Chapter 76: Step by step.

"All right then, follow me!!"

"!!"

Without warning, Mayumi started marching off somewhere. Saori reacted first, her squad immediately following behind.

"Hey!! Wait, you! Where do you think you’re going!?"

"You’re not getting away this time…"

"I’m not running!!"

Her eyes widened, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and shock.

"I’ll say this first—I haven’t decided to trust you yet! Stop right there and explain yourself in detail!"

"I—wait, just—!"

"Hiyori!!"

At Saori’s shout, Hiyori—running behind the others—quickly raised her gun.

"What—!?"

"Please… stop!!"

Her aim was precise, targeting Mayumi’s right calf.
Mayumi anticipated the shot, deploying a small drone-shaped shield to deflect it.

"Yowch!? R-Ricochet!?"

But then a rock Saori had thrown struck the bullet midair, changing its path—
—and the round slammed straight into Mayumi’s left thigh.

"Ahhh—!! Damn it, that’s a pretty good round you’ve got there, girlie…!"

"We’re not done yet. Keep the pressure on…!"

"Got it."

The single hit made Mayumi flinch, even if just for a second.
The squad prepared to press their attack—until—

"Hey—stop, stop it already!!"

"!?"

A small drone darted toward Saori and exploded right before her eyes.

"Leader!?"

"I’m fine!"

Though forced back a step, Saori’s sharp blue eyes never left Mayumi.

"Haa… haa…!! I may not be the direct combat type, but I’m not weak either!! If it’s a fight you want, then come on!! You Arius girls—let’s see if your white coats can bloom red with your own blood! Consider it a farewell gift to the living world!!"

Mayumi raised both hands to waist height, palms facing the sky—
—and from somewhere, a storm of small drones and machines appeared. Some flew through the air; others crawled along the ground.

"Gh…!"

That earlier explosion had come from one of her drones, sacrificed in a self-destruct attack. Normally, Mayumi would boast about how “self-destruction is the ultimate romance—every machine needs it!” But this time, she had no such leisure.

"Come on, come on!! Let’s get this over with so I can go to Kirihana Suou—no, wait, that’s not right!!"

"!?"

"…Haa… sorry. Let’s stop this."

She waved her hand, and the drones obediently returned to a large mechanical case—something like a business briefcase.

"I’m sorry. I know it’s hard to trust me without an explanation. But we really don’t have time. So… look at this."

She extended a tablet toward them, her tone apologetic.

"…Got it."

Saori accepted the device. Mayumi sighed in relief, picked up her case, and walked closer.

"If possible, gather everyone. What’s on this screen… is happening right now."

"…"

Following her instruction, the squad huddled together to look at the tablet.
It was a tight fit, but the moment they saw the footage—

"…!"

—they froze in disbelief, forgetting even to breathe.

"Th-that’s… Suou-san and…!"

"…Misono Mika."

To put it bluntly—in the simplest, most inadequate terms—it was on another level entirely.

Every movement tore the ground apart, shattered walls, obliterated everything nearby.
Even their smallest, seemingly casual motions carried the precision of countless predictive reads. Each clash radiated overwhelming force, each strike intent on ending the other’s life.

This was not the same Kirihana Suou they’d sparred with in training.
This was her without restraint—fighting at full, deadly power, determined to defeat Mika.

"You can actually follow that…?"

"We’ve trained for this. But… they’re moving so fast, it looks like they’re teleporting between frames."

"That’s because the frame rate can’t keep up. That’s how far beyond normal they are."

In other words, even within a fraction of a second, they were exchanging attacks—over and over.

"Why is Suou… fighting Misono Mika?"

『…The location looks like the underground catacombs. Maybe she saw that broadcast and went to stop her.』

"No… I think the real reason is—"

"The bomb that destroys Halos."

Saori’s voice overlapped Mayumi’s.

"…What?"

The words filled the air with tension and disbelief.
A “bomb that destroys Halos”—no wonder everyone froze.

"You said Suou might die. There are only a few ways to destroy a Halo—and it’s not exactly common knowledge. You heard about this ‘Halo-destroying bomb’ from Misono Mika, didn’t you?"

"…Close. The last part’s off, but your guess isn’t far. Misono Mika has the ‘Halo-destroying bomb,’ doesn’t she?"

Mayumi knew. She’d known about it ever since that day—ten years ago.

She’d pieced everything together: Mika’s motives, Suou’s determination, the reason they were fighting. There was only one conclusion—
Misono Mika possessed a Halo-destroying bomb.

"…Most likely. Everyone, listen to my orders. From now on, we’re following her. We’ll hear the full story on the way."

Saori’s command stunned the others again.

"…Are you serious? You’re trusting this shady woman?"

"Hey—excuse me!? Shady!?"

Mayumi protested with a comically indignant face, but no one humored her.
Saori’s expression stayed firm.

"…She’s definitely suspicious. But it’s worth the risk. And if she’s telling the truth, we don’t have much time left."

"…Fine. You’re the leader, Saori. I’ll contact the other squads."

"Appreciate it."

Watching their exchange, Mayumi smiled, looking satisfied.

