Chapter 75: To Move Forward

"...What did you say?"

Peering through her sights to study Mayumi’s face, Saori tried to make sense of her words.

Something important to them. That strangely confident tone. The fact that she knew they were from the Arius Branch School. And on top of that, that uniform—Saori had heard of it from Suou before. It belonged to Millennium Science School.

"I have a few questions for you. You’re from Millennium, aren’t you? Why are you here?"

"Ask them one at a time, please. It’s such a hassle answering everything at once."

"..."

"Ugh...!"

Saori’s gaze sharpened slightly, and Mayumi flinched.

After all, she was still an ordinary high school girl. Even if she had once belonged to Arius—even if she had sworn to dedicate her youth to it—being glared at was still frightening.

"...Fine then. Two questions remain. How do you know we’re from the Arius Branch? And how did you evade the Student Council’s surveillance?"

"Except for the last one, I can answer them all at once."

Her eyes softened a little, but behind them, she was on the verge of tears as she forced herself to stay composed.

"Haa... Listen carefully. I used to be a student at the Arius Branch."

"..."

"You don’t believe me, do you? That’s fine. I didn’t expect you to. Honestly, if you did, what I’m about to say would lose all meaning."

She flinched at the click of Saori’s gun but pressed on regardless.

"Ten years ago. There was a rebellion at the Arius Branch, wasn’t there?"

"…That’s correct. How do you know about that?"

"I’m one of the survivors who escaped from it—one of those students."

"…A survivor, huh."

The rebellion ten years ago. According to Suou, bombs capable of destroying halos had been used then. Perhaps… it held clues that could bring them closer to the truth behind Kirihana Suou.

"You said ‘we.’ So you’re not the only survivor?"

"Yes, there are many of us… far more than you might think."

"Leader, she’s not lying."

Following Mayumi’s words, Azusa—clad in a gas mask and wearing an Arius uniform—gave a small nod of confirmation.

"I know them too… actually, quite a few. Students from the Volunteer Activities Club."

"That’s right, Shirazu Azusa."

Mayumi pointed at Azusa, as if to say bingo.

"…How do you know Azusa’s name?"

"The club president, Amagawa Asiri. I was the one who eavesdropped with her—well, technically, I was the mastermind behind it."

"…Azusa?"

"Yeah, it’s true. Asiri was the one eavesdropping, and… it wouldn’t be strange if Millennium tech was involved."

Watching Azusa’s reaction, Saori turned back to Mayumi.

"Very well. I’ll hear you out. Let’s change locations—and remove the hidden gun while you’re at it."

"…Sigh… Fine."

With a wry smile that seemed to say so you noticed, huh, she detached the small gun from her sleeve with a clack.

"This place should be safe enough."

Taking cover behind rubble, Saori summoned a Mimesis from the Student Council to keep watch.

"Eek…! H-Hey, what’s with that ghost thing!?"

"Ghost...? Really…"

What a childish term, she thought, but swallowed the retort and sat down.

"Leader, are you sure we should be doing this? We don’t have much time left…"

"Until the 2nd and 7th Squads complete their escape, our job is to weaken Trinity and Gehenna’s forces. That’s already done. The 4th and 6th Squads are supporting them now—both are capable. No issue there."

"Hmm… so the escape plan was real after all."

With a suspicious squint, Mayumi pulled out an energy drink from who-knows-where and downed it.

"Ah, that…"

"Relax. I’m not gonna get tipsy like that girl. It’s just to give me a little boost."

She added with a smirk, pulling out five more cans and some chocolate bars, then offered them to the squad.

"…What’s this supposed to be?"

"A gesture of goodwill."

"Don’t think you can win us over with this."

"I’m not trying to. But take them anyway. You’ll need the energy. I’ll be counting on your help from here on out."

"T-Then I’ll take one!"

Before Saori could respond, Hiyori darted forward and snatched one for herself.

"…You sure look like you were bribed."

"W-Well, if I’m gonna get bribed anyway, I might as well enjoy it, hehe…!"

"She’s always like that. Don’t mind her."

Saori sighed as the tense atmosphere softened, then unwrapped her chocolate bar.

"Hmm… sweet."

"Yeah… it’s really tasty."

"How are you even eating that? Without removing your mask? That’s impressive."

"It’s easy. Like this, see?"

"I don’t know sign language, but I can tell you just said something irritating."

—This isn’t the atmosphere I imagined at all.

Mayumi gave a faint, resigned smile. It was different from the Arius she’d heard about from Azusa—and from the chaos caused by the so-called “sister,” or rather, Kirihana Suou.

