Chapter 73: Liar

Location: Within the Trinity District, a little ways away.

"Azusa-chan…"

Hifumi stared at her smartphone, worry clouding her face. On the screen was their group chat on MomoTalk. The read count showed only three.

"For now… all we can do is believe."

"I know that… but still…"

"Leaving messages on read. When we meet, I’m definitely giving her a piece of my mind."

"Koharu-chan, you’re sounding like one of those girls, you know?"

"Don’t say weird stuff like that!!"

Hanako’s teasing—gentler than usual—loosened the tension that had been hanging in the air.

"Asiri-san, is Kashiwa-san here yet?"

"Y-yeah… she’s already inside the Trinity District, but she said she’s checking the equipment. Right now she’s in the clubroom."

"As expected."

They all knew what was coming. The signing ceremony was the Arius students’ chance to make contact with Trinity. Their job was to support them—and eliminate any pursuers or obstacles in the way.

"The kids from Shanhaijing are already on standby. Hifumi-chan, what about your friends from Abydos?"

"I-I already contacted them with Sensei! Given the situation, they said they’ll take the Arius students in for now… but they’re not sure what happens after that."

"That’s more than enough. Thank you."

As the two finished their final checks, Urawa Hanako silently reflected.

The Arius Branch incident—using the ceremony as a cover to escape—made sense. They might even plan to destroy it entirely before fleeing.
But something still felt off, like they were missing something important.

"Huh. I got a MomoTalk from Mayumi-chan."

Asiri’s voice snapped Hanako out of her thoughts.

"From Mayumi-san?"

"Y-yeah… since it’s on MomoTalk, maybe it’s nothing serious, but still…"

Asiri, Mayumi, and Sayuri were connected through an emergency line—always active, meant to instantly share information no matter what.
So if Mayumi was contacting them through MomoTalk, it could only mean one of two things. Either the situation was trivial—

"…!?"

"W-what’s wrong? What does it say?"

"Suou escaped from custody. Currently being pursued."

"…!"

—or the situation was so dire they couldn’t even use the main line.

"No way… why now, of all times!?"

"T-they said a rescue unit might’ve been dispatched, right? Maybe she escaped along with them…"

"But she said she’d refuse. Sure, she could’ve changed her mind, but still…"

The air grew heavy again—thick with tension, on the verge of snapping.

"I-I’ll try contacting Mayumi-chan right now! If I can just—"

Asiri began, cutting through the silence—

"U-um…"

—but Hifumi’s trembling voice interrupted her.

"That… what is that…?"

A moment later, her gaze turned toward the distance—where red and black light swallowed the horizon.

"…! That direction…!! The Old Cathedral—!"

"Wha—! The senpai are there!!"

"Koharu-chan, calm down! We can’t go outside right now!"

"B-but!! The senpai are out there!!! And Sensei might be too… maybe even Azusa—!!"

"…!"

That explosion… everyone knew what it meant, deep down. They just hadn’t wanted to accept it.

A teacher from outside Kivotos couldn’t possibly survive that blast.
Members of the Justice Realization Committee. Sensei. Possibly even Shirasu Azusa. With all of them in danger, it was only natural for Koharu to lose composure.

"…It’s too risky to move without knowing the full situation."

"B-but!! How long are we supposed to wait!? We’ll never know anything if we just sit here…!"

"…Koharu-chan. Leave it to me."

Asiri’s voice softened, warm and calm as she looked into Koharu’s tearful eyes.

"Pee-chan!"

"Peep!"

From somewhere unseen, a small yellow mechanical bird fluttered into view.

"Eh… y-you got it to talk!?"

"Y-yeah, Mayumi-chan said she added a bit of AI—just enough for it to act on its own."

"Peep!"

"…Seriously?"

"Ugh, and she made sure it can’t ignore me in the priority list…"

Asiri gently stroked the bird perched on her shoulder.

"Pee-chan, track Sensei’s coordinates."

"Peep!!"

As if perfectly understanding her, the bird soared into the sky.