"Okay then! Let’s go! Move out!"

"Wh—why is she the one giving orders…?"

Ignoring the squad’s confusion, Mayumi sprinted off at full speed.
Saori and the others quickly followed.

"Hey! Do you even know where the catacombs are!?"

"Of course I do!! I got the info with Asiri’s help—uh, forget I said that!!"

"…Leader, are you sure we can trust her?"

"I’m starting to doubt it…!"

Judging by that slip of the tongue, trusting her completely was clearly out of the question.

"Anyway!! Like I showed you—Misono Mika and Kirihana Suou are fighting!! And it’s not their first time!! But you don’t know why, do you!?"

"…That’s right."

"Then listen well!! Misono Mika tried to capture Kirihana Suou… to save her!!"

"!?"

Even as they ran, Mayumi shouted at the top of her lungs.
Her words—loud, unfiltered, and reckless—hit the squad like another shockwave of disbelief.

"Misono Mika knew it all along! She realized that Kirihana Suou was trying to die!!"

"...! There it is!! Start from there—tell me everything!!"

"You can’t just say Suou was trying to die out of nowhere…! That makes no sense!"

"It wasn’t out of nowhere!! By the time this plan was made—when you were all told about it—she must’ve already been thinking about it!"

While fending off members of the Justina Council of Saints reacting to her shouting, Saori pushed forward, closing the distance between herself and Mayumi.

"Your plan! If you’d already decided to destroy the signing ceremony, you’d have been hunted down by Valkyrie Public Safety! Well… maybe that changed after that broadcast, though!!"

"…!!"

"And besides!! The Arius Branch School would’ve sent pursuers after you too, right!?"

She was right. Both Suou and Mika—and even the other Arius students—should have known that.

But one person—Kirihana Suou—hadn’t accepted it.
She kept moving forward, trying to bear every sin alone. She took it all upon herself.

And someone like that—what would they do next?

"S-so that means…! Suou-san is…!"

"She’s planning to use the bomb that destroys Halos! To kill the upper ranks of Arius Branch School! She’s ready to die with them!!"

"…That’s… impossible…!"

They wanted to deny it. It couldn’t be true.
To them, Kirihana Suou was cheerful, sunny, even carefree to the point of being airheaded. One day she had simply appeared, claiming to be their older sister—teaching them about studying, fighting, and living, in her own illogical but strangely effective way.

When they struggled, she stayed by their side. When things were hard, she helped them. Little by little, life began to brighten.

She taught them what mattered most. Told them they were her precious little sisters.
All the while, she hid something heavy, dark, and quietly sorrowful behind her smile.

"…!"

Saori relayed her growing suspicion of Suou to the rest of the squad.

Her words, her actions, her presence—every inconsistency, every oddity—connected, one after another, forming a single, terrible picture.

"That woman…!"

What welled up inside was anger—and grief.

"To think she’d do something like—!!"

"Stop!! I don’t know what you were about to say, but save your complaints for when you see her face to face!!"

"…Yeah. You’re right."

But now wasn’t the time to let those feelings out. At the very least, she wouldn’t be satisfied until she could shout it at that idiot’s face herself.

If Kirihana Suou died, even that would be impossible.

"…Wait for me, Suou."

Her pace quickened, as if pulled forward by that thought.

And after running a little farther—

"There! If we go through those ruins, we can reach the underground area!"

Mayumi shouted, pointing ahead. Just as she started to run toward it, someone grabbed her shoulder.

"…Hold it. You’re Kashiwagi Mayumi, right?"

"Oh, you remembered? What, don’t tell me you suddenly don’t trust me now?"

"No. Look over there."

Following Saori’s gaze, she saw them—the things she’d called “ghosts” earlier—the Mimesis belonging to the Justina Council of Saints.

"E-eh!? Th-those things are so cree—no, not scary! N-not scary at all!! I’ll take them out with my Ghost Buster drone, you’ll see! Let’s go, Sunny Strawberry—!?"

"Don’t."

Mayumi held her head where Saori had just smacked her, tearing up as she protested, "Then what are we supposed to do!?"

"…Those are under our control. And they’re not ghosts—they’re replicated Mimesis."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"They’re recreations—copies of the past Justina Council of Saints, made from their memories."

"Then that’s basically the same as ghosts!!"

Ignoring her shrieking, Saori handed the still-panicking Mayumi over to Azusa and stepped forward to face the Justina Council of Saints.

"Leave this area. You’re not needed."

She didn’t have a clear reason—but she spoke the command anyway.

"…"

"Wha—!?"

In an instant, the Justina Council of Saints raised their guns. Saori couldn’t react fast enough—and took several bullets to the body.

"…!"

Why? She discarded the question, pulling the pin from a stun grenade before vanishing from sight.

"Saori, this way!!"

Following Misaki’s sharp voice, which had immediately grasped the situation, they dove into the gaps between the rubble.

The fresh wounds stung, but she ignored the pain and pushed deeper into cover.

"This place… is pretty big."

"Seems like it didn’t collapse by chance. Lucky we found it."

Pressing lightly on her side, Mayumi looked around. Misaki, Azusa, Hiyori, and Atsuko were there—while her own face had gone pale, tears brimming in shock and despair.