"…So then. What is it you wanted to tell us?"

"Oh? Not interested in my backstory anymore?"

"Aren’t you the one in a hurry?"

Saori’s tone implied, Say what you came to say first. I’ll decide whether to believe you after.
Mayumi caught that, smiled faintly, and said,

"Shirazu Azusa. You have your smartphone, right?"

"…Yeah. But the battery’s dead."

"Of course it is… I figured as much."

Otherwise, there’s no way they’d have ignored the others’ messages. Thinking that, Mayumi tossed something to her.

"…What’s this?"

"A mobile battery. Fast charging."

Azusa caught it deftly, plugged it in, and began recharging her phone.

"…This’ll take a bit."

Finishing her second sip of the energy drink, Mayumi set the can down with a clank.

"Now then, mind if I ask you a question this time?"

"…Depends on what it is."

"Ah, don’t worry. Nothing too personal."

She spun the empty can lazily on her fingertip, smiling thinly with a mask-like grin.

"…Brown hair. Large gas mask. Rough way of talking. Short height. Carries a hand cannon. Do you know anyone like that at the Arius Branch?"

"What…?"

Mayumi described the person’s traits, and Saori folded her arms thoughtfully.

"…Leader, did we have anyone like that? Most of them wear gas masks, and a few use hand cannons… well, like that one guy."

"…Wait."

Brown hair. She had heard that voice before. Seen that face somewhere—long ago, or maybe not so long ago.

"…You there. What’s your name?"

"Kashiwa Mayumi."

"Mayumi, what’s your connection to that person?"

"Ah—well, about that…"

And then—

"Ah! Sorry. Looks like the charge finished."

Azusa’s smartphone chimed loudly with a notification.

"Ugh, fine. We’ll talk about it later."

Mayumi moved beside Azusa and, while issuing a rapid stream of instructions, began operating the phone as if snatching it away.

"Heh, you’ve got a pretty good plan here. Who set it up?"

"…That’s a secret."

"Hmph. I’m guessing it was Misono Mika, though."

"…!"

Throwing in a few unnecessary comments along the way, Mayumi finished installing a certain app. Thanks to Mika’s questionable sense of money and her overly generous phone plan, it looked like they could stream videos without issue.

Once everything was set up, Mayumi’s expression turned serious.

"Alright, now we just wait for the install to finish. You’ve got a MomoTalk message from a friend—go on, reply to them."

"…"

Hearing that, Azusa’s gaze darkened instantly.

"I won’t pretend to ‘understand how you feel.’ I don’t. There’s no way I could know what you’re feeling right now."

"…Hey. Don’t speak so rudely—"

Saori’s tone sharpened to stop her.

"Those girls are the same. If you don’t tell them, they’ll never know."

"…!"

"They showed you, didn’t they? How they feel. So what about you? What are you going to do?"

At that, Saori didn’t need to say anything more.

"I…"

Azusa looked down at the MomoTalk screen.

Hanako had sent a worried message, a picture from the after-party, and—awkwardly but sincerely—a crying animal sticker, trying to express her feelings.

Even after being betrayed so cruelly. Even after being lied to for so long.

Hanako, Koharu, Asiri, Hifumi—none of them had said a single word of blame. Only words of concern. Again and again.

Why…? No—she knew. She’d always known. Everyone there was kind. Warm. But that warmth, right now, was unbearable.

"…I’m scared."

"I see. Then I’ll keep it a secret for a little while longer."

Mayumi’s words brought the faintest look of relief to Azusa’s face.

"Now then—the thing I wanted you all to see… is this."

Mayumi took Azusa’s phone, swiftly tapping through the screen before showing it to the squad.

"…That’s… Suou?"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Princess, you can talk now. It’s fine."

"…Alright. Got it."

Behind her mask, Atsuko narrowed her eyes at the screen. The masked figure displayed there was unmistakably Suou.

"Th-this is… a video streaming site, isn’t it?"

"…That’s right. You knew?"

"S-Suou-san told me about it once… I got kind of interested. So this means… the broadcast’s going to all of Kivotos? Did Suou-san become a streamer or something…?"

"…If only that were the case. That would’ve been a hundred times better."

"…?"

Before anyone could ask further, the Suou on-screen began to move.

"…Hey. What’s that idiot planning…?"

Slowly, she raised her hand to her mask—and then finally, completely removed it.

"…Hey, Hiyori. Isn’t this being broadcast to all of Kivotos?"

"Y-yes! Exactly right!"