It was Mayumi’s greatest masterpiece—equipped with voice recognition and crafted with skills she’d begged several Millennium club heads to teach her. Very few people knew what this little bird was truly capable of.

"…Mayumi-chan. Please be safe…"

Thinking of her, Asiri lifted her gaze to the sky before turning back to the others.

---

"…Alright, found it! This is the signing document for today’s ceremony…!"

Amid the burning wreckage of the venue, Arius students sifted desperately through debris.

"Tsugumi-chan, over here! I found it!"

"Mai-chan! Great job!"

Peering down at the thin, half-charred paper that symbolized their “Contract”—

"A-alright, let’s add our part and—huh…?"

"W-what’s wrong…?"

Confusion spread across Mai’s face as she read what had already been written.

"It’s… already signed!? B-but this…!?"

According to the document, the representative of the Eden Treaty Organization was none other than the Arius Branch’s own representative—Suou Kirihana.

That was what Mai clearly saw on the page.

---

"Well, to put it simply—the mastermind appears☆ …just kidding."

"…!"

Sensei’s confusion deepened. Before he realized it, they were surrounded by members of the Justice Realization Committee.

"…Haah… what a pain."

With a weary sigh, she lifted her right foot.

"Fine. I’ll just kill every last one of you."

She stomped down, sending rubble flying in every direction.

Stone, wood, and metal fragments scattered through the air—she used her hair ropes to redirect them, obscuring the enemy’s sight and deflecting incoming bullets.

"…"

"Too slow."

Using that brief opening, she closed the distance, firing her shotgun into their stomachs, legs, and heads—knocking them unconscious one by one.

They were already exhausted, so it didn’t take much mystical power to finish the job.

"Heh, ha…!"

But one student refused to go down easily.

"Hah! Isn’t that Tsurugi Kenzaki? Looking pretty rough, huh?"

"Grh…!"

She detonated a bomb around herself, blasting the ground apart.

As Tsurugi staggered, she looped a hair rope around her neck and slammed her into the floor.

"Guh—ahh…!!"

"You really enjoyed beating me senseless back then, didn’t you? Honestly, I’d love to take my time and make you suffer… but I don’t have time to waste on trash like you."

She kicked her upward.

"Sorry, but this is where you get your red card!!"

A bomb charged with excessive mystic energy detonated, hurling her far into the distance.

"Alright… now there’s nothing left in our way."

She stepped toward Sensei and snatched the Shittim Chest from his hands.

"Suou, what are you—"

"We desire the Seven Sorrows. We remember the ancient law of Jericho."

"…!!?"

"Hmm. No reaction. Figures."

She hadn’t expected much. It probably required biometric authentication. Maybe she could use Sensei’s arm to get it working—but that wasn’t the plan.

"Guess I don’t need it, then."

She tossed the tablet aside and walked toward the stunned Sensei.

"What’s wrong, Sensei? You look like you’ve just seen a demon."

"…"

Hmm. Actually, he doesn’t look afraid at all. Maybe he still sees me as a “student.” His expression is stern—probably angry—but not scared.

"Ahaha. Wait—don’t tell me… you actually trusted me?"

"That look on Suou’s face back then… it wasn’t a lie."

"Pfft… ha… hahahahahaha!!"

Hearing Sensei say that, she laughed—mocking, yet almost delighted.

"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry, I just didn’t think you’d still say something that stupid!"

"…"

"Let me spell it out for you, Sensei—since you’re clearly too dumb to get it. My true identity."

She paused, sensing murderous intent behind her—one of the Justice Realization Committee members, probably.

"I’m just like you, Sensei. An incomprehensible existence from outside Kivotos… though I operate in a different realm than you."

She spoke casually, firing behind her without looking. The shot dropped the attacker instantly.

"…"

"Sound familiar?"

That phrase—the same one the men in black had used. A being from outside Kivotos. Whether Sensei came from the same world as his previous life or not, she wasn’t lying.

"…Though I’m not with Gematria. In fact, I plan to kill them someday."

"Who… exactly are you?"

"The new ruler of Kivotos. And to make that happen, I need to get rid of them first."

She reached out to the barely conscious Sensei.

