Chapter 77: Answer

Through the MomoTalk voice call—not the usual radio channel—came Asiri’s panicked voice. Her shrill scream pierced Mayumi’s ears, making her eardrums sting.

"Mayumi-chan!! Everything’s—everything’s dangerously dangerous!!"

"Use your words properly, you airheaded blonde! And calm down first!!"

Mayumi pressed her hands over her ears, tears welling at the corners of her eyes as a vein throbbed on her forehead.

"Ma-Mayumi-chan!! Where are you right now!? Are you safe!?"

"I’m fine! Calm down already!"

"Thank goodness…! I’m so glad you’re okay…!"

Even though Asiri’s face wasn’t visible on the screen, Mayumi could easily imagine it—scrunched up and tear-streaked. The warm, worried voices of those around her faintly filtered through the call.

"Heh… Asiri. Looks like you’ve made some good friends again."

"Eh? O-oh, yeah, four of them… Wait, that’s not important right now!! Mayumi-chan, do you even understand what’s going on!?"

Just when Mayumi thought Asiri had finally calmed down, her voice exploded again—louder than any phone speaker should’ve been able to handle. Mayumi resisted the urge to throw her device to the ground and forced herself to focus.

"Yeah, more or less. You’ve got Urawa Hanako with you, right? I’m sure she’s filled you in… Kirihana Suou’s in danger."

"Y-yeah!! But that’s not all!! Both Trinity and Gehenna are in total chaos—there are injured people everywhere!!"

"‘Total chaos,’ huh…"

Letting out a sigh full of exasperation, Mayumi muttered, "You really don’t sound tense," before turning her attention back to the call.

"T-the kids from the Volunteer Activities Club are trying to find the Arius Branch students! But they can’t reach them because of those black things! Oh, and the Supplementary Lessons Department! I think they’re helping the Gehenna students!"

"Hmm…"

The Supplementary Lessons Department—led by that Gehenna brat, Sayuri. During the Eden Treaty signing, they had acted as a safeguard, helping the Arius students escape through the Gehenna Autonomous Zone. If they were now heading toward Shanhaijing, passing through Gehenna’s territory would be inevitable. Helping Gehenna made sense—but still.

"Have the Medical Department handle the injured, and get the Supplementary Lessons Department over here. The situation’s urgent."

"I—I already told Sayuri-chan that! But she said she can’t move freely either! Those black things—she said they come back to life right after being taken down!!"

"…Ah. I see how it is."

Sayuri was one of the more combat-capable former Arius students. Still, even at her best, her strength only slightly surpassed Mayumi’s when she fully utilized her drones. Even with the Supplementary Lessons Department under her, moving freely under the Student Council’s firepower would be difficult.

"What about information sharing?"

"We’re doing it!"

"Okay, that’s fine. Keep the Gehenna students on standby. The moment you find any Arius Branch students, help them escape."

Sayuri might not be the nicest person, but she wasn’t stupid. Since information was already being shared, she’d handle things properly. Mayumi took a deep breath to refocus.

"Alright, in that case—"

"W-wait!!"

"What now?"

That was unusual. Among the trio, Asiri was the kindest, most sensible, and most considerate. Everyone in their club agreed—even Mayumi and Sayuri. Sure, she had her odd moments, but she was always level-headed.

For her to interrupt during an emergency meant something truly serious. Mayumi paused, waiting.

"Ah—"

"A-Azusa-chan!! She just read the message!! She might’ve seen it—she could be near Trinity!!"

"…Asiri…"

Her voice was so loud it might’ve reached Azusa’s ears, even through the call.

For Azusa, those words were like light breaking through darkness. Despite everything she had done, Asiri still called her a friend—still worried for her. The warmth in those words seeped into her heart, melting through the frost she had forced around it.

"…Shirasu Azusa, huh. That girl, she’s—"

"…"

But that same warmth terrified her. She feared betraying everyone’s trust again, hurting them all because of her choices. This time, it might not end with just pointing a gun.

More than anything, she had already made her choice—to save the Arius Branch students, no matter the cost. After all she had done, how could she ever face them again?