Which meant—Suou’s face was now revealed to the entire Kivotos.
If Mayumi were her usual self, she would’ve scolded her for having zero digital literacy.
But this time, even Mayumi couldn’t joke about it.

"Hey hey, citizens of Kivotos!!"

With almost gleeful delight, as if revealing the punchline to a grand trick, Suou began to speak.

She declared that she had used Gehenna, Trinity, and even Arius to seize control of all Kivotos.
And that now—it was their turn.

In short, Suou’s words amounted to this: she was declaring war on the entire world.
A complete severance from Arius Branch School—and an unmistakable declaration of hostility.

"…You’ve got to be kidding me."

Saori was the first to speak, her voice trembling with anger.

"…Yeah. Seriously."

"E-even I understand that much…!"

"That idiot…"

"What could she possibly be thinking…"

Atsuko, Hiyori, Misaki—and even Azusa—each let their frustration and disbelief spill out, unable to contain it.

"How could anyone believe such an obvious lie?! That… that complete fool!!"

"…I see. So that’s how it looks to you, huh."

Mayumi closed her eyes, as though confirming the conclusion to her own deductions.

"…Listen carefully. The reason Misono Mika betrayed us, and the reason Kirihana Suou lied—they’re connected. All of it."

"…What?"

Saori narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"How would you even know something like that?"

"I told you, I’m Asiri’s friend—"

"That’s not what I’m asking. I mean the part about Misono Mika."

"Eh… oh, you meant that."

By “Misono Mika’s case,” she must have been referring to the old connection between Arius Branch School and Mika.
They had long suspected a betrayal, and now it seemed that suspicion had been correct.

"…Well, let’s just say not all monsters are made of flesh. Anyway, that case is already blown wide open… though explaining it would take a while."

She took a slow breath, then exhaled lightly.

"…Kirihana Suou—at this rate, she might die."

"…!! So it’s true…"

───As expected.

The words slipped out before she even realized it, and Saori quickly covered her mouth.

"Wait—Saori, what do you mean by ‘as expected’? You knew something?"

"N-no… it’s just…"

Maybe she’d sensed it somewhere deep down. That possibility. She must have known, at least a little—but wanted to believe otherwise.

"…So you had a hunch, didn’t you?"

"…Something like that."

"I see. Then what I’m about to say will only confirm it. We might not have much time left… no, it could already be too late. We’ll talk as we move."

"Move? Move where…?"

Misaki asked, puzzled, and Mayumi smiled faintly—as if to say it was obvious.

"To the old cathedral catacombs. We’re going to meet Kirihana Suou!"

The fear that had paralyzed her moments ago was gone.
Pushing past the Student Council guards, she bolted out the door.

While they were finding their answers—somewhere between dream and reality…

"…Hey, Sensei. How many times do you think we’ve met here now?"

"‘…?’"

"Well, more times than you think, actually. But you don’t seem to have the best memory, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised."

Sensei sat slumped in a chair, consciousness hazy, surrounded by an uncertain world.

"Oh? Did I wake you up? Then again, in a place this ambiguous, calling it ‘waking up’ might not even make sense. Anyway—good morning, Sensei."

"‘…Seia?’"

As his mind gradually cleared, he called the name of the girl before him—whose large, beastlike ears didn’t quite match her small frame.

"Ah, that’s right. Good, no need for introductions this time."

"‘Where… is this?’"

"The border between dreams and reality is a very fragile thing. At least, it is for me. Until you realize it’s a dream, it feels real—and there’s no way to prove reality itself isn’t a dream. This place exists somewhere along that border. That’s all you need to know."

From the terrace, Sensei could see a sky full of stars stretching endlessly above. If his memory served him right, it had been daytime before he came here.

"You were knocked unconscious, you know. By Kirihana Suou. That’s why I pulled you in here."

"‘…Why?’"

At the perfectly reasonable question, Seia let out a soft, exasperated sigh.

"Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean that toward you. It’s just… she really never gives up, does she? It’s almost exhausting to watch."

"‘…?’"

Sensei could only grow more confused, unsure of what she meant.

"Simply put, you won’t be waking up for a while. That’s just my prediction, though. Remember what I told you? Don’t turn away. Don’t close your eyes. Watch until the very end."

"‘…’"

"So, let’s take our time. Just as she said—let’s watch it through. All the way to the end of the end credits."

Seia turned her gaze toward the stars. Sensei followed her line of sight.

Then, as if the world itself began to shift and crumble, a vision appeared before them—like an image projected onto a screen.
Drawn toward it, their consciousnesses began to fall—into a space closer to reality.