mayumi scratched at her red hair, hiding the irritation flickering beneath her calm expression.

“Well, whatever. Actually, this works out perfectly now that you’re both here… Sayuri.”

“Hm? Oh—this is about that Arius situation, right? I’ve already read the reports.”

The girl called Sayuri straightened up, suddenly interested.

“Yeah. About that… there wasn’t any information on that person. But that doesn’t mean we can just abandon the current Arius students. So…”

Her tone grew firm, her words weighted with resolve.

“I’m going too. On the day of the Eden Treaty signing ceremony. To the Trinity Autonomous District.”

“Wha—!? A-are you serious, Mayumi-chan!? What about your studies!? The club!?”

“I’ve already arranged everything over the past month. It’s fine.”

“Still… will they even let outsiders in?”

The Eden Treaty signing ceremony was going to be under extremely tight security—naturally.
Sayuri’s concern was only reasonable. But Mayumi only grinned, sharp and sly.

“I’ll sneak in using optical camouflage. As always—playing dirty!”

“…Ahaha, I like that! I’m in! I’ll get ready!”

“Ahh—! Seriously!!”

Whenever those two teamed up, it always ended the same way.
Rubbing her temples, Asiri found herself being dragged along once again.

And so, with their motives intertwining, the long-awaited morning of the signing ceremony finally arrived.

“Good morning, Suou-chan.”

“…Mika-san.”

What time is it now?
If I remember correctly, the signing ceremony should be around noon.
By now, both the Justice Realization Committee and the Sisterhood should’ve already left Trinity…

“Sorry it took me so long to come see you.”

“…It’s fine.”

Then why is Mika here?
Even without thinking too hard, the answer came immediately.

“We’ll be together all day today. Let’s talk, okay? Maybe over some tea…”

“…”

…She clearly doesn’t intend to let me escape.
And honestly, it’s a smart move.

The restraints themselves aren’t the issue—I could break them anytime if I wanted.
And Mika probably knows that too.

But with her watching me, the situation reverses completely.
If I even try to undo them… she’ll likely knock me out on the spot.

“You sent the teacher here too, didn’t you, Mika-san?”

“Ahaha, you caught me?”

“How could you not think I’d notice…”

Still—

“I’m sorry, but… you might see something unpleasant this morning.”

“…Yeah. I heard about it in the report.”

“I see…”

That much was expected.
Ever since Mika tried to capture me, I’d accounted for this possibility.

“—ugh…”

“…You okay? Don’t push yourself if you’re not feeling well… I know it’s unpleasant.”

“Y-yes…”

Following Mika’s gentle urging, I walked toward the small toilet inside the cell.

“…!”

I forced my fingers down my throat, triggering my gag reflex.

“Ugh—!”

And then, I vomited up the bomb I had swallowed and hidden inside my stomach.

“…Huh?”

“See you, Mika.”

Infusing the bomb with every ounce of my remaining power, I detonated it—
blowing apart the entire cell and shattering my restraints in a single flash.