"Don’t," Azusa whispered.

"…Good grief. You’re as stubborn as ever."

She understood that everyone worried about her. She understood that neither the Arius nor the Trinity students wanted this outcome. And because they were all like that—so kind, so earnest—Azusa had no intention of turning back.

"I haven’t seen her. She might’ve headed toward Gehenna instead."

"…I-I see. Yeah… okay. Got it. Sorry for cutting you off earlier."

"It’s fine. Anyway, about what to do next—we’re planning to look for Sensei."

"Eh, wait—what? We? Mayumi-chan, do you have other club members with you?"

Asiri caught something odd in Mayumi’s words and tilted her head.

"No, they’re from Arius Branch. We just made contact."

"…Huh?"

Mayumi said it as if it were nothing special—"Forgot to mention that"—and Asiri froze.

"S—!"

"S…?"

"Say that first!!"

The next outburst was deafening, but this time Mayumi had wisely covered her ears in advance.

"You were the one rambling nonstop!"

"Ugh…! O-okay, fine! I’m sorry—but wait!? Where are you right now, Mayumi-chan!?"

Asiri blurted out the question almost instantly, like it had just struck her.

"At the ruins of the Old Cathedral."

"……Aaaahhh!! Ugh!! There’s so much I want to say, but later!! I’ll send the Volunteer Activities Club’s coordinates to the Arius kids, so have them head this way!! The Volunteer Activities Club and the Supplementary Lessons Department will take care of the Arius students—then move on to Shanhaijing! Got it!?"

Suppressing every urge to complain, she somehow managed to outline the next steps.

"…Arius girl. That okay?"

"Yeah. We have no objections. I’ll inform each squad leader."

"You heard her."

Mayumi switched to speaker mode—probably tired of repeating everything—and let Saori’s voice answer for her.

"O-okay! Got it! Then, about Kirihana Suou…! W-what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean? Of course we’re going to save her. Otherwise, I’d never be able to face that person again."

"M-me too!! But I meant—how much are we involving the Arius people?"

Asiri hurried to clarify, and Mayumi nodded in understanding, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

The Arius Branch’s help would definitely be valuable. The former Arius students still had a few hidden assets, though they weren’t easy to deploy. Some minimum level of fighting strength was essential.

"For now, I want them to help with persuading Kirihana Suou. What happens after that depends on how things play out."

"‘Depends on how things play out’…?"

"If we can’t persuade her… if we can’t save her."

"…!"

If that happened, the ones most likely to become their enemies would be the Arius Branch’s upper ranks. Their true combat strength was still unknown—and if they decided to use that “halo-destroying bomb,” it would turn into a catastrophe. There would be deaths among the Arius Branch students. That much was certain.

In other words, the best course of action was a small, fast-moving team—one flexible enough to call for reinforcements if necessary.

"…Anyway, have the Arius students hold position for now. You there—do you have a unit name or something?"

"We’re the Arius Squad."

"Then I’ll be borrowing the lovely ladies of the Squad for this one."

"…"

Even through the comm line, Mayumi could feel the collective sigh from the other side—but she pressed on.

"Wait. What about the other team leaders?"

"…Once they hear what’s going on, I’m pretty sure they’ll rush out to save Suou no matter what we say."

Hearing Saori and Misaki’s concern, Mayumi sighed deeply, realizing yet another problem had appeared.

"…You’re really adored, huh? Seems like it, Asiri."

"Eh—!? Wh-what do I do!?"

"What do you do? You keep it secret, obviously. A lie’s a useful tool—use it well."

"B-but that’s easy for you to say! I can’t lie like that!"

Come to think of it, Asiri’s acting skills were abysmal. The thought made Mayumi sigh again—though a faint smile tugged at her lips this time.

"You’ve got Urawa Hanako with you, right? Try to gather whatever forces you can. We’ll need them soon enough."

"Ah—! O-okay! Got it! What about you, Mayumi-chan? What are you going to do now!?"

"What I’m going to do…? Ugh, I don’t have time to explain. I’m going to find Sensei. I need him."