"Wh-what the hell is going on!? I wasn’t supposed to follow your instructions!!? So they’re not ghosts after all!! I’ll do the ritual!! Salt!! Bring me the salt!!"

"Quiet. The Justina Council of Saints will notice."

"Ugh…! S-sorry…"

Atsuko placed a finger to her lips, and Mayumi slowly began to steady her breathing.

"So… what’s happening? Weren’t they supposed to follow our orders?"

"…Probably."

It was conveyed through Mai and Tsumugi’s communication—the rewrite of the Eden Treaty. Normally, they should have been the ones managing it. But—

"Ah, um!! It’s already been rewritten!! Probably by Suou-san…"

That’s what they’d heard. The rewrite indicated that the organization responsible for the Eden Treaty—the Eden Treaty Organization—was now Kirihana Suou herself.

In other words, this phenomenon was—

"…Suou’s doing."

"…Most likely, the Justina Council of Saints only temporarily transferred ownership to us. The ones over there aren’t part of that… which means—"

"She doesn’t intend to let it happen… to take the bomb that destroys halos from Misono Mika."

It was only a theory—but it was correct.

"Alright, let’s take them down. There’s no time to find a detour."

"Wait."

"Ugh…!"

Mayumi let out a strangled sound as Saori grabbed her collar, cutting off her breath.

"Wh-what are you doing…!"

"Fighting that thing isn’t wise. It can respawn endlessly, even if there’s an interval."

Mayumi opened her mouth in anger, but froze at her words.

"…Really?"

All that came out was a faint, stunned sound. Saori nodded silently.

"…What the hell is that monster…!? Is there no way to neutralize it!?"

"As far as we know…"

"…!!"

In other words, the being that had already wounded Saori during their surprise encounter was effectively immortal—and would keep attacking relentlessly.

Peeking through the rubble, Mayumi saw them—far too many to count.

"W-what about the respawn interval!?"

"A few minutes."

"Which is stronger—you or them!?"

"…In a straightforward fight, we’d be stronger. But…"

No words were needed. The sheer numbers, their coordination, and their disregard for damage made any victory improbable.

"…W-what do we do…! What do we do, what do we do, what do we do…!!"

"…"

Hunching over, Mayumi buried her face against the ground, her mind racing. But no matter how hard she thought, no answer came.

She realized it then—there was no way to win against the Justina Council of Saints.

At this rate, she wouldn’t even be able to find her benefactors, let alone save the current Arius students. Ten years—ten years of preparation—would all mean nothing.

Even if they summoned “that” now, could they win alone? Would it even be in time? The power consumed enormous energy and could only be used once per day. What should they do? Endless thoughts spun through her mind.

"…Hey."

"…Huh? A-Ah, Atsuko, right? What is it?"

Atsuko’s voice pulled her back to reality.

"How did Misono Mika… get in here?"

"…Huh?"

A tiny question—so small it almost slipped past her—but once she considered it, Mayumi’s mind began accelerating again.

"…If Misono Mika has the bomb that destroys halos, and Kirihana Suou needs it… then that means she must’ve given instructions to the Justina Council of Saints in advance… right?"

She looked to Saori for confirmation. Saori gave a small nod.

"That’s possible. Such orders could be given. If conditions are set, they’ll act freely to a certain degree…"

"…So only someone pre-approved can get through?"

"…Exactly."

Tentatively, Atsuko spoke to confirm. Mayumi nodded slightly—but added:

"Unfortunately, we’re not authorized. Ideas are welcome, but for now—"

"I know."

"…Huh?"

Atsuko interrupted, her voice trembling slightly as she recalled a certain conversation between Kirihana Suou and the Maestro.

───…I’ll cooperate. I want to help you show your art to Sensei.

"Sensei of Schale… whatever Suou’s planning, she has to meet Schale’s Sensei at the right timing…"

They didn’t fully understand the conversation, but it was clear the Maestro had tried to keep Beatrice uninformed about what was happening now.

Showing his art to the Sensei had to happen before going to Beatrice—it was a necessary step. Otherwise, it wouldn’t serve any purpose.

"Maybe… if it’s the Schale Sensei, he might be able to get through."

"…No guarantees?"

"Nope."

At Atsuko’s words, Mayumi fell silent for only a few seconds, deep in thought. Then—

"…That’s the only option!! No matter how slim the chance, we have to gamble on it now!!"

"…Fine. Then, where is this Sensei?"

"I don’t know!!"

"Hey…!"

"That’s why we have to find him first… huh?"

As Mayumi set down her business bag to deploy drones, she noticed her pocket vibrating. On the screen—the Momotalk call function.

"…Helloo, this is Mayumi, gorgeous club president of the Student Life Support Department!"

Answering with her usual ridiculous energy, she heard—

‘Ma-Mayumi-chan!! Finally, we’re connected!! Thank goodness… thank goodness…!! Waaah…!!’

"Ah, Asiri!?"

"…!!"

The voice of her friend—and Azusa Shirasu’s friend—Amagawa Asiri—shook her eardrums with desperate urgency.