"Work with me, Sensei. Otherwise… I’ll kill you."

"…!"

"What’s that look? Don’t tell me you still think I can be saved?"

That won’t do. Not if Sensei keeps believing that. Because if he does… she’ll never—

"I’ve spent seventeen years somewhere else. And in that time, I learned what becomes of this world."

Then she revealed almost everything.

"It made me sick. Students living their youth, finding small miracles in everyday life. Pathetic, sugar-coated stories."

"What are you talking about…"

"So I decided to destroy it all. That’s why I came to Kivotos—and spent another seventeen years pretending to play sisters. You get it now, Sensei?"

"I… don’t understand. What you’re saying makes no sense."

"Huh. Guess you’re slower than I thought… though I can’t blame you. It’s a lot to take in."

"When you treated me like a child in that cell… I was boiling with rage. I almost killed you right then. It took everything I had not to."

"So… it was all a lie. Is that what you’re saying?"

"Hah? You still don’t get it? ‘I want to save everyone’? ‘Self-sacrifice’? There’s no kid that stupid."

"Even the Arius girls?"

"…!"

No. That was the one thing she couldn’t allow to be misunderstood.

"Sensei, you know the trick to telling a convincing lie?"

"…?"

"You tell the truth about everything—except the one thing you actually want to hide. The Arius kids were part of the plan too."

"I see. I understand now."

Finally. He gets it.

"Gah—!?"

Pain tore through her right arm—strong and sharp. A serious hit.

"Step away from Sensei!"

"Well, if it isn’t Hina Sorasaki."

That’s fine. Once both Gehenna and Trinity’s main forces are neutralized, the others will have their chance to escape.

"Normally, you’d be a problem. But right now, you’re just a beast with its fangs pulled."

"Grh…!"

Her machine gun roared. Each shot carried immense power—she wasn’t using her mystic energy for healing at all, only offense. She planned to end it fast.

"But you’re weak. Pathetically so."

"…!"

She infused her shotgun shells with mystic energy, deflecting her bullets as she advanced. She tried to fall back—but too late.

"Too slow."

She shot the ground near her feet with a hand cannon, knocking her off balance, then snagged her with a hair rope.

"…!?"

"Game over."

Three shotgun blasts, each overloaded with mystic energy. She went limp, unconscious.

"So, what now, Sensei?"

"…"

"That look… guess you’re not going to cooperate."

She lifted Sensei into her arms and struck him sharply in the neck.

"Suou—!"

"Good night, Sensei. Go see Seia for me, alright?"

Cradling the limp Sensei, she walked toward the catacombs below.

---

The scene shifts—to the underground of the old cathedral. Deep within its sprawling catacombs.

A doll with two heads creaked faintly, the sound like decayed wood grinding against itself.

"Ah—"

At that rough noise, one of the Arius Branch students let out an involuntary gasp. Realizing her mistake, she clamped a hand over her mouth—but the wooden doll turned toward her, as if silently expressing disappointment.

"I understand your fear, but that was rather discourteous. My name is Maestro. If you must address me, use that."

He didn’t sound angry—only mildly admonishing.

『I’m sorry.』

Atsuko tried to sign her apology, but Maestro had no way of understanding it.

"It seems you children are still far from grasping the essence of art… Forgive me, but I doubt we’ll have a pleasant conversation. Intelligence, refinement, experience—I see at least the will to learn. Cultivate them further. Students of Kivotos, do not disappoint me."

He sighed, like a teacher correcting a slow pupil.

"…And yet—"

"My sisters were rude, Maestro-san."

"…And you are?"

Interrupted mid-thought, Maestro turned toward the voice—irritation flickering faintly in his tone. There stood a white-haired girl.

『Suou!』

"Atsuko, everyone—it’s been a while."

After glancing over them all, she stepped closer to Maestro, facing where his eyes would have been.

"I apologize for the delay. I’m Suou Kirihana of Arius Branch School, squad leader."

"Hm. At least you can speak properly. My apologies, then."

Suou’s Sensei was nowhere in sight. Before entering, she had hidden him behind a rock formation. Bringing an unconscious Sensei before Maestro would’ve made any negotiation impossible.