"Eh? S-sensei?"

Asiri reacted instantly at the word “Sensei,” and that reaction gave Mayumi a spark of hope she hadn’t felt in a long time.

"I—I know where he is! I’ll send Pee-chan to guide you, so hang tight for a second!!"

Those words turned that fleeting spark of hope into certainty.

---

A storm of bullets filled the air before her. Each one overflowed with mystical energy—so much that the faint violet glow around them almost drew her eyes in.

"…!"

But there was no time to admire their beauty.

"Haaahhh!!!"

She wound her hair around her right arm like a rope, infused it with mystic power, and blocked with minimal movement—minimizing damage as she charged forward with an explosive boost from her left arm.

"I’m getting used to this kind of movement already!"

A fist came flying straight for the tip of her nose. She slammed her right foot down, braking hard, then kicked off the ground to leap in an arc through the air—clamping both legs around Mika’s arm mid-flight.

"…!"

"Hmph!"

With a twist of her back and every bit of strength she had, she flung Mika upward—ten meters into the air.

"Kh…!"

As gravity reclaimed its hold, Mika began to fall. Suou raised her hand cannon and fired in pursuit, but Mika managed to deflect and reduce the damage.

"Too slow!"

"Ghh…!"

Mika landed, bracing for impact as mystic power gathered in both her arms.

"What—!?"

It was a bluff. Before Suou could react, Mika launched herself upward again, rocketing toward the ceiling—and immediately accelerated back down.

"…!"

This time, Mika wasn’t attacking with just her fists. At the ceiling, she had infused the broken rubble with mystic energy, turning it into a rain of charged stones crashing down.

There was only one option—to meet it head-on.

"Come at me!"

Suou overloaded several bombs with mystic energy until they glowed with a faint, ominous light. The moment that glow peaked, she hurled them toward the falling debris—leaving one charged at her own feet.

"I knew you’d do that!"

The explosion blasted her skyward. Mika closed the distance instantly, her right fist already swinging.

"Hah!"

"Raaah!!"

Suou barely dodged, pressed her left palm against Mika’s right arm, and used the contact to accelerate backward in the same motion.

"What!?"

"Take this!!"

Her right fist slammed into Mika’s exposed abdomen, driving the air from her lungs. Before Mika could even gasp, Suou followed with a sharp kick to the neck, sending her crashing toward the ground below.

"Fuh…! Hah—what!?"

Before she could even catch her breath, the ground suddenly tilted beneath her. In that fraction of a second, she realized—it wasn’t the ground moving down.

Mika had lifted it.

"That all you’ve got!?"

"Try saying that after you block this!"

A barrage of rocks came crashing down. Midair, they shattered apart—each fragment scattering in all directions like improvised footholds.

"Going for an aerial fight, huh!?"

"I’ve got perfectly good wings for it!"

White afterimages flickered at the edge of Suou’s vision—appearing, vanishing, appearing again. Every time one flashed, another floating rock exploded into fragments.

"…"

Rather than jumping from stone to stone, she went limp and surrendered to gravity. The fall matched the debris’ speed, freezing the world around her for an instant. In that stillness, the pattern of Mika’s movements became clear.

"…There!"

She fired her hand cannon along Mika’s predicted path. The bullet carried enough mystic energy to cripple any limb it hit. Once that happened, Mika’s speed would plummet—creating the perfect opening for a counterattack.

"…As expected of you, Suou-chan."

That voice—Mika’s.

Suou scanned the area for a hit: legs, arms, torso, chest, face—nothing.

"Looks like those wings of yours won’t be working for a while!"

"!?"

Her blood-stained wings twisted sharply, rushing straight toward her—completely unpredictable, far too fast to react.

"Haaahhh!!!"

"Gh—!"

A dazzling fist slammed into her, driving her hard into the ground.

"Kh…! Guh—! Ngh…!"

She had infused her body with defensive mystic energy—or so she thought. Yet blood poured freely, and her bones creaked under the strain, leaving her barely able to move.

"Haa…! Haa…!"

