Chapter 86: To my dear little sisters, with love — from your big sister.

Just before Seia’s expression of shock—let us rewind time a little. Saori and her group were racing toward Suou’s location.

"The Justina Council of Saints…!"

But that was something Kirihana Suou had already anticipated from their previous encounter. By choosing the interior as the battlefield, she had forced the Justina Council to adapt—redirecting their efforts to counter Saori’s team instead.

"Mayumi and the red one won’t make it… so it’s up to us now!"

"Yeah… Sensei, we’ll leave the command to you!"

"Leave it to me!"

Everyone raised their guns, ready for battle—and then, in the very next instant—

"…!?"

All of the Justina Council members vanished. A thunderous explosion followed immediately after.

"What the—!"

"Hey, look over there!"

Following Misaki’s pointing finger, they saw that the airship that had been floating in the sky moments ago had disappeared—replaced by a rising column of black smoke.

"That’s…"

"…Probably part of Suou’s plan. And if the Justina Council disappeared right after that…"

Then the operation must be in its final stages. Which could only mean one thing—her death.

No one said it aloud. No one needed to. They all understood.

"…"

Naturally, their pace quickened. They pressed forward—faster and faster—

"Stop!"

Suddenly, members of the Justina Council appeared before them. Their bodies flickered like fire, half-dissolved into glowing embers. They could barely maintain their physical forms.

"Why… why go so far…?"

If multiple Justina Council units had been deployed—even in an incomplete state—as decoys to delay them, that would make sense. Every second gained was a victory for Suou.

"U-um… doesn’t that one seem to be holding something…?"

But this one was different. It couldn’t even materialize a gun. It was barely a flickering flame—like the dying light of a candle. Almost as if it mirrored Suou’s fading life itself.

"…Sorry, but we don’t have time to stop."

"Agreed…"

Even so, they raised their guns and pulled the triggers—

"…"

Before the bullets even landed, the Justina Council’s form crumbled away—unable to hold itself together any longer. The glowing fragments scattered into the air and vanished completely.

"What the hell was that…?"

Their behavior was unlike that of the emotionless Justina Council. It was strange—almost as if it had acted with intent. The thought that this might be tied to Suou’s life only deepened their unease. Their hearts pounded wildly, and nausea stirred in their stomachs.

"Let’s hurry."

"Wait. Something dropped."

As Saori prepared to run ahead, driven by urgency, Sensei stopped her and picked up something from where the Justina Council had disappeared.

"What…? That’s impossible. The Justina Council should vanish along with their equipment…"

When she saw what Sensei had retrieved, Saori froze. It was a familiar, eerie pouch—white and brown, made from… hair.

"…It’s Suou’s hair."

"…"

"Ugh… she really was crazy, huh…"

Suppressing the urge to throw it away, Saori forced herself to open the hair-made pouch. Time was running out. Inside was a fairly new voice recorder.

"…Let me see that."

She snatched the recorder and quickly played back the previous recordings. She already knew—she could imagine exactly what Kirihana Suou had done, and what this recording would contain.

"…Ah, ah—ahh… is this thing recording? Well, whatever…"

The voice that came out was slightly shaky—nervous, unlike her usual self—as the speaker began to talk.

"Umm… where do I even start… well, anyway!"

There was no mistaking it. Not a single one of them could fail to recognize that voice.

"It’s your big sister! Hi, everyone!"

Of course—it could only be that idiot.

"Suou…?"

"Oh, by the way, this isn’t a comms device, okay? You can’t talk back. Sorry!"

As if she knew they would try, Suou’s voice over the recorder casually crushed that hope with cruel precision.

"Well… how do I even put this? I guess this is kind of cliché, but… if you’re hearing this, it probably means my plan worked—and I’m dead now. Probably right about… now."

"…!"

"I handed this recorder to the Justina Council and told them to appear in front of you all right before they vanished."

Dead. Just one word—four simple letters. In Kivotos, death wasn’t rare. Not in this world. Yet even so, those four letters felt like they were trampling over their hearts.

"The Justina Council were tracking you, you know. You all got careless again, huh? Geez, I told you in training to watch out for enemies skilled in stealth operations…"

As Suou’s words continued, their steps grew heavier… slower… until they nearly stopped.

"Come on, you’re making me worry here… Will you be okay without your big sister?"

"…There’s no way we’ll be okay!!"

The words burst out before she could stop them. Saori hadn’t meant to interrupt—but she couldn’t hold back her anger. Suou was talking to them in that same easygoing tone, smiling like always, joking as if nothing was wrong—

"You idiot!! After all that selfishness, after everything you pulled, now you say this!?"

"Saori, calm down… we can’t hear the rest."

"…Right… sorry."

Sensei’s quiet words grounded her, and after a brief pause—

"…Okay, that should be enough time, right? Huh, I can practically feel you yelling at me from here… haha, weird…"

"…!"