"You flatter me… but anyway. You said you could replicate the guardian’s ‘dignity’ through mimetic reproduction. However, that process requires Royal Blood. Is my understanding correct?"

"Indeed, Suou Kirihana. Without activating the Commandment, the covenant cannot be invoked."

"…Could I serve that role instead?"

"What—!? Suou? What are you saying…?"

While Atsuko stood there, confused, Maestro studied Suou in silence.

"…This is… intriguing. You truly are… but mixed. How did you come to know this?"

"That’s the point."

Her reply came quick, like a triumphant click.

"I’d like to ask that you don’t report any of this to Beatrice."

"…We may not be allies, but we owe her for this matter."

"My proposal benefits you as well."

"…What did you say?"

She drew a slow breath, neither averting her gaze nor stepping back.

"To me, your art is still a difficult concept to grasp. I do want to understand it, but—if I may guess, what you truly seek is a kindred spirit. Someone capable of appreciating your art."

"…"

"I know one. Someone both you and I are familiar with—our Sensei from Schale."

She spoke calmly, without a flicker of hesitation.

"And? How would that affect our conversation—or change its course?"

Maestro’s body creaked softly, his tone carrying faint curiosity.

"I’ll cooperate. Let me help you present your art to our Sensei."

"…Very well."

The answer came with quiet satisfaction.

"Then it’s agreed. If your condition is fulfilled, I will honor your request in turn."

"Thank you."

『Suou… what are you saying?』

When the negotiation ended, Atsuko timidly approached her. Her fingers trembled, her expression almost pleading for reassurance.

Seeing that, Suou removed her mask and smiled gently.

"It’s alright. I’m sorry for scaring you."

She pulled Atsuko into a soft embrace.

It was warm—familiar warmth. She’d felt it countless times before. The first was ten years ago, when Saori and the others had recklessly fought to protect her. Then again a year later, when they’d freed her from silence—when they brought back her smile.

"Suou…"

Looking up at her—forced to tilt her head slightly due to their height difference—Atsuko hugged her tighter.

If Maestro’s words were true, then Suou was Royal Blood. The same lineage as hers.

"Since when did you know?"

"I’m sorry for keeping it secret. It seems you and I are distantly related—maybe far, but still family."

Suou pulled back slightly, smiling shyly.

"I… don’t know how to feel about that."

"Nothing changes. You’ve always been—and will always be—my precious little sister."

"…I see. By the way, Suou—"

"Yes? What is it?"

Perhaps I shouldn’t have let go, Atsuko thought. But recalling Saori’s words, she asked:

"Before you met us… before the civil war—what were you doing?"

"Ah—!"

That tiny flicker of panic—Atsuko would’ve missed it before. But not now. Not after hearing Saori’s doubts firsthand.

"I was just taking it easy! Traveling around, really."

"Then why… did you call yourself our big sister?"

"Because all of you are my little sisters—"

"Don’t dodge the question."

"…"

The weak attempt at deflection only deepened Atsuko’s suspicion. Suou flinched.

"Atsuko… please. Once this is all over, I’ll tell everyone everything. Together, okay…?"

"…"

She didn’t answer. If she did, she feared Suou might run.

"…Let’s go, everyone!"

And with that tiny pause, Suou seized the chance to divert the topic, leading Maestro’s way through the catacombs.

---

"…Alright, then."

The Mimesis was secured. All that remained was to do what needed to be done.

"Guess I don’t need this anymore."

She crushed the communicator under her boot, grinding it into the rubble. Among the debris—some distance away—she noticed a camera that had survived the collapse.

"Oh, there it is. Belongs to the Kronos News Club, maybe?"

The indicator light was still on. It was probably transmitting the scene remotely—broadcasting everything across Kivotos. The reporter had already fled… or simply wasn’t alive anymore.

"Well, that works out perfectly."

Stepping up to the camera, she removed her hood and mask—

"Hey, hey! Citizens of Kivotos!!"

—with the brightest grin imaginable, she shouted into the lens.