Mika, too, was gasping for air, clutching at the wound she’d taken earlier. Both were battered and bleeding, their injuries severe. Instinctively, they took distance, warily gauging each other.

"Cough… hey, Suou-chan. Let’s stop this already."

"…?"

Suou blinked, hardly believing what she’d just heard.

"I don’t know what you’re thinking, Suou-chan. You’re smarter… and kinder than someone like me. So maybe I’m the one who’s wrong here."

"…Huh?"

Her tone softened—gentle, almost pleading.

"But, Suou-chan… what you’re doing right now—no, that’s wrong too."

"The hell did you just say?"

"Because what you’re doing… it’s ignoring how Saori-chan feels. How Azusa-chan feels. How everyone feels."

"…!"

…So noisy. She just wouldn’t shut up.

"Heh… ha ha ha… Don’t start preaching, you damn gorilla. I told you my goal already, didn’t I? The entire control of Kivotos—"

"You really should stop talking when all you can say are lies or gorilla jokes."

"!?"

A pebble flew toward her face. Suou caught it effortlessly, crushed it, and let the fragments scatter to the ground.

"Well, well. Aren’t you ladylike all of a sudden, Princess."

"Ah, you finally managed a halfway intelligent insult. Should I praise you?"

"Don’t bother. Anything from you would just ruin my reputation."

"I think your reputation’s already bottomed out, honestly."

…Always got a comeback, huh. Not that I ever expected a real conversation anyway.

"Hey, Suou-chan. Do you really think Saori-chan and the others will be okay without you?"

…Of course I’ve thought about that. Countless times. I trained them for ten years so they’d survive without me.

"…Not my problem."

"You’re lying. You do care. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be doing any of this."

"Heh… you’ve got no eye for people, do you."

"But that’s exactly why you’re wrong."

…Is Mika even listening to me? She hasn’t reacted to a single thing I’ve said.

"I’ll say it clearly, then. It’s obvious—Shio-chan can’t handle it. If you’re gone, she’ll probably follow you."

"…!"

…That’s not true. Shio was starting to open up—slowly, but she was. Getting stronger, step by step.

"…Hey, Suou-chan. You’re the one who said that responsibility comes with the position, right? I’m giving those words back to you. You made her your sister. So you have to take responsibility—stay with her until the very end. What are you even doing right now?"

"…"

I already fulfilled my responsibility. Once I kill Beatrice, everyone can finally be happy. If I’m gone—if the so-called criminal who destroyed the Eden Treaty disappears—then everyone else can just live normal lives.

"You really think this… this way of doing things is right? It’s just cruel. To everyone."

…Ah. I see.
So that’s how it is.

"…Since earlier…"

"Huh?"

"Since earlier!!! You just won’t shut up!!!"

"!?"

After I die, what’ll happen to everyone? It’s not like I never thought about it. I did. I thought about it again and again and again and again.

But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t see any world where a scum like me dying alone was somehow worse than everyone being branded criminals and hunted down. Not even a little. I refuse to believe that. This way is the only right one.

"You act all high and mighty just ‘cause I let you talk!!! What other choice was there, huh!? Tell me!! Try it yourself!! You think things will change if I’m gone!? They won’t!! Nothing will change!! Who’s gonna miss me, huh!? Who the hell suffers when someone like me disappears!?"

"…Suou-chan."

Ah, damn it. This is wrong. I’m just lashing out—letting emotions take control again. Just like back then.

That’s not me. That’s not who I am. Not him. Not her either.

"…I’ll be sad, you know?"

I know that. Of course I do. Because Mika’s kind.

"I couldn’t care less!! What does it matter what some stranger thinks of me!!"

"…I think of you as a friend."

I did too. But at the same time… there’s something I have to protect.

"I’ve never once thought that!! Not even once!!"

"…You can still come back. Let’s run away together. With everyone… please."

I can’t go back. I’m not allowed to.

"I said I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!!!"

"…Why, Suou-chan? Why do you talk like that—like you’re worthless? Why do you say such things? I don’t understand. I just don’t."