She’d known. Even now, she’d predicted it exactly. Embarrassment mixed with anger in Saori’s chest—but anger still won out.

"Anyway… I’m sorry. For acting on my own. But honestly, I couldn’t think of any other way."

A faint scratch, scratch could be heard—the sound of a fingertip idly rubbing against her cheek, as if in embarrassment.

"But hey, you know what? I don’t regret anything! I just did what I wanted to do! …And all that stuff about me ‘using everyone’—yeah, that was a lie. I loved you all, you know?"

"…You don’t need to tell us that. We already know."

Honestly, with acting skills that bad, did she really think she could fool even a single person—let alone the ones who saw her as their “big sister”? It was almost insulting to imagine she’d ever believed that.

"So don’t worry about me being dead. Tomorrow still comes, no matter what."

Even if Saori wanted to throw that irony right back at her, the words were one-sided. There was no one to argue with. She could only swallow them, unable to digest them—forced to accept them as they were.

"…Well, I guess I am a little disappointed, though… ah—no, no! This is getting too gloomy, isn’t it!? Oh, and if you ever have a funeral for me, please play the Dragon Test theme song! …Actually, no, forget it! But if you do—I’m a Dragon Test fan, not a Final Fantasia one!"

Leaving behind all emotion, Suou’s voice suddenly turned bright again. Beneath that cheer, they could faintly hear her swallowing—her breath dry, her voice slightly nasal, as if she were struggling to breathe.

"…Yeah, well… I know it’s hard to accept when someone suddenly dies. It was hard for me too."

Her tone shifted abruptly—back to the calm, sincere voice that suited her best. The sudden drop in energy was unsettling, almost eerie.

"But just one thing. Please, live. And make sure you find happiness. That’s a promise between us, okay? Between you and your big sister."

Then, out of nowhere—those words. They hit Saori and the others like a bucket of ice water.

"…Even if someone dies… even if I die… the world keeps turning. It doesn’t stop for you, and it won’t comfort you either. But that doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to move on right away. Just live. Live, live, live, live—and never give up. Keep going until you find something on the other side."

It wasn’t anything profound. Just: Live. Find something. That was all she was saying.

"You’re probably thinking, ‘What’s a dead girl got to say about that?’ …But you know what? I already found mine. My treasure—my little sisters. So I’m good now. I’m satisfied."

And with that, the last message she left behind—

"The path you’ll walk from here on… it might be full of hardships. There’ll be painful moments too. When that happens, stop for a while, look back. But never stop walking altogether. One day, you’ll be happy again. And when that day comes… if possible, grow old first—wrinkly, gray-haired old ladies—and then come join me, okay? I’ll have tea ready and waiting."

Surely, that was Kirihana Suou’s true voice at last—the rare honesty buried beneath all her lies. Her final truth, spoken at the edge of death.

"Snff…"

And because of that—just faintly, a tiny sound slipped through. The sound of her holding back tears.

"So, that’s the end of my will! Now for the next part—My Little Sisters’ Cutest Points! I’ve got personal messages for each of you, so please listen carefully! We’ll go in alphabetical order, so first up is Azusa—!"

"…!! Oh, for—"

Before she could finish her absurd sentence, Saori slammed her fist against the wall. The loud bang drowned out the rest of the playback, and the recorder was hastily paused.

"…Let’s go. She might still be alive."

"…"

"And even if she isn’t… we should at least recover her body."

Her voice was quiet. Heavy. The same tone she’d used nine years ago—maybe even heavier now.

"…Yeah."

But that feeling was the same for everyone there. The sound of tears dripping and footsteps echoing off the walls filled the silence as they pressed on.

They moved forward until they reached an open area. It was likely the crash site of the airship they had seen earlier.

"The air’s… foul. Did they use poison? Sensei, take this."

"Thank you."

She handed the gas mask to Sensei—one that had once belonged to Kirihana Suou, found in her room. By chance, she’d brought it along, and now she quietly felt relieved she had.

"Let’s split up and search. We’ll divide the area into six sectors radiating outward from here. Some faculty might still be around, so stay alert."

"Understood."

No one said what exactly they were searching for. No one had to ask. Deep down, they all knew—Suou was no longer here.

No one spoke another word. If even a single person did, everything they’d been holding back might collapse completely. So they worked silently, moving debris piece by piece, making sure not to miss even the smallest trace.

They found bloodstains. Bullet marks. Fragments of what looked like hair rope.

As they continued, they uncovered a gun. More hair rope. A coat. A device labeled “Bomb for destroying Halo.” Even a few fallen teeth.

"How about your side?"

"N-no…! Nothing yet…!"

They found burnt fibers. A few strands of hair that seemed to belong to Beatrice. Broken nails.

"Hey, this—"

"Yeah… same here."

Spent shells. Shattered pieces of a mask.