"Hah! That’s ‘cause you’re too damn stupid to get it, Misono Mika!!!"

I fire a hand-cannon round straight at Mika’s face. Without even flinching, she catches it between her teeth and stops it cold.

"Your shots are weaker now. You’re shaken, huh?"

"…Enough talk. You’ve stalled me long enough, haven’t you?"

"Aww, so you noticed?"

During our exchange, my strength had already recovered. The control over the Student Council’s replica Mimesis had stabilized again. I could fight at full capacity now.

"…Then, shall we start Round Two?"

"Bring it on. I won’t make it easy for you."

"I keep telling you—you’re a terrible actor."

…Sensei probably won’t wake up for a little while longer. The Arius Branch kids should be clear of the area soon.

Just a bit more. A little more time and Sensei will be here. Whether in person or otherwise. I just need to hold out until then. Endure it. Take back the halo-destroying bomb from Mika.

After that, everything will go according to plan.

No problems. Nothing to worry about. …Right?

---

"…Well then, Sensei. This is what’s happening—right now, at this very moment."

"…"

A space that could not be called either dream or reality. The two of them had returned there once again, standing face to face.

"A bleak, lonely, sorrowful story, isn’t it? And yet… what lies ahead will demand even greater patience."

"…I see."

Sensei’s eyes carried a calm, almost sympathetic light as he gazed vaguely at the scene before him.

"Because they care for each other, they drift apart. They clash. And in the end, they bring about the worst possible conclusion. It may seem as though things are moving smoothly on the surface, but beneath it, preparations for the worst—malicious and deliberate—are progressing steadily."

Seia spoke as she always did, in her roundabout, philosophical way, her expression resigned.

"Still, it’s an undeniable truth. Ironically, her attempt to reject this story is what proves its authenticity."

It was a pattern she had witnessed countless times. With a soft sigh, she lowered her gaze, letting her lashes hide the weariness in her eyes.

"Distrust. Fear. Anxiety. Even their desire to protect one another. All of it piled up—and through it, the Eden Treaty was completed in its distorted form. The story itself was warped. Perhaps it’s a fitting ending for us, the ones exiled from paradise."

Seia had pondered it countless times—not just this case, but over and over again. Wondering if the future could somehow be changed. If only she refused to give up, maybe the outcome would shift.

But in the end, she had to accept the truth: everything unfolding now was exactly the same as what she had seen before.

"…Seia."

"Sit down, Sensei. Why are you standing? What meaning could that possibly have?"

"…"

"If you can’t accept this, then let me tell you how it ends. After all, I’m nothing more than a bystander."

A bystander—one who neither acts nor interferes. Simply watching, from afar.

"No matter what anyone does, in the end, everyone is a bystander to me. There’s no real difference. None of us can change anything."

"…Even so, I have to go."

"…Why?"

Her tone wavered, uncertain—almost frightened, like a child afraid to be left alone. Seia reached out to stop him.

"There are things you can’t understand just by watching."

"And what meaning is there in understanding them? There’s nothing beyond that—so why chase after such pointlessness?"

"…It must’ve been scary, right, Seia? Watching alone. Being able to do nothing but watch."

"W–What are you…?"

At the gentle sound of his voice, Seia faltered. She couldn’t help it.

"…Wait for me, just a bit. I have to move now."

"Why, Sensei? Why do you insist on continuing such meaningless actions? It doesn’t make sense. It’s written even in the Seven Ancient Laws—all is predetermined—"

"Yeah, I know. But honestly, that doesn’t really matter."

"…What?"

He brushed aside words that had endured since ancient times—and though the gesture irritated her, Seia still listened.

"I can’t do much. But even so, I can’t just sit here and waste time."

"…Even if it’s meaningless?"

"Maybe it’s not meaningless."

"And how do you intend to prove that? What meaning could there possibly be in such an act?"

"…If you think of it as underwear instead of a swimsuit, then it is underwear."

"…Huh?"

At that sudden, incomprehensible remark, Seia’s face flushed red. And just like that, Sensei’s consciousness faded—vanishing as if he were escaping from her embarrassment.