"This is—"

"Yeah… mine’s the same."

They searched. And searched. After seeing all this, there was no doubt—this had been a battlefield. It hadn’t been long since the fight; the area still radiated heat from explosions.

"Suou… and Beatrice too."

Neither Suou’s body nor Beatrice’s was found. Not even a trace.

"The bodies… are gone…!"

A heavy thud echoed in his chest, like his heart was being squeezed tight. It was the same sensation as when they’d faced Suou’s death earlier—but this time, it wasn’t unpleasant.

"...Let’s assume the best-case scenario."

"Yeah, that’s fine… I’m thinking the same thing."

"There’s still a chance."

"Maybe—just maybe…!"

"Suou might still be alive?"

The thought came out of nowhere—too convenient, too hopeful, too kind. But the moment the possibility took root, their minds started racing.

"But then, why isn’t she here?"

"She might’ve failed to capture Beatrice. And then…"

"No, that doesn’t fit. The Justina Council of Saints disappeared entirely."

"Then why—why would she…!?"

"...Royal Blood."

As they began piecing the theory together, Atsuko muttered quietly.

"Suou carries the blood of the Royal Bloodline."

"…!"

"The role I was supposed to fulfill—activating the Commandments… and serving as the ritual’s sacrifice."

Impossible—or perhaps not entirely. A desperate, fragile hope, but still something to cling to.

"Then maybe Suou was chosen instead… Madame might’ve decided she couldn’t capture us, and changed her plan…"

"That’s… not impossible."

She recalled what she’d heard in the cockpit with Mayumi. Atsuko had been meant to be sacrificed in the ritual—that had been Beatrice’s true objective. Remembering that, the logic began to make sense.

"But then, how do we explain the ‘Bomb for destroying Halo’? No matter how monstrous Beatrice is, even she couldn’t survive that."

"I don’t know. But for now, let’s proceed under the assumption that Suou is alive."

If that theory was right, time was already running short. Beatrice’s retreat could only mean she was cornered. It wouldn’t be strange if the ritual had already begun.

"First—"

"Finally caught up to you!!"

Following that line of thought, they tried to make sense of the situation. Electricity crackled through the air as two crafts—one red, one blue—descended from the sky, their surfaces flashing in the light.

"Whoa!?"

"Sensei!"

Azusa grabbed Sensei just before he was blown off his feet, barely managing to keep him steady. For a moment, she wanted to ask if they were really trying to stay hidden anymore—but courtesy and basic decency held her tongue.

"Don’t just drop in out of nowhere!"

"Sorry, alright!? We were in a hurry too, you know!?"

"She’s still got energy to spare, huh."

The voices coming through the ship’s damaged comms were filled with static. Just from the sound alone, it was clear the craft had taken quite a beating.

"Still… it’s moving, at least. So, what about Suou!?"

"Status unknown. But we have a lead."

"...!"

Status unknown. They hadn’t made it in time. In the space of a few seconds, a storm of thoughts rushed through their minds—most of them regret.

"There’s a small chance she’s still alive. We might not have much we can do, but… we can’t give up yet. Please."

"...!"

"Just lend us your strength a little longer."

Saori and the others still hadn’t given up. That much was immediately clear.

"...What am I even doing," one of the pilots murmured to herself.

Just the thought that Suou might have died had nearly crushed her. She’d almost given in to despair, letting everything go.

"That’s not like me!!"

Right—brooding over something like this wasn’t her style. She’d always been the type to struggle to the very end, selfishly if she had to, clawing for survival no matter what. If she could do that before, how could she possibly give up now, just because her savior might have died?

"I was planning to go all in from the start anyway! Now show me this ‘lead’ of yours!!"

"Reinforcements should be arriving soon, but we can still push forward until then! Heroes don’t die that easily!"

"That helps. If our theory’s right, we don’t have much time left."

The craft was battered and barely operational, maybe not even useful anymore. But they still had one trump card left—and once Asiri’s reinforcements arrived, they’d have two. That alone meant they couldn’t afford to stand still now.

"...We’re not giving up, Suou. None of us are."

Once everyone had agreed, Saori turned her gaze forward. If Beatrice truly intended to complete the ritual, she would’ve gone deeper into the ruins—into the dark, where no one could follow. What waited beyond was unknown.

"You were the one who taught me that..."

Maybe their hope was hollow, their theory a delusion. Maybe Suou really was gone. Maybe pressing forward would only put them all in danger.

"But it’s thanks to you… that I can still think this way… that I still believe this way."

Maybe Beatrice had only taken Suou’s body for some other purpose. But even if that was true—

"Even if Vanitas Vanitatum, everything is meaningless—et omnia Vanitas—that’s no reason to give up!"

Maybe there was something to be gained from this struggle. Maybe there was meaning still to be found. And that belief—the refusal to give up—was something Suou herself had once taught them.